The True History and Adventures of Catharine Vizzani/Chapter 2
REMARKS
Upon the Foregoing
DISSERTATION.
HE Wits, and even the learned Men of Italy, have been long distinguished for their Inclination to Discourses of this Nature, which are frequently interpreted in such a Manner as to do no great Honour to their Abilities, and still less to their Morals. But it may be they are, in this Respect, a little hardly treated; since, in a warm Country like theirs, where Impurities of all Sorts are but too frequent, it may very well happen that such strange Accidents may, from Time to Time, arise as highly to excite both their Wonder and their Attention, rather from their Skill in Anatomy, and their Acquaintance with human Nature, than from any bad Habits or vitiated Inclinations in themselves.
As for the Case of this young Woman, it is certainly very extraordinary, and may therefore justify, at least in some Measure, the Pains which this learned and industrious Man has taken about her. But it does not appear that he has assigned any Cause whatever, or so much as advanced any probable Conjecture on this extravagant Turn of her Lewdness, notwithstanding it surprized him so much. Yet this we might reasonably have expected from a Treatise written by one of the Faculty, and one who, without any Scruple, professes that it had taken up so much of his Thoughts.
It should seem, that this irregular and violent Inclination, by which this Woman render'd herself infamous, must either proceed from some Error in Nature, or from some Disorder or Perversion in the Imagination. As to the first of these, the Author seems to have removed all Doubt; since, from the Account he gives of the Dissection of the Body, it is very evident that there was nothing amiss; and we have good Reason to believe, that he meant to insinuate so much at least to his Readers, by insisting so long upon a particular Circumstance. We ought, therefore, to acquit Nature of any Fault in this strange Creature, and to look for the Source of so odious and so unnatural a Vice, only in her Mind; and there, indeed, if closely attended to, it will be found that more monstrous Productions are to be met with than have exercised the Pens of such as have addicted themselves to write of strange Births, and such like Prodigies.
It seems therefore most likely that this unfortunate and scandalous Creature had her Imagination corrupted early in her Youth, either by obscene Tales that were voluntarily told in her Hearing, or by privately listening to the Discourses of the Women, who are too generally corrupt in that Country. Her Head being thus filled with vicious Inclinations, perhaps before she received any Incitements from her Constitution, might prompt her to those vile Practices, which being begun in Folly, were continued through Wickedness; nor is it at all unreasonable to believe, that, by Degrees, this might occasion a preternatural Change in the animal Spirits, and a Kind of venereal Fury, very remote, and even repugnant to that of her Sex.
Something of the like Kind is reported to have happened many Years ago to a very vicious Woman, in a Country that it is not necessary to name. This Woman was the Wife of an Apothecary, very dissolute in her Manners, and, as some thought, a little distracted in her Head. Her Husband bore with her a long Time, out of respect to her Family, and for the Sake of the Fortune he had with her. But at length she took a Freak of this Kind into her Head, which had very fatal Consequences to an innocent and deserving Person, and which also brought upon the Offender herself a Part at least of that Shame and Punishment which she deserved.
This vile Woman, knowing that her Husband had received a very large Sum of Money, took the Advantage of his Absence, broke open the Place where he kept it, and having got it into her Possession, procured Men's Cloaths, in which she made her Escape. As soon as she found herself in a Place of Security, she provided an Equipage, and assumed the Name of a young Gentleman who was her Relation, by which, without any Suspicion, she introduced herself into the best Companies, and by a suitable Behaviour, maintained the Cheat for some Time perfectly well; a Thing so much the more practicable, as her's was an Imposture absolutely new and strange.
It fell out, at some Place of public Diversion, that she heard a Gentlewoman, the most famous of her Time for the Sweetness of her Voice, and her admirable Skill in Music, perform a Cantata, accompanied with a Lute. Upon this, it came into her Head to make Love to her, which she did with all the exterior Marks of the warmest Passion. But the Gentlewoman, tho' the Person of this Creature was far from being disagreeable, had a natural Aversion to her, and could never be brought to have any Liking for her; tho' neither she, nor any Body else, had the least Suspicion of the Imposture.
Her Friends, however, who looked upon this as a very extraordinary Match, pressed her to lay hold of so favourable an Opportunity of settling herself handsomely in the World, and becoming the Wife of a Person who was able to maintain her in Splendor, and who, from the Name thus impudently assumed, was generally believed to have a great Estate. All the Excuses she could make could not divert her Relations from the Prosecution of this Design; and at last, tho' with much Reluctance, they so far vanquished her Distaste, as to engage her to accept of this Husband; and that too in a shorter Time than ought to have been taken in a Matter of such Importance. But they were so afraid that the Family of the young Gentleman, for whom this Woman was taken, should hear of the Matter, and prevent the Marriage, that they hurried it on with an indiscreet Zeal, which they very soon repented.
