Chapter VIII: Preface (2)

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.

* * * * *

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.

For this same Reason the upright Posture of the Body has always been esteem’d the most decent; and it has ever been the Mode, in all Countries, for Ladies to cursey instead of bowing: for, tho’ a Female-Bow, might seem a modest and coy Reclension of the Body, with regard to the Person saluted, yet it would occasion a very indecent Projection to those who should happen to be behind; especially since that dangerous Fashion of _Postern-Plackets_ has crept into the _European_ Petticoat.

* * * * *

But to return to our present Argument, the Design of which was to prove the following _Syllogism_.

The only way to preserve Female Chastity, is to prevent the Men from laying Siege to it: And this Project of the _Publick Stews_ is the only Way to prevent Mens laying Siege to it: Therefore this Project is the only Way to preserve Female Chastity.

The former Part of the Proposition is, I hope, sufficiently proved. It is, indeed, evident, from the bare Consideration of the Nature of Females, that if the Men are suffer’d to go on, as they now do, in the Pursuit of Pleasure, there is no possible Way can be found out, effectually, to secure the Virtue of any one Woman of any Rank, or in any Station of Life. If a Woman is handsome, she has the more Tryals to undergo; if homely, and for that Reason seldom attack’d, the Novelty of the Address makes the greater Impression: If she is married, it is odds but there’s a Failure at home, and habitual Pleasures are not easily foregone, especially when they may be enjoy’d with Safety: If a Maid, her unexperienc’d Virgin-Heart is capable of any Impression: If she is rich, Ease and Luxury make the Blood run mad; and Love, if high-dieted, is ungovernable: If poor, she will be the easier bribed, when Love and Avarice jointly must be gratified.

In short, to sum up all, there is in the Passion of Love a certain fatal _Crisis_, to which all Womenkind are capable of being wrought-up: The Difference of Virtue consisting only in this, that it is very hard to work a virtuous Woman up to this _Crisis_, and requires a very unlucky Concurrence of Circumstances: Whereas a Woman without a good Stock of Virtue, must have an unaccountable Series of good Fortune if she escapes. But, virtuous or not virtuous, when this Passion is once rais’d to the _critical_ Height, it is absolutely irresistible.

Since therefore Female Virtue cannot effectually be secured, but by preventing the Men from laying Siege to it, it remains for us to examine, if this Prevention can be effected by any other Method than that of erecting the _Publick Stews_, and whether or no when erected, they will have the desired Effect.

That young Men, in a good State of Health, have their Desires towards Women much stronger, and more violent, than for the Enjoyment of any thing else in this Life, is a Truth not to be contested. And it is likewise as certain, that young Men will gratify these Desires, unless the _Legislature_ can affix such a Penalty to the Commission of the Fact, that the Apprehension of the Penalty may give their Minds more Uneasiness, than refraining from the Gratification.

Now there are but three Things which Men fear in this Life, _viz._ Shame, Poverty, and Bodily Pain, and consequently but three Sorts of Punishments, which the _Legislature_ can inflict. The first of these, indeed, might be omitted; for Shame is so very little in the Power of the Laws, that it hardly deserves the Name of a Penalty. If the Pillory, and such like infamous Punishments, are more terrible for the Shame that attends them, than for the bodily Pain, it is not because such a Posture of a Man’s Body, with his Neck through a Hole, is in itself ignominious, or that any Law can make it so; but because it publishes to the World, that a Man has been prov’d to commit such a certain Action, in its own Nature scandalous, which he is asham’d to have thus publickly made known. The truth is, “Honour and Dishonour being only the different Opinions of Mankind, as to the Good or Evil of any Action; and these Opinions in the Mind arising, as Dr. _Clarke_ well observes, from the natural Fitness or Unfitness of the Actions themselves, cannot be alter’d or determin’d by any _Secular Force_.” And that they are entirely out of the Power of the _Legislature_, is evident in the Instance of _Duelling_; where a Man often receives Honour for a _Breach_ of the Law, nay is forced to _break_ it in _Defence_ of his Honour.

