The works of the famous Nicholas Machiavel, citizen and secretary of Florence written originally in Italian, and from thence newly and faithfully translated into English.

CHAP. XVII.

How the Armies of our times are to judge of Artillery, and whether the general opinion of it, be true.

WHen I consider with my self how many Field Battels were fought by the Romans in several times, it falls into my thoughts to examine what many people have believed, that had there been great Guns in those days, as there are now, the Romans could never have over-run Provinces, nor made them tributary so easily, nor have done so many great things as they did; for by reason of these fire-arms, Granadoes, and such kind of Engines, people are sooner terrified, and cannot show their valour so freely as heretofore; To which it is added, that Armies come with more difficulty to a Battel, and that their Orders and Ranks are not so easily kept, so that in time the whole business of War will be dispatched by the Cannon. Not thinking it improper to enquire into these opinions; to examine whether Artillery have added or substracted from the strength of our Armies, and taken away, or given more occasion to our Captains of doing brave things; I shall begin with their first opinion, that the Romans would not have made those vast Conquests, had there been Artillery in those days: In answer, I say, that War is twofold, defensive, or offensive; and it is first to be considered, which of these two Wars it does most mischief or good; and though it may be said it does great mischief in both, yet I am of opinion, it is much more prejudicial to him that is upon the defensive, than him that is upon the offensive part. The reason is, because he who defends himself, is either blocked up in some Town, or straightned in his Camp: If in a Town, it is either small (like your Citadels) or large: In the first case the besieged is lost; for the force of those Guns is such, that no wall is so thick, but in a few days they will beat it down: So that if he has no retreat, nor time to stop up the breaches, or throw up new works within, the Enemy enters pell mell at the breach, and the Cannon of the Town does the Garison very little good; for this is a Maxim, where people can fall on in a crowd, and run head∣long in their fury to a storm, great Guns do never repel them. Wherefore the fierce assaults of the Tramontani are not so easily sustained, as the attacks of the Italians who fall not on with that fury and impatience as the other, but march up cooly and quietly to the Battel, and do rather skirmish, than storm. Those who enter a breach in this gravity and state, are sure to go to pot, for the Artillery does certain execution upon them: But those who fall on briskly, and crowd one another into the breach (if there be no new works or retrenchments thrown up within) enter as they please without any great preju∣dice by the Cannon; for though some of them may be killed, yet they cannot be so many as to hinder the taking of the Town. That this is true, we find by many instances in Italy, and among the rest in the Siege of Brescia, the Town revolted to the Venetians, only the Castle stood firm for the French. That the Town might receive no prejudice from the Castle, the Venetians fortified the great Street that comes down from the Castle with great Guns in the Front, Flanks, and every where, so that they thought themselves secure not only from sallies within, but from relief without. But Monsieur de Foix made no reckon∣ing of them; for marching thither with a Body of Horse, he alighted, and charging boldly thorow the said Street, relieved the Castle, without any considerable loss. So that he who is shut up in a small place, his walls battered down, and has nothing left but his Artillery to defend him, is in very great danger, and can hardly escape: If the place you defend be a large Town, where you have room enough to retire, and throw up new works; yet your disadvantage is great, and the Enemies great Guns shall do more mischief upon you, than yours upon him. For first you must be forced to advance your Cannon, and raise them to some higher place; for whilst they are level with the ground, every blind, or small work that the Enemy throws up, is sufficient to secure him; and being forced to plant them higher, either upon the top of some Wall, or Church, or Mount (erected on purpose) you fall under two inconveniences; One is, that you cannot bring such large Guns upon those places, as he can bring without, because in those little places, great Guns are not to be managed; The other is, that if you could get them up, they cannot be so

