Further OBJECTIONS T 0 T H E Eftablifliment of a Cpnftitutional MILITIA. [Price One Shilling.] Further OBJECTIONS Eftabllfhmentof aConftitutlonalMilida; BEING A REPLY T O The MONITOR, The REVIEW, City and Country NEWS-PAPERS,' AND Many other Formidable Opponentsj In Vindication of a Pamphlet, intitled, A Word in Time to bothHoufesof Parliament. LONDON: Printed for C.Henderson, under the Royal Exchange. MDCCLVII. L I ] A REPLY TO THE Monitor, Reviews, B Elieve me, my Countrym’en ! it is neither -Indolence, nor Fear, nor yet Conviflion from the Ar¬ guments of any of my puiffant Oppo¬ nents, that hath hindered me hitherto from appearing in Defence of my Wird m ’Time to both Honfes of Parliament, It required but little Knowledge of Man¬ kind to forefee what hath happened, and what will always happen to thofe who dare contend with the Stream of popular Prejudice. I have been moft violently, R and [ 2 ] and virulently, oppofedj and I have con¬ tinued thus long filent, that my Adver- farles might have fufficient Time to con¬ fute me, or to fqueeze out their little Bags of Venom, which now feem pretty well exhaqfted. The Monitor, in his Paper for the 8 th of ’'January, was, I think,' the firft who did rne the Honour to enter the Lifts with me: But he happens .to have ftept forth in fo violent a Paflion, that, like a moft unftdlful Warrior, he is fo entirely bent upon wounding his Adverfary, that he is unpardonabiy negligent of his own Safety. 1 3 m afraid I have but little Re¬ putation to cxped frotn my Conqueft of an Enemy, whofe Weaknefs muft have been fo ftrikingly apparent to every one of his Readers. ‘ The King affirms- (fays this Gentle- ‘ man) a national Militia may in time •; become one good Refource, In cafe of 5 general danger. The Scribbler has the ‘ Mcdeflf ' Modefiy and Vanity to fay tiiat it is i ‘ falfe Prefumptionj and, on the coil- ‘ trary, that it would e7icourage an hiva- ‘ Jion, render onr Power mjignificant, and ‘ ruin Mir Trade. A Licentioufnefs of ‘ Speech only to be found in the Cabals ‘ of a defperate Fa£tion! that Fadlion ‘ which never ferved their Prince, but ‘ with an Attempt to engrofs his Powerj ‘ nor their Country, without facrificing ‘ its Confidence to their own Ambitiofi ‘ and Avarice! ’ I SHOULD, firft, be glad to know what kind of an Idea he intended to convey, by joining the Words Modejly and Vanity? Does he imagine that his being in a Paflion will excufe him for writingNon- fenfe ?—Is there any Licentioufnefs c^f Speech in theWords he exclaims againft? Has not every Man in this Nation a Right to differ in Opinion from any King of Minifter whatfoever? It is very ftirprifing that this Monitor, of all People in the f 4 ] World, (hould endeavour to ftrike at out Liberty of the Prefs, when he himfelf continues to make fo unlimited anUfe of it. But with regard to Licentioufnefs of Speech, was there ever a more flagrant Inftanceof it, than in that pofitive, grofs, and, I muft fay, falfe Affirmation, with which he doles the Sentence I have quoted. ‘ However (continues the Monitor) ‘ to keep up fome Appearance of Truth ‘ and Loyalty, he would decry the In- ‘ ftitution of a Britifi Militia, becaufe ‘ this Ifland is not defended by Moun- ‘ tains and narrow Paffes, as SivitzerlMid ‘ is known to be. Pray afk him whe- ‘ ther he has ever feen the mountainous ‘ Waves and the Breadth of the Sea, ‘ which defend the Ifle of Great Britain • on all Sides, and leave no Pafs for an * Invader, was the Shore covered by a ‘ well-planned and regulated Militia? ‘ Whether any Port of the BritiJIo Coaft [ 5 ] ‘ can be cxpofed to the Batteries of a ‘ numerous Train of heavy Artillery, ‘ with the fameEafe as the narrowPaffes ‘ of Switzerland? ’ I WILL fuppofe the Monitor has mif- tinderftood me, as a Man of his Cha- rafter certainly would not wilfully mif- reprefent the Sentiments of his Oppo¬ nent. My Words in the Pamphlet in queftion are thefe: ‘ The Swifs are not ‘ a trading Nation. That they have ‘ hitherto preferved their Liberty, is ‘ merely owing to the Nature of their ‘ Country; which is fo extreamly moun- ‘ tainous, and, confequently, fo defended ‘ by narrow Paffes, that the moll infig- ‘ nificant Force would foon deftroy the ‘ moll numerous Army.’ This was in¬ tended only as an Argument againll thofe who attribute this People’s having fo long preferved their Liberty to their conftitutional Militia. If the Monitor had ever been in Switzerland, he mufi; have [ 6 ] kve known that I was not fpeaking rf thofe Paffes only which fecure the En¬ trance into that Country; he would have known, that an offenfive Army would have the fame Difficulties to.encounter almoft every Mile. If he had been in the leaft acquainted, with the Art of makingWar among Mountains, he would have known, that thofe who are in Pof- feffion of them have fuch Advantages over their Affailants, that a very fmall Force is fufficient for their Defence. He would alfo have known,- that heavy At‘- tillery are never ufed on thofe OccaEonS. If he chufes to give himfelf the Trouble to read Monf. Efl/i«r^s DilTertation on this Subjeft, he will probably be better qualified to give his Opinion concerning it. Befides, the Swifs Militia is com- pofed chiefly of experienced Soldiet^ who have been feveral Years in the Ser¬ vice of foreign Princes, and are there¬ fore by no means to be compared with ant [ 7 ] ail Englijh Militia. ' Pray afk him (fays ‘ the Monitor ) whether he has ever feea ‘ themountainousWaves and the Breadth ‘ of the Seas, which defend the Ifland of ‘ Great Britain’ &c.