A true Copy of a Speech made by an English Colonel to his Regiment, immediately before their late Transportation for Flanders at Harwich.  
THus far, Gentlemen and Fellow Soldiers, I have conducted you, in order to your Transportation for Flanders: The Honour of that Post which I now enjoy is due only to his Majesty's Goodness; but the Happiness which I propose to myself in possessing it, is a Gift which none but yourselves can bestow upon me.  
Your Civil Deportment, and Strict Obedience hitherto, I take as an Earnest to me of my good Hopes and Successes for the future; and when I considered you are English Men, whose Loyalty to your Kings, and Natural Courage, are celebrated and feared all Europe over; I once thought I might have spared both myself and you the trouble of this Meeting. But though long Speeches are now grown out of Date, yet having Something of high Importance to communicate to you, I was resolved to be rather out of Fashion than out of Humour at an old Custom, at this time so necessary for the good of the Nation, and service of Our King.  
I must acquaint you then, that notwithstanding our Loyalty and Courage may be at as high a pitch as any mortal Men upon Earth can boast of; yet the greatest Loyalty may be debauched, and Courage daunted, by the false Suggestions and malicious Insinuations of our cunning Enemies at home; which, captivating our Understandings, and perverting our Judgements, disarm us more effectually than the Force of our declared Foes abroad could have done.  
Honour is such an inseparable Qualification of a Soldier, that when the Honour is gone the Soldier dies, though the Man perhaps may drag on miserably a despised Life. Now the Justice of the Cause in which we engage hath ever been esteemed the first and greatest Motive to Men of Honour to venture their Lives and Fortunes, to endure all the Hardships of a tedious War, and to appear Glorious with all those Wounds, those Scars, and Deformities upon them, which still from the Justice of the Cause have been ever reputed Honourable. What Man of Honour than would appear in a villainous Cause, and venture his Limbs and Life, nay, and his Salvation too, in an unjust War? Slaughter in such becomes Murder, Plunder is Robbery and Theft, and Victory itself (if ever it happens to them) oftentimes ends in their Destruction.  
Having premised these things, I must now mind you, that probably most of yourselves, as well as I, cannot but have observed how industrious our Enemies at home have been, in representing our Cause as unjust, nay, as Villainous and Scandalous to the Reputation and Name of an English Man, much more of Christian; and, with Grief and Abhorrence, I must acknowledge, that the Generality of most Towns, Cities, and Provinces too, have of late so altered their Opinions, and so publicly aspersed our Cause, with injurious terms, not now to be repeated, that I think myself bound in Conscience to put some stop to this growing Mischief, especially since our Courts themselves have not been free from the Contagion, no, not that most Honourable Court in Parliament assembled; in which (to our Grief, and great Amazement) some of those very Men have appeared the most constant Enemies to our Cause, who have been reputed Men of the best Estates, and to this day looked upon as the truest Patriots of the English Nation: What then can be less expected from me (who have the Honour to command such brave Men as you are) than to instruct you in those things which may preserve your Loyalty, as well as inform and teach you that military Discipline which may animate your Courage? Most of you have come in Volunteers to recruit that Regiment of mine, the greatest part whereof lie buried in the Bed of Honour. To you therefore, who have never crossed the Seas, it may be acceptable to know what kind of Entertainment and Reception you are like to meet with abroad: You Gentlemen, and Fellow Soldiers, who have been Partners of our Sufferings, and our repeated Victories abroad, will be informed of what hath passed at home, since you left your Native Country; and All of you will be convinced (I hope) how Just and Honourable the Cause is, in which we are engaged.  
I shall begin at the Fountain and Head of all Justice and Honour, (I mean) the King; and follow the Stream of his most admirable Qualifications until they are Lost in the Vast Ocean of noble Thought. First then, he is our Natural and Hereditary King, and Sovereign Liege Lord, and We his Natural-born Subjects: Had I no more but this to say of him, it were more than sufficient to confirm our bounden Duty and Loyalty to him: What can be more Just and Honourable than to observe the inviolable Laws of Nature, especially when they are enforced by the positive Laws of God? What Man of Honour can forbear to Blush, or Rage with Indignation, should he hear himself accused of some unnatural Sin? The Crimes which we commit against Nature, make us degenerate below the Condition of unreasonable Beasts, who (even without Reason) preserve the Law of Nature: From the Kid and its Dam to the Lion's Whelp, and the fiercest Lioness, all Creatures by Nature love and follow those which nourish and preserve them; and shall we, whose Profession and Reward is Honour, forsake our Natural Hereditary King, who is our Father and Protector too?  
