The Law Concerning Draped Virginity

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1905 edition. Excerpt: ... chapter ix. the indecency of clothing. Jated now with admiration of so great a mystery, let me proceed in peace to what still remains. The immaculate virgin who is stained by no lustful passion is rarer than a white crow or a black swan; for every day the barriers that confined the sex are removed, and she walks forth into a poverty that matches that of the dogs. (As Horace says ii Satire 7: Her wanton nature will leap forth, when the bridle has been removed.) If however you obtain a carefully confined and tender maid, undoubtedly bashful, good, chaste and modest, you have found one worthy, by Jove! to be dressed in royal purple and be a monarch's mate. When girls had been shut up in the gynaeceum for certain fixed intervals of time, they frequently obtained leave of egress, but then, as they left the mysterious apartment behind, a sentiment of awe inspired the more forward of the youths with modesty. Nor did they remain long, or to any purpose, in versatas ad tristem &dXafiov deducebant eunuchi, ne vagantes circa vicinas, levi indecoris notae macula polluerentur. Propudiosum Romani putabant teste Tertulliano. (Tertull. de Pallio.) si malrona in publico videretur. Insueta in publicum prodiens se peplo operiebat, unde Horatio abdita. Cajus Sulpitius Gallus uxori repudium misit, quod aperto, et non velato, vertice in publicum esset versata. L. 3. Od. 16. Val. Max. L. 6. c. 3, 13. Dissentit Plutarch, in Quaest. B. Induperatrix Poppaea, apud Tacitum, raro in publicum egrediebatur, idque velata parte oris, ne satiaret aspectum, vel quia sic decebat. Si non fastidis abditum foeminarum ornatum, lege sodes Tertullianum de velandis virginibus ibique J. L. dela Cerda. Tertull. de de corona milit c. 4. Nova nupta ob reatum depravatae naturae, cui...