,,onanism ,,display',d3 ,,being1 ,i4 ,an ,enquiry into the true ,nature of ,,onan',s ,,sin4 ,,ii4 ,of the ,modern ,onanists4 ,,iii4 ,of ,self-,pollution1 its ,causes1 and ,consequences2 with three extraordinary ,cases1 of two ,young ,gentlemen and a ,lady1 who were very much ,addicted to this ,crime4 ,,iv4 ,of ,nocturnal-,pollutions ,natural and ,forc'd4 ,v4 ,the ,great ,sin of ,self-,pollution1 with the ,judgment of the most ,eminent ,divines upon this ,subject4 ,,vi4 ,a ,dissertation concerning ,generation1 with a curious ,description of the ,parts1 and of their proper ,functions1 c4 according to the latest1 and most approv'd ,anatomical ,discoveries4 ,made ,english from the ,paris ,edition4 ,,the ,,second ,,edition4 ,,london3 ,printed for ,e4 ,,curll1 over against ,st4 ,dunstan's ,church in ,fleet-street4 ,,mdccxix4 7,price #a s4 #f d47 ,illustration ,,preface4 ,the ,reader will immediately be sensible1 that ,i have been led into the first part of this ,treatise upon tracing the ,impositions and ,inconsistencies of the ,author of a ,pamphlet ,entitled ,onania2 and for the latter part it may be easily concluded to proceed from no other ,motive1 but the ,dictates of ,nature4 ,it was impossible for an ,author of any ,spirit1 after a particular description of the unnatural use of the ,parts1 that he could finish his ,labours without thoroughly examining their admiral ,structure3 ,they being no less curious than delightful to a ,youthful ,swain1 that's fir'd with ,imagination4 ,the infinite number of fine ,vessels are pleasing in ,representation1 as well as otherways ,ravishing1 and the ,nerves and ,arteries are equally beautiful1 as they are transporting4 ,the great and exquisite sense of the ,parts of ,generation1 give an ,enjoyment transcending all others2 and the ,wisdom of our ,creator1 for the support of the ,world1 cannot be too sufficiently admir'd1 in that ,man is propagated by an excess of ,pleasure4 ,the following ,treatise1 ,i have by no means compos'd to give a loose to ,debauchery4 ,i have only persu'd the common ,rules of ,anatomy in this way of ,writing1 and interspers'd a great variety of curious ,observations and natural ,consequences as yet unobserv'd1 and ,i was naturally induc'd to it more for the ,information of ,mankind in general1 than for the ,sons of sculapius in particular4 ,the ,gentleman of all ,ranks not superannuated1 may find some ,pleasure in perusing it1 and the fair ,sex will meet with such ample ,instructions1 as not to fail in the choice of an agreeable ,person1 for the amorous ,combat4 ,for my ,dissertation upon the ,generation of ,man1 ,i am chiefly oblig'd to ,messieurs ,lamy1 and ,dionis1#a those two excellent ,anatomists2 and if1 in some parts of my ,performance1 ,i seem more ,ludicrous than any ,author that has hitherto writ on the ,subject2 you'll find on due consideration1 'tis owing to a more exact ,enquiry2 and ,curiosity is not easily satisfied in the depth of the secrets of ,nature4 ,and ,i hope what ,i have mention'd from a ,learned ,casuist1#b will be a sufficient ,antidote against the unlawful use of those curious ,parts ,i have so particularly described2 as an ,addition to which ,i farther recommend a small ,treatise 7not long since publish'd17 ,entitled1 ,,essays relating to the ,conduct of ,life1 which contain sufficient and easy ,instructions for a regular ,o,economy1 not only where the ,passions are prevalent1 but in all the ,vicissitudes incident to ,human ,nature4 ,footnote #a3 ,dissertation sur la ,generation de ,l',homme4 ,par ,monsieur ,dionis1 ,paris #afig4 ,footnote #b3 ,traite de l',impuritie1 par ,monsieur ,ostervald4 ,in the ,writing of this small ,work ,i carelesly omitted a material scrutiny of a ,paragraph in ,onania2 ,page #af4 says this ,author1 #8some ,women are with held from being ,prostitutes by their covetousness only3 ,others for nothing else1 but the fear of ,diseases1 or the having of ,children4 ,lascivious ,widows1 who understand the ,world have reason to scruple second ,marriages on many accounts2 some love their ,liberty2 others their ,money2 and if they value their ,reputation1 they'll not dare to venture on unlawful ,embraces2 whereas in ,self-pollution1 neither the ,cautious1 nor the ,covetous imagine that they have any thing to fear40 ,i take it that this very plainly encourages the ,sin of ,self-pollution1 if ,i may be allow'd to deduce the ,consequences of the latter from the former2 for he first says rightly1 that unlawful ,embraces are injurious to ,reputations2 but then insinuates that ,self-pollution may be practis'd without any ,apprehensions4 ,this and many other parts of his ,treatise1 demonstrate his ,view to be the sale of his ,medicines1 though with a great deal of ,cant he pretends the contrary1 besides the very tacking of his ,apothecary's-shop1 to his stupid ,performance1 without any farther considerations sufficiently shews his real ,intentions4 ,and ,i am so far from imitating this ignorant ,empirick1 that the only ,remedy ,i prescribe1 is that ,infallible ,specifick1 in every ones power1 ,,chastity4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,onanism ,,display',d4 ,,introduction4 ,the ,author of a late ,pamphlet entitled ,,onania has by a ,bundle of ,theological ,phrases1 ,scripture ,quotations1 and an affected ,simplicity1 attempted to possess the ,world with an ,opinion1 that his ,designs in publishing that ,treatise1 were meerly with spiritual ,views1 and out of a tender regard to the preservation of the ,healths and ,constitutions of the degenerate part of ,mankind1 without any the least ,mercenary ,expectations2 and since it may possibly bear this ,construction with ,persons carelesly perusing his ,performance1 and the ignorant ,multitude3 ,i shall make it my ,business to set forth the ,absurdity1 inconsistency1 and imposture of this supercilious ,scribler in every part2 to prove that his ,treatise tends to the encouragement of ,lewdness and ,debauchery2 that his own ,medicines promote the very ,sin1 he1 for ,interest sake1 takes upon him to ,discountenance2 and to demonstrate1 that he is really ignorant of what was the ,crime of ,,onan4 ,but ,i shall premise that my ,scheme is no ways calculated to propagate any manner of ,uncleanness1 but on the contrary to discourage the practice of self-pollution1 by illustrating the ,sin more particularly2 and enumerating more extraordinary ,instances than hitherto any ,author has done on the ,subject4 ,i agree with this ,author in the ,opinion of the ,divine he has quoted1 that ,self-pollution is a ,crime in it self1 monstrous and unnatural2 its ,practice filthy and odious1 its ,guilt crying1 and its ,consequences ruinous3 ,it destroys conjugal ,affection1 perverts natural ,inclination1 and tends to extinguish the hopes of ,posterity2 but ,i take leave to observe that the ,author of ,,onania is egregiously mistaken in fixing this ,crime upon ,,onan1 as ,i shall incontestably prove when ,i have gone thro' my ,examination of his trifling ,performance1 which ,i purpose to do with all the exactness imaginable4 ,and first1 in ,page #ad4 ,after setting forth ,ignorance to be the first cause of ,self-pollution1 this ,author goes on and tells you1 that the second is the secrecy with which ,self-pollution may be committed3 ,all other ,actions of uncleanness 7says he7 must have a ,witness1 this needs none4 ,some lustful ,women of sense1 have made all the outward shew of ,virtue and ,morality that can be requir'd2 they have had prudence enough1 in the midst of strong ,desires1 to refuse disadvantageous ,matches1 and yet have abandon'd themselves to this ,vice1 when at the same time they would rather have died than betray'd a weakness to any ,man living1 as afterwards1 becoming ,penitents1 they have confessed themselves4 ,and again some young ,men of vicious ,inclinations1 have either naturally1 or for want of a liberal ,education been shame-fac'd to excess2 they have not dar'd to look upon a ,woman1 and their ,bashfulness has secur'd them from every act of ,impurity but this4 ,from all which it is evident that the secrecy of this ,sin1 has betray'd many into it1 whom hardly any thing else would have tempted4 ,in answer to this1 tho' it must be confess'd that secrecy in some measure promotes this ,vice1 yet ,ignorance and the want of a liberal ,education can in no respect be constru'd to have an equal ,effect3 ,an ignorant ,person may be rationally presum'd to be less influenc'd by impure ,imaginations1 than a ,person of a tolerable share of ,sense2 his ,ignorance may be so extensive1 as to cloud all manner of ,enjoyments1 and allow him no ,thoughts of pursuing imaginary pleasures2 whilst the ,man of sense is perpetually devising new ,diversions1 and proportions his ,enjoyment to the extent of his ,capacity2 he vigorously pursues the ,tracts of ,lewdness and ,debauchery1 and is restless and uneasy1 until he has acted in all ,scenes1 and gone thro' the utmost variety of brutal ,enjoyments2 this ,i take to be highly conspicuous in the ,rakes of the ,town1 who are frequently ,persons of sprightly ,wit1 and endu'd with no small share of substantial ,sense4 ,and as for the want of a liberal ,education1 ,i cannot easily guess at the meaning of the ,author1 unless it be the want of being train'd up in the ,hundreds of ,drury1 it being very certain that in a ,scholastick ,education1 the perusal of ludicrous ,authors1 which all ,youths of ,spirit are fond of making choice of for their ,studies1 excites them to uncleanness infinitely beyond ,ignorance2 and that the want of ,education should occasion such an invincible ,bashfulness1 as to deter a ,person from looking on a ,woman1 is such an imposition upon the illiterate part of ,mankind1 which make up at least three ,parts in four of the ,creation1 that nothing can be like it1 when we consider that the ,enjoyment of a ,woman is so natural1 that no bounds of ,shame will confine it1 and that ,persons in all other ,respects modest1 have a strong propensity to copulation1 and cannot conquer this passion1 like others more visible to the ,world1 by ,shame or any other means4 ,shame ,i take to be more a defect in ,nature1 and want of ,resolution to act in ,publick1 than to discourage the private ,amours of ,youth1 which by a due management may be easily carried on with sufficient secrecy3 ,and we oftentimes find a bashful ,person more inclinable to ,vice than the ,man of assurance1 tho' he supports the ,character with more ,hipocrisy2 his ,intrigues are carried on with an entire secrecy1 and he can enter upon his ,lewdness with an air of ,gravity and ,innocence1 when the ,sinner of ,resolution as frankly owns his ,experience1 as he commits the ,crime4 ,but to go on with this ,author1 in page #ag4 ,he says1 it is the general ,opinion1 that the shameless are the worst of ,people1 yet shame when ill plac'd1 has often wrought worse ,effects1 than the reverse alone has been able to produce4 ,when a ,bastard ,infant is found ,dead1 and the ,mother1 lately deliver'd without ,witness1 is not able to prove either that she had made ,provision for it1 or during her pregnancy imparted the secret to another1 besides the ,father1 our ,english ,law1 without any other ,evidence1 presumes the ,woman to have murder'd the ,child4 ,from whence it is evident the ,legislators must have suppos'd that some ,women may have cruelty enough to commit the most unnatural ,murder of all1 and at the same time