troops, whose chiefs, named conductors or condottieri, hired themselves to such and such powers until the war ended. These chiefs of bands, who lent themselves, as well as their men, to figure in the cruel sports of war, being interested to run as little risk as possible, arrived at such refinement as to make a complete amusement of it. Cowardly by calculation, though they might not have been so naturally, the agreement, tacit or expressed, which passed between avarice and poltroonery, was so strictly observed, that a combat has been known to last several hours without a single man being killed, unless he had fallen from his horse, &c."—Guiraudet.
Such being the nature of these troops, they, as might be expected, conspired to the ruin of Italy. For a more copious detail, we must refer the reader to ch. 12 and 13 of The Prince, where he will see the value of national troops clearly pointed out.
Having discussed the nature of the different kinds of troops, our author proceeds to the duties of the Prince himself,
