266 THE PHILOSOPHY 



to aflume, at leaft, the appearance of jealoufy and deceit. I by no 

 means intend this to be the univerfal charadler of mankind; I only 

 Lament that it is too general. 



In every race of mankind of which we have any knowledge, the 

 females arrive fooner at puberty than the males. But the age of 

 puberty differs in different -countries. This difference feems to ori- 

 ginate from two caufes, the temperature of the climate, and the qua- 

 lity of the food. Children of citizens, and of opulent parents, who 

 are fed with rich and nourishing vidtuals, arrive fooner at this ftate. 

 Children, on the contrary, brought up in the country, or whofe pa- 

 rents are poor, require two or three years longer ; becaufe their food 

 is not only coarfe, but too fparingly given. In the fouthern regions 

 of Europe, and in large cities, the females arrive at puberty about 

 the aere of twelve, and the males about fourteen. But, in northern 

 climates, and in the country, girls hardly come to maturity till they 

 are fourteen, and boys not before fixteen. In the warmeft regions 

 of Afia, Africa, and America, the age of puberty in females com- 

 mences at ten, and fometimes at nine. 



After puberty, the Count de Buffon remarks, ' marriage is the 



* natural ftate of man. A man ought to have but one wife, and a 

 'woman but one huiband. This is the law of Nature; for the 



* number of females is nearly equal to that of the males. Such laws 

 ' as have been enaded in oppofition to this natural principle, have 

 ' originated folely from tyranny and ignorance. Reafon, humanity, 

 ' and juftice, revolt againft thofe odious feraglios, in which the liber- 

 ' ty and the affections of many women are facrificed to the brutal 

 ' pafTion of a fmgle man. Does this unnatural pre-eminence render 



* thofe tyrants of the human race more happy ? No ! Surrounded- 



* with eunuchs^ and with women who are ufelefs to themfelves and 



'to 



