V 
 
 -> ,~\ 
 
 
 
 
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VINDICATION 
 
 OF THE 
 
 RIGHTS OF WOMAN, 
 
 WITH 
 
 STRICTURES 
 
 ON 
 
 POLITICAL AND MORAL SUBJECTS, 
 
 BY MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT, 
 
 PHILADELPHIA : 
 
 PRINTED FOR M A T H E W CAREY, 
 NO. I I 8, MARKET - STREET, 
 
 1794. 
 
\ 
 
C O N *f E N f S. 
 
 K- 
 
 
 
 j- ' PAGE 
 
 INTRODUCTION - 10 
 
 Chap. I. The rights and involved duties of mankind 
 
 considered - 19 
 
 Chap. II. The prevailing opinion of a fexual ch a- 
 
 r after difcu/ed 3 1 
 
 Chap. III. The fame fubj eft continued - 63 
 
 Chap. IV. Qbfervations on the ft ate of degradation 
 
 to which e woman is reduced by various canfes 87 
 
 Chap. V. Animadverfions on fome of the writers 
 who have rendered women o&jetfs of pity, bor 
 dering on contempt - - - 132 
 
 Chap. VI. The ejfett which an early ajjbciation of 
 
 ideas has upon the character 197 
 
 Chap. VII. Modefty. Comprehenfively confidered y 
 
 and not as a fexual virtue 207 
 
 Chap. VIII. Morality undermined by fexual notions 
 
 of the importance of a good reputation 224 
 
 Chap. IX. Of the pernicious ejfefls which arife from 
 
 the unnatural diftintiions eftablijhed in fociety 240 
 
 Chap. X. Parental affedion - 257 
 
 Chap. XL Duty to parents 261 
 
 Chap. XII. On national education - - 269 
 
 Chap. XIII. Some inftances of the folly which the 
 ignorance of women generates y with concluding 
 reflections on the moral improvement that a revo 
 lution in female manners may naturally be ex- 
 peclcd to produce - -307 
 
 M508364 
 
T O 
 
 M. TALLEYRAND-PERIGORD, 
 
 LATE BISHOP OF AUTUN. 
 
 AVING read with great pleafure a pamphlet, which 
 you have lately publifhed, on National Education, I de- 
 dicate this volume to you the firfl dedication that I 
 have ever written, to induce you to read it with atten 
 tion ; and, becaufe I think that you will understand me, 
 which I do not fuppofe many pert witlings will, who 
 may ridicule the arguments they are unable to anfwer. 
 But, Sir, I carry my refpeft for your underilanding frill 
 farther; fo far, that I am confident you will not throw 
 my work afide, and hailily conclude that I am in 
 wrong, beeaufe you did not view the fubjecl in the. fame 
 light yourfelf. And pardon my frankncfs, but I mu 
 obferve, that you treated it in too curfory a manner, con 
 tented to confider it as it had been confidered formerly, 
 when the rights of man, not to advert to woman, were 
 trampled on as chimerical I call upon you, therefore, 
 
 B 
 
IV DEDICATION. 
 
 now to weigh what I have advanced refpeding the rrghts 
 of woman, and national education and I call with the 
 firm tone of humanity. For my arguments, Sir, are 
 diclated by a difmterefted fpiric I plead for my fex 
 not for myfeif. Independence I have long confidered as 
 the grand bleffing of life, the bafis of every virtue and 
 independence t will ever fecure by contracting my w^nts, 
 though I were to live on a barren heath. 
 
 It is then an affection for the whole human race that 
 makes my pen dart rapidly along to fupport what I be 
 lieve to be the caufe of virtue : and the fame motive leads 
 me earneflly to wiih to fee woman placed in a flation in 
 which ihe would advance, inftead of retarding, the pro- 
 grefs of thofe glorious principles that give a fubftance 
 to morality. My opinion, indeed, reflecting the rights 
 and duties of woman, fcems to flow fo naturally from 
 thefe fimple principles, that I think it fcarcely poffible, 
 but that fonie of the enlarged minds who formed your 
 admirable conilitution, will coincide with me. 
 
 in Fr;ince, there is undoubtedly a more general dif- 
 funon of knowledge than Li any part of the European 
 world, and I attribute it, in a great meafure, to the fo- 
 cial intercom fe which has long fubfifted between the 
 fexes. It is true, I utter my fentiments with freedom, 
 th-.-.t in Frpr ry eilence of icnliLili y has been e;;- 
 
 e : -he voluptuary, and a kind of fentimenu.1 
 luft h: ed, which, together with the fyitem of 
 
 duplicity that the whole tenor of their political and 
 civil government taught, have given a finiftcr fort of ia- 
 gacily to the French character, properly termed fincifr. 
 
DEDICATION. V 
 
 and a. polim of manners that injures the fubftance, by 
 hunting fincerity oat of fockty. And, mode-icy, the 
 ..i reft garb of virtue ! has been more grofsiy hifaltedijl 
 France than even in England, till their women iuve 
 treated 2&prudijh th.it attention to decency, which brutes 
 inilinctively obferve. 
 
 Manners and morals are fo nearly allied, that they have 
 often been confounded ; but, though the former mould 
 only be the natural -reflection of the latter, yet 3 when 
 various caufes have produced factitious and corrupt man 
 ners, which are very early caught, morality becomes an 
 empty name. The perfonal referve, and facred ref '-eft 
 for cleanlinefs and delicacy in domeilic life, which 
 French women almoft defpife, are the graceful pillar: 
 modefly ; but, far from defpifmg them, if the pure ! 
 of patriotifm have reached their bofoms, they ihould 
 labour to improve the morals of their fellow-citizens, 
 by teaching men, not only to refpecl modefly in women > 
 but to acquire it themielves, as the only way to merit 
 their eiteem. 
 
 Contending for the rights of woman, my main argu 
 ment is built on this fimple principle, that if fne be not 
 prepared by education to become the companion of man, 
 me will flop the progrefs of knowledge, for truth rnuil 
 be common to all, or it will be inefficacious with refpecl 
 to its influence on general practice. And how can wo 
 man be expected to co-operate, unlefs me know why 
 ihe ought to be virtuous? unlefs freedom ftrengthen her 
 reafon till {lie comprehend her duty, and fee in whit 
 manner it is connected with her real good ? If cliildren 
 B 2 
 
VI DEDICATION. 
 
 are to be educated to underiland the true principle of 
 patriotism, their mother muft be a patriot ; and the love 
 of mankind, from which an _ orderly train of virtues 
 fpring, can only be produced by confidering the moral 
 and civil interefl of mankind ; but the education and 
 fltuation of woman, at prefent, fliuts her out from fuch 
 inveitigations. 
 
 In this work I have produced many arguments, which 
 to me were conclufive, to prove, that the prevailing no 
 tion refpecting a fexual character was fubverfive of mo 
 rality, and I have contended, that to render the human 
 body and mind more perfect, chaltity muft more univer- 
 fally prevail, and that chalUty will never be refpecled 
 in the male world till the perfon of a woman is not, as 
 it were, idolized when little virtue or fenfe embellifh it 
 with the grand traces of mental beauty, or the intereil- 
 ing firnplicity of affection. 
 
 Confider, Sir, difpaffionately, thefe obfervations for 
 a glimpfe of this truth feemed to open before you when 
 you obierved, ' that to fee one half of the human race 
 ' excluded by the other from all participation of go- 
 ' vcrnment, was a political phoenomenon that, accord- 
 s ing to abftracl principles, it was impoffible to explain.' 
 If fo, on what does your conftitution reft ? If the abilrael 
 rights of man will bear difcuffion and explanation, thofe 
 of women, by a parity of reafoning, will not {brink from 
 the fame teft : though a different opinion prevails in this 
 country, built on the very arguments which you ufe to 
 juicify the oppreffion of woman prefcription. 
 
 Confider, I addrefs you as a legiihtor, whether, when 
 
DEDICATION. VH 
 
 men contend for their freedom, and to be allowed to 
 judge for themfelves, refpecting their own happinefs, it 
 be not inconiiftent and unjuft to fubjugate women, even 
 though you firmly believe that you are ading in the 
 manner beft calculated to promote their happinefs ? 
 Who made man the exclusive judge, if woman partake 
 with him the gift of reafbn ? 
 
 In this ilyle, argue tyrants of every denomination, 
 from the weak king to the weak father of a family ; they 
 are all eager to crufh reafon ; yet always aiTert that they 
 ufurp its throne only to be ufeful. Do you not act a 
 fimilar part, when you force all women, by denying them 
 civil and political rights, to remain immured in their 
 families groping in the dark? for furely, Sir, you will 
 not affert, that a duty can be binding which is not 
 founded on reafon? If, indeed, this be their deilination, 
 arguments may be drawn from reaibn : and thus auguiK 
 ly fupported, the more undei Handing women acquire, 
 the more they will be attached to their duty compre 
 hending itfor, unlei's they comprehend it, uniefs their 
 morals be hxed on the fame immutable principles as 
 thofe of man, no authority c^n make chc.'R cLfciiarge it 
 in a virtuous manner. They muy b~- convenient ikves, 
 but iUvery will h.,ve its conitant eifc-cl, degrading tae 
 mailer ^ni me abjecl dependent. 
 
 But, if women are to be excluded without having a 
 voice, from a participation of tae natural rights of man- 
 kmd., prove firft, to wurd off the ch irge of injuftice and 
 inconfiftency, that they want region :i.e this fltw in 
 your NW CONSTITUTION, tiie firft conilitution 
 
Vlll DEDICATION. 
 
 founded on reafon, will ever hew that man muft, In 
 fome ihape, acl like a tyrant, and tyranny, in whatever 
 part of fociety it rears its brazen front, will ever under 
 mine morality. 
 
 I have repeatedly afTerted, and produced what appear 
 ed to me irrefragable arguments drawn fi om matters of 
 fad, to prove my afiertion, that women cannot, by force, 
 b? confmed to domelHc concerns ; for they will, how 
 ever ignorr.nt, intermeddle with more weighty affairs, 
 neglecting private duties only to diilurb, by cunning 
 tricks, the orderly plans of reafon which rife above their 
 comprehenfion. 
 
 Befides, whilft they are only made to acquire perfonal 
 accomplishments, men will feek for pleafure in variety, 
 and faithlefs hulbanas will make faithlefs wives ; fuch 
 ignorant beings, indeed, will be very excufable when, 
 not taught to refpecl public good, nor allowed any civil 
 rights, they attempt to do themfelves juftice by reta 
 liation. 
 
 The box of mifchief th-us opened in fociety, what is 
 to preferve private virtue, the only fecurity of public 
 freedom and universal happinefs ? 
 
 Let there be then no coercion ejlablijbed in fociety, 
 and tlie common law of gravity prevailing, the fexes 
 will fall into their proper places. And, now that more, 
 equit'tble laws ^re forming your citizens, marriage may 
 become more facred ; your young men may choofe wives 
 from motives of affe&ion, and your maidens allow love; 
 to roo 1 out vanity. 
 
 The father of a family will, not then weaken his con- 
 
DEDICATION. IX 
 
 ftitution and debafe his fentiments, by vifiting the har 
 lot, nor forget, in obeying the call of appetite, the pur- 
 pofe for which it was implanted. And, the mother 
 will not neglel her children to praclife the arts of co. 
 quetry, when fenfe and modefty fecure her the friendfhip 
 of her hulband. 
 
 But, till men become attentive to the duty of a father, 
 it is vain to expecl women to fpend that time in their 
 murfery, which they, ' wife in their generation,' clioofe 
 to fpend at their glafs ; for this exertion of cunning is 
 only an inftinft of nature to enable them to obtain indi 
 rectly a little of that power, of which they are unjuftly 
 denied a mare : for, if women are not permitted to en 
 joy legitimate rights, they will render both men and 
 themfelve.s vicious, to obtain illicit privileges. 
 
