66 fuch favage nations: they are too much difpirited to think of being agreeable. Among nations in any degree humanized we find a different scene. In the ifthmus of Darien government has made some progress, as a chieftain is elected for life: a glimmering of civility appears among the inhabitants; and as fome regard is paid to women, they rival the men in dress. Both fexes wear rings in their ears and noses; and are adorned with many rows of shells hanging down from the neck. A female in a sultry climate submits to fry all day long under a load of twenty or thirty pounds of fhells; and a male under double that load. Well may they exclaim with Alexander, "Oh Athenians! what do I not endure to gain your approbation?" The female Caribbeans and Brafilians are not lefs fond of ornament than the males. Hottentot ladies are fond of drefs; and strive to outdo each other in adorning their krosses, and the bag that holds their pipe and tobacco: European ladies are not more vain of their filks and embroideries. Women in Lapland are much addicted to finery. They wear broad girdles, upon which hang chains and rings without end, commonly made of tin, fometimes of filver, weighing perhaps twenty pounds. The Greenlanders are nafty and flovenly, eat with their dogs, make food of the vermin that make food of them, feldom or never wash themselves; and yet the women, who make fome figure among the men, are gaudy in their drefs. Their chief ornaments are pendents at their ears, with glafs beads of various colours; and they draw lines with a needle and black thread between their eyes, cross the forehead, upon the chin, hands, and legs. The negroes of the kingdom of Ardrah in Guinea have made a confiderable progrefs in police, and in the art of living. Their women carry drefs and finery to an extravagance. They are cloathed with loads of the finest fatins and chintzes, and are adorned with a profusion of gold. In a fultry climate they gratify vanity at the expence of eafe. Among the inland negroes, who are more more polished than thofe on the fea-coaft, befide domestic concerns, the women fow, plant, and reap. A man however fuffers in the esteem of the world, if he permit his wives to toil like flaves while he is indulging in eafe. From that aufpicious commencement, the female fex have risen in a flow but steady progress to higher and higher degrees of eftimation. Converfation is their talent, and a display of delicate fentiments: the gentleness of their manners, and winning behaviour, captivate every fenfible heart. Of fuch refinements favages have little conception: but when the more delicate fenfes are unfolded, the peculiar beauties of the female fex, internal as well as external, are brought into full light; and women, formerly confidered as objects of animal love merely, are now valued as faithful friends and agreeable companions. Matrimony affumes a more decent form, being the union, not of a master and slave, but of two perfons equal in rank uniting to form a family. And it contributed greatly to this delicious refinement, that in temperate climes animal love is moderate, and women long retain good looks, and power of procreation. Thus marriage became honourable among polifhed nations; which of course banished the barbarous custom of purchasing wives; for a man who wishes to have his daughter properly matched, will gladly give a dowry with her, instead of selling her as a flave. Polygamy is found intimately connected with the purchafing wives. There is no limitation in purchasing slaves: nor has a woman purchased as a wife or a flave, any juft caufe for complaining, that others are purchased as she was: on the contrary, she is in part relieved, by addition of hands for performing the fervile offices of the family. Polygamy accordingly has always been permitted, where men pay for their wives. The Jews purchased their wives, and were indulged in polygamy (a). Diodorus Sicu (a) Leviticus, xviii. 18. lus lus fays, that polygamy was permitted in Egypt, except to priests (a). This probably was the cafe originally; but when the Egyptian manners came to be polished, a man gave a dowry with his daughter, instead of receiving a price for her; witnefs Solomon, who got the city of Gazer in dowry with the King of Egypt's daughter. When that cuftom became univerfal, we may be certain that it would put an end to polygamy. And accordingly Herodotus affirms, that polygamy was prohibited in Egypt (b). Polygamy undoubtedly prevailed in Greece and Rome, while it was cuftomary to purchase wives; but improved manners put an end to the latter, and confequently to the former. Polygamy to this day obtains in the cold country of Kamskatka; and in the still colder country round Hudfon's bay. In the land of Jeffo, near Japan, a man may have two wives, who perform every fort of domestic drudgery. The