Part 14

As for the third Cause of Impotency, the Venereal Disease, we have already prov’d that this Institution of the Stews is the best and surest Remedy against it; and shall only observe here how happily this Project provides against the various ill Effects of Lewdness, in whatever Light we consider them.

Thus, I think, the first Part of my Proposition pretty well clear’d, viz. That the Publick Stews will preserve Mens Constitutions so well, that they will have a sufficient Stock of corporal Ability, and consequently Inclination left to persuade them, sooner or later, to enter into the Marriage-State.

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I say farther, that these Men, having thus preserv’d their Constitution, will answer all the Intents and Purposes of that State, rather better than if they had lived perfectly chaste.

When a Man and a Woman select one another out of the whole Species, it is not merely for Propagation; nay, that is generally the least in their Thoughts: What they chiefly have in View, is to pass the Remainder of their Lives happily together, to enjoy the soft Embraces and mutual Endearments of Love; to divide their Joys and Griefs; to share their Pleasures and Afflictions; and, in short, to make one another as happy as possible. As for Children, they come of Course, and of Course are educated according to their Parents Abilities.

Now all these Enjoyments depending upon the mutual Affection of these two, Man and Wife; whenever this Affection fails, either in the Woman or the Man, that Marriage is unhappy, and all the good Ends and Designs of this State entirely frustrated. To give the Women their Due, they must have the Preference in Point of Constancy; their Passions are not so easily rais’d, nor so suddenly fix’d upon any particular Object: but when this Passion is once rooted in Women, it is much stronger and more durable than in Men, and rather increases than diminishes, by enjoying the Person beloved. Whether it is that Women receive as much Love as they part with, and that the Love they receive is not entirely lost, but takes Root again by Conception; whereas what a Man parts with never affects him further, than just the Pleasure he receives at the time of parting with it: or whether this Difference is owing to the different Turn of Mens Fancies, which are more susceptible of fresh Impressions from every handsome Face they meet, or perhaps that their Heads are so much employ’d in worldly Affairs, that they only take Love en passant to get rid of a present Uneasiness, whereas Women make it the whole Business of their Lives: Whatever the Reason is, I say, it is experimentally true, that a Woman has but a very slippery Hold of a Man’s Affections after Enjoyment. Let us see therefore which of these two, the chaste or the experienc’d Man, will be least liable to this Failure of Affection, and consequently which of the two will make the best married Man.

The first great Cooler of a Man’s Affections after Marriage, is the Disparity of the Match. When a Man has married entirely for Love, and to the apparent Detriment of his worldly Affairs, as soon as the first Flash of it is over, he can’t help reflecting upon the Woman as the Cause, and, in some Sense, the Author of his Misfortunes; This naturally begets a Coldness and Indifference, which, by Degrees, turns to an open Dislike. Now it is these sorts of Marriages that chaste Men are always in danger of falling into, as I have already proved; neither is there any effectual Way to convince a Man of this Folly, and secure him against it, but by giving him some Experience in Love-Affairs. Again, as chaste Men seldom marry for any thing but sheer Love, so they have framed to themselves such high extravagant Notions of the Raptures they expect to possess in the Marriage-Bed, that they are mightily shocked at the Disappointment. A chaste unexperienc’d Man is strangely surprized, that those bewitching Charms should make such a faint Impression upon him after a thorow Perusal; he can scarce believe that the Woman is still possessed of the same Charms which transported him formerly; he fancies he has discover’d abundance of little Faults and Imperfections, and attributes his growing Dislike to this Discovery, not dreaming that this Alteration is entirely in himself, and not in the Object of Desire, which remains still the same. The Truth is, when a Man is full fraught with Love, and that his Pulse beats high for Enjoyment, this peccant Love-Humour falls down upon the Eye, which may be observ’d at such a time to be full brisk and sparkling: ’Tis then the Beauty of every Feature is magnified. and Parthenope is no less than a Goddess. But when this dazzling Humour is drawn downwards by a Revulsion, as in the Case of Marriage, a Man’s Eyes are perfectly open’d; and though they may look languid, sunk, and environ’d with blueish Circles, yet he actually sees much better than before; for Parthenope will now appear to him a Mortal, such as she really is, divested of all those false Glosses and Appearances.

The chaste Man is surprized at this Change; he is apt to lay the Fault upon the Woman, and generally fixes his Affections on some other Female, who, he imagines, is free from those Faults: then farewel happy Wedlock. The experienc’d Man, on the contrary, has try’d several Women; he finds they all agree in one Particular, and that after a Storm of Love there always succeeds a Calm: When he enters into Matrimony, he is prepar’d against any Disappointments of that Nature, and is ready to make Allowance for those Faults and Imperfections which are inseparable from Human Kind. This is so true, that Women have establish’d a Maxim, that Rakes make the best Husbands; for they are very sensible how difficult it is to monopolize a Man’s Affections; that he will have his Curiosity about those Affairs satisfied one time or other: And tho’ this Experience is useful before Marriage, it is very dangerous afterwards.

