faid, by what means young men are compelled to refort to the camp; nor is any exception mentioned of perfons deftin'd for the church, for liberal sciences, or for the fine arts. The weak and the fickly must be exempted; and yet no regulation is propofed against those who abfent themfelves on a falfe pretext. But waving these, the capital objection against Harrington's plan strikes equally against Fletcher's, That by roufing a military fpirit, it would alienate the minds of our people from arts and manufactures, and from conftant and uniform occupation. The author himself remarks, that the use and exercise of arms, would make the youth place their honour upon that art, and would enflame them with love of military glory; not adverting, that love of military glory, diffused through the whole mafs of the people, would unqualify Britain for being a manufacturing and commercial country, rendering it of little weight or confideration in Europe.

The military branch is effential to every fpecies of government: The Quakers are the only people who ever doubted of it. Is it not then mortifying, that a capital branch

branch of government, fhould to this day remain in a ftate fo imperfect? One would fufpect fome inherent vice in the nature of government, that counteracts every effort of genius to produce a more perfect mode. I am not difpofed to admit any fuch defect, especially in an article effential to the well-being of fociety; and rather than yield to the charge, I venture to propofe the following plan, even at the hazard of being thought an idle projector. And what animates me greatly to make the attempt, is a firm conviction that a military and an induftrious fpirit are of equal importance to Britain; and that if either of them be loft, we are undone. To reconcile these feeming antagonists, is my chief view in the following plan; to which I fhall proceed, after paving the way by fome preliminary confiderations.

The first is, that as military force is efsential to every ftate, no man is exempted from bearing arms for his country: all are bound; because no perfon has right to be exempted more than another. Were any difference to be made, perfons of figure and fortune ought first to be called to that service, as being the most interested in the welfare

welfare of their country. Listen to a good foldier delivering his opinion on that fubject. "Les levées qui fe font par fuper

"cherie font tout auffi odieufes; on met "de l'argent dans la pochette d'un homme, et on lui dit qu'il eft foldat. Celles

qui fe font par force, le font encore plus; c'est une defolation publique, "dont le bourgeois et l'habitant ne se fauvent qu'à force d'argent, et dont le fond "eft toujours un moyen odieux. Ne vou"droit-il pas mieux établer, par une loi,

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que tout homme, de quelque condition "qu'il fût, feroit obligé de fervir fon "prince et fa patrie pendant cinq ans? "Cette loi ne fçauroit être defapprouvée,

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parce qu'il eft naturel et jufte que les citoyens s'emploient pour la défense de "l'état. Cette methode de lever des troupes feroit un fond inépuifable de belles et bonnes recrues, qui ne feroient pas fujetes a déferter. L'on fe feroit même, par la fuite, un honneur et un devoir de fervir fa tâche. Mais, pour y parvenir, il faudroit n'en excepter aucune condition, être sévére fur ce point, et "s'attacher a faire exécuter cette loi de 46 préférence aux nobles et aux riches. VOL. III. "Perfonne

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"Perfonne n'en murmureroit. Alors ceux qui auroient fervi leur temps, verroient avec mépris ceux qui repugneroient à cette loi, et infenfiblement on fe feroit un honneur de fervir: le pauvre bour

geois feroit confolé par l'example du "riche; et celui-ci n'oferoit fe plaindre, voyant fervir le noble (a) *."

(a) Les reveries du Comte de Saxe.

Take

"The method of inlifting men, by putting a "trick upon them, is fully as odious. They flip a "piece of money into a man's pocket, and then tell "him he is a foldier. Inlifting by force is ftill more "odious. It is a public calamity, from which the "citizen has no means of faving himself but by

money; and it is confequently the worst of all "the refources of government. Would it not be more expedient to enact a law, obliging every "man, whatever be his rank, to ferve his King and

country for five years? This law could not be "difapproved of, because it is confiftent both with 66 nature and juftice, that every citizen fhould be "employed in the defence of the ftate. Here would "be an inexhauftible fund of good and able fol"diers, who would not be apt to defert, as every "man would reckon it both his honour and his "duty to have ferved his time. But to effect this, "it must be a fixed principle, That there shall be "no exception of ranks. This point must be ri"gorously attended to, and the law muft be en"forced, by way of preference, first among the " nobility

Take another preliminary confideration. While there were any remains among us of a martial spirit, the difficulty was not great of recruiting the army. But that task hath of late years become troublefome; and more difagreeable ftill than troublesome, by the neceffity of ufing deceitful arts for trepanning the unwary youth. Nor are fuch arts always fucceffful in our late war with France, we were neceffitated to give up even the appearance of voluntary service, and to recruit the army on the folid principle, that every man fhould fight for his country; the juftices of peace being empowered to force into the service fuch as could be best spared from civil occupation. If a fingle claufe had been added, limiting the fervice to five or feven years, the measure

"nobility and the men of wealth. There would "" not be a fingle man who would complain of it. A "perfon who had ferved his time, would treat with contempt another who fhould fhow reluctance to "comply with the law; and thus, by degrees, it "would become a task of honour. The

poor citi

zen would be comforted and infpirited by the ex"ample of his rich neighbour; and he again would "have nothing to complain of, when he faw that "the nobleman was not exempted from fervice."