he sphere of the lust of fornication, such as it is in the
beginning, is a middle sphere between the sphere of adulterous love and
the sphere of conjugial love, and makes an equilibrium._ XI. _Care is to
be taken, lest, by inordinate and immoderate fornications, conjugial
love be destroyed._ XII. _Inasmuch as the conjugial principle of one man
with one wife is the jewel of human life and the reservoir of the
Christian religion._ XIII. _With those who, from various reasons, cannot
as yet enter into marriage, and from their passion for the sex, cannot
restrain their lusts, this conjugial principle may be preserved, if the
vague love of the sex be confined to one mistress._ XIV. _Keeping a
mistress is preferable to vague amours, if only one is kept, and she be
neither a maiden nor a married woman, and the love of the mistress be
kept separate from conjugial love._ We proceed to an explanation of each
article.

445. I. FORNICATION IS OF THE LOVE OF THE SEX. We say that fornication
is of the love of the sex, because it is not the love of the sex but is
derived from it. The love of the sex is like a fountain, from which both
conjugial and adulterous love may be derived; they may also be derived
by means of fornication, and also without it: for the love of the sex is
in every man (_homo_), and either does or does not put itself forth: if
it puts itself forth before marriage with a harlot, it is called
fornication; if not until with a wife, it is called marriage; if after
marriage with another woman, it is called adultery: wherefore, as we
have said, the love of the sex is like a fountain, from which may flow
both chaste and unchaste love: but with what caution and prudence chaste
conjugial love can proceed by fornication, yet from what imprudence
unchaste or adulterous love can proceed thereby, we will explain in what
follows. Who can draw the conclusion, that he that has committed
fornication cannot be more chaste in marriage?

446. II. THE LOVE OF THE SEX, FROM WHICH FORNICATION IS DERIVED,
COMMENCES WHEN A YOUTH BEGINS TO THINK AND ACT FROM HIS OWN
UNDERSTANDING, AND HIS VOICE TO BE MASCULINE. This article is adduced to
the intent, that the birth of the love of the sex, and thence of
fornication, may be known, as taking place when the understanding begins
of itself to become rational, or from its own reason to discern and
provide such things as are of emolument and use, whereto in such case
what has been implanted in the m