To confirm this doctrine, let the confequences of a loose commerce between the fexes be examined. The carnal appetite, when confined to one object, seldom tranfgreffes the bounds of temperance. But were it encouraged to roam like a bee fucking honey from every flower, every new object would inflame the imagination; and fatiety with respect to one, would give new vigour with respect to others: a generic habit would be formed of intemperance in fruition (a); and animal love would become the ruling paffion. Men, like the hart in rutting-time, would all the year round fly with impetuofity from object to object, giving no quarter even to women fuckling their infants: and women, abandoning themselves to the fame paffion, would become altogether regardless of their offspring. In that ftate, the continuance of the human race would be a miracle. In the favage ftate, as mentioned above, it is beyond the power of any woman to provide food for a family of children; and now it appears, that intemperance in animal love would render a woman carelefs of her family, however eafy it might be to provide for it *. children would often be left in the wide world, without a mortal to look after them. * I have often been tempted to find fault with Providence in bringing so early to perfection the carnal appetite, while a man, still in early youth, has acquired no degree of prudence nor of felf-command. It rages indeed the moft when young men should be employ'd in acquiring knowledge, and in fitting themselves for living comfortably in the world. I have fet this thought in various lights; but I now perceive that the cenfure is without foundation. The early ripeness of this appetite proves it to be the intention of Providence that people should early fettle in matrimony. In that state the appetite is abundantly moderate, and gives no obstruction to education. It never becomes unruly, till one, forgetting the matrimonial tie, wanders from object to object. It is pride and luxury that dictate late marriages: industry never fails to afford the means of living comfortably, provided men confine themselves to the demands of nature. (a) Elements of Criticism, chap. 14. I fay more: The promifcuous use of women would unqualify them in a great measure from procreating, or having a family. The carnal appetite in man resembles his appetite for food: both of them demand gratification without end, after short intervals. Where the carnal appetite is felt but a fhort space annually, as among animals who feed on grafs, the promifcuous use of females is according to the order of nature: but fuch a law in man, where the carnal appetite is always awake, would be an effectual bar to population; as it is an undoubted truth, that women who indulge that appetite to excefs, feldom have children; and if all women were common, all women would in effect be common prostitutes. If undisguised nature fhow itself any where, it is in children. So truly is matrimony an instinct of nature, as to be understood even by children. They often hear, it is true, people talking of matrimony; but they also hear of logical, metaphyfical, and commercial matters, without understanding a fyllable. Whence then their notion of marriage but from nature? Marriage at the fame time is a compound idea, which no instruction could bring within the comprehenfion of a child, did not nature co-operate. That the arguments urged above against a promifcuous ufe of women do not neceffarily conclude against polygamy, or the union of one man with a plurality of women, will not escape an attentive reader. St Augustin and other fathers admit, that polygamy is not prohibited by the law of nature; and the learned Grotius profeffes the fame opinion (a). But great names terrify me not; and I venture to maintain, that pairing in the ftricteft fenfe is a law of nature among men as among wild birds; and that polygamy is a grofs infringement of this law. My reafons follow. (a) De jure belli ac pacis, lib. 2. cap. 5. § 9. I I urge, in the first place, the equal number of males and females, as a clear indication of the will of God, that every man fhould be confined to one wife, and every woman to one husband. That equality which has subsisted in all countries, and at all times, is a fignal inftance of over-ruling Providence; for the chances against it are infinite. All men are by nature equal in rank; and every man confequently is equally privileged to have a wife; which cannot be, if polygamy be permitted. Were ten women born for one man, as is falfely reported to be the cafe in Bantam, polygamy might be the intention of Providence; but from the equality of males and females, it is clearly the voice of nature, as well as of the facred fcripture, "That a man fhall leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; and that they shall be one "flesh." Confider, in the next place, that however plausible poligamy may appear in the present state of things, where inequality of rank and of fortune have produced luxury and fenfuality; yet that the laws of nature were not contrived by our Maker for a forc'd state, where numberlefs individuals are degraded below their natural rank, for the benefit of a few who are elevated above it. To form a just notion of polygamy, we must look back to the original state of man, where all are equal, In that state, every man cannot have two wives; and confequently no man is intitled to more than one, till every other be upon an equal footing with him. At the fame time, the union of one man with one woman is much better calculated for continuing the race, than the union of one man with many women. women. Think of a favage who may have fifty or fixty children by different wives, all depending for food upon his industry. Chance muft turn out much in his favour, if the half of them perish not by hunger. How much a better chance for life have infants who are distributed more equally in different families? Polygamy Polygamy is attended with an effect still more pernicious, with respect to children even of the most opulent families. Unless affection be reciprocal and equal, there can be no proper fociety in the matrimonial ftate, no cordiality, nor due care of offspring. But fuch affection is inconfiftent with polygamy: a woman in that state, far from being a companion to her husband, is degraded to the rank of a fervant, a mere inftrument of pleafure and propagation. Among many wives there will always be a favourite the rest turn peevish; and if they refent not the injury against their husband, and against their children as belonging to him, will at least be disheartened, and neglect them altogether. At the fame time, fondness for the favourite wife and her children makes the hufband indifferent about the reft; and woful is the condition of children who are neglected by both parents (a). To produce fuch an effect, is certainly not the purpose of nature. It merits peculiar attention, that Providence has provided for an agreeable union among all creatures who are taught by nature to pair. Animal love among creatures who pair not, is confined within a narrow fpace of time: while the dam is occupied about her young, animal love lies dormant, that she may not be abftracted 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 pleasure. Such is the cafe of the human race; and fuch is the cafe of wild birds (b). Among the wild birds that build on trees, the male, after feeding his mate in the neft, plants himself upon the next fpray, and chears her with a fong. There is ftill greater pleafure provided for the human race in the matrimonial ftate, and stronger incitements to (a) L'efprit des loix, liv. 16. chap. 6. (b) Buffon, liv. 5. p. 359. octavo edition. VOL. I. Z conftancy. conftancy. Sweet is the fociety of a pair fitted for each other, in whom are collected the affections of hufband, wife, lover, friend, the tendereft affections of human nature. Public government is in perfection, when the fovereign commands with humanity, and the subjects are cordial in their obedience. Private government in conjugal fociety arrives at ftill greater perfection, where husband and wife govern and are governed reciprocally, with entire fatisfaction to both. The man bears rule over his wife's perfon and conduct; she bears rule over his inclinations: he governs by law; and the by perfuafion. Nor can her authority ever fail, where it is fupported by sweetness of temper, and zeal to make him happy * The * L'empire de la femme eft un empire de douceur, d'adreffe, 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-meme; il ne refulte jamais de ce defordre, que mifere, fcandale, et defhonneur. Rousseau Emile, liv. 5. p. 96. — [In English thus: "The empire of the woman is an empire of softness, of address, of compla66 cency; her commands are careffes, her menaces are tears. She ought to reign "in the family like a minister in the ftate, by making that which is her inclina"tion be enjoined to her as her duty. Thus it is evident, that the best domeftic economy is that where the wife has most authority. But when she is infenfible to "the voice of her chief, when she tries to ufurp his prerogative, and to command "alone, what can refult from fuch diforder, but mifery, fcandal, and disho"nour?" The Emprefs Livia being questioned by a married lady, how the had obtained fuch afcendant over her husband Auguftus, answered," 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 she show'd in a "perfect |