Histoire de l'internationalisme

INTERNATIONALISME DANS LA LITTÉRATURE
Some valiant Gen'rals fought the Foe, —
Others took Bribes to lot them go ;
Some ventur'd always where't was warm.
Lest now a Leg, and then an Arm ;
Till quite disabled, and put by,
They liv'd on half their Salary ;
While others never came in Play,
and staid at Home for double Pay.°
L'auteur commente ces lignes de la façon suivante : ,, So unac-
countable is the Désire to be thought well of in Men, that tho' they
are dragg'd into War against their Will, and some of them for their
Crimes, and are compell'd to fight wlth Threats, and often Blows, yet
they would be esteem'd for what they would hâve avoided, if it had
been in their Power ".'
Le fanatisme qui caractérise les guerres de rehgion n'est pas dû
à l'ardeur et au zèle religieux témoignés par chaque individu, mais à
une poUtique de force bien déterminée de la part des chefs.
„ Any Number of Troops may, by crafty Démonstrations and other
Arts be made Zealots and Enthusiasts, that shall fight and pray, sing
Psalms one Hour and demohsh an Hospital the next ; But you'll as
soon meet with an Ai-mj' of Gênerais or of Emperors as you will with,
I won't say an Army but a Régiment or even a Compagny of good
Christians Mihtary Men. There never were better Troops, or Men that
behaved with greater Gallantry and Cheerfulness than we had in the
two last Wars ; Officers as well as common Soldiers, but I would as
soon beUeve, that it was witch-craft that made them brave, as that it
was their Religion ".^
Souvent ce sont les pires débauchés qui sont les meilleurs soldats,
et ils sont bien notés de leurs supérieurs. Il leur suffit de montier un
respect superficiel de la rehgion pour être loués comme de „ bons
chrétiens ". On invoque le nom de Dieu, même lorsqu'il s'agit des plus
cruels massacres. En fait, il est manifeste que la guerre est contraire
au commandement de l'évangile. Aussi, en cas de guerre, a-t-on toujours
recours à VAncien Testament : ,, No Rébellion was ever so unnatural,
238
• Ibid. I, p. 6—7.
' Ibid. I, p. 52.
' An Enquiry into tho Origin of Honour, pp. 146— 147.