as if chastity could exift when not mutually refpected. By thefe fophifms, thefe paradoxes, these tyrannical diftinctions, we pervert, as they pretend, our own reafon, vitiate our morals, ftifle the nobleft sym pathies of our nature, and poifon the moft exquisite enjoyments of the human heart. They call upon us to relinquifh our vices, to abandon our fallacies, to fnap their chains, to difdain the brute argument of farce, by which the many have too long been subjećted by the worthless few, and to give to future generations rational wives and mothers, who, by the dignity of their own examples, hall teach their offspring to be virtuous and to be free.

We confefs ourselves alarmed and agitated by thefe high pretenfions, which ought to confirm our wife governors, in this innovating age, in their avowed determination to refift every principle of reform, which once admitted may, indeed, carry us dangerous lengths. The dominion of truth and reafon, as by certain politicians profoundly obferved, by leffening the vices and follies of individuals, would strike at the root of wealth, the population, and the glory of the community.

The prefent champion for her fex, more wily but not lefs urgent, comes forward with a feminine grace, and, affuming a fportive air, affails us with no unskilful weapons. In an advertisement, the reader is informed, that her appeal has lain dormant for feveral years, fuperfeded, when nearly prepared to fee the light, as at the time the modeftly apprehended, by writers + profeffing greater claims to popular attention.

ADVERT. P. 5. Yet I had gone,' fays fhe, too far, and be-, ftowed too much pains upon it, eafily to relinquifh my purpofe. Indeed, when we confider how many books are written, and read upon every fabject-I may rather fay how many myriads of books of every different degree of merit, are abfolutely neceffary, to fuit the different taftes, capacities, and judgments of mankind-before the public opinion is inBuenced to any great degree, far more before any new doctrine can be firmly established; there is perhaps no great prefumption in fuppofing, that each may in fame degree, more or lefs, have its effect.

I would have it understood, however, that I found my pretenfions, whatever they may be, rather upon the merits, than,-as is too often the cafe among writers,-upon the alleged defects of those who have' treated the fame fubjects. So far deed, are works of very fuperior merit, from fuperfeding the neceffity of others; that on the contrary. it is too evident, that fuch are not always the most popular; or, at leaft that fome time generally elapfes before they become fo. That which raises them in the eyes of the few, either fets them beyond thẻ reach of the multitude; or, what is infinitely worfe, renders them obnoxious to its hatred and perfecution. If any thing indeed can be objected to, in the works to which I have alluded, it is an error but too commonly attendant on genius; who feldom deigns, by managing, and fympathizing with, the prejudices of mankind, to make new and un expected truths palatable to common minds.

Yet to manage with fome degree of tenderness the prejudices of the generality of mankind; to refpect even these till the multitude can be

Mandeville's Fable of the Bees, &c.

+ Wollstonecroft's Rights of Woman; Major Jardine's Letters from Barbary, France, Spain, Portugal, &c.

Ferfuaded

perfuaded that ALL PREJUDICES are inimical to its happiness and interefts; can neither juftly be efteemed immoral, or deceitful. It is only doing that by gentle means and by degrees, which can never be done well by any other.

The talk be mine then, of prefenting a sketch, which prefumes to recommend this gradual reformation, this gentle emancipation from error; and from error too as deeply rooted, and as fondly cherished, as any in the whole circle of humanity.'

Such, as profeffed by herself, is the plan of our authorefs; in the execution of which, after an introductory addrefs, arguments adduced first from Scripture, and fecondly from reafon, the latter methodically arranged, against the fubjection of women, are brought forward in fupport of her appeal.

The fubject is divided into a confideration of (P. 30.) the erroneous ideas which men have formed, of the characters and abilities of women. What men would have women to be.What women are.And, what women ought to be.'

P. 28. I addrefs myself to you, oh man!" fays fhe, clothed with authority of your own affuming, and ciothed with ftrength to maintain what you have affumed. You maintain it by the fame law by which the ftrong oppreffes the weak, and the rich the poor; and by which the great and powerful, crufh the friendlefs, and him who has none to help him.'

In treating the feveral divifions confiderable ability and acuteness are manifefted; perhaps the arguments might have been compreffed with advantage, particularly in the concluding fection, refpecting what women ought to be,' in which the reafoning is fomewhat enfeebled by the prolixity and diffufene fs of the manner. An analysis of the work is by the preceding sketch rendered in fome degree unneceffary: as a specimen of the author's ftyle and fpirit we prefent our readers with the following extracts. Refpecting the erroneous opinions formed by men of the abilities of women, a parallel is drawn between the fexes in the firft claffes of fociety: crowned heads are brought forward as illuftrious examples, as being neither more nor less than men and women.'

