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For this reason England has been called the cradle of the 
soldier. The soldier being the man who fights for pay, Solde— 
soliders, or as we may say by literal translation of the Lati, then 
man who fights for a shilling. And before a battle an inventory 
was taken of every horse, the colour and worth being noted, that 
its owner might be repaid in event of loss. And it often happens 
that at the end of the roll we find only the name of the man 
and the amount. The fight having been hurried on and no 
more time remaining for the other particulars. 
During the Wars of the Roses the Feudal system almost came 
to an end, and it was the policy of Henry VII. to prevent any 
revival of the power of the barons ; but an army was soon found 
to be indispensable to the safety of the Kingdom. 
When the Pope, at the instigation of Card. Pole, endeavoured 
to stir up an invasion of England, Henry VIII. proclaimed a 
general muster. In London the Lord Mayor certified the names 
of all able-bodied men in the city, and all who could be provided 
with cotes of white armour, or bore morish pikes and wore sculles 
were reviewed by the King. 
The review took place at Mile End, and must have been a 
magnificent spectacle, as the numbers were estimated at 15,000. 
Holingshead thus describes it :— 
“ Sir William Forman, Knight, at that present maior of London 
was commanded to certifie the names of all able men within the 
citie and liberties thereof between the ages of three score and 
sixteen with the number of armors and weapons of all kinds of 
sorts. Whereupon the said maior and his brethren one in his 
ward by the oath of the common council and his constable tooke 
the number of men, armors & weapons, and after well considering 
of the matter by view of their books, they thought it was not 
expedient to admit the whole number certified for apt and able 
men, and therefore assembling themselves again they chose forth 
the most able persons and put by the residue speciallie such 
as had no armor nor for whom anie could be provided. 
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