But to proceed: Were he not our King, yet since he is so, Who doth not wish him so? He it is, who at the hazard of his own dear and precious Life, and at his own vast Expense, for our sakes alone, accepted of Three troublesome Crowns, to deliver us from those two dreadful Monsters Popery, and Slavery: He it is, who brought in Peace and Plenty among us, and hath entailed them upon us too, beyond the Prospect of the most descerning Eye: He it is, who so tenderly and compassionately Loves us, that he holds our Lives in the Palms of his Hands, and is so Cautious of exposing them to the ordinary Dangers of an Enemy, that he heaps up his own dear Countrymen as a mighty Bulwark, before us, whilst himself remains in the Rear, as a safe retreat, when dangers overtake us. In his nature he is Affable, Courteous, and Liberal, event to a fault: He is Merciful, and so free from Ambition and Tyranny (the Common and darling Vices of Kings) that he hath divided his Throne with the Consort of his Bed, and hath entrusted his Power to the Will of his People. But not to dwell too long upon Words, let us proceed to Effects which are the more convincing, by how much they are the more sensible to us: And,  
First, How free have we been from the intolerable burden of Eternal Taxes? How do we wallow in Wealth, and Plenty, and secure even from the Noise and Rumour of War? Is not our Trade increased, and our Merchants freed from the anxious Fears, Dangers, and Losses of the Seas? Do not their Numbers daily grow upon us; insomuch, that many of them are necessitated to take up with obscurer Apartments in private Corners, for want of larger and freer Houses in the nobler Streets? Are not the prizes of Food and Raiment, and all the necessaries of a Comfortable Life, diminished to almost one half of what we paid in former Reigns? Is not Justice administered with Mercy, is not the Liberty, and Property of the People, as Sacred to him as his Prerogative is, and aught to be to us? Have the Nobility, Gentry, or Comonalty known, or heard of any illegal Imprisonments or excessive Fines? Have any Arch Bishops, or Bishops been turned out of their Chairs for Conscience sake, or Fellows of Colleges from their Fellowships and Properties by Mandamus? Have there been any Pensioning or Bribing of Parliament Men, and buying the Misery and Slavery of the People with that very Money, which they themselves had so largely given? Have not the Votes in Parl. been as free and , as in the blessed time of Mr. Johnson's quandam Calends of May? Have any Public Bills for the common Good, and impartial Justice, which had past both Houses, ever been refused, by this our just Judge, and Father of his Country? Hath not the Old Church of England flourished again under him, like a green Bay Tree, and her younger Sons grown up like fruitful Vines about the House of the Lord? And doth it not daily more and more appear how Studious he is to preserve it? Have the Spoils of our Native and homeborn Enemies been given to Foreigners; or Honours, Estates and Employments bestowed upon Strangers? Are not our Councils guided by the best among the Nobility, in which a Foreigner hath no place, and the Cabinet Council by those who most love and are most beloved of the English Nation, And approved themselves Men of Honour in former Reigns? Is not the Trade and English Interest promoted, almost to the ruin of Holland, and are they not ready to sink to their first poor State for want of Traffic, whilst we ride Masters of the Ocean, and import to them all Foreign Commodities upon English Bottoms, and upon an English account, to the Eternal Glory of our King, and our own vast inexhaustible Profit? Is not the Gold and Silver Coin of his own Native Country imported hither, to enrich his English Subjects, and not returned till most of it hath paid the Duties of a Circumcised Toll? Are we infested with swarms of French, who like Maw-worms in our Bowels, eat up the Bread of the poorer Tradesmen, and starve the hands of our willing and industrious Natives? Or have we any reason to fear the French at home, like Wolves, lurking in their Dens? Are our Palaces guarded by Frags in Armour, to the dishonour of the Loyal English Man? Or our English Armies commanded abroad, by Hogan Mogan Generals, who hate us? Have we not the preference abroad, both as to Pay and Post of Honour; and have not those small, inconsiderable Supplies of Money, which our Parliaments have presented to the King, been first applied to the constant Pay of the English Army? Have we not been always led on to certain Victory, by the Courage and Conduct of our Invincible Monarch, and the Sick and Wounded provided for beyond their Expectations, by his Care and Piety? Have we not treated the Prisoners of our Enemies with an humanity becoming the English Nation, whilst ours have perished among them, by a barbarity unexpressible? Are we not made welcome by the Dutch as more than half Brothers, and nourished, supported, and trusted by