easily secur'd, because they cannot have the convenience of works or baskets to defend them, as the Enemy has whose Guns are planted as he pleases. So that it is almost im∣possible for him that is besieged, to keep his Cannon long upon a high place, without being dismounted, if the Enemy without has any store of Artillery; and to keep them upon the ground, is to have little or no use of them, as I said before: so that when all is done, the best way to defend a Town is as they did of old, by their small shot, and the courage of the Soldier: And yet though small shot be of some use to the besieged, it cannot counter∣vail the dammage which they receive from the Enemies great shot, for by them their walls are battered, and beaten down into the Ditches, so that when the Enemy comes to storm (which he may do with more ease when the Ditches are filled up with the ruines of the walls) the besieged are under great disadvantage. Wherefore, as I said before, those Guns are more beneficial to the besieger, than the besieged. And if you do not defend your self either in a great Town or a little, but shall choose rather some strong and convenient place, where you may encamp and entrench, so as not to be forced to an Engagement, but with advantage to your self; I say that in this case you have no better way now, than the Ancients had of old, and that many times your great Guns are more inconvenient, than otherwise; for if the Enemy falls upon your back, with any advantage of ground, as may easily happen; That is, if he gains by accident any eminence that commands your Camp, or surprizes you before your intrenchments are finished, he quickly dislodges you, and compells you to fight. This was the case with the Spaniards before the Battel of Ravenna, who entrenched upon the River Roncus, but made their 〈◊〉〈◊〉 too low, whereupon the French having the advantage of the ground, with their great Guns played so furiously over them into their Camp, that the Spaniards 〈…〉〈…〉, and forced afterwards to give them Battel. And if you shall choose such a place to ••••trench in, as commands the whole Country, and fortifie it so well, that the 〈…〉〈…〉 you, yet the Enemy will have the same ways of provoking and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 you, as were practised of old, that is, by making inroads, and plundring your Country; by 〈◊〉〈◊〉 your Roads, and intercepting your Convoys, and a thousand other 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 dities which he will put upon you, against which your Artillery will 〈…〉〈…〉. So that considering what has been said, and that the Roman Wars 〈◊〉〈◊〉 most 〈◊〉〈◊〉 offensive; they would have had advantage by them, and in probability 〈…〉〈…〉 their conquests, had there been any Artillery in their times. As to the 〈…〉〈…〉, that by reason of those great Guns, men could not show their valour so much as an ancient times; I answer, it is true, and the danger is greater when they come to place their ••ad∣ders, and make an assault dully and heavily, and rather one by one, than in a body; their Officers being in the same hazard, and liable to be killed at greater distance, nor can the strongest guards, nor choicest men about them, secure them; yet for all these great dangers, no memorable instance can be produced of any great dammage that ever was received. For Towns are not taken usually by storm, or assault; but by way of Leaguer as formerly; and in those that are taken by storm, the danger is not much greater than it was then; for even in those times, whoever undertook the defence of a Town, had his Machines and instruments of War, which though not discharged with such force, did the same execu∣tion. And as to the reaching of Commanders at a distance, and killing them in the midst of their Reserves, there have been fewer of them slain (since great Guns came up) in 24 years Wars in Italy, than there was in any ten years in the time of the Romans; for unless it were Count Lodovic della Mirandola (who was killed in Ferrara, when the Venetians invaded that State) and the Duke of Nemours who was killed at Cirignuola, there has not been one great Officer slain; for Monsieur de Foix at Ravenna dyed by the Sword. So that if men show themselves not so couragious as formerly; it is from the weakness and ill order of their Armies, rather than the Artillery: And whereas it is said that these great Guns are an impediment to their fighting, and that the decision of Battels will by degrees be left to the Artillery; I reply, That that opinion is clearly a mistake, and has been judged so by all those who are for the old way of Discipline. For he that would have his Soldiers good, must exercise them well, and with frequent Alarms (true or false, 'tis no matter) accustom them to the Enemy, bring them to handy-stroaks, and as it were to take one ano∣ther by the beards; by which means they will come to a greater dexterity in handling their weapons, and grappling with the Enemy; and for the same reason, the Foot are rather to be relyed upon than the Horse; for if your Foot be nimble and good, you may fall with more security upon an Enemy perplexed and embarrassed with a train of Artillery, than you could of old when they had their Elephants, their Chariots with Cythes, and such other devices. And if the Romans could find out remedies daily against such daily inventions, no question but they would have found out some or other against great Guns; and so much

the more easily, because the danger of the Guns is sooner over, than the danger of the other: for the execution which is done by the Cannon, is done before the engagement be∣gins; The execution by the Chariots and Elephants, during the whole fight; besides the Cannon is easily avoided by the Infantry, either by posting themselves behind some bank, or clapping down upon their bellies; and yet of this so easie and obvious an evasion, expe∣rience tells us there is seldom any necessity; for it is a hard matter to point your great Guns so exactly, but that either they will be mounted too high and shoot over you, or too low, and never come at you: And when the Battel is joyn'd, 'tis as clear as the day, that neither great nor small shot is of any advantage; for if the Artillery be placed before the Army, 'tis odds but it is taken; if behind, the execution it does, is upon themselves; and on either side it can gaul you but little, before you get to it, and either cloy, or secure it, and if an example be required, we have one ready in the Swizzers, who at Navarre in the year 1513. without Horse or Artillery, or any such thing, fell upon the French Camp, and overcame them, though they were as strong as Trenches and Artillery could make them; and another reason is (besides what has been urged before) because Artillery ought to be guarded (if you would have it do service) with walls or ramparts, or some such thing as may secure it from being taken, otherwise it will be of no use, as when in field fights, it has nothing to defend it, but the Bodies of men. In the Flanks they are of no use, more than the old Roman Engines in those days who were placed out of their Squadrons, that they might be managed with more dexterity, and (when-ever overlaid by the Horse or any thing else) they were received into their Legions: and if there be any way of making ad∣vantage of Artillery in a field fight, it is this; He that uses it otherwise, understands not very well, and puts his confidence in that which may easily deceive him: The Turk indeed by the help of his great Guns-obtained two or three Victories against the Sophy, and the Soldan; but if produced more from the novelty of the noise, and the terror it brought upon their Horse, than any great execution they did. I conclude therefore that Artillery may be good, in an Army that is stout; but where they are used in an Army that is raw and inexperienced, they are of little advantage, if the Enemy be either couragious or strong.