@article{666769,
      recid = {666769},
      author = {Dunton, John,},
      title = {The Athenian library, or A universal entertainment for the  lovers of novelty. Containing six thousand essays both in  prose and verse, upon such nice and curious points in  divinity, history, philosophy, &c. as were never  handled before, and are thus entitled, viz. 1. The lost rib  restor'd, or An essay attempting to prove that the relation  between man and wife is not dissolv'd by death but abides  for ever; and that those virgins who dye unmarry'd are yet  related to husbands, and will be united to 'em in the other  world. 2. The progressive knowledge of the saints in  heaven. (by intuition, revelation, and otherwise) or an  essay proving that the blessed above will be eternally  making new discoveries of their happiness. 3. Female  courtship, or The honesty, necessity, and modesty, of  changing the old custom of the men's first courting the  women, into the women's first courting the men, (as  discover'd by the virgins in a complaint to the batchelors  of their backwardness in making love, and) publish'd that  sorrowful widdows may no longer be forced to spin out  miserable lives on earth for want of husbands, or any  virgin dye that despisable wretch an old maid. 4. An essay  in praise of poverty, or A paradox proving he is the  happiest man that has neither money nor friend, as 'twas  sent in a letter to an honourable lady to quiet her mind  under the loss of all earthly enjoyments, with her  ladyship's answer, greatly approving this new and  surprizing notion. 5. The wedding night, or A modest essay  upon the loss of a maidenhead, (occasion'd by Mr. Dunton's  good luck in marrying a pure virgin) in which is discover'd  with what caution and decency a young and unexperienced  couple should act, that they might not exceed that chaste  and lawful use of the marriage-bed; the whole essay divided  into three parts, and publish'd to promote chastity in that  state of life, wherin men and women (if they first say  grace) think they may fall to as they please. These five  essays (with 5995 novelties more that are to compleat this  Athenian Library) contain whatever new and curious thoughts  may shew us our mental errours, reform our morals, and  prepare us for a future state. Part I. Written by Mr. John  Dunton, the first projector and author of The Athenian  oracle, a work resolving all nice and curious questions,  concealing the querists, and dedicated to his honoured  friends and brethren those sons of the clergy that lately  presented a petition to His Majesty, proving 'tis a  national complaint that the author of these new  speculations has gone ten years unrewarded, for his early,  bold, and successful discoveries of Oxford's and  Bolingbroke's plot to restore the pretender, entitled, Neck  or nothing, for which six warrants were issued out for  seizing the author, by the principal secretary of state.  [electronic resource] :},
      publisher = {Sold by S. Popping in Pater-Noster-Row,},
      address = {[London] :},
      pages = {[8],70,[2]p. ;},
      year = {1717},
      note = {Anonymous. By John Dunton.},
      url = {http://library.usi.edu/record/666769},
}