Ancient and Modern Pederasty Investigated and Exemplify'd/A Contradiction in Terms

by Thomas Cannon

In a Company where I happen’d, an abhorred, and too polish’d Pederast, attack’d upon the Head, that his Desire was unnatural, thus wrestled in Argument;

Unnatural Desire is a Contradiction in Terms; downright Nonsense. Desire is an amatory Impulse of the inmost human Parts: Are not they, however constructed, and consequently impelling, Nature? Whatever Modes of Thinking the Mind from Objects receives, whatever Sensations pervade the Body, are not the Mind and Body Parcels of Nature, necessarily receiving those Thoughts, necessarily pervaded by these Sensations? Nature sometimes assumes an unusual Appearance; But the extraordinary Pederast seeking Fru-t-on, is as naturally acted as the ordinary Woman’s Man in that Pursuit. The Pleasure, all Beauty gives, is even of Necessity follow’d by Desire, when Process of Time has stor’d Man with those Lights, which are the only Erudition and Accomplishment. Nature is boundless, comprehending all animate, and inanimate Things; the Libyan Marvels, with their bak’d Sands, are no less natural than Peasants whistling in the verdant Vale. I am not yet out of your hands. Licens’d Pederasty, you say, would at least defeat Nature’s manifest Design of continuing Mankind. This is the scarce specious Rant of those, who, by Reflection, know not themselves; nor by Observation the wide World. Man’s ruling Passion is the Love of Variety; you might safely trust this single Principle with peopling the Globe. But are we not Self-Admirers? Then we shou’d covet to see our sweet Faces reflected in little Pratlers. Further, are we not insatiable Hoarders? Upon that Account we must rejoice to keep griping the useless Accumulate by its vesting in our second Selves. That these Reasons do in Fact influence Man, all China swarming with Inhabitants, yet warmly pursuing uncontroul’d Pederasty, beyond contradiction demonstrates. Wherefore the Thinness of People in Spain and Italy, is not to be attributed to the Prevalence of this Passion, but to sequestering from the World Multitudes of both Sexes, who, if they embrace by Stealth, destroy the Fruit of their Embraces. And in Turkey it is owing to many most fatal Wars; as also to Draughts made by the Grand Signiors from their own Subjects to settle vast conquer’d Countrys, which their inhuman State-maxims depopulate.