Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	france_n	king_n	kingdom_n	14,965	5	6.1241	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39783	A discourse of government with relation to militia's	Fletcher, Andrew, 1655-1716.	1698 (1698)	Wing F1295; ESTC R6686	23,004	68

speaking of the same Affair says That the foresaid States could not be induced to maintain Mercenary Forces being sensible of the Difficulties into which the Commonalty of France had brought themselves by the like Concession that Princes might increase their Forces at pleasure and sometimes even when they had obtained Money pay them ill to the vexation and destruction of the poor People and likewise that Kings and Princes not contented with their antient Patrimony were always ready under this pretext to break in upon the Properties of all Men and to raise what Money they pleased That nevertheless they gave him a hundred and twenty thousand Crowns yearly which he soon increased to five hundred thousand But that Burgundy which was the antient Dominion of that Family retained its antient Liberty and could by no means be obliged to pay any part of this new Tax 'T is true Philip de Commines subjoins to the forecited passage that be believes standing Forces may be well employed under a wise King or Prince but that if he be not so or leaves his Children young the use that he or their Governours make of them is not always profitable either for the King or his Subjects If this Addition be his own and not rather an Insertion added by the President of the Parliament of Paris who published and as the foresaid Francis de Beaucaire says he was credibly informed corrupted his Memoirs yet Experience shews him to be mistaken For the Example of his Master Lewis the 11th whom upon many occasions he calls a Wise Prince and those of most Princes under whom standing Forces were first allow'd demonstrates that they are more dangerous under a wise Prince than any other And Reason tells us that if they are the only proper Instruments to introduce Arbitrary Power as shall be made plain a cunning and able Prince who by the World is called a Wise one is more capable of using them to that end than a weak Prince or Governors during a Minority and that a wise Prince having once procured them to be established they will maintain themselves under any I am not ignorant that before this Change Subsidies were often given by Diets States and Parliaments and some raised by the Edicts of Princes for maintaining Wars but these were small and no way sufficient to subsist such numerous Armies as those of the Barons Militia There were likewise Mercenary Troops sometimes entertained by Princes who aimed at Arbitrary Power and by some Common-wealths in time of War for their own defence but these were only Strangers or in very small numbers and held no proportion with those vast Armies of Mercenaries which this change has fix'd upon Europe to her affliction and ruin What I have said hitherto has been always with regard to one or other and often to most Countries in Europe What follows will have a more particular regard to Britain where tho the Power of the Barons be ceased yet no mercenary Troops are yet established The Reason of which is that England had before this great Alteration lost all her Conquests in France the Town of Calais only excepted and that also was taken by the French before the Change was thorowly made So that the Kings of England had no Pretence to keep up Standing Forces either to defend Conquests abroad or to garison a Frontier towards France since the Sea was now become the only Frontier between those two Countries Neither could the Frontier towards Scotland afford any colour to those Princes for raising such Forces since the Kings of Scotland had none and that Scotland was not able to give Money for the subsisting any considerable number 'T is true the Example of France with which Country Scotland had constant correspondence and some French Counsellors about Mary of Guise Queen Dowager and Regent of Scotland induced her to propose a Tax for the subsisting of Mercenary Soldiers to be employed for the defence of the Frontier of Scotland and to ease as was pretended the Barons of that trouble But in that honourable and wise Remonstrance which was made by 300 of the lesser Barons as much dissatisfied with the Lords who by their silence betrayed the publick Liberty as with the Regent her self she was told That their Forefathers had defended themselves and their Fortunes against the English when that Nation was much more powerful than they were at that time and had made frequent incursions into their Country That they themselves had not so far degenerated from their Ancestors to refuse when occasion requir'd to hazard their Lives and Fortunes in the Service of their Country That as to the hiring of Mercenary Soldiers it was a thing of great danger to put the Liberty of Scotland into the hands of Men who are of no Fortunes nor have any hopes but in the publick Calamity who for Money would attempt any thing whose excessive Avarice opportunity would inflame to a desire of all manner of Innovations and whose Faith would follow the Wheel of Fortune That tho these Men should be more mindful of the Duty they owe to their Country than of their own particular Interest was it to be supposed that Mercenaries would sight more bravely for the defence of other Mens Fortunes than the Possessors would do for themselves or their own or that a little Money should excite their ignoble Minds to a higher pitch of Honour than that with which the Barons are inspired when they fight for the preservation of their Fortunes Wives and Children Religion and Liberty That most Men did suspect and apprehend that this new way of making War might be not only useless but dangerous to the Nation since the English if they should imitate the Example might without any great trouble to their People raise far greater Sums for the maintenance of Mercenary Soldiers than Scotland could and by this means not only spoil and lay open the Frontier but penetrate into the Bowels of the Kingdom And that it was in the Militia of the Barons their Ancestors had plac'd their chief Trust for the defence of themselves against a greater Power By these powerful Reasons being made sensible of her Error the Queen desisted from her Demands Her Daughter Queen Mary who as the great Historian says look'd upon the moderate Government of a limited Kingdom to be disgraceful to Monarchs and upon the slavery of the People as the freedom of Kings resolved to have Guards about her Person but could not fall upon a way to compass them for she could find no Pretext unless it were the empty show of Magnificence which belongs to a Court and the Example of Foreign Princes for the former Kings had always trusted themselves to the Faith of the Barons At length upon a false and ridiculous pretence of an Intention in a certain Nobleman to seize her Person she assumed them but they were soon abolished Nor had her Son King James any other Guards whilst he was King of Scotland only than forty

