nature to pair. Animal love among creatures who pair not, is confined within a narrow space of time: while the dam is occupied about her young, animal love lies dormant, that she may not be abstracted from her duty. In pairing animals, on the contrary, animal love is always awake frequent enjoyment endears a pair to each other, and makes conftancy a pleafure. Such is the cafe of the human race; and fuch is the cafe of wild birds (a). Among the wild birds that build on trees, the male, after feeding his mate in the neft, plants himself upon the next spray, and cheers her with a fong *. There is ftill greater enjoyment provided for the human race in the matrimonial state, and ftronger incitements to conftancy. Sweet is the fociety of a pair fitted for each other, in whom are collected the affections of husband, wife, lover, friend, the tendereft affections of human nature. Public government is in perfection, when the fovereign commands with humanity,

* A male canary bird, finging to his mate on her neft in a breeding cage, fell down dead. The female alarmed left her neft and pecked at him: finding him immoveable, the refufed nourishment and died at his fide. (a) Buffon, liv. 5. p. 359. octavo edition.

and

and the fubjects are cordial in their obedience. Private government in conjugal fociety arrives at ftill greater perfection, where hnfband and wife govern and are governed reciprocally, with entire fatisfaction to both. The man bears rule over his wife's perfon and conduct; fhe bears rule over his inclinations: he governs by law: she by perfuafion. Nor can her authority ever fail, where it is fupported by fweetness of temper, and zeal to make him happy *.

The

L'empire de la femme eft un empire de douceur, d'addreffe, et de complaifance; fes ordres font des careffes, fes menaces font des pleurs. Elle doit regner dans la maison comme un miniftre dans l'etat, en fe faifant commander ce qu'elle veut faire. En ce fens il eft conftant que les meilleurs ménages font ceux où la femme a le plus d'autorité. Mais quand elle meconnoit la voix du chef, qu'elle veut ufurper fes droits et commander elle-même; il ne refulte jamais de ce defordre, que mifere, fcandale, et difhonneur; Rouffeau Emile, liv. 5. p. 96.—[In English thus: "The empire "of the woman is an empire of softness, of address, "of complacency; her commands are careffes, her

menaces are tears. She ought to reign in the family "like a minifter in the ftate, by making that which is "her inclination be enjoined to her as her duty: Thus "it is evident, that the best domestic oeconomy is that "where the wife has moft authority. But when he is "infenfible to the voice of her chief, when she tries to ufurp his prerogative, and to command alone,

"what

The God of nature has enforced conjugal fociety, not only by making it agreeable, but by the principle of chastity inherent in our nature. To animals that have no inftinct 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 diftinction. 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

"what can refult from fuch disorder, but misery, scan"dal, and difhonour?"]-The Emprefs Livia being queftioned by a married lady, how fhe had obtained fuch afcendent over her husband Auguftus, answered, "By being obedient to his commands, by not wishing "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 afcen"dency over the King, founded on his persuasion of "her fuperior fenfe, which fhe fhowed in a perfect "fubmiffion to his commands; the more eafily obeyed, "as they were commonly, though to him impercepti"bly, dictated by herself. She cured him of many "foibles, and, in a word, was his Minerva, under the appearance of Mentor."

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tial to all pairing animals; for wandering inclinations would render them negligent in nurfing their young. While birds pair ; and they are by instinct faithful to each other, while their young require nurture. Chastity is effential to the human race; enforced by the principle of chastity, a branch of the moral fense. Chastity is effential even to the continuation of the human race. As the carnal appetite is always alive, the fexes would wallow in pleasure, and be foon rendered unfit for procreation, were it not for the restraint of chastity.

Nor is chastity confined to the matrimonial ftate. Matrimony is inftituted 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 caufes of feparation and divorce, are fubjected 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

a degree of remorfe *. At the fame time, as chastity in perfons who are single is only a felf-duty, it is not fo ftrongly enforced by the moral fenfe as chastity is in married persons, 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; though 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 baftard. In the country laft mentioned, the first inftance known of a bastard-child being deftroyed by its mother through fhame, is a late one. The virtue of chaftity appears to be there gaining ground; as the only temptation a woman can have to deftroy her child, is to conceal her frailty. The principle of chastity, like that of propricty or of decency, is faint among

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

favages;