and children; they may therefore have a greater number of wives.

CHAP. IV.

That the Law of Polygamy is an Affair that depends on Calculation.

ACCORDING to the calculations made in feveral parts of Europe, there are here born more boys than girls; on the contrary, by the accounts we have of Afia, there are there born moret girls than boys. The law which in Europe allows only one wife, and that in Afia which permits many, have therefore a certain relation to the cli

mate.

In the cold climates of Afia, there are born, as in Europe, more males than females; and from hence, fay the Lamas, is derived the reafon of that law, which, amongft them, permits a woman to have many husbands.

But it is difficult for me to believe that there are many countries, where the difproportion can be great enough to require the introducing either the law in favor of many wives, or that of many hufbands. This would only imply, that a plurality of women, or even a plurality of men, is more conformable to nature in certain countries than in others.

I confefs, that if what hiftory tells us be true, that at Bantam there are ten women to one man, this must be a cafe particularly favorable to polygamy.

In all this I only give their reafons, but do not juftify their customs.

CHAP.

* Dr. Arbuthnot finds that in England the number of boys exceeds that of girls but people have been to blame to conclude that the cafe is the fame in all climates.

+ See Kempfer, who relates, that, upon numbering the people of Meaco there were found 182,072 males, and 223,573 females.

Du Halde's hiftory of China, vol. 4. p. 461.

§ Albazeit el haffen, one of the two Mahometan Arabs, who, in the ninth century, went into India and China, thought this cuftom a prostitution. And indeed nothing could be more contrary to the ideas of a Mahometan.

Collection of voyages for the establishment of an India company.

CHAP. V.

The Reafon of a Law of Malabar.

IN the tribe of the Naires, on the coaft of Malas

bar, the man can have only one wife, while a woman, on the contrary may have many husbands. The origin of this cuftom is not, I believe, difficult to difcover. The Naires are the tribe of nobles, who are the foldiers of all thofe nations. In Europe, foldiers are forbid to marry : In Malabar, where the climate requires greater indulgence, they are fatisfied with rendering marriage as little burdenfome to them as poffible; they give a wife amongst many men, which confequently diminishes the attachment to a family, and the cares of housekeeping, and leaves them in the free poffeffion of a military spirit,

CHAP. VI.

Of Polygamy confidered in itself.

WITH regard to polygamy in general, independ,

ently of the circumftances which may render it tolerable, it is not of the leaft fervice to mankind, nor to either of the two fexes, whether it be that which abuses, or that which is abufed. Neither is it of fervice to the children for one of its greatest inconveniences is, that the father and mother cannot have the fame affection for their offspring; a father cannot love twenty children with the fame tendernefs as a mother can love two. It is much worse when a wife has many husbands; for then paternal love is only held

See Francis Pirard, c. 27; edifying letters, 3d and 10th collection on the Malleani on the coast of Malabar. This is confidered as an abuse of the military profeffion, as a woman, fays Pirard, of the tribe of the Bramins, never would marry many husbands.

held by this opinion, that a father may believe, if he will, or that others may believe, that certain children belong to him.

A plurality of wives, who would think it leads to that paffion which nature difallows; for one depravation always draws on another. I remember, that in the revolution which happened at Conftantinople, when Sultan Ach-. met was depofed, hiftory fays, that the people having plundered the Kiaya's houfe, they found not a fingle woman; they tell us that at* Algiers, in the greateft part of their feraglios, they have none at all.

Befides, the poffeffion of many wives does not always prevent the entertaining defirest for thofe of others: It is with luft as with avarice, whose thirst increases by the acquifition of treasures.

In the reign of Juftinian, many philofophers, displeased with the constraint of Chriftianity, retired into Persia. What ftruck them moft, fays Agathiast was, that polyg amy was permitted amongst men who did not even abftain from adultery.

CHAP. VII.

Of an Equality of Treatment in Cafe of many Wives,

FROM the law which permitted a plurality of wives, followed that of an equal behavior to each. Ma homet, who allowed of four, would have every thing, as provifions, dress and conjugal duty, equally divided between them. This law is alfo in force in the Maldivian ifles, where they are at liberty to marry three wives.

The law of Mofes even declares, that if any one has married his fon to a flave, and this fon fhould marry afterwards a free woman, he fhall diminish nothing of her food, her raiment, or duty of marriage. They might give more to the new wife; but the first was not to have lefs than fhe had before.

* Hiftory of Algiers by Logier de Taffis.

CHAP.

+ This is the reason why women in the east are so carefully concealed. Life and actions of Juftinian, p. 403.

See Pirard, c. 12.

Exod. xxi. 10, 11.

CHAP. VIII.

Of the Separation of Women from Men.

THE prodigious number of wives poffeffed by those who live in rich and voluptuous nations, is a confequence of the law of polygamy. Their feparation from men, and their close confinement, naturally follow from the greatness of this number. Domeftic order renders this neceffary; thus an infolyent debtor feeks to conceal himself from the purfuit of his creditors. There are climates where the impulfes of nature have fuch ftrength, "that morality has almoft none. If a man be left with a woman, the temptation and the fall will be the fame thing; the attack certain, the refiftance none. In these countries, inftead of precepts, they have recourfe to bolts and bars.

One of the Chinese claffic authors confiders the man as a prodigy of virtue, who finding a woman alone in a diftant apartment, can forbear violating her.*

CHAP. IX.

Of the Connexion between Domestic and Political Government.

IN a republic the condition of citizens is limited,

equal, mild and agreeable; every thing partakes of the benefit of public liberty. An empire over the women cannot, amongst them, be fo well exerted; and where the climate demands this empire, it is most agreeable to the government of a fingle perfon. This is one of the reafons why it has always been difficult to establish a popular government in the east.

On

"It is an admirable touchstone, to find by one's felf a treasure which we can make ourselves master of, or a beautiful woman in a diftant apartment, or to hear the voice of an enemy who muft perish without our affiftance." Tranflation of a Chinese piece, on morality, which may be seen in Du Halde, vol. 3. P. 151.

On the contrary, the flavery of women is perfectly conformable to the genius of a defpotic government, which delights in treating all with severity. Thus at all times have we seen in Afia, domeftic flavery and defpotic government walk hand in hand with an equal pace.

In a government which requires, above all things, that a particular regard be paid to its tranquillity, and where the extreme fubordination forms that tranquillity, it is abfolutely neceffary to fhut up the women; for their intrigues would prove fatal to their husbands. A government which has not time to examine into the conduct of its fubjects, views them with a fufpicious eye, only because they appear, and fuffer themselves to be known.

Let us only fuppofe that the levity of mind, the indifcretions, the taftes and difgufts of our women, attended by their paffions of a higher and lower kind, with all their active fire, and in that fuli liberty with which they appear amongst us, were conveyed into an eaftern government; where would be the father of a family who could enjoy a moment's repofe; The men would be every where fufpected, every where enemies; the ftate would be overturned, and the kingdom overflowed with rivers of blood.

С НА Р. Х.

inciple on which the Morals of the Eaft are founded.

IN the cafe of a multiplicity of wives, the more a family ceases to be united, the more ought the laws to reunite its detached parts in a common centre; and the greater the diverfity of interefts, the more neceffary it is for the laws to bring them back to a common intereft.

This is more particularly done by confinement. The women fhould not only be separated from the men by the walls of the houfe; but they ought also to be separated in the fame inclosure, in fuch a manner that each may have a diftinct household in the same family. From hence each derives all that relates to the practice of morality, modefty, chastity, reserve, filence, peace, dependence, refpe&t, love,

and,