ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN Production Note The Rare Book & Manuscript Library Digital Rare Book Collections University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign 2014 C/resftj » i i il iWttÊÊÊÊÊtÊÊtÊHSOME R E F LECTIONS ffy UPON Occafion’d by the Duke & Dutchefs O F Mazarine’s CASE; Which is aliò confiderà. LONDON: Printed for John Nutt near Stationers- Hall, 170O0 'T *>*»- f ( 5 0/037 Advertifement. THefe Reflections being made in the Country, where the Book that occa fioVd them came but late to Hand, the Reader is defied to excufe their Vnfeafena-blenefs as well as other Faults; and to be-lieve that they have no other Defgn than to Correct fome Abufes, which are not the lefs becaufe Power and Prefcription fee?n to Authorize them. If any is fo needlefly curious as to enquire from what Hand they $.ome, they may pleafe to know, that it is not good Manners to ask, fince the Title-Page does not tell them: We are all of m fufficiently Vain, and without doubt the Celebrated Name of Author, which moH are fo fond of, had not been avoided but for very good Reafons: To name but one ; Who will care to pull upon themfelves an Hornet’s Neft ? His a very great Fault to regard rather who it is that Speaks, than what is fpoken; and either to fub * mh to Authority, when we fhould only A 2 yieldAdvertifement. yield to Re ¿ifon ; or if Reafon prefs too bard, to think to ward it off by Perfonal Objections and Reflections. Bold Truths may fafs while the Speaker is Incognito, but are feldom endur'd when he is known ; few Minds being flrong enough to bear what contradicts their Principles and Practices without recriminating when they can. And the? „ to tell the Truth be the most Friendly Office, yet whofoever is fo hardy as to •venture at it, ¡hall be counted an Enemy for fo doing. SOME '* % Ì-i _________________ il ________________ 'i SOME * ! REFLECTIONS [, ■ UPON MARRIAGE, OccafiorUd by the Duke and Dutchejs of Mazarine’s Case; which vs alfo confiderà. CUriofity, which is fometimes an occafion of Good', and too frequently of Mifchief, by di-fturbing either our Own, or our Neighbour’s Repofe, having put me upon reading the Duke and Dutchejs of Mazarine’j Cafe ; I thought an Afternoon wou’d not be quite thrown away in pur-fuing fome Reflections that it occafion’d. The name of Mazarine is confiderable e-B nough(O nough to draw the Eyes of the curious, and when one remembers what a noife it had made in£«r^,what Politick Schemes have been laid, what vafl: defignsbrought about by the Cardinal that bore it; how well his meafures were concerted for the Grandeur of that Nation, into which he was tranfplanted, and that he wanted neither Povtojior Inclination to eftablifh his own Family and make it as confide-rable as any Subjects could poflible be, and what Honours and Riches he had heap’d together in order to this, one cannot but enquire how it comes about that he fhoiild be fo defeated in this laft de-iign; and that thofe to whom he intruded his Name and Treafure, ihould make a figure fo very different from what might have been expected from them. And tho’ one had not Piety enough to make a Religious Reflexion, yet Civil Prudence woul’d almoft enforce them to fay, that Man being in Honour has no Vn-derjlanding, but is compared unto the Beajis that Peri/h. He bleffeth his Soul, and thinks himfelf a happy Man, imagining liis Houfe will endure for ever, and that he has eftablifh’d his Name and Family. But how wife foever he may be in other refpe&s( 3 ) refpe&s, in this he a£ts no better than the Ignorant and Foolifh. For as he carries nothing away with hiin when he dies, fo neither will his Pomp and Glory defcend as he intended. Generous and Worthy Actions only can fecure him from Oblivion, or what is worfe, being remembred ivith Contempt; fo little reafon have we to envy any Man’s Wealth and Greatnefs, but much to Emulate his Wifdom and Vcrtue. . , , , The Dutchefs of Mazarine*s Name has fpread perhaps as far as her Uncle’s, anct bne can’t help wifhing that fo much Wit and Beauty, fo much Politenefs and Ad-drefs, had been accompany’d and fuppor-ted by more valuable and lading Qualities ; one cannot but defire that her Advocate inftead of recriminating had clear’d the imputations laid on her, and that fhe her felf, who fays enough in her Me- moirs, to fhew fhe was unfortunate, had faid more to prove her felf difcreet. They mud be highly ill-natur’d who do not pity her ill fortune at the fame time that they mud blame her Condu&: and re- £ % .u; Ornament to her Family and Bleiling to the Age file liv’d in, ihould only ferve (to fay no worfe) as an unhappy Shipwrack to point out the dangers of an ill Education and unequal Marriage. Monfieur Mazarine is not to be jufti- ( fied, nor Madam hisSpoufe excus’d. It is no queilion which is moil Criminal, the having no fenfe, or the abufe of a liberal Portion, nor any hard matter to determine who is moil to be pity’d, he whom Nature never qualify’d for great things, who therefore can’t be very fen- l fible of great Misfortunes; or ihe, who being capable of every thing, mull therefore fuffer more and be the more lamented. To be yoak’d for Life to a difa-greeable Perfon and Temper, to have Folly and Ignorance tyrannize over Wit and Senfe; to be contradicted in every thing one does or fays, and bore J down not by Reafon but Authority; to be denied ones moil innocent defires for no other caufe, but the Will and Pleafure of an abfolute Lord and Mailer, whofe follies a Woman with all her Prudence cannot hide, and whofe Commands ihe cannot but defpife at the fame time ihe obeys’them, is a mifery none can have a juft Idea of, but thofe who have felt it. Thefe { 5 ) ,ls Thefe are great Provocations, but nothing can juftify the revenging the Injure ties we receive from others, upon our felves: The Italian Proverb filews a much better wav Vuoifar 'vendetta del tuo nemico | governati bene. If you would be reveng'd of [, your Enemies, live well. Had Madam Ma-jjj zarine’s Education made a right improvement of her Wit and Senfe, we fhould not have found her feeking Relief by fuch j imprudent,not to fay Scandalous Methods, 1 as the running away in Difguife with a fpruce Cavalier, and rambling to fo many Courts and Places, nor diverting her ' felf with fuch Childifb, Ridiculous or Ill-natur’d Amufements, as the greatell part of the Adventures in her Memoirs are made up of. True Wit iconfifts not meerly in doing or faying what is out of the way, but in fuch furprizing things as are fit and becoming the Perfon from or> whom they come. That which ftirs us up to Laughter moft commonly excites our Contempt; to Pleafe, and to make Merry are two very different Talents. But what Remedies can be adminiftred, what Relief expefted, when Devotion,the only true fupport in Diftrefs, is turn’d into Ridicule? Unhappy is that Grandeur 5 which makes us too great to be good; and B 5 that(6 ) that Wit which fets us at a didance from true Wifdom. Even Bigotry it felf, as contemptible as it is, is preferable to Pro-phane Wit; for that only requires our Pity, but this deferves our Abhorrence. A Woman who feeks Confolation under Dorneftick troubles from the Gaieties of a Court, from Gaming and Courtfhip, from Rambling and odd Adventures, and the Amufements mixt Company affords, may Plaifter tip the Sore, but will never heal it; nay,which is worfe,fhe makes it Feder beyond a poflibility of Cure. She judifies the Injury her Husband has done her,by fhew-ing that whatever other good Qualities fhe may have, Difcretion, one of the Principal, is wanting. She maybelnno-cent, but file can never prove fhe is fo ; all that Charity can do for her when die’s Cenfur’d is only to be fiient; it can make no Apologies for fufpicious Aft ions. An ill Husband may deprive a Wife of the comfort and quiet of her Life; may give her occafion of exercifing her Virtue, may try her Patience and Fortitude to the ut-mod, but that’s all he can do: ’tis her felf only can accomplifh her Ruin. Had Madam Ma&arin's Referve been what it ought to be, Moniieur hferard needed not to have warded off fo carefully , the nice Subjeft( 7 ) Subject of the Lady’s Honour, nor her Advocate have ftrain’d fo hard for Colours to excufe fuch A&ions as will hardly bear ’em ; but a Man indeed fhews the beft fide of his Wit, tho’ the word: of his Integrity, when he has an ill Caufe to manage,. Truth is bold and vehement; fhe depends upon her own ftrengtb, and fo fhe be plac’d in a true Light, thinks it not neceifary to ufe Artifice and Ad-drefs as a Recommendation ; but the prejudices of Men have made them necelTary: their Imagination gets the better of their Underftanding, and more judge according to Appearances, than fearch after the Truth of Things. What an ill Figure does a Woman make with all the Charms of her Beauty and Sprightlinefs of her Wit, with all her good Humour and infinuating Ad-drefs; tho5 fhe be the beft Oeconomift in the World, the moft entertaining Con* verfation ; if fhe remit her Guard, abate in the Severity of her Caution and Strift-neis of her Virtue, and neglefl thofe Methods which are necelTary to keep her not only from a Crime, but from the very fufpicion of one 1 Are the being forbid having Comedies in her Houfe, an ill natur’d Jeft, dif* 13 4 milling( 8 ) miffing of a Servant, impofing Dome-fticks, or frequent changing them, fuffici-entReafons to Authorize a Woman’s leaving her Husband and breaking from the ftrongeft Bands, expofing her felf to Temptations and Injuries from the Bad, to the contempt, or at the beft to the pity of the Good, and the juft Cenfure of all ? A Woman of fenfe one would think fhould take little fatisfaHion in the Cringes and Courtfhip of her Adorers, even when fhe is fmgle; but it is Criminal in a Wife to admit them, interefted Perfons may call it Gallantry, but with the modeft and difcreet it is like to have a harder Name, or elfe Gallantry will pafs for a fcandalous thing, not to be allow'd among Vertuous Perfons. But Madam Mazarine is dead, may her Faults die with her; may there be no more occafion given for the like Adventures, or if there is, may the Ladies be more Wife and Good than to take it 1 Let us fee then from whence the mifchief proceeds, and try if it can be prevented; certainly Man may be very happy in a Married State; ’tis his own fault if he is at any time otherwife. The wife Inftitutor of Matrimony never did any thing in vain; we are the Sots and Fools if what( 9 ) he defign’d for our Good, be to us an oo cafion of falling. For Marriage, not with-handing all the loofe talk of the Town, the