merly, plenty of corn in the temperate regions of Europe and Afia, proved a tempting bait to northern favages who wanted bread: have we no caufe to dread a fimilar fate from fome warlike neighbour, impelled by hunger, or by ambition, to extend his dominions? The difficulty of providing for defence, confiftent with induftry, has produced a general opinion among political writers, that a nation, to preferve its military spirit, must give up industry; and to preferve industry, muft give up a military fpirit. In the former cafe, we are fecure against any invader: in the latter, we lie open to every invader. A military plan that would fecure us against enemies, without hurting our industry and manufactures, would be a rich prefent to Britain. That fuch a plan is poffible, will appear from what follows; though I am far from hoping that it will meet with univerfal approbation. To prepare the reader, I fhall premife an account of the different military establishments that exift, and have exifted, in Europe, with the advantages and difadvantages of each. In examining thefe, who knows whether fome hint may not occur of a plan more perfect than any of them?

The most illuftrious military establishment of antiquity is that of the Romans, by which they subdued almost all the known world, The citizens of Rome were all of them foldiers: they lived upon their pay when in the field; but if they happened not to be fuccefsful in plundering, they starved at home. An annual diftribution of corn among them, became neceffary; which in effect correlponded to the halfpay of our officers. It is befieved, that fuch a conftitution would not be adopted by any modern ftate. It was a forced conftitution; contrary to nature, which gives difpofitions to men, in order to fupply hands for every neceffary art. It was a hazardous conftitution, having no medium between univerfal conqueft and wretched fla

very.

very. Had the Gauls who conquered Rome, entertained any view but of plunder, Rome would never have been heard of. It was on the brink of ruin in the war with Hannibal. What would have happened had Hannibal been victorious? It is eafy to judge, by comparing it with Carthage. Carthage was a commercial ftate, the people all employed in arts, manufactures, and navigation. The Carthaginians were fubdued; but they could not be reduced to extremity, while they had accefs to the fea. In fact, they profpered fo much by commerce, even after they were fubdued, as to raise jealoufy in their masters; who thought themselves not fecure while a house remained in Carthage. On the other hand, what refource for the inhabitants of Rome had they been fubdued? They must have perished by hunger; for they could not work. In a word, ancient Rome resembles a gamester who ventures all upon one decifive throw: if he lofe, he is undone.

I take it for granted, that our feudal fyftem will not have a fingle vote. It was a fyftem that led to confufion and anarchy, as little fitted for war as for peace, And as for mercenary troops, it is unneceffary to bring them again into the field, after what is faid of them above.

The only remaining forms that merit attention, are a standing army, and a militia; which I fhall examine in their order, with the objections that lie against each. The firft ftanding army in modern times was established by Charles VII. of France, on a very imperfect plan. He began with a body of cavalry termed companies of ordonnance. And as for infantry, he, anno 1448, appointed each parish to furnish an archer: these were termed francarchers, because they were exempted from all taxes. This little army was intended for reftoring peace and order at home, not for disturbing neighbouring ftates. The King had been forced into many pe

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rilous

rilous wars, fome of them for restraining the turbulent fpirit of his vaffals, and most of them for defending his crown against an ambitious adversary, Henry V. of England. As these wars were carried on in the feudal mode, the foldiers, who had no pay, could not be reftrained from plundering; and inveterate practice rendered them equally licentious in peace and in war. and in war. Charles, to leave no pretext for free quarters, laid upon his fubjects a small tax, no more than fufficient for regular pay to his little army*.

First attempts are commonly crude and defective. The franc-archers, difperfed one by one in different villages, and never collected but in time of action, could not easily be brought under regular discipline in the field, they displayed nothing but vicious habits, a spirit of laziness, of disorder, and of pilfering. Neither in peace were they of any use their character of foldier made them defpife agriculture, without being qualified for war: in the army they were no better than peasants: at the plough, no better than idle foldiers. But in the hands of a monarch, a ftanding army is aninftrument of power, too valuable ever to be abandoned if one fovereign entertain fuch an army, others in felf-defence must follow. Standing armies are now established in every European ftate, and are brought to a competent degree of perfection.