P. 36. Queens may at all events be fairly stated against kings, and I believe will lofe little by the comparison. For of thousands of kings who have reigned, how few have come down to pofterity, with credit of any fort in proportion to their number! Whereas of the few females who have been permitted to wield the fceptre, most of them, nay nearly all of them, have made themselves remarkable, in a degree that would have equally fignalized men precifely in the fame fituation, and under the fame circumftances; otherwife the argument falls to the ground.

That this clafs indeed, is particularly fitted for the purpose of comparing to each other, is obvious; becaufe both fexes of this clafs generally receive an education the nearest upon an equality of any other, And what have been the confequences?Juft what reasonably fpeaking, was to be expected; that their capacities and talents appear to be nearly fo likewife.

If then it can hardly be difputed that women-the ancients as far as we can learn from the extraordinary panegyricks of hiftorians-the moderns from actual and undoubted proofs-have ruled with as much glory to themselves, as much benefit to their fubjects, and as great marks of found judgment, and knowledge in the arts of government,

as

as the greatest princes their contemporaries; I hope it will not appear. prefumption to fay, that did woman receive equal advantages of educa tion, there is every reafon to fuppofe, they would equal men in the fublime fcience of politicks; which as it includes the whole art of governing the multitude well in the moft liberal sense of the word, requires not only fuch talents, as the one fex is allowed to poffefs in common with the other; but includes likewife thofe, which men are fond of arrogating exclufively to themfelves. Such as ftrength of mind,-extenfive forefight,-genius to plan fchemes of importance,-and refolution and ftability to put them in execution;-with a thousand et cæteras which will very readily occur to men, accustomed to ftring up their own fuperiorities; and extremely willing to take for granted, without much examination, opinions fo creditable and convenient for themselves.'

P. 40. Female excellence in common life, is above all open to the decifions of common fenfe, and daily obfervation; it is not perhaps therefore, the less likely to be judged without prejudice. I with then that my readers of all denominations would look around the circle of their acquaintance, and examine, and recollect in their own minds, the characters and conduct of the individuals of both fexes, who compofe it. And notwithstanding the many difadvantages that women labour under, I am not affraid to fay, that they have no cause whatever to be ashamed of the comparifon.

• Indeed I believe, to ufe a ridiculous but well understood phrase, they often laugh in their fleeves at being obliged to acknowledge fuperiority, where they can distinguish none; except obftinate felf-love, and fome ponderous qualities of more weight than value; but nothing that decidedly claims the diftinction of fuperior genius and rationality, or of intrinfic worth and usefulness in common life.

That there is fomething unbending and inflexible either in the natural or acquired character of man, which by no means belongs to, nor is at all affected by the other fex, nobody pretends to deny. But it is rather wonderful that they should pride themfelves upon this rugged quality of the mind-Since it has nothing to do with that firmness and energy of character, without which there can be no confiftency of conduct-Since it is equally tenacious of right or wrong-And fince it unfits men from enjoying happiness themselves, or communicating it to those about them upon eafy terms, or in all fituations.

Such as it is however we willingly concede this amiable, engaging, and manly virtue, to thofe to whom it may belong; and fince they are fo fond of it, much good may it do them! But we can go no further. It must go for nothing, or worfe than nothing, in any fair eftimate of the talents or good qualities of the fexes. Nor can we be so complaifant as look up as to fomething fuperior, to that, which is neither countenanced by reafon nor religion, and which very feriously influences against our happiness and cafe.

Upon the fame principles we cannot help doubting much, whether because the minds of women are more pliable, and yield more readily to the preffure of circumftances, without altogether finking under them; that we are thereby entitled to brand them with weakness or levity. That elafticity in their animal fpirits, which has a conftant tendency to reftore them to their natural ftate, and which fupports them wonderSully, under many a trying fcene, we fhould almost be tempted to rank

3

high

high among the virtues, from its analogy to philofophy and common fenfe, as well as its influence on general happiness but that it feems to be rather a felicity of conftitution,-a gift of nature,—given to counterbalance many of the evils of life.'

In the examination of what men would have women to be:' P. 47. What a chaos!' exclaims our author,- What a mixture of ftrength and weaknefs,-of greatnefs and littlenefs,-of fenfe and folly,-of exquifite feeling and total infenfibility,-have they jumbled together in their imaginations, and then given to their pretty darling the name of woman! How unlike the father of gods and men, the gay, the gallant Jupiter, who on producing wifdom, the fruit of his brains, prefented it to admiring worlds under the character of a female !

But in the compofition of man's woman, wisdom muft not be spoken of, nay nor even hinted at, yet ftrange to tell! there it must be in full force, and come forth upon all convenient occafions. This is a mystery which, as we are not allowed to be amongst the initiated, we may admire at an awful distance, but can never comprehend.'

