Religio militis, or, The moral duty of a soldier shewing how he ought to behave himself towards God, his King and country.

SECT. X. Of the seventh Commandment.

NOT to commit Adultery, according to the strictness of the prohibition, our Saviour tells us, is, not to look on a Woman to lust after her. And if the Injunction be so strict, as to reach the affections of the mind, they must needs be notori∣ously guilty of the Sin, who commit it openly, in mind and acti∣on too. Among other miserable Effects of Sieges, that of Ra∣vishing of Women, is one of the nearest, and next to Murther it self, the most afflicting and detestable: Nay, it may be said to vie with Murther on one account; because Murther often follows on the Neck of a Rape. But certainly this will be a heavy Charge against those Men who practise it, at the day of Judgment: For I cannot think Almighty God will countenance such Inhumanity, but rather make them sensible, with vengeance, that, what is a Sin in times and places of peace, is a Sin likewise in War. Adul∣tery,

which is here expressed, implies a joint Consent, other∣wise, 'tis a Rape on one side or 'tother. And 'tis supposed that when this Sin is committed in the sacking of a Town, it must be a Rape on the Man's part, because the Woman, surely, can∣not have so much kindness for him who, it may be, murthered her Husband before her face, as to be induced to a Consent. And then we must grant, that a Sin is so much the more aggrava∣ting and heinous, by reason of the violence used in the Com∣mission of it. But, how unbecoming a generous mind these. Actions are, I leave to any to judge. After we have conquered Men, to do violence to the Women, is not operae pretium, as we say, it renders us more inglorious, and the Horror of all that hear of it. Though the Conquest it self was never so glo∣rious, yet one base Action in this Nature, is enough to blast it all, and us with Infamy. We have many worthy Examples in prophane Story, of Men who abhorred such Actions, as mean and unbecoming any thing of a Soldier. And of all others, the young, and generous Scipio deserves our Imitation in the first place; who when he had taken new Carthage in Spain, a Cap∣tive Virging being presented to him, of such eminent Parts and Beauty, that she charmed all that beheld her, he was so far from offering any Injury to her Chastity, that he not only restored her untouched to her Friends, but ordered that she should be kept most pure and inviolate. 'Tis true, this unusual sort of Continency, was much suspected by some, to be sorged, and not a real Act of Chastity in Scipio, but a flying Story, spread on purpose to heighten his Fame. Especially since that Nation was more than ordinarily addicted to Lust. Nay, and Scipio's own answer to those who presented her, seemed to savour of some sort of Ardor in him, if his own Glory had not been at stake. For Plutarch tells us, that he confessed he could willingly have embraced her, if he had been a private Soldier, and not a Gene∣ral. Or as Polybius writes of him; That he answered, If he was a private Soldier, no Present could be more acceptable; but as he was a General, nothing less affected him. As if Chastity was not a Virtue in a private Soldier, as well as in a Comman∣der. This, however, we may learn from hence; That as the main Cause of Scipio's Continency, proceeded from Principles of Honour, so Christian Commanders should be wrought upon by the like Principles of Honour, and Christianity too, to evade

all Temptations of this Nature, and be so far from doing vio∣lence to a Woman, who is not able to defend her self, as to re∣fuse all offers of kindness tending so much-to their Dishonour. And the private Soldier too, should hence learn to disdain and contemn such base Exploits, as unworthy the thoughts of a Man, and a Derogation from the Honour of a Christian; to this end considering, that, as a Commander thinks such Actions too mean for one in his Station to be guilty of, the private Soldier, being a Man, may be as careful of his Honour as the other, and so by this means all may be emulous of true Glory and Honour. 'Tis a question, which of the two acted more honourably, Sci∣pio in restoring the Virgin that was presented to him inviolate, or Alexander the Great, who when he heard of the exceeding Beauty of Darius's Wife, whom his Men had taken in Battle, he would not see her, nor suffer her to be brought into his sight. For this very Action, Plutarch affirms Alexander to be more chast than Agamemnon; In that, He preferred a Captive to his Wife, when the other, though unmarried, refused to see that which might make an attempt on his Virtue. However he proved afterwards, is nothing to the purpose: Good and Virtu∣ous Actions are to be imitated in whomsoever, or whenever they appear; the circumstances of Persons, time and place do not at all alter the property of the thing; but 'tis much safer to imitate the good Actions of a bad Man, than the evil Actions of the most pious. But besides the Meanness and Inhumanity of a Rape, which I chiefly declaim against, though I would be understood, as condemning the Sin prohibited in this Commandment in all shapes at the same time, I may offer, how far it is from yielding true pleasure or satisfaction, could it be committed with never so much Safety and Honour.

