THE ORIGIN

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“ If a man fell his daughter to be a maid-“ fervant, flie fliall not go out as the men-fervants“ do.

“ If flie pleafe not her mafler, who hathCl betrothed her to himfelf, then fliall he let her“ be redeemed: to lell her to a flrange nation“ he fliall have no power, feeing he hatli dealt“ deceitfully with her

In the empire of Ruffia, the paternal jurifdic-tion was formerly underflood to be altogetherfupreme and unlimited ' 7 . Peter the Great ap-pears to have been fo little aware that the cuflomsof his own country might differ from thofe ofother nations, that in his public declaration tohis clergy, and to the flates civil and military,relative to the trial of his fon he appeals to allthe wnrld, and affirms, that, according to all lawshuman and divine, and, above all according tothofe of Ruifia, a father, even among privateperfons, has a full and abfolute right to judge hischildren, without appeal, and without taking theadvice of any per fon ”.

Among the Tartars , nothing can exceed therefpe£i and reverence which the children ufuallypay to their father. They look upon him asthe fovereign lord and mafler of his family, and

’* Exodus, chap. xxi. ver. 7.

17 Sigon. de antiq. jur. civ. Roman, lib. 1. cap. 10.

11 See Prefent State of Ruffia, ptiblifhed 1722.

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