So great

he has not so wrapt up the subject in disguise as to render his efforts useless, remembering that indelicacy proceeds. from over refining, equally as it is shewn in actual grossness. a regard, in fact, has been paid to propriety, that the original conception of publishing this treatise exemplified by plates was abandoned. Pictorial illustrations, it was at first thought, by striking the eye, and through that organ affecting the feelings and influencing the mind, might be effective, where mere words might fail; and prove with irresistible force to minds which, for want of reflexion, cannot strongly be affected by what they read, the palpable indecency, and therefore absolute impropriety of the man-midwife's practice. As Hamlet, with a view to strike the guilty conscience of the king his uncle, emphatically exclaims, "The play! the play's the thing!" So at first, under strong feelings, did the

author think of pictorial illustration to stir and arouse emotions. But reflection corrected his first impressions, and convinced him that whilst denouncing indecencies he ought not to throw the light too strongly upon the disclosure of them; he considered that what ought not to take place in fact, ought not to be rendered too palpable by

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any graven image" in illustration; therefore he abandoned an idea before it took the consistency of a design. Placing then no pictures before the visual organ to inflame impure desires, no illustrations of prurient proceedings, no engraved representations of the "carnal knowledge" which men-midwives are wont to have of other men's wives, the author addresses "the mind's eye" only, in plain, decent, and unsophisticated letter-press type. Read, mark, learn," and easily may be figured in imagination from some portions of the necessary descriptions, scenes to

fire the blood in indignant revolt against a practice which permits a man, "take him for all in all," to range in uncontrolled licentiousness over the fair and fair proportioned forms of the wives of other men!

Cassius. "Ye gods! it doth amaze me."

Cassius. "Then must I think you would not have it so?

Brutus. No, by my soul! I would not."

JULIUS CESAR.

1

CHAPTER II.

"O woman, best are all things as the will'
Of God ordain'd them: his creating hand
Nothing imperfect or deficient left

Of all that he created, much less man,
Or aught that might his happy state secure,
Secure from outward force; within himself
The danger lies, yet lies within his power:
Against his will he can receive no harm:
But God left free the will; for what obeys
Reason is free; and reason he made right,
But bid her well beware, and still erect,
Lest by some fair-appearing good surpris'd
She dictate false, and misinform the will."

Intuta quæ indecora.

IT has been allowed by the ablest anatomists that in travail, the labour is nature's work. To suppose any more art necessary than that mere assistance which can be only taught by experience, would be to arraign the goodness, wis

dom, and mercy of the Almighty. Experience is the best instructor, and where the province is nature's, peculiarly and almost absolutely, art is too apt to encroach on nature under the specious pretence of assisting her.

The man-midwife, an M. D. of great eminence, to whose work of instruction to the profession reference has already been made, and from which all the professional quotations are adduced; says, "For further illustration, and to inform young practitioners that difficult cases do not frequently occur; suppose of three thousand women in one town, one thousand shall be delivered in the space of one year: in nine hundred and ninety of these births, the child shall be born without any other than common assistance." "Next year, us suppose another thousand women delivered in the same town; not above three, six, or eight shall want extraordinary assistance;" This ratio of calcu

let