*This was the first tax impofed in France without confent of the three eftates and, however unconftituțional, it occafioned not the flighteft murmur, because its vifible good tendency reconciled all the world to it. Charles, befide, was a favourite of his people; and juftly, as he thewed by every act his affection for them. Had our firft Charles been fuch a favourite, who knows whether the taxes he imposed without confent of parliament, would have met with any oppofition? Such taxes would have become cuftomary, as in France; and a limited monarchy would, as in Francc, have become abfolute, Governments, like men, are liable to many revolutions: we remain, it is true, a free people; but for that bleffing we are perhaps more indebted to fortune, that to patriotic vigilance.

This new inftrument of government, has pro, duced a surprising change in manners, We now rely on a standing army, for defence as well as offence: none but thofe who are trained to war, ever think of handling arms, or even of defending themselves against an enemy: our people have become altogether effeminate, terrified at the very fight of a hostile weapon. It is true, they are not the lefs qualified for the arts of peace; and if manufacturers be protected from being obliged to ferve in the army, I difcover not any incompatibility between a standing army and the highest industry. Husbandmen at the fame time make the best foldiers: a military fpirit in the lower claffes arifes from bodily ftrength, and from affection to their natal foil. Both are eminent in the husbandman: conftant exercise in the open air renders him hardy and robuft; and fondnefs for the place where he finds comfort and plenty, attaches him to his country in general. An artift or manufacturer, on the contrary, is attached to no country but

where

* Numquam credo potuiffe dubitari, aptiorem armis rufticam plebem, quæ fub divo et in labore nutritur; folis patiens; umbræ negligens; balnearum nefcia; deliciarum ignara; fimplicis animi; parvo contenta; duratis ad omnem laborum tolerantiam membris: cui geftare ferrum, foffam ducere, onus ferre, confuetudo de rure eft. Nec inficiandum eft, poft urbem conditam, Romanos ex civitate profectos femper ad bellum: fed tunc nullis voluptatibus, nullis deliciis frangebantur. Sudorem curfu et campestri exercitio collectum nando juventus abluebat in Tybere. Idem bellator, idem agricola genera tentum mutabat armorum. Vegetius, De re militari l. 1. cap. 3. [In English thus: "I believe it was never doubted, that the country "labourers were, of all others, the best foldiers. Inured to the open air, " and habitual toil, fubjected to the extremes of heat and cold, ignorant of "the use of the bath, or any of the luxuries of life, contented with bare ne"ceffaries, there was no feverity in any change they could make their "limbs, accustomed to the use of the fpade and plough, and habituated to "burden, were capable of the utmost extremity of toil. Indeed, in the "earliest ages of the commonwealth, while the city was in her infancy, the citizens marched out from the town to the field: but at that time "they were not enfeebled by pleasures, nor by luxury: The military youth, "returning from their exercise and martial sports, plunged into the Ty"ber to wash off the sweat and duft of the field. The warrior and "the husbandman were the fame, they changed only the nature of their arms."]

where he finds the beft bread; and a fedentary life, enervating his body, renders him pufillanimous. For these reasons, among many, agriculture ought to be honoured and cherished above all other arts. It is not only a fine preparation for war, by breeding men who love their country, and whom labour and fobriety qualify for being foldiers but is also the beft foundation for commerce, by furnishing both food and materials to the induftrious.

But feveral objections occur against a standing army, that call aloud for a better model than has hitherto been established, at least in Britain. The fubject is interefting, and I hope for attention from every man who loves his country, During the vigour of the feudal fyftem which made every land-proprietor a foldier, every inch of ground was tenaciously disputed with an invader and while a fovereign retained any part of his dominions, he never loft hopes of recovering the whole. At prefent, we rely entirely on a ftanding army, for defence as well as offence; which has reduced every nation in Europe to a precarious ftate. If the army of a nation happen to be defeated, even at the moft diftant frontier, there is little refource against a total conqueft. Compare the hiftory of Charles VII. with that of Lewis XIV. Kings of France. The former, though driven into. a corner by Henry V. of England, was however far from yielding on the contrary, relying on the military fpirit of his people, and indefatigably intent on ftratagem and furprise, he recovered all he had loft. When Lewis XIV. fucceeded to the crown, the military fpirit of the people was contracted within the narrow fpan of a standing army. Behold the confequence. That ambitious

monarch, having provoked his neighbours into an alliance against him, had no refource against a

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