The utmost Scandal, therefore, which the Laws can affix to any Action, is to make a full and open Publication of the Fact: Now it is evident that this Publication cannot have a sufficient Influence over Mens Minds to deter them from Wenching, a Crime which meets with so favourable a Reception in the Eye of the World, that young Men are not asham’d to boast of it.

We must have Recourse then to a Fine, or Corporal Punishment, or perhaps both. If it is a Fine, it must be one of these three sorts; either a certain determinate Sum for every Offence, or, to make it fall more equally, such a certain Portion of a Man’s whole Substance, or else it must be such a Sum as the Jury shall think sufficient to repair the Woman’s Damages. The first is impracticable because of its Inequality, with regard to Mens different Fortunes. The second would punish none but Men of Fortune. And the third, in many Cases, would be impossible; for Women are often ruin’d by such as have it not in their power to make them amends. But granting that a Fine could be so happily contriv’d as to affect all Men equally in their several Stations of Life; and let us suppose this Fine considerable enough, for so it must be, to deter any moderate-spirited Man: yet still we lie under a manifest Dilemma as to the Point of Proof; for if the Proof is to depend upon the Evidence of Eye-Witnesses, none but Fools will be convicted; and let a Man be ever so indiscreet, he that swears to _rem in re_ must have good Eyes, and be a good Swearer withal. If, on the other hand, a Man is to be convicted upon the sole Evidence of the Woman, we run into greater Inconveniences: for either a Woman is to be recompenced for the Injury she has received, or not; if not, there is no modest Woman of common Sense, but will chuse much rather to conceal her Weakness, than expose it in publick Court so much to her own Prejudice; and this too upon the sole Motive of doing Prejudice to a Man, for whom, in all Probability, she still retains an Affection: So that no Man would be accus’d but by such sort of Women as the Law can never intend to favour or countenance.

And if the Woman is to receive this Fine, either in Part or the Whole, by way of Reparation, not to mention its being an actual Encouragement to transgress, this Recompence would only be a Means to promote a Multitude of false Accusations; for what Man could live with so much Circumspection, that a Woman might not often have an Opportunity to accuse him of such a Fact, with very probable Circumstances, when there is no Opportunity of detecting the Fallacy. This Difficulty, indeed, is not to be got over; and the Objection lies equally strong against all sorts of Corporal Punishment, Death itself not excepted. For if there are so many false Indictments for _Rapes_, where a Woman receives no Benefit by the Prosecution, where she is liable to such cross Examinations, and where the Possibility of the Fact is so much doubted, that a Woman is generally discountenanc’d, and must bring a Number of probable concurrent Circumstances before she can gain Credit: I say, if notwithstanding these Discouragements, there are so many malicious Prosecutions for _Rapes_, that the Benefit of the Law in general is much disputed, what may we expect in the present Case, where a Woman has nothing to do but acknowledge that she was over-persuaded, and then all Difficulties vanish? Besides, if such a Law was made, setting aside that the Remedy would be worse than the Disease, it is much to be question’d if it prov’d any Remedy at all: For what Fine can we propose as sufficient to deter Men, when there are so many that squander away their whole Fortunes upon this sole Gratification? And what Corporal Punishment, on this side Death, can we find out equivalent to a _Pox_, which they every day run the Risque of?

But no such Law, as yet, has been so much as propos’d, altho’ Whoring has been a very obvious Mischief ever since Laws were in Being; therefore, without farther Argument, considering the Wisdom of our _Legislature_, that such a Law never has been made, ought to be sufficient Reason for us to judge it impracticable.

Since the Torrent of Lewdness, then, is too strong to be opposed by open Force, let us see if we can find out an Expedient to divert it by Policy, and prevent the Mischief tho’ we can’t prevent the Crime.

