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And now, my brethren,' continues he, what is the • issue of all this extravagance? Dreadful either way. If the man hath flain his antagonist, he hath, perhaps, in his per⚫ fon flain his best friend; at least he ceaseth to be his enemy at that inftant: and the sword hath no fooner pierced his breaft, but horror and remorfe have pierced his murderer, have ftabbed him to the foul! his vanity finks into dejection, and his anger into anguifh: and all his excefs of wrath and revenge rush into yet greater exceffes of forrow, felf-deteftation, and all the diftraction of diftrefs. The dreadful deed is no fooner done, but he would give the whole world, nay, he would almost die to undo it! and, doubtless, the exchange were in many cafes wife, were it poffible to be effected. If this murderer's death could buy off all the horrors of his confcience, and anguish of his remaining life, given up to remorfe and mifery! fince the fame hand that fixed a dagger into his brother's breast, did, • in that very act, fix a fury in his own; to fting his confcience, and to poifon his quiet, to the laft moment of his life.

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But, my brethren, the greatest terror is yet behind. If this deteftable practice ended only in folly, and pride, and tumult; nay, if it terminated only in murder and remorse; if blood could expiate the guilt, or the grave hide it; or mifery and diftraction atone for it, poffibly fomething might be faid to palliate the horror of it! But when, in all appearance, the iffue is yet more dreadful! when the poor wretch is fent down quick to perdition, with all his offences upon his head; and in the very act, perhaps, of the greatest guilt he is capable of committing good God! who can bear the horror?'

In order to fhew how criminal and utterly inconfiftent with duty the practice of duelling is in the gentlemen of the army, he gives the following extract from the articles of war.— No officer or foldier fhall prefume to fend a challenge to any other officer or foldier, to fight a duel, upon pain, if a commiffion'd officer, of being cafhiered; if a non-commiffion'd officer, or foldier, of fuffering corporal punishment, at the • difcretion of a court-martial.

• Whatsoever officer or foldier fhall upbraid another for refufing a challenge, thall himself be punifhed as a challenger; and we hereby acquit and discharge all officers and foldiers of any difgrace or opinion of difadvantage, which might arise from their having refufed to accept of challenges, as they will have only acted in obedience to our orders, and done

their duty as good foldiers, who fubject themselves to disci' pline.' Articles of war, fect. VII. art. 2, 5.

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In the twelfth fermon, our author points out briefly the great evil, folly, and guilt of gaming; and in the thirteenth, makes several reflections on luxury in drefs. He obferves, that there is something in the glare of a gaudy dress, that tends not only to diffipate the fpirits, but even to tincture the mind with congenial vanities, with light, fantastic ideas, and fpecious appearances; and of confequence to take off the attention from more ferious, folid, and important attachments and pursuits, and thus becomes an inlet to the worst vanities that can infeft the mind. This, we are told, naturally warps men from the ways of truth and virtue; and as it induces an indifpofition to graver and more useful pursuits, it also creates a neceffity of greater expence, at the fame time that it rebates that spirit of induftry, and honeft arts, which fhould fupport it. Thefe obfervations he illuftrates from the hiftory of Gebazi, in the fifth chapter of the fecond book of Kings.

In the fourteenth fermon he expofes the guilt, folly, and deformity of luxury and intemperance in eating and drinking. In order to which, he firft fhews what this luxury is; and secondly, endeavours to trace out the evils that attend it. The true nature, and great importance, of the chriftian virtue of contentment, is the subject of the two laft fermons; in the first of which, our author endeavours to perfuade us to contentment by arguments drawn from the power, providence, wif dom, and goodness of God, which muft difpofe every thing for the beft; from the prefent ftate of the world, which makes an inequality of conditions abfolutely neceffary to the government and well-being of it; from the great bleffings and advantages peculiar. to every ftate of life; and lastly, from this confideration, that the evils we complain of, are, for the most part, rather comparative than real. In the laft fermon, he confiders the feveral arguments for contentment under those evils that are real, fuch as fickness, croffes, difappointments, lofs of reputation, defamation, and death of friends. In order to fupport us under these and the like miffortunes, we are defired to remember, that this world was never defigned for a place of perfect happiness, but is the howling wilderness, through which we are obliged to pass in our way to the land of promife, that God Almighty proves us with afflictions here, that he may reward us with immortality hereafter; and that he always chaftifes his creatures out of the greatest love and good-will to them; to check us in

our

our wicked courfes, or to hinder us from entering upon them; to awaken us into repentance and amendment; to force us from our dependance upon earthly things, and to fix all our hopes upon himself, who alone can fupply all our wants, remove all our diftreffes, and crown all our defires.

R.

ART. XIV. Regulations for the Pruffian Infantry. Tranflated from the German original. 8vo. 6s. Vaillant.

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any attempt to encourage good discipline amongst a

dible, and does the promoter thereof real credit, fo the tranflator of the work now before us, could not have chofen a more proper method of promoting fuch a spirit in the British foldiery, than by giving them, in their own language, the Pruffian Regulations, fo well fpoken of by the best judges of military matters every where, and fo univerfally followed by the troops on the continent. In this work every circumstance which relates to the raifing, forming, and exercifing of a regiment of infantry, to the duty in camp and garrifon of the first general officer, down to the meaneft centinel, is plainly and particularly laid down.