—Yes, Sir, I have feen them j but never yet fuppofed them impaffable. That a Man of your Pene¬ tration fliould chufe to mention aCir- cumftance, which proves the ftrongeft Argument againft you that I could pof- fibly urge! Is not our being furrounded by the Sea, the very Reafon why we are acceffible on all Sides ? ‘ Not (fay you) ‘ if, according, to my Plan, the Shore ‘ was covered by a well-regulated Mili- ‘ tia.’ I Ihould be forry to miftake your Meaning; but, I think, your Words feem to it.iply a Defign to cover the Shore quite round the Ifland, unlefs you are certain of knowing in what Part your Enemy intends to land. A noble Scheme this! hut I am afraid you will not find Men, Women, and Children in this Kingdom fufficient for your Purpofe. ‘ Muft l again repeat,’ fays the Author of the Important ^lejiion, (a moft un- anfwerable Pamphlet) ‘ that a foutherly ‘ Wind, a dark Night, foggy Weather,- ‘ or a dead Calm, may foil the heft En- ‘ deavours of the ableft Commanders, ‘ and bring, or permit to be brought, a < numerous Army to our Coafts? If ? fuch an Army was once landed, what ? Lines, what Fortifications have we to ' withftand it? And doth not the very ‘ Goodnefs of our Roads, and the late- ‘ Improvements of Carriage, lay open' ‘ the whole Kingdom to be ravaged^ from End to End ? Now, when an ‘ Army is once landed, it cannot only ‘ march without being flopped by Lines, ‘ Fortifications, Mountains, Forefls, ‘ Paifes, &c. but by means of the pre- ‘ fent Wealth of the Country, and the ‘ general Plenty of Cattle, Corn, Vic- tuals. I 9 ] * tuals, It can proceed without Interrup- « tion with regard to Provifions, and find ‘ good comfortable Quarters wherever it ‘ comes! ’ ‘ His Modefty, Candour, and Saga- ‘ city, (continues the Monitor) are as de- ‘ ficient, in the Pains he has taken to ‘ ftifle the Remembrance of the martial ‘ Spirit, which, in former times, did fo ‘ great Service by the Militia of this ‘ Nation.’—But where is the Monitors Candour in IHfling the Reafons I have given, why the Exploits of former Mili¬ tias are no Arguments for eftablifhing a Militia at prefent. A regular Army would, in thofe Days, have been as un- necelTary as it is now needful j for this plain Reafon, that you had nothing but Militia to oppofe. My Arguments for the Necefiity 'of a well difciplincd Army are founded upon this very Principle. Your Enemies depend no longer upon a Militia: They have a very numerous C and and regular Army: The Art of War is their chief Study, and their Difcipline iS daily improving. They have been co¬ pying from the Prufians ever fince the laft War; and, in confequence of that, are, at this Inftant, much more formid¬ able than ever. Yet we, upon I know not what Syftem of Politicks, are con¬ triving Schemes to fink in Point of mili- taiy Ezercife and Difcipline, in propor¬ tion as our Enemy rifes. This, it will furcly he allowed, would be the Cafe, unlefs you intend to difcipline your Mi¬ litia In a manner very different from any I have hitherto feen propofed. I am far from denying that it is poffible to confti- tute fuch a Militia as would be a fuffi- cient Security to this Ifland; All I con¬ tend for is, that this cannot be done without great Injury to your Manufadtu- rics; that the Time requifite to make ufeful Soldiers of your working People, at prefent, employed much more to [11 ] the Advantage of the Nation; and that the prefent Labour of your intended Militia (which would be loft if a Militia- fcheme, adequate to the Defign, fliould take place) produces more than is re¬ quired to maintain a fufficient regular Army: So that, upon Calculation, a regular Army will be found to be the moft frugal Plan that can poflibly be formed for our Defence. «■ Thefe were the Forces ’ (fays the Monitor, fpeakingof the Militia in former Times) “ that chaftifed Fac- ‘ tion. Rebellion, and the Incurfions of ‘ the Scots at home; while another Part ^ of them eternized their Bravery, Con- ‘ dud, and Vidory, by fubduing their ‘ perfidious Neighbours abroad. Now, tho’ I have already proved that this is no Argument for a Militia at pre¬ fent, from the univerfal Improvement in the Art of War, I cannot avoid obferving that this Author, either wilfully or igno- C 2 rantly. r 12 ] rantly, miftakes this Conqueft of our Neighbours. Engla?id never conquered France, properly fpeaking. The true way of ftating the Faft is to fay, that England, having already the Sea-coaft, and fome of the heft Provinces in France, by Right of Inheritance and Marriages, was thereby enabled to conquer the re¬ maining Part, greatly divided and dif- traded among themfelves. ‘ I AM forry’ (continues the fame Au¬ thor) ‘ to be provoked by fuch a Scribbler ‘ to obferye, that the Lofs of all our Do- ' minions in France, is to be dated from ‘ the Time our Kings trufted more to a ‘ hireling Army of Foreigners than to ‘ the Pikes and Swords of their well- ‘ regulated Militia: That the Terror of ‘ a French Invafion has kept pace witli ‘ the Increafe of our mercenary Army.’ I AM forry to find the Monitor fo bad a Patriot, or Politician, as to lament the Lofs of our Dominions in France. A f Conr [ 13 ] Conqueft of France would prove the fame Evil to England, as did the Con- queft of Ferfia to the Macedonians. The Seat of Government would be tranf-r ferred on to the Continent, and this Ifland would become a Province. And as to the Terror oif Invafion keeping pace with the Increafe of our mercenary Army, it happens to be agrofs Miftake. If our famous Monitor had been a little better acquainted with the Hiftory of his own Country, he would have recollefted that, even in the Militia-reign of Queen Elizabeth, our Progenitors were in great Fear of an Invafion from Spain. If he will not take my Word for it, he may confult the Lord-keeper’s feveral Speeches to the Parliament, particularly that of the 9th of April, 1593. Can the learned Monitor be ignorant of the vaft Sum§ of Money which this Queen paid to the Dutch, and the French King, ‘ in order I to prevent, as flie exprefly declares, the : Sea-r [ H ] ‘ Sea-coaft of Holland, Flanders, and ‘ France, from falling into the Hands of ‘ her Enemy the King of Spain, from ‘ luhaice he might fo cafilp invade her I ’ And will the Monitor, notwithftanding this, affert that (lie was in no fear of an Invafion? But the honeft Gentleman writes in a Paffion: It was, therefore, almoft impoffible he fltould avoid Blun¬ ders of this Nature. What he has far¬ ther advanced, does not carry with it even the lead Appearance of an Argu¬ ment in favour of a Militia. It is mere perfonal Inveftive agaiiift the Author of the Word in Fitne, and has therefore no¬ thing to do with the Matter in queftion. Thofe who have read his Works, know him to be naturally fo extreamly abufive, that his fcurrilous Pen is become no Slanr der. He is pleafed to call me a faSlioiis Scribbler, becaufe I am fo unfortunate as to differ from him in Opinion ; but if he converfes much with his Fellowr citizens. [ 15 i citizens, he muft lately have found that this as he is pleafed to call it, is confined to no particular Set of People; that it is daily increafing; and that the Gentlemen of the Army make but a very fmall Number of thofe who difiipprove of a Militia. I am not vain enough to fuppofe that any thing I have written is the Caufe of this Change of Sentiment in the People; but I believe it to have proceeded chiefly from their own Ps.e- fleClion., It is nothing uncomnion to fee fenfible Men err in their Opinions, for a while, with the Multitude; yet give them but time to think deliberately, and they will gradually converge to the Point of Reafon. Let us now proceed to the Mo?ithly Review, in which I find myfelf ho¬ noured with very near fix Pages, fmall Print, of polite Criticifm. The Author of this elaborate Article, among other things, accufes me of great Self-fufii- ciency. [ ciency. Whatfoever I may have beert heretofore, I fhall certainly now begin to think rriy Word in Time a more confir derable Performance, than ever I took it to be: And indeed how fhould I think otherwife, when a Man of this Writer’s Confequence has thought me deferving. of fuch Notice ? He begins by declaring it ‘ reafonable ‘ to believe, that many an ingenious and ‘ worthy Man has been glad to earn a ‘ Guinea of a Bookfelleryet, imme¬ diately after, infinuates his Surprize, that an Author, profeffing himfelf to be thus employed, fliould expeft to ‘ corredt the ‘ Opinions, and influence the Condud ‘ of both Houfes.of Parliament.’ Now, if it is reafonable to believe that aWriter, notwithftanding his being paid, may be an ingenious and honefl; Man, it is alfo reafonable to believe, that his Arguments will be equal to his Honefty and Inge¬ nuity. How ftrange a Compliment has he t -7 ] l>e therefore paid to the Britijh Parlia¬ ment! in fuppofing that they would dif- tegard the Reafonings of an honeft and ingenious Man, becaufe he had declared he was paid for his Labour. Were this to be admitted, a Jury ought not to liften to the Pleadings of Council, tho’ their Reafonings were ever fo juft, becaufe they were fee’d. In both Cafes it is rea-^. fondle to believe, that fenfible Men will attend only to the. Solidity of the Argu¬ ments advanced, regardlefs of perfonal Confiderations concerning the Speaker or Writer. And hence I conclude it to be a Matter of no Confequence, whether I had called myfelf a Monitor, a Free¬ holder, a Fool, a Tattler, a Scribbler, or Fiflimonger. In Anfwer to that Part of my Pam¬ phlet, where I have faid that the Pre¬ tender would certainly avail himfelf of the Divifions which would unavoidably happen between the regular and irregu^ ^ larj [ ] lar Armies, the Reviewer has thefc Words.