Most _Authors_, who have writ of Government, have chose to express their Sentiments by comparing the Public Body with the Body Natural; and Mr. _Hobbes_, in his _Leviathan_, has carry’d the _Allegory_ as far as it will go. To make Use of it in the present Instance, we may look upon _Whoring_ as a Kind of Peccant Humour in the Body-Politic, which, in order to its Discharge, naturally seizes upon such external Members as are most liable to Infection, and at the same time most proper to carry off the Malignity. If this Discharge is promoted by a Licence for _Publick Stews_, which is a Kind of legal Evacuative, the Constitution will certainly be preserv’d: Whereas, if we apply Penal Laws, like violent Astringents, they will only drive the Disease back into the Blood; where, gathering Strength, and at last assimilating the whole Mass, it will break out with the utmost Virulence, to the apparent Hazard of those sound Members, which otherwise might have escaped the Contagion. As we may observe in a _Clap_, where Nature of her own Accord expels the noxious Humour thro’ the same Passages by which it was at first receiv’d; but if we resist Nature in this Discharge, and repel the Venom by too hasty an Application of _Styptics_, the Disease then turns to a _Pox_, seizes the Vitals, and, to use _Solomon_’s Words, _like a Dart, strikes thro’ the Liver_. But, leaving _Allegory_ as more proper for _Rhetoric_ or _Poetry_, than such serious Debates, since this Project of the _Public Stews_ is the only Expedient now left for the Preservation of Female Chastity, the Question is, Whether or no this Expedient will really answer the End propos’d?

To prove the Affirmative, requires no more but that we look into ourselves, and examine our own Passions; for Love ever was and will be the same in all Men, and in all Ages. The first amorous Emotions that young Men feel, are violent; they are plagued with a Stimulation, which raises a vehement Desire: The Passion is strong, but then it is general; it is Lust, not Love: And therefore the natural Impatience of _Lust_ will prompt them to take the speediest way for present Gratification, and make them prefer the ready and willing Embraces of a Courtezan, before the doubtful and distant Prospect of enjoying a modest Damsel, whose Coyness will cost so much Pains, as well as Time, to overcome; and, when overcome, may probably occasion a future Uneasiness, and give them more Trouble after Enjoyment than they had before.

Besides this, if their first Affections should happen to be engaged to a particular Object, which is very rare; and that this particular Object was in their Power to compass, which is still rarer; yet there is naturally in Young-Men a certain secret Shame, which attends their first Sallies, and prevents their declaring a private Passion, ’till it grows so violent, that they are forced to give it Vent upon the Publick; and by that means, get into a regular Method of making themselves easy, without doing their Modesty any Violence.

But tho’ the natural Bent of Men’s Minds inclines them to an easy Purchase of Pleasure in their first Amours, yet publick Whoring lies at present under so many Disadvantages; the Publick Women, for want of good Regulation, are so infamous in their Principles and Practice; the Places of Resort so vile, and so scandalously imposing in the common Expence, and lying under the Lash of the _Civil_ Power, so pester’d with the mercenary Officiousness of _Reforming Constables_; and which is worst of all, the Plague of _Claps_ and _Poxes_ is so inevitable, that Men contrary to their Inclinations are often forc’d to enter upon private Intrigues, either without trying the Publick, or after meeting with some Misfortunes in the Tryal.

Now if we see daily so many Young Men, who prefer the publick Commerce under all these Disadvantages, what Success may we not expect from this happy Establishment of the _Stews_, when the Young Women’s Behaviour will be regulated after a civil decent Manner; when the Houses of Entertainment will be so Commodious, and the Expence of Accomodation so reasonable; when the horrid Dread of _Claps_ is entirely remov’d; and when the Laws, instead of disturbing such Assemblies, will be employ’d in their Protection, to give them the greater Countenance and Encouragement; surely we may hope for a thorough Reformation.

But if these Considerations should not prove fully effectual, and some Men should be so obstinate as to persist in private Whoring, notwithstanding these Inducements to the contrary; we must then have Recourse to _Legal_ Force, and drive those who are too resty to be led: For tho’ the Laws can’t prevent Whoring, they may yet regulate it; the _Quid_ is not in their Power, but the _Quomodo_ is. A Man must eat, but he may be directed how to eat. The strongest Curb can’t stop an unruly Horse, but the weakest will serve to turn him: And the smallest Stream is not to be obstructed, tho’ we can change the Course of the greatest River. So Love, tho’ ever so unruly and headstrong in the general, changes the particular Object of its Passion with the smallest Circumstance; and legal Penalties are no trifling Dissuasives, when the Laws don’t command Impossibilities.

