Selected quad for the lemma: england_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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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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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 The Second Edition Tam Marte quam Mercurio LONDON Printed for Daniel Brown at the Black Swan and Bible without Temple-Bar and Andrew Bell at the Cross-Keys and Bible in Cornhil M. DC.XC.IX BOOKS sold by Andrew Bell in Cornhil DIscourses concerning Government by Algernon Sidney Son to Robert Earl of Leicester and Ambassador from the Commonwealth of England to Charles Gustavus King of Sweden Published from an Original Manuscript of the Author Price 16 s. A complete Collection of the Historical Political and Miscellaneous Works of Iohn Milton both English and Latin With some Papers never before publish'd In 3 Vol. To which is prefix'd The Life of the Author containing besides the History of his Works several extraordinary Characters of Men and Books Sects Parties and Opinions Price 40 s. The General History of England both Ecclesiastical and Civil from the earliest Accounts of Time to the Reign of his present Majesty King William III. Taken from the most antient Records Manuscripts and Historians Containing the Lives of the Kings and Memorials of the most Eminent Persons both in Church and State With the Foundations of the Noted Monasteries and both the Universities Vol. I. By Iames Tyrrel Esq Fol. Price 1 l. An Inquiry concerning Virtue in two Discourses the first of Virtue and the belief of a Deity the second of the Obligations to Virtue Price in Calf 2 s. 6 d. An Essay concerning the Power of the Magistrate and the Rights of Mankind in Matters of Religion With some Reasons in particular for the Dissenters not being oblig'd to take the Sacramental Test but in their own Churches and for a General Naturalization Together with a Postscript in answer to the Letter to a Convocation-man Price in Calf 2 s. 6 d. A Detection of the Court and State of England during the 4 last Reigns and the Interregnum consisting of private Memoirs c. With Observations and Reflections and an Appendix discovering the present State of the Nation Wherein are many Secrets never before made publick as also a more impartial Account of the Civil Wars in England than has yet been given By R. Coke Esq The 3d Edition very much corrected with an Alphabetical Table Price 7 s. An Account of the first Voyages and Discoveries made by the Spaniards in America Containing the most exact Relation hitherto publish'd of their unparallel'd Cruelties on the Indians in the destruction of above 40 Millions of People Together with the Propositions offered to the King of Spain to prevent the further Ruin of the West-Indies By Don Bartholomew de las Casas Bishop of Chiapa who was an Eye witness of their Cruelties Illustrated with Cuts To which is added The Art of Travelling shewing how a Man may dispose his Travels to the best advantage Price in Calf 4 s. The Art of Memory A Treatise useful for all especially such as are to speak in publick By Marius D' Assigny B. D. Price 1 s. A Letter to his Majesty K. William III. shewing I. The Original Foundation of the English Monarchy II. The Means by which it was removed from that Foundation III. the Expedients by which it has bin supported since that Removal IV. The best Means by which its Grandure may be for ever maintain'd Price 4 d. A Letter to a Member of Parliament shewing that a Restraint on the Press is inconsistent with the Protestant Religion and dangerous to the Liberties of the Nation Price 6 d. There are now in the Press The second Volume of Mr. Tyrrel's History of England for which Proposals are printed The second Edition of the Compleat History of Europe Or a View of the Affairs thereof Civil and Military from the beginning of the Treaty of Nimeguen 1676 to this present Year 1699. Wherein are several remarkable Transactions c. not in the former Edition The Militia Reform'd c. THE following Discourse most Noble LORD begun at your Request and finish'd within the short time You prescrib'd is now made a Present to the World which if the Favour deserves any Return is oblig'd to your Lordship for the Publication You have long since justly acquir'd the Esteem of all good Men and the known measure of their Prayers when they wish their Relations happy is that they may equal your Lordship's Probity and Understanding But tho you neither want nor desire the regards of any besides