above paffage, but I forbear faying any more, than Erasmus has said for me.

I would recommend it, however, to all, who have, or shall criticise on this work, to be very certain they understand it; for I have a fhrewd fufpicion, that this has not been the cafe with all its readers; perhaps I might name some highly-respected characters, that have been foremost in very unbecoming language relative to certain fubjects of it. If those fubjects are not treated, in a direct confonance with thelaw of God, as revealed by Mofes, they have my free liberty to fay what they please; but otherwise, let them take care, left their wit, raillery, and pious farcafins, do not ultimately tend to vilify and ridicule the GoD that made them-let them beware, left that queftion, once put on a very ferious occafion, be not put to them, in an hour when they will find more difficulty, than they feem at present aware of, to answer it-Whom baft thou reproached and blafphemed? And againft whom haft thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL. 2 Kings xix. 22. Let them remember, that He will not only convince the ungodly, of the hard fpeeches, which they have Spoken against Him, (Jude xv.) but, fooner or later, will deal with perfons of a more decent character, and whofe fayings have borne the femblance of religious zeal, after their folly, in that they have not spoken of Him the thing that is right. See Job xlii. 8.

As to the Ladies, who, I am told, are ex

tremely

tremely difpleafed, I hope I have too much good manners, to prefume to enter into any controversy with them; only I would recommend to them alfo, a very ferious attention to what is faid in the preceding paragraph-and to take great care, that their objections do not fall on HIM, who knew the fituation He had placed them in, when He made His laws for the protection of their frail fifters from ruin and deftruction.-They will, however, permit me to affure them, that if the author had found any thing in the divine economy, which tended to fupport the pride of one part of the sex, at the expence of the ruin and proftitution of the other, he would most faithfully have declared it; and if his fair readers fhould fearch the fcriptures with an intent of finding fome fuch thing, he would very earnestly caution them, on whom they lay the blame of the disappointment which will moft certainly attend their enquiries.

The additions which have been made in this edition, are fuch, as tend to elucidate the paffages where they occur, and to fhew the respect and attention, which the author moft gratefully pays, to any pertinent and candid obfervations, which have fallen in his way.

I now conclude this Preface, with the contents of a paper which I received from a very refpectable Clergyman, who was candid enough to let his prejudices fubmit to his judgment, and had honesty enough to own it.

The following Queries contain fo accurate an epitome of the work, and are fo much to

the purpose, as to fave the author the trouble of introducing them, with any farther remarks whatsoever.

"As the fubject of a late publication, en"titled " Thelyphthora; or, a Treatife on "Female Ruin," &c. " is much misunderftood, and mifreprefented by many people, "who have, fome of them, never read it "at all, and the reft but partially, and not "without prejudice, and therefore oppose "it; 'tis judged beft to fend its oppofers "the following Questions, for them to an"fwer: the doing of this, 'tis thought, will bring the matter to a point, enter upon particulars, and be a means to discover "where, and with whom, truth is, and "where, and with whom, error is.

"1. Are the mifchievous, fhocking crimes "of whoredom, fornication, and adultery,

"

got to an enormous and increasing height, "in this land, and is the land defiled and deluged by them, or not? and is the frown, "or curfe of GOD upon the land, or is it ** not?

46

"2. Is it needful, and is it our bounden duty, to cry aloud against thefe GOD"provoking, and nation-ruining fins, and "to feek a remedy against this monstrous " evil, or is it not?

66 3. Is there any thing deftructively horrible in the lives, and any thing shockingly dreadful in the deaths of abandoned wo"men, alias, common prostitutes, or is there

not?

66

4. What number, how many thousands "are there of these miferable creatures in "our land? and have they any evil effect on "the male fex, or not?

66

5. Do our laws, as they now ftand, hinder this ruinous evil, or do they not? "and can they, or can they not?

"6. Do our laws encourage, or difcourage, honourable marriage, or celibacy? encourage, or difcourage population?

66

7. Do our laws, in any cafes, put afun"der thofe, whom GOD has joined together, "and keep together thofe, whom He has "ordered to be put afunder, or do they

"not?

66

66

8. Is there any remedy at all spoken of "in God's word, against the great evil of "lewdnefs; and if there be, what is that particular remedy?

9. Does GOD, in His word, order, that "whores, adulterers and adultereffes fhall "be put to death, or does He not? See Le"viticus xx. 10. Deut. xxii. 21, 22.

66

66

per

"10. In particular inftances of fome "fons injuring others, does GOD, in his "word, enjoin any recompence that the injurers and offenders shall make the injured,

"or does He not?

66

66

"II. Are fome of our laws, in this land, "framed upon the Divine laws, in the above"mentioned particular, and do they inflict punishment on fome tranfgreffors and offenders, in any cafes, according to the fpirit of the divine laws, or not?

66 12. Is

66

66

66

"12. Is there any particular recompence "that GOD, in his word, orders an unmarried man to make a virgin whom he has defiled, or is there not? and if there be, "what is it? See Exodus xxii. 16, 17. "Deut. xxii. 28, 29.

66

13. Is there any particular recompence "that a married man is enjoined to make the virgin, whom he has defiled, or is there "not? If there be, what is it? Is the virgin, in the above case, to receive a recompence, and the virgin, in this, to receive none, and to be abandoned? See the above fcriptures.

14. Is our marriage-ceremony, in the "church, fo of the effence of marriage as to conftitute marriage; and, therefore, none "are married in GoD's fight, but what are joined together, by a prieft, with that ceremony?

66

15. Is the marriage of the people called Quakers, in this land, marriage in GoD's fight? and alfo according to our laws?

16. Were the marriages performed by juftices of the peace, in the last century, "for eighteen years together, marriages in "GOD's fight, and according to our laws? 17. In what way, or by what form, were "all thofe people of old joined together, "whofe marriages are recorded in fcripturehiftory?

66

18. In what way, or by what form "were Christians married for upwards of a

"thoufand

66

66

66

66

66