424 



HISTORY OP MEXICO. 



<c tur : ubi mulieres, quae impudentifiimse erant, viros 

 " promifcue admittebant, ut teftatur Confalvus de Ovi- 

 " edo Hift. Indiar. lib. v. cap. 3. immo eofdem & plures 

 " impudentius provocabant menftruationis tempore, cum 

 " tunc incalefcente utero libidine magis infanirent pecu- 

 " dum more. Quid igirur mirum varia, heterogenea, 

 " acria multorum virorum femina una confufa, cum acer- 

 <c rimo & virulento menftruo fanguine mixta intra ute- 

 " rum asftuantem & olidum fpurciffimarum mulierum 

 " coercita, mora, heterogeneitate, calore loci brevi com- 

 " putruifTe, ac prima morbi venerei femina conitituhTe, 

 " quae in alios, fi qui forte continentiores erant, dimana- 

 " vere I" 



This is the whole difcourfe of Dr. Aflruc on the ori- 

 gin of the venereal dHtemper, and is full from beginning 

 to end of falfity, as we mail prefently demonftrate : but 

 allowing that it was true what he fays happened in Hif- 

 paniola, the fame thing might have happened in Europe ; 

 becaufe as thofe Americans when they were in want of 

 maize and other food fed on frogs, worms, &c. in like 

 manner the Europeans, when they were in want of wheat 

 and other good aliment, have been obliged to eat rats, 

 lizards, and fuch little animals, the excrements of other 

 animals, and even bread made of human bones, which 

 brought them various diforders. It is fufficient to call to 

 mind the horrid famine formerly fuifered in Europe, 

 partly by fevere weather, partly by war. There have 

 been men too there who have, like beafts, allowed them- 

 felves to be led away by intemperate luft to the mod ex- 

 ecrable excefles. There have always been abandoned 

 and filthy women too, and what Plautus faid might be 

 affirmed with refpecl: to them, Plus fcortorum ibi est, 

 quam mufcarumtum> cum caleiur mamme. Extreme acrid 



feminal 