want ,courage to bear shame4 ,this penetrating ,author does not consider1 that 'tis not so much the want of ,courage to bear a present shame1 as to prevent a future expence in the maintaining and breeding up a ,child1 which most commonly occasions these unnatural ,murders2 and where a ,crime of this ,nature can be perpetrated with secrecy1 so that the guilty ,persons may come off with impunity1 ,i take it that in all ,cases the incumbrance is more consider'd than the shame4 ,i am not of his ,opinion in ,page #ah4 that ,women are equally immodest with ,men1 and that ,custom and ,education only prevents their shewing it4 ,for in the ,infancy of ,children1 before the force of ,education can possibly take place1 or sense prevail1 as a ,guide to their ,actions1 we frequently find an abounding ,modesty in the ,female1 and a large share of ,boldness in the ,male1 produc'd from the same ,loins1 and this ,i have observ'd is generally the ,case1 which can proceed from nothing but ,nature4 ,and in ,page #ai4 says this ,author1 if ,children were strictly forbid never to touch their ,eyes or ,nose1 but with their ,handkerchiefs1 and that only upon very urgent ,necessities2 if likewise they saw every ,body comply with this ,custom1 and it was counted abominable to touch them with their naked ,hands1 ,i can't see why this might not be as shocking to them when grown up1 as now the most guilty ,denudations are to well bred ,people4 ,now this curious ,observation upon the efficacy of ,custom being introduc'd in a ,paragraph treating of ,modesty and ,chastity1 ,i appeal to all ,persons of any sense or discernment1 whether it does not imply1 that all ,modesty and ,virtue is establish'd only by ,custom1 and whether it does not entirely destroy the notion of an innate ,principle4 ,this concludes his first ,chapter1 and ,i take it to be very evident1 that under a ,cloak of ,divinity1 this ,author slily propagates ,doctrines fatal to ,religion1 and highly reflecting on the ,reputations of the ,virtuous4 ,chap4 ,,ii4 ,page #be4 ,in ,women1 he says1 ,self-pollution1 if frequently practis'd1 relaxes and spoils the retentive ,faculty1 occasions the ,fluor ,albus1 an obnoxious1 as well as perplexing illness attending that ,sex1 which upon account of the ,womb1 may draw on a whole ,legion of ,diseases2 among other disorders1 it makes them look pale1 and those who are not of a good ,complexion1 swarthy and hagged4 ,it frequently is the cause of ,hysterick ,fits1 and sometimes by draining away all the radical ,moisture causes ,consumptions4 ,but what it more often produces than either1 is ,barrenness1 a misfortune very afflictive to them1 because seldom to be redress'd2 ,he seems to make very little difference between the fatal ,consequences of ,self-pollution in either of the ,sexes1 when it must be allow'd to be great1 on duly considering the situation of the parts2 the ,male can with abundantly more ease effect a titillation on his external ,testicles1 than the ,female facilitate the least pleasure in her ,womb2 and as the difficulty is greater1 it must deter a constant practice1 and consequently not be attended with ,symptoms1 equally direful4 ,and ,i doubt not1 but this ,author would much rather see a ,legion of ,gallants waiting upon a ,female1 than one single act of ,self-pollution1 his ,interest being more nearly concern'd in the vending of his ,venereal ,medicines4 ,agreeable to this1 in ,page #df4 ,treating of ,repentance1 he goes on1 it is not enough for ,youth to renounce their ,crime1 without renouncing likewise all the approaches to it4 ,all the several species of ,impurity1 and the defilements of either ,body or ,mind1 all lewd ,actions1 wanton ,glances1 impure ,thoughts and ,desires1 together with such familiarities as expose to ,temptations1 all obscene ,discourse or ,expressions1 and which are contrary to ,chastity4 ,it is true this ,renunciation may appear difficult at first1 and will occasion no small trouble to those that have contracted a vicious ,habit1 of giving themselves up to all sorts of ,passions3 ,but ,people must couragiously resolve to overcome themselves1 it being far better to deny themselves in those ,things1 and to cross their own ,inclinations for a time1 than by pursuing them to perish eternally4 ,it is profitable that one of their ,members should perish1 and not that their whole ,body should be cast into ,hell4 ,the tacking of this ,quotation from ,scripture1 by a dispenser of ,medicines1 pretending only to cure ,venereal ,maladies1 seems very plain and demonstrable to be done with a design of increasing ,whoredom and ,fornication1 at the same time he pretends to lash the ,crime of ,self-pollution2 what he can otherwise mean by the perishing of one ,member1 is to me a mystery2 and in many other parts of his ,treatise he slily insinuates ,notions and ,comparisons no way coherent1 to promote his ,profession of ,quackism4 ,in ,page #ed4 ,after he has inserted a pretended ,letter from a ,young ,gentleman in the ,country1 setting forth the dreadful ,miseries he labour'd under thro' a frequent practice of ,self-pollution1 viz4 repeating it eight ,times an hour2 our ,author solemnly declares1 that he concluded this ,letter with requesting his ,advice1 and informing him that he never carnally knew any ,person 7,i suppose meaning neither ,man nor ,woman7 or defil'd himself otherwise1 than by ,self-pollution4 ,setting aside the very great suspicion of this1 and the rest of the ,letters in this ,treatise being forg'd1 there being no ,names of the ,writers1 to whom directed1 or any ,dates to them1 the ,author ,acts very inconsistently1 in not setting forth the conclusion of the ,letter relating to carnal knowledge in the ,letter it self1 but instead thereof1 he imposes upon the ,world1 his own ,affirmation1 as the only ,authority4 ,if he be himself the ,author of those ,letters1 as ,i suppose he may1 indeed it has equal sanction from his own ,mouth deliver'd at another time1 but if he be not the ,inventer of those ,bundles of ,nonsense1 certainly the ,genuine ,letter ought to be inserted verbatim to the end4 ,and why he mentions that part of the ,letter at all1 unless it be with a secret ,design of propagating other uncleanness more detestable as it brings a double ,guilt1 ,i cannot well understand1 since he no where takes notice of the calamities attending ,whoredom and ,fornication1 tho' the ,crimes are often repeated4 ,towards the ,conclusion of this ,treatise1 in ,page #gd4 ,the more easily to impose upon the publick1 a solemn ,declaration is made1 that he neither1 has1 or ever design'd to have the least ,interest or share in the ,profits1 that now are1 or hereafter may accrue from the sale of the ,medicines2 this seems to be an ,evasion equally contriv'd to any of the foregoing2 is it not easy to imagine1 that1 7tho' his ,performance is compos'd of stupidity7 he is not himself the ,author1 even of that8 ,and that this is not his ,declaration1 but that of the ,writer of his insipid ,treatise2 and whether this be not a natural ,construction1 ,i submit to the ,determination of all impartial ,readers4 ,there are several other ,fallacies and ,impostures1 which might be trac'd through his trifling ,performance1 but ,i shall content my self with the particulars ,i have already examin'd3 ,and as in ,page #fc4 ,he mentions the ,advice of ,boccalini1 given as an ,antidote against ,whoredom1 viz4 that ,persons that way inclin'd should carry about with them1 a well drawn ,picture1 of the most perfect and faultless ,beauty that ever appear'd in ,flesh and ,blood1 pencil'd over again with rotten ,teeth1 blear ,eyes1 and ,noseless2 and that whenever ,desires of the ,flesh stir1 they would take a sober ,view of it1 and seriously consider what they are about to do1 and the ,consequences1 which no doubt would damp their ,inclinations4 ,i shall insert some particulars of this nature1 which will give a more lively ,idea of the ,folly and ,madness1 and more effectually deter a pursuit of carnal ,pleasures from ,sir ,roger ,l',estrange's ,translation of ,,quevedo's ,visions4 ,in the fifth ,vision of the ,world1 a ,dialogue is begun between a ,young ,libertine1 and a grave ,old ,gentleman2 #8says the ,libertine1 there past by a ,lady of ,pleasure1 of so excellent a ,shape1 and ,garb1 that it was impossible to see her without a ,passion for her1 and no less impossible to look upon any ,thing else so long as she was to be seen3 ,they that had seen her once1 were to see her no more3 for she turn'd her ,face still to new ,comers3 ,her ,motion was graceful and free1 one while she'd stare ye full in the ,eyes1 under colour of opening her ,hood1 to set it in better order3 ,by and by she'd steal a look at ye with one ,eye1 and a side ,face1 from the corner of her ,vizor2 like a ,witch that's afraid to be known when she comes from a ,catterwal2 and then out comes the delicate ,hand1 and discovers the more delicious ,neck and ,breasts1 to adjust the ,handkerchief or the ,scarf2 or to remove some other grievance that made her ,ladyship uneasy4 ,her ,hair was most artificially dispos'd into careless ,rings2 and the best ,red and ,white in ,nature was in her ,cheeks2 if that of her ,lips and ,teeth did not exceed it4 ,in a word1 all she look'd upon were her own2 the ,old ,man opposing this ,romance2 says the ,young ,gentleman1 he must be either ,blind or ,barbarous that's proof against the ,charms of so divine a ,beauty2 nor would any but a ,sot let slip the blessed opportunity1 of so fair an ,encounter2 that he that has her1 has all that's lovely or desirable in ,nature3 ,what lightning does she carry in her ,eyes6 ,what ,charms and ,chains in her ,looks and ,motions1 for the very ,souls of her ,beholders6 ,was ever any ,thing so clear1 as her ,forehead8 ,or so black as her ,eye-brows8 ,one would swear that her ,complection had taken a ,tincture of ,vermillion and ,milk3 ,and that ,nature had brought her into the ,world with ,pearl and ,rubies in her ,mouth1 to speak all in little1 she's the ,master-piece of the ,creation1 worthy of infinite praise1 and equal to our largest ,desires and ,imaginations4 #8,here the ,old ,gentleman interrupted the ,young ,libertine1 and told him he was a ,man of much ,wonder and small ,experience1 and deliver'd over to the ,spirit of ,folly and ,blindness4 ,the ,truth of it is1 said he1 that this prodigious ,beauty of yours1 hires all by the day2 and if you did but see this ,puppet taken to pieces1 you would find her little else but ,paint and ,plaister4 ,to begin her ,anatomy at the head2 you must know that the ,hair she wears1 is borrow'd of a ,tire-,woman1 for her own was blown off by an unlucky ,wind from the coast of ,naples2 or if she has any left1 she keeps it private1 as a ,memorial of her ,antiquity2 she is beholden to the ,pencil for her ,eye-brows and ,complection3 ,and upon the whole matter she's but an old ,picture refresht2 all that you see of her that's good1 comes from distill'd ,waters1 ,essences1 ,powders1 and the like2 and to see the washing of her ,face would fright the ,devil3 ,she abounds in ,pomanders1 sweet ,waters1 ,spanish ,pockets1 perfum'd ,drawers2 and all little enough to qualifie the poisonous ,whiffs she sends from her ,toes and ,armpits1 which would otherwise out stink ,ten ,thousand ,pole-,cats3 ,she cannot chuse but kiss well1 for her ,lips are perpetually bath'd in ,oil and ,grease2 and he that embraces her1 shall find the better