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Show 4i .< :- 9 ~7-..--_-..~..--__.-_-‘. ‘ ' (40)"- militia, (a) in order to have a pretext for keeping Charles and Lewis having fet the example, all the neiijrhbmirin‘gr crowned heads foon followed, and mercenary troops were introduced into all the eonliderable kingdoms of the continent. They gradually became the only military force that was employed or trulted. It has long)r been (lays the " up a ltanding army. 'Tis LVIDENT, (lays the lame great character) that this is a maria] diflcm- ,ur in the BRITisngovernment; of which it mult at lalt i/ic'viz‘zlb/y [mi/la." * What a deformed nundler is a Handingr army in a free nation? learned Dr. Robertlim) the c/Jiaf Will? Q/i [JO/11y to Free , did I fay ? What people are truly free, wliofc monarch has a numerous body of armed merce- enereale and liipport them, and [/10 great aim of naries at his heels ? who is already ablolute in his Prime; or illi/zg/z'vrrla di/Z‘rc'dit mid to anni/fi/alc all ol/Jcr mum of national izt‘lz'tvify or (I'Lfcnrc. * \Vllo power-er by the breath of his noltrils may in an will wonder at this, who reflect, that ablolute inonarehies are eltablifhed, and can only be lupported by mercenary forces ? Who can be lurprized, that princes and their lubalterns difcourage a mar- tial lpirit among the people, and endeavour to render tilelels and contemptible tlw mi/i/irz, when this inflitution is the natural ltrength, and only {table MfCSUM‘d, Of afree country? 1- " \Vithout it,'tis irritant make himlelf l'o‘P No free government Was ever founded or ever prelfived it's liberty without uniting the characters of citizen and foldier in thole deftined for defence of the Rate. The {word lhould never be in thc hands of any, but thole who have an interefl in the lafety of the community, who fight for their religion and their ofl'lpring ;-:md repell invaders " folly to think any free government will ever ." have lecui‘ity and italiility". j; A {landing arm that they may return to their private aflairs and 1n quarters will grow ell‘eminate and diliolute; while a militia, uniformly exereifed with hard la- l)0ra_31‘c naturally firm and robuit. Thus an army in .peace is worle than a militia ; and in war, are a well regulated militia competed of the freeholders, citizen and hulbandman,\vli() take up arms to prelerve their property as individuals, and their rights as freemen. Such is the policy of atru- a militia will foon become difciplin'd and martial. ly wile nation, and fueh was the wrldom ot the But "when the fword is in the hands ofa lingle per- " lOn-Tas ill-0111‘ conltitution-be will always ( 1&in " the ingenious Hume) neglect to dilbipline the militia antient Britons. The primitive eonllitution of a Rate in a few centuries falls to decay :--errors and eorruptions creep gradually into the admini{h'ation the enjoyment of freedom and good order. Such (3) Of a like opinion Was Sir Thomas Lee in Charles the zd's * Hilt. Char]. 5. 1 vol. p. 9;. of England p. See olfo 2 McCaulsy's Ilifl. 16;. Sir John Phillips Speech in the Britifl! houfe 0f CUmmOHS; 1744. Debates of the Commons 2 vol p. ()1. 1‘ Our trained hands are the truth and molt proper flrenglh of a frecnalum. ltikonoklalles of jol‘n Mihcn, I I Hume 278. Sec Grey's debates 2 vol. 391. reign. In order to (lifcourage t he (rain band: in Charles the h'rfi's time, the court found means to enhance the juice of )owdcr ; and it was e" ' ' grievanc _ accordinly complained of in Parliament as a great See Ruth. Coll. vol. 1 p. 33.~--l,et us noll‘e lurrrizai, if any "I": artifice mould be orat'ciecd in our day. " Hume :79. i |