The God of nature has enforc'd conjugal fociety, not only by making it agreeable, but by the principle of chastity inherent in our nature. To animals that have no instinct for pairing, chastity is utterly unknown; and to them it would be useless. The mare, the cow, the ewe, the fhe-goat, receive the male without ceremony, and admit the first that comes in the way without distinction. Neither have tame fowl any notion of chastity: they pair not; and the female gets no food from the male, even during incubation. But chastity and mutual fidelity are effen

queftioned by a married lady, how fhe had obtained fuch afcendant over her husband Auguftus, anfwered, "By being obedient to his commands, by not "wifhing to know his fecrets, and by hiding my "knowledge of his amours." The late Queen of Spain was a woman of fingular prudence, and of folid judgement. A character of her, published after her death, contains the following paffage. "She "had a great afcendency over the King, founded "on his perfuafion of her fuperior fenfe, which "the fhow'd in a perfect fubmiffion to his com"mands; the more eafily obey'd, as they were "commonly, tho' to him imperceptibly, dictated "by herfelf. She cured him of many foibles, and “in a word was his Minerva, under the appearance " of Mentor."

tial

tial to all pairing animals; for wandering inclinations would render them negligent in nurfing their young. Wild birds pair;

and they are by inftinct faithful to each other, while their young require nurture. Chastity is effential to the human race; enforc'd by the principle of chastity, a branch of the moral fenfe. Chastity is effential even to the continuation of the hu man race. As the Carnal appetite is always alive, the fexes would wallow in pleafure and be foon rendered unfit for procreation, were it not for the restraint of chastity. Nor is

monial ftarety confined to the matri

A

state. Matrimony is instituted by

nature for

continuing the fpecies; and it is the duty of man to abftain from animal enjoyment, except in that ftate. The ceremonies of marriage and the causes of separation and divorce, are subjected to municipal law but if a man beget children, it is his duty to unite with the mother in taking care of them; and fuch union is matrimony according to the law of nature. Hence it is, that the first acts of incontinence, where enjoyment only is in view, are always attended with fhame, and with

a

ΓΓ

as chastity in perfons who are fingle is only a felf-duty, it is not fo ftrongly enforc'd by the moral fenfe as chastity is in married perfons, who owe fidelity to each, other. Deviations accordingly from the former make a lefs figure than from the latter we fcarce ever hear of adultery among favages; tho' among them incontinence before marriage, is not uncommon. In Wales, even at prefent, and in the highlands of Scotland, it is fcarce a difgrace for a young woman to have a bastard. In the country last mentioned, the first instance known of a bastard-child being destroy'd by its mother through fhame, is a late one. The virtue of chastity appears to be there gaining ground; as the only temptation a woman can have to destroy her child, is, to conceal her frailty. The principle of chastity, like that of propriety or of decency, is faint among favages;

Quand enfin cette aimable jeuneffe vient à fe marier, les deux époux fe donnant mutuellement 3769H les premices de leur perfonne, en font plus chers l'un à l'autre ; des multitudes d'enfans fains et fo buftes deviennent le gage d'une union que rien n'altere. Rouleau Emile.

and

and has little of that influence which prevails among polished nations before they are corrupted by luxury. We fhall have occafion to fee afterward, that even the great duty of justice is faint among barbarians; and that it yields readily to every irregular impulfe, before the moral fenfe has arrived to maturity.

Chastity is a restraint upon nature; and therefore, if fhame be removed by making it lawful to obey the appetite, nature will prevail. In the year 1707, a contagious diftemper having carried off a large proportion of the inhabitants of Iceland, the King of Denmark fell on a device to repeople the country, which fucceeded to a wish. A law was made, authorising young women in that island to have bastards, even to the number of fix, without wounding their reputation The young women were so zealous to repeople their

* Don Juan de Ulloa, in his voyage to Peru, mentions a very fingular tafte prevalent in that country, that a man never takes a virgin to wife; and thinks himself dithonoured if his wife have not, before marriage, enjoy'd many lovers. If we can truft Paulus Venetus, a young woman of Thibet, in Afia, is not reckoned fit to be married till fhe be deflowered.

country,

AS

country, that after a few years it was ed bas found proper to abrogate the law.

Modesty is by nature intended to guard chastity, as chaftity is to guard matrimony. And modefty, like chaftity, is one of those delicate principles that make no great figure among favages. In the land of Jeffo, young women fometimes go naked in fummer!' if however they meet a ftranger, they hang the head, and turn away through fhame. Nature here is their only instructor * Some favage tribes have fo little notion of 'modefty, las to go naked, without even covering their privy parts. Regnard reports upon his own knowledge, that in Lapland, man, woman, and child, take the hot bath Dropromifcuously, and are not afhamed to be feen in that condition, even by a ftranger. As this appeared fingular, I took opportunity to mention it to Dr Solander, who had made more than one vifit to that country. He said, that Regnard's report might be true; but without any imputa

རྩ་འག

* Doth not modefty prevail among many animals? Elephants are never feen in copulation, nor cats, nor beasts of prey.

VOL. II.

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