Besides, to compleat the Happiness of the Marriage-State, or indeed to make it tolerably easy, there must be some Agreement in the Temper, Humour, and Disposition of the two Parties concern’d. If, for Instance, the Man can’t endure the Sight of a Metropolis, and the Woman can’t enjoy herself out of it; if the Man is grave, serious, and an Enemy to all jocular Merriment, when his Wife is a profess’d Lover of Mirth and Gaiety, these two can never agree: Differences will arise every Day, and Differences in Wedlock are as hard to reconcile as those in Religion: We may guess at the Reason from a parallel Instance.

After the Revocation of the Edict of Nantz, several Protestant Gentlemen were shut up in the Bastile at Paris, where they liv’d constantly together for a considerable Time: They made an Observation, during their Stay there, That whenever the least Difference or Dispute happen’d amongst them, it was never reconciled till some time after their Enlargement; because, said they, altho’ we were Yoke-Fellows in Affliction, yet never being out of one another’s Company, our Animosities were always kept up warm, for want of a little Absence to cool them. It is the same Case with Matrimony; and People ought to be particularly careful to chuse a Wife as nearly of their own Temper as possible.

Now this Consideration never enters into the Head of a chaste unexperienc’d Man, he is so infatuated with personal Love, that he imagines his whole future Happiness depends upon the Possession of such a Shape, or such a Composition of Features; when he is disappointed in this, how much will it add to his Chagrin, to find himself yoked for Life to a Woman whose Temper is quite opposite to his own, and consequently whose Satisfaction is quite inconsistent with his? We may guess the Sequel; separate Beds, separate Maintenance, and all the whole Train of Conjugal Misfortunes. In short, let us consider Matrimony under what View we please, we shall still find that the experienc’d Man will make the best Husband, and answer all the Ends of Marriage much better than a Man who lives perfectly chaste to his Wedding-Day.

Thus, we see, by this happy Regulation of the Publick Stews, that Whoring, instead of being an Enemy to Matrimony, will advance and promote the Interest of it as much as possible.

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We come to the last great Point propos’d, viz. that this Project of the Publick Stews will prevent, as much a possible, the debauching of modest Women, and thereby reduce Whoring to the narrowest Bounds in which it can possibly be contain’d.

To illustrate this Matter, we must step a little back to consider the Constitution of Females, while they are in a State of Innocence; and when we have taken a View of the Fortifications which Nature has made to preserve their Chastity, we shall find out the Reason why it is so often surrender’d, and be the better able to provide for its Defence.

Every Woman, who is capable of Conception, must have those Parts which officiate so framed, that they may be able to perform whatever is necessary at that Juncture. Now, to have those Parts so rightly adapted for the Use which Nature design’d them, it is requisite that they should have a very quick Sensation, and, upon the Application of the Male-Organ, afford the Woman an exquisite Pleasure; for without this extravagant Pleasure in Fruition, the recipient Organs could never exert themselves to promote Conception as they now do, in such an extraordinary Manner: The whole Vagina, as one continu’d Sphincter, contracting and embracing the Penis, while the Nymphæ and adjacent Islands have their particular Emissions at that critical Minute, either as a Vehicle to lubricate the Passage, or else to incorporate with the Masculine Injection: Add to this, that the Fallopian Tubes put themselves in a proper Posture to receive the impregnating Fluid, and convey it, as is suppos’d, to the Ovaria. Now it is hard to imagine, that so many alert Members, which can exert themselves in such a lively Manner on this Occasion, should be at all other Times in a State of perfect Tranquillity; for, besides that Experience teaches us the contrary, this handsome Disposition would be entirely useless, if Nature had not provided a prior Titillation, to provoke Women at first to enter upon Action; and all our late Discoveries, in Anatomy, can find out no other Use for the Clitoris, but to whet the Female Desire by its frequent Erections; which are, doubtless, as provoking as those of the Penis, of which it is a perfect Copy, tho’ in Miniature.