Satyrs of Ancient or Modern pretenders to Wit, will never lofe its due praife from judicious Perfons. Tho’ much may be faid againft this or that Match, tho’ the Ridiculoufnefs of fome, the Wick-ednefs, of others and imprudence of too many, too often provoke our wonder or ¡corn, our indignation or pity, yet Marriage in general is too facred to be treated with Difrefpecf, too venerable to be the fubje£t of Raillery and Buftbnery. It is the Inftitution of Heaven, the only Honourable way of continuing Mankind, and far be it from us to think there could have been a better than infinite Wifdom has found out for us. But upon what are the Saytrs againft: Marriage grounded? Not upon the State itfelf, if they are juft, but upon the ill Choice, orfoolifh Conduct of thofewho are in it, and what has Marriage, confi-dered in its felf, to do with that ? Let every Man bear his own Burden: If through inordinate Paftlon , Rafhneis , Humour, Pride, Coveteoufnefs, or any the like Folly, a Man makes an Imprudent Choice, Why fhould Marriage be( IO ) exclaim’d againft ? Let him blame him-felf for entering into an unequal Yoke, and making Choice of one who perhaps may prove a Burthen, a Difgrace and Plague, inftead of a Help and Comfort to him. Could there be no fuch thing as an happy Marriage, Arguments againft Marriage would hold good, but fince the thing is not only poflible, but even very probable, provided we take but competent Care, A£t like wife Men and Chriftians, and acquit our felves as we ought, all we have to fay againft it ferves only to ihew the levity or impiety of our own Minds, we can only make fome flou-rifhes of Wit, tho’ fcarce without Injuftice, and tho’ we talk prettily it is but very little to the purpofe. Is it the being ty’d to Ope that offends us ? Why this ought rather to recommend it to us, and would really do fo, were we guided by Reafon, and not by Humour or brutifh Paflion. He who does not make Friendihip the chief inducement to his Choice, and prefer it before any other coniideration, does not deferve a good Wife, and therefore fhould not complain if he goes without one. Now we can never grow weary of our Friends; the longer we have had them the more they( II ) . they are endear’d to us; and if we have One well allur’d,we need feek no farther,but are fufficiently happy in Her, The love of Variety in this and in other cafes, fhews only the ill Temper of our own Mind, we feek for fettled Happinefs in this prefent World, where it is not to be found, in-ftead of being Content with a competent fhare, chearfully enjoying and being thankful for the Good that is afforded us, and patiently bearing with the Inconve^ niences that attend it. The Chriftian Inftitution of Marriage provides the beft that may be for Do-meftick Quiet and Content,and for the E-ducation of Children ; fo that if we were not under the tye of Religion, even the Good of Society and civil Duty would oblige us to what that requires at our Hands. And fince the very belt of us are but poor frail Creatures, full of Ignorance and Infirmity,fo that in Juftice we ought to tolerate each other, and exercife that Patience towards our Companions to Day, which we give them occafion to fhew towards us to Morrow, the more we are accuftom’d to any one’s Converfatlon, the better fhall we underftand their Humour, be more able, to comply with their Weaknefs and lefs offended at it: For he who( 12 ) who would have every one fubmit to his Humours and will not in his turn comply with them, tho’ we fhould fuppofe him always in the Right, whereas a Man of this temper very feldom is fo, he’s not fit for a Husband, fcarce fit for Society, but ought to be turn’d out of the Herd to live by himfelf. There may indeed be inconveniencies in a Married Life ; but is there any Condition without them ? And he who lives fingle, that he may indulge Licentiouf-nefsand give up himfelf to the conducf of wild and ungovern’d Defires, or indeed out of any other inducement, than the Glory of GOD and the Good of his Soul, through the profpe£t he has of doing more Good, orbecaufe his frame and dif-pofition of Mind are fitted for it, may rail as he pleafes againfl Matrimony, but can never juififie his own Conduct, nor clear it from the imputation of Wicked-nefs and Folly. But if Marriage be fucli a bleifed State, how comes it, may you fay, that there are fo few happy Marriages? Now in anfwer to this, it is not to be wonder’d that fo few fucceed, we fhould rather be furpriz’d to find fo many do, confidering how imprudently Men engage, the Motives( *3 ) tives they aft by, and the very ftrange Conduft they obferve throughout. For pray, what do Men propofe to themfelves in Marriage? What Qualifications do they look after in a Spoufe ? What will fhe bring is the firft enquiry ? How many Acres ? Or how much ready Coin ? Not that this is altogether an un-neceifary Queftion, for Marriage without a Competency, that is not only a bare Subfiftence, but even a handfome * and plentiful Provifion, according to the Quality and Circumftancesof the Parties, is no very comfortable Condition. They who Marry for Love as they call it, find time enough to repent their rafh Folly, and are not long in being convinc’d, that whatever fine Speeches might be made in the heat of Pailion, there could be no red Kjndnefs between thofe who can agree to make each other miferable. But as an Eftate is to be confider’d, fo it fhould not be the Main, much lefs the Only confide-ration, for Happinefs does not depend on Wealth, that may be wanting, and too often is, where this abounds. He who Marries himfelf to a Fortune only,muft expeft no other fatisfaftion than that can bring him, but let him not fay that Marriage, but his own Covetous or Prodigal Temper,( n ) per, has made him unhappy. What Joy has that Man in all his Plenty, who muft either run from home to poffcfs it, contrary to all the Rules of Juftice, to the Laws of GOD and Man; nay, even ift pppofition to Good nature, and Good breeding too* which fome Men make more account of than all the reft; or elfe be forc’d to fhare it with a Woman whofe Perfon or Temper is difagreeable, whofe prefence is fuflicient to four all his Enjoyments, and if he have any remains of Religion, or Good manners, he muft fuffer the uneaiinefs of a continual watch, to force himielf to a conftrain’d Civility! Few Men have fo much Goodnefs as to bring themfelves to a liking of what they loath’d, meerly becaufe it is their Duty to like ; on the contrary, when they Marry with an indifferency, to pleafe their Friends or encreafe their Fortune, the indifferency proceeds to ah aVerfi-on, and perhaps even the kindnefs and complaifance of the poor abus’d Wife ihall only ferve to encreafe it. What follows then ? There is no content at home, fo it is fought elfewhere, and the Fortune fo unjuftly got, is as carelefsly fquander’d; The Man takes a Ioofe, what fhou’d hinder him ? He has all in his hands and Cuftom( *5 ) Cuftom lias almoft taken off that final! Reftraint Reputation us’d to lay. The Wife finds too late what was the Idol the Man adored, which her Vanity perhaps, or it may be the Commands and Importunities of Relations, wou’d not let her fee before ; and now he has got that into his poffeflion, fhe muff make court to him for a little ferry Alimony out of her own Eftate. If Difcretion and Piety prevails upon her Pailions ihe fits down quietly, contented with her lot, feeks no Confolation in the Multitude of Adorers, fince he whom only (lie defir’d to pleafe, becaufe it was her duty to do fo, will take no delight in her Wit or Beauty: She follows no Diverfion to allay her Grief, ufes no Cordials to fupport her Spirit, that may fully her Vertue or bring a Cloud upon her Reputation, fhe makes no appeals to the mif-judging Croud, hardly mentions her Misfortunes to her moil: intimate Acquaintance, nor lays a load on her Husband to eafe her ielf, but wou’d if it were poflible conceal his Crimes, tho' her Prudence and Vertue give him a thoufand reproaches without herlntention or knowledge; and retiring from the World, ihe feeks a more folid Comfort than that can give her, taking care( 16 ) care to do nothing that Cenforiouiheis or even Malice it felf can mifconftrue to her prejudice. Now ihe puts on all her Referves, and thinks even Innocent Liberties fcarce allowable in her Difconfo-late State; ihe has other Buiinefs to mind: Nor does ihe in her Retirements reflect fo much upon the hand that adminiilers this bitter Cup, as confider what is the bell uie ihe can make of it. And thus indeed Marriage, however unfortunate in other refpe&s, becomes a very great Bleiling to her: She might have been expofed to all the Temptations of a plentiful Fortune, have given up her felf to Sloth and Luxury, and gone on at the common rate, even of the better fort, in doing no hurt, and as little good. But now her kind Husband obliges her to Confider, and gives opportunity to exercife her Vertue; he makes it neceifary to withdraw from thole Gai-ties and Pleafures of Life, which do more mifchief under the fhew of Innocency, than they cou’d if they appear'd attended with a Crime; difcompofmg and diifol-ving the mind, and making it uncapable of any manner of good ; to be fure of any thing Great and Excellent. Silence and Solitude, the being forc’d from the ordinary Entertainments of her Station, may , perhaps( *7 ) fs perhaps feem a defolate condition at firif, 0 and we may allow her, poor weak Wo* j man! to be fomewhat fhock’d at it, fince ¡. even a wife and courageous Man perhaps * would not keep his ground ; we would conceal if we could for the Honour of the ‘ Sex, Men’s being baffled and difpirited by a fmaller Matter, were not thelnflances too frequent and too notorious. But a little time wears off all theuneaii-nefs,and puts her in poifefflonofPleafures, which till now fhe has unkindly been kept a ftrangerto. Affli8:ion,the fincereft Friend* the frankeft Monitor, the beft Inftrufrer and indeed the only ufeful School that j- Women are ever put to, roufes her un-derftanding, opens her Eyes, fixes her Attention, and diffufes fucli a Light, fuch a Joy into her Mind, as not only Informs her better, but entertains her more than ever her Ruel did, tho’ crouded by v the Men of Wit. She now diifinguifhes between Truth and Appearances, between folid and apparent Good ; has found out the inftability of all Earthly Things, and won’t any more be deceiv’d by relying on them ; can difcern who are the Flatterers of her Fortune, and who the Admirers and Encouragers of her Vertue ; accounting it no little blefflngto C be( i8 ) be rid of thofe