On the conduct exacted from woman on certain delicate and trying occafions, when fuffering under the eftrangement and infidelity of the hufband of her choice: Here,' it is obferved, P. 49, is one of thofe abfurdities of which I accufe men in their fyftem of contradictions. They expect that this poor weak creature, fetting afide in a moment, Jove, jealousy, and pride, the most powerful and univerfal paffions interwoven in the human heart, and which even men, clothed in wisdom and fortitude, find fo difficult to conquer, that they feldom attempt it-that the fhall notwithstanding lay all thefe afide as eafily as the would her gown and petticoat, and plunge at once into the cold bath of prudence, of which though the wife only is to receive the hock, and make daily ufe of, yet if fhe does fo, it has the virtue of keeping both hufband and wife in a moft agreeable temperament. Prudence being one of those rare medicines which affect by fympathy, and this being likewife one of thofe cafes, where the hufbands have no objections to the wives acting as principals, nor to their receiving all the honors and emoluments of office; even if death fhould crown their martyrdom, as has been fometimes known to happen.

Dear generous creatures!'

P. 51. The fituations before alluded to, though perhaps the moft trying for human nature in general, and to minds of fenfibility in particular, are not the only ones prepared for women upon which to exercife their patience and temper. For, there are no vices to which a man addicts himself, no follies he can take it into his head to commit, but his wife and his nearest female relations are expected to connive at, are expected to look upon, if not with admiration, at least with refpectful filence, and at awful diftance. Any other conduct is looked upon, as a breach of that fanciful fyftem of arbitrary authority, which men have fo affiduoufly erected in their own favor; and any other conduct is accordingly refifted, with the moft acrimonious feverity.'

P. 54. Again, women of liberal fentiments and expanded hearts, and furely there are fuch, in confequence of good, or in fpite of bad education,- -who would willingly employ fortune in acts of benevolence and schemes of beneficence; are connected with men, fordid in principle, rapacious in acquiring riches, and contemptibly mean in reftraining them from returning again into fociety, through their pro

per

per channels. Woman here again is the fport, of the vices and infirmities of her tyrant; and however formed by nature to virtue and benevolence, however trained by education,-here fhe finds all this against her. Here he finds that her time and endeavours would have been much more happily employed, in ftrengthening the oppofite habits of selfishness, and uncharitablenefs. Since, the hi heft pitch of virtue, to which a woman can poffibly afpire on the prefent fyltem of things; is to please her husband, in whatever line of conduct pleasing him confits. And, to this great end, this one thing needful, men are impolitic enough to advance, and to expect, that every thing elfe fhould be facrificed. Reafon, religion, or at least many of the most important maxims of religion,-private judgment, prejudices; all thefe, and much more than these must be fwallowed up in the gulph of authority; which requiring every thing as a right, difdains to return any thing but as a conceffion.'

P. 56. I could here enumerate numberlefs inftances, of WHAT MEN WOULD HAVE WOMEN TO BE, under circumftances the most trying and the moft humiliating; but as I neither with to tire out the reader nor myself with what may be well imagined without repetition, I fhall only fay; that though they are allowed, and even expected, to affume upon proper occafions, and when it happens to indulge the paffions, or fall in with the humours of men, all that firmness of character, and greatnefs of mind commonly esteemed mafculine; yet this is in fo direct oppofition, and fo totally inconfiftent with that univerfal weaknefs, which men firft endeavour to affix upon women for their own convenience, and then for their own defence affect to admire; that really it requires more than female imbecility and credulity to fuppofe that fuch extremes can unite with any degree of harmony, in fuch imperfect beings as we all of us, men and women, mutt acknowledge ourfelves to be. And therefore, except a woman has fome schemes of her own to accomplish by this fort of management,-which neceffity is moft galling to an ingenuous mind; or except the is herfeif a mere nothing,-in which cafe her merit is next to nothing; thefe violent extremes, thefe violent exertions of the mind,-are by no means natural or voluntary ones; but are on the contrary at variance with nature, with reason, and with common fenfe.'

P. 60. Notwithstanding this declaration of their own fuperiority however, it is a compliment which men are by no means backward in paying to women, that they are better formed by nature than themfelves, for the perfection of virtue; and efpecially of thofe virtues which are of most difficult attainment, and which occur most commonly in life. Perhaps this may be true; but if fo, it is granting all and more than I wish; for the moment that this is admitted, you either degrade virtue and all good morals, by fuppofing them capable of being beft perfected by, and beft fuited for, beings of an inferior order upon which terms no order of rational beings can be fuppofed very anxious about the attainment of them-Or, leaving thefe, I mean virtue and good morals, in their proper places, and fuppofing them inherent in the foul of man, because planted there by the hand of God; and yet ftill infifting on the neceffity and propriety of women practifing them, in a ftricter degree than men; you from that moment, I fay, tacitly grant to women, that fuperiority of mind, which you have not generofity enough openly to avow."