them for more than we shall ever be able to repay? Do they not Congratulate our arrival among them, with all the demonstrations of wonderful love and honour, and lament our departure from them, as if they had believed us their Guardian Angels? Are not our Admirals, Sea Officers, Sea Men, and our whole Fleet, honoured, rewarded, paid, and provided for to that degree, that Sea Men abound in every corner of the Nation, and have prevented the utmost care and diligence of the Press Masters? Are there such Grievances among us, as vast Arrears, and Debenters? Or is there a Debt of Millions due from the Crown to the Fleet and Army, the Victuallers, Docks, Shipyards, Transport Ships, etc. to the ruin of many hundred of industrious English Families, and the increase and multiplying of thousands of poor neglected Widows and Orphans? But to conclude, (for what Pen, Pencil, or Tongue of Mortal Man, can fully represent to you all the inconceivable Graces of our illustrious Hereditary Monarch) would I compare him with his immediate unfortunate Predecessor, it would raise his Glories to so high a pitch, that nothing could blind the Eyes of the whole Universe, but by gazing too steadfastly upon his insupportable Lustre. Comparisons we say, are edious, therefore I shall forbear giving that trouble either to myself or you; yet, least after all I have said, any thing material should be neglected, I shall first admonish you, after what manner the Contagion before mentioned may possibly insinuate itself among us, and then conclude with its certain Cure and Antidote.  
Some of our home bred Enemies, in order to render ineffectual what I have here affirmed to you, might probably suspect the Truth of what I have here proposed to you; but till I meet with that bold Man, who dares deny me the least Article of it, I shall desire all of you to take it for granted, as I myself do. The other sort of Men are indeed more sober, more numerous, and more considerable, both for Estates and Quality; and these, under the specious Pretence of Compassion for an unfortunate Exiled Prince, endeavour to Extenuate the Faults, and magnify the good Qualities of the late King James: They will tell you (it may be) First, That he was the Son and Lawful Successor of our blessed King and Martyr Charles the First; but this can be no Argument in his favour, since some of our Learned Divines, even upon the late Anniversary Fast for his Martyrdom, and before the most August Assembly of our great City Governors, have delivered from the Pulpit, that Both might very well deserve the Punishments they underwent; and who cannot easily conclude, that if they might, they did. They will tell you again, That he was Merciful and Just, a true born English Man, and as true a Lover of his Country; That he was a most indulgent Father to our present Gracious Queen, and the Princess her Sister; a kind Father in Law, and Uncle, to our present dear King, and so guiltless of ever having done him any Wrong, that, from his own Innocency, he would not be persuaded his Nephew and Son would have attempted any thing against his Crown, or Person; which (they tell you) prevented him from taking those reasonable and just Measures, for his own Security, which otherwise he ought, and might have done. Some will say, That he was a good Paymaster, both to his Creditors and Servants, and to all poor Tradesmen; a very Father to his little Army, who never wanted their Pay during his whole Reign; and such a Lover of a Seaman, that he would even have lived among them; with whom he had ventured his Life, to vindicate the Honour and Interest of the English Nation, against these very Dutch, who are now (by the goodness of our King) our intimate, bosom Friends, and something more than Fellow Subjects. They will say moreover, That he put no such heavy Tax masters over us, nor oppressed the poorer Trades with intolerable Excise; nor forced us to redeem our Heads over and over again at a Price more valuable to him than the rest of our whole Bodies. That he would never introduce the French Mode (which we say he always favoured) of wearing Sabots, or wooden Shoes; no, nor the Dutch Fashion of woollen Mittins instead of Gloves, through the excessive Tax put upon all Sorts of Leather; nor yet forbidden us the old English use of powdered Beef, and Pork, by raising the Price of our old English Salt. In a word, That he would never have swept away all our English Liberties and Properties at once, with the Dutch Broom of a General Excise; nor our Native Privileges and Birthrights, by an English Bill of as General a Naturalisation. Others will tell you, That he was Careful and Provident, especially in refitting and augmenting his Fleet, which is the Honour and Security of the English Nation; That he studied the Honour and Interest of England, and had he stayed till now among us, would have secured to us the whole uninterrupted Trade of Europe; which the Dutch foresaw, feared, and have prevented; and, moreover, would