Times. To Thefe He might add the South-Sea Scheme, the Penny-Poft-Letter Plot, and Belloni's Confpiracy, which are all as much to the Purpose. The only Anfwer I fhall make to this Objection is, that it will hold equally strong against a Reduction, at any Time, and is plainly calculated with a Defign to prepare us for a perpetual ftanding Army.

Of the fame Nature is the Argument of another very bonourable Gentleman, concerning the Danger of having the Pretender STOL'N in upon us. This naturally puts us in Mind of Mr. Bays's Army in the Rehearsal, which lay INCOG at Knights-bridge. But, to be as ferious as poffible on fuch an Occafion, will not this Argument always hold, as long as there is a Pretender to the Crown; and fince the Perfon, who now claims it, hath several Children already born, when can We hope to be relieved from the Burthen of a standing Army, according to this Method of Reasoning?

The fame Gentleman is pleased to observe, that the Intereft and Credit, which every State in Europe bath, or can expect, in the publick Negotiations thereof, depends entirely upon the Number of regular Troops They can command upon any Emergency.

Now to This I reply, that if our Reputation abroad depends intirely upon the Number of our standing Army at home, as He afferts, We ought to keep up three or four Times the Number; but I muft beg Leave to apprehend that our Influence abroad depends on quite different Points, as I fhall hereafter endeavour to demonftrate.

This leads me to another Argument, in Behalf of Standing Armies, which hath been advanced by fome of his Advocates; I mean, that We ought to keep up at least fifty, or fixty thousand Men, if our Country was not an ISLAND; and, perhaps, I might have nothing to urge against it, if That was really our Cafe; but fince God hath been pleased to encompass us with a natural Defence of Seas and Rocks, I cannot poffibly conceive

what Purpose fuch a Suppofition can serve in the present Argument.

As to the Difaffection of the People, which hath likewife been urged, on this Occafion, I think it fufficient to answer that nothing ferves the Caufe of Jacobitifm fo much as keeping up a numerous Standing Army, in Times of Peace. To This I will add an old Obfervation, and a very just one, though it may feem a little paradoxical; viz. that the most likely Way to bring in the Pretender, is burthening the People with a large tanding Army to keep Him out.

It hath been farther urged, by the fame Gentlemen, that a Reduction of whole Regiments would be attended with great Hardships on many of thofe brave Officers, who have ferved their Country faithfully in the late Wars, and are disabled, by their Profeffion, from getting a Livelyhood in any other Way. I heartily with there was no Weight in this Objection; which I really think to be an Objection against a fanding Army in general, as it breeds up fo many Gentlemen to that Way of Life, and will always be a powerful Motive against any Reduction. But as nobody can have a more affectionate Concern for those Gentlemen than my elf, fo I believe I may venture to promife for the Nation, in general, that if They were fure of being relieved from the Burthen and Dangers of a ftanding Army, in Times to come, They would not grumble at any Provifion, which the Parliament might think fit to make for the reduced Officers.

It is natural to make one Reflection on the Tenor of all thefe Arguments; by which the honourable Gentleman and his Advocates leem refolved to fulfil the Prediction of a Jacobite Writer, at the Beginning of his late Majefty's Reign, who endeavoured to terrify the Freeholders of Great Britain with Apprehenfions that, if the Whigs prevail'd, They must expect to be govern'd by a fanding Army.

There are two Arguments more against any Reduction at prefent, which I fhall only juft mention, with a fhort Remark upon each.

One was started by a very witty Gentleman, who hath lately diftinguish'd Himself by his Speeches at home. This worthy Orator was pleafed to obferve that the many fcandalous and feditious Libels, which had been lately fpread about the Kingdom, were a fufficient Proof that the Spirit of Jacobitifm was not yet extinguish'd, and therefore We ought not to reduce any of our Forces. But to This it was reply'd, in a proper Place, that, even fuppofing the Fact to be true, and it would be meer Farce to difpute it with fuch a Gentleman) a ftanding Army of SCRIBBLERS feem'd to be a more natural Expedient than a standing Army of SOLDIERS; and, God knows, the prefent Adminiftration, or any Administration, will never want fuch a Support!

