SOL 



. earthen veffel, and it will be as clean as when new. If 



be gold, boil it in urine and fal ammoniac. 



For a method of foldering, particularly ufeful to optical 

 and mathematical inftrument-makers, lee Grinding of Me- 

 tallic Specula. 



SOLDIDO, a name given to the tamoata. 



SOLDIER, a military man, lilted to ferve a prince or 

 ttate, in confideration of a certain daily pay. 



The word is formed from the Italian, foldato, and that 

 from the Latin, filida, or folldata, of folidus, the folde or 

 pay ; though Pafquier choofes to derive it from the old 

 Gaulilh foldoyer, a foldier ; and Nicod from foldurius. 



The ioldier is a perfon who takes pay ; the vallal is one 

 who is obliged to ferve at his own expence : the volunteer 

 ferves at his own expence, and of his own accord. 



Du-Cange obferves, that the ancient foldiers were not to 

 be fhort of five feet and a half; and that this meafure was 

 called incoma or incojnma. 



Every member of a fociety, capable of bearing arms, is 

 obliged to ferve and defend the Itate ; and, therefore, fhould 

 be difpofed to take them up, at the firft order of him who 

 has the power of making war. In England this is the pre- 

 rogative of the king, for to him belongs the right of grant- 

 ing commiffions for raifnig droops ; but he cannot compel 

 any perfon to cnlift, nor, without the concurrence of the 

 parliament, keep an army on foot. In ancient times, efpe- 

 cially in fmall Hates, every member, on a declaration of 

 war, was a foldier : the whole community took up arms, 

 and followed to the war. Soon after a choice was made, 

 and armies formed of felcft men, whilft the reft of the people 

 purfued their common occupations. Ac prefent the ufe of 

 regular troops is almolt every where adopted, efpecially in 

 powerful itates. The public authority raifes foldiers, dif- 

 tributes them into different bodies, under the command of 

 generals and other officers, and keeps them on foot as long 

 as it thinks neceflary. As every citizen or fubjeA is 

 obliged to ferve the Itate, the fovereign has a right, in cafe 

 of neceffity, to enlift whom he pleafes ; but he fhould choofe 

 only fuch as are proper for the occupation of war : and it is 

 highly proper to take, as far as poffible, only volunteers, 

 who enlift chearfully without compulfion. See Enlisting, 

 Impressing, and Volunteers. 



No perfon is naturally exempt from taking up arms in 

 defence of the itate ; the obhgation of every member of the 

 fociety being the fame. Thofe only are excepted, who 

 are incapable of handling arms, and fupporting the fatigues 

 of war. This is the reafon why old men, children, and 

 women, are excepted. Neverthelefs, unlefs government is 

 compelled by neceffity, it (hould exempt from military lervice 

 all who are employed in llations ufeful or neceffary to fo- 

 ciety. Magiltrates are, therefore, ufually excepted ; their 

 whole time not being too much for the adminiftration of 

 jultice, .ind the maintenance of order. The clergy, fays 

 Vattel, cannot naturally, and by any right, arrogate to 

 themfelves a particular exemption. To defend one's country 

 is an aftion not unworthy of the molt facred hands. How- 

 ever, the reafons alleged in favour of magiftrates may be 

 urged alfo in behalf ot that part of the clergy who are truly 

 ufeful; fuch as teach religion, govern the church, and cele- 

 brate the public worftiip. But as for thofe imnienfe multi- 

 tudes of ufelefs religious, who, under pretence of dedicating 

 themfelves to God, in efl'cft fpend their lives in an effeminate 

 idlenefs, they have no right to claim a privilege that is per- 

 nicious to the Hate ; and whilft the prince exempts them from 

 military fervicc, he injures the other members of the com- 

 munity, by throwing on them the whole burden. " I do 

 not pretend," /ays Vattel, " to advifc a prince to fill his 



SOL 



armies with monks, but gradually to diminifh a ufeleft claf* 

 of men, by taking from it injurious and ill-grounded privi- 

 leges." There is another clafs of idle perfon?, the exemp- 

 tion of whom is ftill more culpable ; that ufelefs clafs of 

 footmen, who fill the houfes of the great and wealthy : a 

 clafs who by their calling corrupt themfelves, by difplaying 

 the luxury of their mafter. 