This Argument indeed, of Compulsion, is in a manner supernumerary, and thrown in, as it were, _ex abundanti_: For _the Publick Stews_ under this regular Oeconomy, will have so much the Advantage of private Whoring, whether we regard the Ease and Conveniency of Enjoyment, or the Beauty and Variety of Mistresses, that Men’s natural Inclinations will sway them sufficiently without this superfluous Constraint. If there is any Fear of Success, the Danger lies on the other Side; and indeed we have some Colour of Reason to apprehend, lest the whole Body of Lewdness being turn’d upon the Publick, there should want a sufficient Supply of young Women to recruit the _Stews_; which, by that Means, may run into a sudden Dis-repute, and lose a Character that will be difficult to retrieve. But however plausible this Objection may seem at first Sight, we shall find, upon a nearer View, that it only serves to make the Excellence of this Scheme the more manifest.

As there is constantly in the Nation, a certain Number of young Men, whose Passions are too strong to brook any Opposition: Our Business is to contrive a Method how they may be gratify’d, with as little Expence of Female Virtue as possible. But the Difficulty lies in adjusting this Matter, and gaging our young Men’s Affections so exactly, that the Modesty of one Woman may not be sacrifis’d, more than is absolutely necessary for the Preservation of the rest.

The Gallants of this Age, indeed, are not quite so sturdy as that rampant _Roman_ Emperor who deflower’d ten _Sarmatian_ Virgins in one Night; but what we want in Constitution, we make up in the Niceity of our Palates; as a squeamish Stomach requires the greatest Variety of Dishes: And some of our Youth are grown such perfect _Epicures_ in Venery, that they can relish nothing but _Virgins_: They destroy, it is true, a great deal of Beauty, by browsing only upon the Buds.

But we ought not to judge of these Men’s Abilities by the Number of Women they debauch, no more than we should measure the Goodness of a certain curious Gentleman’s Appetite by his bespeaking several Dozen of young Pigeons, when he only regal’d upon the Rumps: Neither is it intirely from a Wantonness of Fancy, or a luxurious Taste of Pleasure, that Men indulge themselves in making this Havock, but chiefly for their own personal Safety. Young Girls are so giddy, thoughtless, and unexperienc’d, and withal so fond of the Sport, at their first setting out, that they seldom escape a Taint; and a Man is not safe in being constant: Nay, some Men are afraid of venturing even after themselves. By this Means several likely Women, that might do the Publick signal Service, are in a short Time render’d useless: And, by a modest Computation, we are put to the Expence of as many virtuous Women in one Year, as might reasonably serve the Nation six.

Now, the _Publick Stews_ will regulate this Affair so precisely, and with such critical Exactness, that one Year with another, we shall not have one Woman employ’d in the Publick Service more than is absolutely necessary, nor one less than is fully sufficient.

When this Project is first set on foot, the vast Choice and Variety there is at present of these Women, will give us an Opportunity of making a very beautiful Collection; and will, doubtless, for some Time, occasion a considerable Run upon the Publick; so that _Private Whoring_, the only Nursery of our Courtezans, may probably remain too long neglected: For the whole Body of our incontinent Youth, like a standing Army, being employ’d in constant Action, there cannot well be spar’d a sufficient Detachment to raise the necessary Recruits.