have been the only Potentate that could have put a Stop to the excessive Power of France. That he always promoted an impartial Liberty of Conscience, in Matters of Religion, to those who would live. Quietly, and obedient Subjects to the Civil Government. This, they say, the Dutch also foresaw, and the ill Consequences which it might bring upon them, and therefore opposed it underhand in the Reign of King Charles the Second, and turned it (among other things) to the Ruin of his Brother. They will tell you, he was easy of Access, even to the meanest of his Subjects, and had a due Regard to his Nobility; and they will affirm to you, by many undeniable Testimonies (as they pretend) that his Authority, and Presence in Ireland, chief protected the Protestants there from the Violence of their Irish Enemies, notwithstanding a Famous Divine hath written largely to the contrary. But then they proceed to Justify all they have said, by the Effects of that Cause which they are so industrious to promote; and then they tell you, That the Nation was never so Rich, and in such a height of Prosperity, as during his Reign: That our Trade and our Merchants were in a most flourishing Condition: That the Taxes were not felt by us, or known to us: That all manner of Provisions, especially Bread, were cheap and plentiful: That the hands of the poorer English Manufactorers were in constant Employment: That we had no Apprehensions or Pretence of War whilst he kept to the Treaty of Nimegen, as they say he did, and was obliged to do: That he really and sincerely intended and studied the Good and Prosperity of his People, which nothing so much prevented, as our own unreasonable Fears and Jealousies; and that those were maliciously aggravated and promoted by such as had resolved to make themselves great under this Government, at the Expense of his and our Ruin; and a great deal more to this Purpose.  
Then they come to the Crimes Objected against him; and they tell you in short, That as to some public but insignificant Favours granted to some of his own Religion, he was overruled in that point, by the treacherous Advice of some of his Protestant Favourites who betrayed him, after they had (by their own false Councils) first exposed him, and then left him. And as to those greater and villainous Crimes, which (they tell you) his Soul abhorred; they say, That he was most unjustly, irregularly and impiously Accused; and as a Confirmation and strong Argument of this Truth which they affirm, they say further, That had he been Guilty of any one Article, nothing could have been more absolutely necessary for the Honour and Justification of the English Nation, and the Severity of those very Persons who gained most by this Revolution, than to have proved the late King James Guilty of all or any one single Article of that Nature objected against him, which yet to this day they have not been able to do, nor will or in truth can do, to the Worlds End. And lastly, they conclude with the Violences and Indignities put upon him; as his Imprisonment in his own Palace, and else where under Foreign Guards; turning out of his own Palace, and Royal Bed too, at such an unseasonable time, when an English Gentleman would scarcely have disturbed his Vale de Chambre; The Execrable Insolence of his own Subjects, by beating and striking at him; and using such Irreverences towards him, as greater were not offered to his Royal Father; and such, as would have been severely punished under his good Government, had they been offered by any English Man to a Mogan Foot Man. Many things more they tell of him, which I have not Patience to relate; and, in short, they would make him, falsely appear what our most gracious King really and truly is, which I am so far from believing, that I persuade myself, there are not two Princes in Europe more opposite in all manner of Qualifications, than our present King William and the late King James.  
Now Gentlemen and fellow Soldiers, you must take a great care not to believe what I have reported concerning the late King James; Nay it is absolutely necessary, that you should obstinately disbelieve it all; for it might possibly make you Relent, and insinuate a certain Softnefs, and tender Repentance into your minds, which would, above all things debauch that Loyalty, which I would confirm to you. And some may say, if all this should be true, Why then (besides many other Violences) do we draw our Swords so eagerly against that only Prince, who is willing and able to Protect, and give Bread, to our Poor, Exiled, Wronged Master? Coneys have Burrows, and Foxes have Holes where to hid their Heads, but our late poor King, and the Son of a King, Martyred for the good of his People, is still Persecuted by his own English Subjects through the Sides of that Prince, who hath so much Royal Charity, and Generosity, as to protect the Declining Shipwrecked, Injured, Exiled, Unfortunate Life, of our Late, Lawful, Gracious, English King.  