It does not lie within the bounds of our paper, to make fufficient extracts of a fubject, which should be greatly enlarged upon, to give people who are not converfant in military difcipline, a competent idea of the completeness of this treatife, with regard to that matter. To thofe who are concerned," we would recommend the perufal of this work, as we are perfuaded that many hints are contained in it, which it would do them credit to know, and to practise. A fubject of this kind does not admit of flowers of language, becaufe the writer is confined to the terms of art; yet, where the translation will allow of it, the file appears eafy and natural.

We cannot help taking notice of a few articles ftrongly recommended by the king of Pruffia, which do honour to good order, and muft undoubtedly be productive of the best effects in any army.

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His majefty is highly displeased to understand, that a right harmony and agreement does not fubfift in fome regi-' · ments, from whence fctions and animofities have been produced, which are quite repugnant to fubordination, and pre-. judicial to the fervice in general, as well as the particular good of thofe regiments.

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His majefty is likewife informed, that the orders given by fuperior officers to their inferiors, are not executed with that refpect, alacrity, and application which is required: nay, that fome officers have even prefumed to difpute the orders of their commanders, and to argue, firft of all, whether they were right or wrong, according to their own opinions : he has therefore found it very neceffary, to forbid the like unmilitary behaviour, on pain of incurring his highest displeafure, and to give his commands in the most urgent manner, that fubordination be kept up amongst the officers of every regiment, from the general down to the youngest enfign, with the utmost ftrictnefs.

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As his majefty is informed that non-commiffioned officers as well as private foldiers have prefumption enough to argue, and take freedoms with their officers; fo he gives ftrict orders, that fuch infolence fhall, without any connivance, be punished with the utmost feverity; neither fhall foldiers be fuffered to affociate in a feditious manner, and make complaints by parties; to put a stop to which, whenever it fhall happen, a fevere and exemplary punishment must be inflicted on the ringleader.

When foldiers are drunk, the officers and non-commiffioned officers are to enter into no altercation with them, ⚫ much less ftrike them, because many inftances may be produced, wherein men, from the like provocations, have forfeited their lives while in liquor; but the day following, when they are become fober again, they must be punished, with double feverity for the irregularities they were guilty of.

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The field-officers muft pay extraordinary attention to the difciplining of new officers and non-commiffioned officers, and keep them, with the utmoft ftrictness, to the most exact performance of their duty: that, from young officers, they' may, at length, arrive at the poffeffion of equal experience and abilities with our prefent field-officers and captains.

Since, after fubordination, nothing is more effentially neceffary than strict difcipline amongst the foldiers, fo it is his majefty's command, that the generals of regiments, and the commanding officers of battalions, fhall keep their refpective regiments and battalions, and likewife the captains their companies, under fevere difcipline, and connive at no irregularities. The foldiers fhall be conftrained to a regular obfervation of all the rites and ceremonies of the religion which they profefs. No common whores must be fuffered to remain in a garrifon; but the commanding officer, on the

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contrary, fhall order all fuch to be ftripped naked and turned out. No gaming fhall be permitted amongst the non-commiffioned officers, and private foldiers; and every foldier • who shall be detected at play, shall be put prifoner, and the day following run the gantlope, without trial, eight times, through two hundred men.

The commandants of regiments in garrifons, must take great care, that their officers are guilty of no irregularities; that they do not abuse the burghers, or their landlords, nor • contract debts, but fubfift themselves upon their pay: and officers in general are to be informed, that it is his majesty's firm opinion, that no officer can keep a company in proper order, without fetting a good example himself; and that it is an univerfal and juft obfervation, that the company of a captain, who is an economift, is always in better order than another whofe captain is addicted to extravagancies; ⚫ a lieutenant therefore, or enfign, who is given to bad habits, and does not conquer or correct them, thall never be preferred to a company.

It is highly pleafing to his majefty, when generals, commandants of regiments, and field-officers, are courteous • enough to give invitations to the fubalterns, to behave kindly to them, and to converfe familiarly and frequently with · them, in order, as much as poffible, to prevent their falling into bad company, and contracting vicious courfes of life.

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As it appears by daily experience, that most quarrels hap'pen over liquor, exceffive drinking therefore must be altogether prohibited amongst officers in general; and the colonels and commandants of regiments are, in the strictest manner, to forbid it, and likewise to keep a watchful eye ⚫ over the behaviour of their officers in this refpect.

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• When officers, notwithstanding all orders to the contrary, get drunk together, begin quarrels, rencounters, and duels either in liquor or at play, or are guilty of any other fucti like offenfive practices, they must be put under arreft, and. tried by a court-martial, which fhall adjudge a double degree of punishment for every crime committed in confequence of drunkenness; as for example, when an officer, being fober, is guilty of a crime, for which, according to the articles of war, he is condemned to lofe three months pay, to be confined a year in a fortrefs, to be cafhiered, to be 'fhot, or beheaded; for the fame crime committed when drunk, he shall lofe fix months pay, instead of three; shall ⚫ be confined two years, inftead of one; be cashiered with the addition of infamy, inftead of a fimple difmiffion; be be

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