But however true this may be, we shall thereby suffer no Inconvenience; for if the Supplies of young Women, which we may reasonably expect from the Northern and Western Parts of these Kingdoms, or from such Places as are remote and out of the Influence of this _Scheme_: I say, if these Supplies should not prove sufficient to answer the Greatness of the Demand, and that the Reputation of the _Stews_ upon this Account, should begin to flag, why then the worst Accident that can befal, is a gradual Relapse into our former State of _Private Whoring_; and this no farther than is just necessary and to recruit the _Stews_, and thereby make them retrieve their former Character: For every Woman who is debauch’d more than is barely necessary, only brings so much additional Credit and Reputation to the _Stews_, and in some measure atones for the Loss of her own Chastity, by being a Means to preserve that of others; so that whenever the Tide of private Lewdness runs too high, and exceeds the just and ordinary Bounds, it must of Course, by encouraging the _Publick Stews_, immediately suffer a proportionable Ebb: That is to say, it must be reduced again so low, that there will remain but just a sufficient Quantity to supply the _Stews_; which is as low, as in the Nature of the Thing is possible.

I might here lavish out Encomiums, and take Occasion to dwell upon those many Advantages that will accrue to the _Nation_ by this admirable Scheme; but shall only take Notice of this peculiar Excellence, which it has above all other Schemes, that it necessarily executes itself.

But since the Necessity of debauching a certain Number of young Women, is entirely owing to the Necessity of supplying the _Public Stews_; a Question may very reasonably arise, whether this Project might not be vastly improv’d, even to the total Extirpation of _Private Whoring_, by an Act _for encouraging the Importation of foreign Women_. This, I must confess, deserves a serious Debate: for, besides the Honour of our Females, which would be preserv’d by such an Act, it might bring this farther Advantage; That whereas most of our estated Youth spend a great Part of their Time and Fortunes in travelling Abroad, for no other End, as it seems by most of them, but to be inform’d in the _French_ and _Italian_ Gallantry; they would then have an Opportunity of satisfying their Curiosity in Foreign Amours, without stirring out of _London_. But I shall leave the Decision of this Matter to abler Pens, well knowing, that a Truth of this Nature, which carries so much the Air of Novelty, will require much better Authority than mine to warrant it.

Let it suffice for the present, that I have fully prov’d what I at first propos’d in this Treatise: That _Public Whoring_ is neither so criminal in itself, nor so detrimental to the _Society_, as _Private Whoring_; and that the encouraging of _Publick Whoring_, by erecting _Stews_ for that Purpose, will not only prevent most of the mischievous Consequences of this Vice, but even lessen the Quantity of _Whoring_ in general, and reduce it to the narrowest Bounds which it can possibly be contain’d in.

After what has been said, it may, perhaps, appear somewhat odd to talk of Religious Objections, as if either Christianity or Morality could possibly object against a _Scheme_, which is entirely calculated for the Welfare and Happiness of Mankind. But since a great many Men amongst us have entertained such whimsical Notions of Religion, as to imagine, that in some Cases, a Law may be unjust and wicked, tho’ it evidently promotes the Publick Good: as if the right Enjoyment of this Life was inconsistent with our Happiness in the next: I say, since many Men of Understanding have suffer’d themselves to be possess’d with this mistaken Principle, I shall, as briefly as may be, answer such Objections as can, with any Colour of Reason, be offer’d.

First then, I expect to be attack’d with that old moral Precept, of _Not doing Evil that Good may come of it_. This may be answer’d with another old Saying, equally authentic, and more applicable to the present Purpose, that _of two Evils we ought to chuse the least_. The Case is this: A private Member of a _Society_, may, doubtless, commit a Crime with a Design to promote the Good of that _Society_, which was partly the Case of _Felton_ against the Duke of _Buckingham_; and this evil Action may possibly answer the Goodness of the Intention, but is universally condemn’d as an unwarrantable Presumption; and falls justly under the Censure of doing a certain Evil, for the Prospect of an uncertain Good. But as to the _Legislature_, there is a wide Difference; for they, and they only, are intrusted with the Welfare of the _Society_: This Publick Welfare is, or ought to be, the whole End and Scope of their Actions; and they are fully impower’d to do whatever they judge conducive to that End. If their Intentions come up to this, they are certainly in their Consciences acquitted: But as to the World, their Actions, that is, their Laws, are judg’d good or bad, just or unjust, according as they actually prove beneficial or detrimental to the _Society_ in general: And therefore it is the grossest Absurdity, and a perfect Contradiction in Terms, to assert, That a _Government_ may not commit Evil that Good may come of it; for, if a Publick Act, taking in all its Consequences, really produces a greater Quantity of Good, it must, and ought to be term’d a good Act; altho’ the bare Act, consider’d in itself, without the consequent Good, should be in the highest Degree wicked and unjust.

