Volume 2

Thelyphthora; or, a treatise on female ruin, in its causes, effects, consequences, prevention, and remedy; considered on the basis of the divine law: under the following heads, viz. marriage, whoredom and fornication, adultery, polygamy, divorce, with many other incidental matters; particularly including an examination of the principles and tendency of stat. 26 Geo. II c. 33. commonly called The marriage act / [Anon].

  • Madan, Martin, 1726-1790.
Date:
1781
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Thelyphthora; or, a treatise on female ruin, in its causes, effects, consequences, prevention, and remedy; considered on the basis of the divine law: under the following heads, viz. marriage, whoredom and fornication, adultery, polygamy, divorce, with many other incidental matters; particularly including an examination of the principles and tendency of stat. 26 Geo. II c. 33. commonly called The marriage act / [Anon]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    [ 3° ] lb. p. 151. We Christians, reward the adult erefs with a divorce, which enables her to become the legal property of the adulterer; that is to fay, if the injured hulband can af- ford the enormous expence of it, if not, he mull be plagued with the woman during life. But to return- The mifehiefs arifing from unlawful di- vorce, (for fuch I call ail putting away which is not authorized by the divine law) are dread- ful to think of, none can enumerate them,- unlefs they could diftindly count the mife- ries of proJUtution. This can exift on no other foundation than men taking women, and putting them away juft as and when they pleafe; a pradice as contrary to the primary law of nature eftablifhed at the beginning, as to every thing Christ laid down on the footing of that law in His difeourfe with the Fharifees. I will allow, that, here and there, inflances may be found of females, who owe their ruin to their own vicious inclinations, and who have nobody to blame but them- felves ; but for one inftance of this fort, hundreds owe their deftrudion to the bafenefs and treachery of their feducers. The divine law was levelled at both thefe cafes—if a virgin played the whore by proftituting herfelf it was a capital of bice—if a man enticed a virgin, &c. he was to endow her to be his wife9 and not put her away ail his days. While thefe laws were in force and vigour amongft the 7 ews, as to the obfervance of them, there could be no whore among the daughters of If