 I wifh, Sir, to fet fome inveftigations of this kind 
 afloat in France ; and mould they lead to a confirmation 
 of my principles, when your conilitution is revifed, the 
 Rights of Woman may be refpe&ed, if it be fully proved 
 that reafon calls for this refpeft, and loudly demand 
 JUSTICE for one, half of the human race. 
 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 Your's refpeftfully, 
 
 M. W, 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 XTLFTER confidering the hifloric page, and viewing 
 the living world with anxious folicitude, the moft me 
 lancholy emotions of ibrrovvful indignation have de- 
 preiicd my fpirks, and I have lighed when obliged 
 to confefs, that either nature has made a great dif 
 ference between man and man, or that the civilization, 
 which ha,s hitherto taken place in the world, has been 
 very partial. I have turned over various book5 writ 
 ten on the iubjecl of education, and patiently obferved 
 the conduct of parents and the management of fchools ; 
 but vviiat has been the refult r a profound conviction, 
 tliat tiie neglected education of rny fellow- creatures is 
 the grand lource of the miiery I deplore ; and that 
 women in particular, are rendered weak and wretched 
 by a variety of concurring caufes, originating from one 
 haity conclufion. The conducl and manners of women, 
 in facl, evidently prove, that their minds are not in a 
 healthy Hate ; for, like the flowers that are planted in 
 too rich a foil, frrength and uiefulnefs are facrificed to 
 beauty ; and the flaundng leaves, after having pleafed 
 a faftidious eye, fade, difregarded on the ftalk, long be 
 fore .the feafon when they oughjt to have arrived at ma- 
 
INTRODUCTION. XI 
 
 turity. One caafe of this barren blooming I attribute 
 to a falfe fyflem of edutdtion, gathered from the books 
 written on this fubjecl: by men, .who, considering females 
 rather as women than human creatures, have been more- 
 anxious to make them alluring miftrefTes than rational 
 wives ; and the underftanding of the fex has been fa 
 bubbled by this fpecious homage, that the civilized 
 women of the prefent century, with a few exceptions, 
 are only anxious to infpire love, when they ought to 
 cherifh a nobler ambition, and by their abilities an 1 
 virtues exal refpeft. 
 
 In a treatife, therefore, on female rights and manners, 
 the works which have been particularly written for their 
 improvement muil not be overlooked ; efpecially when 
 it is afierted, in dired terms, that the minds of women 
 are enfeebled by falfe refinement ; that the books of in- 
 ftrucTion, written by men of genius, have had the fame 
 tendency as more frivolous productions ; and that, in 
 the true ftyle of Mahometanifm, they are only confidered 
 as females, and not as a part of the human fpecies, when 
 improvable reafon is allowed to be the dignified dif- 
 tinclion, which raifes men above the brute creation, and 
 puts a natural fceptre in a feeble hand. 
 
 Yet, becaufe I am a woman, I would not lead my 
 readers to fuppofe, that I mean violently to agitate the 
 contefled queftion refpefting the equality and inferiority 
 of the fex ; but as the fubjecl: lies in my way, and I 
 cannot pafs it over without fubjecling the main ten 
 dency of my reafoning to mifconftruclipn, I mail ftop a 
 moment to deliver, in a few words, my opinion. la 
 
Xll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the government of the phylical world, it is obfcrvab!e 
 thut the fe-n.iie, ia gener.ii, is inferior to the nv.le. 
 The male pjrfues, the female yields :his is the law of 
 nature ; and it does not appear to be fufpenJed or abro 
 gated in favour of woman. This physical iupcriority 
 ci nnot be denied and it is a noble prerogative ! But 
 not content with this natural pre-eminence, men endea 
 vour to fink us ftill lower, merely to render us alluring 
 objects for a moment; and women, intoxicated by the 
 auoration which men, under the influence of their fenfes, 
 pay them, do not feek to obtain a durable intereft in 
 their hearts, or to become the friends of the fellow- 
 creatures who find amufement in their fociety. 
 
 I am aware of an obvious inference : from every 
 quarter have I heard exclamations againft mafculine 
 women; but where are they to be found? If, by this 
 appellation, men mean to inveigh againft their ardour in 
 hunting, mooting, and gaming, I fiuli moft cordially 
 join in the cry; but if it be ugainl the imitation of 
 manly virtues, or, more properly ipeaking, the attain 
 ment of thofe talents and virtues, the exercne of which 
 ennobles the human character, and which raife fe 
 males in the fcale of animal being, when they are com- 
 prehenfively termed mankind nil thofe who view them 
 with a philosophical eye mud, I mould think, wiilt 
 with me, that they may every day grow more and 
 more mafculine. 
 
 This difcuffion naturally divides the fubjeft. I mall 
 6ril confider women in the grand light of human 
 creatures, who, in common with men, are placed 
 
INTRODUCTION. Xiil 
 
 n this earth to unfjld their faculties ; anl afterwards 
 I mall more particularly point out their peculiar de- 
 fignation. 
 
 I wifh alfo to Heer clear of an error, which many re- 
 fjjctable writers have fallen into ; for the inilruftion 
 which has hither been addreffed to women, has rather 
 been applicable to ladies, if the little indirect advice, 
 that is fcattered through Gar.dford and Msrton, be ex- 
 ceptec! ; but, addreiiing my fcx in a linner tone, I pay- 
 particular attention to thjie in th2 middle ciafs, be- 
 caufe they appear to be in the moil natural flate. Perhaps 
 the feeds of fiufe refinement, immorality, and vanity, 
 have ever been Hied by the great. Weak, artificial 
 beings, raifed above the common wants and affections 
 of their race, in a prem-uure unnatural manner, under 
 mine the very foundation of virtue, and fpread corrup 
 tion through the whole rnais of fociety ! As a ckfs of 
 mankind they have the iiron-eil claim to pity ; the 
 education of the rich tends to render them vain and 
 helplefs, and the unfolding mind is not ftrengthened by 
 the practice of thoie duties which dignify the human 
 character. They only live to amufe themfelves, and 
 by the fame law which in nature invariably produces 
 certain effects, they iboa only afford barren amufement. 
 
 But as I purpofe taking a feparateview of the differ 
 ent ranks of fociety, and of the moial cuaracter of wo 
 men, in each, this hint is, for the prefent, fufficient ; 
 and I have o:\ly alluded to the fubjecl, becauie itap jears 
 to n e to be ;he very effbnce of an iu roduclion to 
 give a cur ("cry account of the conteuio of the work it 
 introduces. 
 
XiV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 1 My own fex, I hope, will excufe me, if I treat them 
 like rational creatures, inilead of flattering their fafci- 
 nating graces, and viewing them as if they were in a 
 Hate of perpetual childhood, unable to ftand alone. I 
 earneftly wifh to point out in what true dignity and hu 
 man happinefs confifts I wiih to perfuade women to en 
 deavour to acquire ilrength, both of mind and body, 
 and to convince them, that the foft phrafes, fufceptibility 
 of heart, delicacy of fentiment, and refinement of tafte, 
 are almcft fynonimous with epithets of weaknefs, and 
 that thofe beings who are only the objects of pity and 
 that kind of love, which has been termed its fifter, will 
 foon become objects of contempt. 
 
 Difmiffing then thofe pretty feminine phrafes, which 
 the men condescendingly ufe to foften our flaviih de 
 pendence, and defpifing that weak elegancy of mind, 
 exquifite fenfibility, and fweet docility of manners, fup- 
 pofed to be the fexual characterises of the weaker 
 vefTel, I wifh to mow that elegance is inferior to vir 
 tue, that the firft object of laudable ambition is to obtain 
 a character as a human being, regardle-fs of the diftinc- 
 tion of fex ; and that fecondary views mould be brought 
 to this fimple touchflone. 
 
 This is a rough fketch of 'my plan ; and mould I ex- 
 prefs my conviction with the energetic emotions that I 
 feel whenever I think of the fubject, the dictates of ex 
 perience and reflexion will be felt by fome of my 
 readers. Animated by this important object, I mall dif- 
 dain to cull my phrafes orpolifh my ftyle I aim at being 
 ufeful, and fmeerity will .render me unaffected j for, 
 
XV 
 
 rather to perfuade by the force of my argu 
 ments, than dazzle by the elegance of my language, I 
 fhall not wafte my time in rounding periods, nor in fa 
 bricating the turgid bombaft of artificial feelings, which, 
 coming from the head, never reach the heart. I mail be 
 employed about things, not words ! and, anxious to 
 render my fex more refpectable members of fociety, I 
 mall try to avoid that flowery diction which has flided 
 from elTays into novels, and from novels into familiar 
 letters and converfation. 
 
 Thefe pretty nothings thefe caricatures of the real 
 beauty of fenfibiiity, dropping glibly from the tongue, 
 vitiate the tafte, and create a kind of fickly delicacy that 
 turns away from fimple unadorned truth ; and a de 
 luge of falfe fentiments, and overltretched feelings, 
 ftifling the natural emotions of the heart, render the do- 
 meftic pleafures infipid, that ought to fv/eeten the ex- 
 ercife of thofe fevere duties, which educate a rational 
 and immortal being for a nobler field of action. 
 
 The education of women has, of late, been more at 
 tended to than formerly ; yet they are ftill reckoned a 
 frivolous fex, and ridiculed or pitied by the writers who 
 endeavour by fatire or inftruction to improve them. It 
 is acknowledged that they fpend many of the firfl 
 years of their lives in acquiring a Shattering of accom- 
 plifhments : meanwhile, ftrength of body and mind arc 
 facrificed to libertine notions of beauty, to the defire 
 of eftablifhing themfelves the ' only way women can 
 rife in the world by marriage. And this defire making 
 mere animals of them, when they marry they act as. 
 C 
 
X VI I N T R O D U C T I O N T . 
 
 fuch children may be expelled to act : they drefs ; they 
 piint, and nickname God's creatures. Surely thefe 
 weak beings are only fit for the feraglio ! Can they go 
 vern a family, or take care of the poor babes whom they 
 bring into the world ? 
 
 If then it can be fairly deduced from the prefent 
 conduct of the fex, from the prevalent fondnefs for 
 pleafure, which takes place of ambition and thofe nobler 
 paffions that open and enlarge the foul j that the inftruc- 
 tion which women have received has only tended, with 
 the conftitution of civil focieiy, to render them irifig- 
 nificant objects of defire ; mere propagators of fools ! 
 if it can be proved, that in aiming to accomplim them, 
 without cultivating their underilandings, they are taken 
 out of their fphere of duties, ?_nd made ridiculous and 
 ufelefs when the mort-lived bloom of beauty is over*, 
 I prefume that rational men will excuie me for endea 
 vouring to perfuade them to become more mafculine 
 and refpeclable. 
 
 Indeed the word mafculine is only a bugbear : there 
 is little reafon to fear that women will acquire too much 
 courage or fortitude; for their apparent inferiority with 
 refpect to bodily ilrength, muft render them, in fojne de 
 gree, dependent on men in the various relations of life ; 
 but why mould It be increafed by prejudices that give a 
 fcx to virtue, and confound fimple truths with fenfual 
 reveries ? 
 
 Women are, in fact, fo much degraded by miftaken 
 
 * A lively writer, I cannot recollefl Us name, a/is Vilat btiftnefe 
 women turned of furty ba^e to do in the world. 
 
INTRODUCTION. XV11- 
 
 notions of female excellence, that I do not mean to add 
 a paradox when I aflert, that this artificial v.-eaknefs 
 produces a propenfity to tyrannize, and gives birth to 
 cunning, the natural opponent of fireiigth, which leads 
 them to play off thofe contemptible infantile airs that 
 undermine eJdeein even wliilft they excite dcfire. Do 
 not fofter thefe prejudices, and they will naturally fall 
 into their fubordinate, yet refpeclable ftation in life. 
 
 It feems fcarcely neceffary to fay, that I now fpeak 
 of the fex in general. Many individuals have mere 
 fenfe than their male relatives ; and, as nothing pre 
 ponderates where there is a conftant flruggle for an 
 equilibrium, without it has naturally more gravity, 
 fome women govern their hufbands without degrading 
 themfelves, becaufe intelleft will always gov.cm. 
 
 C 2 
 
ADVERT 'IS EM EN1V 
 
 r r HEN I began te write this work, I divided it tnto 
 three farts, fuppojlng that one 'volume would contain a full 
 diffusion cf tic arguments which famed to n:e to rife na- 
 fur ally from a few fimple principles s lut frcjh illuft rations 
 occurring as J advanced, I nvw prefent only the frft part 
 ;c tic pullic. 
 
 Many fi-.bjeaS} hfrweutr, tvlich I have curforily alluded 
 to, cdi for particular in--veftigaiion, efyeciaUy the lanvs 
 relative to women, axel tbe confederation of their peculiar 
 duties. Tijffe will furnijk ample matter for a fecond vo 
 lume, which in d:te time will le publijhed, to clucidals 
 fane if tl.efeniiments, and complete many cf tie jketckei 
 le^Mi ii the j.rjl. 
 
