Selected quad for the lemma: end_n
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A62850
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The militia reform'd, or, An easy scheme of furnishing England with a constant land-force capable to prevent or to subdue any forein power, and to maintain perpetual quiet at home without endangering the public liberty.
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Toland, John, 1670-1722.
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1699
(1699)
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Wing T1766B_VARIANT; ESTC R32810
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36,567
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110
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paid for every thing then 't is as reasonable that all should enjoy the Benefit in their turns As for the Order to be observ'd to take away all occasions of Dispute there needs no more but to cast Lots at the beginning in every Class to know what County shall be the first second third and so on But if an Objection should be rais'd by any against the Number of the Classes from the Largeness of their Bounds and consequently the great Distance in many Parts from the Place of Encampment I answer that 't is not the precise Number but the Distribution for which I contend for the Kingdom may as well be divided into six Classes each containing 10000 of the MILITIA and annual CAMPS in any two of 'em at a time Thus still the Triennial Rotation remains the same and we have every Year 20000 Men besides the London-Militia encamp'd somewhere in the Kingdom to the great Terror of all our Enemies and to our own unspeakable Advantage and Reputation we have an Army of sixty thousand FREEMEN to defend the whole Nation and yet every part of it always provided with a sufficient Number either absolutely to defend themselves or to stop any Enemy till our whole Forces draw together But then this wheeling Number of sixty Thousand is very inconsiderable in comparison of many thousand FREEMEN more that are always ready to relieve to repair to succeed or to join them upon occasion to speak nothing of those exempted from Duty nor of the poor and servile all which Orders of Men are not only well disciplin'd but oblig'd also to serve upon uncommon Emergencies But to return to our CAMP there our MILITIA learns the highest Perfection of Discipline and is taught to make regular Sieges and Attacks in all Forms to storm Castles to fight Battles to gain advantageous Posts to make honorable Retreats to intrench themselves to forage decamp and in one word to perform all the other Duties of an Army Now besides the Necessity and Usefulness of all these Exercises they will be extraordinary entertaining too The whole Country round will come to divert themselves in this Place and pass that Season the most agreeably of all the Year It would be a superfluous Labor to spend more Words in Commendation of this part of our MODEL and so I come to make one Remark concerning the Expences after taking notice that the yearly general Exercise prescrib'd by the Act for regulating our MILITIA yet in force is to continue but only the space of four Days The Assessments laid by this same Act are so grievous as well as useless that a long Experience and the general Out-cry against them spare me the pains of shewing their Defects nor will I for the same Reasons make any stop at the Abuse of calling People so often from their Business for no other end but to fill the Muster-master's Pockets neither will I insist upon the intolerable Grievance of Trophy-money all those things as I said before being so universally known that every body can prescribe a proper Remedy I propos'd three Weeks and I still think it time enough for the Annual Encampment viz. a Fortnight for actual Service and the other eight days upon the supposition of three Classes for coming and going and fewer will do if the Classes be six in Number But suppose another Week be added then 't is plain that the Charge of a hundred and twenty thousand Men during one Month is no more than the Pay of ten Thousand for a Year whence every body may infer how much cheaper we may entertain 〈◊〉 thousand FREEMEN for a Fortnight or three Weeks than ten thousand MERCENARIES for a Twelve-month making all reasonable Allowance in the Difference of their Pay The Expence in our MODEL then is both laid out to much better purpose and made a great deal easier than any of this nature heretofore Nay the very Rotation should recommend it self to all Mens Approbation seeing it comes with respect to the Charge but every third Year to the turn of each County and as to the Duty much seldomer to particular Persons