—‘ To affure fuch things as thefe ‘ to the Lords, Commons, and Com- ‘ monality of Britain, does indeed argue, ‘ a Degree of Affurance not often to be ‘ met with; and if Affurance were to ‘ pafs for Argument, not a Writer of the ‘ Legion now at work, could be thought more capable of demonftrating what- ‘ ever was capable of Demonffration! ’i 1 fliould be extreamly obliged to this Gentleman, if, when he criticifes this Pamphlet, he would explain himfelf concerning the Legion now at work. If he dares declare his Meaning, I am afraid he will be found to have got the wrong Sow by the Ear. ‘ As to the Inconfiftence ’ (fays this Writer) ‘ he falls into, by ftating thefe ‘ Nationals as incapable of Difeipline, ‘ on one Side, and yet fure to become ' ‘ a fuccefsful Army on the other, it is ‘ glaring even to need an Index.’ This [ 19 ] This is a Block pver which the Mo- mtor\aA ilutnbled before himj but they might either of them have removed it, if they had fufficiently attended to the preceding Paragraph. What can be more natural than to fuppofe that the Fre?icb, availing themfelves of your internal Broils, would, in Conjundtion with the Pretender, land a Number of regular Forces. Confidered in this Light, I be¬ lieve this feeming Contradidcion will im¬ mediately vanifli. I SHALL now tranferibe a Paragraph, in which the Reader will find that our Critick has unfortunately proved what he certainly intended to difprove. To recent Fadts in America he next ‘ appeals for Proof, “ that there is no Dependence on Irregulars, and that “ nothing but Confufion is to be ex- “ pedted from their attempting to adl “ in Conjundtion with a difeiplined Ar- my.”-‘ And it would have been [ 20 3 ‘ fomewhat happier, both for thatCoun? ' and this, if he could have further in- ‘ forced hisPoint, by (hewing thatBra^- . ‘ i/oci and his Troops out-combated and ‘ out-general’d and his Troops; ‘ as alfo that no invidious Diftinftions * between Regular and Irregular have ‘ helped to throw our northern Colonies ‘ into the Dangers and DiftrelTes they * now are furrounded with,’ Are not thefe Diftinftions, which he owns haye helped to throw our Colonies into Danger and Diftrefs, the verylncon- . veniencies which I have faid would al¬ ways happen in like Cafes? Before I reply concerning Braddock's Defeat, I muft beg Leave to tranfcribe a fliort Pafiage from the Word in Time, left this (hould perchance fall into the Hands of thofe who may not have feen that Pamphlet. ‘ Is there a Member of either Houfe, * who does not now fee that all ourDif- ‘ appoint- I 21 ] ^ appointments and Difafters in North ‘ America, are entirely owing to our in- ‘ judicious Dependence on irregular ‘ Troops ? If, at the firft, we had fent ‘ a fufficient Number of difciplined ‘ Forces, we fhould have faved an infi- ‘ nite Suni of Money, and things would ‘ have wore a very different Afpe£l! ’ This Paffage has dravvn down upon me many formidable Antagonifts. Not only both Reviews, but even City and Country News-papers have, with one Accord, fallen foul on it. How, fay they, could he reafon in this Manner, when we all know that Braddock was defeated by the irregular Indians ? And this brings to their Minds the famous Battles of PreJionpa?is and Falkirk, which are immediately produced as Ihftances in favour of Irregulars.--Thefe Antago- nifts of mine are furely very bad Logi¬ cians, or they wouW have known, that thefe three Examples prove nothing} I becaufe E 22 ] tiecaufe any other three Inftances, In which Irregulars, or undifciplined Troops, have been beat by regular Armies, would entirely invalidate them. Now they muft be little Ikilled in Grecian, Roman, or Snaedijh Hiftory, who cannot recoiled numberlefs Examples of Difcipline'being the foie Caufe of Vidory. But with re¬ gard to America in particular, what I have urged is intended to prove nothing more, tlian that our Misfortunes are chiefly owing to our Dependence on the Promifes of the Natives to defend them- felves, and, in confequence of that, to our not fending a fufficient Number of regular Forces. Here I fhall beg Leave to quote a Paflage from a Pamphlet that has lately been publiflied on this Subjed. * Notwithftanding the Defcriptions that ‘ have been given of the Bravery and Intrepidity of the American Militia, ^ which led People to exped great things ? from them, we find that every Indian ‘ Incur- [ 23 ] ‘ incurfion alarms them, and makes ‘ them call out for Affiftance from ‘ land. An ingenious Gentleman, in ' Itinerant Obfervations In America, fays ” that wherever you travel in Maryland, “ as alfo in Virginia and Carolina, you “ are conftantly aftoniihed at the Num- “ her of Colohels, Majors, and Captains, “ that you hear mentioned: In fliort, “ the whole