Leeches, who only hung upon her for their own Advantage. Now fober Thoughts fucceed to hurry and impertinence, to Forms and Ceremony, fhe can feeure her Time, and knows how to Improve it; never truly a Happy Woman till fhe came in the Eye of the World to be reckon’d miferable. Thus the Husband’s Vices may become | an occafion of the Wife’s Vertues, and his neglefr do her a more real Good than his Kindnefs could. But all injur’d Wives don’t behave themfelves after this Fa-fhion, nor can their Husbands juftly ex-pe of it; and becaufe I would treat them civilly, I would not exprefs my Civility at the ufual Rate. I would not under pretence of honouring and paying a mighty Deference to the Ladies, call them fools to their faces; for what are all the fine Speeches and Submiffions that are made, but an abufing them in a welLbre4 v/ay ? She muff be a Fool(25 ) with a witnefs, who can believe a Man, Proud and Vain as he is, will lay his boa-fted Authority, the Dignity and Prerogative of his Sex, one Moment at her Feet, but in profped of taking it up again to more advantage; he may call himfelf her Slave a few days, but it is only in order to make her his all the reft of his Life. Indeed that miftaken Self-Love that reigns in the moft of us, both Men and Women, that over-good Opinion we have of our felves, and defire that others fhould have of us, makes us fwallow every thing that looks like Refpeff, without examining how wide it is from what it appears to be. For nothing is in truth a greater outrage than Flattery and feign’d Submif-fions, the plain Englifb of which is this; “ I have a very mean Opinion both of your u Underftanding and Vertue, you are “ weak enough to be impos’d on, and vain u enough to match at the Bait I throw; “ there’s no danger of your finding out a my meaning, or difappointing me of my u Ends. I oner you lncenfe ’tis true, but a you are like to pay for’t, and to make “ me a Recompence for your Folly in I-(C magining I would give my felfthistrou-^ ble, did I not hope, nay were I not fure, ^ to find my own account in it. If for nothing( ) u nothing elie, you’ll ferve at lead as an cxt 4 ercife of my Wit, and how much foever “you (well with my breath, ’tis I deferve “ the Praife for talking fo well on fo poor a “ Subjedf. We who make the Idols, are the 44 greater Deities; and as we fet you up, fo u it is in our power to reduce you to your a fed obfcurity, or to fomewhat worfe, 44 to Contempt; you are therefore only on 4* your good behaviour, and are like to be “ no more than what we pleafe to make you. This is the Flatterer’s Language afide, this is the true fenfe of his heart, whatever his Grimace may be before the Company. Not but that ’tis poifible, and fome-times matter of Fail, to exprefs our felves beyond the Truth in praife of a Perfon, and yet not be .guilty of Flattery; but then we mull Think what we fay, and Mean what we Profefs. We may be fo blinded by fome Paifion or other, efpeci-ally Love, which in Civil and Good-na-tur’d Perfons is apt to exceed, as to believe fome Perfons more deferving than really they are, and to pay them greater Re-fpe£l ana Kindnefs than is in ftriilnefs due to them. But this is not the prefent Cafe ; for our f ine Speech-makers doat too much on themfelves to have any great paifion for another, their Eyes are too much fet on( °7 ) pn their own Excellencies, to view another’s good Qualities through a Magnify-ing-Glafs, at leaft if ever they turn that end of the Perfpe&ive towards their. Neighbours, ’tis only in refpeCt and reference to themfelves. They are their own Centres, they find a difproportion in every line that does not tend thither, and in the next vifit they make you fhall hear all the fine things they faid repeated to the new Object, and nothing remembred of the former but her Vanity, or fomething elfe as Ridiculous, which ferves for a foil, or a whet to Difcourfe. For let there be ever fo many Wits in the Company, Con-verfation would languifh, and they would be at a lofs, did not a little Cenforioufneis come in at a need to help them. Let us then treat the Ladies as Civilly as may be, but let us not do it by Flattering them, but by endeavouring to make them fuch as may truly deferve our hearty Efteem aud Kindnefs. Men ought really for their own fakes to do what in them lies to make Women wife and Good ,and then it might be hoped they themfelves would effectually Study and Practice that Wifdom and Vertuethey recommend to others. But fo long as Men have bafe and unworthy Ends to ferve, it. is not to bp ex-( 28 ) expefted that they fhould eonfent to fuch Methods as would certainly difappoint them. They would have their own Relations do well, that’s their Intereft; but it ibmetimes happens to be for their turn that anotherMan’s fhould not,and then theirGe-nerolity fails them, and no Man is apter to find fault with another’s difhonourable A-ctions, than he who is ready to do, or perhaps has done the fame himfelf. And as Men have little reafon to expeft Happinefs when they Marry only for the Love of Money, Wit or Beauty, as has been already fhewn, fo much lefs can a Woman expect a tolerable life, when fhe goes upon thefe Confiderations. Let the bu-finefs be carried as Prudently as it can be on the Womans fide, a reafonable Man can’t deny that fhe has by much the harder bargain. Becaufe fhe puts her felf entirely into her Husband’s Power, and if the Matrimonial Yoke be grievous,neither Law nor Cuftom affords her that red refs which a Man obtains. He who has Sovereign Power does not value the Provocations of a Rebellious Subject, but knows how to fubdue him with eafe, and will make himfelf obey’d; but Patience and SubmiiTion are the only Comforts that are left to a poor People, who groan under Tyran-( *9 ) Tyranny, unlefs they are Strong enough to break the Yoke, to Depofe and Abdicate, which I doubt wou’d not be allow’d of here. For whatever may be faid again# Paifive-Gbedience in another cafe, I fup-pofe there’s no Man but likes it very well in this; how much foever Arbitrary Power may be diflik'd on a Throne, Not Mil-ton himfelf wou’d cry up Liberty to poor Female Slaves, or plead for the Law-fulnefs of Refilling a Private Tyranny. If there be a difagreablenefs of Humours, which in my mind is harder to be bom than greater faults, as being a continual Plague, and for the moil part incurable; other Vices a Man may grow weary of, or may be convinced of the evil of them; He may forfake them, or they him, but his Humour and Temper are feldom, if ever put off, Ill-nature ilicks to him from his Youth to his grey Heirs, and a Boy that’s Humorous and Proud, makes a Pee-viib, Pofitiveand Infolent Old Man. Now if this be the cafe, and the Husband be full of himfelf,obilinately bent on his own way with or without Reafon, if he be one who mull be always Admir’d, always Humour’d, and yet fcarce knows what will pleafe him; if he has Profperity e-nough to keep him from confidering, and to( 3° to furnifh him with a train of Flatterers and obfequious Admirers ; and Learning and Senfe enough to make him a Fop in Perfection; for a Man can never be a complete Coxcomb, unlefs he has a confider-able fhare of thefe to value himfelf upon ; what can the poor Woman do? the Hus-, band is too wife to be Advis’d, too good to be Reform’d, fhe mu ft follow all his Paces, and tread in all his unreafonable fteps, or there is no Peace, no Quiet for her, fhe muft obey with the greateft exactnefs, ’tis in vain to expeit any manner of Compliance on his fide, and the more fhe complies the more fhe may ; ’his fantaftical humours grow with her defire to gratifie them, for Age encreafes Opiniatry in fome, as well as it does Experience in others. Of fucli fort of folks as thefe it was that Solomon fpake, when he faid, Seett thou a Man. wife in his own conceit, there is more hope of a Fool than of him; That is, the profligate Sinner, fuch a one being always a Fool in Solomon’s Language, is in a fairer way of being convinc’d of his folly, and brought to reafon, than the Proud Conceited Man. That Man indeed can never be good at heart, who is full of himfelf and his own Endowments. Not that it is neceflary, be-caufe it is not poflible for one to be totally( 31 ) ignorant of his own good Qualities, I had aim oft faid he ought to have a Modeft fenfe of ’em, otherwile he can’t be duly thankful, nor make the ufe of them that is required, to the glory of God, and the good of Mankind; but he views them in a wrong light, if he difcerns any thing that may exalt him above his Neighbours, make him over-look their Merit, or treat them with Negleft or Contempt. He ought to behold them with fear and trembling, as Talents which he has freely receiv’d, and for which he is highly Accountable, and therefore they fhou’d not excite his Pride, but his Care and Induftry. And if Pride and Self-conceit keep a Man who has fome good Qualities,and is not fo bad as themoft of his Neighbours from growing better, it for certain confirms and hardens the Wicked in his Crimes,it fets him up for a Wit, that is, according to Modern acceptation, one who rallies at all that is ferious, a contemner of the Priefts fir ft, and then of the Deity himfelf. For Penitence and Self-condemnation are what his Haughtinefs cannot bear,^ and fince the Crimes he has been guilty oi have biought on him the reproaches of his own Mind, fince he will not take the regular way to be rid of them, which( 32 ) which is by Humbling himfelf and making his Peace with Heaven, he bids defiance to it, and wou’d if he could believe there is no future State, no after Retribution, becaufe he knows that a heavy lot is in juft ice due to him. If therefore it be a Woman’s hard Fate to meet with a difagreeable Temper, and of all others the Haughty, Imperious and Self-conceited are the moft fo, ihe is as unhappy as any thing in the World can make her. When a Wife’s Temper does not pleafe, if file makes her Husband un-eafie, he can find entertainments abroad, he has a hundred ways of relieving him-lelf, but neither Prudence nor Duty will allow a Woman to fly out, her Bufinefs and Entertainment are at home, and tho’ he make it ever fo uneafie to her ihe muft be content and make her beft on’t. She who EleHs a Monarch for Life, who gives him an Authority (lie cannot recall however he mifapply it, who puts her Fortune and Perfon entirely in his Power; nay even the very defires of herHeart according to fome learnedCafuifts,foas that it is not lawful to Will or Defire any thing but what he approves and allows, had need be very fure that fhe does not make a Fool her Head, nor a Vicious Man her