P R E F A C E .

the loss of a single battle? Did not Timur-Beg also known as Tamerlane, that famous conqueror of Asia, make himself master of Persia, Armenia, Hindustan, and many other provinces after the gain of three or four battles? If there had been good places in those countries, it is certain that he would not have succeeded so easily; since three or four cities that Caesar found in the Gauls in a state to resist him gave him so much trouble that they forced him to spend years to reduce them. The same thing has happened to all the conquerors who have found themselves in the same situation: which proves to sovereigns the necessity of fortified places to secure their states against their enemies from within and without, and at the same time, the necessity of mastering the art of taking the fortresses of their enemies that can disturb them or oppose their designs."

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