half of her the ,taylors1 and only a stuffing of ,cotton1 and ,canvas to supply the defects of her ,body4 ,what do you think of your ador'd ,beauty now8' ,and in another place of the same ,author1 the following account is given of a ,visit to ill-favour'd ,women2 #8some had their ,faces so pounc'd and speckled1 as if they had been scarified1 and newly past the cupping ,glass2 with a ,world of little ,plaisters1 long1 round1 square2 and briefly cut out into such variety1 that it would have posed a good ,mathematician to have found out another ,figure2 and you would have sworn1 that they had been either at ,cats-play or ,cuffs3 ,others were scraping their ,faces with pieces of ,glass2 tearing up their ,eye-brows by the ,roots like mad2 and some that had none to tear1 were fetching out of their black ,boxes1 such as they could get or make3 ,others were powdering and curling the false ,locks1 or fastning their new ,ivory ,teeth in the place of their old ,ebony ones3 ,some were chewing ,limmon-peal or ,cinnamon1 to countenance a foul ,breath2 and raising themselves upon their ,ciopines1 that their ,view might be the fairer1 and their fall the deeper3 ,others were quarrelling with their ,looking-glasses1 for shewing them such ,hags countenances2 and cursing the ,state of ,venice1 for entertaining no better ,workmen2 some with their ,hogs-grease and ,pomatum1 were sleeking and polishing their ,faces2 and indeed1 their ,fore-heads were bright and shining1 though there were neither ,suns nor ,stars in that ,firmament3 ,and others were daubing one another1 to take away the ,heats and ,buboes2 so far does a ,woman's ,wit and ,invention carry her1 to her own ,destruction4' ,and in another ,vision lewd ,women are justly call'd1 the ,devil's ,factresses4 ,this is a small ,digression from my ,subject1 but as ,i was naturally lead into it1 by the ,treatise ,i have been examining1 and it may tend to the discouragement of unlawful ,pleasures1 ,i hope it is excuseable4 ,i now proceed to shew that the ,author is mistaken in the ,sin of ,,onan1 and to demonstrate what was really his ,crime4 ,,chap4 ,i4 ,of ,,onan's ,crime2 and the ,sin of ,,self-,,pollution4 ,the ,text of ,scripture runs thus4 ,and ,judah said unto ,,onan1 ,go in unto thy ,brother's ,wife1 and ,marry her1 and raise up ,seed to thy ,brother4 ,and ,,onan knew that the ,seed should not be his2 and it came to pass1 when he went in unto his ,brother's ,wife1 that he spilled it on the ,ground1 lest that he should give ,seed to his ,brother4 #ch4 ,chap4 ,genesis1 ,verses #h1 #i1 #aj4 ,though some ,authors seem to make ,,onan's chief ,crime to be ,self-pollution1 yet the learned ,bishop ,patrick1 in his ,commentary upon the #chth ,chapter of ,genesis1 is of a contrary ,opinion1 viz4 #8,verse #h4 ,go in unto thy ,brother's ,wife4 ,this was an ancient ,custom in force by the ,law of ,moses1 which only exacted what had been formerly practis'd1 viz4 that when a ,man died without issue1 his next ,brother should ,marry his ,wife4 ,deut4 #be4 #e4 #8,and raise up ,seed to thy ,brother2 is meant preserve thy ,brother's ,name and ,family1 by begetting a ,child1 which may be accounted his1 and inherit his ,estate4 ,for so the ,law was1 that the first ,born of such a ,match1 was not to be look'd upon1 as a ,child of him that begot him2 but as his ,brother's1 who was the ,mother's first ,husband2 though all the following ,children were to be his own4 #8,verse #i4 ,,onan knew that the ,seed should not be accounted his in the first ,born1 but his ,brothers4 ,and least the ,child should be born in the ,name of his ,brother2 v4 #aj4 ,the ,thing which he did displeased the ,lord4 ,this made the ,sin the more heinous1 that he acted against the divine ,promise made to ,abraham1 concerning the multiplying of his ,seed4 #8,the contract of ,marriage was so understood in those ,days1 that if the ,husband died without ,issue1 the ,woman was oblig'd to ,marry his next ,brother1 and as long as any of his ,brethren remain'd1 they were bound to ,marry his ,wife1 and preserve their ,brother's ,memory1 or solemnly renounce1 to their very great ,infamy4 ,this was so well known1 that no new contract was enjoyn'd in such a ,case2 for the first ,husband being dead1 she and the next ,brother were ,man and ,wife1 without any farther ,agreement or ,ceremony1 by ,virtue of the ,original ,law4' ,the learned ,prelate in this ,comment1 omits mentioning the spilling of the ,seed1 but it may be rationally presum'd he did it not so much out of a regard to ,modesty1 as its being a trifling part of the ,charge against ,,onan2 since he determines ,,onan's great ,crime to be his not complying with the ,law of ,moses1 in the ,marriage of his ,brothers ,wife2 tho' he adds1 that his ,sin was the more heinous for his acting contrary to the promise made to ,abraham1 in relation to the multiplying of his ,seed4 ,what provok'd ,,onan to the ,breach of this ,law1 ,i take to be evident1 was his not being allow'd the ,reputation of begetting the first ,child on his ,brothers ,wife1 which in all ,marriages is attended with more satisfaction1 than any of the future ,progeny4 ,there might be other probable ,reasons given for ,,onan's breaking this ,law of ,moses2 as envy to the ,memory of his deceas'd ,brother1 dislike or prejudice to his ,wife1 c4 ,but to ,comment a little farther upon the #ch ,chapter of ,genesis1 in respect to ,,onan's ,crime1 it may not be amiss to examine some preceding ,verses4 ,verse4 #b4 ,and ,judah saw there1 a ,daughter of a certain ,cananite1 whose ,name was ,shuah2 and he took her1 and went in unto her4 ,and she conceiv'd1 and bare a ,son1 and he call'd his ,name ,er4 ,by this1 and many other parts of the ,scripture it is apparent1 that the ,words going in unto a ,woman1 were meant in those times actual ,copulation1 so that when ,,onan went in unto his ,brother's ,wife1 it must be constru'd1 that he began the pleasure of ,matrimony1 though1 he did not perfect it by reason he spilt his ,seed on the ,ground2 that is1 he withdrew from his ,brothers ,wife1 and did not consummate the ,marriage2 which displeas'd the ,lord1 wherefore he slew him4 ,agreeable to this in some measure1 is the modern ,custom amongst ,persons of distinction in their amorous ,intrigues2 who after they are actually ingag'd in the pleasures of ,venus1 by a sudden ereption of the ,privities1 separate from the ,female the instant they feel the ,titillation in the extreme ,parts1 and before the ,emissio ,seminis2 to prevent the effects of a teeming ,womb1 which would not only occasion a considerable expence1 but expose the ,female1 and very much impair the ,beauty of her ,form4 ,and of this nature1 ,i take the ,sin of ,,onan to be1 in relation to his spilling his ,seed on the ,ground1 though not committed with the same design4 ,these particulars fully shew1 that ,,onan's ,sin was not ,self-pollution1 as laid down by the ,author of ,,onania1 and for that he had the ,assistance of his ,brother's ,wife4 ,i come now to the ,sin of ,self-pollution1 and begin with the ,causes4 ,i am by no means of the ,author's ,opinion1 that ,self-pollution is entirely occasion'd by ,ignorance1 ,secrecy1 ,shame1 or other particular ,causes mention'd in his ,treatise1 as ,i have already observ'd1 with my ,reasons confuting the same2 to which ,i may add1 this farther1 that few1 or no ,persons can be ignorant1 that ,self-pollution is a ,sin4 ,i look upon it to be more a natural ,distemper occasion'd by a vicious ferment of the ,blood1 than to proceed from any of the ,causes set forth by the ,author of ,self-pollution1 and that this may be agitated by lewd ,company1 ,obscene ,pictures1 c4 ,it is impossible1 that ignorance can increase this ,crime1 when it is esteem'd the ,mother of ,devotion1 and in my ,opinion1 the firmest limits to ,chastity4 ,without some experience1 no considerable progress can be made1 and 'tis the highest inconsistency to call an experienc'd ,person ignorant4 ,other ,causes of ,self-pollution1 ,i take it may be justly attributed to the very great hazards ,young ,gentlemen are constantly expos'd to with ,women of the ,town 7not that ,i allow any unlawful desires7 for tho' the ,crime of ,self-pollution be in its nature heinous1 and the ,consequences are to be fear'd by all considerate ,persons1 yet the ,sin doth not in any respect seem so dreadful to vigorous ,youth1 as that of ,whoredom1 and the ,calamities attending1 are generally more remote in prospect4 ,a ,clap or a ,pox will immediately ensue in the most terrible manner 7the ,beauty of the ,front1 and the most valuable parts of the ,body1 being particularly in danger7 in the case of ,copulation with an unsound ,woman1 when the consequences of ,self-pollution only steal on you by degrees1 and will be a considerable space before the direful ,effects shall be visible4 ,this ,i take to be a principal ,cause of ,self-pollution1 especially where ,persons have suffer'd in their ,intrigues with lewd ,women2 and what encreases it in this case1 is the pernicious ,salt of a transmissive ,nature1 oftentimes remaining in the center of the ,blood1 upon taking unbounded quantities of ,mercurial ,preparations2 some ,young ,gentlemen have confess'd to me1 that after the cure of the secret ,disease by ,quack-physicians1 their ,inclinations have encreas'd1 with the number of their venerial ,maladies1 which can proceed from no other cause than a pollution of the ,blood occasion'd by the ,dregs of ill prepar'd ,medicines4 ,i have known two very remarkable ,cases of this kind in the ,country4 ,one was a half witted young ,fellow1 being with artifice entic'd to the act of ,fornication with an unclean ,woman1 who after a cure of the ,disease he receiv'd by her1 was so strangely addicted to ,self-pollution1 that at length there was far greater difficulty to preserve his impair'd ,carcass1 than in curing of his nauseous ,distemper1 notwithstanding1 he had it with severity3 ,he would sit down upon the ,floor1 and with ,eyes lift up violate ,nature in a seeming ,transport1 and oftentimes repeat this unnatural ,sin1 with an uncommon pleasure3 ,at last he confess'd it1 and on a private ,examination declar'd1 that he never had any inclination to ,self-pollution1 before he had receiv'd his venerial ,injury1 and largely taken of the ,surgeons ,preparations1 tho' this ,woman was not the first that he had carnally known4 ,the other ,case within my knowledge1 was1 that of a rakish ,young ,gentleman1 who having run through his ,fortune in ,extravagancies1 particularly on the fair ,sex1 when he could no longer splendidly subsist1 or afford the expence of unlawful ,pleasures1 being perpetually tormented with a violent inclination to ,women2 at last after a long continuance of ,self-pollution1 he couragiously ,castrated himself1 as the only cure of his vicious ,appetite4 ,but the next ,news ,i heard1 as indeed ,i expected1 was1 that he had with equal resolution shot himself through the ,head4 ',tis very certain1 that ,persons in mean ,circumstances1 are thereby in many ,respects render'd unable to pursue their darling ,vices2 but where the ,principles are vitiated1 or the ,passions prevalent1 there is no ,shield of ,self-defence against ill ,actions3 ,the ,person wholly void of ,honesty1 will commit ,thefts and ,robberies upon the ,persons of others to enrich himself2 and the lustful ,person will satisfy his ,brutal inclinations by ,friction1 or other abominable ,enjoyments1 