In short, there requires no more to convince us of the Violence of Female Desire, when raised to a proper height, but only to consider, what a terrible Risque a Woman runs to gratify it. Shame and Poverty are look’d upon as Trifles, when they come in Competition with this predominating Passion. But altho’ it must be allow’d, that all Women are liable to these amorous Desires, yet, the Variety of Constitutions will make a considerable Difference; for as in some Men the Olfactory, Auditory, or Optick Nerves, are not so brisk and lively as in others, so there are some Women who have the Nerves of their Pudenda more lively, and endow’d with a much quicker Sensation than others. Now, whether this Difference is owing to the Formation of the Nerves, or to the different Velocity of the Blood circulating thro’ those Parts, or whether it is owing to the different Quantity, or perhaps Acrimony, of that Fluid which is separated from the Blood by the Nymphæ, and other titillating Glands: I say, from whencesoever this Difference proceeds, according to the Degree of this Sensation, we may venture to pronounce a Woman more or less in their own Nature Chaste.

To counterballance this violent natural Desire, all young Women have strong Notions of Honour carefully inculcated into them from their Infancy. Young Girls are taught to hate a Whore, before they know what the Word means; and when they grow up, they find their worldly Interest entirely depending upon the Reputation of their Chastity. This Sense of Honour and Interest, is what we may call artificial Chastity; and it is upon this Compound of natural and artificial Chastity, that every Woman’s real actual Chastity depends.

As for Instance, some Women are naturally more Chaste, or rather, to speak properly, less Amorous than others, and at the same time have very strict Notions of Honour. Such Women are almost impregnable, and may be compar’d to Towns strongly fortify’d both by Art and Nature, which, without Treachery, are safe from any sudden Attacks, and must be reduc’d by long and regular Sieges, such as few Men have the Patience or Resolution to go thro’ with.

Other Women, again, have the same Value for their Reputation, and stand as much upon the Puncto of Honour; but then they are naturally of a very sanguine amorous Disposition. A Woman of this Class may not unjustly be compar’d to a Town well garrison’d, but whose mutinous unruly Inhabitants are strongly inclin’d to revolt and let in the Enemy. Such Women, it’s true, by extraordinary Care and Vigilance may suppress these Mutinies; and Honour may for a long while keep Inclination under, but yet they are never perfectly safe; there are certain Times and Seasons, certain unguarded Hours, when Honour and Interest are lull’d asleep, and Love has got the entire Ascendant. Besides, altho’ we allow Love and Honour to be pretty equal Combatants, nay even granting, that in a Pitch’d Battle, when they have muster’d up all their Forces, Honour will have the Advantage, and quell Inclination; yet, in the Course of a long Civil War, it is Odds but Love one Time or other obtains a Victory, which is sure to be decisive: for Inclination has this unlucky Advantage over Honour, that, instead of being weaken’d, it grows stronger by Subjection; and, like Camomile, the more it is press’d down and kept under, the sturdier it grows; or, like Antæus, it receives fresh Vigour from every Defeat, and rises the brisker the oftener it is thrown. Whereas Honour once routed never rallies; nay, the least Breach in Female Reputation is irreparable; and a Gap in Chastity, like a Chasm in a young Tree, is every Day a Widening. Besides, Honour and Interest require a long Chain of solid Reasoning before they can be set in Battle-Array: Whereas Inclination is presently under Arms, the Moment Love has pitch’d his Standard: For, as we find that the least wanton Glance of a Lady’s Eye quickly alarms a Man’s Animal Spirits, and puts the whole Body Corporate into an unruly Ferment; so, doubtless, the Female Imagination is at least equally alert: and in such a sudden Scuffle betwixt Love and Honour, it is ten to one but the Enemy enters; for the Gate of Chastity, like the Temple of Janus, always stands open during these Conflicts. It must indeed be granted, that if the Loss of Honour was immediately to succeed the Loss of Chastity, the Virtue of these Women would be much stronger than it is; but they flatter themselves with the Hopes of Secrecy, and fancy that they have found out an Expedient to purchase Pleasure without the Expence of Reputation; by this Means Honour is reconciled to Inclination, or at best made to stand Neuter; and then the Consequence is very obvious. In short, a wanton Woman of Honour may withstand a great many Attacks, and possibly defend her Chastity to the very last; but yet she is every Day in danger of being surpriz’d, and at best will make but a very precarious Defence.

