If any one during the Reign of Charles the Second, when thoſe that were called Whigs, with a noble Spirit of Liberty, both in the Parliament Houſe and in private Companies, oppoſed a few Guards as Badges of Tyranny, a Deſtruction to our Conſtitution, and the Foundations of a Standing Army: I ſay, if any ſhould have told them that a Deliverer ſhould come and reſcue them from the Oppreſſions under which they then laboured; that France by a tedious and conſumptive War ſhould be reduced to half the Power it then had; and even at that time they ſhould not only be paſſive, but uſe their utmoſt Intereſt, and diſtort their Reaſon to find out Arguments for keeping up ſo vaſt an Army, and make the Abuſes of which they had been all their lives complaining, Precedents to juſtify thoſe Proceedings; whoever would have told them this, muſt have been very regardleſs of his Reputation, and been thought to have had a great deal of ill-nature. But the truth is, we have lived in an Age of Miracles, and there is nothing ſo extravagant that we may not expect to ſee, when ſurly Patriots grow ſervile Flatterers, old Commonwealthſmen declare for the Prerogative, and Admirals againſt the Fleet.
But I wonder what Arguments in Nature our Hirelings will think of for keeping up an Army this Year. Good Reaſons lie within a narrow Compaſs, and might be gueſſed at; but nonſenſe is infinite. The Arguments they chiefly inſiſted upon laſt year were, That it was uncertain whether the French King would deliver up any of his Towns if we diſbanded our Army; that King James had 18000 Men at his devotion kept by the King of France; that a great Fleet was preparing there upon ſome unknown Deſign; that the King of Spain was dying; that there was no Militia ſettled; and that they would keep them up only for a year to ſee how the World went. This with a few Lies about my Lord Portland's and Bouffler's quarrelling, and ſome Prophecies of our being invaded in ſix Months, was the ſubſtance of what was ſaid or printed.
Now in fact the French King has delivered up Giron, Roſes, Belver, Barcelona, and a great Part of the Province of Catalonia: The Town and Province of Luxemburg, and the County of Chiny; the Towns of Mons,
