An Enquiry into an Origin of Honour; and the Usefulness of Christianity in WarMandeville, Bernard
Religion
An Enquiry into an Origin of Honour; and the Usefulness of Christianity in War
Mandeville, Bernard
Honor
Cleo. I would shew you, how an obscure Man, of an active Spirit and
boundless Ambition, might raise himself among such a Set of People to
the higher Post; and having once got the Supreme Command of the Army,
what Method, and what Arts it is most probable he would make Use of to
model such Troops to his Purpose, and make them serviceable to the
Advancement of his own Greatness.
Hor. But remember he must be an _Atheist_.
Cleo. He shall be so, in the Vulgar Acceptation of the Word; that is,
he shall have no Religion or Conscience; fear neither God nor Devil,
and not believe either a Providence in this World, or any Thing that
is said of another: But he must be a great Genius, daring to the
highest Degree, indefatigable, supple to his Interest, and ready as
well as capable to act any Part, and put on any Disguise, that shall
be required to serve or promote it. Every brisk, forward Man, who
pretends to an extraordinary Zeal for his Party, and the Cause he is
engaged in, and who shews Eagerness for Action, and behaves with
Intrepidity in Danger, cannot remain long unknown, where Men have
frequent Opportunities of signalizing themselves. But if he be
likewise a Man of Sense, who understands his Business, and has Conduct
as well as Courage, he can't fail of Preferment in an Army, where the
Interest of the common Cause is taken Care of. If he serves among
_Puritans_, who pretend to a stricter Morality, and to be more religious
than their Neighbours, and himself is an artful Man, as soon as he is
taken Notice of, he'll fall in with the Cant in Fashion, talk of Grace
and Regeneration, counterfeit Piety, and seem to be sincerely Devout.
If he can do this well, put on a sanctify'd Face, and abstain from
being openly vicious, it is incredible what Lustre it will add to the
Rest of his Qualifications, in such a Conjuncture: And if moreover he
is a Man of Address, and can get the Reputation of being disinterested
and a Soldier's Friend, in a short Time he'll become the Darling of
the Army; and it would hardly be safe long to deny him any Post, he
can reasonably pretend to. In all Wars, where the contending Parties
are in good Earnest, and the Animosities between them run high,
Campaigns are always active, and many brave Men must fall on both
Sides; and where there should be much Room for Advancement, it is
highly probable, that such a Man as I have describ'd, if at his first
setting out he was Captain of Horse, and had raised an entire Troop at
his own Charge, should in a few Years come to be a General Officer,
and of great Weight in all Councils and Debates. Being thus far
preferr'd, if he would make the most of his Talents, he might be of
infinite Service to his Party. An aspiring Man, whose grand Aim was to
thrive by Hypocrisy, would study the Scripture, learn the Languages of
it, and occasionally mix it with his Discourse. He would cajole the
Clergy of his Party, and often do good Offices to those of them that
were most popular.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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