the Vertuous yet no News can be more pleasing than to hear of a constant Addition to your Friends this being an infallible Sign that the Number of Publick-spirited Men increases For he must needs be your sworn Enemy who is not a hearty lover of his Country I purposely forbear to express your Name or to enlarge an Encomium which I know will not be grateful tho unsuspected of Flattery and therefore I leave your Lordship to be entertain'd by mine or your own more solid Observations 1. TO employ one's Thoughts on what he pleases and to speak as freely as he thinks is the greatest Advantage of living in a free Government the next to this is being Master of what you possess from the Favour of others or by your own Industry and then that Merit is indifferently rewarded in Persons of all Conditions and Degrees Their due Value is ordinarily set upon the two last by most Men and Life it self should be readily expos'd to maintain or acquire the first for without it to live is in my Opinion worse than any Death Under Despotick Princes none dares mutter at his own or the Sufferings of his Fellows much less put so much Confidence in his dearest Friend as to condole their common Slavery where the Informer is tempted with immense Rewards and certain Death or Disgrace attend the Accus'd This is the bless'd Unity of that Constitution which some admire so much because no Complaints are heard in it whence they would persuade us that it is also free from all Grievances But where Laws secure the Rights of the SUBJECT with the same Care as the Privileges of the MAGISTRATE no sooner is any pinch'd but he cries out and the Authors of the Peoples Oppression are oblig'd to change their Conduct or to rectify their Mistakes Either the PRINCE is disabus'd when his MINISTERS have seduc'd him by false Representations or sometimes the MINISTERS refuse to act if the PRINCE be resolv'd upon Arbitrary Courses Now 't is our peculiar Happiness in England that no other Government in Europe is equal to us whether the DIGNITY of the Magistracy or the LIBERTY of the People be consider'd But particularly in all dubious Affairs of Publick Concern 't is every Man's Duty to assist his Country by his Advice as well as with his Hand in time of Danger And Matters are as freely debated among us abroad as within their own Walls
that this Contemt upon the most honorable Profession of Arms is purely accidental and altogether occasion'd by the Mercenary Soldiers abroad who excepting some Officers and a few Voluntiers being most of 'em the Scum of Mankind consisting of ignorant brutish mean beggerly and idle Fellows that live only upon a scanty Hire which is seldom punctually paid they must necessarily have recourse to Stealing Robbing Plundring Assassinating and the like flagitious Practices and what 's still worse the Arbitrary Princes who maintain them must e'en let them live upon their shifts by countenancing or conniving at these Disorders for there 's no Remedy unless they be duly paid which is never done except in Free Governments such as ours and Holland But in a well-regulated MILITIA Gentlemen make their Discipline to be properly an Exercise or Diversion in time of Peace and in War they fight not only to preserve their own Liberty and Fortunes but also to become the best Men in their Country Nor are they any thing influenc'd by that PAY which the Government justly allows them for as they who sit quietly at home should bear their Charges who serve 'em abroad and not let those be Losers in their private Affairs whose Valour provides Security to theirs so on the other hand when it becomes their turn who are now employ'd to keep at home they will as cheerfully contribute to maintain those who succeed 'em abroad as they receiv'd their PAY before There is no Weight at all then in the Objection especially since no time is lost to Young or Old and that there is none is very evident for no body will say that either Gentlemen or Artizans lose any time in the Parochial Exercises all People allow more time upon their Pleasures every Year than is spent in the Centuriate Assemblies and their turn in the CAMP returns so seldom as to admit of nothing to be said against it After all if Gentlemen will be at the pains of fighting for their own and who can doubt but they will 't is surely worth their while to learn the Art of doing it but of this by and by in a more proper Place 11. The AGE of the Persons constituting our MILITIA being thus determin'd we proceed next to their COMMANDERS who make the Subject of the Sixth Proposition