As for Instance: A Ship performing Quarantine, and known to be infected, is sunk by a Storm; some of the Crew, half drown’d, recover the Shore; but the Moment they land, the _Government_ orders them to be shot to Death. This Action, in itself, is no less than a downright unchristian and inhuman Murther; but since the Health and Safety of the Nation is secured by this severe Precaution, it is no Wonder, if we allow the Action to be not only justifiable, but in the strictest Sense of Morality Just.

Another Objection, or rather the same set in a stronger Light, is, That altho’ the Welfare and Happiness of the Community is, or ought to be, the only End of all Law and Government, yet since our spiritual Welfare is the _Summum Bonum_ which all Christians should aim at, no Christian Government ought to authorize the Commission of the least known Sin, tho’ for the greatest temporal Advantage.

To this Objection, I answer, That it is universally allow’d as one of the greatest Perfections of the Christian Religion, that its Precepts are calculated to promote the Happiness of Mankind in this World as well as the next; if so, then it is a direct Arraignment of the Lawgiver’s infinite Wisdom, _i. e._ a Contradiction to assert, that, in Matters of Law and Government, the Publick Breach of any Gospel Precept can possibly be for the temporal Good of any _Society_ whatever: And therefore we may with Confidence affirm, that no sinful Laws can be beneficial, and _vice versa_, that no beneficial Laws can be sinful. Now we have already given sufficient Proof of the Benefit the _Public_ would receive by licensing the _Stews_, and therefore ought to conclude such Licence lawful; but lest the apparent Wickedness of the _Stews_, should be objected against this general Reasoning, it is fit that we examine this Matter a little nearer.

_Fornication_ is, no doubt, a direct Breach of a _Gospel_-Precept, and is therefore a Sin; but this Sin, barely as such, concerns the _Government_ no more than the Eating of _Black-puddings_, equally prohibited in the same[8] Text. The Reason is this: The Sin consists in a full Intention to gratify a Lustful Desire; which Intention the _Legislature_ cannot possibly prevent: Penalties indeed may deter Men from gratifying their Desires, at the Expence of the Public, but will rather increase than lessen the Desires themselves. If it is argu’d, that the Sin of the Intention is aggravated by being put in Execution, so much the better for our Purpose; for then the Argument stands thus:

[8] Acts, c. 15. v. 29. _That ye abstain from Meats offered to Idols,
and from Blood, and from Things strangled, and from Fornication: from
which if ye keep yourselves, ye do well. Fare ye well._

Since the Sin of the Intention is entirely out of the _Legislature_’s Power, the utmost they can do, with regard to this Sin, is, to prevent its being aggravated by actual Commission.

But the _Public Stews_, as we have already prov’d, will prevent as much as possible this actual Commission.

Therefore the _Publick Stews_ will prevent as much as possible this SIN.

Another Branch of this Objection, without which the Objection itself would be of no Force, is, that the authorizing of _Public Stews_ is a Public Encouragement for People to Whore.

If by People are meant those in the _Stews_, I hope it will be thought no Crime to encourage such People, rather to confine themselves to the Practice of one Vice, than live by committing a Thousand; especially when that one Vice is what they would really practise, whether they were encourag’d or not.

But if any imagine that this particular Licence would be a general Encouragement to the whole _Nation_, they are certainly mistaken. For, as to the Men, they are already as bad as they can be; if any Thing cures them, it must be _Satiety_: Let them have full and free Leave to take a Surfeit of unlawful Love, and they will soon learn to prefer the Chaste Embraces of Innocence before the bought Smile of Harlots loveless, joyless, unindear’d casual Fruition.

It is a right Observation, that Restraint does but whet a Man’s Passions instead of curing them.