Guidetl ( 31 ) Guide and Pattern, fhe had beft flay till fhe can meet with one Who has the Government of his own Pailions and has duly regulated his own Defires, fince he is to have fuch an ablolute Power over hers. But he who doats on a Face, he who makes Money his Idol, he who is Charm’d with vain and empty Wit, gives no fuch Evidence, either of Wifdom or Goodnefs, that a Woman of any tolera-ble Senfe fhou’d care to venture her (elf to his Condufr. Indeed, your fine Gentleman’s Actions are now a days fuch, that did not Cuftom and the Dignity of his Sex give Weight and Authority to them , a Woman that thinks twice might blefs her felf, and fay, is this the Lord and Mailer to whom I am to promife Love,Honour and Obedience? What can be the Objeft of Love but amiable Qualities, the Image of the Deity imprefs'd upon a generous and godlike Mind, a Mind that is above this World, to be fure above all the Vices, the Tricks and Bafenefs of it; a Mind that is not full of it felf, not contraded to lit^ tie private Interefts, but in imitation of that glorious Pattern it endeavours to Copy after, expands and diffuies it felf to its utmoft capacity in doing Good. But D this( 3+ ) this fine Gentleman is quite of another Strain, he is the reverie of this in every Inftance. He is I confefs very fond of his own Dear Perfon, lie fees very much in it to admire; his Air and Mien, his Words and Aft ions, every Motion lie makes declares it; but they muft havea Judgment of his fize, every whit as Shallow, and a Partiality as great as his own, who can be of his Mind. How then can I Love? And if not Love, much lefs Honour. Love may a rife from Pity or a generous Defire to make that Lovely which as yet is not fo, when we fee any hopes of Succefs in our Endeavours of improving it ; but Honour fuppofes fome excellent Qualities already, iomething worth our Efteem, but alas there is- nothing more Contemptible then this tmfle of a Man, this meer Out-fide, whofe MM is asBafe and Mean as his external Pomp is Glittering. His Office or Title apart, to which fome Ceremonious Obfervance 4 mud: be paid for Order’s fake, there’s nothing in him that can command our Re-fpe£i. Strip him of Equipage and Fortune, and iuch things as only dazle our Eyes and Imaginations, but don’t in any meafure affeft our Reafon, or caufea Reverence in our Hearts, and the poor Creature<( ( 35 ) ture finks beneath our Notice, becaufe not iupported by real Worth. And if a Woman can neither Love nor Honour, file does ill in promifing to Obey, fince fiie is like to have a crooked Rule to regulate hi her A&ions. A meer Obedience, fuch as is paid only oii to Authority, and not out of Love and a fenfeof the Juftice and Reafonablenefs of it the Command, will be of an uncertain gt: Tenure. As it can’t but be uneafie to the Perfon who pays it, fo he who receives it, lie* will be fometimes difappointed when he expefts to find it, for that Woman muft fo; be endow’d with a Wifdom and Good- ]]; nefs much above what we fuppofe the i,[ Sex capable of, I fear much greater than t| £?re a Man can pretend to, who can fo con-J ifantly conquer her Pailions, and diveft her felf even of Innocent Self-love, as to give up the Caufe when (lie is in the r l ight, and to fubmit her enlightned Rea-fon, to the imperious Dilates of a blind Will, and wild Imagination, even when file clearly perceives the ill Confequences of it, the Imprudence, nay Folly and Madnefs of fuch a Condu£L And if a Woman runs fuch a Rifque when file Marrys Prudently, according to the Opinion of the World, that is, D 2 when( 56 ) when fine permits her felf to be difpos'd of to a Man equal to her in Birth, Education and Fortune, and as good as the moft of his Neighbours, (for if none were to Marry, but Men of ftrift Vertue and Honour, I doubt the World would be but thinly Peopled) if at the very bell her Lot is hard, what can fhe expect who is Sold, or any otherwife betray'd into mercenary Hands, to one who is in all, or moil refpeCts unequal to her ? A Lover who comes upon what is call’d equal Terms, makes no very advantageous Pro-pofal to the Lady he Courts, and to whom lie feems to be an humble Servant, for under many founding Complements, Words that have nothing in them, this is his true meaning, He wants one to manage his Family, an Houfe-keeper, an upper Servant, one whofe Intereft it will be not to wrong him, and in whom therefore he can put greater confidence than in * any he can hire for Money. One who may breed his Children, taking all the care and trouble of their Education, to preferve his Name and Family. One whofe Beauty, Wit or good Humour and agreeable Converfation will entertain him at Home when he has been contradicted and difappointed abroad; who will( 57 ) do him that Juftice the ill-natnr’d World denyshim, that is, in any one’«L ;?,a^e , V * r Ji 1^. Arae and Platter but his own. mo*'1’ , r . 7, by having always lo much good Senfe as to be on his fide, to cone! ud e him in the right, when others are fo Ignorant, or fo Rude as to deny it. Who will not be Blind to his Merit nor contradict his Will and Pleafure, but make it her Bufinefs, her very Ambition to content him: Whofe foftnefs and gentle Compliance will calm his Pa (lions, to whom he may fafely difclofe his troublefome Thoughts, and in her Bread difeharge his Cares; whofe Ducy, Submiihon and Obfervance will heal thofe Wounds other Peoples oppofition or negleCt have given him. In a Word, one whom he can in-tirely Govern and confequently may form her to his will and liking, who muft be his for Life, and therefore cannot quit his Service let him treat her how be will. And if this be what every Man experts, the fum of his violent Love and Court-ihip, when it is put into Senfe and ren-dred Intelligible, to what a fine pals does file bring her felf who purchafes a Lord and Mailer, not only with her Money, but with what is of greater Value, at the price of her Difcretion ? Who has not fo D $ much( 3« ) much as that poor Excufe, Precedent and rAT • or if fhe has, they are onlv ? She will not find him lets a Govern^ qlc was once his Superior, on the contrary the fcum of the People are moft Tyrani-cal when they get the Power, and treat their Betters with the greateft Infolence. For as the wife Man long fince obferv’d, a Servant when he Pveigns is one of thole things for which the Earth is difquieted, and which no Body is able to bear. It is the hardeil thing in the World for a Woman to know that a Man is not Mercenary, that he does not Adi on bafe and ungenerous Principles, even when he is her Equal, becaufe being abfolute Ma-Eer, fhe and all the Grants he makes her are in his Power, and there have been but too many inftarices of Husbands that by wheedling or threatning their Wives, by feeming Kindneis or cruel Ufage, have perfwaded or forc’d them out of what has been fettled on them. So that the Woman has in truth no fecurity but the Man’s Honour and Good-nature, a fecurity that in this prefent Age no wife Per-fon would venture much upon. A Man enters into Articles very readily before Marriage, and fo he may, for he performs no( 39 ) no more of them afterwards than he thinks fit. A Wife muff never difpute with her Husband, his Reafons are now no doubt on7t better than hers, whatever they were before ; he is fure to perfwade her out of her Agreement, and bring her, it mu ft be fuppos’d, Willingly, to give up what fine did vainly hope to obtain, and what floe thought had been made fure to her. And if ilie fhew any RefraHorinefs, there are ways enough to humble her; fo that by k right or wrong the Husband gains his will, ffi For Covenants between Husband and k Wife, like Laws in an Ärbitnky Covern-il: ment, areof little Force, the Will of the t Sovereign is all in all. Thus it is in Mat-k ter of Fa£t,. I will not anfwer for the k: Right of it; forif the Woman’s Reafons ki upon which thofe Agreements are groun-| ded are not Juft and Good, why did he $ confent to thetn ? Was it becaufe there j was no other way to obtain his Suit, and i with an intention to Annul them when :j it fhail be in his Power? Where then is his Sincerity ? But if her Reafons are good, where is his Juftice in obliging her ! to quit them ? He neither way a£ts like an equitable or hone ft Man. But when a Woman Marry s unequally ' and beneath her felf, there is almoft De- D 4 monftra-( 4° ) monftration that the Man is Sordid and Unfair, that inftead of Loving her he only Loves himfelf, trapansand mines her to ferve his own Ends. For if he had not a mighty Opinion of himfelf, (which temper is like to make an admirable Husr band,) he cou’d never imagine that his Perfon and good Qualities cou’d make compenfation for all the advantages £he quits on his account. If he had a real Efteem for her or valu’d her Reputation, he wou’d not expofe it, nor have her Difcretion call’d in Queftion for his fake; and if he truly Lov’d her he wou’d not reduce her to Straits and a narrow Fortune, nor fo much as leflen her way of Living to better his own. For fince GOD has plac’d different Ranks in the World, putfome in a higher and fome in a lower Station, for Order and Beauty's fake, and for many good Reafons; tho’ it is both ‘ our Wifdpm and Duty not only tofub-mit with Patience, but to be Thankful and well-fatisfied when by his Providence we are brought low, yet there is no manner of Reafon for us to Degrade our felves; on the contrary, much why we ought rrot. The better our Lot i§ in this World and the more we have of it, the greater is our leifure to prepare for the next; we(4-0 have the more opportunity to exercife that God-like Quality, to tail that Divine Pleafure, Doing good to the Bodies and Souls of thofe beneath us. Is it not then ill Manners to Heaven, and an irreligious contempt of its Favours, for a Woman to (light that nobler Employment, to which it has aflign’d her, and thruil her felf down to a meaner Drudgery, to what is in a very literal Senfe a caring for the things of the World, a caring not only to Pleafe, but to Maintain a Husband ? And a Husband fo chofen will not at all abate of his Authority and right to Govern, whatever fair Promifes he might make before. She has made him her Head, and he thinks himfelf as well qualify’d as the bed to A£l accordingly, nor has ihe given him any fuch Evidence of her Prudence as may difpofe him to make an A£l of Grace in her Favour. Befides, great Obligations are what Superiors cannot bear, they are more than can be return’d ; to acknowledge were only to reproach themfelves with ingratitude, and therefore the readied way is not to own but overlook them, or rather, as