negroes in general purchase their wives, and deal in polygamy. Polygamy is the law in Monomotapa. Polygamy and the purchasing wives were customary among the original inhabitants of the Canary islands. The men in Chili buy their wives, and deal in polygamy. The low condition of women among barbarians introduced polygamy, and the purchafing women to be wives. And the just respect paid to them among civilized nations, restored the law of nature, and confined a man to one wife. Their equality as to rank and dignity bars the man from taking another wife, as it bars the woman from taking another husband. We find traces in ancient hiftory of polygamy wearing out gradually. It wore out in Greece, as manners refined; but fuch was the influence of long habit, that tho' a man was confined to one wife, concubines were in (a) Lib. 1. (b) Lib. 2. § 92. dulged dulged without limitation. In Germany, when Tacitus wrote, very few traces remained of polygamy. "Severa illic matrimo nia, nec ullam morum partem magis laudaveris: nam prope "foli barbarorum fingulis uxoribus contenti funt, exceptis admo"dum paucis, qui non libidine, fed ob nobilitatem, plurimis nup"tiis ambiuntur *." When polygamy was in that country fo little practifed, we may be certain the purchasing wives did not remain in vigour. And Tacitus accordingly, mentioning the general rule, dotem non uxor marito, fed uxori maritus offert †," explains it away by obferving, that the only dos given by the bridegroom were marriage-prefents, and that he at the fame time received marriage-presents on the bride's part (a). The equality of the matrimonial engagement, for the mutual benefit of husband and wife, was well understood among the Gauls. Cæfar (b) fays, "Viri quantas pecunias ab uxoribus dotis nomine acceperunt, tantas ex fuis bonis, æftimatione facta, cum dotibus commu"nicant. Hujus omnis pecuniæ conjunctim ratio habetur, fruc"tufque fervantur. Uter eorum vita fuperarit, ad eum pars utriufque cum fructibus fuperiorum temporum pervenit ‡." In "Marriage is there rigidly refpected; nor is there any part of their morality 66 more laudable for they are almost the only race of barbarians who are con"tented with a single wife; a very few excepted, who, not from incontinency, but "from an ambition of nobility, take more wives than one." +"The husband gives a dowry to the wife, but the wife brings none to the "husband." ‡ "Whatever fum the husband has received as his wife's portion, he allots as "much from his own effects to be joined with it. An account is kept of this "joint stock, and the fruits of it are preferved. Upon the death of either, "the furviving fpoufe has the property of both the fhares, with the fruits or "profits." (a) De moribus Germanorum, cap. 18. (b) Lib. 6. cap. 19. De bello Gallico. Japan, Japan, and in Nicaragua, a man can have but one wife; but he may have many concubines. In Siam, polygamy is ftill permitted, though the bride brings a dowry with her: but that abfurdity is corrected by refined manners; it being held improper, and even difgraceful, to have more than one wife. The purchafing wives wore out of fashion among the ancient Tufcans; for it was held infamous, that marriage should be the refult of any motive but mutual love. This at the fame time put an end to polygamy. Polygamy was probably early eradicated among the ancient Perfians; for the bride's dowry was fettled in marriage-articles, as among us. And there is the fame reason for presuming, that it was not long permitted in Mexico; marriage there being folemnized by the priest, and the bride's dower specified, which was restored in cafe of a feparation. In the countries where the Christian religion was first propagated, women were fast advancing to an equality with the men, and polygamy was wearing out of fashion. The pure fpirit of the gospel haftened its downfal; and tho' not prohibited exprefsly, it was however held, that Christianity is a religion too pure for polygamy. But, as hinted above, it was by flow degrees that the female sex emerged out of flavery, to poffefs the elevated state they juftly are intitled to by nature. The practice of expofing infants among the Greeks, and many other nations, is an invincible proof of their depreffion, even after the custom ceafed of purchafing them. It is wifely ordered by Providence, that the affection of a woman to her children commences with their birth, because during infancy all depends on her care. As during that period the father is of little ufe to his child, his affection is extremely flight till the child begin to prattle and fhew fome fondness for him. The expofing an infant therefore fhows, that the mother was little regarded: if the had been allowed a vote, the practice never would have obtained in any country. In the first book of the Iliad, Achilles fays to AVOL. I. B b gamemnon, |