ttÔ STUDIES OF NATURE. 



like beafts, to little carts. Thus the fexes iinfex 

 themfelves ; the men dwindle into females, the 

 women harden into men. The greateft part of 

 females, in truth, would rather turn their charms 

 to account than their ftrength. But what mifchief 

 is every day produced by women of the town ! 

 What conjugal infidelity, what domeftic plunder, 

 what quarrelling, beating, duelling, do they occa- 

 lion ! Scarcely has night begun to fpread her cur- 

 tain, when every flreet is inundated with them ; 

 every place of refort fwarms with thefe unhappy 

 creatures ; at every corner they lie in wait for 

 their prey. Others of them, known by the name, 

 now of fome confideration among the vulgar, of 

 kept mijirejfes, loll it away to the opera and play- 

 houfe, in magnificent equipages. They take the 

 lead, at the balls and feftivals of the better fort of 

 our trades-folks. For them, in part, arife in the 

 fuburbs, in the midft of gardens in the Englifli 

 tafte, gay alcoves in the Egyptian ftile. Every 

 one of them bent on melting down a fortune. It 

 is thus GOD puniflies the oppreffors of a People, 

 by the oppreffed. While the rich are dreaming 

 that they are expending their fubftancc in tran- 

 quillity, men fpringing from the dregs, plunder 

 them in their turn by the torments of opinion : if 

 they are fo fortunate as to efcape thefe, fall they 

 mufl into the hands of abandoned women ; who, 

 if they (hould happen to mifs the fathers, make 



fure 