for want of ability1 to purchase more acceptable ,crimes3 ,and as the want of ,circumstances is many times a cause of ,self-pollution1 so the ,person in possession of a large ,fortune1 is frequently guilty of the ,sin of ,whoredom1 accompanied with more dreadful ,consequences1 and ,nature only1 under the severest ,discipline1 must in all ,cases regulate the lustful ,appetite4 ,the design of providence1 for the preservation of ,mankind in a ,state of ,innocence1 is visible throughout all the works of the ,creation2 there is no condition of ,life1 but a ,person may go thro' free from ,guilt and ,infamy2 and particularly in ,uncleanness1 ,nocturnal-pollution proceeding meerly from ,nature without force1 is certainly intended to correct lustful ,inclinations2 but when it arises from vicious contemplations1 and impure ,ideas conceiv'd in the ,mind1 it is a sinful ,act1 though not equally criminal to ,self-pollution4 ,pollution by the hand of a ,woman1 is always attended with more fatal consequences to the ,man than any other2 the impure ,thoughts are more strongly impress'd by the presence of the ,female1 than its possible in her absence1 and the imaginations so heighten'd by her ,touch1 as to commit the greater violence on ,nature4 ,by this1 the parts are more considerably strain'd1 and their natural ,strength and ,vigour abated4 ,this naturally leads me to the various ways of ,self-pollution in wanton ,females1 which are so intolerable1 that ,modesty forbids a particular ,description4 ,i shall only mention1 that a ,lascivious ,woman1 by the use of a pleasurable ,toy1 and an injection of ,milk1 or other ,moisture1 may possibly continue ,self-pollution for a longer space than copulation with a ,man1 no ,spirits being drain'd or ,strength exhausted by the means herein applied2 and 'tis reported that some lewd ,females will commence this vile practice1 before their ,privities are fledg'd with ,maturity4 ,to demonstrate the consequences of a lewd ,conversation in regard to the ,crime of ,self-pollution1 ,i shall here present you with an ample account of a ,club of ,young ,gentlemen1 ,i have been inform'd1 was not many ,years ago establish'd in1 or near ,long-,acre2 the most abominable ,nursery of ,lewdness and ,debauchery1 perhaps1 that ever was heard of in any ,country1 unless it be in the remote parts of ,europe amongst the vile ,sects of incestuous ,adamites1 whom ,histories mention1 when the ,words increase and multiply1 were repeated in their religious ,service 7which was very common7 they immediately extinguish'd their ,candles1 and promiscuously mix'd in carnal ,enjoyments4 ,this ,club 'tis said1 was held thrice a ,week at the ,house of a noted ,victualler1 who was a ,stranger to the ,actions of his ,guests for a considerable time2 they had a ,supper and plenty of strong ,liquors constantly provided to their no small ,expence2 they were govern'd by a ,president of the ,night1 who was commonly elected after ,supper1 and the whole ,assembly struggled for this ,honour3 ,the method of ,election was thus2 every one according to his ,seniority advanc'd himself in turn upon a high ,joint-stool plac'd against a ,wall1 and with a sort of ,emulation1 there practis'd ,self-pollution as long1 as his strength would permit1 and he that repeated the ,sin the greatest number of times1 was immediately declar'd their ,chief for the next time of meeting3 ,and to facilitate their unnatural ,pleasures2 their ,eatings generally consisted of strong ,soops1 ,gravies1 ,fish1 ,jellies1 and other provocatives to ,lust2 and their whole ,conversation turn'd on their ,excellency and ,perfection in this most detestable ,crime4 ,this ,account ,i have had of this ,club1 with this ,addition1 that a ,member of it might be known by his spindle ,shanks1 fallen ,jaws1 and pale wither'd ,countenance1 but as it is not within my own knowledge1 ,i cannot aver it to be fact1 and to me it seems so monstrous as not to be credited in the whole1 what ever it may in part2 however ,i thought fit to insert it1 to render the ,crime the more odious and hateful to all4 ,and to this ,i may add other pernicious ,consequences proceeding from this ,crime1 as an irrecoverable ,impotency1 which renders a ,man inanimate1 intoxicates his reason1 and debases ,nature1 so as to occasion the ,diabetis and other fatal lingering ,diseases2 for the aliment of the ,blood is so far vitiated and impair'd by a frequent repetition of this ,sin1 that it is wholly unable to perform its office of ,circulation with any regularity4 ,thus ,i have detected the several ,fallacies1 ,inconsistencies1 and ,impositions of the ,author of ,,onania2 prov'd that he is mistaken in the ,crime of ,,onan2 that the design1 of his ,book was to encourage ,lewdness1 and thereby promote the sale of destructive ,medicines1 which many times occasion a conflux of ,humours1 and incurable ,diseases2 shewn that ,quack ,preparations promote the very ,sin he with views of ,interest pretends to discountenance1 set forth the real ,crime of ,,onan1 and the ,causes and fatal ,consequences of ,self-pollution3 ,i now proceed to the heinousness of the ,,sin4 ,illustration ,,chap4 ,,ii4 ,the ,,sin of ,,self-,,pollution1 the means to avoid it1 and to attain ,,chastity4 ,the ,learned ,ostervald treating of the several ,species of ,uncleanness1 says it is easy to discern #8that impure ,actions are forbidden for two ,reasons4 ,first1 because they are likely means of carrying ,men to the grosser ,crime3 ,people don't ordinarily arrive at the height of ,wickedness all at once1 but by certain ,steps and ,degrees4 ,they begin with what they think lawful2 they accustom themselves to violate the rules of ,chastity in such ,instances1 as they perswade themselves1 can have no great hurt in them3 ,but then from these lesser ,offences1 they proceed to others1 whose ,wickedness they cannot but be sensible of2 and so at length they fall into the more horrid ,crime4 ,but in the second place1 though we should never come thus far1 and our unchaste ,actions should never push us on to the utmost ,licentiousness1 they however defile the ,soul2 they increase the inclination to ,uncleanness1 and withdraw from ,god2 as a very little ,observation will inform those1 who allow themselves in these sort of ,liberties4 #8,to impure ,actions1 may be subjoin'd such ,looks1 as are contrary to ,chastity1 inasmuch1 as a ,man may be guilty also of ,sin in this respect1 whether in beholding such ,objects1 or in reading such ,books1 as may be apt to beget unlawful ,desires4 ,it is an undoubted ,truth1 that impure ,passions are chiefly rais'd and inflam'd by the sight1 and that it is impossible to continue ,chast without a diligent care to govern the ,eyes1 and to turn them away from whatsoever might seduce the ,heart4 ,let but any one enquire into the ,objects ,i am speaking of1 and the ,impressions they are apt to make upon the ,mind1 and this will presently convince him of the ,evil and ,danger of suffering his ,eyes to dwell upon them3 ,these ,objects pollute the ,imagination1 filling it with lustful ,thoughts2 and it is only through the ,temptation of sensuality1 that any can fix their ,eyes upon them1 or take any manner of pleasure in them4 ,the holy ,scriptures sufficiently caution against these undue ,liberties2 it was by the sight that ,david was entic'd to commit ,iniquity3 ,and ,job1 who liv'd at a time when moral ,chastity was less known1 than it has been since1 had yet learn'd1 that the principal ,duty of ,chastity was to regulate the ,sight4' ,there are many ,things conducive to ,chastity1 as the pious example of ,superiours1 a ,godly ,conversation1 ,books of ,devotion1 a firm ,resolution1 ,temperance1 c4 ,and at all ,seasons1 ,persons ought to use their utmost ,endeavours for overcoming their inclinations to ,impurity2 but there are some times1 and opportunities1 wherein it is done far more easily than at others4 ,in matters of ,salvation1 as well1 as in all others1 a great deal depends upon a choice of proper ,seasons3 ,no-body1 but must have found1 that he is not always equally well disposed3 ,upon some occasions a thing will appear almost insuperable1 which yet will not be so at another time3 ,take a ,man given to any particular passion1 and in the instant1 when he is seiz'd and transported with it3 ,all you can say to the contrary1 will make no ,impression upon him2 yet take the same ,person out of his passion1 when his ,blood is cold1 and you will see him very different4 ,the ,impure have their intervals1 and these longer or shorter1 and more or less frequent1 according as the ,habit they have contracted is stronger or weaker2 there are some1 over whom this passion has so great an ,ascendency1 that they are almost perpetually employ'd by it2 yet such as these have some more favourable ,moments1 wherein they are capable of reflection1 and wherein their ,passion allows them some respite without opposition4 ,but there is nothing to be done without ,resolution and ,confidence2 and we may be assur'd1 that ,god's enjoining of ,chastity1 is an incontestable proof1 that ,people may attain it3 ,it is by no means to be presum'd1 that our great ,creator1 who is all ,justice1 would under pain of ,damnation command the observance of such ,duties1 as he knows to be entirely out of our power3 ,no1 there are means of performing what he injoins1 not attended with unconquerable difficulties3 ,and as it is he1 who has ordered these means2 so has he engaged himself to second them with his blessing1 whenever we commence a sincere obedience to his ,laws4 ,it would be strange to find any make a ,question of this2 but it must be granted1 that as this ,duty is not to be acquir'd with equal ease at all times1 so it is not alike easy to all sorts of ,persons2 and some find considerable trouble in it2 and so it is in all the other ,duties of ,morality3 ,there are some1 who whether from their natural ,tempers and ,constitutions1 or from the bad ,habits they have contracted1 are violently press'd on to certain ,passions1 and must encounter ,self-difficulties before they can make the least conquest over them3 ,an eagerness of ,temper1 and fullness of ,heat1 with an ill ,habit too long indulg'd1 will render ,persons so prone to anger1 that they must be very diligent and watchful1 and always upon their guard1 or they will not be able to avoid it2 but it will very ill become these to offer this for their excuse2 for by this means1 there is no ,person but would be able to vindicate himself3 ,so in a temporal ,sense1 were ,criminals allow'd to plead a strong inclination and proneness of ,nature1 to the committing of ,crimes1 there would be no such thing as ,justice or ,government in the ,world4 ,tho' many ,persons are strongly press'd to ,impurity1 yet it cannot be concluded1 from hence1 that there are no methods of ,preservation from this ,passion3 ,if they brought themselves into this ,state by their own fault1 and for want of using the means proper in order to ,chastity1 this is no ,evidence that these means are not sufficient for their purpose3 ,the ,case is the same here1 as if a ,man had fallen into a dangerous ,indisposition for not using certain ,preservatives or ,remedies1 which does not shew that he had no means of preventing his ,sickness1 but only that he did not make a right use of them3 ,those who are entangled in this dangerous ,passion1 and whose return to ,chastity appears very difficult1 may yet be