Country feems at firft to you.a Retreat of Heroes; but, alas! “ to behold the Mufters of their Militia, “ would induce a Man to naufeate a “ Saih, and hold a Sword for ever in “ Derifion. Diverfity of Weapons and “ Drefs, Unfizablenefs of Men, and “ Want of the leaft Grain of Difcipline “ in their Officers or them, render the “ whole ridiculous and contemptible.” ‘ Are we then (continues the fame ‘ Author) to place our Confidence, on ‘ every Emergency, .in fuch a Militia, * collefted at Random, as the prefent [ State [ 24 ] State of the Nation would fumilh, • ‘ which would either be compofed of * the very lowefl: and raoft abandoned ‘ of the People, influenced by no Spirit, ‘ of Bravery or Liberty, and regardlefs ‘ of the Fate of the Nation, having ‘ themfelves nothing to lofe j oroffuch ‘ Tradefmen dnd others, who, when ‘ compelled to this Service, would very ‘ reludtantly quit the Occupations and ‘ Manufadtories they.were already em- ‘ ployed in, to the fo much fuperior ‘ Benefit of the Nation and of them-' ‘ felves! ’ But to return to Prejlonpans, Falkirk, and Braddock. At PreJlonpa}is, it is certain that the private Men in the King’s Troops might have behaved better than they did; but then we ought to recolledl in their Fa¬ vour, that tho’ thofe by whom they were attacked were undifeiplined, yet they were a very robuft, hardy, and defperate Band of Rebels, who .fought with Hal¬ ters [ 25 ] . ters round their Necics j and that their Onfet was uncommonly furious. Thefe Confiderations may, in fome Meafure, account for the Terrour with which the Troops were feized *, tho’ they do not by any means exculpate them j for it is be- * ‘ Le Chevalier Fokrd a etc le icul qui ait ofe • franchir les homes ties prejiiges; j’approve fa noble ‘ hardielTe; rien n’eft fi pitombie que d’en etre I’ef- ‘ clave,—Mais il va trop loin; il avance une opi- ‘ nion qui en determine le fucccs, fans faire atten- ‘ tion que ce fucces depend d’une infinite dc tircon- ‘ ftanccs que la prudence humaine ne fiuiroit prevoir. ‘ Il fuppofe toujours les homines braves, fans fiiirc ‘ attention que la valeur des troupes eft journalierc. ‘ —Telles troupes feront infidiblcment battues dans ‘ des rctranchcmens, qui en attaquant auroienj: ete ‘ vifloricufes: peu dc gens cn donnent dc donne ‘ raifon j elle eft dans le cceur des huniams, & on ‘ doit I’y cherchcr. Jc vais rapportcr un fait, entre ‘ mille autres, pour perfuader mon opinion. ‘ A la bataille de Fricdlingcn I’infantcric Fran- ‘ coife, apres avoir repoidlco cello des Imperiaux ‘ avec une valeur incomparable, apres I’avoir cn- ‘ fonece pluficurs fois, & I’auoir pour fuivie a tra- ‘ vers d’un bois jufqucs dans une plr.ine qui etoit au ‘ dela; quelqu’un s’avifa dc dire, que Ton etoit ‘ coupe: il parut deux cfcadrons (Francoife peut- ‘ etre); toutc cette Infanterie viftorieufe s’enfuit ‘ dans un difordre aftreux, fans quo perfonne I’at- ‘ taquat nt la fuivi't, repalla la bois, A nc s’arrcta r 26 ] beyond Doubt, if the Soldiers had but had Refolution to keep their Ranks, that the Fury of the Rebels would have fig- nified nothing. Therefore, one or two Examples of this kind prove nothing. The Advocates for Irregulars, if they would prove any thing to thePurpofe, it flioiiid he, that where regular and irre¬ gular Armies have fought with equal Refolution, the latter have been general¬ ly viftorious j and that the former had no Advantage from their Difeipline. If this can be proved, I have done. The Caufe of our Defeat at Falkirk, is too generally known to require an Ex¬ planation. If thofe who happen to be < que par-dela Ic champ de bataillc.-.-C’etoicnt pour-: ‘ taut Ics mcmes homines qui venoient de vaincrc ‘ qii’unc tcncur panique avoit trouble les fens, & ? qui avoient perdus contcnance au point de nc la ‘ pouvoir reprendre, C’cft dc M. le Marechal de ‘ Villars que jc tiens ce fait, & qui me la raconte ‘ ii Vaux-villais en me montrant Ics plans des ba- ' tallies qu’il a donnes.’ Mcmoircs fur I’Art de h Guem, de M- Comte de Saxe. igno. [ 27 1 Ignorant of it, will give themfclves the Trouble to enquire of any of theOFhccis that were prefent, they will find that it throws no Refledion on our Troops. But if it were true, that thefe vidorious Rebels were, in Reality, fiiperior to re¬ gular Troops, how happened it that they fled before the Army with fuch Precipi¬ tation from Derby, even to Culloden- Houfc, and were there, at laft, fo totally overthrown, in the Space of fo few Minutes ? Here the King’s Army was judicioufly difpofed, and well conduded. The beft Army in the World may be confounded, broke, and beaten, for want of a proper Commander, who neither fears, nor yet difpifes, his Enemy; but the moft confummate General will never be able to wield an half-difciplined Mul¬ titude with thatExpedition on whichVic- tory frequently depends. His Schemes, howfoevpr well concerted, mull: inevit¬ ably prove abortive, if his Ofiiccrs and E 2 Sol- [ -28 ] Soldiers have not acquired a fufficient Degree of