VINDICATION 
 
 OF THE 
 
 RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 
 
 CHAP, i: 
 
 TJie rights and involved duties of mankind confidercd. 
 
 IN the prefent {late of. fociety, it appears neceffury to 
 go back to mil principles in fearch of the moH fimple 
 truths, and to difpute with fome prevailing prejudice 
 every inch of ground. To clear my way, I mult be 
 allowed to aik fome plain queftions, and the anfwers 
 will probably appear as unequivocal as the axioms on 
 which reafoning is built ; though, when entangled with 
 various motives of action, they are formally contradicted, 
 either by the words or conduct of men. 
 
 In what does man's pre-eminence over the brute cre 
 ation confift ? The anfwer is as clear as that a half is 
 lefs than the whole ; In P,eafon. 
 
 What acquirement exalts one being above another ?. 
 Virtue ; we fpontaneoufly reply. 
 
 For what purpofe were the pafiions implanted ? That 
 
2O VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 man by ^Higgling with them might attain a degree of 
 knowledge denied to the brutes ; whifpers Experience. 
 
 Cenfequently the perfe&ion of our nature and capa 
 bility of happinefs, muil be eflimated by the degree of 
 reafon, virtue, and knowledge, that diftinguim the indi 
 vidual, and direct the laws which bind fociety : and that 
 from the exercifc of reafon, knowledge and virtue na 
 turally flow, is equally undeniable, if mankind be 
 viewed collectively. 
 
 The rights and duties of man thus fimplified, it feems 
 almoft impertinent to attempt to illuftrate truths that 
 appear fo incontrovertible ; yet fuch deeply rooted pre 
 judices have clouded reafon, and fjch fpurious qualities 
 ;i..\i;;;Qumed the name of virtues, that it is neceflary to 
 purlV.c the courfe of reafon as it has been perplexed and 
 involved in error, by various adventitious circumilances, 
 comparing the firnple axiom with cafual deviations. 
 
 Men, in general, feem to employ their reafon to juf- 
 tii\ prejudices, v/hich they have imbibed, they cannot 
 IQ.W, rather tlun to root them out. The mind mufl 
 be ftrong that refolutely forms its own principles ; for 
 a kind of intellectual cowardice prevails which makes 
 many men fhrink from the talk, or only do it by halves. 
 Yet the imperfect conclufions thus drawn, are frequently 
 very plaufibie, becaufe they are built on partial experi 
 ence, cti juft, though narrow views. 
 
 Going back to fidl principles, vice Ikulks, with all 
 its native deformity, from clcfe inveiligation ; but a fet 
 cfftiallow reafoners are always exclaiming that thefe ar 
 guments proyp koo much, a-nd that a meafure rotten at 
 the core maybe expedient.. Thus expediency is cor^ti- 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN, 21 
 
 nually contrafted with fimple principles, till truth is loft 
 in a mift of words, virtue in forms, and knowledge ren 
 dered a founding nothing, by^the fpecious prejudices 
 that aflume its name. 
 
 That the fociety is formed in the wifefl manner, whofe 
 confutation is founded on the nature of man, {hikes, in 
 the abftraft, every thinking being fo forcibly, that it 
 looks like prefumption to endeavour to bring forward 
 proofs ; though proof muil be brought, or the flrong 
 hold of prefcription will never be forced by reafon ; 
 yet to urge prefcription as an argument to juftify the 
 depriving men (or women) of their natural rights, is 
 one of the abfurd fophifms which daily infult common 
 fenfe. 
 
 The civilization of the bulk of the people of Europe, 
 is very partial ; nay, it may be made a queftion, whe 
 ther they have acquired any virtues in exchange for 
 innocence, equivalent to the mifery produced by the 
 vices that have been plaftered over uniightly ignorance, 
 and the freedom which has been bartered for fplendid 
 flavery. The defire of dazzling by riches, the moil 
 certain pre-eminence that man can obtain, the pleaiure 
 of commanding flattering fycophants, and many other 
 complicated low calculations of doting felf-love, have 
 all contributed to overwhelm the mafs of mankind, and 
 make liberty a convenient handle for mock patriotifm. 
 For whilft rank and titles are held of the utmofl im 
 portance, before which Genius (C muft hide its di- 
 rninimed head," it is, with a few exceptions, very un- 
 "&rtunate for a nation when a man of abilities, without 
 
VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 rank or property, pufties himfelf forward to notice. 
 Alas ! what unheard of mifery have thoufands fuffered 
 to purchafe a cardinal's hat for an intriguing obfcure 
 adventurer, who longed to be- ranked with princes, or 
 lord it over them by feizing the triple crown ! 
 
 Such, indeed, has been the wretchednefs that has 
 flowed from hereditary honours, riclies, and monarchy, 
 that men of lively fenfibility have almoft utterec b. .f- 
 phemy in order to juftify the difpenfations of providence. 
 Man has been held out as independent of his power %v:.o 
 made him, or as a lawlefs planet darting from its orbit 
 to ileal the celeflial fire of reafon ; and the vengeance 
 of heaven, lurking in the fubtile flame fuftciently 
 puniflied his temerity, by introducing evil into the 
 world. 
 
 Imprefled by this view of the mifery and diforder 
 which pervaded fociety, and fatigued with joiliing sgainft 
 artificial fools, RoufTeau became enamoured of iolitude, 
 and, being at the fame time an optirnift, he labours with 
 uncommon eloquence to prove that man was naturally 
 a folitary animal. Mifled by his rcfpecl: for the good- 
 nefs of God, who certainly for what man of fenfe 
 and feeling can doubt it ! gave life only to communi 
 cate happinefs, he confiders evil as pofitive, and the 
 work of man; not aware that he was exalting one at 
 tribute at the expenfe of another, equally neceflkry to 
 divine perfection. 
 
 Reared on a falfe hypothecs, his arguments in favour 
 of a flate of nature are plaufible, but unfound. I fay 
 unfound; for to affert that a Hate of nature is preferable. 
 
JR.IGHTS OF WOMAN. 23 
 
 to civilization, in all its poffible perfection, is, in other 
 words, to arraign fupreme wifdorn ; and the paradoxical 
 exclamation, that God has made all things right, and 
 that evil has been introduced by the creature, whom he 
 formed, knowing what he formed, is as unphilofophical 
 as impious. 
 
 When that wife Being, who created us and placed us 
 here, faw the fair idea, he willed, by allowing it to be 
 fo, that the pafiions fliould unfold our reafon, becaufe he 
 could fee that prefent evil would produce future good. 
 Could the helplefs creature whom he called from nothing, 
 break loofe from his providence, and boldly learn to 
 know good by pradlifing evil, without his permiffion ? 
 No. How could that energetic advocate for immor* 
 tality argue fo inconfiilently ? Had mankind remained 
 for ever in the brutal ftate of nature, which even his 
 magic pen cannot paint as a ftate in which a fmgle vir 
 tue took root, it would have been clear, though not to 
 the feniitive unreflecting wanderer, that man was born 
 to run the circle of life and death, and adorn God's 
 garden for fome purpofe which could not eafily be re 
 conciled with his attributes. 
 
 But if, to crown the whole, there were to be rational 
 creatures produced, allowed to rife in excellence by the 
 exercife of powers implanted for that purpofe ; if be. 
 nignity itfelf thought fit to call into exiflence a crea 
 ture above the brutes*, who could think and improve 
 
 * Contrary to the opinion of anatom!J1s t *uJjo argue by analogy f 
 the format:on of the te^'(f> ) Jlomacb, and intejlines y 2\o>/JTfiZii iviil 
 filoiu man ta be a carnivorom animal. And t carried atvayj'rom 
 
 rom 
 
 nature 
 
24 VINDICATION OF TfiE 
 
 himfelf, why mould that ineftirnable gift, for a gift it 
 was, if a man was fo created as to have a capacity to 
 rife above the ftate in which fenfation produced brutal 
 eafe, be called, in direct terms, a curfe ? A curfe it might 
 be reckoned, if all our exigence was bounded by our 
 continuance in this world ; for why mould the gracious 
 fountain of life give us paffions, and the power of re 
 flecting, only to embitter our days, and infpire us with, 
 miftaken notions of dignity ? Why mould he lead us 
 from love of ourfelves to the fublime emotions which 
 the difcovery of his wifdom and goodnefs excites, if 
 thefe feelings were not fet in motion to improve our 
 nature, of which they make a partf, and render us ca 
 pable of enjoying a more godlike portion of happinefs ? 
 Firmly perfuaded that no evil exifb in the world that 
 God did not defign to take place, I build niy belief on 
 the perfection of God. 
 
 Rouffeau exerts himfelf to prove, that all was right 
 originally : a crowd of authors that all is now right : 
 and I, that all w/7/ be right. 
 
 lyaloveoffyjlsm, be d'-f^utet <iV l et!>er mm be a gregarious animal, 
 tbougl the long and beliefs ftaie of 'infancy fe^mt lo fo'iKt L;tn out at 
 particularly impelled to pair . 
 
 \ What ivould you fay fo a mechanic lulom you lad drfircd to male 
 a ivaichto point out the hour of tie L<. '-' f-'is ingenuity, be added 
 
 wheels to mate it a repeater, 1c that pe) /-' /'-' mecl.amftn ; 
 
 fbould he urge, to c+cufe I'urf. f~ LfiJ j"< noi tout cd a certal>fjfring t 
 you would Lave kr.rtun nothing of tie r.^/.r,', and tuc.t lx Jbovld bavt 
 anufed bimfelf bv making an experiment Tcit'-o>.t tlc'n? yo;i .;/';' harm : 
 ivould ysu not retort fairly upon hi, by ifiJif>:"->; <'' ' 'j '" b a <* not 
 added tbofe nccdlefs wbtclt and fftiagt, the accident <tul<l not 
 happened. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 25 
 
 But, true to his firil pofition, next to a flatc of na 
 ture, Rouffeau celebrates barbarifm, and, apoftrophizing 
 the made of Fabricius, he forgets that, in conquering 
 the world, the Romans never dreamed of eflablifning 
 their own liberty on a firm bafis, or of extending the 
 reign of virtue. Eager to fupport his fyflem, he ftig- 
 matizes, as vicious, every effort of genius ; and, uttering 
 the apotheofis of favage virtues, he exalts thofe to demi 
 gods, who were fcarcely human the brutal Spartans, 
 who, in defiance of juftice and gratitude, facriiked in 
 cold blood, the flaves who had mown themfglves men to 
 refcue their oppreiTors. 
 
 Difgufled with artificial manners and virtues, the 
 citizen of Geneva, inftead of properly fifting the fub- 
 jeft, threw away the wheat with the chaff, without 
 waiting to inquire whether the evils, which his ardent 
 foul turned from indignantly, were the confequence of 
 civilization, or the vefliges of barbarifm. He faw vice 
 trampling on virtue, and the femblance of goodnefs 
 taking place of the reality ; he faw talents bent by power 
 to fmifter purpofes, and never thought of tracing the 
 gigantic mifchief up to arbitrary power, up to the he 
 reditary diftin&ions that clam with the mental fuperi- 
 ority that naturally raifes a man above his fellows. He 
 did not perceive, that the regal power, in a few gene 
 rations, introduces idiotifm into the noble Item, and 
 holds out baits to render thoufands idle and vicious. 
 
 Nothing can fet the regal character in a more con 
 temptible point of view, than the various crimes that 
 have elevated men to the fupreme dignity. Vile in- 
 
26 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 trigues, unnatural crimes, and every vice that degrades 
 our nature, have been the fteps to this diftinguimed 
 eminence ; yet millions of men have fupinely allowed 
 the nervelefs limbs of the pofterity of fuch rapacious 
 prowlers to reft quietly on their enfanguined thrones*. 
 What but a peftilential vapour can hover over fociety, 
 when its chief director is only inftructed in the inven 
 tion of crimes, or the ftupid routine of chil dim ceremo 
 nies ? Will men never be wife ? will they never ceafe 
 to expect corn from tares, and figs from thiftles ? 
 
