avalry of their friends, if
repulsed, may not throw them into disorder.

But although these matters seem easy to understand and not difficult to
put in practice, none has yet been found among the commanders of our
times, who attempted to imitate the ancients or to correct the moderns.
For although these also have a tripartite division of their armies into
van-guard, main-body, and rear-guard, the only use they make of it is in
giving orders when their men are in quarters; whereas on active service
it rarely happens that all divisions are not equally exposed to the same
onset.

And because many, to excuse their ignorance, will have it that the
destructive fire of artillery forbids our employing at the present day
many of the tactics used by the ancients, I will discuss this question
in the following Chapter, and examine whether artillery does in fact
prevent us from using the valiant methods of antiquity.

CHAPTER XVII.--_What importance the Armies of the present day should
allow to Artillery; and whether the commonly received opinion concerning
it be just._

Looking to the number of pitched battles, or what are termed by the
French _journees_, and by the Italians _fatti d'arme_, fought by the
Romans at divers times, I am led further to examine the generally
received opinion, that had artillery been in use in their day, the Romans
would not have been allowed, or at least not with the same ease, to
subjugate provinces and make other nations their tributaries, and
could never have spread their power in the astonishing way they did.
For it is said that by reason of these fire-arms men can no longer use
or display their personal valour as they could of old; that there is
greater difficulty now than there was in former times in joining
battle; that the tactics followed then cannot be followed now; and that
in time all warfare must resolve itself into a question of artillery.

Judging it not out of place to inquire whether these opinions are sound,
and how far artillery has added to or taken from the strength of armies,
and whether its use lessens or increases the opportunities for a good
captain to behave valiantly, I shall at once address myself to the first
of the averments noticed above, namely, that the armies of the ancient
Romans could not have made the conquests they did, had artillery then
been in use.

To this I answer by saying that, since war is made for purposes either
of offence or defence, we have fir