Los Quatro Libros… de los Enxemplos, Consejos y Avisos de la Guerra

Los Quatro Libros… de los Enxemplos, Consejos y Avisos de la Guerra

Rediscovered works from antiquity were popular during the Renaissance and were being translated into vernacular languages at a tremendous rate. Roman military manuals were particularly popular as authors sought to discover the secret to the legions’ reputation for near invincibility. One such work was the Strategemata or Stratagems by the 1st century Roman general, civil engineer, author, and politician Sextus Julius Frontinus (ca. 40–103). In the text, presumably written as a handbook for generals, Frontinus provides examples of various stratagems from Greek and Roman history. Although best known for his treatise on water engineering, aqueducts specifically, he was an experienced military leader, having served as a general in Germania during the reign of Emperor Domitian (51–96). Nonetheless, like most classical works, his treatise appears to be based mostly on literary sources, building on respected traditions rather than his personal experience. Diego Guillén de Ávila, who translated the text into Spanish in the 15th century, wrote that Frontinus “puts many remedies and tricks into action for all the events of war”, indicating that the author had ample and well-chosen anecdotes for his text. This Spanish edition was printed on February 1st, 1515 by Lorenzo di Liondedei in Salamanca and its instructive text was adorned with engraved initials and preceded by a full-page woodcut of the royal crest.