 It is impolfible for any man, when the moft favour 
 able circumflances concur, to acquire fufficient know 
 ledge and ftrength of mind to difcharge the duties of a 
 king, entrufled with uncontrolled power; how then 
 muft they be violated when his very elevation is an 
 infuperable bar to the attainment of either wifdom or 
 virtue ; when all the feelings of a man are ftifled by 
 flattery, and reflection fhut out by pleafure ! Surely it is 
 madnefs to make the fate of thoufands depend on the 
 caprice of a weak fellow-creature, whofe very ftation 
 finks him necej/arily below the meaneft of his fubjects ! 
 But one power mould not be thrown down to exalt 
 another for all power intoxicates weak man; and its 
 abufe proves, that the more equality there is eftabliihed 
 among men, the more virtue and happinefs will reign 
 in fociety. But this, and any fimilar maxim deduced 
 from fimple reafon, raifes an outcry the church or the 
 
 * Could there ie a greater infult offered to tie rights of man, tlsn 
 ihe beds of jujlice in Frantc, lulsn an infant was madetht organ oflbt 
 Jeteftablc Dubo'u ! 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 2J 
 
 ftate is in danger, if faith in the wifdom of antiquity is 
 not implicit ; and they who, roufed by the fight of hu 
 man calamity, dare to attack human authority, are re 
 viled as defpifers of God, and enemies of man. Thefe 
 are bitter calumnies, yet they reached one of the beft 
 of men,* whofe allies flili preach peace, and whofe me 
 mory demands a refpe&ful paufe, when fubje&s are dif- 
 cuffed that lay fo near his heart. 
 
 After attacking the facred majelty of Kings, I mall 
 fcarcely excite furprife, by adding my firm perfualion, 
 that every profeffion, in which great fubordination of 
 rank conftitutes its power, is highly injurious to mo 
 rality. 
 
 A ftanding army, for inftance, is incompatible with 
 freedom ; becaufe fubordination and rigour are the very 
 {mews of military difcipline ; and defpotifm is neceftary 
 to give vigour to enterprifes that one will directs. A 
 fpirit infpired by romantic notions of honour, a kind 
 of morality founded on the fafliion of the age, can only 
 be felt by a few officers, whilft the main body muft be 
 moved by command, like the waves of the fea ; for the 
 ftrong wind of authority pufhes the crowd of fubalterns 
 forward, they fcarcely know or care why, with headlong 
 fury. 
 
 Befides, nothing can be fo prejudicial to the morals 
 of the inhabitants of country towns, as the occasional 
 refidence of a fet of idle fuperftcial young men, whofe 
 only occupation is gallantry, and whofe poliihed man 
 ners render vice more dangerous, by concealing its de- 
 
 * Dr. Price. 
 
 D 
 
2,8 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 forrrjiy under gay ornamental drapery. An air of fa- 
 fhion, which is but a badge of flavery, and proves that 
 the foul has not a fcrong individual character, awes fim- 
 ple country people into an imitation of the vices, when 
 they cannot catch the flippery graces of politenefs. 
 Every corps is a chain of dcfpots, who, fubmitting and 
 tyrannizing without exerciiing their reafon, become 
 dead weights of vice and folly on the community, A 
 man of rank or fortune, fare of riling by intereft, has 
 nothing to. do but to purfae forne extravagant freak ; 
 vhiiit the needy gentleman, who is to rife, as the phrafe 
 turns, by his merit, becomes a fervile parafite or vile 
 pander. 
 
 Sailors, the naval gentlemen, come under the fame 
 defcription, only their vices affume a different and a 
 grefler care. They are more pofitively indolent, when 
 not difcharging the ceremonials of their ftation ; whilft 
 the infignificant fhttcrirg cf foldiers may be termed ac 
 tive idlcnefs. More confined to the fociety of men, the 
 former acquire a frndnefs for humour and mifchievous 
 tricks ; whilfl the latter, mixing frequently with well- 
 bred \Ycroeiij- catch a fentimental cant. But mintl is 
 equally out of the queftion, whether they indulge the 
 horfe-laugh. or polite fimper. 
 
 May I be allowed to extend the comparifon to a pro- 
 fcflion, where more mind is certain 1 y to be found ; for 
 the clergy nave fuperior opportunities cf improvement, 
 tliougb. fubordination almoft equally cramps their facul 
 ties ? The blind fubmiffion impofed at college to forms 
 of belief, ferves as a novitiate to the cura'ce, whomcft ob- 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 2Q 
 
 fequioully refpec~l the opinion of his reclor or patron, if 
 he means to rife in his profelRdn. Peirfia^s there cannot 
 be a more forcible contrail tnan between the fervile de 
 pendent gait of a poor curate and the courtly ir.cin of 
 n bifnop. And the refpeft and contempt they infpire 
 render the difcharge of their feperate functions equally 
 ufelefs. 
 
 It is of great importance to obferve, that the cho.ra6t.er 
 of every man is, in feme degree, formed by his profel- 
 fion. A man of fenfe may only have a call of counte 
 nance that wears off as you trace his individuality, whiht 
 the weak, common man has fcarcely ever any character, 
 but what belongs to the body ; at leaft, all his opinions 
 have been fo fteeped in the vat confecrated by authority, 
 that the faint fpirit which the gr.ipe of his own vine 
 yields cannot be diilinguifhed. 
 
 Society, therefore, as it becomes more enlightened, 
 mould be very careful not to eftablifh bodies of men, who 
 muft neceiTarily be made foolifh or vicious by the very 
 conftitution of their profeilion. 
 
 In the infancy of fociety, when men were juft emerg 
 ing out of barbarifm, chiefs and priefb, touching the 
 moft powerful fp rings of favage conduct, hope and fear, 
 mufl have had unbounded iV.iv. An. arillocracy, of 
 courfe, is naturally the firft form oi" govjrnment. But 
 claming in tereftsfoonlofmg their equipoile, a monarchy 
 and hierarchy break out of the confufion of ambitious 
 ftfuggles, and the foundation of both is.fecured by feudal 
 tenures. This appears to be the origin of monarchical 
 and prieftly power, and the dawn of civilization. But 
 
 D.2 
 
3 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 fuch combuftibie materials cannot long be pent up ; and, 
 getting vent in foreign wars and inteftine infurre&ions, 
 the people acquire Tome power in the tumult, which 
 obliges their rulers to glofs over their oppreflion with a 
 mew of right. Thus, as wars, agriculture, commerce, 
 and literature expand the mind, defpots are compelled, 
 to make covert corruption hold faft the power which 
 was formerly matched by open force *. And this bane 
 ful lurking gangrene is moil quickly fpread by luxury 
 and fuperftition, the fure dregs of ambition. The in 
 dolent puppet of a court firft becomes a luxurious mon- 
 fter, or fiilidious fenfualift, and then makes the con 
 tagion which his unnatural Hate fpread, the inflrument 
 of tyranny. 
 
 It is the peftifarious purple which renders the progrefs 
 of civilization a curfe, and warps the underflanding, till 
 men of fenfibiiity doubt whether the expanfion of intel 
 lect produces a greater portion of happinefs or mifery. 
 But the nature of the poifon points out the antidote ; 
 and had Roufieau mounted one ftep higher in his invef- 
 tigation; or could his eye have pierced through the 
 foggy atmofphere, which he almoil difdained to breathe, 
 his aclive mind would have darted forward to contem 
 plate the perfection of man in the eflablifnment of true 
 civilization, inftead of taking his ferocious flight back 
 to the night of fenfual ignorance. 
 
 * JWeu ef abilities fcatter feeds that gt oiv uj> } and have a great in 
 fluence on the firming opinion ; and ivben onct the pftbllc opinion prepon 
 derates, through the exertion of reafon, tie <fcerthtQ"w of arbitrary 
 foiver is not vet y di/Lint. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 3! 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 The prevailing opinion of a fexual character difcujjed. 
 
 JL O account for, and excufe the tyranny of man, 
 many ingenious arguments have been brought forward 
 to prove, that the two fexes, in the acquirement of vir 
 tue, ought to aim at attaining a very different charac 
 ter: or, to fpeak explicitly, women are not allowed to 
 have fufficient flrength of mind to acquire what really 
 deferves the name of virtue. Yet it fhould feem, allow 
 ing them to have fouls, that there is but one way ap 
 pointed by Providence to lead mankind to either virtue 
 or happinefs. 
 
 If then women are not a fvvarm of ephemeron triflers> 
 why mould they be kept in ignorance under the fpe- 
 cious name of innocence ? Men complain, and with 
 reafon, of the follies and caprices of our fex, when 
 they do not keenly fatirize our headHrong palfions and 
 groveling vices. Behold, I fliould anfwer, the natural 
 effect of ignorance ! The mind will ever be unftable that 
 has only prejudices to reft on, and the current will run. 
 with deftruclive fury when there are no barriers to 
 break its force. Women are told from their infancy, 
 and taught by the example of their mothers, that a lit 
 tle knowledge of human weaknefs, juftly termed cun 
 ning, foftnefs of temper, outward obedience, and a 
 fcrupulous attention to a puerile kind of propriety, will 
 obtain for them the protection of man; and Ihould they 
 
32 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 be beautiful, every thing elfe is needlefs, for, at leaft, 
 twenty years of their lives. 
 
 Thus Milton defcribes our firft frail mother; though 
 when he tells us that women are formed for foftnefs and 
 fvveet attractive grace, 1 cannot comprehend his mean 
 ing, unlefs, in the true Mahometan flrain, he meant to 
 deprive us of fouls, and insinuate that we were beings 
 only defigned by fweet attractive grace, and docile 
 blind obedience, to gratify the fenfes of man when he 
 can no longer foar on the wing of contemplation. 
 
 How grofsly do they infult us, who thus advife us 
 only to render ourfelves gentle, domeftic brutes ! For 
 i iftance, the winning foftnefs fo warmly, and frequent 
 ly recommended, that governs by obeying. What 
 childifh expreflions, and how infignificant is the being 
 can it be an immortal one? who will condefcend to 
 govern by fuch fmifter methods ! < Certainly,' fays 
 Lord Bacon, ' man is of kin to the beafts by his body;. 
 and if he be not of kin to God by his fpirit, he is a 
 ' bafe and ignoble creature!' Men, indeed, appear to 
 rne to aft in a very unphilofophical manner, when they 
 try to fecure the good conduct of women by attempting 
 to keep them always in a ftate of childhood. RoufTeau 
 was more confident when he wifhed to flop the progrefs, 
 of reafon in both fexes, for if men eat of the tree of 
 knowledge, women will come in for a tafle; but, from 
 the imperfect cultivation which their underftan dings 
 now receive, they only attain a knowledge of evil. 
 
 Children, I grant, mould be innocent; but when the 
 epithet is applied to mc-n, or women, it is but a civil 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN, 33 
 
 term for weaknefs. For if it be allowed that women 
 were deftined by Providence to acquire human virtues, 
 and by the exercife of their underilandings, that liabi 
 lity of character which is the firmeft ground to reft our 
 future hopes upon, they muft be permitted to turn to 
 the fountain of light, and not forced to fhape their 
 courfe by the twinkling of a mere fatellite. Miiton, I 
 grant, was of a very different opinion; for he only 
 bends to the indefefible right of beauty, though it 
 would be difficult to render two paffages which I now 
 mean to contrail, confident. But into fimilar inconftft- 
 encies are great men often led by their fenfes, 
 
 To iv/jom tlus Eve with perfe<9: beauty adoriid ' : 
 JMy Author and Dijpojer t "what tbou bidft 
 Unargucd / obey ; fo God ordains ; 
 God is thy law, thou mine : to know no more 
 Is Wamans happieft knowledge and her praife.' 
 
 Thefe are exactly the arguments that I have ufed to 
 children; but I have added, your reafon is now gaining 
 flrength, and, till it arrives at fome degree of maturity, 
 you muft look up to me for advice then you ought to 
 think, and only rely on God. 
 
 Yet in the following lines Milton feems to coincide 
 with me; when he makes Adam thus expoftu-late with 
 his Maker. 
 
 JJajl thou not made me here thy fulftittite. 
 And tbefe inferior far beneath me fet ? 
 Among unequals ivbatfociety 
 Can fort, tubat Larmony or true delight ? 
 Wblth mujl be mutual^ in proportion due 
 
34 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 Giifn and receivd ; tut in difparicy 
 f fht one intenfe^ the other jlill retr.lfi 
 Cannot ivellfuit with either^ but foon prevf 
 Tedious alike : of fellowfhip I fpeak 
 Such as Ifeek.fit to participate 
 All rational delight 
 
 In treating, therefore, of the manners of women, 
 let us, difregarding fenfual arguments, trace what we 
 mould endeavour to make them in order to co-operate, 
 if the expreffion be not too bold, with the Supreme 
 Being. 
 
