ee Centuries. Therefore,
the first and the laste ranke of every Centurion, would be
Peticapitaines, the Conestable with the Ansigne, and with the Drumme,
muste stande in the middest of the first Centurie of Targaettes, and the
Centurions in the hed of every Centurie. The bande thus ordained, when
you would have the Pikes to come on the left flancke, you must redouble
Centurie by Centurie, on the right flancke: if you would have them to
come on the right flancke, you must redouble theim on the lefte. And so
this battaile tourneth with the Pikes upon a flancke, and the Conestable
in the middeste: the whiche facion it hath marchyng: but the enemie
commyng, and the tyme that it would make of flancke hedde, it nedeth not
but to make every man to tourne his face, towardes thesame flancke,
where the Pikes be, and then the battaile tourneth with the rankes, and
with the heddes in thesame maner, as is aforesaied: for that every man
is in his place, excepte the Centurions, and the Centurions straight
waie, and without difficultie, place themselves: But when thei in
marchyng, should bee driven to faight on the backe, it is convenient to
ordein the rankes after soch sorte, that settyng theim in battaile, the
Pikes maie come behinde, and to doe this, there is to bee kepte no other
order, then where in orderyng the battaile, by the ordinarie, every
Centurie hath five rankes of Pikes before, to cause that thei maie have
them behind, and in all the other partes to observe thorder, whiche I
declared firste.

COSIMO. You have tolde (if I dooe well remember me) that this maner of
exercise, is to bee able to bryng these battailes together into an
armie, and that this practise, serveth to be able to order theim selves
in the same: But if it should happen, that these CCCCL. men, should have
to doe an acte seperate, how would you order them?

[Sidenote: How a battaile is made with twoo hornes; The orderyng of a
battaile with a voide space in the middeste.]

FABRICIO. He that leadeth them, ought then to judge, where he will place
the Pikes, and there to put them, the whiche doeth not repugne in any
part to the order above written: for that also, though thesame bee the
maner, that is observed to faighte a fielde, together with thother
battailes, notwithstandyng it is a rule, whiche serveth to all those
waies, wherein a band of menne should happen to have to doe: but in
shewyng you the other twoo waies of me propounded, of ordering the
battai