Knowledge in theirProfeflion; and if the Advocates for a Militia would but take the Trouble to attend the difci- plining of a new-raifed Regiment, they vvould foon be convinced of their Mit take, in fuppofing that this is to be at¬ tained by a few Hours Exercife, once a Week. The Troops in GermaHy, not- withftanding they are moft of them em¬ ployed on Garrifon-duty during the whole Winter, and confequently prac- tifed in Parade-exercife, are neverthelefs, in the Spring, under Arms at leaft fix Hours every Day for near three Months together j to the Intent, that they may be well acquainted with the Evolutions that are required in the Field: Yet we would pretend to form an Army of our working People, fufficient for our De¬ fence, without any Injury to our Trade! As to General Braddock'^ Defeat, it was what might eafily have been fore¬ told. [ ^ 9 '] told, and fufficiently proves what I have aflerted, viz. that our Misfortunes iii North America are entirely owing to our not fending a proper Number of regulai* Forces. The Indians, by whom he was attacked, were Irregulars, it is fruej but are they not a People whofe foie Occu¬ pation, from their Infancy, is that of War? They are ufed to Stratagems, and are fo much better acquainted with-the Country than we can pretend to be, that afmallBodyof regular Troops will al¬ ways run a Rifque of being furprifed by them; but this would not be .the Cafe with a confiderable Army. Many a brave Regiment has been furprifed and difperfed by a lurking Party of Huflars; yet no one, for this Reafon, ever thought of forming an Army of IJuffars for their Defence. In anfwer 'to that Part of my Pam¬ phlet, where I mentioned our late In- furreiftions on account of the Price of Corn, [ 30 ] Corn, as an Argument againft arming the People,—‘ Thofe Mutineers ’ (fays the Reviewer) ‘ were not Rebels: Their ‘ Bufinefs was to eat, not fight: And the ‘ fame Power that fupprefied them now, ‘ namely, the Magiftracy, Gentry, and ‘ others of Property, would alfo have ‘ fuppreffed them in the other Inftance, ‘ viz. if they had been armed.’— — » Would not any one conclude, from thefe falfe Aflertions, that this Gentleman had never feen a News-paper during thefe Commotions? If thefe Mutineers did not intend to fight, with what Defign did they arm themfelves with Scythes, Pitchforks, &c. ? And if the Magiftra- cy. Gentry, and others of Property, had been able to fupprefs them, how hap¬ pened it that they fent in fuch hafte for military Afliftance? Is it not notorious, that in the Town of Nottingham, after fome of the Rioters had been fecured, the reft aflembled a fecond time, in or¬ der ■ [ 31 ] der to refcue the Prifoners; and that the Magiftrates petitioned the Secretary at War not to remove the Dragoons, that marched from Windfor to their Relief, before the Arrival of the Foot Regiment, which was then on its March. If thefe People had been fupplied withFire-arms, might they not, and would they not, have plundered the Town (for that was their Intent by their own Declaration) before any Affiftance could have been feen ? And even tho’ we fliould fuppofe that if, in confequence of a natioiial Mi¬ litia, the Town’s People, being alfo pro¬ vided with Arms, would have been able to defend themfelves, would they not neverthelefs have been attacked, and would not great Bloodftied have been the Confequence ?—Have thefe Advo¬ cates for a Militia forgotten the many Infurreftions that have happened on ac¬ count of Turnpikes ? To mention only pne Inftance of a hundred : But a very [ 32 ] few Years ago, the Country People near Leeds, in the County of York, thought fit to tear up all the Turnpike-gates in the Neighbourhood j for which fome of them being apprehended and confined, their Fellow-rioters affembled in a very confiderable Body, marched into the' Town, and demanded the Prifoners of the Magiftrates; who, on refufing their Requeft, were abufed and infulted in a moft outrageous manner. The Win¬ dows of the Room where they fat were fo pelted with Stones, that the whole Corporation were glad to fave themfelves by Flight, except the jRecorder j who, notwithftanding his advanced Age, fliewed ten times more calm Refolution, than, in a certain Admiral, would have been fufficient to fave our Nation from the greateft Difgrace fhe ever fuffered. Thefe Rioters were at laft difperfed by a Lieutenant, at the Head of no more than fixteen. Soldiers, and not by any civil [ 33 ] civil Authority. Now I Would alk, what would have been the Confeqiience, in cafe they had been provided with Fire-Arms ? THE Reader may perhaps think a Cri- tick who has bfeen proved to be' wrong in every thing he has' hitherto advanced, ni'ay deferve no farther Notice; But there' yet remains one PalTage in his Work that will appear more extraordinary than any I have quoted. It is thisA ‘ half Soldier, it fee'ms, may be a whole Z 0ebauchee, and we that are a trading ‘ Nation are not to think Of handling' * Arms:' So that the Cify of London, ‘ and other trading Corporations, who ‘ have applied, for a Militia, do not fo ‘ much as' unde'rftand their owii iriirne-. '■ diate Intereli.’