 By individual education, I mean, for the fenfe of the 
 word is not precifely defined, fuch an attention to a 
 child as will {lowly fliarpen the fenfes, form the temper, 
 regulate the paflions, as they begin to ferment, and fet 
 the underftanding to work before the body arrives at 
 maturity ; fo that the man may only have to proceed, 
 not to begin, the important tafk of learning to think 
 and reafon. 
 
 To prevent any mifconftru&ion, I mult add, that I 
 do not believe that a private education can work the 
 wonders which fome fanguine writers have attributed to 
 it. Men and women muft be educated, in a great de 
 gree, by the opinions and manners of the fociety they 
 live in. In every age there has been a ftream of popu 
 lar opinion that has carried all before it, and given a 
 family character, as it were, to the century. It may 
 then fairly be inferred, that, till fociety be differently 
 conftituted, much cannot be expected from education. 
 It is, however, fufficient for my prefent purpofe to 
 aflert, that, whatever effect circumftances have en the. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 35 
 
 abilities, every being may become virtuous by the exer- 
 cife of its own reafon; for if but one being was created 
 with vicious inclinations, that is pofitively bad, what 
 can fave us from atlieifm? or if we worfhip a God, is 
 not that God a devil? 
 
 Confequently, the moft perfect education, in my 
 opinion, is fuch an exercife of the underftanding as is 
 beft calculated to flrengtlien the body and form the 
 heart. Or, in other words, to enable the individual to 
 attain fuch habits of virtue as will render it indepen 
 dent. In faft, it is a farce to call any being virtuous 
 whofe virtues do not refult from the exercife of its own 
 reafon. This was Rouffeau's opinion refpec"Ung men: 
 I extend it to women, and confidently ailert, that they 
 have been drawn out of their fphere by falfe refinement, 
 and not by an endeavour to acquire mafculine qualities. 
 Still the regal homage which they receive is fo intoxicat 
 ing, that till the manners of the times are changed, 
 and formed on more reafonable principles, it may be 
 impoflible to convince them, that the illegitimate power, 
 which they obtain by degrading themfelves, is a curfe, 
 and that they mult return to nature and equality, if they 
 wifh to fecure the placid fatisfa&ion that unfophifticated 
 affections impart. Bat for this epoch we muft wait- 
 wait, perhaps, till kings and nobles, enlightened by 
 reafon, and, preferring the real dignity of man to childiih 
 ftate, throw off their gaudy hereditary trappings: and 
 if then women do no relign the arbitrary power of 
 beauty they will prove that they have lefs mind than 
 man. 
 
36 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 I may be accufed of arrogance ; ftill I muil declare, 
 what 1 firmly believe, that all the writers who have 
 written on the iuhject of female education and manners, 
 from Rouficau to Dr. Gregory, have contributed to ren 
 der women more artificial, weak characters, than they 
 would otherwife have been; and, confequently, more 
 ufelefs members of ibciety. I might have expreiled this 
 conviction in a lower key; but I am afraid it would 
 have been the whine of affectation, and not the faithful 
 expreflion of my feelings, of the clear refult, which ex 
 perience and reflection have led me to draw. When I 
 come to that divifion of the fubject, I mail advert to the 
 paffages that I more particularly difapprove of, in the 
 works of the authors I have juil alluded to ; but it is 
 firft neceffary to obferve, that my objection extends to 
 the whole purport of thofe books, which tend, in my 
 opinion, to degrade one half of the human fpecies, and 
 render women pleafing at the expence of every folid 
 virtue. 
 
 Though, to reafon on Roufteau's ground, if man did 
 attain a degree of perfection of mind when his body ar 
 rived at maturity, it might be proper, in order to make 
 a man and his wife one, that {he mould rely entirely on 
 his underftanding ; and the graceful ivy, clafping the 
 oak that fupported it, would form a whole in which 
 flrength and beauty would be equally confpicuous. But, 
 alas ! hufbands, as well as their helpmates, are often 
 only overgrown children ; nay, thanks to early de 
 bauchery, fcarcely men in their outward form and if 
 the blind lead the blind, one need not come from hea 
 ven to tell us the confequence. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 37 
 
 Many arc the caufes that, in the prefent corrupt ftate 
 of fociety, contribute to enflave women by cramping 
 their underftandings and fliarpening their fenfes. One, 
 perhaps, that filently does more mifchief than all the 
 reft, is their difregard of order. 
 
 To do every thing in an orderly manner, is a moll 
 important precept, which women, who, generally fpeak- 
 ing, receive only a diforderly kind of education, fel- 
 dorn attend, to with that degree of exadnefs that men, 
 who from their infancy are broken into method, ob- 
 ferve. This negligent kind of guefs-work, for what 
 other epithet can be ufed to point out the random exer 
 tions of a fort of inilindlive common fenfe, never brought 
 to the ted of reafon ? prevents their generalizing mat 
 ters of facl: fo they do to-day, what they did yefter- 
 day, merely becaufe they did it yefterday. 
 
 This contempt of the undemanding in early life has 
 mere baneful coofcqueiices than is commonly Aippofed; 
 for the little knowledge wUich women of ftrong minds 
 attain, is, from various circumiiances, of a more deuil- 
 tory kind than the knowledge of men, and it is acquired 
 more by meer obfe'rvations on real life, than from com 
 paring what has been individually obferved with the re- 
 falts of experience generalized by fpeculation. Led by 
 their dependent fituatbn and domeftic employments 
 more into fociety, what they learn is rather by fnatches; 
 and as learning is with them, in general, only a fecon- 
 dary tiling, they Jo not purfue any one branch with 
 that pcrievcring ardour neccflary to give vigour to the 
 faculties, and clcaraefs to the judgment. In the pre- 
 
3 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 fent ilate of fociety, a little learning is required to fup- 
 port the character of a gentleman; and boys are obliged, 
 to fubmit to a few years of difcipline. But in the edu 
 cation of women, the cultivation of the underftanding 
 is always fubordinate to the acquirement of fome cor 
 poreal accomplifhment ; even while enervated by con 
 finement and falie notions of'modefty, the body is pre 
 vented from attaining that grace and beauty which 
 relaxed half- formed limbs never exhibit. Befides, in 
 youth their faculties are not brought forward by emula 
 tion; and having no ferious fcientific ftudy, if they 
 have natural fagacity it is turned too foon on life and 
 manners. They dwell on effects, and modifications, 
 without tracing them back to caufes ; and complicated 
 rules to adjuft behaviour are a weak fubftitute for fim- 
 ple principles. 
 
 As a proof that education gives this appearance of 
 \veaknefs to females, we may initance the example of 
 military men, who are, like them, fent into the world 
 before their minds have been ftored with knowledge or 
 fortified by principles. The confequences are fimilar ; 
 foldiers acquire a little fuperficial knowledge, fnatched 
 from the muddy current of converfation, and, from con 
 tinually mixing with fociety, they gain, what is termed 
 a knowledge of the world; and this acquaintance with 
 manner* and cufloms has frequently been confounded 
 with a knowledge of the human heart. But can the 
 crude fruit of cafual obfervation, never brought to the 
 tcft of judgment, formed by comparing fpeculation and,, 
 experience, defer ve fuch a diftinction? Soldiers, as well 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 39 
 
 women, pra&ife the minor virtues with punctilious po- 
 litenefs. Where is then the fexual difference, when the 
 education has been the fame ; All the difference thdt I 
 can difcern, arifes from the fuperior advantage of liber 
 ty, which enables the former to fee more of life. 
 
 It is wandering from my prefent fubjedl, perhaps, to 
 make a political remark; but as it was produced natu 
 rally by the train of my reflections, 1 ihall not pafs it fi- 
 lently over. 
 
 Standing armies can ever confift of refolute, robuft 
 men ; they may be well difciplined machines, but they 
 will feldom contain men under the influence of itrong 
 paffions, or with very vigorous faculties. And as for 
 any depth of underfcanding, I will venture to affirm, that 
 it is as rarely to be found in the army as amongft wo 
 men ; and the caufe, I maintain, is the fame. It may 
 be further obferved, that officers are alfo particularly at 
 tentive to their perfons, fond of dancing, crowded rooms, 
 adventures, and ridicule* . Like the fair fex, the bufi- 
 nefs of their lives is gallantry They were taught to 
 pleafe, and they only live to pleafe. Yet they do net 
 lofe their rank in the diftinclion of fexes, for they are 
 ftill reckoned fuperior to women, though in what their 
 fuperiority confifts, beyond what I have juit mentioned, 
 it is difficult to difcover. 
 
 The great misfortune is this, that they both acquire 
 
 * Why faould lOotnen be ctnfured lulik petulant aci 
 tJj-y fet.'M to have a pajjion for a fear let coat ? Has nut e 
 tre on a level ultb fddhrs than any ctbcr ciifs cj 
 
 E 
 
40 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 manners before morals, and a knowledge of life before 
 they have, from reflection, any acquaintance 'with the 
 grand ideal outline of human nature. The confequence 
 is natural; fatisfied with common nature, they become 
 a prey to prejudices, and tr.king all their opinions on 
 credit, they blindly fubrnit to authority. So that, if they 
 have any fenfe, ic is a kind of inftinctive glance, that 
 catches proportions, and decides with refpect to man 
 ners ; but fails when arguments are to be purfued below 
 the furfaee, or opinions analyzed. 
 
 May not the fame remark be applied to women ? 
 Nay, the argument may be carried {till further, for they 
 are both thrown out of a ufeful ilation by the unnatural 
 diilintions eUablifned in civilized life. Riches and he 
 reditary honours have made cyphers of women to give 
 conie|uence to the numerical figure ; and idlenefs has 
 produced a mixture of gallantry and defpotifm into fo- 
 ciety, which Isads the very men who are the flaves of 
 their miftreffes, to tyrannize over their fillers, wives, and 
 daughters. This is only keeping them in rank and file, 
 it is true. Strengthen the female mind by enlarging it, 
 and there will be an end to blind obedience; but, as 
 blind obedience is ever fought for by power, tyrants and 
 fenfjali.ls are in the right when they endeavour to keep 
 women in the dark, becaufe the former only want flaves, 
 and the latter a play-thing. The fenfualift, indeed, has 
 been, the moft dangerous of tyrants, and women have 
 been duped by their lovers, as princes by their mini- 
 flers, -vvhilil dreaming that they reigned over them. 
 
 I now principally allude to RouiTeau, for his charac- 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 4! 
 
 ter of Sophia, is, undoubtedly, a captivating cr.c, though 
 it appears to me groisly unnatural ; however, it is r,ot 
 the fuperftru&ure, but die foundation or her charter, 
 the principles on which her education was built, u 
 mean to attack j nay, warmly as I admire the genius of 
 that able writer, whofe opinions 1 iliali often have co 
 cafion to cite, indignation always takes place of adnn- 
 ration, and the rigid frown of iniultcd virtue effaces the 
 fmile of complacency, which his eloquent periods are 
 wont to raife, when I read his voluptuous reveries. 3s 
 this the man, who, in his ardour for virtue, would baniih 
 all the foft arts of peace, and aimoft carry us back 10 
 Spartan difcipiine ? Is this the man who delights to 
 paint the ufeful ftrugglss of pafiion, the triumphs of good 
 difpofitions, and the heroic flights which carry the 
 glowing foul out of itfelf ? How are thefc mighty fcn- 
 ments lowered when he defcribes the pre::i:y foot and 
 enticing airs of his little favourite ! But, for the p-re- 
 fent, I wave the fubject, and, inflead of fevc-:ely re 
 prehending the traiiiient efFufions of overweening fenfi- 
 bility, I mall only obferve, that whoever has caft a be 
 nevolent eye on fociety, mult often have been gratified 
 by the fight of humble mutual love, not dignified by 
 fentiment, nor ftrengthened by a union in intellectual 
 purfuits. The domeflic trilies of the day have afforded 
 matter for cheerful converfe, and innocent carefTes have 
 foftcned toils which did not require great exercife of 
 mind, or flretch of thought : yet, has not the fight of 
 this moderate felicity excited more tendernels than re- 
 fpecl? An emotion fimilar to what \ve feel when chil- 
 E 2 
 
42 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 dren are playing, or animals fporting*, whilfl the con-. 
 tcmplation of tile noble ftruggles of fufFering merit has 
 i- led admiration, and carried our thoughts to that 
 world where fenfation will give place to leafon. 
 
 Women are, therefore, to be confide red either as 
 moral beings, or fo weak that they muft be entirely 
 i.bjededto the fuperior faculties of men. 
 
