The Art of War - Khamkoo

of this, and they kept their military exercises alive, and honored those
who were excellent in them. But today, this fear in large part is lost, and
few of the defeated are put to death, and no one is kept prisoner long, for
they are easily liberated. The Citizens, although they should rebel a thousand
times, are not destroyed, goods are left to their people, so that the
greatest evil that is feared is a ransom; so that men do not want to subject
themselves to dangers which they little fear. Afterwards, these provinces
of Europe exist under very few Heads as compared to the past, for all of
France obeys a King, all of Spain another, and Italy exists in a few parts;
so that weak Cities defend themselves by allying themselves with the
victors, and strong States, for the reasons mentioned, do not fear an ultimate
ruin.
COSIMO
And in the last twenty five years, many towns have been seen to be
pillaged, and lost their Kingdoms; which examples ought to teach others
to live and reassume some of the ancient orders.
FABRIZIO
That is what you say, but if you would note which towns are pillaged,
you would not find them to be the Heads (Chief ones) of the States, but
only members: as is seen in the sacking of Tortona and not Milan, Capua
and not Naples, Brescia and not Venice, Ravenna and not Rome. Which
examples do not cause the present thinking which governs to change,
rather it causes them to remain in that opinion of being able to recover
themselves by ransom: and because of this, they do not want to subject
themselves to the bother of military training, as it appears to them partly
unnecessary, partly a tangle they do not understand. Those others who
are slave, to whom such examples ought to cause fear, do not have the
power of remedying (their situation), and those Princes who have lost
the State, are no longer in time, and those who have (the State) do not
have (military training) and those Princes who have lost the State, are no
longer in time, and those who have (the State) do not have (military
training) or want it; for they want without any hardship to remain (in
power) through fortune, not through their own virtu, and who see that,
because there is so little virtu, fortune governs everything, and they want
it to master them, not they master it. And that that which I have discussed
is true, consider Germany, in which, because there are many Principalities
and Republics, there is much virtu, and all that is good in our
present army, depends on the example of those people, who, being completely
jealous of their State ((as they fear servitude, which elsewhere is
not feared)) maintain and honor themselves all us Lords. I want this to
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