en to get
booty. In spite of the positive prohibition of the magistrates, thousands
of young men often enlisted in foreign service, where most of them
perished miserably, because no one cared for them. Therefore the
governments judged it best to make treaties with the kings for the
raising of Swiss regiments, commanded by national officers, subject to
their own laws and regularly paid, so that each government could take
care of its subjects when abroad. "Confederates! you require a vent for
your energies," had Rudolf Reding of Schwyz already said, when, years
before, he saw the free life of the young men after the Burgundian war.

Now began the letting out of Swiss, Grisons, and Valaisians to foreign
military service, by their governments. The first treaty of this nature
was made by the King of France, 1479-1480, with the Confederates in
Lucerne. Next the house of Austria hired mercenaries, 1499; the princes
of Italy did the same, as did others afterward. Even the popes themselves
wanted a lifeguard of Swiss; the first, 1503, was Pope Julius II, who was
often engaged in war.

Switzerland suffered much from this course. Many a field remained
untilled, many a plough stood still, because the husbandman had taken
mercenary arms. And, if he returned alive, he brought back foreign
diseases and vices, and corrupted the innocent by evil example, for
he had acquired but little virtue in the wars. Only the sons of the
patricians and council lords obtained captaincies, commands, and riches,
by which they increased their influence and consideration in the land,
and could oppress others. They prided themselves on the titles of
nobility and decorations conferred by kings, and imagined these to be of
value, and that they themselves were more than other Swiss.

When the kings perceived the cupidity and folly of the Swiss, they
took advantage of them for their own profit, sent ambassadors into
Switzerland, distributed presents, granted gratifications and pensions to
their partisans in the councils, and for these the council lords became
willing servants of foreign princes. Then one canton was French, another
Milanese; one Venetian, another Spanish; but rarely was one Swiss. This
redounded greatly to the shame of the Swiss. When the German Emperor and
the King of France were, at the same time, canvassing the favor of the
cantons and bargaining in competition for troops, so great was the
contempt or insolence of the French ambassador at