mortality in the Roman legions, though frequently engaged in climates very different from their own. Let us liften to a judicious writer, to whom every one liftens with delight: "Nous remarquons

aujourd'hui, que nos armées périffent "beaucoup par le travail immodéré des "foldats; et cependant c'étoit par un

travail immenfe que les Romains fe "confervoient. La raifon en eft, je croix, હૃદ que leurs fatigues étoient continuelles; au lieu que nos foldats paffent fans ceffe "d'un travail extreme à une extreme "oifivété, ce qui eft la chofe du monde "la plus propre à les faire perir. Il faut

que je rapporte ici ce que les auteurs nous difent de l'education de foldats

be better applied, than in giving bread to the dif banded foldiers. Houses 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 with to be better accommodated: but fo accustomed 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: these were fenfible fellows, and profpered in their little farms.

"Romains.

Romains. On les accoutumoit à aller "le pas militaire, c'est-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 "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 remarque 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 presque "continuellement aujourd'hui, que des

66

armées, fans avoir combattu, se fondent, pour ainfi dire, dans une campagne* (a)." Our author must be here understood

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

"We obferve now-a-days, that our armies are "confumed by the fatigues and severe labour of "the foldiers; and yet it was alone by labour and "toil that the Romans preserved themselves from "destruction. I believe the reason is, that their

66 fatigue

understood of the early times of the Roman state. 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 aside 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

"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 muft here recite the account which the Roman authors give of the "education of their foldiers They were continu"ally habituated to the military pace, which was, "to march in five hours twenty, and fometimes

66

twenty-four miles. In thefe marches each foldier "carried fixty pounds weight. They were accu"stomed to run and leap in arms; and in their mi"litary exercises, their fwords, javelins, and arrows, "were of twice the ordinary weight. Thefe exer"cifes were continual, which fo ftrengthened the "conftitution of the men, that they were always in "health. We fee no remarks in the Roman authors, "that their armies, in the variety of climates where "they made war, ever perished by difeafe; whilst "now-a-days it is not unusual, that an army, without ever coming to an engagement, dwindles a◄ "way by disease in one campaign."

weakly

weakly conftitutions. Marefchal Saxe, a foldier, not a phyfician, afcribes to the ufe of vinegar the healthinefs of the Roman legions were vinegar fo falutary, it would of all liquors be the most in requeft. Exercife without intermiffion, during 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 refpect to a horse. Difcourfing of cavalry, he obferves, that a horfe becomes hardy and healthful by constant exercise, and that a young horse is unable to bear fatigue; for which reafon he de

*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 exercife in arms contributed more to the "health of the troops, than the fkill of the phyfi"cian: from which we may judge, what care should "be taken, to habituate the foldiers to the exercise "of arms, to which they owe both their health in the camp, and their victory in the field."]

clares

clares against young horfes for the service 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; which is humbly fubmitted to the public, a judge from which their lies no appeal. It is fubmitted in three views. The first is, Whether an army modelled as above, would not fecure us against the boldest invader; the next, Whether fuch an army be as dangerous to liberty, as an army in its prefent form; and the laft, Whether it would not be a fchool of industry and moderation to our people.

With respect to the first, we should, after a few years, have not only an army of fixty thousand well-disciplined troops, but the command of another army, equally numerous and equally well difciplined. It is true, that troops inured to war have an advantage over troops that have not the fame experience: but with affurance it may be pronounced impracticable, to land at once in Britain an army that can ftand against 100,000 British foldiers well difciplined, fighting, even the first time,

for