h him; for had he been entertained in
their enemies pay, they had no remedy; and they themselves holding of
him, of force were to obey him. The Venetians, if we consider their
proceedings, we shall see wrought both warily and gloriously, while
themselves made war, which was before their undertakings by land, where
the gentlemen with their own Commons in armes behav'd themselves
bravely: but when they began to fight by land, they lost their valor,
and follow'd the customes of Italy; and in the beginning of their
enlargement by land, because they had not much territory, and yet were
of great reputation, they had not much cause to fear their Captains; but
as they began to extend their bounds, which was under their Commander
Carminiola, they had a taste of this error: for perceiving he was
exceeding valorous, having under his conduct beaten the Duke of Milan;
and knowing on the other side, how he was cold in the war, they judg'd
that they could not make any great conquest with him; and because they
neither would, nor could cashier him, that they might not lose what they
had gotten, they were forced for their own safeties to put him to death.
Since they have had for their General Bartholomew of Berganio, Robert of
St. Severin, the Count of Petilian, and such like: whereby they were to
fear their losses, as well as to hope for gain: as it fell out
afterwards at Vayla, where in one day they lost that, which with so much
pains they had gotten in eight hundred years: for from these kind of
armes grow slack and slow and weak gains; but sudden and wonderfull
losses: And because I am now come with these examples into Italy, which
now these many years, have been governd by mercenary armes, I will
search deeper into them, to the end that their course and progress being
better discoverd, they may be the better amended. You have to
understand, that so soon as in these later times the yoak of the Italian
Empire began to be shaken off, and the Pope had gotten reputation in the
temporality, Italy was divided into several States: for many of the
great cities took armes against their Nobility; who under the Emperors
protection had held them in oppression; and the Pope favored these,
whereby he might get himself reputation, in the temporality; of many
others, their Citizens became Princes, so that hereupon Italy being come
into the Churches hands as it were, and some few Republicks, those
Priests and Citizens not accustomed to the use of armes