doubts, during the months of pregnancy prior to labour—and her mind of course, at first, free from the smallest tincture of guilty ideas—yet, if I chose it, I could _so bewilder her reason_, that she should _lose sight of every principle of virtue_—and not _be able_ to refuse me whatever I chose to desire.—When a man is in free possession of the Citadel, and all the out-works surrendered at discretion, it is then too late to attempt guarding the town from plunder. But supposing these advantages are not always taken (_which I dare say they are not_) it cannot be denied _with truth_ these visitations from Men-midwives, remove in a great measure, the horror of those intrusions on the advanced posts of virtue, which are its greatest safeguards—and serve _to prepare the way_ for the addresses of gay young men, who make it their business to seduce married women into the paths of infamy. If any lady, desirous of exculpating herself from my censure, pleads that “she never admits a Man-midwife _to familiarities_ but when _in actual labour_”—I answer, that, even _in actual_ labour—_a woman has many intervals of ease_, for many minutes together quite free from pain—_in those intervals_, her mind _cannot_ maintain _its spotless whiteness_—_in those_ intervals she cannot but _be conscious_, that the _DOCTOR is infringing on the HUSBAND_. But I believe there are very few women who confine the Doctor’s familiarities to the times of real labour. Lady ⸺, Mrs. ⸺, acquiesce in whatever he thinks right during all the months of pregnancy—and must he not be _MORE than man_, or LESS THAN MAN, who, _roving luxuriously_ through all the _hidden_ charms of beauty, can help being inflamed by passion?—and, _if inflamed by passion_, he may proceed ON CERTAINTIES ... he has an _UNERRING tell-tale under his inspection_, which gives him _an INFALLIBLE cue, when he may safely_ throw aside the mask, fearless of any repulse. Shew some sense of modesty, ye Duchesses, Countesses, &c. &c. and those inferior women, whom _ye have debauched_ by your bad examples, will again imitate ye, in forsaking these Scandalous practices. Blush, ye women of fashion, to own that any man, besides your husbands, _is admitted to liberties with your persons_. No longer talk of “_dear_ Doctor Hunter,” “_angelic_ Doctor—” “_enchanting_ Doctor—.” ... For my own part, if I was a married man, I declare it would be _a matter of the utmost indifference_ to me, whether my wife had spent the night _in a bagnio_—or an hour of the forenoon locked up with a man-midwife in her dressing room.—Let this _shameless_ custom be abolished, and then virtue will fly back again to our metropolis, with all her train of _genuine self-approving pleasures_—and England be _once more_ as much famed for the chastity, as for the beauty of its women.