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A37422
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A brief reply to the History of standing armies in England with some account of the authors.
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Defoe, Daniel, 1661?-1731.
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1698
(1698)
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Wing D829; ESTC R9669
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14,515
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32
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it will be allow'd me and that had we not appear'd in a very powerful Figure the Terms had not been so good and Lewis the 14th would not have parted with so many Vast Countries Impregnable Fortifications and Sovereign Titles our Army in Conjunction with our Allies have under God's Providence obtain'd this Now whether it be proper to let go this Lyon upon Parole and tying the French King by his Honour only which he has not formerly valued at much in such Cases Disband our Forces and rely upon the League This is the direct Question If the King of France were so much to be depended upon the Spaniard and the Emperor need not have strain'd so hard for the strong Towns of Brisac Friburg Philipsburgh Mons Aeth Luxemburgh and Charleroy which are very chargeable to keep and no real Profit to them and the King of France would readily have given up Franche-Compte Burgundy and vast Territories of Land instead of them with large Revenues and Advantages but these are given as Pledges of the Peace and are maintain'd by the Confederates at a vast Charge that they might have a sufficient Strength to oblige the French King to perform the Stipulation of the League Now I do not know what vast Securities these Gentlemen may flatter themselves with but to me it seems one of the most ridiculous things in the World to be wholly Disarm'd at such a time when all the Nations in the World have Forces in Pay I am willing to give the Gentlemen of the Club all the Latitude in Argument they can desire and therefore I 'll grant that the French King has surrendred all the Towns and Countries he was to surrender though he really has not That King James is neither in Power nor Person at all formidable nor indeed worth mentioning in the Case That the King of Spain is not Dead nor like to be so That these are not nor ever were Arguments for a Standing Force at least not singly considered But notwithstanding all this I cannot but say that some competent Standing Force is absolutely necessary to preserve that Peace which has cost the Nation so dear and it would seem a most unaccountable Weakness to run the hazard of it and expose us to the uncertainty of it We say Temptation makes a Thief There is nothing in the World will be so likely to make the Peace precarious and allure the French to break it as to find us Naked and Defenceless If it be true that an Army may be dangerous at Home 't is as true that having no Army must be fatal Abroad The danger of an Army is uncertain and may be none the damage of the contrary is infallible 'T is not saying we have formerly Conquer'd France and therefore ought not to be so frighted with Apprehensrons of it now all the French Fools they say are Dead France now without Reflection upon England is much too strong a Match for any single Nation in Europe and the only means to keep her within bounds is by Confederacies and Leagues Offensive how these can be maintain'd without Quota's of Forces ready to unite is a Mystery too dark for my Understanding Indeed the King may say to his Confederates Truly my Subjects won't trust me with any Soldiers and therefore I must pay my proportion in Money But other Countries may refuse to keep up Forces as well as we and so a League would be to small purpose indeed These things have been offer'd before now and in better Terms and the Gentlemen with whom we argue have thought sit to forget to speak to them But now we are Banter'd about a Fleet and a Militia and these are the Equivalents with which all the pretences of a Standing Army are to be Answer'd Indeed a Fleet well ordered is a good thing and a Militia well regulated That Black Swan that unheard-of thing if ever it could be had would be a good thing too But pray Gentlemen give some people leave to understand things in the World as well as you Suppose this Fleet and this Militia to be all that you can pretend what would this be to a War in Flanders 'T is the carrying the War into Flanders that is our great Interest the Barrier of Strong Towns there is our best Security against France in the World Now suppose the French King should with 80000 men fall into those Countries like a Tempest as he did in 1672 without declaring War would our Militia go over with the King to help our Confederates Or could our Fleet relieve Charleroy Would raising an Army though it could be done in forty days as you say King Charles did be quick enough 'T is strange these things are not worth while to consider Why does the French King keep up an Army 'T is not for fear but to increase his Glory and for that very reason it would be preposterous for us to be naked England has always gone hand in hand with the Times and Arm'd or not Arm'd as her Neighbours did and must always do so in the Days when we kept no Forces at home our Neighbous kept none abroad and then there was no need of it we were as well provided as they but now they are all strong in Men and shall we be naked that is certainly to be exposed 'T is Argued an Army may soon be raised King Charles the Second raised an Army in Forty Days and the present King very speedily I would but desire these Gentlemen to Examine how it fared with both those Armies I saw them both and they were composed of as jolly brave young Fellows as ever were seen but being raw and not us'd to hardship the first Army lay and rotted in Flanders with Agues and Fluxes the very first Campaign and the last did the like at Dundalk and so 't will always fare with any Army of English Men 'till they have been abroad and inur'd to the Service I appeal to any Man who knows the Nature of our Men they are the worst raw Men in the World and the best when once got over it But to return to the Point If 't is necessary to preserve our Peace and maintain the Leagues and Confederacies which are the Bands and Barrs of it if 't is necessary to be always ready to prevent an Affront of an Enemy if 't is necessary to support the Reputation of our English Power 't is necessary then to be not only in a posture to Defend our selves at home but to Defend our Confederates abroad and to assist them in any sudden Insult from the Enemy and this can be done neither by a Fleet nor a Mililitia But to come further We have been Invaded in England notwithstanding our Fleet and that many times Henry the Seventh Landed with an Army in spight of Richard the Third and his Fleet. The Duke of Monmouth Landed in the West tho' King James had a very good Fleet And had not King James's standing Army tho' that was but