too ma-py do, to repay them with Affronts and Injuries. What■V I / What then is to be done ? How mu(! a Man chufe, and what Qualities muft encline a Woman to accept, that fo our Marry’d couple may be as happy as that State can make them? This is no -hard Queftion ; let the Soul be principally confident, and regard had in the firft Place to a good Underftanding, a Vertuous Mind, and in all other refpe£ts let there be as much equality as may be. If they are good Chriftians and of fuitable Tempers all will be well, but I fhould be fhrewdly tempted to fufpecl their Chri-ifianity who Marry after any of thofe ways we have been fpeaking of. I dare venture to fay, that they don’t Act according to the Precepts of the Gofpel, they neither fhew the Wifdom of the Serpent, nor the Innocency of the Dove, they have neither fo much Government of themfelves, nor fo much Charity for their Neighbours, they neither take fuch care not to Scandalize others, nor to avoid Temptations themfelves, are neither fo much above this World, nor foaffe&ed with the next, as they wou’d certainly be did the Chriftian Religion operate in their Hearts, did they rightly underftand andfincerely Pra£tife it, or A&ed indeed according to the Spirit of the Gofpel. But( +3 ) But it is not enough to enter wifely into this State, care muft he taken of our Conduct afterwards. A Woman will not want being admonifh’d of her Duty, the cuftom of "the World, Oeconomy, every thing almoft reminds her of it. Governed fao ngt often fuffer their Subjects to forget ObedieuLw through their want of demanding it, perhaps Husbands are but too forward on this occafion, and claim their Right oftner and more Imperiouily than either Difcretion or good Manners will juftifie, and might have both a more chearful and conftant Obedience paid them if they were not fo rigorous in Exacting it. For there is a mutual Stipulation, and Love, Honour and Worfhip, by which certainly Civility and Refpecl at lead are meant, is as much the Woman’s due, as Love, Honour and Obedience is the Man’s, and being the Woman is laid to be the weaker Yeifel the Man fhou’d be more careful not to grieve or offend her. Since her Reafon is fuppos’d to be lefs, and her Paihons ftronger than his, he fhou’d not give occafion to call that fuppofition in Queftion by his pettifh carriage and need lefs Provocations. Since he is the Man y by which very Word Cuftom WQii’d have us underhand not only greateft itrength{ 44 ; ftrcngth of Body, but even greateft firmnefs and force of Mind, he fhou’d not play the little Mafter fo much as to ex-pe& to be cocker’d, nor run over to that iide which the Woman us’d to be rank’d in; for according to the Wifdom'of thp Italians, Vo let ef ft dice a gM-Will you l Is (poka* ** fttfc t elks. Indeed Subje&ion, according to the common Notion of it, is not over eafie, none of us whether Men or Women but have fo good an Opinion of our own Conduct as to believe we are fit, if not to dire£t others, at leaft to govern our felves. Nothing but a found Underitanding, and Grace the befb improver of natural Rea-fon, can correct this Opinion, truly humble us, and heartily reconcile us to Obedience. This bitter Cup therefore ought to be fweetned as much as may be; for Authority may be preferv’d and Government kept inviolable, without that naufeous Oftentation of Power which ferves to no end or purpofe, but to blow up the Pride and Vanity of thofe who have it, and to exafperate the Spirits of fuch as muft truckle under it. Infolence ’tis true is never the effect of power but in weak and cowardly Spirits, who wanting true Merit and Judgment( 45 ) Judgment to fupport themfelves in that advantage ground on which they ftand, are ever appealing to their Authority, and making a fhew of it to maintain their Vanity and Pride. A truly great Mind and fuch as is fit to Govern, tho’ it may Hand on its Right with its Equals, and modeftly expedí what is due to it even from its Superiors, yet it never contends with its Inferiors, nor makes ufe of its Superiority but to do them Good. So that confidering the juft Dignity of Man, his great Wifdom fo confpicuous on ail oc-cafions, the goodnefsof his Temper and Reafonablenefs of all his Commands, which makes it a Woman’s Intereft as well as Duty to be obfervant and Obedient in all things, that his Prerogative is fettled by an undoubted Right and the Prefcription of many Ages, it cannot be fuppos’d that he ihould make frequent and infolent Claims of an Authority fo well eftablifh’d and us’d with fuch moderation, nor give an impartial By-ftander (cou’d fuch an one be found) any occafion from thence to fufpeft that he is inwardly con-fcious of the Badnefs of his Title ; Ufurpers being always moft defirous oi Recognitions and buhe in impofing Oaths, whereas( 46 ) whereas a Lawful Prince contents him-felf with the ufual Methods and Securities, i\nd iince Power does naturally puff up, and he who finds himfelf exalted, fel-dom fails to think he ought to be fo, it is more fuitable to a Man’s Wifdom and Generality to be mindful of his great Obligations than to infill on his Rights and Prerogatives. Sweetnefs of Temper and an obliging Carriage are fo juifly due to a Wife, that a Husband who muff not be thought to want either Underifan-ding to know what is fit, nor Goodnefs to perform it, can’t be fuppos’d not to fhew them. For fetting afide the hazards of her Perfon to keep up his Name and Family , with all the Pains and Trouble that attend it, which may well be thought great enough to deferve all the refpefl and kindnefs that may be, fetting this afide, tho’ ’tis very confiderable, a Woman has fo much the difadvantage in moH, I was -about to fay in all things, that fhe makes a Man the greateif Complement in the World when fhe condefcends to take him for Better for Worfe. She puts her felf intirely ia his Power, leaves all that is dear to her, her Friends and Family, to efpoufe his Intereffs and follow his Fortune, and makes it her Buiinefs and Duty td( 47 ) to pleafe him ! What acknowledgments? what returns can he make ? What Gratitude can be fufficient for fuch Obligati* ons ? She fhews her good Opinion of him by the great Truft fhe repofes in him, and what a Brute muft he be who betrays that Truft, or afts any way unworthy of it ? Ingratitude is one of the bafeft Vices, and if a Man’s Soul is funk fo low as to be guilty of it towards her who has fogeneroufly oblig’d him, andwhofoin-tirely depends on him, if he can treat her DifrefpeCtfully, who has fo fully teftify’d her Efteem of him, fhe muft haveaftock of Vertue which hefhou’d blufih to discern, if fhe can pay him that Obedience of which he is fo unworthy. Superiors indeed are too apt to forget the common Priviledges of Mankind, that their Inferiors fhare with them the greateft Benefits, and are as capable as themfelves of enjoying the fupreme Good ; that tho’ the Order ofthe World requires an Outward Refpeft and Obedience from fome toothers, yet the Mind is free, nothing but Reafon can oblige it, ?tis out ofthe reach of the moft abfolute Tyrant. Nor will it ever be well either with thofe who Rule orthofc in Subjection, even from the Throne to every Private Family, till thofe in Authority look on themfelves as plac’d in that Stationr 48 j Station for the good and improvement df their SubjeCts, and not for their own fakes; not as the reward of their Merit or that they may profecute their own De-iires and fulfil all their Pleafure, but as the Reprefentatives of GOD whom they ought to imitate in the Juft ice and Equity of their Laws, in doing good and communicating Bleflings to all beneath them : By which, and not by following the imperious Didates of their own will, they become truly Great and Illuftriousand Worthily fill their Place. And the Governed for their Part ceafing to envy the Pomp and Name of Authority, fhou'd refped their Governours as plac’d in GOD’s ftead and contribute what they can to eafe them of their real Cares, by a chearful and ready compliance with thofe their endeavours, and by affording them the Plea-iiire of fuccefs in fuch noble and generous Deiigns. For upon a due eftimate things are pretty equally divided; thofe in Subjection as they have a lefs Glorious, fo they have an eafier task and a lefs account to give, whereas he who Commands has in a great meafure the Faults of others to anfwer for as well as his own. Tis true he has the Pleafure of doing more good thanOil || 'll! fc Ej?' ct.' In, 1 it b in! if F n b k fc 0 ! f £ 1 I , ( 49 )' than a Private Perfon can, and fhall re» ceive the Reward of it when time fhall be no more, in compenfation for the hazards he runs, the difficulties he at pre-fent encounters, and the large Account he is to make hereafter, which Pleafure and Reward are highly defirable and mod: worthy our purfuit; but they are Motives which fuch as ufurp on their Governors, and make them uneafie in the due discharge of their Duty, never propofe. And for thofe other little things that move their Envy and Ambition, they are of no Efteern with a juft Confiderer; nor will fuch as violently purfue, find their Account in them» But how can a Man refpeff his Wife when he has a contemptible Opinion of her and her Sex? When from his own Elevation he looks down On them as void of Underftanding, and full of Ignorance and Paffion, fo that Folly and a Woman are equivalent Terms with! him ? Can he. think there is any Gratitude due to her whofe utmoft fervices' he exacts as ftri£t Duty? Becaufe flic was made to be a Slave to his Will; and has no higher end than tor Serve and Obey him ? Perhaps wre arrogate too much to our felves when we fay this Er MMM( 5° ) Material World was made for our fakes; that its Glorious Maker has given us the ufe of it is certain, but when we fuppofe that over which we have Dominion to be made purely for our fakes, we draw a falfe Conclufion, as he who iliou’d fay the People were made for the Prince who is fet over them, wou’d be thought to be out oi his Senfes as well as his Politicks. Yet even allowing that he who made every thing in Number, Weight and Meafure, who never a£ts but for fome great and glorious End, an End agreeable to his Majefty, allowing that he Created fuch a Number of Rational Spirits merely to ferve their fellow Creatures, yet how are thefe Lords and Mailers helpt by the Contempt they fhew of their poor humble VafTals? Is it not rather an hindrance to that Service they expe£t, as being an undeniable and conftant Proof how unworthy they are to receive it ? None of GOD’s Creatures abfolutely conilder’d are in their own Nature Contemptible ; the meaneft