not understande, for that also it maketh for my opinion, that every nomber shall deminishe in thy handes, through infinite impedimentes, whiche men have:  so that the little nomber shall tourne to nothing:  again havyng thordinaunce greate, thou maiest at thy pleasure use fewe of many, besides this, it must serve thee in deede, and in reputacion and alwaies the great nomber shall give thee moste reputacion.  More over, makyng the ordinaunce to kepe menne exercised, if thou appoincte a fewe nomber of men in many countries, the handes of men bee so farre a sonder, the one from the other, that thou canst not without their moste grevous losse, gather them together to exercise them, and without this exercise, the ordinaunce is unprofitable, as hereafter shall be declared.

COSIMO.  It suffiseth upon this my demaunde, that whiche you have saied:  but I desire now, that you declare me an other doubt.  Thei saie, that soche a multitude of armed men, will make confusion, discension and disorder in the countrie where thei are.

[Sidenote:  How to provid againste soche inconveniences as souldiours maie cause.]

FABRICIO.  This is an other vaine opinion, the cause wherof, I shall tell you:  soche as are ordeined to serve in the warres, maie cause disorder in twoo maners, either betwene them selves, or against other, whiche thinges moste easely maie be withstode, where the order of it self, should not withstande it:  for that concernyng the discorde emong theim selves, this order taketh it waie, and doeth not nourishe it, for that in orderyng them, you give them armour and capitaines.  If the countrie where you ordein them, bee so unapte for the warre, that there are not armours emong the men of thesame, and that thei bee so united, that thei have no heddes, this order maketh theim moche fearser against the straunger, but it maketh them not any thyng the more disunited, for that men well ordered, feare the lawe beyng armed, as well as unarmed, nor thei can never alter, if the capitaines, which you give them, cause not the alteracion, and the waie to make this, shall be tolde now:  but if the countrie where you ordein them, be warlike and disunited, this order onely shal be occasion to unite them:  bicause this order giveth them armours profitable for the warre, and heddes, extinguishers of discencion:  where their owne armours bee unprofitable for the warres, and their heddes nourishers of discorde.  For that so sone as any in thesame countrie is offended, he resorteth by and by to his capitain to make complaint, who for to maintain his reputacion, comforteth hym to revengement not to peace.  To the contrary doeth the publike hed, so that by this meanes, thoccasion of discorde is taken awaie, and the occasion of union is prepared, and the provinces united and effeminated, gette utilitie, and maintain union:  the disunited and discencious, doe agree, and thesame their fearsnesse, which is wont disordinately to worke, is tourned into