ne their armies, for
that it was the custome, that either of them should have twoo Legions of
Romaine menne, whiche was the strength of their armies, thei created
xxiiii. Tribunes of warre, and thei appoincted sixe for every Legion,
whom did thesame office, whiche those doe now a daies, that we call
Conestables: thei made after to come together, all the Romain men apte
to beare weapons and thei put the Tribunes of every Legion, seperate the
one from the other. Afterwarde, by lot thei drewe the Tribes, of whiche
thei had firste to make the chosen, and of thesame Tribe thei chose
fower of the best, of whiche was chosen one of the Tribunes, of the
first Legion, and of the other three was chosen, one of the Tribunes of
the second Legion, of the other two there was chosen one of the Tribunes
of the third, and the same last fell to the fowerth Legion. After these
iiij, thei chose other fower, of which, first one was chosen of the
Tribunes of the seconde Legion, the seconde of those of the thirde, the
thirde of those of the fowerth, the fowerth remained to the first.
After, thei chose other fower, the first chose the thirde, the second
the fowerth, the thirde the fiveth, the fowerth remained to the seconde:
and thus thei varied successively, this maner of chosyng, so that the
election came to be equall, and the Legions wer gathered together: and
as afore we saied, this choise might bee made to use straighte waie, for
that thei made them of men, of whom a good parte were experiensed in the
verie warfare in deede, and all in the fained exercised, and thei might
make this choise by conjecture, and by experience. But where a power
must be ordeined of newe, and for this to chuse them out of hande, this
chosen cannot be made, saving by conjecture, whiche is taken by
consideryng their ages and their likelinesse.

COSIMO. I beleve all to be true, as moche as of you hath been spoken:
but before that you procede to other reasonyng, I woll aske of you one
thing, which you have made me to remember: saiyng that the chosen, that
is to be made where men were not used to warre, ought to be made by
conjecture: for asmoche as I have heard some men, in many places
dispraise our ordinaunce, and in especially concernyng the nomber, for
that many saie, that there ought to bee taken lesse nomber, whereof is
gotten this profite, that thei shall be better and better chosen, and
men shal not be so moche diseased, so that there maie bee given them
some