The Art of War - Khamkoo

I believe in these times, with respect to saddles and stirrups not used
by the ancients, one stays more securely on the horse than at that time. I
believe we arm more securely: so that today one squadron of very heavily
(armed) men-at-arms comes to be sustained with much more difficulty
than was the ancient cavalry. With all of this, I judge, none the less,
that no more account ought to be taken of the cavalry than was taken anciently;
for ((as has been said above)) they have often in our times been
subjected to disgrace by the infantry armed (armored) and organized as
(described) above. Tigranus, King of Armenia, came against the Roman
army of which Lucullus was Captain, with (an army) of one hundred
fifty thousand cavalry, among whom were many armed as our men-atarms,
whom they called Catafratti, while on the other side the Romans
did not total more than six thousand (cavalry) and fifteen thousand infantry;
so that Tigranus, when he saw the army of the enemy, said:
"These are just about enough horsemen for an embassy". None the less,
when they came to battle, he was routed; and he who writes of that
battle blames those Catafratti, showing them to be useless, because, he
says, that having their faces covered, their vision was impaired and they
were little adept at seeing and attacking the enemy, and as they were
heavily burdened by the armor, they could not regain their feet when
they fell, nor in any way make use of their persons. I say, therefore, that
those People or Kingdoms which esteem the cavalry more than the infantry,
are always weaker and more exposed to complete ruin, as has
been observed in Italy in our times, which has been plundered, ruined,
and overrun by foreigners, not for any other fault than because they had
paid little attention to the foot soldiers and had mounted all their soldiers
on horses. Cavalry ought to be used, but as a second and not the
first reliance of an army; for they are necessary and most useful in undertaking
reconnaissance, in overrunning and despoiling the enemy country,
and to keep harassing and troubling the enemy army so as to keep it
continually under arms, and to impede its provisions; but as to engagements
and battles in the field, which are the important things in war and
the object for which armies are organized, they are more useful in pursuing
than in routing the enemy, and are much more inferior to the foot
soldier in accomplishing the things necessary in accomplishing such
(defeats).
COSIMO
But two doubts occur to me: the one, that I know that the Parthians did
not engage in war except with cavalry, yet they divided the world with
the Romans: the other, that I would like you to tell me how the (attack
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