camp and to fight a pitched battle, in which, as will presently appear,
artillery will be of little service to you.

If we consider, therefore, for what ends the Romans made wars, and that
attack and not defence was the object of almost all their campaigns, it
will be clear, if what I have said be true, that they would have had
still greater advantage, and might have achieved their conquests with
even greater ease, had artillery been in use in their times.

And as to the second complaint, that by reason of artillery men can no
longer display their valour as they could in ancient days, I admit it to
be true that when they have to expose themselves a few at a time, men
run more risks now than formerly; as when they have to scale a town or
perform some similar exploit, in which they are not massed together
but must advance singly and one behind another. It is true, also, that
Captains and commanders of armies are subjected to a greater risk of
being killed now than of old, since they an be reached everywhere by the
enemy's fire; and it is no protection to them to be with those of their
men who are furthest from the enemy, or to be surrounded by the bravest
of their guards. Still, we do not often find either of these two dangers
occasioning extraordinary loss. For towns strongly fortified are not
attacked by escalade, nor will the assailing army advance against them
in weak numbers; but will endeavour, as in ancient times, to reduce them
by regular siege. And even in the case of towns attacked by storm, the
dangers are not so very much greater now than they were formerly; for
in those old days also, the defenders of towns were not without warlike
engines, which if less terrible in their operation, had, so far as
killing goes, much the same effect. And as for the deaths of captains
and leaders of companies, it may be said that during the last
twenty-four years of war in Italy, we have had fewer instances of such