A third Sort of Women, the very Reverse of the preceding, have neither Honour nor Inclination; that is to say, they have neither the one nor the other to an equal Degree with the rest of the Sex. These Kinds of Women, who put a slighter Value than ordinary upon their Characters, are generally, in their Circumstances, either above the World or below it; for when a Woman has her Interest and Fortune depending upon her Reputation, as all the middle Rank of Womankind have, she is a Woman of Honour of course. Interest, indeed, is inseparable from Female Honour, nay, it is the very Foundation of it; and Honour and Interest, when they are consider’d as Guardians to Chastity, are synonimous Terms. The bare Puncto of Honour, when abstracted from Interest, would prove but a small Rub to Women in their eager Pursuit of Pleasure: Thus we see the Conduct of a Maiden Lady, how much more circumspect it is whilst her Fortune in Marriage is depending, than afterwards, when that Point of Interest is secured by a Husband; for all marry’d Women are above the World, in so far as they are out of the Reach of any Suspicions or Surmises, or even a Probability of Incontinence; and since they are not liable to be detected by Pregnancy, there’s no other Sort of Conviction able to prejudice them, but downright ocular Demonstration: Which seems to be the Reason why so many of them take such Liberties, as if they were of Falstaff’s Opinion, when he said, Nothing but Eyes confutes me. Female Honour, therefore, being so nearly ally’d and closely annex’d to worldly Interest, we must confine this Class of Women to two Sorts: First, those whose Fortunes are independent, and above being influenc’d by the Censure of the World; and, secondly, those who are far below the World, that they either escape its Censure, or else are incapable of being hurt by it. The first Sort lie under this Disadvantage, that let their natural Chastity be ever so great, the smallest Spark of Desire is capable of being blown up and rais’d to a considerable Pitch; whereas, when a Woman is once arriv’d to Maturity, that Portion of Honour which she has acquir’d, is with Difficulty preserv’d, and at best is incapable of any Improvement. The second Sort are equally liable to have their Passions rais’d, however low they may be naturally, and besides lie under this farther Disadvantage, that tho’ they cannot promote their Interest by preserving their Chastity, yet, if they have the least Spark of Beauty, they will find their Account sufficiently in parting with it. The Virtue, indeed, of this Class of Women, seems chiefly to depend upon the Degree of Beauty which they stand possess’d of; for if they have Charms sufficient to provoke young Men to be at any tolerable Pains and Cost, their Chastity can never hold out long, but must infallibly surrender.

The fourth and last Kind of Women we shall mention, are those who have a very moderate Share of Honour, join’d to a very amorous Constitution.

The Virtue of these Women is entirely defenceless; and, as soon as a Man has removed that little timorous Coyness, which is natural to young Women in their first Attempts, he may proceed with Confidence, and conclude the Breach to be practicable; for whatever Resistance he meets with afterwards, will only enhance the Pleasure of Conquest. Most Women, indeed, let them be ever so fully resolv’d to comply, make as great a Shew of Resistance as they can conveniently counterfeit; and this the Sex would pass upon the World for a kind of innate Modesty: but it is very easily accounted for.

As soon as Women have entertain’d any Degree of Love, they make it their whole Study to raise and maintain an equal Degree of Passion in the Men; and they are very sensible how far the bare Appearance of Modesty will prevail to render them amiable. The Pain they suffer in smothering their Desires, is fully recompenced by that secret Pleasure which a Lover’s Eagerness gives them, because they esteem it a Proof both of the Sincerity and Violence of his Passion. A Woman is not, without some Reason, afraid, lest a Man’s Love should diminish after Enjoyment, and would gladly bribe his After-Love, by the great Value she seems to put upon her Chastity before she makes him a Present of it.

Besides, not to mention the actual Pleasure a Woman receives in Struggling, it is a Justification of her in the Eye of the Man, and a kind of Salvo to her Honour and Conscience, that she never did fully comply, but was in a manner forced into it. This is the plain natural Reason why most Women refuse to surrender upon Treaty, and why they delight so much in being storm’d.

Having thus taken a cursory View of the Sex, in their several Classes, and according to their several Circumstances, we may conclude, preferring Truth to Complaisance, that by far the greater Part of Womenkind hold their Virtue very precariously; and that Female Chastity is, in its own Nature, built upon a very ticklish Foundation.

Hudibras has ludicrously plac’d the Seat of Male-Honour, in the Posteriors, whereby it is secur’d from any Attack in Front; but Female Honour, notwithstanding the apparent Safety of the Situation, like a Debtor’s House upon the Verge of two Counties, is liable to be attack’d both Ways; à parte ante, & à parte post,

That the Seat of Honour in Females has this double Aspect, like Janus bifrons, and consequently that it is two Ways accessible, has already been taken Notice of by almost all the Writers upon this Subject; but it is worth remarking here, that Lycurgus had an Eye to it when he modelled the Spartan Petticoat; for tho’ the Warmth of the Climate obliged the Women to be very open in that Part of their Dress, insomuch that, if we believe Plutarch, in his Comparison of Numa and Lycurgus, the Habit which the Maidens of Laconia wore came but to their Knees, and was open on both Sides, so that as they walked their Thighs appear’d bare; yet this wise Law-giver would not permit them to make the least Aperture, either in the fore or hind Part of that Garment; rightly judging, that those two sacred Avenues to a Maid’s Honour ought to be guarded with the utmost Caution.