possessions: but bicause these good men and soche as use not the warre
for their arte, will not take of thesame any thing then labour,
perilles, and gloris, when thei are sufficiently glorious, thei desire
to returne home, and to live of their owne science. Concernyng menne of
lowe degree, and common souldiours, to prove that thei kepte the verie
same order, it doeth appeare that every one willingly absented theim
selves from soche exercise, and when thei served not in the warre, thei
would have desired to serve, and when thei did serve, thei would have
desired leave not to have served: whiche is wel knowen through many
insamples, and inespecially seeyng how emonge the firste privileges,
whiche the Romaine people gave to their Citezeins was, that thei should
not be constrained against their willes, to serve in the warres.
Therefore Rome so long as it was well governed, whiche was untill the
commyng of Graccus, it had not any Souldiour that would take this
exercise for an arte, and therefore it had fewe naughtie, and those few
wer severely punished. Then a citee well governed, ought to desire, that
this studie of warre, be used in tyme of peace for exercise, and in the
time of warre, for necessitie and for glorie: and to suffer onely the
common weale to use it for an arte, as Rome did, and what so ever
Citezein, that hath in soche exercise other ende, is not good, and what
so ever citee is governed otherwise, is not well ordeined.

COSIMO. I remain contented enough and satisfied of thesame, whiche
hetherto you have told, and this conclusion pleaseth me verie wel whiche
you have made, and as muche as is loked for touching a common welth, I
beleve that it is true, but concerning Kinges, I can not tell nowe, for
that I woulde beleve that a Kinge would have about him, whome
particularly should take suche exercise for his arte.

FABRICIO. A kingdome well ordred ought moste of all to avoide the like