I do believe I remembered Machiavelli said something about the Spanish sending men with bucklers (I presume he meant swordsmen of some kind) to engage Swiss pikemen in the Italian Wars, no? Something about how they just duck *below* the pike to reach the man.

Though to be honest that doesn't sound that believable. Moreover this thread's main complaint is essentially that the phalanx is doing what it does best quite successfully, holding the line with long pointy sticks.