542 ADVANCEMENT OP LEARNING. [BOOK VIIL 



b&amp;lt;5 far inferior in extent and number of inhabitants, yet it 

 lias almost constantly got the better of France in war : for 

 this reason, that the rustics, and lower sort of people in Eng 

 land, make better soldiers than the peasants of France. And 

 in this respect it was a very political and deep foresight of 

 Henry the Seventh of England, to constitute lesser settled 

 farms, and houses of husbandry, with a certain fixed and 

 inseparable proportion of land annexed, sufficient for a life 

 of plenty : so that the proprietors themselves, or at least the 

 renters, and not hirelings, might occupy them. For thus a 

 nation may acquire that character which Virgil gives of 

 ancient Italy: &quot;A country strong in arms, and rich of soil,&quot; 

 &quot; Terra potens armis, atque ubere glebae.&quot; 1 



We must not here pass over a sort of people, almost peculiar 

 to England, viz., the servants of our nobles and gentry ; as 

 the lowest of this kind are no way inferior to the yeomanry 

 for foot-service. And it is certain that the hospitable mag 

 nificence and splendour, the attendance and large train, in 

 use among the nobility and gentry of England, add much to 

 our military strength ; as, on the other hand, a close retired 

 life among the nobility causes a want of forces. 



It must be earnestly endeavoured, that the tree of monar 

 chy, like the tree of Nebuchadnezzar, have its trunk suffi 

 ciently large and strong, to support its branches and leaves ; 

 or that the natives be sufficient to keep the foreign subjects 

 under : whence those states best consult their greatness, 

 which are liberal of naturalization. For it were vain to 

 think a handful of men, how excellent soever in spirit and 

 counsel, should hold large and spacious countries under the 

 yoke of empire. This, indeed, might perhaps be done for a 

 season, but it cannot be lasting. The Spartans were reserved 

 and difficult in receiving foreigners among them ; and, there 

 fore, so long as they ruled within their own narrow bounds, 

 their affairs stood firm and strong ; but soon after they began 

 to widen their borders, and extend their dominion farther 

 than the Spartan race could well command the foreign crowd, 

 their power sunk of a sudden. Never did commonwealth 

 receive new citizens so profusely as the Roman ; whence its 

 fortune was equal to so prudent a conduct : and thus the 



neid, i. 531. 