which is THAT ALL THE COMMISSION'D OFFICERS OF THE MILITIA HAVE REAL OR PERSONAL ESTATES PROPORTIONABLE TO THEIR SEVERAL DEGREES AND THAT ALL PERSONS THUS RIGHTLY QUALIFI'D IN EVERY COUNTY SUCCEED ONE ANOTHER BY TRIENNIAL ROTATION THE LORDS LIEUTENANTS ONLY EXCEPTED WHO BEING GENERAL OFFICERS ARE NOT TO BE CHANG'D WHILE THE KING IS PLEAS'D TO CONTINUE 'EM IN THEIR POSTS The Reasons for qualifying the OFFICERS by their Property are the same with those I have offer'd under the first Proposition for admitting FREEMEN only to serve in the MILITIA which spares me the Labour of Repetition in this place As for the Rotation of Officers propos'd it is grounded upon uncontested Experience and Equity All good Politicians have ever allow'd that to be the best and noblest Government where Men learn alternately to command and to obey because at this rate they are not only fitted to serve their Country upon all occasions but likewise made competent Judges of the Merit or Miscarriage of others This was the known Practice of the Romans whose General Officers were in the ordinary Course of their Government annually elected no body thinking it a Disgrace to serve under him this Year whom he had commanded the last nor to be afterwards an inferior Officer in that Army whose Exploits were the Effects of his Conduct before And truly this sort of Rotation seems to me a Duty requir'd by the Light of Nature for keeping an equal Balance between those of the same Qualifications contributes above all things to keep 'em in Peace and Friendship If the Offices shall be thought honorable pleasant or profitable no body envies another because they are all to enjoy 'em in their turns And if on the other hand they should be found a Charge or Trouble then doubtless every one ought to bear his share of the Burden nor is it at all material whether they be elected by LOT or successively appointed by the KING The PEERS who are commonly the Lords Lieutenants of Counties are by this Model restor'd to all the Privileges that were truly good and excellent in their first Institution the immediate Command of all the FREEMEN in England under the KING being their proper Charge and the eternal Fame which some of their Ancestors have worthily acquir'd is wholly owing to the glorious Actions they perform'd in this Quality on the behalf of their Country and not in the least to that immoderate Power they might then exercise over the PEOPLE who if they record any Nobleman upon this account do it as an Example they execrate and abhor and not out of Gratitude or Love as in the former case To the only Objection I apprehend against this Proposition which is that it seems to limit his Majesty's Authority I answer That no Man can trust him with a greater Power of doing Good for he would neither accept nor use any other than I am willing to do seeing in the Opinion I entertain of his Justice Valor and Wisdom I believe my self not inferior to any which Declaration ought to be esteem'd the more sincere inasmuch as I never had nor expect any particular Favor from him besides Liberty and Safety the common Blessings of his Government He knows already that all the Power he has is bounded by Laws and we are convinc'd by Experience that he refuses no Limitation to it when he judges it to be for the Advantage of the Nation Thus have the Act for Triennial Parliaments and that of regulating Trials in cases of High Treason to mention no more past by his Authority whereas no Prince that design'd to injure his Subjects would ever give his Assent to either of them A Person of his Sagacity and Prudence will not easily be deluded by the mean Obsequiousness of any MINISTERS who make their Court with gratifying what they take to be their Master's Inclinations and without any regard to his or the Nation 's real Interest lay out all their Efforts to gain him some invidious Point for it is a setl'd Maxim with most of this Race That ALL KINGS WHATSOEVER WOULD BE ABSOLUTE presuming on which pernicious Doctrine they bring a certain Ruin on the Affairs of Princes if not happily prevented by their own timely Fall which commonly happens in Free Governments But a good KING instead of lessening his own Power by Concessions of this nature gains more Security Respect and Glory than could be obtain'd by the most numerous Armies I cannot upon this occasion but relate the remarkable Story of THEOPOMPUS King of Sparta who as VALERIUS MAXIMUS writes when he first ordain'd that the EPHORI or Overseers should be created at Lacedemon to be such a Restraint upon the