Prologue

So far I have written no chapters specifically on the military art – or at least none described as such, although in reality this entire treatise is about the practices of military men, as also where I discussed the complexions of men, and the order appropriate to each based on the nature of his complexion, and how we should conduct ourselves in exercises, and how children should be educated. But since I did not expand much there, here I will briefly explain some matters, and in particular I will explore two topics. The first will be the quality or nature of people who are suited for warfare; the second, what exercises are most suitable for them. All exercises are good if they foster physical robustness and strength, but some are more particularly appropriate for military practice or knighthood, and others less so. But here I will discuss a universal way that any man can apply wherever he will, although someone who knows how to adapt himself to various exercises will be more suited for knighthood, and particularly for command. For with a squire or private footsoldier, it is often enough to know how to fight with just one weapon, and have one kind of saddle or ride one horse, although it is always better to learn many and diverse things.

Chapter 1: How understanding the principles and features of single combat can teach us what is suitable for small and large armies

Elsewhere I have shown how we can extrapolate from one practice to the benefit of another, even if they seem disparate, since each embraces some skills that the intellect can exploit in other activities, whether by analogy or by the actual skill itself. There may seem to be a great difference between playing with a long spear and a sword, but if we know how to deliver two thrusts with the sword, one short and high, and the other long with the arm going a little downward, we can deliver a good attack with the long spear in the same manner.

With other more disparate activities or arts we can at least make analogies between one art and another.