y only advanced a little further must
have been made prisoners by the victorious French.

An instance is recorded of a like mistake having been made in the camps
both of the Romans and of the Equians. For the Consul Sempronius being
in command against the Equians, and giving the enemy battle, the
engagement lasted with varying success till nightfall, when as both
armies had suffered what was almost a defeat, neither returned to their
camp, but each drew off to the neighboring hills where they thought they
would be safer. The Romans separated into two divisions, one of which
with the consul, the other with the centurion Tempanius by whose valour
the army had that day been saved from utter rout. At daybreak the
consul, without waiting for further tidings of the enemy, made straight
for Rome; and the Equians, in like manner, withdrew to their own
country. For as each supposed the other to be victorious, neither
thought much of leaving their camp to be plundered by the enemy. It so
chanced, however, that Tempanius, who was himself retreating with the
second division of the Roman army, fell in with certain wounded Equians,
from whom he learned that their commanders had fled, abandoning their
camp; on hearing which, he at once returned to the Roman camp and
secured it, and then, after sacking the camp of the Equians, went back
victorious to Rome. His success, as we see, turned entirely on his being
the first to be informed of the enemy's condition. And here we are to
note that it may often happen that both the one and the other of two
opposed armies shall fall into the same disorder, and be reduced to the
same straits; in which case, that which soonest detects the other's
distress is sure to come off best.

I shall give an instance of this which occurred recently in our own
country. In the year 1498, when the Florentines had a great army in the
territory of Pisa and had closely invested the town, the Venetians, who
had undertaken its protection, seeing no other way to save it, resolved
to make a diversion in its favour by attacking the territories of the
Florentines in another quarter. Wherefore, having assembled a strong
force, they entered Tuscany by the Val di Lamona, and seizing on the
village of Marradi, besieged the stronghold of Castiglione which stands
on the height above it. Getting word of this, the Florentines sought to
relieve Marradi, without weakening the army which lay round Pisa. They
accordingly raised a new