The other Argument, hinted at above, was advanced by a Gentleman, equally remarkable for his Negotiations abroad; who pleaded against the Reduction of the Army, because the Common-Council of London thought fit to reject a Propofal for fetting up King William's Statue in Cheap-fide, where They had lately got a Conduit pull'd down, with fome Difficulty, which had proved a great Nuifance to Them. From hence one would naturally conclude that eighteen thousand Men ought to be maintain'd for fetting up Statues, in Defyance of the Citizens; and it may, perhaps, feem furprizing to fome People that They have not yet been employ'd in that Service.

Í am forry that I cannot treat fuch Arguments as Thefe, for the Continuance of a large standing Army. without Ridicule; which I know is very difagreeable to the Gentlemen on the other Side. But it is, indeed, impoffible to avoid it; and I fhould be really afhamed to mention them at all, if they did not proceed from Perfons, to whom We are obliged to pay more than

ordinary Deference. They must therefore give me Leave to apply the Words of a late ministerial Writer, in Favour of Excifes, to the prefent Purpose. This the Free-Briton hath raved at in Print, and his Patrons have not bluf'd to do it in Places, where fuch Fallacies were not altogether fo becomingly introduced.

For my Part, I think They had much better fpeak out at once, and confefs, without any Hesitation, that the prefent Number of military Forces is neceffary to fupport a certain Scheme in Agitation, which They find to be very difagreeable to the general Inclinations of the People,

I fhall therefore conclude my prefent Argument with obferving, that a perpetual standing Army of eighteen thousand Men was even lately thought fo unjuftifiable a Subject, that the minifterial Writers used to contend for it only, during the unfettled State of Affairs, and promifed us that We fhould be relieved from fome Part of it, as foon as they were adjusted; but the Arguments, made Ufe of laft Year, give us the moft dreadful Apprehenfions, as they are founded on the Neceffity of keeping up the fame Number of Forces at all Times. However, fince the honourable Gentleman in the Adminiftration was pleased to infift upon it, for one Year only, till We faw whether the Powers of Europe would acquiefce in our late Treaties, and nothing to the contrary having appear'd, We hope that He will have the Goodness to defire it no longer; for if the fame Number of Forces fhould be now continued, We can have no Reason to expect a Reduction at any Time; and thus a ftanding Army of near eighteen thousand Men will, indeed, become a Part of our Conftitution; or rather our antient, civil Conftitution will be in Danger of being converted, by Degrees, into a military Government.

The honourable Gentleman was of the fame Opinion Himself, and reafon'd moft vigorously for it, in the Year 1718. I could with that his Speech, at that Time, were extant, as well as That in the Year 1732,

that We might have the Pleasure of comparing them together, and from thence form a Judgment whether the COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, or the MINISTER, fpoke moft like an honest Englishman and a Man of Senfe.

But whatever his former, or his present Opinion may be upon this Head, We rely on his Majesty's moit gracious Promife, and the Wisdom of our Reprefentatives for fuch Relief, as They fhall think moit proper and expedient, in our prefent Circumftances.

D.

N° 340. SATURDAY, Jan. 6, 1732-3.

Some Obfervations on the natural Strength and Security of this Kingdom.

I

Believe every one of my Readers hath run before me, in this Part of the Argument, and concluded that I mean, by our natural Strength, the royal Navy of England and the known Bravery of our People, who might be eafily form'd into a regular Militia, fufficient to answer all the Purposes of a standing Army.

On these two Bulwarks our Ancestors have rely'd with Safety for many Generations, and the most glorious of our former Kings have defired no other Guard, in Times of Peace abroad, though They had powerful Competitors and Parties against Them within the Bowels of the Kingdom; for even during the long and bloody Contests between the Houses of York and Lancafter, it is very remarkable that whichever Party happen'd to prevail, They disbanded their Army, as foon as the Action was over, and fcorn'd to fecure Them