•HAP. IX.] USE OF FIREARMS BY CAVALRY. 



231 



about the year 1516, or twenty-two years after 

 Charles VIII. entered Italy ; so it will be seen that the 

 custom of mingling pikemen, halberdiers, and mus- 

 keteers in the same regiments had by that time become 

 generally the practice in Europe. 



This system of armirg infantry was in use among the 

 Germans and Swiss, but was originated among the latter ; 

 for being poor, and desirous of defending their liberty 

 against the encroachments of the German princes, who 

 maintained a powerful cavalry, which the poverty of the 

 Swiss prevented them from doing, they were obliged to 

 devote their attention to the best method of fighting on 

 foot. " The pike enabled them," says Machiavelli, " not 

 only to keep off the horse, but very often to break and 

 defeat them." 



The Germans, who copied the method from the Swiss, 

 put so much confidence in this sort of infantry, that with 

 15,000 or 20,000 of them they would attack any number 

 of horse. Machiavelli says there had been many 

 examples of this about the time he wrote, and that the 

 general opinion of their excellence, from the many 

 remarkable services they had rendered, was so favourable, 

 that from the time of Charles VIII.'s expedition into 

 Italy, all other nations had adopted the same weapons 

 and manner of fighting, the Spaniards, in particular, 

 having obtained very great reputation by the use of such 

 a force. * 



Philip Visconti, Duke of Milan, being invaded by an 

 army of 18,000 Swiss, sent his general. Count Carmig- 

 nuola, at the head of 6,000 cavalry, and a smaU body of 

 infantry, to attack them. The Milanese were defeated 

 with great loss. Carmignuola, who was evidently an 

 able general, perceiving the advantage that the pikemen 

 had over his horsemen, raised a fresh army, and again 

 attacked the Swiss. This time he dismounted his gen- 

 darmes on going into action, and converting them into 

 pikemen, they fought so well on foot, that, being weU 

 armed and fresh, they defeated the lightly armed and 



^ Machiavelli, Art of War, iv. pp. 55, 56, Famesworth's Edition, 

 London, 1775. 