 Let us examine this queftion. RoufTeau declares," that 
 a woman fhculd never, for a moment, feel herfelf inde 
 pendent, that me mould be governed by fear to exer- 
 cixe her natural cunning, and made a coqnetilh flave in 
 order to render her a more alluring object of deiire, 
 z fvosetcr companion to man, whenever he choofes to 
 relax himfeif. He carries the arguments, which he 
 pretends to draw from the indications of nature, ftill 
 further, and infmuates that truth and fortitude, the 
 corner flones of all human virtue, mall be cultivated 
 with certain reltriclicns, becaufe, with refpecl: to the 
 female character, obedience is the grand lefibn which 
 ought to be impreffed v/ith unrelenting rigour. 
 
 What nonfenfe I when will a great man arife with 
 fufFicient ftrength of mind to puff away the fumes which 
 pride and* feniuality have thus fpread over the fubjeol ! 
 
 * SimiLir fedlng* Las Mll'.tn * pleaftng pifiure of faradif:a:al lap' 
 pinefs ever raifid In my mind; yet, in ft cad of envying ile lovely pair, I 
 iWe, 10 :ib cc-r.fc'.ous dignity, or Satanic frittc, turned to hell for fitbl'nr.er 
 oljsfts. In tb'fameftylf^w^en viewing fame noble incniimtnt of I urn an 
 f faced the etnanallw of the De.'fy in the order I cd^ired, 
 'ir.v from that p'uL'y L'eigbt t I I'fVC taught myfclf ccntcm- 
 grinitfi of :.- bKmantfgbts -^f or fancy ^hll^l^d, in 
 reefffi ^r. i,:<ic;.j; uf jet funs, t ifingfuftiicr 1o fnj/'cr. and 
 
OF WOMAN. 43 
 
 If women are by nature inferior to men, their virtues 
 muft be the fame in quality, if not in degree, or virtue 
 is a relative idea ; confequently, their conduft mould be 
 founded on the fame principles, and have the fame aim. 
 
 Connecled with man as daughters, wives, and mo 
 thers, their moral character may be eilimated by their 
 manner of fulfilling thofe fimple duties ; but the end, 
 the grand end cf their exertions fiiould be to unfold 
 their own faculties, and acquire the dignity of confcious 
 virtue. They may try to render their road pleafant ; 
 but ought never to forget, in common with man, that 
 life yields not the felicity which can fatisfy an im 
 mortal foul. I do not mean to insinuate, that either fex 
 mould be fo loft, in abftract reflections or diitant views, 
 as to forget the affeclions and duties that lie before them, 
 and are, in truth, the means appointed to produce the 
 fruit of life ; on the contrary, I would warmly recom 
 mend them, even while I affert, that they afford mo ft 
 fatisfa&ion when they are comlclered in their true 
 fabordinate light. 
 
 Probably the prevailing opinion, that woman was 
 created for man, may have taken its rife from Mofes'.s 
 poetical {lory ; yet, as very few it is prefumed, who 
 have bellowed any ferious thought on the fubjecl, ever 
 fuppcfed that Eve was, literally fpeaking, one of Adam's 
 ribs, the deduction muft be allowed to fall to the 
 ground ; or only be fo fir admitted as it proves that 
 man, from the remoteft antiquity, founl it convenient to 
 exert his ftrength to fubjugate his companion, arid his 
 invention to mow that ilie ought to have her neck bent 
 E 3 
 
44 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 under the yoke ; becaufe flie, as well the brute creation, 
 was created to do his pleafure. 
 
 Let it not be concluded, that I wifli to invert the order 
 of things ; I have already granted, that, from the coniU- 
 tution of their bodies, men feem to be defigned by Pro 
 vidence to attain a greater degree of virtue. I fpeak 
 collectively of the whole fex ; but I fee not the fhadow 
 of a reafcn to conclude that their virtues mould differ 
 in refpedt to their nature. In faft, how can they, if 
 virtue has only one eternal ftanclard ? I muft, there 
 fore, if I reafon confequentially, as fcrenuoufly main- 
 Tain, that they have the fame iimple direction, .as that 
 there is a God. 
 
 It follows then, that cunning mould not be oppofed to 
 wifdom, little cares to great exertions, nor infipid foft- 
 nefs, varniihed over with the name of gentlenefs, to 
 that fortitude which grand views alone can infpire. 
 
 I mall be told, that woman would then lofe many of 
 her peculiar graces, and the opinion of a well known 
 poet might be quoted to refute my unqualified aflertions. 
 for Pope has foid, in the name of the whole male fex, 
 
 ' Yet ne'er Co furs oat* bafjlons to create^ 
 
 * As lubenjke toucl ' d the brink of all we hate? 
 
 In what light this fally places men and women, I 
 mail leave to the judicious to determine; meanwhile 
 I mall content myfelf with obferving, that I cannot 
 difcover why, unlefs they are mortal, females mould 
 always be degraded by being made fubfervient to love 
 or luft. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 45 
 
 To fpeak difrefpe&fully of love Is, I know, high 
 treafon againft feritiment and fine feelings ; but I wifti 
 to fpeak the fimple language of truth, and rather to 
 addrefs the head than the heart. To endeavour to rea- 
 fon love out of the world, would be to out Quixote 
 Cervantes, and equally offend againft common fenfe ; 
 but an endeavour to reftrain this tumultuous paffion, 
 and to prove that it fhould not be allowed to de 
 throne fuperior powers, or to ufurp the fceptre which 
 the underftanding mould ever coolly wield, appears 
 lefs wild. 
 
 Youth is the feafon for love in both fexes ; but in 
 thofe days of thoughtlefs enjoyment provifion mould be 
 made for the more important years of life, when re 
 flection takes place of fenfation. But RoufTeau, and moil 
 of the male writers who have followed his fteps, have 
 warmly inculcated that the whole tendency of female 
 education ought to be directed to one point to render 
 them pleafmg. 
 
 Let rne reafon with the fupporters of this opinion, 
 who have any knowledge of human nature, do they 
 imagine that marriage can eradicate the habitude of 
 life ? The woman who has only been taught to pleafe, 
 will foon find that her charms are oblique fun-beams, 
 and that they cannot have much effect on her hufband's 
 heart when they are feen every day, when the fummer 
 is paft and gone. Will me then have fufficient native 
 energy to look into herfelf for comfort, and cultivate 
 her dormant faculties ? or, is it not more rational to 
 expect, that fhe will try to pleafe other men j and, 
 
.46 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 
 in the emotions raifed by the expectation of new con- 
 quefts, endeavour to forget the mortification her love 
 or pride has received ? When the hufband ceafes to 
 be a lover and the time will inevitably come, her 
 defire of pleafing will then grow languid, or become a 
 f|xring of bitternefs ; and love, perhaps, the moft eva- 
 nefcbnt of all paffions, gives place to jealoufy or vanity* 
 
 I now fpeak of women who are reftrained by princi 
 ple or prejudice ; fuch women, though they would 
 fhrink from an intrigue with real abhorrence, yet, 
 neverthelefs, wim to be convinced by the homage of 
 "gallantry, that they are cruelly neglected by their huf- 
 bands ; or, days and weeks are fpent in dreaming of 
 the happinefs enjoyed by congenial fouls, till the health 
 is undermined and the fpirits broken by difcontent. 
 How then can the great art of pleafing be fuch a 
 neceflkry ftudy ? it is only ufeful to a miftrefs ; the 
 chaile wife, and ferious mother, mould only consider 
 her power to pleafe as the polifhof her virtues, and the 
 affection of her hulband as one of the comforts that 
 render her talk lefs difficult, and her life happier. But, 
 whether me be loved or neglected, her firft wifh mould 
 be to make herfelf refpectable, and not to rely for all 
 her happinefs on a being fubject to like infirmities with 
 herfelf. 
 
 The amiable Dr. Gregory fell into a fimilar error. 
 I refpect his heart; but entirely difapnrove of his cele 
 brated Legacy to his Daughters. 
 
 He advifes them to cultivate a fondnefs for.drefs, 
 becaufe a fondnefs for drefs, he afferts, is natural to 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 47 
 
 them. I am unable to comprehend what either he or 
 Roufleau mean, when they frequently ufe this indefinite 
 term. If they told us, that in a pre-exiftent (late the 
 foul was fond of drefs, and brought this inclination 
 \viih it into a new body, I fliould liften to them with a 
 half fmile, as I often do when I hear a rant about in 
 nate elegance. But if he only meant to fay that the 
 exercife of the faculties will produce this fondnefs, I 
 deny it. It is not a natural ; but arifes, like falfe am 
 bition in men, from a love of power. 
 
 Dr. Gregory goes much further ; he adlually recom 
 mends diflimulation, and advifes an innocent girl to 
 give the lie to her feelings, and not dance with fpirit' 
 when gaiety of heart would make her feet eloquent* 
 without making her geftures immodefl. In the name of 
 truth and common fenfe, why mould not one woman 
 acknowledge that me can take more exercife than 
 another ? or, in other words, that me has a found con- 
 fUtution ; and why, to damp innocent vivacity, is (lie 
 darkly to be told, that men will draw conclufions which 
 me little thinks of? Let the libertine draw what in 
 ference he pleafes ; but, I hope, that no fenfible mother 
 will reftrain the natural franknefs of youth, by inftil- 
 ling fuch indecent cautions. Out of the abundance of the 
 heart the mouth fpeaketh ; and a wifer than Solomon 
 hath faid, that the heait mould be made clean, and not 
 trivial ceremonies obferved, which it is not very diffi 
 cult to fulfil with fcrupulous exaftnefs when vice reigns 
 in the heart. 
 
 Women ought to endeavour to purify their hearts ; 
 
48 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 but can they do fo when their uncultivated underfland- 
 ings make them entirely dependent on their ienles for 
 employment and amufement, when no noble purfuits fets 
 them above the little vanities of the day, or enables 
 them to curb the wild emotions that agitate a reed over 
 which every paffing breeze has power ? To gain the 
 affections of a virtuous man, is affectation neceffary ? 
 Nature has given woman a weaker frame than man ; 
 but, to enfure her hufbana's afieclions, rnuft a wife, who, 
 by the exercife of her mind and body, whillt ihe was 
 difcharging the duties of a daughter, wife, and mother, 
 has allowed her confutation to retain its natural 
 ftrength, and her nerves a healthy tone, is fhe, I fay, to 
 condefcend, to ufe art, and feign a fickly delicacy, in 
 order to fecure her hufband!s affection ? Weaknefs may 
 excite tendernefs, and gratify the arrogant pride of man ; 
 but the lordlefs careffes of a protector will not gratify a 
 noble mind that pants for, and deferves to be refpecled, 
 Fondnefs is a poor fubftitute for friendihip ! 
 
 In a feraglio, I grant that ail thefe arts are necefiary ; 
 the epicure mud have his palate tickled, or he will 
 fink into apathy; but have women fo little ambition as 
 to be fatisfied with fuch a condition ? Can they fupinely 
 dream life away in the lap of pleafare, or the languor 
 of wearinefs, rather than aiTert their claim to purfue 
 reafonable pleafures, and render themfelves confpicuous, 
 by praclifmg the virtues which dignify mankind ? 
 Surely me has not an immortal foul who can loiter life 
 away, merely employed to adorn her perfon, that me 
 may amufe the languid hours, and foften the cares of a 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 49 
 
 fellow-creature who is willing to be enlivened by her 
 fmiles and tricks, when the ferious buiinefs of life is over. 
 
 Befides, the woman who ftrengthens her body and 
 exercifes her mind will, by managing her family and 
 pra&ifmg various virtues, become the friend, and not 
 the humble dependent of her hufband, and if me de- 
 fervss his regard by polTelTmg fuch fabftantial qualities, 
 (he will not find it necefTary to conceal her affection, 
 nor to pretend to an unnatural coldnefs of conilitutionto 
 excite her huiband's paffions. In fact, if we revert to 
 hiilory, we ihall iind that the women who have diftin- 
 guifhed themfelves Have neither been ihe moil beautiful 
 nor the mofc gentle or their fax, 
 
 Nature, or to fpeak with Uriel propriety God, has 
 made all things rig lit ; but mm hus fought him out 
 many inventions to mar the work. I now allude to that 
 part of Dr. Gregory's treatiie, where he advifes a wife 
 never to let her hulband know the extent of her fenfibi- 
 lity or affection. Voluptuous precaution, and as ineffec 
 tual as abfard. Love, from its very nature, muft be 
 tranlitory. To feek for a fecret that would render it 
 conflant, would be as wild a iearch as for the philofo- 
 pher's ftone, or the grand panacea ; and the difcovery 
 would be equally u/elefs, or rather pernicious to man 
 kind. The moft holy band of fociety is f/iendfhip. It 
 has been well (aid, by a flirewd fatirift, '* that rare as 
 true love is, true friendmip is iHll rarer" 
 
 This is an obvious truth, andthecaufe not lying deep, 
 will not eluck a flight glance of inquiry. 
 
