CONTENT S.

Peech of Wm Th-nt-n, Efq; on

Snumber of land forces for 1751

The advertisement of Profeffor Bulb's great work; Ophelia's anacreontic;
fpeech in the H. of C-ns concerning infurances on foreign E. India ships,
feveral other pieces came too late.

THE

Gentleman's Magazine:

For JUNE, 1752.

To the Author of the GENTLEMAN'S

MAGAZINE.

ry means.

had fat down, B

:

ceffary to premife, amongst the many fpeakers for the army, the moft material reafon urged for fo great a number, was, that they were neceflary as a fecuHE following heads rity against ourselves and the chief reaof fpeeches in the fons produced were, that Jacobitifm, in H of C were A plaid waistcoats, had appeared in many given me by a gen- parts of the kingdom; and that there tleman, who is of had been mobs at certain horse-races; opinion, that memthat the people were become licentious bers of parliament and refractory, and could not be retainare accountable to ed in fubjeétion but by extraordinaAfter the A-y G—1 their conftituents for what they fay, as well as what they do, in their legiflative capacity; that no honeft man, who is intrufted with the liberties and purses of the people, will be ever unwilling to have his whole conduct laid before those who fo intrufted him, without difguife--That if every gentleman acted pon this juft, this honourable, this contitutional principle, the electors themfelves only would be to blame, if they re-elected a perfon guilty of a breach of fo important a truft.-But let the arguments fpeak for themfelves: thus much only may be neceffary to premife, That as ftate of public affairs was, in a great meafure, the fame both last year and this, I fend you a fpeech, in the committee of fupply, upon the number of ftanding forces for the year 1751, and alfo another in the last feffion of parliament, for the year 1752-You may be affured they are really genuine, and not fuch an impofition upon the fpeakers and the public, as fome that have appeared in other monthly collections.

Yours, &c. A. B.
Speech of Wm Th-nt-n, Efq; on the
Debate concerning the Number of Troops
to be employed for 1751.
A Supply of about 18,857 effective

men was moved for the army, for the fervice of the year 1751; which being thought too many, by fome gentlemen, it was moved and argued, they hould be only 15,000. It is only ne

W-m T-nt-n, Efq; rofe up, and faid, that his love to his country, and his duty to his conftituents, would not fuffer him to be filent, however unwilling to fpeak on that occafion; efpecially when he heard the affections of the people to the cking and government doubted, and flig matized with levity and Jacobitifm; and thefe affigned as the chief reafons for keeping fo large an army. He did aver the people's affections were greater at that time to both, than could be parallelled in the annals of any of our Dkings; that if there were men that difliked, fome meafurcs, they might have caufe fo to do, for any thing he' knew; but fuch diflike was no indication to him of their being good ones; that to keep an army to protect and inforce the execution of them, was beEginning at the wrong end.

F

He believed it true, plaid waiftcoats had been worn by fome wrong-heads in the country; but, in the parts where he lived, he faw no occafion for an army to correct them; for fome that had for doing fo; and that these were poor attempted it, had been heartily threshed arguments for fupporting fo expensive and important a mealure.

He faid, "Sir, How will it found in our future annals? Tell it not in Gath, that, in the reign of GEORGE II when one of the first families in

kingdom, famed for patronizi

P

Speeches of Wm Th-nt-n, Efq, on the Army.

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248
principles of liberty, was at the_head
of the adminiftration of affairs; I fay,
Sir, when it fhall be told, that that fa-
mily affifted in forging fetters for our
future flavery, by increasing a standing
army, Would pofterity believe it?
and would it not be an ungrateful re-
turn to dragoon them into loyalty, on-
ly for diftrufts thrown out by pln
against that generous people, who fo
lately evinced their love and affection
to his majefty, and tendered fo cordi-
ally and critically their plighted faith B
to the prefent government: and, Sir,
I affert, are ready to do it again if
occafion fhould require. Why then
an army? to inforce what is already
fecured? Are thefe revolution prin-
ciples ?"

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like tools, it imported no more, as far as he could comprehend, than those who found fault with unneceffary expences: but that he, as a true friend to the 'family upon the throne, and in order to continue that bleffing long amongst us the more fecurely; he, for one, could not advife the rifking the people's good-will on any account; therefore fhould conclude by declaring himself for reducing the army to 15000, being the smaller number, as more agreeable to the inclinations of the people, and to our prefent circumstances, being enough to ferve all good purposes, and too many for bad ones.

Upon the fame Motion for 1752.

N

IN

the committee of supply for the

year 1752, the S-c-y of W-r mo ved, that the fame number of land forces, which was agreed to for the year 1751, fhould be continued this; and faid it was proper fo to be, as circumftances remained pretty much on the fame footing as last year. He was feconded by Mr Ly-t-n, who faid, amongst other things, that there ought always to be D as great a number kept up as we have at prefent, unless we had a force of another kind in the room of them. The chief reafon urged by other gentlemen for keeping up fo great an army, was, the danger apprehended from ourselves; that the people might create difturbances on a fudden, and that there was much to be feared from the diflike fhewn by them to the government. That the increase of difaffection was apparent by their cenfuring and canvaffing To freely the conduct of their fuperiors.

