gestion, and each reader, (men-midwives, or other men,) must judge for himself and draw his own conclusion. The riot of the blood under excitement arising from peculiar circumstances of intercourse with a woman, is however very fully illustrated; but in thousands of similar cases, as they very probably occur in real life, it must be well known, in the experience of many of the readers of these pages, no such victory or even escape is effected, or can in truth be expected. Also, as to the force of our passions, and the consequences of them unrestrained, what says Shakespeare, though by the hollow moralizing of a hypocritical unmitigated villain?

Iago. If the balance of our lives had not one scale of reason to poise another of sensuality, the blood and baseness of our natures would conduct us to most preposterous conclusions: but we have reason, to cool our raging motions, our carnal stings, our unbitted lusts." OTHELLO.

Man and woman under natural influ

ences and circumstances in regard to each other, being the homely theme to which these pages are devoted, no considerations which can be suggested in illustration ought to be overlooked; and it is only in such object that allusion is about to be made to clerical distinctions and observances, in order to prove further, that to whomsoever committed as guardian, continence is a very slippery ward : for, assuredly, the business of these pages is not with churches in contradistinction to each other, nor with church discipline, professions of faith, dogmas, nor schisms!

"For modes of faith let furious zealots fight:"

neither does it relate to state-churchmen or church-statists, acting conjunctively as a "compensating balance" in the complex machinery of government.

St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, vii. 12.

"It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

1

- Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife."

Now the former of these positions, in its most absolute sense, is the profession and the rule of the Romish priesthood;

whilst in the latter, the Lutheran "safetyvalve" for flesh that has desire towards flesh, for those that "cannot contain," is involved, marriage being permitted in the discipline, and gladly availed of by most of the members of the episcopal establishment, as a useful anodyne, and soul-saving alternative-a kind of "hand in-hand" insurance in mutuality, against fire," it is better to marry than burn,” wrote the Apostle of the gentiles.*

Applying then this diversity of discipline which is characteristic of the Catholic and Protestant churches as regards

*“But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.”

1 Cor. vii. 32, 33.

the respective priesthoods, towards illustration; it may be observed that, perhaps the greatest sacrifice which man can make, is to become an ecclesiastic and follow up the rules of discipline according to the principles of the Roman Catholic church. Influenced by whatever inward motive in doing so, the sacrifice must be great which can consent to lay aside "the pomps and vanities of the world," and to forego the "lusts of flesh" proscribing oneself from the earthly solicitudes, and the enjoyments, which mankind so highly value. Yet such sacrifice is professedly made; and, no doubt, as a rule of discipline, is more generally observed than may be thought: it would be preposterous however, to attempt to deny that the exceptions to the rule have been numberless, and the consequences frequently frightful, and even horrifying, without believing all, however, which Monk Lewis has advanced in his celebrated novel.

N

It has been the delight of the endowed episcopalian, secure in his own matrimonial license, to triumph over every case of detected defalcation of the Catholic priesthood; in all the spirit of vindictiveness which is so frequently manifested (in Christian charity!) at the modern meetings of the tolerants at Exeter Hall.*

That priests are unable to hold continued course in the constrained path of celibacy, affords reason for concluding that medical men, equally, however ho

* Protestantism intrinsically is in principle tolerant; nevertheless, by state conjunction, it is in practice in its episcopalian discipline far from being liberal. The Universities maintain exclusiveness as to fellowship and communion most strictly in episcopalian "infallibility;" nor will abate to the dissenters one jot as to the Thirtynine Articles, or the declarations, or oaths, with which they have surrounded the fold of the establishment. Is this liberal, or is it tolerant? It is true there is no power in the ecclesiastical courts to enforce uniformity or conformity, but it is to the state alone, in force of the changes at the