I guess that pretty well covers it. Thanks, Rickard. Peter ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rickard A. Parker" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2010 7:11 AM Subject: Eliot on birth control (was: Off topic and off color) > BTW, in a somewhat more serious note, in the Inspector Morse > series. an episode called "Lost Bus to Woodstock", Morse > says something about the Elizabethans using leather condoms. > Has anyone ever encountered anything on that phenom. at all? It says here that the Dutch made fine leather condoms: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condom#Before_the_19th_century And making this an on-Eliot-topic the Wikipedia article says: "In 1930 the Anglican Church's Lambeth Conference sanctioned the use of birth control by married couples." I believe that Eliot had something to say about this in his "Thoughts after Lambeth" essay. There is also TWL's silk handkerchiefs. Though the years I've made a number of on-line searches to get some proof that they were used as condoms but, while it seems likely, I haven't quite gotten enough evidence. Regards, Rick Parker