Among the Romans, while all the people ferved alter- 

 nately in war, their fervice was gratuitous ; but when a 

 choice is made, and ftanding armies are formed, the itate is 

 to pay them ; no man owing more than his quota of the 

 public fervice : and if the ordinary revenues are not fuffi- 

 cient, it muft be provided for by impoits. It is juft that 

 they who do not ferve fhould pay their defenders. When 

 the foldier is not in the field, there is a neceffity of quar- 

 tering him ; and this burden naturally falls on houfekeepers : 

 but as it is attended with many inconveniencies to the people, 

 it becomes a good prince, or a wife and equitable govern- 

 ment, to eafe them of it as far as poffible. Moreover, the 

 afylums prepared for foldiers and reduced officers, who are 

 grown old in the fervice, or whom fatigues or the enemy 

 have rendered incapable of providing fubfiftence for them- 

 felves, may be confidered as part of the military pay. The 

 eafe of thefe unfortunate victims of war is the indifpenfible 

 duty of every ftate, in proportion to its ability. It is con- 

 trary, not only to humanity, but to the ftriftelt juitice, 

 that generous citizens, heroes who have fhed their blood 

 for the fafety of their country, ffiould be left to perilh with 

 want, or unworthily forced to beg for fubfiftence. 



Mercenary foldiers are foreigners voluntarily engaging to 

 ferve the Hate for money, or a ftipulated pay. As they 

 owe no fervice to a fovereign, whofe fubjefts they are not, 

 the profpeft of advantage is their fole motive. It has been 

 a queltion, however, whether the profeffion of a mercenary 

 foldier be lawful, or not ? or whether individuals may for 

 money, or any other reward, engage to ferve a foreign 

 prince in his wars ? This queftion, fays Vattel, does not 

 to me appear very difficult to be folved. They who enter 

 into fuch engagements, veithout the exprefs or tacit confent 

 of their fovereigns, offend againlt their duty as fubjefts. 

 But if their fovereign leaves them at liberty to follow their 

 inclination for a military life, they are abfolutely free. 

 Now, every free man may join himfelf to whatever fociety 

 he pleafes, and which to him appears molt advantageous. 

 He may make its caufe his own, and cfpoufe its quarrels. 

 He becomes in fome meafure, at lealt for a time, a member 

 of the ftate in the fervice of which he engages : and as an 

 officer is commonly at liberty to quit the fervice when he 

 thinks proper, and the foldier at the term of his engage- 

 ment ; if, therefore, this Itate embark in a war, manifeltly 

 unjult, the foreigners may quit its fervice. And this mer- 

 cenary foldier having now learnt the art of war, has rendered 

 himfelf capable of lerving his country, whenever it requires 

 his ailiftance. The lalt confideration will furnilh us with an 

 anlwer to a queftion propofed on this head : whether the 

 fovereign may, with equity and decency, permit his fubjedts 

 to ferve foreign powers indifcriminatcly for money ? He 

 may, becaufe his fubjedts will by this means learn an art, 

 the thorough knowledge of which is both ufeful and necef- 

 fary. The tranquillity, the profound peace, which Swit- 

 zerland has fo long enjoyed, in the midtl of all the com- 

 motions and wars whicli have agitated Europe ; this long 

 repofe, it is faid, would foon become fatal to it, did not the 

 citizens, by fervin;;; foreign princes, qualify themfelves for 

 the operations of war, and lupport their martial Ipirit. 



Mercenary foldiers engage themlelvcs, and enlift volun- 

 tarily. The fovereign has iio right to compel foreigners ; 

 4 he 



