“Should a man declare his wife just wedded be pregnant and she deny the charge, it is well to conduct the accused woman to the house of some prudent female friend, and then that three _ventrieres_ be summoned who may regard the suspect. If they declare her to be in a family way, the provost shall call the midwives as witnesses as before stated; but if the _sage femmes_ declare the accused is not pregnant, then shall the wife have cause against her husband; but better is it when the husband, seeing the wrong wrought, shall humble himself and beg pardon.” Midwives were sworn, according to statutes and ordinances, which contained formulæ reports to be presented to the judges, to visit girls who complained of having been raped; fourteen signs of such deflowerment were admitted in testimony. Laurent Joubert has transcribed three of such reports, of which we will reproduce only one that was addressed to the Governor of Paris on October 23d, 1672: “We, Marie Miran, Christophlette Reine, and Jeannie Porte, licensed midwives of Paris, certify to whom it may concern, that on the 22d day of October in the present year, by order of the Provost of Paris, of date 15th of aforesaid month, we visited a house in Rue Pompierre and there examined a girl aged thirty years, named Olive Tisserand, who had made complaint against one Jaques Mudont Bourgeois, whom she insisted deflowered her by violence. We examined the plaintiff by sight and the finger, and found as follows: “Her breasts relaxed from below the neck downwards; _mammaæ marcidæ et flaccidæ_; her vulva chafed; _os pubis collisum_; the hair on the os pubis curled; _pubes in orbem finuata_; the perineum wrinkled; _perinæum corrugatum_; the nature of the woman lost; _vulva dissoluta et mercessans_; the lips of private pendant; _labia pendenta_; the lesser lips slightly peeled; _labiorum oræ pilis defectæ_; the nymphæ depressed; _nymphæ depressæ_; the caroncles softened; _carunculæ dissolutæ_; the membrane connecting the caroncles retracted; _membrana connecteus inversa_; the clitoris was excoriated; _clitoris excoriata_; the uterine neck turned; _collum uteri_; the vagina distended; _finus pudoris_; in fact, the lady’s hymen is missing; _hymen deductum_; finally, the internal orifice of the womb is open; _os internum matricis_. Having viewed this sad state of affairs, sign by sign, we have found traces _omnibus figillatum perspectis et perforutatis_, etc., and the above-named midwives certify to the before-mentioned Provost that the aforesaid statement under oath is true.”