his last home in
the ruins of an old temple, situated on a cliff in the island of Cyprus,
where the air is so invigorating that "man needs there hardly to eat,
drink, or sleep, for the act of breathing will give life enough." The
work gives the best insight also into origin and causes that led to
monachism, as well as it tells the benefit that the condition conferred
on humanity, showing a phase in the march of civilization that is but
little understood.

But, to return to the subject of infibulation, which has, in a manner,
necessitated this digression from the main topic. Thwing[20] informs us
that in ancient Germany woman was considered the moral equal of man, and
that woman might traverse the vast stretches of country unprotected and
unharmed. Woman never held such a position in the Oriental countries;
neither has man, under the sub-tropics, a like self-command as shown by
those ancient Gauls. So that, with the advent of Christianity and the
moral revolution that followed, primitive methods, either inflicted on
others or self-inflicted, were adopted to insure a chaste life.
Infibulation was known, as already stated, for centuries, and in those
rude times it seemed as the most natural and effective mode of
accomplishing the object. It was not as barbarous an operation as
emasculation on the male, as it only temporarily interfered with his
functions.

In the Old World the practice is still performed in various manners. In
Ethiopia, when a female child is born the vulva is stitched together,
allowing only the necessary passage for the needs of nature. These parts
adhere together, and the father is then possessed of a virgin which he
can sell to the highest bidder, the union being severed with a sharp
knife just before marriage. In some parts of Africa and Asia, a ring, as
before stated, transfixed the labia, which, to be removed, required
either a file or a chisel; this is worn only by virgins. Married women
wear a sort of muzzle fastened around the body, locked by means of a key
or a padlock, the key being only in the possession of the husband. The
wealthy have their seraglios and eunuchs, that take the place of the
belt and lock. Another method is a mailed belt worn about the hips, made
of brass wire, with a secret combination of fastenings, known only to
the husband. In the museum in Naples are to be seen some of these
belts, studded with sharp-pointed pikes over the abdominal part of the
instrument, which was ca