_Exuperat magis, ægrescitque medendo._ Æn. 12. And a late ingenious _Author_, who study’d Mankind, speaking on this Subject, has these Words: _To put down_ Publick Stews, _is not only to disperse Fornication into all Parts, but, by the Difficulty, to excite wild and wanton People to this Vice._

It was observ’d at _Rome_, that in the full Liberty of Divorces, there was not a single Instance of one in fifty Years: And that _Cato_ long’d for his Wife again as soon as she was in another’s Possession.

The Master of Love says positively,

_Quod licet ingratum est, quod non licet acrius urit_.

And _Martial_ speaking to a married Rake, _B_. 3. _Ep_. 68. says,

_Cur aliena placet tibi, quæ tua non placet uxor?
Nunquid Securus non potes arrigere?_

I pr’ythee tell me why a Wife
Thy am’rous Fancy never warms?
What! without Danger o’thy Life,
Cannot thy Cod-pice stand to Arms?

And again, _B_. 1. _Ep_. 74.

_Nullus in urbe fuit tota, qui tangere vellet
Uxorem gratis, Cæciliane, tuam
Dum licuit: sed nunc, positis custodibus, ingens
Turba fututorum est. Ingeniosus Homo es._

There’s no Man, _Cæcil_, in the Town,
Would, _gratis_, have enjoy’d thy Spouse;
But how thou art so jealous grown,
Lord! what a Croud about the House!
You’ve lock’d her up, t’increase her Value;
In short, you are a cunning Fellow.

The _Public Stews_ will not encourage Men to be lewd, but they will encourage them to exercise their Lewdness in a proper Place, without disturbing the Peace of the _Society_, and with as little Detriment to themselves as possible. And, as to the Women, there’s not the least Shadow of Encouragement: For no modest Woman ever lost her Maiden-head with the dismal Prospect of becoming a _Public Courtezan_: And if a Woman is not modest, the licensing of the _Public Stews_ is no more an Encouragement for her to practise, than the allowing a certain Number of Hackney-Coaches every _Sunday_ is an Encouragement for the rest to ply; when the very Licence, to some, expresly implies a Prohibition of the rest.

Having now sufficiently proved the Institution of the _Public Stews_ to be a Political Good, and answer’d all the religious Objections against it; I shall conclude with observing, That I have the Authority of _Italy_, the most Politic Nation in the World, to back me in the first Part of my Argument; and the Opinion of _Holland_, one of the strictest Reformed Churches, to vindicate me in the second; and that we ourselves enjoy’d the Benefit of this Institution till we were depriv’d of it by the over-hasty Zeal of our first Reformers in the sixteenth Century.

The _Public Stews_ were antiently kept in _Southwark_, by an express Licence from the Government, and open Permission both Civil and Ecclesiastical, for they paid regular Taxes to the _Lord-Mayor_ of the _City_, and to the Bishop of the _See_.

We do not find that they were ever molested ’till the 25th of _Edward_ the Third, when, in the Parliament at _Westminster_, at the Request of the _Londoners_, says _Daniel_, an Act passed, obliging all Common Whores to distinguish themselves, by wearing Hoods striped with divers Colours, or Furs, and their Gowns turn’d _inside_ out.

This, indeed, was but a Trifle to what they suffer’d thirty Years after by _Wat Tyler_’s Rebellion.

In the fifth of _Richard_ the Second, _Wat_ marched up from _Dartworth_, with a true Spirit of Reformation, fully resolv’d to burn and destroy every thing that oppos’d him: If the Archbishop’s Palace at _Lambeth_ could not escape, there was little Mercy to be expected for the _Stews_[9]; besides, Whoring was not the least of _Wat_’s Grievances: He began his Rebellion by killing a Collector of the Poll-Tax for being a little too brisk upon his Daughter; and his Antipathy to the _Stews_ was still increased, by the _Lord-Mayor_’s shutting the City-Gates, and denying him Entrance; for he could not revenge the Affront more effectually, than by _cutting off so large a Branch of his Lordship’s Revenue_.

