MAN 
pdration; a drama, on the right condufl: of which 
Our future happinefs is to depend. The youth 
who gives full range to his appetites, too foon 
feizes the cup, before it has received it's beft in- 
gredients ; and, by anticipating his pleafures, robs 
the remainder of his life of it's fliare: fo that his 
early ardour only produces a manhood of imbecil- 
lity, and an age of pain and remorfe. 
The time of puberty commences at different 
periods in different countries, and always more 
.late in men than in women. In the warm cli- 
mates of India, the women are marriageable at 
nine or ten, and the men at twelve or thirteen. 
Cities alfo make a confiderable difference in this 
refped:, where the inhabitants lead a more foft and 
luxurious life than in the country. The fymp- 
toms of puberty are feldom fimilarj but it is 
ufually known by a fwelling of the breaft in one 
fex, and a roughnefs of the voice in the other. 
At this feafon alfo, the women feem to acquire 
new beauty] while the men lofe all that delicate 
effeminacy of countenance which characterized 
them while boys. 
In proportion as countries are more barbarous 
or civilized, the nuptial fatisfadion is either de- 
graded or improved. In thofe miferable regions 
where ftrength conftitutes law, the ftronger fex 
exerts it's power, and becomes the tyrant of the 
weaker: v/hile the African is indolently taking his 
plealurc in the fields, his wife is obliged to till 
the ground, to perform all the drudgeries of do- 
mefiic life, and to provide for their mutual fup- 
port., Thus, in all barbarous countries, the men 
throw all the laborious ofiices on the women; 
and, regardlefs of beauty, force the fofter fex on 
thofe employments which are neither adapted to 
their conftitutions nor their natures. 
However, in countries where the natives are 
half emerged from barbarifm, and particularly 
where Mahometanifm is found to prevail, the 
men run into the very oppofite extreme. Equally 
brutal with the unpolifhed African, they exert 
their tyranny over the weaker fex, and confider 
them as being formed merely to gratify their de- 
praved defires. The chief, and indeed the only 
aim of a rich Afiatic, is to be poifefTed of many 
women ; and to be able to furnifh a feraglio is the 
fole tendency of his ambition. As the favage 
was totally indifferent to beauty, he, on the con- 
trary, places it in too high eftimation : he excludes 
the perfon who poffefTes it from any fhare in the 
duties and avocations of life; and, as if willing to 
engrofs all charms to himfelf, increafes the num- 
ber of his captives in proportion to the progrefs 
of his fortune. After this manner he vainly ex- 
pe6cs to augment his enjoyments, by feeking from 
m.any that felicity which nature and providence 
equally prove is only to be e::pe<5led in the fociety 
of one. He lives a gloomy tyrant amid v/retches 
of his own making; he feels none of thofe endear- 
ments which originate from affection, none of 
thofe delicacies which arife from a communica- 
tion of fentiments and an interchange of delight. 
His miftrelfes, fecluded from the world, and to- 
tally ignorant of all that palfes there, have ac- 
quired no arts to entertain his mind, or calm his 
anxieties; the day pafies over their heads in fullen 
filence or languid repofe; appetite can furnifh but 
few opportunities of varying the fcene; and all 
that falls beyond it muil be irkfome expe<5ta- 
tion. 
From this unnatural monopoly of women has. 
MAN 
arlfen that jealoufy and fufpicion which ever at- 
tend the mifer : hence thofe low and cruel modes 
of keeping the women guarded, and of making 
and procuring eunuchs to attend them. Thefe 
unhappy creatures are of two kinds, the black 
and the white. The white are generally demaf- 
culated in the country where they refide, and are 
but partially deprived of the exterior figns of vi- 
rility. The blacks, who are generally imported 
from the interior parts of Africa, are deprived of 
every mark of the mafculine gender: thefe are 
chiefly chofen for their deformity; the thicker the 
lips, the flatter the nofe, and the blacker the 
teeth, the more valuable the eunuch ; fo that the 
contemptible jealoufy of mankind here inverts the 
order of nature; and the poor wretch finds him- 
felf eil;imated in proportion to his deficiencies. 
In Italy, where this barbarous cuftom of emafcu- 
lation is ftill retained, it is only intended to im- 
prove the voice; and the laws being aimed againfl 
the pradice with all necefl^ary feveritj^, only the 
pooreft and moft abandoned put it in execution, 
and even thofe with all imaginable fecrecy. 
Hov/ever, not one in ten who has thus lofl his 
virility, is found to turn out a finger; butfuch is 
the luxurious folly of the times, that the fuccefs of 
one amply compenfates for the failure of numbers. 
It is difficult to account for the alterations which 
caftration occafions in the voice, and other parts 
of the human body. The eunuch is differently 
fliaped from others ; his legs are of an equal thick- 
nefs above and below; his knees are feeble; his 
fhoulders are narrow; and his beard is thin and 
downy: thus his perfon is rendered more de- 
formed, while his defires are faid to continue the 
fame. In Afia, fome of thefe eunuchs- adually 
have their feraglios as well as their maflers; and 
even in Britain, we have had an inflance of a 
beautiful woman being married to one of them of 
the mofh unpromifing appearance, and whofe emaf- 
culation was publicly known. 
To acquire the mere neceffaries of life feems 
to be the only aim of the favage; fenfual pleafures 
are the fole ftudy of the femi-barbarian ; but the 
refinement of fenfuality by reafon is the boaft of 
real civilization. Among the nations who ftill 
continue in a ftate of original rudenefs, nothing 
is fo ardently defired as to proilitute their wives 
and daughters to Arrangers for the moft trifling 
confiderations; they efteem it a difhonour not to 
be the foremoft who are thus received into fa- 
vour: while, on the other hand, the Mahometan 
prelerves the fidelity of his wife by confining her 
perfon, and v^'ould inftantly put her to death if 
he fufpeded her chaflity. Among the politer in- 
habitants of Europe, both thefe barbarous ex- 
tremes are avoided: the woman's perfon is left 
free, and no reftraint is impofed but on her af- 
fedions. The pafuon of love, which may be re- 
garded as rude defire chaftened by delicate pro- 
priety, is only known and pradifed in this quar- 
ter of the world; fo that what other nations guard 
as a matter of right, the more refined European 
is fatisfied to folicit as a favour. In this manner, 
the concurrence of mutual defire contributes to 
increafe mutual fatisfadion; and the power on one 
fide of refufing, makes every blelTing m.ore grate- 
ful when obtained by the other. In uncivilized 
countries, women are confidered merely as ufeful 
flaves; in fuch 2s are fomewhat more refined, they 
are regarded as lovely toys; but in countries en- 
tirely polifnedj they enjoy juiler privileges, the 
wife 