As to Jacobitism, he faid, he did be-
lieve there might be fomething of it, but
in no great degree; he allowed there
might be fome difaffection amongst par-
ticulars, but he afferted that diffatisfac-
tion was general; that thousands were
diffatisfied; that he was dillatisfied;
and that he was diflatisfied at fecing the
treafure taken from the frugal, industri-
ous, and laborious fubjects, and given
to the idle and profligate, to be lavished
away in all kinds of debaucheries and
exceffes; that he did believe a foldier
for every man would be infufficient to
filence the clamour arifing in the peo-
ple from fuch distribution of the na-
tion's wealth; that he fhould advise re-
drefs of grievances, as the better poli- E
cy, and more effectual method to stop
fuch clamour, rather than the increafing
expences by increafing the army;
which only could irritate and excite
further refentment: he observed that
this was an army in cantoonment, the
fame as in the field; and, tho' expreffed
to be only 18,857, was really more; F
the 1200 men for the train being couch-
ed under dubious words, and not o-
penly mentioned; that thus regulated,
made it tremendous and dreadful to re-
flect upon the confequences: He ob-
ferved too, this meafure did not por-
tend any reduction of expences in the
government, but rather fhewed that, if
the people grumbled at them, the force
was near that could filence fuch com-
plaints. The people only complained
of measures being contrived, and put in
execution, by an influenced jury, who
did not duly weigh or regard the intercit
of the nation, confequently they had not
a fair hearing.

That as to the term Jacobites, hurled
Frequently by 'n-rs and fuch

Hereupon Wm Tb-nt-n, Efq; ftood up and faid, "There ought to be weighty reafons aligned for keeping up fo great a number of foldiers in time of peace; that nothing but neceffity could justify the measure; that little or no reason had been fhewn last year, and less this, for keeping up fo large a number, and fo modelled; that he was lefs fatisfied than ever of the good ufe intended to be made of them, especially when it G was averred, that they were kept up against ourjekes, which could not fail of alarming, in the molt ferious manner, every true lover of his country, nor of exciting the moft grating reflections in a generous, open, difcerning people. Tho' fome might find their account, by fuch falle fuggeftions, in making the people ill with his majesty and the government, in order to make themfelves neceflary it was his endeavour to expose and ren

Military Establishment expensive and formidable.

der fuch artifices of no effect; and he did aver there never was a time when there was lefs occafion for fuch an imputation; he did affert there never was a prince more beloved by any people than his prefent majesty was by his, therefore he was certain 20,000 of fuch A men must be a great deal too many for any good purpose; when he confidered every poft in church and ftate had been filled up, by the prefent happy eftablishment, with perfons of undoubted good principles, and every family in the kingdom almoft, one way or other, ob- D liged to the family on the throne, which has rendered the government more firmly established than ever.

For thefe reafons he was fure neither the king nor the people stood in need of this great army for their fecurity, tho' a certain fet of men might. The model of it at prefent was terrible, fo adapted for deftruction, by being fet apart and feparated from the people; the new creation of a staff to be maintained in time of peace, and the regiment of 1200 men for the train, artfully couched under dubious words to make the people believe there are only 18857 men, which with other innovations, made it a compleat army ready for action, an army in cantoonment the fame as in the field, fo that one could not help dreading the confequence; on which account he had rofe up to enter bis protest against this measure, and to bold forth bis teftimony, and to apprize gentlemen and the world, that the army being artfully called 18,857 men, was, in reality, above 50,000 men; and to remind them, that the navy, our natural fecurity, was much flighted, which did not look well; that bearing a fmall proportion to this idle, unwieldy, unnecessary, force, confifting of 77 regiments, 37 of them in Ireland, only fuppofed to be 12,000 men, but reported to be 18,000, and fome of them regiments of officers, the very method of our arbitrary neigh bours the French, by which they may at pleature, imperceptibly to us, be increafed to 37,000 men. Can it be faid, there is no meaning in this? Can this expenfive method of keeping up officers be done without a view, in our circumftances? And are they only for the peoples good and prefervation? it there are other motives, they cannot be good ones. Integer vite jeelerifque purus

Non eget Mauri jaculis nec arcu. Sir, let us, at leaft, not adopt that damn'd Machiavilian doctrine, that a free people cannot be governed but by force,

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249

who may fo eafily be won by love and affection. An army, fir, was never kept up in any country in time of peace, but, fooner or later, it was used against the liberties of the people, and at last in flaved them.

Sir, I lament that the people of this country have now too unequal terms to contend upon, for fecuring their properties and their independency. Machi avil fays iron will prevail over gold, but, by this army added to the other power, our managers poffefs both fo are regardless of complaints, and of gratifying the juft expectations of the people. To whom can they fly for re fuge, or from whom can they expect redress, if not from perfons now at the helm of affairs, famed through the land for being the fupporters of liberty, and for their deteftation of tyranny and oppreffion?

If the people do complain, perhaps they have juft caufe for fo doing; feeling numberlefs burthens and taxes laid upon them, chiefly to fupport needlefs offices and places at immenfe falaries; the people are fenfible of it, by their being generally occupied by perfons of loote lives, without abilities, who make them fine-cures, or at most appoint de puties, at fmall falaries, to tranfact them; they complain their reprefentatives are debauched from them, that tax-mafters vote taxes; that the army vote the army; E in fhort Cuncti pæne patres clamant periiffe pudorem. I mult confefs, I almost defpair of any good to be done in this detelted age, or of any reformation, fo' many having drank of Circe's fel! cup, the cup of corruption, that they are, imperceptibly to themfelves, become monFiters, and glory in it; that I almost join in with Jugurtha's reflection when he left Rome, Orbem venalem et mature perituram fi Emptorem invenerit.

Perfons trained up in the principles of liberty can ill brook this new doctrine, of being retained in fubjection by an army: G having imbibed other notions in their education, so strong as not to be able to diveft themfelves of them; that he, for one, did deteft and abhor the men that would offer it, and did declare Mantes bec inimica tyrannis. Could, Sir, our forefathers, at the Revolution, have conHceived that their much-boalted and.dearpurchafed liberty would have ended in a large ftanding army, as a protection for Bureaux and Pactors from the remonftrances of their much injured pofterity, and faddled with a debt of 8 millions; would they have called tha