assur'd1 that they may recover themselves3 ,it is true1 they may find it troublesome at first1 but then they ought to remember1 that it is but reasonable for them to cross their own ,inclinations1 and bear with some inconvenience to preserve themselves from fatal ruin3 ,the trouble will daily lessen1 and what at first seem'd insuperable1 will become at length pleasant in the performance4 ,there are certainly means of being ,chast1 and whosoever makes the ,trial1 will quickly find the benefit of them3 ,as for those that will not use them1 who will do nothing to fortify themselves1 will not keep out of the way of ,temptations1 nor cross their vicious ,inclinations in any thing2 ,i confess it is my ,opinion1 that they will never attain any degree of ,chastity1 but then they have none but themselves to blame for it2 it is their own fault1 and not any defect in ,religion1 that they are in this ,condition3 ,and to such the ,almighty has ordain'd a proper ,remedy1 whereby to avoid the excesses of the ,flesh1 which is ,marriage4 ,meditation is an excellent means to ,purity1 it excites and recalls into the ,mind1 divers good ,reflections1 and abates the force of ,temptations3 ,there is no matter of ,religion and ,piety1 which may not be revolv'd in our ,minds to advantage2 and there are many particular ,meditations1 that have a peculiar ,virtue for dissuading from pollution2 such as the presence of our ,creator1 ,death1 ,resurrection1 ,judgment1 c4 ,the thoughts of ,death1 which puts an end to all our ,enjoyments here1 must necessarily abate the allurements of sensual ,pleasures4 ,the thoughts of our ,resurrection will force us to have a regard to ,purity3 ,and the thoughts of our ,saviour's ,sufferings1 are a powerful ,motive1 not to seek our own ease1 and the satisfaction of our ,senses in this ,world4 ,one of the chief means of defence against ,temptations to ,impurity1 is a distrust of our selves4 ,this distrust proceeds from an ,opinion and ,sense of our own ,weakness1 and thereby a fear of being surpriz'd and ensnar'd by ,temptations2 distrust will produce ,vigilance1 which is a second means of defence against impure ,thoughts4 ,persons ought to be very exact and scrupulous1 as to every thing that leads to ,impurity1 and not to take too great liberty under any vain pretences4 ,mortification and ,exercise are very good guards against ,pollution2 ,idleness makes ,people wanton and vicious1 and ,high-feeding very much heightens unlawful ,desires4 ,curiosity is frequently a cause of the wanderings of the ,mind and ,heart2 and a desire of satisfying it1 proceeding from a secret ,passion1 being a great occasion of ,pollution1 this also is to be guarded against3 ,and lastly1 when ,persons are under any manner of ,temptations1 the instant they are sensible of impure ,thoughts in the ,soul1 they should be strenuously resisted4 ,the first reception of impure ,thoughts into the ,soul1 shews them to be pleasing to it2 and the longer they are entertain'd there1 the more this ,pleasure encreases2 and when this ,pleasure once prevails1 the ,man is no longer in a capacity to defend himself3 ,and there is no surer way to prevent a ,conflagration1 than by thoroughly extinguishing the first spark of ,fire1 on its immediate appearance4 ,thus much for the means to avoid ,impurity1 and to attain ,chastity1 ,i shall conclude this part of my ,treatise1 with what ,mr4 ,ostervald observes of the ,sin of ,uncleanness in general1 and with a few ,reflections of my own1 which may be of service to those1 who make ,chastity a difficulty4 #8,all ,uncleanness is a palpable ,violation of our ,baptismal ,covenant1 wherein we have solemnly oblig'd our selves to renounce the ,flesh 7that is to say1 all sensuality and voluptuousness7 as well as the ,world and the ,devil4 ,for there is no living up to this ,profession and ,obligation1 without being continually upon our guard against all those sinful ,lusts1 which we have thus renounc'd4 ,and indeed1 what an affront is it to ,god1 and what vile ,treachery and breach of ,covenant1 when ,persons have thus given up their ,names to ,christ1 and promis'd to obey his holy ,laws2 and in particular1 to abstain from all ,impurity1 if they shall yet draw back1 and professing to know the ,almighty shall in works deny him1 living in wantonness and unlawful ,pleasures1 like the ,gentiles1 who knew him not1 or rather in such detestable ,lewdnesses1 as the ,wiser amongst these would have abominated8 ,we cannot doubt1 but that we are all strictly engag'd to cleanse our selves from ,filthiness1 both of ,flesh and ,spirit1 and to perfect ,holiness4 ,and what a monstrous ,incongruity must it be1 for such to indulge themselves in any carnal and sensual ,immoralities1 in direct opposition to the ,vow1 so solemnly made against them6 ,this must necessarily argue a great ,stupidity1 and regardlessness of their ,duty1 which is sufficiently blameable in any1 but in ,christians1 who pretend to tread in their ,saviour's ,steps1 and to obey all his ,commandments1 is most exceedingly provoking4' ,though the ,sin of ,uncleanness be heinous in it self1 as appears by what has been said1 and is oftentimes attended with a train of ,crimes1 as ,lying1 ,quarrelling1 and others of a flagitious ,nature1 yet are many ,persons so estrang'd to ,religion1 and even to rational ,ethicks1 as to be entirely supine and negligent in the suppressing of ,impure ,cogitations2 and on the contrary entertain them with indulgence2 so that by degrees1 illimitable ,passions are establish'd1 and the tide of ,impurity1 at last grows so strong and rapid1 that it is not to be repell'd2 whence all manner of ,evils succeed4 ,having ,theologically discuss'd the several particulars relating to ,self-pollution1 and other ,uncleanness3 ,i come now to my last head1 treating of ,generation1 and the sensitive ,parts effecting it2 but ,i would by no means have my ,reader think1 that ,i examine these particulars with a design to excite ,persons to ,lewdness1 when my ,intentions are only to shew the fineness and ,beauty of the ,parts1 whereby will appear how easily they may be violated and impair'd by an unnatural use4 ,illustration ,,chap4 ,,iii4 ,a ,,dissertation upon ,generation2 and of the ,parts administring thereunto4 ,i shall begin with the instruments of ,generation in ,men4 ,all the parts of ,generation merit the ,title of noble ,parts1 as well as the ,brain and the ,heart2 and some ,authors give them the preference before the other ,parts of the ,body1 upon this consideration1 that they preserve the ,species1 and the others only keep up the ,individuum4 ,the ,yard is call'd by ,physicians the ,membrum ,virile1 because it distinguishes a ,man from a ,woman3 ,it is plac'd at the lower and external part of the ,abdomen1 and is fasten'd to the ,os ,pubis4 ,this ,situation is the more commodious1 for that it does not annoy any other part in the time of enjoyment4 ,it has a very peculiar ,substance1 containing several ,vessels1 ,muscles1 ,nerves1 ,arteries1 c4 ,its ,skin is finer than that of any other part1 to give it a more exquisite sense4 ,it has no ,fat2 for if it encreas'd in ,flesh in proportion with the rest of the ,body2 it would not only be of too large a size1 but become soft1 unactive1 and insensible2 and would cloud the ,sense necessary to excite the ,passion4 ,the ,yard performs its motions by virtue of four ,muscles2 two for ,erection1 and two for ,ejaculation4 ,these last squeeze the seminal ,vesicles1 and convey the ,seed into the ,urethra1 from whence it sallies out with great force3 ,it is divided into its ,body1 and two ,ends2 as for its two extremities one of them is call'd the ,glans1 or head of the ,yard2 the other which is fastened to the ,belly1 is call'd the ,root1 and is surrounded with ,hair1 especially upon its upper part1 which is call'd the ,pubis4 ,the ,glans1 or head of the ,membrum ,virile1 is the only fleshy part in the ,yard2 being soft and smooth1 to prevent its hurting the ,matrix of the ,woman1 and running in some measure to a point to facilitate its ,entry3 ,it is cover'd with a thin ,membrane1 which renders it sensible of the ,titillation occasion'd by rubbing upon the ,matrix2 and in the time of ,erection1 the ,spirits and ,blood repair to it vigorously1 when it swells and starts out of an uncommon length1 assuming a lively red ,colour2 but upon the retreat of the ,blood1 it flaggs and becomes pale and shrivell'd4 ,the prepuce is the loose ,skin at the utmost end of the ,yard1 which stretches out and covers the ,nut1 or draws down1 to uncover it1 as there is occasion3 ,in time of ,erection1 it will draw down the ,yard a considerable way1 the easier to enter in ,copulation3 ',tis tied under the ,nut1 with a fine ,ligament call'd the ,bridle1 which must be cut when it is to short1 and draws the orifice of the ,nut downwards1 by reason it hinders the ,ejaculation of the ,seed in a straight ,line4 ,the ,prepuce enlarges the pleasure in ,copulation1 especially of the ,women4 ,the ,yard has two ,cavernous ,bodies1 one on each side1 taking their rise from the lower part of the ,os ,pubis1 and the ,hip-bone1 and these cavernous ,bodies1 or ,nerves have two ,substances1 external and internal1 the external one is thick1 hard1 and nervous1 and the internal one1 is spungy1 thin1 and fungous4 ,the ,erection of the ,yard is owing to these cavernous ,bodies1 which being fill'd with ,spirits1 swell and extend themselves3 ,and the arterious ,blood being poured into the cavernous ,bodies effects the distension of the ,yard1 as its lankness is occasion'd by sending of that ,blood through the ,hypogastrick ,veins4 ,the spungy ,substance of the cavernous ,bodies1 stops the ,blood for some time1 whereby an erection is forc'd4 ,in all ,enjoyments1 the animal ,spirits are rouz'd by fancy1 which strikes the ,idea of ,pleasure1 and when the ,spirits are thus rais'd1 they instantly repair to the ,nerves of the ,organs of ,generation1 and puff them up on mixing with the ,blood1 convey'd thither by the ,arteries2 and upon the mixture of these two1 a ,fermentation succeeds1 whereby an ,erection is effected4 ,the ,urethra is a nervous ,passage1 extending from the neck of the ,bladder1 to the end of the ,yard4 ,it is a common passage for the ,seed and ,urine4 ,the ,testicles are so call'd from the ,latin ,word ,testes1 as they witness the vigour of a ,man4 ,they are seated without the ,abdomen1 at the root of the ,yard2 and enclos'd in the ,scrotum1 which is a ,purse consisting of two ,membranes2 these ,vessels do not prepare or form the ,seed2 but their office is to import the ,blood from which 'tis separated4 ,the ,testicles are of an oval ,figure1 about the size of a ,pigeons ,egg1 and in some larger3 ,they are wrapt up in five ,coats or fine ,skins1 viz4 ,the ,scrotum1 ,dartos1 ,eritroides1 ,elitroides1 and the ,albuginea2 the two first are call'd common1 and the three last are call'd proper4 ,the outer ,coat is shrivell'd and encompass'd with thin ,hair4 ,the ,substance of the ,testicle1 is white1 soft1 and loose1 compos'd of several small ,seminals ,vessels1 and ,capillaries1 which are the ,branches of the ,arteries1 ,veins1 ,nerves1 and ,lymphatick ,vessels4 ,there are two ,muscles call'd ,cremasters1 which keep the ,stones suspended2 and if these happen to be stronger than ordinary1 they'll move the ,testicles of themselves4 ,the most volatile part of the ,blood is strain'd out from the rest by the ,glandulous ,pith of the ,testicle1 which gives passage only to the finest ,particles1 and obliges the rest to return to the ,veins4 ,this part of the ,blood thus filtrated1 is rais'd to a just degree of perfection by the length of the ,pipes1 through which it passes2 and what adds to its refinement is the windings of these ,pipes1 which procure a mutual disunion1 by whirling about4 ,when the ,seed is prepar'd1 it is lodg'd in the expansion of the ,vasa ,deferentia2 being first put in motion by the ,heat of the ,vein call'd the ,spermatick ,artery2 and when the ,imagination is enflam'd by amorous ,thoughts1 it suddenly breaks forth4 ,the ,vasa ,deferentia are ,vessels seated partly in the ,scrotum1 and partly in the ,abdomen2 they convey the ,seed by drops to the seminal ,vesicles2 the two extremities of the ,vasa ,deferentia are compar'd to a ,bunch of ,grapes1 and ,guts of ,birds4 ,two small ,ducts of about an ,inch in length1 spring from these ,vesicles2 they are broad near the ,vesicles1 but dwindle as they approach to the ,urethra1 which they perforate4 ,these ,ducts are call'd ,ejaculatory ,vessels1 because in the heat of ,action1 they throw the ,seed of the ,vesicles into the ,urethra1 and they are the chief ,subjects of the pleasure attending ,ejaculation4 ,these small ,ducts have ten or twelve ,orifices1 opening to the ,urethra1 each of them being shut by a small ,caruncle to prevent the continual efflux of ,humour1 which has the precedency of the ,seed4 ,this is alledg'd to be the seat of a ,clap1 by reason volatile ,salts fastning near1 occasion ,ulcers that corrode the ,caruncles1 and thereupon the ,orifices of the ,ducts discharge their slimy ,liquor4 ,the ,prostat are two ,glandulous spungy ,bodies1 seated at the root of the ,yard1 by the head of the ,urethra1 and furnish'd with ,arteries from the ,pudend2 their use is to make a secretion of slimy oily ,liquor out of the ,blood1 to reserve it for some time in its ,vesicles1 and to squeeze it out by degrees1 thro' the ,pipes of the small ,ducts1 to the ,urethra4 ',tis reported1 that some ,persons have three ,testicles1 and that others are so slenderly provided1 as to have but one2 tho' either of the cases happens very rarely4 ,and ,animals which have their ,testicles situated within1 are always accounted more lascivious than others4 ,there are four spermatick ,vessels belonging to the ,privy ,parts of a ,man1 two whereof are ,arteries1 and the other two ,veins4 ,the two spermatick ,arteries spring from the ,trunk of the ,aorta2 and run obliquely upon the ,ureters1 and along the ,muscle ,posas1 'till they arrive at the ,groin1 where they are receiv'd by a production of the ,peritonum1 and so conducted to the ,testicles4 ,the two spermatick ,veins branch out from the ,testicles towards the ,vena ,cava4 ,the ,right extends it self straight to the ,trunk of the ,cava2 but the ,left terminates in the emulgent ,vein4 ,in their progress1 they are join'd by small ,veins from the ,peritonum1 and the neighbouring ,muscles1 which are loaded with the superfluous ,blood of those parts1 in order to lodge it in the ,cava4 ,the spermatick ,vessels are larger in ,men than ,women2 and in both ,sexes the ,arteries are always stronger than the ,veins4 ,for the use of these ,vessels1 the ,blood runs in the two ,arteries straight to the ,testicles1 each of them dividing into two small ,branches1 the better to penetrate its ,substance1 by entring at several places1 and to procure an exact separation of the seminal ,particles1 that accompany the ,arterious ,blood4 ,and when this is perfected1 the remainder of the ,blood enters the ,branches of the ,veins1 in order to return to the ,cava4 ,the ,valves in the ,cavity of the ,veins are plac'd at certain ,intervals1 in order to prevent the ,arterious ,blood from falling down4 ,they are serviceable in promoting the ascent of the ,blood1 and their natural ,disposition conducts it to the ,vena ,cava4 ,of the ,privy ,parts of a ,,woman4 ,to pursue the method ,i have hitherto observ'd1 ,i shall begin my ,description of the ,privities of a ,woman1 with the external ,parts4 ,the external ,orifice is commonly call'd the ,pudendum2 'tis compos'd of several parts1 as the ,pubes1 the ,mons ,veneris1 the ,lips1 and the great ,slit4 ,the ,pubes is seated on the forepart of the ,share-bone1 just above the ,pudendum2 and to keep off the annoyance that might arise from the hardness of the ,bones in the amorous ,adventure1 it is rais'd and consists of ,fat1 which serves as a ,cushion4 ,mons ,veneris1 rises like a little ,hill about the great ,lips1 and is cover'd1 as well as the ,pubes1 with a pretty good quantity of rough curling ,hair1 which begins to spring when the ,female enters her ,thirteenth or ,fourteenth ,year3 ,it is seated a little lower than the ,pubes4 ,the great ,labia1 or great ,lips1 descend from the ,mons ,veneris1 and meet in the ,perinum2 they consist of doubled ,skin1 ,fat and spungy ,flesh2 they are cover'd with ,hair1 but it is not so strong1 as that of the ,pubes and ,mons ,veneris4 ,in ,girls they are firm1 but in those who have been enjoy'd1 they are flaggy4 ,the great ,slit is the space between the two ,lips2 it is call'd the great ,slit1 as being much larger than the entry of the ,neck of the ,womb4 ,upon separating the ,thighs1 and drawing aside the two ,lips1 are discover'd two soft and spungy ,excrescences call'd ,nymph2 they resemble the ,thrills1 that hang under a ,cock's ,throat2 and their ,colour is red1 like that of a ,cock's ,comb2 their ,substance is partly fleshy1 and partly membranous1 consisting of the doubled1 and the inner ,skin of the ,great ,labia4 ,the ,nymph conduct forth the ,urine2 and of ,virgins are so vigorous1 that they discharge their ,water with a ,noise like hissing4 ,above the ,nymph within the great ,cleft is situated the ,clitoris1 a long round and glandulous ,body4 ,this is said to be the principal seat of ,pleasure1 being endow'd with an exquisite ,sense4 ,in the heat of ,enjoyment1 it swells like unto a ,mans ,yard on an ,erection1 by virtue of the ,blood and ,spirits1 that croud into it4 ,for this reason it is call'd the ,female ,yard1 and indeed1 it appears like unto that of a ,man in many particulars4 ,this is the part for ,friction4 ,there are two ,cavernous ,nerves coming from the ,hip-bone1 call'd the ,legs of the ,clitoris2 and there are four ,muscles in the ,clitoris1 two for ,erection1 and two for ,ejaculation2 the two first run from the ,hip-bone under the ,cavernous ,nerves2 and the two others call'd ,pudendi1 take their rise from the ,sphincter of the ,anus4 ,these ,muscles serve to straighten the ,orifice of the ,vagina4 ,the ,arteri ,pudend furnish the ,clitoris with ,blood1 and the ,veins of that ,name carry off the same ,blood into the ,cava4 ,under the ,clitoris is the urinary ,passage1 larger and shorter than that of a ,man1 whereby ,women send forth their ,urine with the greatest violence and dispatch4 ,this ,passage is surrounded with a ,sphincter1 which is a ,muscle that serves to confine1 or give passage for the ,urine at pleasure4 ,between the fleshy ,fibres of the ,urethra1 and the ,membrane of the ,vagina1 lie the ,prostates1 having several ,channels which terminate in the lower part of the ,vulva1 and thereby discharge a slimy matter1 which mixes with the seed of the ,male1 in the time of ,enjoyment4 ,and between the two great ,labia1 appear the four ,caruncles call'd ,myrtiformes from the resemblance they bear to ,mirtle-berries4 ,they are small fleshy ,eminences surrounding the small ,slit1 made of the fleshy ,wrinkles of the ,vagina1 which render the ,passage so much the straighter4 ,their use is to heighten the mutual pleasure of ,enjoyment1 by clinging round and locking up the ,yard2 and to facilitate the egress of the ,child by extension4 ,they are reddish firm and high in ,virgins1 and join'd sideways to one another by small ,membranes1 which tie them together1 and make them resemble a ,rose-bud half blown3 ,but in other ,women they are separated by the entry of the ,yard4 ,the uniting of the ,membranes of the ,caruncul ,myrtiformes1 straighten the ,passage1 and afford the true mark of ,virginity1 7if there be any such47 ,the pain of the first ,adventure is owing to the forcing of the ,passage through1 and tearing off those small ,membranes2 and a ,mans ,inclinations being always heighten'd in the first ,nights ,enjoyment1 the pain to the ,female is encreas'd by his ardent struggles2 her ,virgin ,sufferings augmenting with his affection3 ,but in some ,females the ,caruncles are rang'd in such a manner1 that the ,yard may enter without violence1 so that there is no certain ,evidence of a ,maiden-head4 ,some ,anatomists mention a ,membrane call'd ,hymen1 seated near the ,caruncles in the ,vagina1 which continues stretched over the ,passage1 #8till the approach of a ,man rends it2 and that this ,hymen is a mark of ,virginity2 but this is more imaginary than proceeding from any ,demonstration4 ,the ,vagina is the neck of the ,womb1 a round ,passage between the outer and inner ,orifice1 which receives the ,yard like a ,sheath4 ,in ,women that never bore ,children1 this ,neck is about four ,inches long1 and an ,inch and a half broad1 but after ,child-bearing1 its capacity cannot be limited4 ,it is nervous1 and somewhat spungy1 consisting of two ,membranes2 the ,wrinkles of its inner ,membrane empower it to prolong1 dilate or contract1 in order to fit the ,yard1 of any length or size1 and to afford a ,passage to the ,ftus4 ,the ,body and ,neck of the ,womb1 make the ,figure of a ,bottle turn'd upside down1 or rather a proud ,flask4 ,the inner ,orifice of the ,womb1 is a perforation like the ,head of a ,man's ,yard2 'tis the beginning of a narrow ,passage1 which enlarges to afford a way for whatever enters or comes from the ,womb2 it opens to receive the ,seed in the moment of ,ejaculation2 and upon ,conception shuts close1 and so continues till towards the last ,month of the ,woman's ,reckoning3 ,it is compos'd of ,membranes wrinkled and furl'd up1 capable of dilating themselves to a great extent4 ,this is the part which gives the ,woman pain in ,child ,birth1 the ,orifice being small1 and opening but gradually1 pursuant to the ,efforts of the ,ftus1 which retards the ,birth4 ,after the ,child is past2 this ,orifice is lost1 and the whole ,womb is only one large ,cavity reaching from the entry of its ,neck to the bottom2 but this is of very short duration1 for these parts very soon contract themselves like an empty ,purse1 and resume their natural posture4 ,the ,action of this inner ,orifice is purely natural4 ,the ,substance of the bottom of the ,womb is ,membranous1 and about a ,fingers breadth thick1 so that it dilates its self very commodiously3 ,the inner ,surface is interlac'd with a great many small ,pores1 and little ,vessels which distil the menstrual ,blood in ,monthly ,quantities4 ,the ,womb has ,nerves1 ,arteries1 and ,veins1 dispers'd4 ,the ,nerves give it a sense of ,pleasure and ,pain1 and a sympathy with all parts of the ,body3 ,the ,arteries and ,veins are call'd the ,spermatick and ,hypogastrick1 and consist of an infinite number of ,branches springing from all parts of the ,womb1 exporting the ,blood to the ,trunk of the ,vena ,cava3 ,the ,womb is sprinkled on all sides with ,blood imported by the ,arteries4 ,these ,arteries not only furnish the ,womb with a proper ,nourishment1 but also