It was at length, therefore, publickly celebrated, and with great Magnificence; which is, perhaps, one of the highest Marks of Impudence with which the World was ever acquainted. But, as may be easily believed, the villainous Secret was soon discovered, and the execrable Offender secured. The Noise that this Story made, brought the Apothecary to the first Knowledge of what was become of his Wife; who, after she had undergone such an Examination, as was necessary to render her pretended Marriage, in the Course of a judicial Proceeding, absolutely null and void, was put into his Power, with so much of the Money as remained unsquandered in this wild Adventure.
As for the unfortunate Gentlewoman, who was the Victim of her Friends good Wishes, whose Character was perfectly unspotted, and who was esteemed for her Beauty, and admired for her Virtue, as much as for the Excellency of her Voice, and delicate Hand upon the Lute, she was so deeply affected with the Shame that attended this Affair, which, however, brought not the least Imputation upon her, that it threw her into a violent Disorder of Mind, from which a hectic Fever arose, that killed her in a short Time.
As for the Monster who had been the Author of this Misfortune, her Husband very prudently caused her to be confined as a Lunatic; and in that Condition she some Years after breathed her last, to the great Satisfaction of her Spouse, and of her own Family, who thought themselves, in some Measure, dishonoured by her Infamy.
This shews, as well as the Case which occasioned the mentioning of it, that there is an amazing Violence in these vicious Irregularities, which has this happy Consequence, that they are quickly betrayed, and in most Countries chastized with that Severity which they deserve; and, without Doubt, the only Reason that can justify the making Things of this Sort public, is to facilitate their Discovery, and thereby prevent their ill Consequences, which indeed can scarce be prevented any other Way.
It is therefore very expedient, whenever a Treatise of this Kind is committed to the Press, that it should be accompanied with such Reflections as may render it manifest, that it comes abroad with a good Intent, and with a real View of correcting, not a latent Design of corrupting the Morals of Youth; and, for this Reason, it may not be improper to hint at a few Particulars that are extremely worthy of Notice.
The first is, that it behoves People to be highly cautious, as to that Kind of Discourse which they hold in the Presence of very young People of either Sex; since, tho' it is very easy to foresee that lewd or lax Conversation must have bad Effects, yet it is not altogether so easy to comprehend what very bad Effects may follow from it; of which this Discourse, and these Remarks, afford sufficient Instances.
In the next Place, it affords (if that were at all necessary) a new Argument for suppressing those scandalous and flagitious Books, that are not only privately but publickly handed about for the worst Purposes, as well as Prints and Pictures calculated to inflame the Passions, to banish all Sense of Shame, and to make the World, if possible, more corrupt and profligate than it is already. We are very certain that all Things of this Sort must have a very bad Tendency; but surely it would lay some Kind of Restraint, even upon those who are most forward in these Things, if they considered, that they know not what might be the Consequences, and that they may become inconsiderately the Instruments of much greater Wickedness than they design.
We may add to all this, that from hence may be borrowed a very just Reason for punishing more severely, or at least not making so light of a Practice not altogether uncommon, which is that of Women appearing in public Places in Men's Cloaths; a Thing that manifests an extreme Assurance, and which may have many ill Consequences, and those too of very different Kinds. This, by the Mosaic Law, is considered as a capital Offence, which deserves so much the more Reflection, as it will be found, upon a strict Enquiry, that most of the Laws in that Code, are founded upon the most perfect Knowledge of human Nature. It is also looked upon as a great Crime by our Law, as well for political as moral Reasons; and therefore it is very strange, that, merely to indulge an idle Whim, or a foolish Humour, the best, or at least the most innocent Reasons that can be suggested for it, this should be looked on with an Eye of Indifference, and rather as a Species of Levity than of Guilt.
To dispense with Laws from Necessity, or for the Sake of some public Convenience, may be excusable, and even reasonable; but, to suffer such Laws as our Ancestors instituted form the wisest Motives, and for the most salutary Purposes, to fall into Dissuetude, and even Contempt, to gratify the Lovers of Diversions; in Favour of which, even their best Advocate is able to say no more, than that they are silly Diversions, is not a little strange and surprising, and must give a singular Idea of those Alterations in our Policy and Manners, which have arisen from our Politeness, and our Desire to copy Foreigners in every Thing, not excepting those Follies, of which the wisest People amongst them profess themselves ashamed.
FINIS.