think, that if the abufing any one were pardonable, it would have been fuch a one, and at leaft, that it would have been fóme Alleviation of the Crime, that he was a loofe Woman, but we do not find they escaped the better for that the Excels of the Abufe cried out for Vengeance, the Sin was the fame in the Eye of Heaven, and was punished accordingly in the terrible Manner before related,

Should we now make a Tranfition from facred to prophane Hiftory, we shall there find this OFfence to have been attended with the fame woful Confequences, and that amongst a People abfolutely ignorant of the true God, and intire Strangers to this Divine Law. The famous Ten Years Siege of Troy, fo, celebrated in Story, which furnished Homer with a Subject for the finest Poem that was ever penned, and which ended with the utter Des ftruction of that o ce lofty City, and the total Extermination of the Trojan People, was folely owing to this ruinous Vice. The Rape of the beauteous Helen by Paris, and the Protection given by his Father, the too indulgent Priam, to the infamous Adulteres and Adulterefs, involved the whole Na tion nas confummare Mifery and Defolation, as if a destroying Angel had heen fent amongst them to feetter accumulated Plagues!

To come down to later Times, and even to our own Country, we fhall there find the fame hopeful Fruit to have been produced from this forbidden Tree, thot gh it was not attended with fuch utter Ruin: And this was in the Reign of Henry II one of the most powerful Monarchs that ever fat upon the English Throne. This great Prince, happenning unfortunately to fall in Love with the beauteous Rosamond, Daughter to the Lord Clifford and having found the Means to win her to his Embraces, his Royal Confort the haughty Eleanor, who could ill bear a Partner in her Bed, getting Notice

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thereof,

thereof, it not only proved a continual Source of Discord between them, but was the Occafion of the Lofs of many Thoufands of Lives. For that. high-fpirited. Princefs never ceased to ftir up her Sons to revenge her Quarrel, by dethroning their Father; which their own Ambition making them ready enough to do, they were conftantly rebelling against him, and being fupported by France, fometimes brought his Crown into imminent Danger: And though by reafon of his great Abilities, he conftantly got the better of his Enemies, yet, was it not without many bloody Battles fought abroad, and many Infurrections with Difficulty fuppreffed at home, that he preferved himself upon the Throne.

Such were the destructive Confequences of even, a Monarch's giving Way to impure Embraces in this Nation; and much more ruinous did the fame prove in the Kingdom of Spain, where it was the immediate Occafion of the Subverfion of the Gothic, Line, to the Lofs of many hundred thousands of Lives; and the remote Caufe of the Ellablishment, of the dreadful Court of I quifition, to the daily Butchery of many Hundreds more, and the perpetual ferror of all good. Chriftians In effect, this remarkable Event, which coft the Lives of fome Milions, and in all Probability will daily oc cafion the Slaughter of many more, was the blef fed Fruits of the ravishing Count Julian's Daugh ter, by Roderick the laft King of the Goths. So true“ is that Saying of Ovid, Delirant Reges, plectuntur. Achivi.

After fuch terrible Examples of the fevere Punishments inflicted by Heaven for the Breach of the Seventh Commandment, it may feem in a Manner fuperfluous to cite others; nevertheless as we are most apt to be affected with fuch Things as have happened in our own Times, and perhaps within

our

our own Knowledge, we will add fome few, which not only have come to pass within the Memory of moft Men now living, but which, as all the Parties concerned were Persons of Fashion and Distinction, and fome of them of the firft Rank, made no little Noife in the World, and were for fome Time the common Topics of Conversation.

