Luxury with its fatal effects was imported by Charles the second at the restoration. The contagious influence of that bane to publick virtue and liberty, corrupted our manners, enervated our bodies, and debased our minds, whilst our military spirit subsided, in proportion as the love of pleasure increased. Charles the second nurtured in the high principles of prerogative, was diffident of a militia composed of the whole body of the people. He obtained a standing force of about four or five thousand men under the specious denomination of guards and garrisons; which he increased afterwards to eight thousand, and suffered the militia gradually to decay, until it became almost useless. A policy fatal to liberty, which has been too successfully copied, since that reign, by every iniquitous minister, who support himself by faction. James the second, devoted to bigotry, and influenced by the most weak, as well as the most wicked counsels, that ever prevailed in this kingdom, at one stroke disarmed the people, and established a large standing army. As the militia were unwilling to act against Monmouth and his followers, whom they looked upon as the protectors of their religion and liberties, James, concealing the true reason, declared to his parliament, that he had found the militia useless and unserviceable by experience, and insisted upon such supplies, as would enable him to support those additional troops, which he should find necessary for his security. And he had actually increased his army to thirty thousand men at the time of the revolution. The whole reigns of William the third and Ann are distinguished by war abroad and factions at home. Yet though we entered into both those wars as principals, the military spirit of our people was not much improved; our national troops composed by a small part of the allied armies, and we placed our chief dependance upon foreign mercenaries.