[9] On the Feast of _Corpus Christi_, or the 13th of _June_, the
Commons of _Kent_ brake down the STEW-HOUSES near _London-Bridge_,
at that Time in the hands of the Frowes of _Flanders_, who had farmed
them of the Mayor of _London_. STOW’s Chron. p. 285.

In short, every thing concurred to the Destruction of the _Stews_, and demolish’d they were.

This Action, however, lost _Tyler_ his Life; for _William Walworth_, then Lord-Mayor, was the very Man who struck him first off his Horse in _Smithfield_: For which the King knighted him, gave him 100 _l._ Pension, and added the Dagger to the City-Arms.

Whilst Whoring was in this unsettled Condition, the _Bishop_ thought it a good Opportunity to ingross the whole Profit of licensing Courtezans, which occasion’d them fresh Trouble; for _John Northampton_, who succeeded _Walworth_, either piqued at the Bishop’s invading his Right, or out of a real Reforming Principle, for he was a Follower of _Wickliff_, commenced a severe Persecution. He had his Spies and Constables in every Street, to apprehend Strollers; and such Women as were neither handsome nor rich enough to bribe his Officers, were carried through the Streets in great Pomp, with their Hair shorn, and Trumpets and Pipes playing before them. All this he did contrary to the express Commands of the Bishop, who had several Bickerings with him upon that Head.

This great Reformer _John Northampton_ was, from his troublesome Temper, nick-nam’d _Cumber-Town_; and as he succeeded _Tyler_ in the Work of Reformation, so he had like to have met with as bad a Fate: For two Years after he was found guilty of High Treason, without making the least Defence; had his Goods confiscated, and was condemned to perpetual Imprisonment 100 Miles from _London_: Accordingly he was sent to _Tentagil-Castle_ in _Cornwall_.

This dreadful _Cumber-Town_ being removed, the _Stews_ had Leisure to re-settle themselves under the Protection of the Church; and enjoyed an almost uninterrupted Tranquillity for 150 Years.

We find, indeed, an Act passed at _Westminster_, in the 11th of _Hen._ VI. that no Keepers of _Stews_, or _Whore-Houses_ in _Southwark_, should be impannelled upon any Jury, or keep a Tavern in any other Place.

But the most sensible Blow they ever felt, was the Invasion of the _French-Pox_. The _Spaniards_ had brought it from the Islands of _Florida_ to _Naples_, and the Army of _Charles_ VIII. when he conquer’d that Kingdom in the Year 1495, transmitted it into _France_, from whence it had a very quick Passage into _England_; for there was an Act passed in the latter end of _Henry_ VII’s Reign, for expelling out of the _Stews_ all such Women as had the Faculty of _Burning_ Men.

However, we find they still continued in good Repute in the Reign of _Henry_ VIII.[10] and yielded a considerable Revenue to the _Bishop_ of _London_; for _Bucer_, in one of his Books against _Gardiner_, taxes him with it as _an heinous Crime, that he should receive most of his Rents out of the Public Stews_.

[10] In the latter end of _March_ (Anno Reg. _Hen._ VIII. 36) “the
_Stewes_ on the Bank-side of the _Thames_, in _Southwark_, was put
down, by the King’s Commandment, which was proclaimed by sound of
Trumpets, no more to be privileged, or used as a common Bordell, but
the Inhabitants of those Houses, to keep good and honest Rule, as in
all other Places of the Realm. STOW’s Chron. p. 591.

After this terrible Accusation, we may easily guess what Quarter our _Stews_ met with at the Reformation. But now _Bucer_ has got his Ends; the _Stews_ are destroy’d; those public Nusances are demolish’d; Whoring is attack’d on all hands without Mercy; and what then? Why, truly, by mere Dint of _Reforming_, we have reduced Lewdness to that pass, that hardly one Bachelor in the Kingdom will lie with a Woman, if he is sure that she’s not found; and very few modest Women will suffer a Man to get them with Child, unless he makes a Promise to marry.

In short, the Truth is, we are at this present Writing as _bad_ as we can be; and I hope I have fairly shown how we may be _better_.