Calchis, having married a beautiful virgin with whom he was greatly enamoured, fpent the whole winter in pleasure, abandoning his army to vice and idleness; and that when the time of action returned with the spring, he found his foldiers unfit for fervice. It is reported of Hannibal, that to preferve his troops from the infection of idleness, he employ'd them in making large plantations of olive trees. The Emperor Probus exercifed his legions in covering with vineyards the hills of Gaul and Pannonia. The idleness of our foldiers in time of peace, promoting debauchery and licentioufnefs, is no lefs deftructive to health than to discipline. Unable for the fatigues of a firft campaign, our private men die in thousands, as if fmitten with a peftilence We never

read

*The idleness of British foldiers appears from a tranfaction of the commiffioners of the annexed eftates in Scotland. After the late war with France, they judged, that part of the King's rents could not be better applied, than in giving bread to the difbanded foldiers. Houfes were built for them, portions of land given them to cultivate at a very low rent, and maintenance afforded them till they could reap a crop. Thefe men could not wish to be better accommodated:

read of any mortality in the Roman legions, tho' frequently engaged in climates very different from their own. Let us liften to a judicious writer, to whom every one liftens with delight: "Nous remar

quons aujourd'hui, que nos armées pé"riffent beaucoup par le travail immo"déré des foldats; et cependant c'étoit (c par un travail immense que les Romains "fe confervoient. La raifon en est, je "croix, que leurs fatigues étoient conti"nuelles; au lieu que nos foldats passent "fans ceffe d'un travail extreme à une ex

treme oifivété, ce qui eft la chose du "monde la plus propre à les faire perir. "Il faut que je rapporte ici ce que les au66 teurs nous difent de l'education de fol"dats Romains, On les accoutumoit à "aller le pas militaire, c'eft-a-dire, à faire

en cinq heures vingt milles, et quelque"fois vingt-quatre. Pendant ces mar

ches, on leur faifoit porter de poids de

accommodated: but fo accuftomed they had been to idleness and change of place, as to be incapable of any fort of work: they deferted their farms one after another, and commenced thieves and beggars. Such as had been made ferjeants must be excepted: thefe were fenfible fellows, and profpered in their little farms. "foixante

F 2

"foixante livres. On les entretenoit dans "l'habitude de courir et de fauter tout "armés; ils prenoient dans leurs exerci

ces des epées, de javelots, de flêches, "d'une péfanteur double des armes ordi"naires; et ces exercices étoient conti<< nuels. Des hommes fi endurcis étoient "ordinairement fains; on ne remarqué

pas dans les auteurs que les armées Ro"maines, qui faifoient la guerre en tant "de climats, periffoient beaucoup par les "maladies; au lieu qu'il arrive prefque " continuellement aujourd'hui, que des "armèes, fans avoir combattu, fe fondent, pour ainfi dire, dans une campagne * (a)." Our author must be here understood

(a) Montefquieu, Grandeur de Romains, chap. 2.

ई

*"We obferve now-a-days, that our armies 66 are confumed by the fatigues and fevere labour of "the foldiers; and yet it was alone by labour and "toil that the Romans preferved themselves from "deftruction. I believe the reafon is, that their

fatigue was continual and unremitting, while the "life of our foldiers is a perpetual tranfition from "fevere labour to extreme indolence, a life the "most ruinous of all others. I must here recite the "account which the Roman authors give of the e"ducation of their foldiers. They were continu"ally habituated to the military pace, which was,

understood of the early times of the Roman ftate. Military difcipline was much funk in the fourth century when Vegetius wrote (Lib. 3. cap. 14. 15.). The fword and Pilum, thefe formidable weapons of their forefathers, were totally laid afide for flings and bows, the weapons of effeminate people. About this time it was, that the Romans left off fortifying their camps, a work too laborious for their weakly constitutions. Marefchal Saxe, a foldier, not a physician, afcribes to the ufe of vinegar the healthiness of the Roman legions were vinegar fo falutary, it would of all liquors be the most in request. Exercise without intermiffion, during

"to march in five hours twenty, and fometimes "twenty-four miles. In thefe marches each foldier "carried fixty pounds weight. They were accu"ftomed to run and leap in arms; and in their mi

litary exercises, their fwords, javelins, and ar"rows, were of twice the ordinary weight. These "exercises were continual, which fo ftrengthened "the conftitution of the men, that they were always in health. We fee no remarks in the Ro❝ man authors, that their armies, in the variety of "climates where they made war, ever perifhed by "difeafe; whilft now-a-days it is not unufual, that "an army, without ever coming to an engagement, "dwindles away by difeafe in one campaign."

peace

peace as well as during war, produced that falutary effect; which every prince will find, who is difpofed to copy the Roman difcipline *. The Marefchal gueffes better with respect to a horse. Difcourfing of cavalry, he obferves, that a horfe becomes hardy and healthful by constant exercise, and that a young horfe is unable to bear fatigue; for which reafon he declares against young horses for the fervice of an army.

That the military branch of the British government is fufceptible of improvements, all the world will admit. To improve it, I have contributed my mite

*Rei militaris periti, plus quotidiana armorum exercitia ad fanitatem militum putaverunt prodeffe, quam medicos. Ex quo intelligitur quanto ftudiofius armorum artem docendus fit femper exercitus, cum ei laboris confuetudo et in caftris fanitatem, et in conflictu poffit præftare victoriam. Vegetius, De re militari, lib. 3. cap. 2.-[In English thus: "Our "mafters of the art-military were of opinion, "that daily exercise in arms contributed more to "the health of the troops, than the fkill of the " physician: from which we may judge, what care "fhould be taken, to habituate the foldiers to the "exercife of arms, to which they owe both their "health in the camp, and their victory in the "field."]