A man changes wives so often in the Orient that they cannot be in charge of the household. It is therefore the eunuchs who do that : they are given all the keys, and they have the disposition of the household business. In Persia, says Mr. Chardin, women are given their clothing, as children would be.1 Thus this duty that seems to suit them so well, this duty which everywhere else is the first of their duties, is no concern of theirs.
[In the original there are quotation marks here, but it is in fact a paraphrase, as these exact words are not found in Chardin’s text.]