Fly, the pooreft Infect has its Ufe and Vertue. Contempt is fcarce a Human PaHion, one may venture to fay it was not in Innocent Man, for till Sin came into the World, there was( 51 ) was nothing in it to be Contemn’d, But Pride which makes every thing ferve its purpofes, wrefted this Faftion from its only Ufe, fo that inftead of being an Anti-dote againft Sin, it is become a grand pro* motet of it, nothing makings more won thy of that Contempt we fhew, than when poor, weak, dependent Creatures as we are 1 we look down with Scorn and Difdain on others. There is not a furer Sign of a noble Mind, a Mind very far advanc’d towards Perfection, than the being able to bear Contempt and an unjuft Treatment [ from ones Superiors evenly and patient-11 ly. For inward Worth and real Ex-\ cellency are the true Ground of Superi-; ority, and one Perfon is not in reality better than another, but as he is more j5 Wife and Good. But this World 1 feeing a place of Tryal and govern’d by general Laws, juft Retributions being Ireferv’d for hereafter, Refpefb and Obedience many times become due for Order’s fake to thofe who don’t otherwife deferve them. Now tho’ Humility keeps 5‘ is from over-valuing ourfelvesor viewing our Merit thro’ a falfe and magnifying Medium, yet it does not put out %r Eyes* it does not, it ought riot to E 2 ' ■ ■ ‘(51 ) deprive us of that pleafing fentime which attends our Ailing as we oug to Aft, which is as it were a foretaft Heaven, our prefent Reward for doing what is Juft and Fit. And when a Superior does a Mean and unjuft Thing, as all Contempt of one’s Neighbour is, and yet this does not provoke his Inferiors to refufe that Obfervance which their Stations in the World require, they cannot but have an inward Senfe of their own real Superiority, the other having no pretence to it, at the fame time that s they pay him an outward Refpeft and Deference, which is fucha flagrant Tefti-mony of the fmcereft Love of Order as j proves their Souls to be of the higheft and nobleft Rank. A Man therefore for his own fake, and to give evidence that he has a Right to thofe. Prerogatives he alfumes, fhou’d tre# Women with a little more Humanity and Regard than is ufually paid them Your whifling Wits may feoff at them, and what then ? It matters not, for Rally every thing tho’ ever fo and rail at the Women commonly very good Company. Religion , -, Priefts, and thefe its moft conftant anj regular Profeifors, are the ufual Subject( 55 ) of their manly, mannerly and iurpri-l' zing Jeffs. Surprizing indeed! not for the newnefs of the Thought, the brightnefs c of the Fancy, or noblenefs of Expreifi-1 on, but for the good A durance with ■ which fuch thread-bare Jefls are again i; and again repeated. But that your grave } Dons, your Learned Men, and which is - more your Men of Senfe as they wou’d be ;i thought,fhould hoop fo low as to make In-V vectives againft the Women, forget them-i felves fo much as to Jeft with their Slaves, i who have neither Liberty nor Ingenuity i to make Reprizals! that they ihou’d i waffe their Time and debafe their good ii Senfe which fits them for the moil weighty (k Affairs, fuch as are fuitable to their pro-i found Wifdoms and exalted Underhand? ings! to render thofe poor Wretches more it ridiculous and odious who are already k in their Opinion fufficiently contemptible, iP and find no better exercife of their Wit i and Satyr than fuch as are not worth |f their Pains, tho’ it were poifible to Re-t: form them, this, this indeed may juftly h be wondred at! I know not whether or no Women are ^ allow’d to have Souls, if they have, per-jg haps it is not prudent to provoke them if' too much, leah filly as they are, they at i' E $ iah( 54- ) laft recriminate, and then what polite and well-bred Gentleman, tho’ himfelfis concern’d , can forbear taking that lawful Pleafure which all who underhand Raillery muft tail:,when they find his Jefts who infolently began to peck at his Neighbour, return’d with Intereft upon his own Head? And indeed Men are too Humane, too Wife to venture at it did they not hope for this effeft, and expect the Pleafure of finding their Wit turn to fuch account; for if it be Lawful to reveal a Secret, this is without doubt the whole defign of thofe fine Dif- 1 courfes which have been made againft the Women from our great Fore-Fathers to this prefent Time. Generous Man has too much Bravery, he is too Juft and too Good to aifault a defencelefs Enemy, and if he did inveigh againft the Women it was only to do them Service. r For fince neither his Care of their Education, his hearty endeavours to improve their Minds, his wholefome Precepts, nor great Example cou’d do them good, as his laft and kindeft Eifay he refolv’d to try what Contempt wou’d do, and chofe rather to expofe himfelf by a feem-ing want of Juftice, Equity, Ingenuity I and Good-nature, than fuffer Women to / remain( 55 ) remain fuch vain and infignificant Creatures as they have hitherto been reckon’d. And truly Women are fome degrees beneath what I have thus far thought them, if they do not make the befb ufe of his kindnefs, improve themfelves, and like Chriftians return it. Let us fee then what is their Part, what muft they do to make the Matrimonial Yoke tolerable to themfel ves as well asPlea-iing to their Lords and Matters ? That the World is an empty and deceitful Thing, that thofe Enjoyments which appear fo defirable at a diftance, which rais’d our Hopes and Expectations to fuch a mighty Pitch, which we fo paiiionately coveted andfo eagerly purfued, vanifh at our ttrft approach, leaving nothing behind them but the Folly of Delufion, and the pain of difappointed Hopes, is a common Outcry ; and yet as common as it is, tho’ we complain of being deceiv’d this Inttant, we do not fail of contributing to the Cheat the very next. Tho in reality it is not the World that abufes us, tis we abufe our felves, it is not the emptinefs of that, but our own falfe Judgments, our unreafonable defires and Expectations that Torment us; for he who exerts his whole ftrength to lift a Straw, ought E 4 not( 56 ) mot to complain of the Burden but of his own difproportionate endeavour which gives him the pain he feels. The World affords us all that Pleafure a found Judgment can expeft from it, and anfwers all thofe Ends and Purpofes for which it was defig n’d, let us expert no more than is reafonable, and then we fhall not fail of our Expectations. It is even fo in the Cafe before us; a Woman who has been taught to think Marriage her only Preferment, the fum-total of her Endeavours, the completion v of all her hopes, that which muft fettle and make her Happy in this World, and Very few, in their Youth efpecially, carry a Thought fteddily to a greater dift-ance ; She who has feen a Lover dying at her Feet, and can’t therefore imagine that he who profeifes to receive all his Happinefs from her can have any other < Deiign or Deiire than to pleafe her; whofe Eyes have been dazled with all the Glitter and Pomp of a Wedding, and who hears of nothing but Joy and Congratulation ; who is transported with the Pleafure of being out of Pupillage, and Miff refs not only of her felf but of a Family too: She who is either fo Jim pis' or fo vain3 as to take her Lover 1 » u K': *Vi ; :> t;-' ; - ' ,in 1 ""'tat( 57 ) at his Word either as to the Praifes he gave her, or the Promifes he made for himfelf: In fum, fhe whofe Expectation has been rais’d by Court-fhip, by all the fine things that her Lover, her Governefs and Domeftick Flatterers fay, will find a terrible difappointment when the hurry is over, and when fhe comes calmly to confider her Condition, and views it no more under a falfe Appearance, but as it truly is. I doubt in fuch a View it will not appear over-defirable if fhe regards only the Prefent State of Things. Hereafter may make amends for what fhe muff be prepar’d to fuller here, then will be her Reward, this is her time of Tryal, the Seafon of exercifing and improving her Vertues. A Woman that is not' Miff refs of her Paifions, that cannot patiently fubmit even when Reafon Puffers with her, who does not praftice Paifive Obedience to the utmoff, will never be acceptable to fuch an abfolute Sovereign as a Husband. Wifdom ought to Govern without Contradiction, but Strength however will be obey’d. There are but few of thofe wife Perfons who can be content to be made yet wifer by Con-p'adiftipn, the moil will have their Will, l {■■ ■ , • * *( 5§ ). and it is right beeaufe it is their’s. Such is the vanity of Humane Nature that nothing pleafes like an intire Subjection; what Imperfections won’t a Man overlook where this is not wanting! Tho’ we live like Brutes we wou’d have In-cenfe offer’d us, that is only due to Heaven it felf, wou’d have an absolute and blind Obedience paid us by all over whom we pretend Authority. We were not made to Idolize one another, yet the whole itrain of Courtihip is little lefs than rank Idolatry: But does a Man in» tend to give, and not receive his fhare in this Religious Worfhip ? No fuch Matter ; Pride and Vanity and Self-love have their Defigns, and if the Lover is io condefcending as to fet a Pattern in the time of his AddrefTcs, he is fo Juft as to expeCt his Wife ihou’d itriCtly Copy after it all the reft of her Life. But how can a Woman fcruple intire Subjection, how can fhe forbear to admire the worth and excellency of the Superior Sex, if fbe at all confiders it? Have not all the great ACtions that have been perform’d in the World been done by them ? Have not they founded Empires and over-turn’d them ? Do not they make Laws and continually repeal(59 ) and amend them ? Their vaft Minds lay Kingdoms waft, no bounds or meafures can be prefcrib’d to their Defires. War and Peace depend on them , they form Cabals and have the Wifdom and Courage to get over all thefe Rubs which may lie in the way of their defired Grandeur. What is it they cannot do ? They make Worlds and ruin them, form Syftems of univerfal Nature and difpute eternally about them , their Pen gives worth to the moft trifling Controverlie, nor can a fray be inconfiderable if they have drawn their Swords in’t. All that the wife Man pronounces is an Oracle, and every Word the Witty fpeaks a Jeft. * It is a Woman’s Happinefs to hear, admire and praife them, efpecially if a little Ill-nature keeps them at any time from bellowing due applaufes on each other. And if ihe afpires no further fhe is thought to be in her proper Sphere of Action, (he is as wife and asgoodascan be expended from her. She then who Marrys ought to lay it down for an indifputable Maxim, that her Husband