—If this Reviewer can prove that it is impoffible for a half Soldier to be a whole Debauchee, and that trading Cities have never mifraken their own Inte'reft, then thefe rnay ftantf for Argumenfs' in his Favour; if not, F they f 34 ] they are no Arguments at all.~—He proceeds thus: ‘ And though all the ‘ other Nations of Europe, by his own * Confeflion, are equally attentive to the ‘ Eftablifliment of Manufadtures, and ‘ the Exercife of Arms, we alone are fit ‘ for the latter only.’-It is very hard that a Scribbler muft be obliged to explain to thefe half Reafoners, Things that are in themfelves fo obvious. If, Sir, you had fufficiently attended to my Pamphlet, (which you certainly ought to have done before you had attempted to anfwer it) you would have feen that I have afferted no fuch Thing, as that we arejit for ManufaElures only ; on the contrary, we are extremely fit for both. What I contend for is, that, in uniting, both in the fame Perfons, you will make both bad Soldiers and bad Manufadtu- rers. We have a ftriking Inftance, in the King pf Prujpa, of a Prince, than whom no one can be more intent on the Improvement both of his Army and his Manu- [ 35 ] Manufadures; but he never attempted to unite them in the fame Individuals. Sir, you had better try your Talents at fome other Employment. If you go on criticizing in this Manner, your Brother Reviewers, if they regard their Credit, will foon have Reafon to wifh you had never been admitted. You next accufe me of havin g treated a certain noble Author in a very cavalier manner. That noble Author, whoever he is, knows very well, that an ano¬ nymous Pamphlet is entitled to no pe¬ culiar Refpedt on account of its Autlior; and that thofe who wrke to the Pub- lick, unavoidably expofe themfelves to publick Cenfure. I AM finally arraigned for having, as he is pleafed to think, difturbed the Allies of a Prince. He does me indeed the, Juftice to quote my Paliative, as he calls it, and replies to it' with this moft ele¬ gant and nervous Exclamation, God a Mercy, Scribbler ! A fine, a very fine F 2 Argu- [ 36 3 Argument, it muft be confeffed. He knew its Force, and therefore cunningly referved it, by way of a Clincher, to the very laft. I CANNOT, in Juftice to the Genius of this great Critick, take my Leave of him, without acknovviedging him viftor nous in a Matter of the utmoft Impor¬ tance. , In this one Inftance I am over¬ come, fairly vanquilhed, even without the Shadow of a Subterfuge. Laborianf 7nontes-h^ has detedied me of having mif-fpelt a WovA—nacki^r ridicuhs mm: And fo, Mr. Monthly Reviewer, your moll obedient. I INTENDED to havc replied to the Au¬ thor of the Critical Review in his Turn; but, on readingoverhisPerformance, find that I Ihould only be obliged to repeat what I have already faid. He concludes his Cnticifm in this MannerIf the ‘ Nature of our Work would permit, we ‘ could refute every Paragraph of this ' Performance from Reafon and Expe. rience, i 37 3- * rience, except that one, this critical Gepius think to impofe’ fuch Stpifas this upon his Readers for Criticifm ? ^ Having thus difpatched thefc puiffapt dirt-throwing Heroes, it may not be amifs, by way of Prevention, to fubmit a few farther Confiderations to the Judg¬ ment of thofe whom thefe Matters may concern. ^ The three Conftitutiops which have particularly admitted of Militias, were that of the Anglo-Saxons, the Govern¬ ment of Q^een Elizabeth, and the Can¬ tons of Switzerland. With regard to the firft of thefe,-mi- litary Tenures, alias Militias, were a Part of the univerfal Qothick QonfUtu-. tion which fpread all over Europe. This was much the fame as with the Lairds ofXIans in Scotland, the famePerfon being Landlord, Judge, and Colonel; and the fame Vaffal being Tenant, Sub- jeft, and Soldier, to his immediate Chief 138 } Chief. No Trade, no Manufadtures, no Hdeas Corpus Ads, no Liberty of the Prefs, &c .-—Will therefore the good People of England he. contented to return to this State of Slavery and arbitrary Power ? If they will, they may have a conftitutional Militia as foon as they pleafe. Yet, after all this boafted Strength of Old England, do we not all know, that it was fo far from being , fo thorough a Protedtion as fome People now feem to imagine, that the Danifi and Norman Invafions took Place during this very Period? Now, when thefe military Tenures were abolilhed, and a Power given to the Nobles to alienate their Lands, ‘ the Prerogative of the * Crown ran fo high, that the, Houfe ‘ of Commons was but a Cypher to ‘ what it is at prefent.’ The abfolute Power of Queen Elizabeth over her Par¬ liament, exceeded by far the prefent Power of the King of France over his: The latter dares remonftrate much more boldly C 39 ]; boldly than the former ever did. Did not her Majefty of England deny Liberty of Speech to Members of Parliament in, the very Houfe of Parliament .? Did flle not imprifon them at Pleafure, even dur-- ing the fitting of the Houfe * ? Did flie not impofe the moft oppreflive Taxes without Confent of Parliament f? Did: file not grant innumerable Monopofe^; ? Did file not protedt Criminals from Juf- tke II ? Did flie not hang up Perfons guilty of rioting by the Sentence of a' Provoft-Martial, without legal.-Judge or Jury§?—Now this was another Period in which Militias were conftifufional. Will therefore the good People of E»g- latid return again to fuch a Conftitution? And yet, during this very Period, the Militia was fo far from being an efFedhial Safeguard • to the Kingdom, that the ■ * See Towttjhend, Sec Hume’s Hiftoiy, Vdl. I. Chap. 6, J See'Lifts in ‘Tmnjhend, II See Rymer’s Feed. _§ See Rymer twenty-ninth Year cU Celkvie Fj- mnum repremeuda. Sea- [ 40 ] Sea-Coaft oppofite to Planners could hatdly be irtbabited ofl accfiunt of the Privateers from Nenvport and Dunkirk, which frequently carried away the Rea¬ pers at Harveft; and the Qi^en, tlie Mlhi'dry, and Parliament, wCfe fo far froni fuppofing that could rtot be invaded, that (as I have already faid) they always fuppofed and Ipoke' the con¬ trary, though it Was vaftly mbre difficult for the King, of Spain to invade this Country than it is-at prefentfor the King ot France. Let- us now' cohfider the Cantons of Smtzetkfid. If we ehufe -tO have a eonftitntional Militia updn their Plan, it Will be neceflary that we ffiould’alter and new-model ourGonftitution according td theirs. Firlf, We muft take' away tho Right of voting in the People^ left ati" eledtioneering Ufe Ihould be made of the Power neeeffary to be lodged in the df- ficers for difciplining the Troops; and furrender to the Parliament (the very- Cafe [ 41 3 Cafe in Switzerland) the Right of filling pp their own Vacancies.—adly, In Imi¬ tation of them, we muft not permit any Perfons to diffent from the eftabliflred Church, left religious Feuds fliould in- ftigate the Militia of one Place to turn a fort of Crufadoes againft thofe of another; —3dly, We muft hire out our People, as they do, to'fight for Pay, that they may. learn the modern Art of War under ex¬ perienced Commanders, and then return home to mix with, inftrua, and officer the raw Country Militia.- 4 th, We muft give no Encouragement to Trade, (the fi’wj/i Cantons, thofe efpecially which are famous for having the beftMilitk, giving very little) left the Minds of the People fhould be diverted from their military Studiesj and left Wealth and Oppulence, the two Confequences of Commerce, fhould create a DefFerence and Refped, due only to military Rank and Merit. A national and conftitutional Militia necef- farily fuppofes fomething honourable and. P , refpecft- [ 42 j refpeftable in the very Idea of it: There¬ fore the Rank and Dignity, which Mer¬ chandize and Manufaftures now hold in England, muft fink of courfe j and the landed Country Gentleman, tho’ only in an Enfign’s Commiffion in the Militia, muft rife in Dignity and Precedence over the greateft Merchant and Manufadturer in the Kingdom. These are a few, out of the many. Alterations neceflary to be made in our political, civil, religious, and commer¬ cial Syftems, before we can have a con- ftitutional Militia, fuch as now obtains in Siaitzerland. And yet, after all, what has this famous Militia of their’s done for thefe hundred and fiftjr Years paft ?—juft nothing at all. They have neither made Conquefts, nor even pre¬ vented the French from coming clofer and clofer to them, deftroyirig their Bar¬ rier, Franche Compte, and building the Fortrefs of Hunningen, and many others', under their veiy Nofes. All this is fuf- fered ■ t 43 ] fered by this national zni 'mptiitional Militia of Switzerland, without even daring to fliew the lead: Refentment. I SHALL conclude with a Quotation from the Important ^uejlion, (a Pamphlet which muft ever remain unanfwerable.) ‘ Upon the whole, either therefore you ' muft give up your favourite Scheme ‘ of a national Militia, or give up your ‘ prefent civil Liberties} for they are in- ‘ compatible with each other. And it ‘ is idle dnd ridiculous to bring Exam- ‘ pies from the Englifi Hiftory in Sup- ‘ port of your Syftem, unlefs you can ‘ prove that the Natures as well as the ‘ Names of Things continue the fame ‘ from thofe Days to this. Indeed, if ‘ you will be content with fuch anHoufe ‘ of Commons as were in Being during ‘ the Lines of Tork and Lancafter, the ‘ ‘Tudors and the Stuart Families, you ‘ may eftablifli a national Militia as foon ^ as you pleafe.-As to the great f 44 ] ‘ the Battles of Agincourt and Cre/y, .i ‘ pneral Anfwer may fuffice, viz. that ‘ if the Writers of any two rival Na- ‘ tions are determined to pick and cull ‘ all . the Particulars, wherein the one ‘ Nation happened to excel the other. ‘ either thro’good Fortune, the Bravery ‘ of the Troops, 6r the Condaft of the ‘ General, they may find Infences ‘ enough to reprefent themfelves as a' ‘ Race of the moll.perfe