—Medio de fonte leporum Surgit amari aliquid, quod in ipsis floribus angat.

In the midst of the sweetest Pleasure, says Lucretius, there ap∣pears something which favours of Bitterness, which continually mingles with those pleasures. And it may be supposed, that for this very reason the more prudent Heroes of all Ages, have eva∣ded the inticements to pleasure, that they might avoid the pain, which commonly follows upon it; and so have left Examples and Monuments of Continences to Posterity. Thus we read of Cy∣rus

King of Persia, that, when he refused to see Panthea, a most beautiful Captive, and Araspes pressed him to it, by telling him, that she was a Woman worth his sight; Therefore, says he, I must the more warily abstain from the sight of her. For, if I should be wrought upon by you, to go to her, or to suffer her to be brought to me; her Charms, it may be, would allure me to behold her, and the more I look the better I may like, and so I may be induced to stay with her, and many inconveniences may follow, which I would not willingly know. How can a Soldier tell, but that Beauty may be thrown in his way on purpose to intrap and destroy him? This had like to have been the Fate of Alexander the Great, had not he followed his Tutor Aristotle's Counsel. When an Indian King gave him a beautiful Maid to draw him into pleasure, who had been nourished with the Poyson of Wolf-bane, and being accustomed to it, as to her daily Food, she could constantly eat it without being any way hurt; yet she by reason of that, could not be touched without Infection. A∣restotle percieving this, by the sparkling and shining of her Eyes like a Serpent, Beware, O Alexander, says he, for in her are pre∣pared Snares and Destruction. And this was nothing but the truth as it happened, for who ever touched or had to do with her, was immediately intoxicated. Now this would have proved a sad Dilemma to him, and to his whole Army too, had he obeyed the Allurements of her Charms, before the wholsom Caution of his Master: It would have convinced them to their Cost, of the truth of the Proverb, Nocet empta dolore voluptas, that pleasure, let it appear never so tempting, will in the end prove but an ill Bargain to the Purchaser: Especially the Pleasures of Lust and Concupiscence. A Soldier therefore, should consider that half an hours dalliance may be the detriment of himself, and those that are with him; or if it is not, yet 'tis too much beneath him to truckle to the seeming perfections of face or shape, especially when he is sighting for Honour and Justice. And from these Consi∣derations, as he would not be guilty of a Sin so unbecoming as well as dangerous, so he should avoid those Excesses as may any way tend to the promotion of it, or raising an Appetite to it. Now nothing runs men into more, and more unnatural Extravagancies than Drunkenness; and this is commonly so inherent to a Soidier, that 'tis usually said, a Cup in the Head makes the Hands sight the better, and the Heart more couragious. But, how true so∣ever

this may be, 'tis certain, that the Valour which is caused by hard drinking, amounts to no more than a voluntary Madness. And it has been asserted by some, that Drunkenness kills more Men than War. St. Austin displays this Sin in the most proper Colours: Drunkenness, says he, is the Mother of all sorts of Wicked∣ness; the very Matter of wilful Offences; the Root of all Crimes; the Ori∣ginal of all Vices; the Troubling of the Head; the Subversion of Sense, the Tempest of the Tongue; the Storm of the whole Body; the Ship∣wrack of Chastity; the Loss of Time; Voluntary Madness; Ignomi∣nions Weakness; the Baseness of Manners; the Deformity and Dis∣grace of the whole Life; the Infamy of Honesty, and the Bane of the Soul. Characters odious enough, one would think, to deter any thing of a Man from being seen under them. And if a Soldier could but be sensible, when he is sober, and himself, what in∣glorious Enterprizes he madly runs upon when he is not, he would, I dare say, be ashamed so far to unman himself as all they do, who are so intoxicated, and overcome. In a word, it con∣cerns every one that calls himself a Soldier, to take care to do all things well and honourably: Which he cannot do, who pursues such base Actions as violating the Chastity of any Person, especi∣ally such as being Captives have no Body to defend them. To this end it concerns them likewise to abstain from such Excesses as may be the Causes of such ungenerous Actions. The Com∣manders in an Army should take care that they set good Exam∣ples of Chastity and Sobriety; and if that will not allure others to imitate them, other means must be used to keep up the Ho∣nour of God, and of themselves; that while they act from Prin∣ciples of Generosity and Christianity too, they may be looked upon by all as Soldiers, Men and Christians.