And how should this be otherwise! a long _un-impassioned_ practice, _early_ commenced, and _calmly_ pursued, is absolutely requisite to give men _by art_, what women attain _by nature_.—Dr. Hunter, very wisely, very justly has said, that “Labour is nature’s work.”—Nature _ought to be suffered_ nine hundred and ninety-nine times out of a thousand, _to do her own work_. All the knowledge _young_ men can possibly obtain, must be from _dead_ bodies—for is it in common sense to suppose, that a young lad can explore the secret recesses of Venus, so as to be _physically_ well acquainted with those parts in _living_ females? No—fires must quickly be raised, which unavoidably will confuse all his discerning _reasoning_ faculties—and _ART must instantly be lost in NATURE_. Dr. Hunter, indeed, and one or two men besides, _may perhaps_, by the help of _cold_ constitutions, and dint of very long practice, do their business _nearly as well_ as women—by leaving all _to nature_—but, if my life and fortune here, and salvation hereafter, depended on the life of any pregnant woman, and that of her infant, I would stake all I held valuable on her being attended by any old woman midwife in England, in preference to any man in the world. Whoever reads Nihel’s Midwifery, will be satisfied of this truth, that _women are infinitely safer than men_. Who can wonder at the profligacy of the times, when it is known that even women of character soon become so callous to the bashfulness which ought to characterize their sex (from being habituated to the familiarities of their Men-midwives) that they will not scruple informing a male visitor, without even blushing, “I was not very well for some days in the country—so I came to town on purpose to be satisfied by Dr. ⸺ that I was in a good way—_the dear man_ has told me that _the child lies right_—and I am perfectly easy.” Monstrous! that a lady can pretend to any degree of modesty, and yet, _not content_ with having _a strange_ man attending her _for hours_ when in labour (most of that time intimately acquainted with _every_ part) she can, without any compunction, send for a man, and admit him without reserve _to the most unbounded_ liberties, at a time too, when she is _as able_ to walk, and _do every other act_ of life, as if she was not pregnant! Pray let me ask her ladyship, _how_ did “_The dear man_,”—“_sweet Dr. ⸺_,” _find out_ how the child lay?—By means _sufficient to taint the purity_, and _fully the chastity_, of any woman breathing!—I will boldly affirm, that, whoever admits a man to those _licentious_ freedoms, cannot pretend to answer for what _may_ be the consequences. If _the last_ circumstance does not take place, it must be owing, either to an extraordinary insensibility in the man, or to the woman’s not suiting his taste, having such choice of beauties to visit. Suppose, for argument’s sake, that the fictitious Goddess of Chastity, Diana herself, was on earth, and employed me to satisfy her