 Love, the common pafiion, in which chance and fen- 
 
5<3 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 fation take place of choice and reafon, is, in fome de 
 gree, felt by the mafs of mankind ; for it is not necef- 
 fary to fpeak, at prefent, of the emotions that rife above 
 or fmk below love. This paffion, naturally increafed by 
 fufpenfe and difficulties, draws the mind out of its ac- 
 cuflomed ftate, and exalts the afte&ions ; but the fecu- 
 rity of marriage, allowing the fever of love to fublicle, 
 a healthy temperature i? thought infipid, only by thofe 
 who have not fufficient intellect to fubftitute the calm 
 tendernefs of friendfhip, the confidence of refpeft, in- 
 ftead of blind admiration, and the fenfual emotions of 
 fondnefs. 
 
 This is, muft be, the courfe of nature friendmip or 
 indifference inevitably fucceeds love. And this confti- 
 tution feems perfectly to harmonize with the fyftem of 
 government which prevails in the moral world. Paf- 
 fions are fours to action, and open the mind; but they 
 fmk into mere appetites, become a perfonal and mo 
 mentary gratification, when the object is gained, and the 
 fatisfied mind refts in enjoyment. The man who had 
 fome virtue whilft he was ftru^gling for a crown, often 
 becomes a voluptuous tyrant when it graces his brow ; 
 and, when the lover is not loft in the hufband, the do 
 tard, a prey to childifh caprices, and fond jealoufies, 
 negleds the ferious duties of life, and the careffes which 
 mould excite confidence in his children are lavifhed on 
 the overgrown child, his wife. 
 
 In order to fulfil the duties of life, and to be able to 
 purfue with vigour the various employments which form 
 the moral character, a mailer and jniftrefs of a family 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 51 
 
 ought not to continue to love each other with pailion. 
 I mean to fay, that they ought not to indulge thofe 
 emotions which diflurb the order of fociety, and engrofs 
 the thoughts that mould be otherwife employed. The 
 mind that has never been engrofied by one object wants 
 vigour if it can long be fo, it is weak. 
 
 A miilaken education, a narrow, uncultivated mind, 
 and many fexual prejudices, tend to make women more 
 conftant than men; but, for the prefent, I {hall not 
 touch on this branch of the (abject. I will go flill fur 
 ther, and advance, without dreaming of a paradox, that 
 an unhappy marriage is often very advantageous to a fa 
 mily, and that the negle&ed wife is, in general, the bell 
 mother. And this would almeil always be the confe- 
 quence, if the female mind was more enlarged : for, it 
 feems to be the common difpenfation of Providence, 
 that what we gain in prefent enjoyment mould be de- 
 dueled from the treasure of life, experience; and that 
 when we are gathering the flowers of the day and revel 
 ling in pleafure, the folid fruit of toil and wifdom mould 
 not be caught at the fame time. The way lies before 
 us, we muft turn to the right or left; and he who will 
 pafs life away in bounding from one pleafure to another, 
 mull: not complain if he neither acquires wifdom nor re- 
 fpeclability of character. 
 
 Suppofing, for a moment, that the foul is not immor 
 tal, aad that man was only created for the prefent fcene, 
 I think we mould have reufon to complain that love, 
 inf .ntins foninefs, ever grew infipid and palled upon 
 the fenfe. Let us eat, drink, and love, for to-morrow 
 F 
 
52 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 we die, would be, in feel, the language of reafon, the 
 morality of life ; and who but a fool would part with a 
 reality for a fleeting fhadow ? But, if awed by obferving 
 the improvable powers of the mind, we difdain to con 
 fine our w ifhes or thoughts to fuch a comparatively 
 mean field of aclion; that only appears grand and im 
 portant, as it is connected with a boundlefs profpedl and 
 fublime hopes, what neceffity is there for falfehood in 
 condudt, and why muft the facred majefty of truth be 
 violated to detain a deceitful good that faps the very 
 foundation of virtue? Why muft the female mind be 
 tainted by coquetifh arts to gratify the fenfualift, and 
 prevent love from lubliding inco friendfhip, or compaf- 
 ijonate tendeinefs, when there are not qualities on which 
 friendfnip can be built? Let the honell heart mew itfelf, 
 and rcaj'on teach pafiion to fubmit to neceflity; or, let 
 the dignified puriuit of virtue and knowledge raife the 
 mind above taofe emotions which rather imbitter than 
 fweeten the cup of life, when they are not reftrained 
 within due bounds. 
 
 I do not meun to allude to the romantic paflion, which 
 is tiie concomitant of genius. Who can clip its wing? 
 Bat that grand paffion not proportioned to the puny en 
 joyments of life, is only true to the fentiment, and feeds 
 on ufelf. The puiTiuns which have been celebrated for 
 their durability hnve always been unfortunate. They 
 have acquired lirength by ablence and conftitutional 
 i: . 1 nchuiy The fancy has hovered round a fojnvof 
 bcr.aty dirrly feer but Lmiliarity might have turned 
 ^ciun mto du^uilj or, at ie^l, into ijudiiference, 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 53 
 
 and allowed the imagination leifure to Hart fVefli game. 
 With perfect propriety, according to this view of things, 
 does RoufTeau make the miftrefs of his foul, Eloifa, love 
 St. Preux, when life was fading before her; but this is 
 no proof of the immortality of the paffion. 
 
 Of the fame complexion is Dr. Gregory's advice re- 
 fpefting delicacy of fentiment, which he advifes a wo 
 man not to acquire, if me has determined to marry. 
 This determination, however, perfectly confident with 
 his former advice, he calls indelicate, and earneftly per- 
 fuades his daughters to conceal it, though it may go 
 vern their conducl : as if it were indelicate to have the 
 common appetites of human nature. 
 
 Noble morality ! and confident with the cautious pru 
 dence of a little foul that cannot extend its views be 
 yond the prefent minute divifion of exiftence. If all the 
 faculties of woman's mind are only to be cultivated as 
 they refpecl her dependence on man; if, when {he obtains 
 a hulband me has arrived at her goal, and meanly proud, 
 is fatisfied with fuch a paltry crown, let her grovel con 
 tentedly, fcarcely raifed by her employments above the 
 animal kingdom ; but, if me is ftruggling for the prize 
 of her high calling, let her cultivate her underftanding 
 without Hopping to confider what character the huiband 
 may have whom me is deilined to marry. Let her only 
 determine, without being too anxious about prefent hap- 
 pinefs, to acquire the qualities that ennoble a rational 
 being, and a rough inelegant huflxmd may Ihock her 
 taile without deftroying her peace of mind. She wii^ 
 not model her foul to fuit the frailties of her companioisT 
 F 2 
 
54 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 but to bear with them: ms chara&er may be a trial, but 
 not an impediment to virtue. 
 
 If Dr. Gregory confined his remark to romantic ex 
 pectations of conftant love and congenial feelings, he 
 Ihould have recollected, that experience will baniih what 
 advice can never make us ceafe to wifh for, when the 
 imagination is kept alive at the expence of reafon. 
 
 I own it frequently happens, that women who have 
 foflered a romantic unnatural delicacy of feeling, wafte 
 their* lives in imagining how happy they fhoald have 
 been with a huiband who could love them with a fervid 
 increafmg affeftion every day, and all day. But they 
 might as well pine married as fingle and would not be 
 a jot more unhappy with a bad huiband than longing 
 for a good one. That a proper education ; or, to fpeak 
 with more preciiion, a well ftored mind, would enable 
 a woman to fupport a fingle life with dignity, I grant; 
 but that ine Ihould avoid cultivating her taile, left her 
 huiband mould occafionally (hock it, is quitting a fub- 
 ilance for a fhadow. To fay the truth, I do not know 
 of what ufe is an improved tafte, if the individual is not 
 rendered more independent of the cafualties of life; if 
 new fources of enjoyment, only dependent on the foli- 
 tary operations of the mind, are not opened. People 
 of tafte, married or fingle, without diflindion, will ever 
 be difgufted by various things that touch not lefs ob- 
 ferving minds. On this conclufion the argument muft 
 not be allowed to hinge; but in the whole furn of en 
 joyment is tafte to be denominated a bleiTmg? 
 
 * for example ; the herd of novtlifts. 
 
RIGHTS 'OF WOMAN. 55 
 
 The queftion is, whether it procures moft pain or 
 pleafure? The anfwer will decide the propriety of Dr. 
 Gregory's advice, and {hew how abfurd and tyrannic it 
 is thus to lay down a fyflem of flavery ; or to attempt to 
 educate moral beings by any other rules than thofe de 
 duced from pure reafon, which apply to the whole fpecies. 
 
 Gentlenefs of manners, forbearance, and long-fuffer- 
 ing, are fuch amiable Godlike qualities, that in Hibiirne 
 poetic ftrains the Deity has been inverted with them ; 
 and, perhaps, no reprefentation of his goodnefs fo 
 ftrongly fattens on the human affections as thofe that 
 represent him abundant in mercy and willing to pardon. 
 Gentlenefs, confidered in this point of view, bears on 
 its front all the charadleriftics of grandeur, combined 
 with the winning graces of condefceniion ; but what a 
 different afpeft it aiTumes when it is the fubmiffive de 
 meanour of dependence, the fupport of weaknefs that 
 loves, becaufe it wants protection; and is forbearing, 
 becaufe it muft filently endure injuries; fmiiing under 
 the lain at which it dare not fnarl. Abjedt as this pic 
 ture appears, it is the portrait of an accomplimed wo 
 man, according to the received opinion of female excel 
 lence, feparated by fpecious reafoners from human ex* 
 cellence. Or, they * kindly reftore the rib, and make, 
 one moral being of a m:m and woman; not forgetting 
 to give her all the e fubmiffive charms.* 
 
 How women are to exift in that fbte where there is 
 to be neither mawying nor giving in marriage* we are 
 
 * Vidt Roseau i afid Swsilenborg* 
 3 
 
56 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 not told. For though moralifts have agreed, that the 
 tenor of life feems to prove that man is prepared by vari 
 ous circumrtances for a future Mate, they conftantly con 
 cur in 'advifmg woman only to provide for the prefent. 
 Gentlenefs, docility, and a fpaniel-like affection are, on 
 this ground, confidently recommended as the cardinal 
 virtues of the fex; and, disregarding the arbitrary eco 
 nomy of nature, one writer has declared that it is maf- 
 cuHne for a woman to be melancholy. She was created 
 to be the toy of man, his rattle, and it muft jingle in 
 his ears whenever, difmiffing reafon, he choofes to be 
 amufed. 
 
 To recommend gentlenefs, indeed, on a broad bafis 
 is flrictly philosophical. A frail being mould labour to 
 be gentle. But when forbearance confounds right and 
 wrong, it ceafes to be a virtue; and, however conveni 
 ent i't may be found in a companion that companion 
 will ever be confidered as an inferior, and only infpire 
 a vapid tcndernefs, which eafily degenerates into con 
 tempt. Still, if advice could really make a being gen 
 tle, \vhofe natural difpoiidon admitted not of fuch a fine 
 , fomething towards the advancement of order 
 I be attained ; .but if, as might quickly be demon- 
 frratcd, only affectation be produced by this indifcrimi- 
 nate counfel, which throws a rtumbling-block in the way 
 of gradual improvement, and true melioration of tem 
 per, the fex is not much benefited by facrincing folid 
 virtues to the attainment of fuperiicial^races, though for 
 a few years they may procure the individuals regal fway. 
 
 As a philofopher, I read with indignation the plau- 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN". 57 
 
 fible epithets which men ufe to foften their infults; and, 
 as a moralift, I aik what is meant by fuch heteroge 
 neous aflbciations, as fair defects, amiable weakneffes, 
 &c.? If there is but one criterion of morals, but one 
 arche-type for man, women appear to be fufpended by 
 deAiny, according to the vulgar tale of Mahomet's cof 
 fin ; they have neither the unerring inilinct of brutes, 
 nor are allowed to fix the eye of reafon on a perfect mo 
 del. They were made to be loved, and muil not aim 
 at refpect, left they mould be hunted out of fociety as 
 mafculine. 
 
