conjecture, whiche is taken by the yeres, by the occupacion, and by the
personage: of those two first, hath been reasoned, there remaineth to
speake of the thirde. And therefore, I saie how some have willed, that
the souldiour bee greate, emongest whom was Pirrus. Some other have
chosen theim onely, by the lustinesse of the body, as Cesar did: whiche
lustinesse of bodie and mynde, is conjectured by the composicion of the
members, and of the grace of the countenaunce: and therefore, these that
write saie, that thei would have the iyes lively and cherefull, the
necke full of sinowes, the breaste large, the armes full of musculles,
the fingers long, little beallie, the flankes rounde, the legges and
feete drie: whiche partes are wont alwayes to make a manne nimble and
strong, whiche are twoo thynges, that in a souldiour are sought above al
other. Regarde ought to bee had above all thynges, to his customes, and
that in hym bee honestie, and shame: otherwise, there shall bee chosen
an instrumente of mischief, and a beginnyng of corrupcion: for that
lette no manne beleve that in the dishoneste educacion, and filthy
minde, there maie take any vertue, whiche is in any parte laudable. And
I thinke it not superfluous, but rather I beleve it to bee necessarie,
to the entente you maie the better understande, the importaunce of this
chosen, to tell you the maner that the Romaine Consuls, in the beginnyng
of their rule, observed in the chosing of their Romain legions: in the
whiche choise of men, bicause thesame legions were mingled with old
souldiours and newe, consideryng the continuall warre thei kepte, thei
might in their choise procede, with the experince of the old, and with
the conjecture of the newe: and this ought to be noted, that these men
be chosen, either to serve incontinently, or to exercise theim
incontinently, and after to serve when nede should require. But my
intencion is to shew you, how an armie maie be prepared in the countrie,
where there is no warlike discipline: in which countrie, chosen men
cannot be had, to use them straight waie, but there, where the custome