PREFACE. 



xiv 



any other women since we left England ; and they 

 soon found out that chastity was not a distinguishing 

 part of their character. Their consent was easily 

 purchased — a spike nail, or an old shirt, was a suffi- 

 cient bribe. The lady was then left to make her 

 man happy, and to exact from him another present 

 for herself We must observe, to the credit of some 

 of these women, and the discredit of the men, that 

 several of the former submitted to prostitution with 

 much seeming reluctance ; and they were sometimes 

 even terrified into a compliance, by the authority, 

 and even menaces of the men."* 



Though all public trade, says the classical and 

 philosophical morahst, who compiled the work from 

 which we quote, " was prohibited, as usual, till the 

 ships should be furnished with fresh provisions, it 

 was not easy to restrain the men on shore from 

 trading with the women, who were continually 

 enticing them to desert. The ladies of pleasure in 

 London, have not half the winning ways that are 

 practised by the Otaheitean misses, to allure their 

 gallants. With the seeming innocency of the doves, 

 they mingle the wiliness of the serpents." " During 

 our stay in the Island, we had hardly a sailor who 

 had not made a very near connexion with one or 

 other of the female inhabitants; nor, indeed, many 

 officers ivho ivere proof against the allurements of the 

 better sort — w ho were no less amorous and artful^ 

 though more reserved than those of the inferior 

 orders. The temperature of the climate, the plenty 

 of fresh provisions, fish, fowl, pork, bread-fruit, 

 yams, added to the delicious fruits of the island, con- 

 tributed not a little to make our stay here desirable ; 

 nor did idleness get possession of those who were 

 most indolently inclined. We had not a vacant hour 

 between business and pleasure. i\mi was uriem- 



fi^ok'" Pprf»n<i Voyage, Cf)]|p(iion of Vovasrf!=. vn], 2. p. "472 



