Flagellation in France from a medical and historical standpoint.

Date:
1898
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Flagellation in France from a medical and historical standpoint. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    much ill-humour and a proudness of spirit that only per- sonal beating will drive out of her. Nature has appointed the husband for this office; but, if he neglect his duty, and it be undertaken by others, no hypocritical outcry must be raised on the score of impropriety. Boys who have not been corrected at home, fall often in after life under the magistrates' cat-o'-nine-tails. Grirls, grown up to young-womanhood become castaways, when a little wholesome birching at home would have saved their erring- feet. The Marchioness of Tresnel was indecently beaten on the King's high-way, when the castigation that should have curbed her haughty spirit could have well been effected years earlier by her lawful husband. There is a good story told of the Linlithgow shoemaking boys, but we do not vouch for its truth. Linlithgow, in Scotland, is famed as a seat of the boot and shoe manufacture, at which trade a large number of apprentices were at one time employed. A number of the lads were parish children, and many of them were well disciplined by their mistresses in the orthodox fashion ; indeed, the ladies of Linlithgow were adepts at using the strap: one buxom dame in par- ticular was so good at it that she could untruss and polish off half a dozen of her husband's apprentices in less than ten minutes! Others of the Linlithgow ladies were also adepts at flogging. After a time some of the boys began to object to being so often laid over their mistresses' knees. They occasionally met together, and murmured their com- plaints to each other, determining that some day they would have a great revenge, and so they had. Four of the masters, it was known, were to proceed on a particular occasion to Edinburgh^ on business; and as these were just the men whose lads were oftenest licked by the r