But to conclude, if all that hath been spoken were unsaid, any, even unthought, yet there remains still one Consideration hitherto untouched; which of itself is more than sufficient to elevate your Noble Courages, and fix you in the very Centre of Love and Loyalty. In short, we are now (by the Care and Goodness of our King) upon the very Brink of entering upon that Stage of Glory, where the greatest Generals and Heroes of the Age are proud to bear a Part; we ourselves shall, with them, be Actors in those Famous Tragedies which will for ever be represented in History to the end of all Ages: To us is granted the inestimable Advantages of being taught and continually practising the military Discipline of Marching, Watching, Fasting, nay, and Starving too, which is the Perfection and Consummation of the utmost Art of War: To us it is given to divide the rich and heavy Spoils of our Enemies, by the means of those constant Victories to which we have, and (for the same Reasons) still hope to be led on, by the Courage and Conduct of our Invincible Monarch. But to be short, How much is our Condition preferable to that of the miserable, neglected Dutch? They are excluded from those glorious Blessings which we True, Loyal English Men enjoy; nay more, They are barreled up like Herrings, and sent as poor and despicable Merchandise to every Port of England, where they no sooner Arrive, than they are forced to take upon them the Nature and Condition of English Subjects, by which hard Tenure they will be obliged to do the Drudgery of the Nation, they will be necessited to serve in our Parliaments, to be at the ungrateful Expense of serving the Country as Sheriffs, Deputy Lieutenants, Justices of the Peace, nay, as Constables and Churchwardens too. And what is still an Aggravation of their Hardships (which more particularly concerns ourselves) they will be put even upon doing our own private Drudgery; they must become Husbands to our Wives, Fathers to our Children, Guardians to our Orphans, Stewards to our Estates, Executors to our Wills; they must cultivate our Pastures, and plough up our fertile Fields; they must thrash our Wheat in our musty Barns, whilst we are reaping substantial Honour in their Fields of Mars. In a word, they must do all which we ourselves should have done, had we been left behind in their ignoble Places. All this, and abundantly much more which might be said, will (I hope) fully convince you, how great is the Honour, Justice, Equity, Piety, Prudence, and many more innumerable Advantages of our glorious Cause.  
Thus far, as I said at first, Gentlemen and Fellow Companions at Arms, I have brought you; and if I have detained you longer than I intended, remember, That the great Character of our most Gracious King, and his innumerable good Qualities, have been the occasion of it. I shall now dismiss you, until a fair Gale wafts us over to the Elysian Fields of Holland and Flanders; where, probably, most of you will put an end to the many Misfortunes of a Soldier's Life.  
When the Colonel had ended his Discourse, a brisk, gentile young Fellow, who came early in to the new Recruits, addresses himself after this manner to his Officer.  
Most noble Colonel, your fine Speech has been (I believe) so pleasing to us all, that (for my own part) I rather wish you had added something more than left off so soon; but since your Honour hath been pleased to take all this Pains for our Satisfaction, I beseech you, in all Humility, that your Honour will give a poor Soldier leave to mind you of one Point which may require a more full and particular Explanation. The Colonel having given a gracious Nod, by way of Consent, the young Fellow proceeded— I had the Fortune (said he) to be born the younger Son of an English Yeoman, now called, forsooth, a Gentleman: my father had 80 good Pounds, per Annum; he kept a good House, and we had Beef, and Pudden, and Nogg good Store. My elder Brother had the good luck to be brought up according to the way of his Ancestors, that is, to the Plough, and a quiet Country Life; but for my part, my Father, who was now a Gentleman, resolved that I should be Book learned, and so I was lashed from School to School until at last I become a poor Scholar in the University of Cambridge: But the excessive Taxes, Polls, and Prizes of all Necessaries, etc. since this late Revolution, growing extremely burdensome to all, and my Father in no Condition upon that same Account to allow any thing towards my Subsistence, I was forced to beat upon the Hoof to my Father's House. I had not been there long, when I perceived his way of Living so altered, and our Commons so short, that my poor Brains were almost turned with Grief and Melancholy; and to add to my Afflictions, the Vicar of our Parish, who had been an honest good Fellow, had shut up his Shop, and boarded upon mere Element and Barley Dumplin, at a poor Farmer's House in the Village. Lord! (noble Colonel) had you seen this dismal Revolution in our Town, it would have broke even your own Courageous Heart; for my part I was not able to bear it any longer, but had fixed my Thoughts upon seeking my Fortune. In short, I resolved to abandon Dwelling, and (saving your Presence) out I went a Colonelling. I had soon fixed upon the noble City of London for the Centre of my hopes. I had not been there long, when my small Stock being almost spent, I found it absolntely necessary to think of some Employment. I had heard of such as Knights of the Pad, and some of the Post, which, they said, many Gentlemen (through the Hardness