favages; 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 juftice is faint among barbarians; and that it yields readily to every irregular impulse, before the moral sense has arrived to maturity. :

Chastity is a restraint upon nature; and, therefore, if shame 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, authorifing young women in that island to have baftards, 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 dishonoured if his wife have not, before marriage, enjoyed many lovers. If we can trust Paulus Venetus, a young woman of Thibet, in Afia, is not reckoned fit to be married till fhe be defloured.

country,

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

Modesty is by nature intended to guard chastity, as chastity is to guard matrimony. And modefty, like chastity, 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 inftructor *. Some favage tribes have fo little notion of modefty, as 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 promifcuously, and are not ashamed to be feen in that condition, even by a stranger. As this appeared fingular, I took an opportunity to mention it to Dr Solander, who had made more than one visit to that country. He said, that Regnard's report might be true; but without any imputation on the modesty of

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

VOL. II.

D

the

the Laplanders, for that their place of bathing is always fo dark that nothing can be feen. He added, that the females in Lapland, both married and unmarried, are extremely chafte. The inhabitants of Otaheite, if Bougainville can be trufted, feem to have as little notion of modefty as of chastity. But many of that author's facts ftand contradicted by later voyagers. The women of New Zealand are both chafte and modeft. Captain Cook, in his voyage round the world, ftumbled upon fome of them naked, diving for lobfters; and they were in great confufion for being feen in that condition by ftrangers.

But now, if pairing in the ftricteft fenfe be a law of nature among men, as among fome other animals, how is polygamy to be accounted for, which formerly was univerfal, and to this day obtains among many nations? Polygamy, I answer, is derived from two fources; first, from favage manners, once univerfal; and next, from voluptuoufnefs in warm climates, which inftigates men of wealth to tranfgrefs every rule of temperance. Thefe two fources I propofe to handle with care,

because

because they make a large branch in the history of the female fex.

With refpect to the firft, fweetness of temper, a capital article in the female cha-racter, difplays itfelf externally by mild. looks and gentle manners. But fuch graces are scarce difcernible in a female favage; and even in the moft polifhed women, would not be perceived by a male savage. Among favages, ftrength and boldness are the only valued qualities in these females. are miferably deficient; and for that reafon, are contemned by the males, as beings of an inferior order. The NorthAmerican tribes glory in idleness: the drudgery of labour degrades a man in their opinion, and is proper for women only. To join young perfons in marriage is accordingly the business of parents; and it would be unpardonable meannefs in the bridegroom, to fhew any fondness for the bride. Young men among the Hottentots, are admitted into fociety with their feniors at the age of eighteen; after which it is difgraceful to keep company with women. In Guiana, a woman never eats with her husband; but after every meal attends him with water for wafshing. In

the

the Carribbee islands, fhe is not permitted to eat even in prefence of her husband; and yet we are affured (a), that women there obey with fuch fweetness and respect, as never to give their husbands occafion to remind them of their duty;

tr

an

wor

example," adds our fage author, "thy the imitation of Chriftian wives, "who are daily inftructed from the pulpit "in the duties of obedience and conjugal "fidelity, but to very little purpose." Dampier observes in general, that, among all the wild nations he was acquainted with, the women carry the burdens, while the men walk before, and carry nothing but their arms. Women even of the highest rank are not better treated. The fovereign of Giaga, in Africa, has many wives, who are literally his flaves: one carries his bow, one his arrows, and one gives him drink; and while he is drinking, they all fall on their knees, clap their hands, and fing. Not many centuries ago, a law was made in England, prohibiting the New Testament in English to be read by women, 'prentices, journeymen,

(a) Labat's voyages to the American islands.

or