Volume 1

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].

  • Martin Madan
Date:
1780-1781
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.

    93/448 (page 63)
    ί 63 ] niihment of the offenders. Then follaw& ver. 22. If a da?nfel that is a virgin be betrOthed unto an hi^andy and a man find her in the city and lie with her^ then /!:all ye bring them both into the gate of that city^ and ye Jhall fione them with fiones that they^ die : the damfel becaife fije cried noty being in the city ·y and the marly becaife he hath hum- BLED HIS neighbour's WIFE. • Such is the law of the Most High againft adulteryy or the defilement of a marls wfe. Yet it is not the objeft of our mu- nicipal\2ivr as any offence whatfoever. The injured huiband may bring a civil aition for private damages ; but neither the adulterery nor the adulterefsy can be in- difted or puniHied, ^ as a public offenderj» by any one fiatute throughout our whole code * In the year 1650, when the ruling powers found it for their intereil to put on the femblancc of a very extraordinary ftridlnefs and purity of mo- rals ; not only incefi and wilful adultery were made capital crimes, but alfo the repeated a6f of keep- ing a brothel, or committing fornication, were (upon a fecond convidlion) made felony without ‘‘ benefit of clergy. But at the reiloration, when men, from an abhorrence of the hypocrify of the late times, fell into a contrary extreme of licenti- oufnefs, it was not thought proper to renew a law of fuch unfaihionable rigour. And thefe offences have been ever fince left to the feeble coercion of the fpiritual courty according to the rules of the canon law ; a law v/hich has treated the offence of incontinence, nay even adultery itfelfy with a ereat