And they suffer no Forces to remain within those inaccessible places which are the chief seats of their power Carthage that had not those advantages of situation and yet used Mercenary Forces was brought to the brink of ruin by them in a time of Peace beaten in three Wars and at last subdued by the Romans If ever any Government stood in need of such a sort of Men 't was that of antient Rome because they were engaged in perpetual War The Argument can never be so strong in any other Case But the Romans well knowing such Men and Liberty to be incompatible and yet being under a necessity of having Armies constantly on foot made frequent Changes of the Men that served in them who when they had been some time in the Army were permitted to return to their Possessions Trades or other Emploiments And to show how true a Judgment that wise State made of this Matter it is sufficient to observe that those who subverted that Government the greatest that ever was amongst Men found themselves obliged to continue the same Souldiers always in constant Pay and Service If during the late War we had followed so wise a course as that of Rome there had been thrice as many trained Men in the Nations as at present there are no difficulties about Recruits nor debates about keeping up Armies in time of Peace because some Men resolve to live by Arms in time of Peace whether it be for the good of the Nations or not And since such was the practice of Rome I hope no man will have the confidence to say that this method was not as effectual for War as any other If it be objected that Rome had perpetual Wars and therefore that might be a good practice among them which would not be so with us I confess I cannot see the Consequence for if Rome had perpetual Wars the Romans ought still to have continued the same men in their Armies that they might according to the Notion of these men render their Troops more useful And if we did change our men during a War we should have more men that would understand something of it If any man say not so much as if they continued in the Army I answer that many of those who continue in the Army are afterwards swept away by the War and live not to be of use in time of Peace that those who escape the War being fewer than in the other case are soon consumed and that Mercenary Standing Forces in time of Peace if not employed to do mischief soon become like those of Holland in 72 fit only to lose forty strong places in forty days There is another thing which I would not mention if it were not absolutely necessary to my present purpose and that is the usual Manners of those who are engaged in Mercenary Armies I speak now of Officers in other Parts of Europe and not of those in our Armies allowing them to be the best and if they will have it so quite different from all others I will not apply to them any part of what I shall say concerning the rest They themselves best know how far any thing of that Nature may be applicable to them I say then most Princes of Europe having put themselves upon the foot of keeping up Forces rather numerous than well entertain'd can give but small Allowance to Officers and that likewise is for the most part very ill paid in order to render them the more necessitous and depending and yet they permit them to live in all that extravagancy which mutual example and emulation prompts them to By which means the Officers become insensibly engaged in numberless Frauds Oppressions and Cruelties the Colonels against the Captains and the Captains against the inferiour Souldiers and all of them against all persons with whom they have any kind of business So that there is hardly any sort of Men who are less Men of Honour than the Officers of Mercenary Forces and indeed Honour has now no other signification amongst them than Courage Besides most Men that enter into those Armies whether Officers or Souldiers as if they were obliged to show themselves new Creatures and perfectly regenerate if before they were modest or sober immediately turn themselves to all manner of Debauchery and Wickedness committing all kind of Injustice and Barbarity against poor and defenceless People Now tho the natural Temper of our Men be more just and honest than that of the French or of any other People yet may it not be feared that such bad Manners may prove contagious And if such Manners do not fit Men to enslave a Nation Devils only must do it On the other hand if it should happen that the Officers of Standing Armies in Britain should live with greater Regularity and Modesty than was ever yet seen in that sort of Men it might very probably fall out that being quarter'd in all Parts of the Country some of them might be returned Members of Parliament for divers of the Electing Boroughs and of what Consequence that would be I leave all Men to judg So that whatever be the Conduct of a Mercenary Army we can never be secure as long as any such Force is kept up in Britain But the Vndertakers for a Standing Army will say Will you turn so many Gentlemen to starve who have faithfully serv'd the Government This Question I allow to be founded upon some reason For it ought to be acknowledg'd in justice to our Souldiery that on all occasions and in all actions both Officers and Souldiers have done their part and therefore I think it may be reasonable that all Officers and Souldiers of above forty years in consideration of their unfitness to apply themselves at that age to any other Employment should be recommended to the bounty of both Parliaments I confess I do not see by what Rules of good Policy any Mercenary Forces have been connived at either in Scotland England or Ireland Sure 't is allowing the dispensing Power in the most essential Point of the Constitution of Government in these Nations Scotland and England are Nations that were formerly very jealous of Liberty of which there are many remarkable Instances in the Histories of these Countries And we may hope that the late Revolution having given such a blow to Arbitary power in these Kingdoms they will be very careful to preserve their Rights and Privileges And sure it is not very sutable to these that any Standing Forces be kept up in Britain or that there should be any Scots English or Irish Regiments maintained in Ireland or any where abroad or Regiments of any Nation at the charge of England I shall not say how readily the Regiments that were in the service of Holland came over against the Duke of Monmouth He was a Rebel and did not succeed But we all know with what expedition the Irish Mercenary Forces were brought into Britain to oppose his present Majesty in that glorious Enterprize