Page:The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, Volume 17.djvu/97

Rh make but the following obvious reflection. There are in Europe alone, at present, about a million of sturdy fellows, under the denomination of standing forces, with arms in their hands: that those are masters of the lives, liberties, and fortunes of all the rest, I believe no body will deny. It is no less true in fact, that reams of paper, and above a square mile of skins of vellum have been employed to no purpose to settle peace among those sons of violence. Pray who is he that will say unto them, "go and disband yourselves?" but lo! by this transformation it is done at once, and the halcyon days of publick tranquillity return; for neither the military temper nor discipline can taint the soft sex for a whole age to come: bellaque matribus invisa, wars odious to mothers, will not grow immediately palatable in their paternal state.

Nor will the influence of this transformation be less in family tranquillity than it is in national. Great faults will be amended, and frailties forgiven on both sides. A wife, who has been disturbed with late hours, and choked with the hautgout of a sot, will remember her sufferings, and avoid the temptations; and will for the same reasons indulge her mate, in his female capacity, in some passions, which she is sensible from experience are natural to the sex; such as vanity, fine clothes, being admired, &c. And how tenderly must she use her mate under the breeding qualms and labour-pains which she hath felt herself? In short, all unreasonable demands upon husbands must cease, because they are already satisfied, from natural experience, that they are impossible. That