pour in ,blood upon the ,placenta1 in order to be sent through the ,navel ,string to the ,ftus4 ,when a ,woman is not with ,child1 this ,blood slips away thro' the several ,vessels into the ,cavity of the ,womb1 and from thence it passes the ,vagina every ,month4 ,in teeming ,women these ,branches sometimes discharge ,blood1 when there is a greater quantity than is necessary for the ,nourishment of the ,child4 ,the spermatick ,artery divides it self into two ,branches1 one repairing to the ,testicle1 and the other to the ,womb4 ,it carries ,blood in one of its ,branches to the ,testicle1 in order to the secretion of ,seed1 and by the other ,branch it furnishes the ,womb with ,blood for its ,nourishment1 and the superfluous ,blood is carried back by two ,branches of ,veins1 one from the ,testicle1 and the others from the ,womb4 ,the ,testicles of a ,woman are call'd ,ovaria2 and they differ in ,situation1 ,figure and ,substance from those of ,men4 ,they are seated within the ,abdomen upon the sides of the bottom of the ,womb4 ,some ,writers are of opinion1 that ,nature plac'd the ,testicles of ,women within to heat the ,seed and work it up to a degree of perfection3 ,others tell us1 that the design of this ,situation was to excite ,women to ,generation4 ,the use of the ,testicles is to filtrate the ,seed and reserve it2 and to perform at once the office of a ,man's ,testicles4 ,their ,figure is broad and flat1 7seldom exceeding the ,substance of a small ,pigeons ,egg7 they are tied and held fast by some part of the ,flag of the ,trumpet2 and they are knit to the spermatick ,vessels1 which grow larger after the ,egg has taken ,root in the ,womb4 ,for their ,substance1 they are a collection of ,vesicles1 commonly took for ,eggs4 ,in the ,ovarium of a ,woman are a ,million of fine small ,blood ,vessels dispers'd upon the ,tunicles2 and small imperceivable ,glandules1 that strain out a white milky ,liquor1 which attains perfection in the cavity of these ,vesicles1 and then composes the matter of the ,egg1 which includes the ,sperm that contains the ,ftus4 ,the more volatile part of the ,seed of a ,man passes through the ,tub to the ,ovarium1 in order to fecundate the ,eggs4 ,the ,tub are of the form of a ,trumpet1 which gives them their ,name3 ,they take rise from the bottom of the ,womb1 and their ,orifice1 which is continually open1 is lac'd round with small ,membranes like a ,fringe1 and is call'd the ,devil's-bit1 or the ,flag of the ,trumpet4 ,the office of the ,tub1 is to facilitate the descent of the ,egg into the ,womb4 ,the seminal ,spirit puts the ,tub in motion1 whereby the jagged part embraces the ,ovarium1 and the ,egg fermented by the ,spirits of the ,seed1 insensibly1 disengages it self from the ,ovarium1 and breaking its ,membrane1 enters the ,tub1 in order to descend into the ,cavity of the ,womb3 ,and in case of ,twins1 or where two or three ,children are ,born2 they always spring from the like number of ,eggs1 disengag'd from the ,ovarium at the same time4 ,the extremities of the ,tub inserted into the bottom of the ,womb are call'd the ,horns4 ,the ,womb is cover'd with the ,peritonum2 and a peculiar ,membrane which lines the whole inside2 and the bottom is generally smooth and even1 but the ,neck is always furl'd4 ,the ,ligaments are nothing else but ,productions of the ,peritonum1 which come from the ,loins1 and are inserted in the bottom of the ,womb to prevent its falling down upon the ,neck3 ,they likewise keep the ,womb from mounting too high3 ,when these ,ligaments are unbent1 they resemble ,bats ,wings4 ,there are several ,lymphatick ,vessels belonging to the ,womb1 which creep along its outer part1 and after a reuniting into large parts1 empty themselves into the ,cistern of the ,chyle4 ,the ,womb has a short ,neck1 distinguish'd by that ,name from the ,vagina2 it is the ,passage which reaches from the inner ,orifice to the principal ,cavity of the ,womb3 ,it is about an ,inch long4 ,in the ,cavity of the ,womb1 the two ,horns dilate themselves1 and form particular ,bags1 each of which contains a ,ftus4 ,this ,cavity enlarges itself more or less in proportion to the bigness of the ,ftus1 or the number of ,children1 as in case of ,twins4 ,the ,womb is seated in the lower part of the ,hypogastrium1 between the straight ,gut and the ,bladder4 ,the ,cavity where 'tis lodg'd1 is call'd the ,pelvis or ,basin1 and is larger in ,women than in ,men1 so as to give the ,womb liberty to distend it self upon ,impregnation2 it is tied fast at the bottom1 and at the ,neck4 ,the ,neck is knit before to the ,bladder1 and the ,share-bone1 and behind to the straight ,gut and the ,os ,sacrum4 ,the bottom is not tied so fast as the ,neck1 it requiring more liberty to move and dilate it self2 but to prevent the shifting of its ,seat1 the ,ligaments are equipp'd1 being four in ,number1 two above1 and two below4 ,having describ'd the ,privities of ,man and ,woman3 ,i come now to my dissertation upon the ,generation of ,man1 and the more particular use and dimensions of the ,parts employ'd therein4 ,of the ,generation of ,,man4 ,an ,animal cannot be produc'd without a ,couple1 viz4 a ,male and a ,female1 each of which performs its part in the work of ,generation4 ,their entring on this work is call'd ,copulation1 which is the joining of the ,male to the ,female3 ,and both of them are equally transported with a furious and restless ,passion1 occasion'd by a mix'd motion of pleasure and pain in the ,genitals1 which strongly excites a desire for each other4 ,as this ,enjoyment is natural1 there needs no ,instruction2 ,instinct in all ,animals directs the way of acting1 that is most convenient for propagating their ,species3 ,and a ,man1 though brought up in never so great ,ignorance1 at his ,age of ,maturity naturally enclines to it1 and needs no other ,guide but the dictates of ,nature to find out the center of ,enjoyment4 ,but if ,nature had not planted in the ,genitals a sense of extraordinary pleasure in the amorous ,engagement1 ,man would seldom give himself the trouble of ,copulation3 ,the cause of this pleasure some impute to the mixing of ,spirits with the ,seed1 which give a pleasing tickling2 and that this is encreas'd by the fineness and bending of the ,nervous ,fibres of the parts3 ,others are of opinion1 that the ,salt in the ,seed1 and the ,spirits accompanying1 prick the parts through which they pass and occasion such an agreeable ,titillation3 ,and some give this reason for the pleasure1 that as in ,eating we have an ,enjoyment1 which no part but the ,tongue and ,palate partake of2 so in ,copulation a peculiar pleasure arises1 of which the ,generation ,organs are only sensible2 and that ,animals are mov'd to the ,act of ,generation1 as they are to ,eating4 ,the tickling ,pleasure which affects ,women1 proceeds from the ,emotion1 that is excited when the ,seed disengages it self from the ,testicle1 and passes through the ,cavities of the ejaculatory ,vessels1 in order to be darted into the ,womb4 ,when a ,woman is not with ,child1 the ,seed is thrown into the ,womb by the shortest ,vessel1 and when she is pregnant1 the ,seed is thrown into the ,neck of the ,womb by the longest ,branch3 ,and for this reason1 big-belly'd ,women are more passionately fond of ,embraces than others2 for the ,seed spending more time in its intricate ,passage1 raises a more transporting and lasting ,titillation4 ,in respect to the ,parts of a ,man employ'd in the work of ,generation1 the ,yard when lank cannot go about it2 and it may be so stiff1 as not to be proper3 ,and sometimes the erection of the ,yard is so strong1 that it is always bent3 ,a large ,yard does not stand so readily1 as a small one2 and when it does it cannot subsist so long1 by reason it requires more ,blood to fill it2 and when full1 it is heavier1 and consequently apt to fall in a very little time3 ,and the business of ,generation suffers no alteration from the shortness or length of the ,yard within the ,neck of the ,womb2 for the office of the two round ,ligaments1 is to enforce the bottom of the ,womb to approach the head of the ,yard1 in order to receive the ,seed in time of ,ejaculation3 ,but 'tis as difficult a matter to perswade some ,lascivious ,females1 that a ,yard of small ,dimensions is equally useful and pleasurable to one of a considerable ,longitude and ,circumference1 as it is to perswade a ,club of ,ravenous ,stomachs1 that a thin shrivell'd ,shoulder of ,mutton is of equal ,goodness with a ,haunch of well-fed ,venison4 ,the parts of ,women frequently differ in their ,extent and ,furniture2 a great many ,husbands are such ,fools1 as to covet difficulty in their first ,approaches2 and to measure the ,virtue of their ,wives1 by the labour of their consummating ,attack2 not considering ,nature has so order'd1 that the ,privy ,parts are in the same ,condition with the ,mouth and the ,eyes2 some are little1 and others are large2 so that those who have naturally the larger size1 may be unjustly charg'd with ,lewdness2 and on the other hand1 those1 who by the natural disposition of the ,parts are straighter1 may after ,copulation be reputed ,virgins4 ,a ,little ,woman may have a large ,mouth1 c4 and a large ,woman a little one1 whereby the lesser ,person may have the more capacious ,privities3 ,and the same rule may be observ'd in ,men1 in respect to the ,nose1 which seems to have equal ,authority in determining the ,dimensions nature has provided in the ,male1 as the ,mouth or ,eyes in the ,female4 ,nature does not always observe an exact rule of ,symmetry1 the visible ,limbs and ,parts are oftentimes disproportion'd2 we frequently see a large personable ,man1 supported with slender ,legs1 and a ,dwarf equip'd with large nervous ,calves2 and the same want of proportion is certainly to be found in the ,privities4 ,i have known a wanton ,female marry a ,person of an extraordinary ,stature1 in expectation of a large ,pleasure1 with ,sorrow confess she was greatly mistaken4 ,and as a strong ,soil does not constantly afford the most plentiful ,crop of productive ,grain2 so the ,privy ,parts of a robust ,person1 are not always stock'd with the greatest quantity of surrounding ,ornaments4 ,but to return to the ,privy ,parts of ,women2 in some extraordinary cases1 the ,lips of the ,matrix1 may be so closely join'd1 that a ,yard of the smallest ,size1 cannot possibly enter 7when they are to be artfully separated by a ,surgeon37 ,and in other ,females the ,passage is so wide1 that the largest ,member will make its way without the least difficulty3 ,and ,i at this time know a ,gentleman very well provided in the parts of ,generation 7beyond what is common7 that has had three ,wives1 all of them of unspotted ,reputations1 and the oldest not above ,nineteen2 who affirms that the ,nights of consummation with each of his ,spouses2 he was in quite to the ,testicles in his first penetrating attempt4 ,the same ,gentleman has declar'd1 that in his ,youth1 when his ,curiosity led him to the utmost variety2 he has sometimes met with a ,lady of ,pleasure1 whose ,parts must be suppos'd to be extended to the utmost latitude of ,nature1 and to which upon ,examination1 no binding ,preparations had been applied2 that he could not possibly enter in the most encountering ,embrace1 which sufficiently shews the incertainty of ,nature1 and the difficulty attending the proof of ,virginity4 ,and this ,gentleman is of