whiche is moste necessarie, for that besides to know how to ride, thei
muste knowe how on horsebacke thei maie prevaile of them selves. And for
this thei had ordeined horses of wood, upon the which thei practised, to
leape by armed, and unarmed, without any helpe, and on every hande: the
whiche made, that atones, and at a beck of a capitain, the horsmen were
on foote, and likewise at a token, thei mounted on horsebacke. And soche
exercises, bothe on foote and on horsebacke, as thei were then easie to
bee doen, so now thei should not be difficult to thesame common weale,
or to thesame prince, whiche would cause them to be put in practise of
their yong men. As by experience is seen, in certaine citees of the
Weste countrie, where is kepte a live like maners with this order. Thei
devide all their inhabiters into divers partes: and every parte thei
name of the kinde of those weapons, that thei use in the warre. And for
that thei use Pikes, Halbardes, Bowes, and Harkebuses, thei call them
Pike menne, Halberders, Harkebutters, and Archars: Therefore, it is mete
for all the inhabiters to declare, in what orders thei will be
appoincted in. And for that all men, either for age, or for other
impedimentes, be not fitte for the warre, every order maketh a choise of
men, and thei call them the sworen, whom in idell daies, be bounde to
exercise themselves in those weapons, wherof thei be named: and every
manne hath his place appoincted hym of the cominaltie, where soche
exercise ought to be made: and those whiche be of thesame order, but not
of the sworen, are contributaries with their money, to thesame expenses,
whiche in soche exercises be necessarie: therfore thesame that thei doe,
we maie doe. But our smal prudence dooeth not suffre us, to take any
good waie. Of these exercises there grewe, that the antiquitie had good
souldiours, and that now those of the Weste, bee better men then ours:
for as moche as the antiquitie exercised them, either at home (as those
common weales doe) or in the armies, as those Emperours did, for
thoccasions aforesaied: but we, at home will not exercise theim, in