mull govern abfolutely and intirely, and that fhe has nothing elfe to do but to Pieafe and Obey. She muft not attempt to divide his Authority, or(6o ; fo much as difpute it, to ftruggle with her Yoke will only make it gall the more, but muff believe him Wife and Good and in all refpefrs the beft, at Ieaft he muft be fo to her. She who can’t do this is no way fit to be a Wife, fhe may fet up for that peculiar Coronet the ancient Fathers talk’d of, but is not qualify’d to receive that great reward, which attends the eminent exercife of Humility and Self-denial, Patience and Refignation the Duties that a Wife is call’d to. Butfome refra£lory Woman perhaps will fay how can this be ? Is) it pof-iible for her to believe him Wife and Good who by a thoufand Demonftra-tions convinces her and all the World of the contrary ? Did the bare Name of Husband confer Senfe on a Man, and the mere being in Authority infallibly qualifie him for Government, much might be done. But fince a wife Man and a Husband are not Terms conr vertible, and how loath foever one is to own it, Matter of Fa£t won’t-allow us to deny that the Head many times hands in need of the Inferior’s Brains to manage it, fhe mull: beg leave to be excus’d from fuch high thoughts of her Sove-( 6i ) Sovereign, and if fhe fubmits to his Power, it is not fo much Reafon as Ne-ceffity that compells her. Now of how little force foever this Objection may be in other refpe£ts, me-thinks it is ftrong enough to prove the rieceflity of a good Education, and that Men never miilake their true Intereft more than when they endeavour to keep Women in Ignorance. Cou’d they indeed deprive them of their Natural good Senfe at the fame time they deny them the due improvement of it, they might compafs their End; otherwise Natural Senfe unaflifted may run into a falfe Track, and ferve only to punifh him juftly, who wou’d not allow it to be ufeful to himfelf or others. If Man’s Authority be juftly eftablifh’d, the more Senfe a Woman has the more reafon fhe will find to fubmit to it; if according to the Tradition of our Fathers, (who having had Poffejfion of the Pen, thought they had alfo the beft Right to it,) Women’s Underftanding is but fmall, and Men’s Partiality adds no Weight to the Obfervation, ought not the more care to be taken to improve them ? How it agrees with the Juftice of Men we enquire not, but certainly Heaven is abun- dant'y(6* ) dantly more Equitable than to cnjoyri Women the hardeftTask and give them the lead: Strength to perform it. And if Men Learned, Wife and Difcreet as they are, who have as is faid all the advantages of Nature, and without con-troverfie have, or may have all the af-fiftance of Art, are fo far from acquitting themfelves as they ought, from living according to that reafon and excellent Underftanding they fo much boaft of, can it be expected that a Woman who is reckon’d filly enough in her felf, at lead: comparatively, and whom Men take care to make yet more fo, can it be expected that {he ihou’d conftantly perform fo difficult a Duty as intire Subjection , to which corrupt Nature is fo averfe ? If the Great and Wife Cato, a Man, a Man of no ordinary firmnefs and ftrength of Mind, a Man who was efteem’d as ah Oracle, and by the Philofophers and great Men of his Nation equal’d even ta the Gods themfelves ; If he with all his Stoical Principles was not able to bear the fight of a triumphant Conqueror,' (who perhaps wou’d have Infulted and perhaps wou’d not,) but out of a Cowardly fear of an Inlult, ran to Death to fecure( 6* ) fecure him from it; can it be thought that an ignorant weak Woman fhou’d have patience to bear a continual outrage and Infolence all the days of her Life ? Unlefs you will fuppofe her a very Afs, but then remember what the Italians fay, to Quote them once more, fince being very Husbands they may be prefum’d to have fome Authority in this Cafe, V afino pur pigro, Stimulato fir* quelehe calcio; an Afs tho’ flow if provok’d will kick. We never fee or perhaps make fport with the ill Effeds of a bad Education, till it come to touch us home in the ill condud of a Sifter, a Daughter, or Wife. Then the Women muft be blam’d, their Folly is exclaim’d againft, when all this while it was the wife Man’s Fault who did not fet a better Guard on thofe who according to him ftand in fo much need of one. A young Gentleman, as a celebrated Author tells us, ought above all things to be acquainted with the State of the World, the Ways and Humours, the Follies, the Cheats, the Faults of the Age he is fallen into, he ihould by degrees be inform’d of the Vice in FajOhion, and warn’d of the Appli-(Hi Application and Deiign of thofe who Will make it their Bufinefs to corrupt him, ihou’d be told the Arts they ufe and the Trains they lay, be prepar’d to' be Shock’d by fome and carefs’d by o-thers ; warn’d who are like to oppofe, who to miilead, who to undermine, and who to ferve him. He ihou’d be inftru£led how to know and diftinguifh them , where he ihou’d let them fee,1 and when diiTemble the Knowledge of them and their Aims and Workings; Our Author is much in the right, and not to difparage any other Accomplishments which are ufeful in their kind, this will turn to more account than any Language or Philofophy, Art or Science, or any other piece of Good-breeding and fine Education that can be taught him,; which are no other wife excellent than as they contribute to this, as this does above all things to the making him a wife, a vertuous and ufeful Man. And it is not lefs neceifary that a young Lady ihou’d receive the like In-ftru&ions, whether or no her Temptations be fewer, her Reputation and Honour however are to be more nicely preferv’d ; they may be ruin’d by a little Ignorance or Indifcretion, and then.( 65 ) tho’ ilie has kept her Innocence, arid, fq is fecund as to the next World, yet fhe i> in a great meafure loft to this. A Woman cannot, be too watchful, too apprehenfive, of her danger, nor keep at top great a diftance from it* fince Man whofe Wifdom and Ingenuity is fo much Superior to hers* condefcends for his In-tereft fornetimesj and fometimes by way of Diverfiqn, to lay Snares for her. For tho’ all. Men are Virtuofi, Philofophers and Politicians in companion of the Ignorant and Illiterate Women, yet they don’t all pretend tq be Saints,, and ’tis nq great Matter, to them if Women who were born to be their Slaves, be now and then ruin’d for their Entertainment,, , ; But according to the rate that young Women are Educated, according to the way , their Time Js fpent, they are de-ftin’d to Folly and Impertinence, to fay no worfe, and which is yet more inhur man, they are blam'd for that ill Conduit they are not fuffer’d to avoid, and reproach’d for, ihofe Faults they are in a manner forc’d into ; fo that if Heaven has beftowed any Senfe on them, no other ufe is made of it,, than to leave them without Excufe. ) the Diverfions and Humors of the Lady» Liking and Admiring whatever fhe does, thoJ at the fame time he feems to keep a due Diftance, or rather exceeds in the profoundeft RefpeQ:, Refpeft being all he dare at prefent pretend to, when a more than ordinary deference is paid,when fomething particular appears in the look and Addrefs, and fuch an Obfequioufneis in every A&ion , as nothing cou’d enr gage a Man to, who never forgets the Superiority of his Sex, but a hope to be Obferv’d in his turn: Then, whatever the Inequality be, and how fenfible fo-ever he feems to be of it, the Man has for certain his Engines a Work, the Mine is ready to fpring on the firft opportunity, and ’tis well if it be not t@o late to prevent the poor Ladie’s Ruin. To wind up this Matter, if a Woman were duly Principled and taught to know the World, efpecialiy the true Sentiments that Men have of her, and the Traps they lay for her under fo many gilded Complements, and fuch a feemingly great Refpect, that difgrace wou’d be prevented which is brought upon too many Families, Women wo Pd Marry more difcreetly , and demean G 3 them-( Si ) themfelves better in a Married State than fome People fay they do. The foundation indeed ought to be laid deep and ftrong, fhe fhou’d be made a good Chriftian, and underftand why fhe is fo, and then fhe will be every thing elfe that is Good. Men need keep no Spies on a Woman’s Conduit, need have no fear of her Vertue, or fo much as of her Prudence and Caution, were but a duefenfe of true Honor and Vertue awaken’d in her, were her Reafon excited and prepar’d to coniider the Sophiftry of thofe Temptations which wou’d per-fwade her from her Duty, and were {he put in a way to know that it is both her Wifdom and Intereft to obferve it. She would then duly examine and weigh all the Circumftances, the Good and E-vil of a Married State, and not be fur-priz’d with unforefeen Inconveniencies, and either never confent to be a Wife, or make a good one when fhe docs. This would ihew her what Human Nature as w7ell as what it ought to be, and teach her not only what ihe pay juftly expeit, but what fhe muft be Content with; wrould enable her to cure fome Faults, and patiently to fuf« fer what ihe cannot Cure, IndeedIndeed nothing can allure Obedience, and render it what it ought to be, but the Confcience of Duty, the paying it for GOD’s fake. Superiors don’t rightly underftand their own Intereft when they attempt to put out their Subje&s Eyes to keep them Obedient. A Blind Obedience is what a Rational Creature ihou’d never Pay, nor wou’d fuch an one receive it did he rightly underftand it’s Nature. For Human Actions are no other wife valuable than as they are conformable to Reafon , but a blind Obedience is an Obeying without Reafon, for ought we know, againit it. GOD himfelf does not require our Obedience at this rate, he lays before us the good-nefs and reafonablenefs of his Laws, and were there any thing in them whofe Equity we could not readily comprehend, yet we have this clear and fuffi-cient Reafon on which to found our Obedience, that nothing but what’s Juft and Fit, can be enjoyn’d by a Juft, a Wife and Gracious GOD, but this is a Reafon will never hold jn refpeft: of Men’s Commands unlefs they can prove themfelves Infallible, and confcquently Impeccable too. G 4 It.