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. 40. A Captaine at all times and in all places in the warres ought to be so vigilant and in such readines, that he may auoyde the blame to haue warred preposterouslie, and not to haue done his enduour. [ F]

AMong manie considerations which a Cap∣taine ought to haue, which serueth a Prince or Common-wealth in the warres, one of the most principall is, to carrie himselfe so adui∣sedlie in his charge, that hee incurre not through his fault any danger: & failing in his office, he wrong not his souldiers, and disho∣nour not himselfe and the Prince whom hee serueth. To trust and presume too much of himselfe, and to make [ G] too little account of the enemie, and to imagine all daungers to bee farre from him, and such like matters, may make him fall, and to be∣come negligent vpon his guard, so that by some sudden assault, or other stratagem of warre, hee may be put in disorder, and then (to his hurt) perceiue his fault and negligence. Petilius Coreal was Ge∣nerall for the Romanes, against three Leaders of the Germanes, to wit, Ciuil, Classique, and Tutor: and hauing incamped himselfe in a strong place, hee valiantly fought with the enemie, and gaue them often alarmes. He had a desire one night to lie out of his Campe; whereof the Germanes being aduertised, assailed it with great furie [ H] vpon a sudden: and the Romane armie, for being without a chiefe Commander, began to disband themselues and was put to flight: and Petilius from the place where he slept heard the noise and ouer∣throw of his armie, and when it was day he retired with great dan∣ger towards his friends, and had much to doe to reunite his forces and make head against his enemie: which had not befallen him, if he had not thus erred in lying out of his Campe. Behold what Cor∣nelius Tacitus saith.

But to come to examples of latter times, in the time of our An∣cestours,

[ A] in the yeere 1508. when the Emperour Maximilian deter∣mined to reconquer his Townes which the Venetians withheld from him, when the Lord of Trent which was for him at Verona, desired to besiege the Towne of Lignago, from whence the Vene∣tian souldiers oftentimes made roades and incursions, euen to the gates of Verona, and did much hurt: wherefore he called the Mar∣ques of Mantoua, who with a company of men at Armes, which he had of the King, lay in an Iland called Scale, at a great Village in the countrey of Verona, but vnwalled, and without any manner of fortification. Whilest that the Marques was there, doubting no e∣nemies, [ B] he was surprised by Lucio Maluezzo and Zitolo de Perusa, Ve∣netian Captains, by a stratageme; by meanes whereof hee was ta∣ken prisoner, hauing first fled almost naked, for that being deceiued by the Word, Turke, which was the Marques his Watch-word, and thinking with his people, that they had been stradiots and aduentu∣rers, which had promised to leaue the Venetians, & to come to serue him; wherefore finding him with any guard, they entred without any contradiction, or resistance, for that the other souldiers and men at Armes, lay scattered here and there in the Village. They sacked the house, and disarmed the souldiers, and the Marquesse flying in [ C] his shirt, being gotten out at a window, and hidden in the fields, a∣mong the wheat, was discouered to the Venetians by a Peasant or Churle of the Countrey, and brought to Venice, and committed to prison in the Towre of the publike Pallace, from whence hee could neuer get out, but by the meanes of Baiazeth the great Lord of the Turkes. By the which fact according to the opinion which Guicciardin giueth, other Captaines may also take example, to be vi∣gilant and in a readinesse in time of warres: and when they haue a∣ny charge, so to hold themselues vpon their guards, that in all occa∣sions, they may serue their turnes with their owne forces, without [ D] assuring themselues either of the far distance of the enemies, which may secretly surprize them, or of their weakenesse, for that they may take heart and courage, knowing that they haue to deale with persons that are ill guarded, which thinke that they should not bee assaulted. As it happened to Prospero Colomna in the veere 1515. who being at Villa Franque, when Francis the first king of France passed into Italie, and thinking that his enemies were farre off, suspecting nothing, not imagining that that celeritie and expedition might be in another man which was in himselfe, being suddenly surprised by the Lord de la Palisse, as hee was sitting at his table at dinner, hee was

taken prisoner the 15. of August, hauing heard nothing of the ene∣mie, [ E] but euen then when hee saw them within his house. And al∣though that hee might excuse himselfe, saying, that his Sentinels were taken, and that the inhabitants of the towne had some intelli∣gence with the said Lord de la Palisse; yet this surprise was attribu∣ted to his negligence and little care, notwithstanding that he was a most honourable Captaine, and of that noble house full of glorie, and worthie personages. Let Captaines and braue warriours then learne to take heede, that they faile not of their endeuour: to the end that if they encounter with some disaster or lucklesse accident, they may boldly and with a cheerefull countenance accuse their ill [ F] fortune and disgrace, and not their negligence.

Notes

• Petilius Co∣real, Generall of the Ro∣manes, through his negligence vvas ouer∣throwne and put to flight.
• Cornelius Tacitus. lib. 20
• A Captaine ought alwaies to be in readi∣nes and well aduised in his affaires, in all accidents.
• Guicciar. li. ••••
• Prospero Co∣lumna, through 〈◊〉〈◊〉 owne fault vvas taken prisoner by the Lord of Palisse, a Captaine of the French.