an official letter
waiting him; it was an order from government empowering justices of the
peace to impress such men as they thought fit, with the only restriction
that men entitled to vote for members of parliament were exempted. This
tremendous power had just been legalized by an act of parliament. A more
iniquitous act never disgraced our statutes, for it enabled justices of
the peace to spite any of their poorer neighbors against whom they had a
grudge, and to ship them off to share in the hardships of Marlborough's
campaign in Germany and the Low Countries, or in the expedition now
preparing for Spain.

At that time the army was held in the greatest dislike by the English
people. The nation had always been opposed to a standing force, and
it was only now that the necessities of the country induced them to
tolerate it. It was, however, recruited almost entirely from reckless
and desperate men. Criminals were allowed to commute sentences of
imprisonment for service in the army, and the gates of the prisons
were also opened to insolvent debtors consenting to enlist. But all the
efforts of the recruiting sergeants, aided by such measures as these,
proved insufficient to attract a sufficient number of men to keep up the
armies at the required strength.

Pressing had always existed to a certain extent; but it had been carried
on secretly, and was regarded as illegal. Therefore, as men must be had,
the law giving justices the authority and power to impress any men
they might select, with the exception of those who possessed a vote for
members of parliament, was passed with the approval of parties on both
sides of the House of Commons.

There was indeed great need for men. England had allied herself with
Austria and Holland in opposition to France, the subject of dispute
being the succession to the crown of Spain, England's feelings in the
matter being further imbittered by the recognition by Louis XIV of the
Pretender as King of England. Therefore, although her interests were not
so deeply engaged in the question as to the succession to the throne of
Spain as were those of the continental powers, she threw herself into
the struggle with ardor.

The two claimants to the throne of Spain were the Archduke Charles,
second son of Leopold, Emperor of Austria, and Philip, Duke of Anjou, a
younger grandson of Louis. On the marriage of the French king with Maria
Theresa, the sister of Charles II of Spain, she had formally reno