the association that it is the source from which we drew our first sustenance.'

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Indeed,' said Sheridan, with a smile; then why do we not feel the same delight at the contemplation of a wooden spoon?"

"Excellent!' exclaimed the Prince; excellent! In future I shall never see a beautiful bosom, but I shall think of Sheridan's wooden spoon. Nevertheless, you must allow that contemplation is one thing, enjoyment another; and to which would you give the preference?'

"To each,' said Sheridan, in their own individuality; but they are as distinct in their natures as they are different in the effects that are produced. The contemplation of a beautiful woman, abstractedly speaking, depends entirely in its degree of delight upon the innate power which we possess of actually determining what beauty is-the mere question of enjoyment may be decided by a

Caliban, to whom sense is everything, mind nothing. There is, however, another point to be taken into consideration, which is, that there is one sense which nature has implanted in the heart of every female, and on the facility or difficulty of the suppression or suspension of that sense, the great question may be determined of the strength or weakness of her virtue.'

"And what is that sense?' asked the Prince."

Now this anecdote (which terminates as above) illustrates the forcible sensual influence upon man of female beauty when conveyed to the feelings through the organ of sight, with like force, and as appositely as the previous quotations from Mr. Coulson's work and his critic do, when the feelings receive their impulse from the touch; and we derive

therefrom respectively a conviction of the powerful natural influence of "the softness and polish of skin" as to the tangible sense, and evidence of the carnal desire arising from the contemplation of the "female bosom"-" the beautiful bosom," as to the visual sense the former capable of exciting a "wild sensuality," which may lead a man to seek the fruition of his desires; the latter imparting that" sensual gratification," which the prince (in tone of seeming disappointment and dissatisfaction) propounded could not be found in contemplating the stars in their glory.

Nor ought the olfactory sense to be passed over wholly without observation. Relative thereto few words however will suffice, for all naturalists know that the sensual impulse derived through that sense is extremely powerful in many animals; and experience proves that the olfactory organ in the human race, when

acted on by the odour or fragrance of the oleaginous secretion of females, alluded to by Mr. Coulson, produces so much excitement as tends greatly to endanger a refractory disposition in other organs of the body. To the dangers of these several temptations, proceeding through the senses of sight, touch, and smell, are men-midwives exposed; and even the musical tones or cadence, accent or pronunciation of the female voice may augment the danger through another organ of the senses,-the ear : whilst manners, which "make the man," may make a woman an angel! Is the frail nature of man to be trusted against such united powers of temptation?

But whilst these pages instance and expatiate upon the power of natural impulses on the one hand, they are not deficient in admitting to a due extent the power of mind on the other; and such candour is observed throughout this trea

tise, but merely admitted as a corrective property against the direct and positive operation of the natural influences, a secondary power to regulate and control a primary one; but then, the mischief is, that, whilst all men are naturally under the influence of the primary power, but very few possess the moral qualifying one in sufficient strength and purity to negative the positive influence and hence arises the danger.

In the next chaper it will be shewn in what circumstances, and how fully the bosoms of women åre exposed to the examination of the man-midwife; and, bearing in mind the allusions of the prince to "the delight which the eye of man experiences in the contemplation of a female bosom," and the facetious association of idea therewith founded upon Dr. Darwin's far-fetched sentimentality, a man must be "a wooden spoon" indeed! who would argue, or be

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