The firft we fhall mention of thefe was a beautiful young Lady in her full Bloom, advantageously married, had the known when he was fo, to a worthy Nobleman, of fuitable Years, and a large Eftate, who was infinitely indulgent of her, and placed his chief Happiness in the Enjoyment of To lovely a Spouse. Thus beloved by her Husband, and in full Poffeffion of all that an honeft Mind could defire, or this fublunary World afford to compleat her Felicity, one would have thought the had the faireft Profpect of paffing her Days in fweet Tranquility, and ending her morial Courfe with Honour; and indeed fuch might have been her happy Lot, had her Virtue and Discretion been equal to her Charms. As they were not, however, as the unfortunately fuffered herfelf to be drawn away, either by giving Way to the infidious Ad. dreffes of an unworthy Seducer, or by letting loofe the Rein to a vicious Inclination, the faw this blifsful Scene changed in a Moment; feil from the Height of Honour and Happiness, to the Depth of Milery and Difgrace; and fhortly after d ed of broken Heart, in the utmoft Obfcurity, without the Comfort of a fingle Friend to close her Eyes. So close did the Punishment follow upon the Heels of the Offence! And fo feverely did Providence vifir this Breach of the Seventh Commandment upon this beauteous Frail One!

In effect, we think it evident, that the Hand of Heaven was concerned in this Affair, by quite infa Suating the guilty Couple, fince, had either the wretched

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wretched Lady, or her treacherous Paramour, preferved the leaft Discretion, tho they had forfeited their Honour and Honefty, their criminal Commerce might long have been carried on without Sufpicion, and, at the worst, it could only have been miftrufted, but could never have been detected, her Gallant being under the very Roof with her, having infinuated himfeif into the Nobleman's Favour under the fpecious Mask of Friendship; a Ci cumftance which confiderably aggravated his Guilt.

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But fo blinded were this careless Pair by their unbridled Appetite, fo void of any manner of Conduct, that they not only gave apparent Room for Jealouly to the very Servants, but even put it out of all doubt, by fuffering them to have ocular Demonftration. In fhort, to unguarded were they, that fome of the honeft Domefticks,not being able to bear the feeing their Lord fo openly dishonoured, ventured to acquaint him with this fhocking Secret, and even procured him the Means of being convinced by his own Eyes, and of furprizing them almoft in the very A&.

The immediate Confequence of this was, the poor Lady was inftantly fent away in a Coach and Six; and her own Father refufing to receive her, was forced to take Shelter at a Midwife's, being then big with Child, and very near her Time; where having fufficient Leifure to reflect on the Ruin and Ignominy fhe had imprudently brought upon herself, abandoned by all her Friends and Acquaintance, with the Profpect of nothing but the utmoft Mifery before her, fhe foon fell into Labour, and died, together with her Infant, fhortly after, with only this wretched Confolation, that he did not long furvive the Lofs sof her Honour, Friends, and Happiness..

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And as for her vile Paramour, who had wickedlly made a Stale of the facred Name of Friendship, to perpetrate his infamous Defign, and fpread fuch Ruini and Defolation through a noble Family, Vengeance Jikewife fpeedily overtook him for his Lordship having profecuted him directly, and the criminal Commerce being plainly pooved, he was forced to fly his Country, bafely leaving his 'Bail in the lurch, to avoid paying the Fine of Ten Thoufand: Pounds, impofed on him by the Court, or ending his Life in a Goal.

When fich were the dreadful Confequences of -the Violation of this Law to this unhappy Lady, who if Youth and Beauty could have been ladmitted gas any Excufe for fuch an Offence, - would have met with a milder Fate; when neither her high Station, nor affluent Circumftances, could exempt her from falling into the utmoft Mifery and Difgrace, one would have thought her melancholy Cule would have ferved as a Warning ito all her Sex, to avoid the like cutting MistorItunes! But, fo frail are poor wretchd Mortals, when left to themselves, fo bewitching is this Sin, and fo much are we blinded our headstrong Inclinations that it was not very long before another Woman of Diftinction, though not of equal Rank, exposed herself to the fame Danger, made herself -ba dommon Tow Talk, and fell into the utmost Indigence and Infamy, and though he had the good Luck to furvive her Husband, (who was bar-baroufly murdered by a near Relation) fo that the once more faw herself reftored to Affluence, not all oher Money, or her fplendid Equipage, could re>>trieve her Character, or procure her one creditable Acquaintance. In fhort, he was reduced to this -wretched Alternative, either to have no Company loat all, or to accept of any Underlings, W not having any Credit to lofe, were content, for the fake of Good Living, and jaunting about in a Lan

dau;