( ■88 ) It is therefore very much a Man’s Intereft that Women Should be good Chriftians, in this as in every other Instance, he who does his Duty finds his own account in it; Duty and true In«« tereft are one and the fame thing, and he who thinks otherwife is to be pitied for being fo much in the Wrong; but what can be more the Duty of the Head, than to Inftruffc and Improve thofe who are under Government ? She will freely leave him the quiet Domh nion of this World whofe Thoughts and Expectations are plac’d on the next. A Profpeft of Heaven, and that only will cure that Ambition which all Generous Minds are fill’d with , not by taking it away but by placing it on a right ObjeCt. She will difcern a time when her Sex Shall be no bar to the beft 'Employments, the liigheft Elonor; a timp when that diftinClion, now fo much us’d to her Prejudice, fhall be no more, but provided She is not wanting to her Self,, her Soul fhall ihine as bright as the greateff Heroe’s. This is a true, and indeed the only confolati-on, this makes her . a Sufficient compen-fiition for all the negleCt and contempt the ill-grounded Cqftoms of the World throw( 89 ) throw on her, for all the Injuries brutal Power may do her, and is a fufftcient Cordial to fupport her Spirits, be her Lot in this World what it may. But fome fage Perfons may perhaps object that were Women allow’d to Improve themfelves, and not amongft other difcouragments driven back by thofe wife Jells and Scoifs that are put upon a Woman of Senfe or Learning, a Phi-lofophical Lady as fhe is call’d by way of Ridicule, they would be too Wife and too Good for the Men ; I grant it, for vicious and fooliih Men. Nor is it to be wonder’d that he is affraid he fhou’d not be able to Govern them were their Underftandings improv’d, who is re-folv’d not to take too much Pains with his own. But thefe ’tis to be hop’d are no very confiderable Number, the fooliih at leaf!:; and therefore this is fo far from being an Argument againif their Improvement , that it is a ilrong one for it, if we do but fuppofe the Men to be as capable of Improvement as the Women, but much more if according to Tradition we believe they have greater Capacities. This, if any thing, wou’d ftir- them up to be what they ought, not(9° ) not permit them to waft their Time and abufe their Faculties in the Service of their irregular Appetites and unreafon-able Defires, and fo let poor contemptible Women who have been their Slaves, excel them in all that is truly Excellent. This wou’d make them Bluih at employing an immortal Mind no better than in making Provifion for the Flefh to fullfil the Lufts thereof, fince Women by a Wifcr Conduct have brought them-felves to fuch a reach of Thought, to filch exa&nefs of Judgment, fuch clear-neis and ftrength of Reafoning, fuch purity and elevation of Mind , fuch Command of their Paifions, fuch regularity of Will and AffeCtion, and in a word to fuch a pitch of Perfection as the Human Soul is capable of attaining even in this Life by the Grace of GOD, fuch true Wifdom, fuch real Greatnefs, as tho’ it does not qualifie them to make a Noife in this World, to found or overturn Empires, yet it qualifies them for what is infinitely better , a Kingdom that cannot be mov’d, an incorruptible Crown of Glory. Befidcs(90 Befides, it were ridiculous to fuppofe that a Woman, were fheever fo much improv’d, cou’d come near the topping Genius of the Men , and therefore why ihou’d they envy or difcourage her? Strength of Mind goes along with Strength of Body, and ’tis only for feme odd accidents which Philqfophers have not yet thought worth while to enquire into, that the Sturdieft Porter is not the Wifeft Man. As therefore the Men have the Power in their Hands, fo there’s no difpute of their having the Brains to manage it. There is no fuch thing as good judgment and Senfe upon Earth, if it is not to be found among them: Do not they generally {peaking do all the great Actions and confiderable Buhners of this World, and leave that of the next to the W omen ? Their Sub-tilty in forming Cabals and laying deep Defigns, their Courage and Conduit in breaking through all Tyes Sacred and Civil to effeit them, not only advances them to the Poit of Honor and keeps them fecurely in it for twenty or thirty Years, but gets them a Name, and conveys it down to Poiierity for fome Hundreds, and who wou’d look any further ?r ( 92 ) further? Juftice and Injuftice are ad-miniftred by their Hands, Courts and Schools are fill’d with thefe Sages; ’tis Men who difpute for Truth as well as Men who argue againft it; Hiftories are writ by them, they recount each others great Exploits, and have always done fo. All famous Arts have their Original from Men, even from the Invention of Guns to the Myftery of good Eating. And to ihew that nothing is beneath their Care, any more than above their reach, they have brought Gaming to an Art and Science, and a more Profitable and Honourable one too, than any of thofe that us’d to be call’d Liberal. Indeed what is it they can’t perform, when they attempt it? The Strength of their Brains fhall be every whit as Confpicuous at their Cups as in a Senate-Houfe, and when they pleafe they can make it pafs for as fure a mark of Wifdom, to drink deep as to Reafon profoundly; a greater proof of Courage and consequently of Un-derftanding, to dare the Vengeance of Heaven it Self, than to (land the rallery of fome of the worft of their fellow Creatures! Again,( 93 ) Again, it may be faid,* if a Wife’s cafe be as it is here reprefented, it is not good for a Woman to Marry, and fo there’s an end of Human Race. But this is no fair Confequence, for all that can juftly be inferr’d from hence, is that a Woman has no mighty Obligations to the Man who makes Love to her, ihe has no reafon to be fond of being a Wife, or to reckon it a peice of Preferment when fhe is taken to be a Man’s Upper-Servant; it is no advantage to her in this World, if rightly manag’d it may prove one as to the next. For fhe who Marries purely to do Good, to Educate Souls for Heaven , who can be fo truly mortify’d as to lay afide her own Will and Defires, to pay fuch an intire Submifiion for Life, to one whom fhe cannot be fure will always deferve it, does certainly perform a more Heroic Action than all the famous Mafculine Heroes can boaft of, ihe fuifers a continual Martyrdom to bring Glory to GOD and Benefit to Mankind , which confideration indeed may carry her through all Difficulties, I know not what elfe can, and engage her to Love him who proves perhaps i fo( 94- ) fo much more worfe than a Brute, as to make this Condition yet more grievous than it needed to be. She has need of a ftrong Reafon, of a truly Chriftian and well-temper’d Spirit, of all the Aftiftance the bed: Education can give her, and ought to have fome good ailurance of her own Firmnefs and Vertue, who ventures on fuch a Trial; and for this Reafon 7tis lefs to be wonder’d at that Women Marry off in haft, for perhaps if they took time to con-fider and reflect upon it, they feldom wou’d. To conclude, perhaps I’ve faid more than moft Men will thank me for, I cannot help it, for how much foever I may be their Friend and humble Servant, I am more a Friend to Truth. Truth is ftrong, and fometime or o-ther will prevail , nor is it for their Honor , and therefore one wou’d think not for their Intereft, to be Partial to themfelves andUnjuft to others. They may fancy I have made fome diicoveries which like Aroma. Imperii ought to be kept fecret, but in good earneft, I do them more Honor than to fuppofe their( 95 ) lawful Prerogatives need any mean Arts to fupport them. IF they have Ufurpt, I love Juftice too much to wiih Succefs and continuance to Ufurpations, which tho’ fubmitted to out of Prudence and for Quietnefs fake, yet leave every Body free to regain their lawful Right whenever they have Power and Opportunity. I don’t fay that Tyranny ought, but we find in Faff, that it provokes the Opprefs’d to throw off even a Lawful Yoke that fits too heavy : And if he who is freely Ele&ed, after all his fair Promifes and the fine Hopes he rais’d, proves a Tyrant, the confideration that he was one’s own Choice, will not render more Submiflive and Patient, but I fear more Refra&ory. For tho’ it is very unreafonable, yet we fee ’tis the courfe of the World, not only to return Injury for Injury , but Crime for Crime; both Parties indeed are Guilty, but the Aggreifors have a double Guilt, they have not only their own, but their Neighbour’s ruin to stnfwer for. As( 96 ) As to tue Female Reader, I hope flie will allow I’ve endeavour’d to do her Juftice, nor betray’d her Caufe as her Advocates ufually do, under pretence of defending it. A Pra&ice too mean for any to be Gulity of who have the lead: Senfe of Honor, and who do any more than meerly pretend to it. I think I have held the Ballance even, and not being confcious of Partiality I ask no Pardon for it. To plead for the Opprefs’d and to defend the Weak feem’d to me a generous undertaking; for tho’ it may be fecure, ’tis not always Honourable to run over to the itrongeft Party. And if fhe infers frorri what has been faid that Marriage is a very Happy State for Men, if they think fit to make it fo; that they govern the World, they have Prefcription on their fide, Women are too weak to difpute it with them, therefore they, as all other Governors,. are moil:, if not only accountable., for what’s amifs. For whether other Governments . in their Original, were or were not con-fer’d according to the Merit of the Perfon, yet certainly in this cafe Hea-( 97 ) ten wou’d not have allotted the Man to Govern, hut becaufe he was beft Qua» lify’d foi* it. So far I agree with him: But if fhe goes on to infer, that therefore he has not thefe Qualifications, where is his Right ? If he mifemploys, does he notabufeit? And if heabufes, according to -modern Deduction, he forfeits it, I muft leave her there. A peaceable Woman indeed will not carry it fo far, ihe will neither queftion her Husband’s Right nor his Fitnefs to Govern, but how? Not as an abfolute Lord, and Mailer, with an Arbitrary and Tyrannical fway, but as Reafon Governs and Condu&s a Man, by propofing what is Juft and Fit. And the Man who ails according to that Wifdom he aft fumes, who wou’d have that Superiority he pretends to, acknowledg’d Juft, will receive no injury by any thing that has been offer’d here. A Woman will value him the more who is fo Wife and Good, when fhe difcerns how much he excells the reft of his noble Sex; the lefs he requires, the more will he Merit that Efteem and Deference, which thofe who are fo forward to exad, feem confcious they don’t deferve. So then H the( 9.8 ) the Man’s Prerogative is not. at all infring’d, whilft the Woman’s Privileges are fecur’d; and if any Woman think her felf Injur’d, file has a Remedy in referve which few Men will envy or endeavour to Rob her of, the Exercife and Improvement of he? Vertue here, and the Reward of it hereafter. f