great metropolis, the feat of government, you may collect, out of the streets, and Park of the king's palace, in one evening, feveral thousand proftitutes, who, fo far from standing in awe of the authority of the magiftrate, will not hesitate to accoft a magiftrate with a leud invitation. You will be at a lofs, whether to account for the permiffion of an indecency fo glaringly mifchievous to youth, and fo unfufferably fhocking to modefty, from fear, in our prudent magiftrates, of the confequences of attacking fuch an army of Amazons, or, from what produces fo many other noble political effects among us, I mean the placing in certain proper hands certain proper douceurs. Be this as it will, it is undoubted, that there would be no difficulty, were our magiftracy in earneft, in clearing our principal ítreets, and confining our filies de joye to certain retired parts of the town; which would be no inconfiderable improvement. But we are not to expect it to be done; because every thing tending to reformation is, in our times, romantic and vifionary..

This puts me in mind of a whimfical contrivance we have for making fomewhat VOL. II.

E

like

like an appearance of government, and an intention, afking your pardon, of suppres fing vice. What I mean is, our taking up, once, or twice, in a season, a prostitute or two, and fending them to be, what we call, dealt with according to law; that is, placing them in a house of correction, or rather corruption, where there is a revel carried on, that would put Coмus and his court out of countenance, and where, by their evil communications, they build up one another in their moft unholy practices. Do you adopt a wifer plan. Let your offenders be fhut up within the limits of four brick-walls, each individual by him or herself, and out of the fight and bearing of every other prifoner. There let them be regaled with hard work, hard fare, and retirement, where they may have an opportunity for the ftudy of philofophy and government of their paffions. If you adminifter your corrections properly, you will turn offenders out reformed; whereas we only make them ten times more children of hell, by confining them a little while in our Bridewells; and then we po

litely

litely empty our excremental refervoirs on the public. We have been told, that there is no need of feminaries for vice. But we must not make any alteration. Every propofal of that fort is romantic and vifionary.

In our happy age, laws avail nothing; because no perfon will accufe another for violating a law, unlefs the tranfgreffion proves of immediate damage to himself. For, you must know, we fee nothing beyond this circle. Thus our whole people feem leagued together against the laws, and in favour of mifrule. Do you, therefore, contrive to bring informing into credit. This end may be gained, if your most respectable people will fet the example of detecting the worst enemies of their country, the violators of good and falutary laws, and of bringing them to condign punishment.

Check vice as much as poffible, both open and fecret. This is to be done by good education, good laws, and infinitely more by the good example of the leading people. It will, however, be difficult, if not impoffible, to prevent fecret vice; for there will ftill remain (in fpite of education, law

and police) in any great nation, many individuals of little fentiment. But, if you give your magiftrates fufficient power, and they do not reftrain impudent leudness, profane fwearing, drunkenness, and riot, in your streets, put them to death (I was going to fay; but I am not a friend to fanguinary laws) or inflict on them whatever punishment you please, fhort of death, being certain, that hardly any punishment is too fevere for fuch unpardonable neglect of that duty, in which voluntary negligence only can occafion a failure of fuccefs.

You will perhaps object, that it will be impoffible to find perfons willing, on fuch fevere terms, to take upon them the office of magiftrates. But you will do unwifely, if you leave fuch things to the option of the fubjects. The public business is every body's bufinefs. It ought to be undertaken by rotation; and no trifling excufe ought to be accepted from him, who would decline his fhare of the general burden, which, if you manage prudently, will not be grievous.

4

There

There is a connexion among the vices, as well as the virtues. Did governors of kingdoms and nations attend to this, and had they any thought of the welfare of the people, over which the Divine providence has fet them, they would not make light of any epidemical vice. No man is fit to be trufted, who allows himself in any ore practice, which he cannot vindicate. Difingenuity of mind is infeparable from every habitual vice. And he, who allows himself in one vicious practice, fhews himfelf a rebel against the facred and eternal law of virtue, which he would violate in other points, had he the fame temptation. to draw him. But no man was ever inclinable to all vices. Let it now be confidered (by your good pofterityfhips, I mean; for we are better employed than in confi dering) what the fituation of that kingdom is likely foon to be, in which multitudes openly allow them felves in practices, which, being indefenfible, demonftrate them to be wicked men, and are not, by thofe in authority, discountenanced; but on the contrary encouraged.