paul and virginia, i4î 



The Old Man. 

 «* By forcing women into marriage, without any 

 " regard to their own inclinations ; a young girl 

 ** to an old man, a woman of feeling to a man of 

 ** infenfibillty." 



Paul. 

 ** Why do they not rather unite thole together, 

 " who are more fuitable to each other ; the young 

 *' with the young, and lovers with thofe on whom 

 ** thfiiv affeâions are fixed ?'* 



The Old Man. 

 '^ The reafon is, that, in France, the generality 

 *' of youngmen have Bot fufficient fcwrtune to en- 

 **at>lethem to marry, and tliat they fddom ac 

 *' quire a competency till they are advanced in 

 " years. In their youth, they feduce the wives of 

 *' their neighbours, and, when old, they are un- 

 *^ ^able to fecure the afFedions of their own wives. 

 *' When young, they deceived others, and when 

 *' old, are, in their turn, deceived themfelves. It 

 ** is one of the re-aJtions of that univerfal jufticc 

 " which governs the World : in it, one excefs al- 

 ** ways balances another. Thus, moft Europeans 

 *' pafs their lives in a twofold diforder, and uhis 

 ** diforder is increafed in a fociety, proportionaibly 

 " as riches are accumulated on a fmaîler number 

 " of individuals. The State refembles a garden, 



" in 



