Onania: or, the heinous sin of self-pollution and all its frightful consequences (in both sexes) considered with spiritual and physical advice to those who have already injured themselves by this abominable practice.

Date:
1756
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Onania: or, the heinous sin of self-pollution and all its frightful consequences (in both sexes) considered with spiritual and physical advice to those who have already injured themselves by this abominable practice. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    fight of it, and Jhamefully deceived thofe who confulted them, flvcral of them perhaps to their Ruin ; others, by being too open, tho^ fevere enough, have treated this Matter fo grofly in the learned Languages, that it is impojjible to tranjlate any Part of them vjithout offending Chajlity. In the lame and next Page I complain, that the learned Oilervald, in his vffulTreatife on Uncleannefs in all its Branches, has, thro an Bxcefs of Modejly, paffed over this abominable Sort of Impurity in Silence, or, at leaf} fpoke of it in fitch general Ter ms, blending it with leffer Trefpaffes of Uncleannefs, that he has failed reprcfenting the Heinoufnefs that is in it. Page 4, I fay, that there have been other Cafuijls again, who treating of this Subjecl, have been neither too plain, nor too remifs, but by too much JSubtilty Jlrained their Argum nts beyond their natural Force, and done an Injury to Truth and good tenfe, by being too fophijtical. When betide I ha$ iaid, Page 13, Thefe Gonorrheas are chiefly occafioned,fays. Etmulier, (afamous Phyjician) a damnata Maftupratione, from that damnable Self-Pollution ; and as Dr. Baynard alfo confirms, (jpeaking of that Practice) by that cur fed School Wickednefs ^Mafturbation (res fadadiclu). With- out mentioning what is to be feen in the Preface, efpe- cially both the Letters quoted there, or what I wrote, Page 72 ; when a Man has read all this, can he wonder where I had mf Information ? Can a Man, who has converfed in the World, doubt whether Self-Pollu- tion be a frequent Praclice among the male Youth of this Nation, efpecially School-boys ? Is there a Scholar fo ignorant as not to know my Lord Rochefter has rec- Iconed it among the Things that are not only univerfal, but never to ceafe? As I hat1 heard many Complaints of People after Twenty, who continued in, and could not leave this PL ce of Impurity, I fpoke in favour of early Marriages, with all the necefiary Reilriclions. See what fine Inferences and juft Conclufions my Adverfary draws from this, and my fufpedting fome Perfons that Tefufed advantageous Matches. When, (fays he, Page 28) our■. Author fays that he cannot help thinking that fuch Perfons who delay Marriage after fuch a Time muft be either 'naturally impotent, or rendered fo by fome vicious Praclice 5 / am perfuaded the Reader need %o Interpreter to explain ivhat has been the Author s own