whereas the Rotation of the Iews was monthly and took in the whole People in a Year They had 24000 Men under Arms every Month and I don't propose twenty thousand for one Month in twelve But the Iewish MILITIA kept Guards and Garisons too Now the Children of Israel after their Names says the Author of the first Book of their Chronicles the chief Fathers and the Captains of Thousands and Hundreds and their Officers that serv'd the King in any Matter of the Courses which came in and went out Month by Month throughout all the Months of the Year of every Course wâ—â—e twenty and four thousand Therâ— needs no more to be said on this Head only that the Cities of London and Westminster with their Suburbs and Liberties together with the Borough of Southwark are not to be comprehended within any of the Classes but to have their own CAMP annually in some convenient Place adjacent 10. So far of the Persons qualified to serve in the MILITIA and the several degrees of training them Now we shall speak of their AGE for altho this Particular is generally neglected in Mercenary Armies yet it has been ever carefully consider'd in all free Governments because the Design of these being to render the People happy they impartially assign Labor and Ease to those Periods of Life to which they are most sutable Then my Fifth Proposition is THAT EVERY FREEMAN WHEN HIS TURN COMES BE OBLIG'D TO PERSONAL SERVICE IN THE MILITIA FROM THE EIGHTEENTH TO THE FIFTIETH YEAR OF HIS AGE AND THAT ALL ABOVE OR UNDER THESE YEARS BE EXEMPTED FROM THE SERVICE THO NOT FROM THE CHARGE The Romans oblig'd their Citizens to Arms from the seventeenth to the six and fortieth Year of their Age in which time every Man was to go upon the Service of the Commonwealth in case of need if he were of the Horse ten or of the Foot twenty times and if he was hinder'd by Sickness or otherwise from compleating this Number he might be compell'd to do it until he was fifty But all under seventeen or above fifty were absolutely excus'd unless upon those extraordinary Occasions whereof we spoke before and then the Veterans and Emeriti for so they call'd the superannuated Soldiers might not only be forc'd to take up Arms but they ordinarily came in of themselves when their Country was in danger and by their Valor and Experience did often save it from Destruction In like manner when any General of great Reputation was to go upon some glorious Expedition several Veterans us'd to offer him their Service voluntarily which was very acceptable being most useful both by their Example to the rest and their own personal Exploits But I expect to be told that GENTLEMEN will never consent their Sons should be train'd like Common Souldiers Now it may be easily perceiv'd
ANY FORCES LENT TO THEM DO ENTIRELY CONSIST OF AUXILIARIES AND THAT NO FREEMAN HAVE LEAVE TO SERVE ABROAD UNLESS AS A VOLUNTIER TO QUALIFY HIMSELF FOR IMPLOIMENT AT HOME The Reasonableness of this Proposition is likewise so evident from what went before that it wants no larger Commentary I could add here several other Particulars but they 'l come to be establish'd of course if this SCHEME prevails wholly or for the best part I shall therefore write nothing now concerning the Methods of Listing or Disbanding of Paying or Clothing nor of Rewards or Punishments tho with respect to the last I cannot omit one pleasant Passage for the Romans among divers kinds of Penalties such as Fine or Imprisonment us'd upon certain Occasions to let a Soldier Blood as if it had been Madness or Folly in him to commit such Faults and that he wanted Physick more than Correction 15. If this Scheme of Reforming the MILITIA be so intelligible and coherent as I flatter my self it may it would be a superfluous Labor and no Complement upon the Reader 's Sagacity to remark distinctly all the good Effects and Consequences of it Yet one I find convenient to mention not that I think it less obvious than the rest for it appears most evident at first sight but because some Gentlemen are pleas'd to oppose it and it is that I am for ARMING ALL THE PEOPLE Now this is in my Opinion so useful and necessary that should we obtain nothing besides it were well worth our while to procure an Act for this alone For what can better demonstrate the Confidence his Majesty places in the unquestionable Affection of his Subjects or more encrease and confirm the Veneration on these have for him than that he puts 'em in a Condition of defending themselves against all his and their Enemies without needing or expecting the Assistance of others But notwithstanding I took all possible care to be duly inform'd I could never hear any weighty Objection made to this Proposition tho two are commonly offer'd