An ornate woodcut headpiece depicts two cherubs reclining on decorative scrolls, flanking a central heraldic shield containing three stars, surrounded by dense floral and leaf motifs.

DISSERTATION

PHILOLOGICAL

ON VIRGINITY

HONORED, LEARNED,

ADORED, FRUITFUL.

PREFACE.

A decorative drop cap letter V, featuring floral patterns and scrolled leaves within a square frame.

The value of Virginity is recognized most of all from this: that it is easier to find Virgins in temples, in the heavens, and among those elevated to the status of Gods, than on earth, in houses, or among men, whether we consider the Hebrew, Greek, or finally the Latin authors. This, without a doubt, all have sensed: that Virginity is something more divine than human, and that it can be adored by us rather than possessed. No one will read through the monuments of the ancients without immediately recognizing, from those things written about Virgins, that Virginity is...