ORAISON.

Seigneur, qui avez formé Adam de la terre, et qui lui avez
donné Eve pour sa compagne; envoyez-moi, s'il vous plait, un
bon mari pour compagnon, non pour la volupté, mais pour vous
honorer & avoir des enfants qui vous bénissent. Ainsi soit il.

Among the books of this class, before alluded to, I purchased a singularly
amusing little manual called "_La Confession de la Bonne Femme_." It is
really not divested of merit. Whether however it may not have been written
during the Revolution, with a view to ridicule the practice of auricular
confession which yet obtains throughout France, I cannot take upon me to
pronounce; but there are undoubtedly some portions of it which seem so
obviously to satirise this practice, that one can hardly help drawing a
conclusion in the affirmative. On the other hand it may perhaps be
inferred, with greater probability, that it is intended to shew with what
extreme facility a system of _self-deception_ may be maintained.[75]
Referring however to the little manual in question, among the various
choice morceaus which it contains, take the following extracts:
exemplificatory of a woman's _evading the main points of confession_.

_Confesseur_. Ne voulez vous pas me répondre; en un mot, combien
y a-t-il de temps que vous ne vous êtes confessée?

_La Pénitente._ Il y a un mois tout juste, car c'étoit le
quatrième jour du mois passé, & nous sommes au cinquième du mois
courant; or comptez, mon pere, & vous trouverez justement que ...

C. C'est assez, ne parlez point tant, & dites moi en peu de mots vos