the same ,opinion with many others1 that a narrow entrance to the ,privy ,parts of a ,female1 very much impedes a mutual ,enjoyment4 ,thus much for the ,dimensions of the ,privities3 ,i now proceed to ,generation4 ,when the ,fancy warm'd with an ,idea of ,pleasure1 occasions a diffusion of the ,animal ,juice1 of ,consequence ensues ,erection3 ,an ,erection being effected1 and the ,yard lodg'd in the ,neck of the ,womb2 the ,seed taking leave of the seminal ,vesicles1 passes through the ,ejaculatory ,vessels1 and enters the ,urethra2 from whence 'tis squirted out with a ,jirk1 by vertue of the ,convulsions that then seize the ,yard3 ,and as ,ejaculation the last point of the ,man's ,action1 is the critical moment of pleasure1 so 'tis the principal aim1 he has in ,view1 and all the ,circumstances that usher it in1 have an eye upon that ,instant3 ,the sanguine ,person is the most amorous1 and produces the greatest quantity of laudable ,seed4 ,the ,seed of a ,man being syring'd into the ,privy ,parts of a ,woman by the ,yard1 it repairs to the bottom of the ,womb1 and its inner ,orifice shuts it self close3 #8,after which the ,seed being embrac'd and press'd by the ,womb1 all its ,particles begin to take their respective ,posts2 the subtilest continue in the ,center1 and consequently the grosser and superfluous ,parts are thrust towards the ,surface1 where they produce the ,after-birth1 the ,navel-string1 and the ,membranes1 in which the ,ftus is wrapt4 ,in the mean time all the ,particles calculated for forming the different parts of the ,body1 disengage themselves by the force of their motion1 and either part or join according to their mutual ,disparity or ,conformity2 so that those design'd for the head ,assemble in the place where they ought to be2 and those for the rest of the ,body do the like3 ,and at the same time among those calculated for the ,head1 the ,particles qualify'd for forming the ,eyes1 ,ears1 c4 rendezvous in their proper places3 ,the same may be said of the ,particles of which the ,breast1 ,belly1 and ,limbs are compos'd4 ,the ,form1 ,structure1 ,order and ,connection of all these parts1 depends chiefly upon the ,spirit enclos'd within the ,seed2 which by the meer necessity of its ,motions1 and without any ,knowledge or ,understanding1 unravels the ,chaos where the ,particles lay confus'd1 and ranks them in the same ,order1 that they had when lodg'd in the ,body of the ,animals1 from which they sprung4 ,the parts of the ,ftus being thus form'd1 the subtilest part of the ,spirit continues in the ,center of the new-form'd ,body1 i4 e4 the ,heart2 and there makes a sort of ,fire without ,light 7being the natural ,heat that gives ,life7 which is fed by the circular motion of the ,blood that passes there incessantly4' ,this is the most probable ,idea of forming the ,ftus1 and what passes in the ,womb1 that is given by any ,ancient or ,modern ,writers4 ,some are of ,opinion1 that the ,ftus is form'd of a mixture of the ,male and ,female ,seed2 and that these two ,seeds impregnated with the ,spirit of ,life1 are the agent and matter of ,generation4 ,some alledge that the ,male ,seed is sufficient of it self to form a ,ftus2 and that the ,woman only gives it a lodging1 and furnishes the necessary ,blood for its nourishment in the ,womb3 ,the ,male being in this sense1 look'd upon as an accomplish'd and perfect piece of ,work1 and the ,female only a fertile ,ground1 which produces good ,seed where the ,labourer sows it well3 ,and others are of opinion1 that the ,woman's ,seed contains the first1 and the true ,model of the ,ftus2 there being small seminal ,vesicles in the ,testicles of a ,woman1 call'd the ,eggs2 which contain within themselves1 all that is necessary to give the ,ftus a ,being4 ,but the most common and rational ,opinion is1 that of the ,ftus being form'd by the mixing of the two ,seeds in the ,womb2 that ,man and ,woman are equally perfect2 and that both of them being furnish'd with ,testicles1 which make a secretion of ,seed1 both of them must supply2 and a ,woman cannot be got with ,child1 unless she and the ,man ejaculate their ,seed at the same time4 ,those enclining to believe1 that the ,male ,seed is sufficient of it self to form a ,ftus1 plead that the ,seed of a ,man differs vastly from that of a ,woman3 ,that the former is white1 and of a thick consistence1 compos'd of all the parts that are capable to form a ,body2 and that the latter is only a sharp and yellowish serosity1 which cannot contribute any thing towards the form of the ,ftus4 ,but this is esteem'd by other ,persons a groundless fancy2 for the ,structure of a ,woman's ,testicle is more admirable than that of a ,man1 which shews that the ,seed separated by it1 is of considerable use3 ,and several ,children have their ,mothers ,features and ,humour1 which demonstrates that the ,father1 to whom they oftentimes bear no resemblance1 does not furnish all himself4 ,those ,persons who pretend that the ,woman's ,seed contains the first1 and the true ,model of the ,ftus1 compare the ,female ,testicles to a bunch of ,grapes1 or a ,bee-hive2 consisting of ,vesicles1 each of which contains a little ,animal1 almost compleated in all its ,parts1 after the same manner as the ,egg of a ,fowl3 ,and that ,man's ,seed contributes to ,generation1 no otherwise than as it animates the ,egg3 ,but the ,opinion which is generally receiv'd1 is that both the ,male and the ,female ,seed contain such ,particles1 as are qualify'd to form a ,body and a ,spirit capable of all the ,motions perform'd by the ,animal1 from which they have ,being2 and that ,generation depends upon an exact mixture of the two ,seeds4 ,the ,opinions relating to the matter whereof the ,seed is compos'd1 are no less various than those of the forming of the ,ftus2 some ,anatomists say1 'tis prepar'd by the concoction and conversion of ,blood1 effected in this manner4 ,the ,blood imported to the ,testicles by four spermatick ,vessels1 two ,arteries and two ,veins3 ,the ,vein and ,artery of the same side1 having a mutual ,communication1 blend the arterious and venous ,blood together2 and this mixture of arterious and venous ,blood boyl and convert into ,seed by the peculiar faculty and virtue of the ,organs of the ,testicles3 ,this was the ,opinion of the ,antients4 ,others say1 that the ,seed is a ,juice imported by the ,nerves to the ,organs of ,generation2 and that it distills from the ,brain to the ,privities2 that in the time of ,ejaculation one may feel it trickling along the ,spina of the ,back2 that when the ,adventure is over1 the ,animal is feeble and dejected through the great ,dissipation of the ,spirits that are hurry'd along with the ,seed2 and that the ,seed is of the same colour with the animal juice of the ,nerves4 ,other ,anatomists tell ye the ,seed is compos'd of an infinity of little ,animals1 which they call seminary2 that these swim and flutter about in the ,liquor1 and may be easily discover'd with a ,microscope2 that these seminal ,animals are so many ,seeds of ,men1 which being convey'd to the ,ovarium1 strike at the first ,egg they meet with2 upon which one of them perforates the ,membrane1 or gets into the ,egg by a suppos'd ,orifice1 and presently shuts it self up1 leaving the rest to perish without ,doors1 unless some of them have the good ,fortune to slip into another ,egg4 ,the ,animal that enters the ,egg1 serves for ,sperm1 which by swelling it up1 prompts it to disengage it self from the ,ovarium1 and tumble into the ,tuba1 which conducts it to the ,womb4 ,but the most substantial reasons given for the composure of the ,seed are grounded upon ,circulation1 that the seminal ,particles are separated and filtrated from the ,blood by the ,testicles2 and ,anatomists acquainted with the ,structure of the ,testicles1 say1 that the ,seed is produc'd by a continual ,filtration of several ,particles1 which being gather'd into a ,body1 make a ,liquor that is qualify'd for the forming of a ,man4 ,mr4 ,lamy in his ,anatomical ,discourses1 says1 that the same necessity which obliges ,plants after a set period of time to put forth the ,seeds which give being to others1 does likewise influence ,animals at a certain ,age to produce prolifick ,seed1 which he explains thus3 ,the moisture of ,infancy being consum'd by the overpowering ,heat1 the ,blood is crouded with a greater number of ,corpusculums qualified to nourish the ,parts and repair their ,losses1 than there is occasion for2 so that a great number of these nutritious ,particles meeting with no reception in the respective ,parts1 return along with the ,blood4 ,the ,head sends back such ,particles as are proper for recomposing all the different ,parts it is made of2 and so do the other parts4 ,now all these various sorts of ,particles being mix'd with the ,blood1 are strain'd through the ,testicles2 after which they rally and compose a ,humour which is the sensible and corporeal part of the ,seed of ,man4 ,seed is a very sweet ,liquor when 'tis in a regular ,state1 but when 'tis long under confinement1 it turns perfectly sower1 and causes very pernicious effects in both ,male and ,female4 ,men are harsher in their ,tempers1 and frequently attack'd with ,vapours to a degree2 and ,women are thrown into a deplorable ,condition1 which will find no absolute ,cure1 till the stagnating ,seed is evacuated by ,marriage3 ,the ,seed mixing with the ,blood breaks its ,texture and changes its ,consistence2 so that by rendring it more serous1 liquid and cold1 and by flattening the ,redness of the ,blood1 it makes the colour of the ,skin less lively2 and at length occasions the ,virgins ,distemper4 ,monsieur ,,dionis is of opinion1 that most of the ,nuns and other ,girls that are taken to be possess'd with ,devils1 were subject to ,vapours only when they acted the awkward extravagancies that ,history is full of4 ,and ,i have been inform'd by the learned ,dr4 ,c----n1 and other eminent ,physicians1 that ,vapours will so powerfully prevail in some ,young ,females1 by a stagnation of the ,seed1 that they are oblig'd to prescribe extraordinary ,remedies1 and sometimes ,friction to procure relief2 and to prevent ,convulsions1 irregular ,imaginations1 c4 which would otherwise ensue1 if not a perfect ,lunacy for a time4 ,an early ,marriage is the most effectual ,preservative against the numerous ,disorders proceeding from quantities of ,seed unnaturally confin'd2 and will render a perfect ,health and ,tranquility2 unless it be in the case of ,impotency2 or in some ,countries where a ,man by tying a ,knot upon his ,codpiece1 when the ,priest pronounces such and such ,words on the day of ,marriage2 lays claim to a right of preventing its ,consummation3 ,but if a ,man cannot consummate his ,marriage1 you'll always find it proceed from a natural ,cause2 and that the ,devil has no hand in it4 ,to conclude my ,subject of ,generation1 and the ,parts employ'd therein3 ,i shall here insert an ,observation of ,st4 ,augustin4 ,the ,instruments of ,generation 7says he7 are a call'd ,pudenda1 because they speak our ,shame in this1 that he who commands all the other ,parts1 cannot reduce these to ,obedience4 ,,finis4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,transcriber',s ,,notes #a4 ,silently corrected obvious typographical errors and variations in spelling4 #b4 ,retained archaic1 non-standard1 and uncertain spellings as printed4 #c4 ,enclosed italics font in underscores4