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As regards action, he ought above all things to keep his men well

organized and drilled, to follow incessantly the chase, by which

he accustoms his body to hardships, and learns something of the

nature of localities, and gets to find out how the mountains

rise, how the valleys open out, how the plains lie, and to

understand the nature of rivers and marshes, and in all this to

take the greatest care. Which knowledge is useful in two ways.

Firstly, he learns to know his country, and is better able to

undertake its defence; afterwards, by means of the knowledge and

observation of that locality, he understands with ease any other

which it may be necessary for him to study hereafter; because the

hills, valleys, and plains, and rivers and marshes that are, for

instance, in Tuscany, have a certain resemblance to those of

other countries, so that with a knowledge of the aspect of one

country one can easily arrive at a knowledge of others.