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The Selling of Sex: Mandeville’sbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA M o d e st D e fe n c e o f P u b lic k S te w s SAMUEL J. ROGAL T h e sta te o f p ro stitu tio n in L o n d o n d u rin g th e reig n s o f A n n e a n d th e first G eo rg e c a n b e d e sc rib e d easily in a sin g le te rm : excessively healthy! In fa c t, th ro u g h o u t th e R e sto ra tio n a n d eig h ­ te e n th c e n tu ry , th e la d ie s o f th e n ig h t (a n d d ay ) w e re e v e ry w h e re in e v id e n c e ; “ th e ir b u sin e ss is so fa r fro m b e in g c o n sid e re d as u n la w fu l, th a t th e list o f th o se w h o are a n y w ay e m in e n t in th is p ro fe ssio n is p u b lic ly c rie d a b o u t th e stre e ts: th e list, w h ic h is v ery n u m e ro u s, p o in ts o u t th e ir p laces o f a b o d e , a n d g iv es . . . th e sev eral q u a lific a tio n s fo r w h ic h th e y are re m a rk a b le . A n e w o n e is p u b lish e d ev ery y e a r, a n d so ld u n d e r th e p ia z z a o f C o v e n t G a rd e n , w ith th e title o f The New AtlantisT1 B y th e e n d o f th e c e n tu ry , P a tric k C o lq u h o u n e stim a te d th e n u m b e r o f p ro stitu te s w ith in th e c a p ita l to b e 5 7 ,5 0 0 , o r a p p ro x im a te ly 4 .5 p e r c e n t o f th e to ta l p o p u la tio n .2 If th is fig u re is re lia b le , a sig n ific a n t p ro p o rtio n o f L o n d o n m ales sp e n t c o n sid e ra b le p e rio d s o f th e ir tim e w a n d e rin g th ro u g h th e v in e y a rd s o f V e n u s a n d in d isc rim in a te ly p a rta k in g o f th e v a rio u s fru its; so m e , as y o u n g Ja m e s B o sw ell, o fte n w ish e d th e y h a d p lu c k e d th e b e rrie s less c ru d e ly . H o w e v e r, in sp ite o f th e ir n u m b e rs a n d th e b e n e fits d e riv e d fro m free a d v e rtiz in g , th e ste w a rd e...

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