Ciuill considerations vpon many and sundrie histories, as well ancient as moderne, and principallie vpon those of Guicciardin. Containing sundry rules and precepts for princes, common-wealths, captaines, coronels, ambassadours and others, agents and seruants of princes, with sundry aduertisements and counsels concerning a ciuill life, gathered out of the examples of the greatest princes and common-wealths in Christendome. Handled after the manner of a discourse, by the Lord Remy of Florence, and done into French by Gabriel Chappuys, Tourangeau, and out of French into English, by W.T.

CHAP. 39. A man ought not to giue credit to an error which he seeth his [ C] enemie to commit, but rather to thinke that he doth it to some speciall purpose, and that vnder the same, there lieth hidden some ambush or deepe deceite.

A Wise Captaine or Generall of an Armie, ought neuer to giue credit to an error, which hee seeth his enemie to commit, especially, when the errour is apparantly foule & grosse, for therein euer lieth some secret and hidden deceit: which may happen in sundrie man∣ners: [ D] first, in shewing a great and audacious rashnesse, and temeritie, vsing to aduenture so far forwards, that it should seeme impossible that the enemie should be so vnaduised, to commit a fault of so great importance, except to some purpose: as for example, when the enemie commeth to call thee, at the very foote of thy walles, and to prouoke thee to fight, boldly presenteth himselfe, euen into thy campe, that all men may maruell thereat; or by some grosse fayned shew, in disguised and counterfeite apparell, making shew to doe something, enforcing themselues thereby to draw thee out of thy Campe. Such manner

of the enemies proceeding ought to make thee beware, for such [ E] drifts are not without some cause and especiall set purpose to de∣ceiue thee. Amongst the examples of the Romanes, we haue one of Fuluius, Lieutenant of the Romane armie, when he remained alone to guard the Campe in the warre against the Tuscanes, for the Consull being gone to Rome to doe certaine ceremonies, the Tus∣canes then thinking to drawe the Romanes in the absence of the Consull out of their Campe, and to make them fall into an ambush laide there hard by: they sent certaine Souldiers apparrelled like Shepheards, with a good number of beasts, and made them goe within sight of the Romane Armie, comming almost to the [ F] trenches of the Campe. The Lieutenant meruailed much at this their boldnes, and deuising with himselfe what this presumption might meane, and considering well that it had some foundation, he found out the meanes to discouer the fraude, and so this deuise of the Tuscanes serued to no purpose. A man ought also to knowe this error, when the rashnes of a few, with a great brauado prouo∣keth the enemie to fight, being encamped in a strong and sure ground: and when men sallie forth to fight with them, they begin to file, and make such retrait, that the incamped desiring to ouer∣come, may follow without thinking of any ambush, and fall there∣in [ G] without perceiuing their error, vntill such time as they be surpri∣sed: wherefore they ought to beware of such manifest errors, and to beleeue that thereunder lyeth some hidden deceit. And to the end to trust to a most euident error committed by the enemie, we haue an example in the Lombards, sometime called Gaules. These Lombards hauing ouercome the Romanes at the riuer of Allia, now called Caminate, tooke their way towards Rome, and finding the gates all open, and seeing none to guarde the same, and fearing some Ambush and deceit, for they thought it impossible that the Romanes should commit so grosse a fault as to leaue their Cittie o∣pen [ H] without defence but for some purpose; wherefore they held themselues all that day and all the night following without entring, neuer thinking that in the hearts of the Romanes had been harbou∣red so great cowardise, and so little iudgement, that they should haue abandoned their Citie and Countrey.

We haue another example of error, which happened in the time of our auncesters, in the yeare 1508. when the Florentines made warre against the Pisans. In this warre was taken prisoner Alfonso de Mutolo, a citizen of Pisa, but a man of base condition, who was

[ A] taken by Canaicio de prato, an olde Souldier of the Florentines, which kept this Alfonso, and made him great cheere and vsed him very honourably. This man being by the Pisans induced to doe some exployte, offered to giue vnto the Florentines one of the ports of Pisa, prouided that they should set him at libertie: where∣upon he was deliuered, and being come to Pisa, he entertained the Florentines with this hope to be possessed of a port of Pisa, where∣in their armie might enter, and the matter was carried so openly, that comming to consult and parle with the Commissioners and principall men of the Florentine Campe, Mutolo brought with him [ B] certaine young men of Pisa to keepe him companie, and although he left them a part, when he went to speake with those which were sent by the chiefe Commaudners of the Florentine Armie, it is not to be said, but that the aforesaide Florentines might haue percei∣ued, that affaires of so great importance are not handled in pub∣like, and (in a manner) in the face of the enemie: neither did they consider that such an error could not be committed by Alfonso without some fraude, which tooke such effect, as the Pisans desired; for the Florentine Armie approching the port appoynted and gi∣uen in garde to Mutolo, which was that towards Luques, the Pi∣sans [ C] sallied out brauely, and with the losse and dishonour of the Florentines, they let them know that the parlying to giue vp Townes to the enemie, is not done in publike and openly: but the desire of hauing Pisa did so blinde the Florentines, that they could not see the error of Alfonso, vntill it was too late, and they not able to remedie it: and there they lost many of their Souldiers and Cap∣taines, amongst which dyed the Captaine Canaicio aforesaid, who tooke Mutolo prisoner, whom he had vsed with so much and so ma∣ny curtesies.

Notes

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• Culcciardin.
• The ouerthrow of the Floren∣tines before Pisa, through the policie of Mutolo, a Pi∣san Captaine.