despair, can it be more
offensive in the sight of God, than under a phrenzy from a fever, or in
lunacy? It should therefore, as it must raise our horror, raise our
pity too.

What is commonly understood to be the murder of a bastard child by the
mother, if the real circumstances were fully known, would be allowed to
be a very different crime in different circumstances.

In some (it is to be hoped _rare_) instances, it is a crime of the very
deepest dye: it is a premeditated contrivance for taking away the life
of the most inoffensive and most helpless of all human creatures, in
opposition not only to the most universal dictates of humanity, but of
that powerful instinctive passion which, for a wise and important
purpose, the Author of our nature has planted in the breast of every
female creature, a wonderful eagerness about the preservation of its
young. The most charitable construction that could be put upon so savage
an action, and it is to be hoped the fairest often, would be to reckon
it the work of phrenzy, or temporary insanity.

But, as well as I can judge, the greatest number of what are called
murders of bastard children, are of a very different kind. The mother
has an unconquerable sense of shame, and pants after the preservation of
character: so far she is virtuous and amiable. She has not the
resolution to meet and avow infamy. In proportion as she loses the hope
either of having been mistaken with regard to pregnancy, of being
relieved from her terrors by a fortunate miscarriage, she every day sees
her danger greater and nearer, and her mind more overwhelmed with terror
and despair. In this situation many of these women, who are afterwards
accused of murder, would destroy themselves, if they did not know that
such an action would infallibly lead to an enquiry, which would proclaim
what they are so anxious to conceal. In this perplexity, and meaning
nothing less than the murder of the infant, they are meditating
different schemes for concealing the birth of the child; but are
wavering between difficulties on all sides, putting the evil hour off,
and trusting too much to chance and fortune.--In that state often they
are overtaken sooner than they expected; their schemes are frustrated;
their distress of body and mind deprives them of all judgment, and
rational conduct; they are delivered by themselves, wherever they
happened to retire in their fright and confusion; sometimes dying in the
agonies of childb