ANIMALS. 



139 



amidst wretches of his own making; lie feels 

 none of those endearments which spring from 

 affection, none of those delicacies which arise 

 from knowledge. His mistresses, being shut 

 out from the world, and totally ignorant of all 

 that passes there, have no arts to entertain 

 his mind, or cr.lm his anxieties ; the day pas- 

 ses with them in sullen silence, or languid re- 

 pose ; appetite can furnish but few opportu- 

 nities of varying the scene ; and all that falls 

 beyond it must be irksome expectation. 



From this avarice of women, if I may be 

 allowed to express it so, has proceeded that 

 jealousy and suspicion which ever attends the 

 miser : hence those low and barbarous me- 

 thods of keeping the women of those countries 

 guarded, and of making and procuring eu- 

 nuchs to attend them. These unhappy crea- 

 tures are of two kinds, the white and the 

 black. The white are generally made in the 

 country where they reside, being but partly 

 deprived of the marks of virility ; the black 

 are generally brought from the interior parts 

 of Africa, and are made entirely bare. These 

 are chiefly chosen for their deformity ; the 

 thicker the lips, the flatter the nose, and the 

 more black the teeth, the more valuable the 

 eunuch; so that the vile jealousy of mankind 

 here inverts the order of Nature; and the poor 

 wretch finds himself valued in proportion to 

 his deficiencies. In Italy, where this barba- 

 rous custom is still retained, and eunuchs are 

 made in order to improve the voice, the laws 

 are severely aimed against such practice ; so 

 that being entirely prohibited, none but the 

 poorest, and most abandoned of the people, 

 still secretly practise it upon their children. 

 Of those served in this manner, not one in ten 

 is found to become a singer; but such is the 

 luxurious folly of the times, that the success 

 of one amply compensates for the failure of 

 the rest. It is very difficult to account for 

 the alterations which castration makes in the 

 voice, and the other parts of the body. The 

 eunuch is shaped differently from others. 

 His legs are of an equal thickness above and 

 below ; his knees weak ; his shoulders nar- 

 row ; and his beard thin and downy. In this 

 manner his person is rendered more deform- 

 ed ; but his desires, as I am told, still con- 

 tinue the same ; and actually, in Asia, some 

 of them are found to have their seraglios, as 



HO. 13 & 14. 



well as their masters. Even in our country, 

 we have an instance of a very fine woman 

 being married to one of them, whose appear- 

 ance was the most unpromising; and, what 

 is more extraordinary still, I am told, that 

 this couple continue perfectly happy in each 

 other's society. 



The mere necessities of life seem the only 

 aim of the savage ; the sensual pleasures are 

 the only study of the semi-barbarian ; but the 

 refinement of sensuality, by reason, is the boast 

 of real politeness. Among the merely barba- 

 rous nations, such as the natives of Madagas- 

 car, or the inhabitants of Congo, nothing is 

 desired so ardently as to prostitute their wives, 

 or daughters, to strangers, for the most trifling 

 advantages ; they will account it a dishonour 

 not to be among the foremost who are thus 

 received into favour: on the other hand, the 

 Mahometan keeps his wife faithful, by con- 

 fining her person ; and would instantly put 

 her to death, if he but suspected her chastity. 

 With the politer inhabitants of Europe both 

 these barbarous extremes are avoided ; the 

 woman's person is left free, and no constraint 

 is imposed but upon her affections. The pas- 

 sion of love, which may be considered as the 

 nice conduct of ruder desire, is only known, 

 and practised in this part of the world ; so 

 that what other nations guard as their right, 

 the more delicate European is contented to 

 ask as a favour. In this manner, the concur- 

 rence of mutual appetite contributes to in- 

 crease mutual satisfaction ; and the power 

 on one side of refusing, makes every blessing 

 more grateful when obtained by the other. 

 In barbarous countries, woman is considered 

 merely as an useful slav e ; in such as are 

 somewhat more refined, she is regarded as a 

 desirable toy ; in countries entirely polished,, 

 she enjoys juster privileges, the wife being 

 considered as an useful friend, and an agreea 

 ble mistress. Her mind is still more prized 

 than her person ; and without the improve- 

 ment of both, she can never expect to be- 

 come truly agreeable ; for her good sense 

 alone can preserve what she has gained by 

 her beauty. 



Female beauty, as was said, is always seen 

 to improve about the age of puberty : but if 

 we should attempt to define in what this beau- 

 ty consists, or what constitutes its perfection, 

 2E 