and the first of 'em is that there will be no end of Robberies and House-breakings in the Country if the common People be once arm'd I perceive these Gentlemen design to be popular and the Vulgar are hugely oblig'd to 'em for their good Opinion But supposing the worst Robberies will be so far from being more frequent than at this time that this is the only right Method of totally suppressing all such Disorders It is an ordinary thing for two or three Fellows to commit a Robbery in sight of twenty People stronger and stouter than themselves but that are either without Arms or know not how to use 'em whereas upon the foot of our MODEL when any House or Persons are known to be attack'd they are not only provided for their own Defence but the Neighbours are all ready to come in to their Assistance both with Arms in their hands and as able to handle 'em as House-breakers can be suppos'd to do But if the objecting Gentlemen have any meaning it is that Rogues only should have Arms and honest Men none to oppose them For when any are dispos'd to violate the Laws they always take care to arm themselves without any deference to Publick Authority nor do we find that Thieves ever want Weapons notwithstanding any Prohibitions to the contrary which they no more regard than they do those which forbid 'em to steal But good Men on the contrary will yield Obedience to the Laws and so be expos'd if thus left naked and unarm'd to the Insults and Assaults of the most determin'd Villains The next Objection is That if the People be arm'd there 's an end of all the GAME in the Kingdom Now supposing this were true I think of the two we should sooner expose a few Birds to the People than the People to the French or other Enemies But indeed the GAME is in no danger Deer for example might be destroy'd with Bows and Arrows no less than with Guns yet in old times Englishmen were not disarm'd but restrain'd from shooting Deer only by Laws which may be accommodated to Guns as well as to Bows Hare Partridg and Pheasant are the principal GAME for Gentlemens diversion and every one knows that these are more conveniently and frequently destroy'd by Nets Hounds Setting-dogs and other Methods than by shooting Severe Penalties which those concern'd will be sure to see inflicted will prevent any thing of this nature and I hope we 'l never see the Nation disarm'd a second time under pretence of preserving the GAME But perhaps it will be said that altho FREEMEN may be trusted with Arms there will be danger from the Poor and Servile This Objection was sufficiently answer'd in the Discourse subjoin'd to the Second Proposition and besides I may add if that will satisfy that Servants are not arm'd according to this Scheme but only disciplin'd against a time of Necessity I suppos'd before an Armory in every Parish out of which on the days of Exercise only the Poor and Servants are furnish'd And here I would not forget to hint that all such Arms provided at the Parochial Charge should be try'd and approv'd at the Tower of London without any Liberty lest to the Overseers to purchase others for this end and that they be likewise all distinguish'd by the Parish Mark I had several Opportunities in this Discourse to shew the Defects of the Act now in force for regulating the MILITIA and my last Remark upon it shall be that the Isles of Wight and Purbeck are left to train their People as formerly The Tower-Hamlets likewise having been always as 't is said in the Act under the Command of his Majesty's Constable or Lieutenant of the Tower for the Service and Preservation of that Fort are permitted to be disciplin'd in such manner and form as heretofore The Reason of this Clause is very plain for those two Islands lying so much expos'd to forein Invasions it was fit they should be extraordinarily well provided for Defence And so the Tower-Hamlets because they were to keep Guard in the Tower and might from thence distress the City tho lest they might not prove so unkind to their Neighbours they were neglected as the rest and exercis'd according to the Act but the other Parts of the Kingdom being most likely to disrelish the Measures of the COURT were industriously made uncapable of Resistance And that this Suspicion may not seem ill grounded or malicious I would fain know which was the best Model of training the MILITIA the New or the Old if the former why should the Benefit of it be deny'd to those Places that stood most in need of it and if the latter why ought not the whole Nation to be as sufficiently train'd as one or two Islands But all Persons own that Guernsey and Iersey Wight and Purbeck are equal in their Discipline to any Standing Forces But of this enough nor can I allow my self