of the times) had taken upon them: Or 〈◊〉 proposed that I should admit myself into he English or Dutch Company of Clippers and Coiners; but observing many hopeful young Gentlemen of those Professions sadly conducted (〈…〉 Robbers) up High Holborn, it quite balked my Fancy to any of those Trades. I resolved then to ramble into the City, and view the noble Street of Cheapside, intending, if possibly I could, to bind myself Apprentice to some honest Trade; but when I looked into their Shops, I found most part of the Prentices either playing at Shuttle Cock, or asleep, or the Shops as empty as if visited only by the Plague. I easily invited one or two of them to drink a Pot of Ale, where they told me most dismal Stories of Trade; and, in a word, They swore to me, that a Man in these times had better be a Hangman than a Tradesman. I soon took leave of my young Prentices, and resolved to view the remoter Parts of the City, thinking with myself, That possibly the Calamity might not have spread so far. I found myself at last about Spittle Fields; but noble Colonel, had your Honour seen the poor English Weavers, Button-makers, etc. sitting at their Doors all along the Streets, with their Heads in their Hands, whilst their Wives were cursing the French Dogs, (as they called them) who had taken the Bread out of their children's Mouths, for which they were sadly Bawling; had you heard them blaspheme the Government; or had your Honour's delicate Nose smelled the strong Smell of Garlic, Onions, and Cabbage, which abounded, your Honour would have thought yourself rather in some Common Shore than in the famous City of London I soon took my leave of this sad Country, and seeing no hopes of Employment at Land, I resolved to try my Fortune at Sea; to that purpose I travelled down to Wapping, hoping to meet with some honest Master that might entertain me; but (would you believe it) the Seamen had fled with as much diligence from thence, as I had taken care to get thither; so that I scarce found any body, besides whole Shoals of Sea men's Widows and Wives, with their Children and Orphans, all bitterly cursing Press-masters, the Navy Office, etc. nor did they spare Whitehall, or Kensington. I was soon weary of this Place also, which I looked upon as a Representation of Hell itself, for I found nothing but weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of Teeth: Back than I returned to Holborn, where hearing the Noise of a Drum, and seeing the Majesty of a Sergeant, and his Halberd marching before it, and observing the Huzza's of three or four Children at the end of [God save King W. and Queen M.] I was so animated at this time that I resolved immediately (right or wrong) to List myself a Soldier. I enquired after the Colonel, which I found to be your Honour; and hearing all People give you a good word, I was presently entertained, and here I am at your Service. I have troubled you with all this, noble Colonel, only to show you, That it was Necessity which brought me hither; I neither regard the Justice nor Injustice of the Cause; I neither fight for King W. nor against King J. but I venture my Life to preserve my Life by Bread and Pay. Your Honour is sensible that a young Man's Life is valued at Seven years' Purchase; and to venture Seven years Purchase against Nothing, is such a Bargain as the Devil himself would be ashamed to accept. Now if we want our Pay, we want all Things, and by consequence have Nothing, which I hope will never be our sad Case. And now (most noble Colonel) I only beg the Liberty of one word more. Since I was admitted into this Honourable Employment, I have kept Company with many of my own Profession; some served in Flanders under the D. of Monmouth, and these unanimously applaud the good Usage, and the Pay they received in that Service; I have conversed with others who served under the late King J. and when I inquire of them, how they were treated and paid in those days, they fall a sighing and sobbing, as if their Hearts would break, and I can scarce get any thing from them, but, ah, shall we never see those days again? And such Raptures of Grief and Love for his Memory, that they almost amazed me. But truly, noble Colonel, when I discourse with those who have made these late Campaigns in Flanders, all of them universally (except those in your Honour's Regiment) have given us a Relation so contrary in all Particulars to those of the former Reigns, and especially, as to the main points of Pay and good Usage, that, if your Honour will vouchsafe to give us a Satisfactory word or two, particularly to those two points (which I can assure you are the great Motives and Concern of us all) your Honour may be confident that we will follow you through Fire as well as Water, even to the Gates of Paris, if you command us. The young Fellow having made a low obeisance, the Colonel smiling, thus replied. Young Man, I have heard your long Speech with Patience, and forgive many Impertinences in it. But that nothing may be wanting to your entire Satisfaction, take this in answer to the two main Points you speak off. First, gentlemans, I do solemnly promise that your Usage in Flanders shall always be worthy of English Men, and the Goodness and Justice of our Cause; and next, as to your Pay, I do here plight my Troth, and my dear Honour, which I value above my Life, that you shall be all of you constantly, certainly, and sound Paid before you come back. In the mean time return to your Quarters till further Orders. Having said this, he mounted Pad, and took the fresh Air.  
FINIS.