Kindneffes, and furnish'd him thereby with proper and comfortable Means to fpin out his Life to a longer Period.

We have yet among us a memorable Example of the Cardinal of Tork, who, forfeiting the Favour of King Henry the Eighth, and deliver'd up by him into the Hands of the Parliament, was fo faithfully affifted, and had his declining Affairs manag'd with so much Prudence by Thomas Cromwel, one of his Creatures, by whofe private Information he was prepared to answer the Articles, which were drawn-up againft him, and thereby had Means given him of justifying himself, and for once efcaping the fevere Punishment, which otherwife he muft neceffarily have undergone : And this fincere Friend was fo far from incurring the King's Difpleasure thereby, that on the contrary, his Majefty admiring his Courage and Probity, entrusted him in the moft confiderable Offices. An uncommon Inftance of Fidelity, because the Friends of Favourites are generally like thofe, who go under a Tree for enjoying the Conveniency, either of its Shade or Shelter, which if blown down, they will be the firft in pulling off its Fruits and Branches.

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CHAPTER XIX.

That the Officers of an Army should not appear in the Field without Armour.

Leopard, who had had fomething extraor

Adinary fall'n to him, was fo puffed up with

his good Fortune, that he vainly thought himself a fit Match for a Lion; and refolves without any more ado, to have one Tug with him for the King-fhip. Accordingly he encamps upon the Territories of a very Powerful one, who had Lorded it over the neighbouring Forefts. The Noife of this brought the whole Tribe of Quadrupedes into the Field, where each, as his own private Intereft fway'd him, either fided with their old King, or went over to the Ufurper. Tag-Rag and Bob-Tail, Beafts of all Sorts and Sizes were kindly receiv'd, and lifted into the Service of the Leopard, who thought to carry all before him, meerly by the Number of his Forces. But the Lion had learn'd, by dear-bought Experience, that fuch Measures were inconfiftent with the Policy of a prudent General; having loft the very last Battle he had engag'd in, purely by his trusting to a Number of Battalions, who were fupplied only with Offenfive Weapons, and was now refolv'd not to admit any into his Army, who had not alfo De fenfive Armour to fecure their Bodies. In fhort, he forms whole Regiments of Porcupines, Crocqdiles, Urchins, Tortoises, and a great many other Beafts, whofe fcaly impenetrable Sides bid defiance to the Darts of the Enemy. This Project, together with the Lion's prudent Management,

U 2

fuc

fucceeded fo well, that upon the very first Attack that he made, he put the Leopard and his whole Army to Flight, reaffumes his ancient Power in the Foreft, and amply rewards the Courage of his Soldiers with the Spoils of the Enemy.

The MORA L.

We may learn from this Fable, that Wealth and Ill-grounded Ambition are too often the Source of a whole Train of Misfortunes. That we generally Side with that Party, which is best able to promote our Intereft. That the Strength of an Army does not fo much confift in the Number, as in the Courage of its Soldiers. That we have then the trueft Courage, when we know ourfelves to be well arm'd.

Of all the Mifmanagements, that have of late crept into the Army, I think there cannot be a greater, or a more prejudicial one to the State, than their laying afide the Ufe of Armour. Nothing is now-adays more common, than to fee your giddy, hot-brain'd young Officers rufh Unarm'd into the very Heat of Battle; and all this for want of rightly understanding the true Nature of Courage. For fhould you reprimand them for their Rafhnefs, they would tell you, that what they did was but the Duty of every Soldier, and that they thought it vaftly more honourable to Die boldly in the Field, than to owe their Lives to the Protection of a Shield or Helmet. Befides the Lofs of fo many brave Men, who might otherwise have done great Services and Honour to their Country, there is another very great Inconveniency, which attends this Practice, and that is, the fudden Damp, that is caft upon the Minds of the Soldiers upon the Fall of their Officers, and the News of a

Gene

General's Death renders a whole Army quite Heartless and Dif-fpirited.

Since the fole Motive of Fighting is the Defire of Conqueft, and the only Way of obtaining that is, by defeating of the Enemy: I cannot fee how we can poffibly use too much Precaution to secure to ourselves the Victory. And if there cannot be a greater Fault in the Commanders of an Army, than to give up an Advantage to the Enemy, which they might with Eafe have referv'd to themselves, and the lofs of which may perhaps endanger the Battle; I can but wonder why they do not more strenuously infift upon wearing of Armour. They are ready enough to take the Advantage of the Wind, the Sun, or a Shower of Rain; But I would fain know,whether the faving of a General's Life be not of far greater Confequence, and would not contribute more towards a Victory.

The Ancients thought that a compleat, and the most desirable Victory, did not confist so much in flaying a great Number of the Enemy, as in preferving the Lives of their own Soldiers.

This Maxim was fo much follow'd amongst the Romans that if any one in a Battle expos'd himself to Danger to fave the Life of a Citizen, he was fure of being rewarded with a Crown of Oak, which was look'd upon as the most honoura ble. Befides this, they then made ufe of Bucklers, which were fo large that they screen'd their whole Body from the Shot of the Enemy. And this Custom was not only observ'd in Rome, but also amongst the Grecians, and especially at Sparta; where they were so very strict, that if any Person happen'd, either by Negligence or Ill-fortune, to lofe his Shield in Battle, he was branded with Imfamy all his Life-time, tho' to lofe a Sword was look'd upon as no Disgrace at all.

I can.

I cannot leave this Subject without taking No. tice of a very remarkable Adventure, which happen'd in Cafar's Army when in Britain. One of the Roman Legions was purfued by the Enemy into a Bog, and must all have been inevitably cut to Pieces, had they not been refcu'd by the Va, lour of one fingle Perfon, who pofted himself at the Entrance of a narrow Paffage, and with his Sword bravely kept off the Enemy, 'till he had given the Romans fufficient Time to difengage themfelves, and to march off in good Order. Cafar, who was himself an Eye-witness to all this, ran to him and embrac'd him; and not only that, but made a publick Harrangue before the whole Army in Praife of fo bold and generous an Action. But the Soldier, judging himself unworthy of fuch Honour, threw himself at the Emperor's Feet, heartily imploring his Pardon for having loft his Buckler in the Battle, taking that to be a Fault of fo heinous a Nature, as not to be blotted out by the Glory of having fav'd a Roman Legion.

Had the Laws in this Cafe been lefs rigorous,or lefs Care taken in feeing them obferv'd, there's no doubt but the Confequence had been this, that the Heat of Blood would have driven the best part of the Roman Youth upon the like Encounters. Such we fee was the Care the Ancients took to preferve the Lives of their Soldiers. But at this time of day the General Himself shall be seen at a Siege, or in the Field, without the leaft Armour to defend Himself. Such Rafhnefs I can freely over-look in a Mahometan, who has Predeftination to fly to for an Excufe, and verily believes, that whether arm'd or not he is equally fecure from Death, 'till the Time alloted Him by the Fates is expir'd.

But