Very well, reply'd the King; but till such time as we see one, tell me, how those Armies which you talk to me so much of, are compos'd and subsisted, how they fight, what Reward the Conquerors have, and what Profit the Widows and Orphans; whether such Wars have no End, and whether you never have a Peace. Very seldom, Sir, said I: The Earth is immensely great, in comparison to your Empire; there's a vast Number of such Kingdoms in the Parts from whence we came. So many great Lords cannot possibly live long without a Misunderstanding: The Interests of the Royal Families, more than those of private Men, often cause Broils. Jealousy, the Desire of Aggrandisement, Precedence, the Diversity of Religions almost in every Kingdom; all these things are Causes of Ruptures, which are seldom accommodated till there has been a great Effusion of Blood. We have an Empire call'd _Spain_, in the Bowels of which a War broke out some time ago, which rag'd fifty or sixty Years, and cost the Lives of a Million of Men.
The prevailing Religion of that Country, and in which I was born, is the Christian, which differs extremely from all others; nor have all that profess it the same Sentiments in every respect. The greatest part pretend, 'tis not sufficient to worship one God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, but that Prayers should also be made to the departed Saints, to the end that they may intercede for us in Paradise. The Prelates of this Church injoin the Necessity of believing Purgatory, which is a Place full of Fire and Brimstone, where, after Death, Souls are to fry in Torment, for a certain Number of Years, more or less, according to the Crimes they have committed, that they may be enabled to appear pure and undefiled before the Throne of God. This same Church demands a Confession that Jesus Christ is alive still in Flesh and Bones, and altogether as large, as when he was crucify'd, in a Wafer or Piece of Paste no bigger than the Palm of one's Hand, which the Priest gives to every Layman on certain Days of the Year appropriated to that Ceremony, _&c_. Many People finding these Maxims as inconsistent with common Sense, as they are with the Precepts contain'd in the sacred Book of our Laws, thought in their Consciences they should be to blame if they observ'd them. The Clergy perceiving this Disorder in the Church, erected a severe Tribunal, which impos'd great Penalties on those that took the Liberty to reform the Divine Worship. To this we must add, that besides the Clergy who drain'd the People's Purses, and took their Money for reading Prayers, by which they pretended effectually to deliver the Souls of their Ancestors out of Purgatory, the King's Officers loaded them every Day with new Taxes, insomuch that the most resolute Inhabitants, in order to shake off the Yoke, form'd secret Cabals, and made themselves Masters of some wall'd Cantons or Cities. Thereupon Commerce decay'd, the Labourers suffer'd for want of Work, and a Foreign Prince puts himself at the Head of the Malecontents, who are join'd by other Monarchs jealous of the King of _Spain_'s Greatness, who only seek to raise themselves upon his Ruin. Companies of Tradesmen are form'd, who are glad to serve for their Subsistence. Of these Companies, which consist of 100 Men, more or less, with their proper Officers, are form'd Regiments, and of these Regiments Armies, which are commanded by Generals experienced in the Art of War, who take care to furnish them with Arms, Clothes, and all sorts of Ammunition, at the Expence of the Public, whom the Magistrates charge with Subsidies for that Purpose. When the Forces are ready in the Field, a thousand Artifices and Stratagems are invented and made use of to surprise the Enemy; at length they come to close Engagement, and after they have fought a whole Day many times, it happens sometimes that the greatest Advantage which the Conqueror has to boast of is, having kept the Field of Battle, which costs him upon those Occasions 15 or 20000 fighting Men, while perhaps his Enemy retreats about 500 Paces, with the Loss of not half that Number. When the one has intirely defeated the other, he improves his Victory by gaining Countries and Towns, where sometimes he lays all waste with Fire and Sword. Mean time his Adversary endeavours to recruit himself, either by raising new Troops, or by contracting Alliances with other Princes whom he draws into his Party. Then he returns to the Charge, when Fortune declares sometimes for the one, sometimes for the other, till their Men and Money are exhausted, and they are forc'd to come to an Accommodation; which is sure to last not long, because there are turbulent Spirits that never want Pretences to disturb the Tranquillity.