 But to view the fubject in another point of view. Do 
 paflive indolent women make the beft wives? Confining 
 our difcuiTion to the prefent moment of exiflence, let us 
 fee how fuch weak creatures perform their part ? Do the 
 women who., by the attainment of a few fuperficial ac- 
 complifhments, have ftrengthened the prevailing pre 
 judice, merely contribute to the happinefs of their huf- 
 bands? Do they difplay their charms merely to amufe 
 them? And have women, who have early imbibed no 
 tions of paflive obedience, fufficient character to manage 
 a family or educate children? So far from it, that, after 
 furvcying the hifiory of woman, I cannot help, agree 
 ing with the fevereit fatirift, considering the fex as the 
 werAeil as well as the moil opprefled half of the fpecies. 
 What does hiftory difclofe but marks of inferiority, and 
 how few women have emancipated themfelves from the 
 galling yoke of fovereign man? So few, that the ex 
 ceptions remind me of an ingenious conjecture refpect- 
 ing Newton: that he was probably a being of a fuperior 
 
58 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 order, accidentally caged in a human body. In the 
 fame ftyle I have been led to imagine that the few ex 
 traordinary women who have rulhed in eccentrical di 
 rections out of the orbit prefcribed to their fex, were 
 male fpirited, confined by miftake in a female frame. 
 But if it be not philofophical to think of fex when the 
 foul is mentioned, the inferiority mult depend on the or 
 gans; or the heavenly fire, which is to ferment the clay, 
 is not given in equal portion?. 
 
 " ' But avoiding, as I have hitherto done, any direct 
 comparifon of the two fexes colleftively, or frankly ac 
 knowledging the inferiority of woman, according to the 
 prefent appearance of things, I mall only infift, that men 
 have increafed that inferiority till women are almoil 
 funk below the ftandard of rational creatures. Let their 
 faculties have room to unfold, and their virtues to gain 
 flrength, and then determine where the whole fex mull 
 ftand in the intelleclual fc:Je. Yet, Jet it be remem 
 bered, that for a frnall number of diilmguimed women 
 I do not afk a place. 
 
 It is difficult for us purblind mortals to fay to what 
 height human discoveries and improvements may arrive, 
 when the gloom of defpotifrn fubfides, which makes us 
 flumble at every Hep ; but when morality mall be fettled 
 on a more folid bails, then, without being gifted with 
 a prophetic fpirit, I will venture to predict, that woman 
 will be either the friend or {lave cf man. We (hall not, 
 as at prefent, dov-n whether ftie is a mortal agent, or 
 the link which unii.es mr.n with brutes. But, mould it 
 then appear, that like the brutes they were principally 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN'. 59 
 
 created for the ufe of man, he will let them patiently 
 bite the bridle, and not mock diem with empty praife; 
 or, fliould their rationality be proved, he will not im 
 pede their improvement merely to ^.uify his fenfual 
 
 appetites. He will not v, ices of rhetoric, 
 
 advife them to fabmit imp' landings to 
 
 the guidance of man. II~ vvi -en he treats of 
 
 the education of women, after t, t;. .Light never 
 
 to have the free ufe of reaibn, no: w ..... he recommend 
 cunning an.: ) are acquiring* 
 
 in like manner as himfelf, the virtues of humanity. 
 
 Surely there can be but one rule of right:, if morality 
 has an eternal foundation, and whoever faoiinces virtue, 
 flriclly fo called, to prefent convenience, or whofe duty 
 it%is to ail in fuch a manner, lives only for the paffing 
 day, and cannot be an accountable creature. 
 
 The poet then mould have dropped his fneer when 
 he fays, 
 
 ' ' If tvcak women go ajlray , 
 
 " Tbeftars are more in fault than tfayi" 
 
 For that they are bound by the adamantine chain of def- 
 tiny is moil certain, if it be proved that they are never 
 to exercife their own reafon, never to be independent, 
 never to rife above opinion, or to feel the dignity of a 
 rational will that only bows to God, and often forgets 
 that the univerfe contains any being but itfelf, and the 
 model of perfection to which its ardent gaze is turned, 
 to adore attributes that, foftened into virtues, may be 
 imitated in kind, though the degree overwhelms the 
 enraptured mind. 
 
6O VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 If, I fay, for I would not imprefs by declamation 
 when Reafon offers her fober light, if they are really 
 capable of acting like rational creatures, let them not be 
 treated like flaves ; or, like the brutes who are depend 
 ent on the reafon of man, when they affociate with him ; 
 but cultivate their minds, give them the falutary, fub- 
 lime curb of principle, and let them attain confcious 
 dignity by feeling themfelves only dependent on God. 
 Teach them, in common with man, to fubmit to necef- 
 iity, inftead of giving, to render them more pleafmg, a 
 fex to morals. 
 
 Further, ftiould experience prove that they cannot att 
 tain the fame degree of itrength of mind, perfeverance, 
 and fortitude, let their virtues be the fame in kind, 
 though they may vainly ftruggle for the fame degree; 
 and the fuperiority of man will be equally clear, if not 
 clearer; and truth, as it is a fimple principle, which ad- 
 mits of no modification, would be common to both. Nay, 
 the order of fociety, as it is at prefent regulated, would 
 not be inverted, for woman would then only have the 
 rank that reafon affigned her, and arts could not be prac- 
 tifed to bring the balance even, much lefs to turn it. 
 
 Thefe may be termed Utopian dreams. Thanks to 
 that Being who imprefied them on my foul, and gave 
 me fufficient ftrength of mind to dare to exert my own 
 reafon, till, becoming dependent only on him for the 
 fupport of my virtue, I view, with indignation, the mif- 
 taken notions that enflave my fex. 
 
 I love man as my fellow ; but his fcepter, real or 
 ufurped, extends not to me, unlefs the reafon of an in- 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 6l 
 
 dividual demands my homage ; and even then the fub- 
 miffion is to reafon, and not to man. In fad, the con 
 duct of an accountable being muft be regulated* by the 
 operations of its own reafon ; or on what foundation 
 refts the throne of God ? 
 
 It appears to me neceflary to dwell on thefe obvious 
 truths, becaufe females have been infulted, as it were ; 
 and, while they have been {tripped of the virtues that 
 ihould clothe humanity, they have been decked with 
 artificial graces, that enable them to exercife a Ihort- 
 lived tyranny. Love, in their bofoms, taking place of 
 every nobler paffion, their fole ambition is to be fair, 
 to raife emotion inftead of infpiring refpect j and this 
 ignoble defire, like the fervility in abfolute monarchies, 
 deftroys all ftrength of character. Liberty is the mother 
 of virtue, and if women are, by their very conftitution, 
 flaves, and not allowed to breathe the fharp invigor 
 ating air of freedom, they muil ever languifh like exotics, 
 and be reckoned beautiful flaws in nature ; :et it alfo 
 be remembered, that they are the only flaw. 
 
 As to the argument refpecting the fubjection in which 
 the fex has ever been held, it retorts on man. The many 
 have always been enthralled by the few ; and, monfters 
 who have fcarcely mown any difcernment of human 
 excellence, have tyrannized over thoufands of their fel 
 low creatures. Why have men of fuperior endowments 
 fubmitted to fuch degradation ? For, is it not univer- 
 fally acknowledged that kings, viewed collectively, 
 have ever been inferior, in abilities and virtue, to the 
 fame number of men taken from the common mafs of 
 
62 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 mankind yet, have they not, and are they not flill 
 treated with a degree of reverence, that is an infult to 
 reafon ? China is not the only country where a living 
 man has been made a God. Men have fubmitted to fu- 
 perior ftrength, to enjoy with impunity the pleafure of 
 the moment nuonftn have only done the fame, and 
 therefore till it is proved that the courtier, who fervilely 
 refigns the birthright of a man, is not a moral agent, it 
 cannot be demonftrated that woman is eflentially infe 
 rior to man, becaufe fhe has always been fubjugated. 
 
 Brutal force has hitherto governed the world, and 
 that the fcience of politics is in its infancy, is evident 
 from philofophers fcrupJing to give the knowledge molt 
 ufeful to man that determinate diftindlion. 
 
 I mall not purfue this argument any further than to 
 eflablifh an obvious inference, that as found politics 
 difFufe liberty, mankind, including woman, will become 
 more wife and virtuous. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 63 
 
 CHAP. Ill, 
 
 The fame fubjett continued. 
 
 JLJODILY itrength from being the diiUnclion of he 
 roes is now funk into fuch unmerited contempt, that 
 men, as well as women, feem to think it unnocefiary : 
 the latter, as it takes from their feminine graces, and from 
 that lovely weaknefs, the fource of their undue power ; 
 and the former, becaufe it appears inimical with the 
 character of a gentleman. 
 
 That they have both by departing from one extreme 
 run into another, may eaiily be proved ; but it firil may 
 be proper to obferve, that a vulgar error has obtained a 
 degree of credit, which has given force to a falfe con- 
 clufion, in which an effect has been miftaken for acaufe. 
 
 People of genius have, very frequently, impaired 
 their confutations by ftudy, or carelefs inattention to 
 their health, and the violence of their paffions bearing 
 a proportion to the vigour of their intellects, the fxvord's 
 deflroying the fcabbard has become almoft proverbial, 
 and fuperficial obfervers have inferred from thence, that 
 men of genius have commonly weak, or to ufe a more 
 fafhionable phrafe, delicate conftitutions. Yet the con 
 trary, I believe, will appear to be the facl: ; for, on dili 
 gent inquiry, I find that ftrength of mind has, in moil 
 cafes, been accompanied by fuperior ftrength of body 
 natural foundnefs of conftitution not that robuft tone 
 of nerves and vigour of mufcles, which arife from bo- 
 G 
 
64 VINDICATION OF THJ? 
 
 dily labour, when the mind is quiefcent, or only directs 
 the hands. 
 
 Dr. Prieftley has remarked, in the preface to his bio 
 graphical chart, that the majority of great men have 
 lived beyond forty-five. And, considering the thought- 
 lefs manner in which they have laviflied their ilrength, 
 when invelligating a favourite fcience they have walled 
 the lamp of life, forgetful of the midnight hour ; or, 
 when loll in poetic dreams, fancy has peopled the fcene, 
 and the foul has been difcurbed, till it ihook the confli- 
 tution, by the paffions that meditation had raifed ; 
 whofe objects, the bafelefs fabric of a vifion, faded be 
 fore the exhaufted eye, they muft have had iron frames. 
 Shakefpeare never grafped the airy dagger with a nerve- 
 lefs hand, nor did Milton tremble when he led Satan 
 far from the confines of his dreary prifon . Thefe were 
 not the ravings of imbecility, the fickly effufions of dif- 
 tempered brains ; but the exuberance of fancy, that 
 4 in a fine phrenzy' wandering, was not continually re 
 minded of its material fhackles. 
 
 I am aware, that this argument would carry me fur 
 ther than it may be fuppofed I wilh to go j but I follow 
 truth, and Hill adhering to my firfl pofition, I will al 
 low that bodily Ilrength feems to give man a natural fu- 
 periority over woman ; and this is the only folid bafis 
 on which the fupericrity of the fex can be built. But I 
 Hill infill, that not only the virtue, but the knowledge of. 
 the two fexes mould be the fame in nature, if not in de 
 gree, and that women, confidered not only as moral, 
 but rational creatures, ought to endeavour to acquire 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 
 
 human virtues (or perfections) by the fame means as 
 men, inftead of being educated like a fanciful kind of 
 half being one of RouiTeau's wild chimeras.* 
 
 * ' Researches Into abflraSl and fpeculative truibs^ th; principles and 
 f axioms of fcicnceSf in Jhot't , every thing ivhicb tends to generalize ctir 
 ' ideas-, is not the proper province of women ; their ftudics Jlould be 
 ' relative to points of praRice , it belong: to them to apply thofe princi- 
 
 * pies ivuicb men have discovered \ and it Is their part io make Gltfcrvz- 
 
 * tions t "which direft men to the ejlablijbiscitl of general principles. All 
 
 * the ideas of women, ivhich have net the immediate tendency to points 
 of duty, Jhould be direffed to the Jludy of wen, end to the aitaiw.tnf. 
 ef thofe agreeable accotnplifatti r.ts ir/!. V/v have t-J:c for their object \ 
 
 * for as to work; ef gtnius, tLt\ ate l-y,nJ their t*:*>c.:ii-\> .- neither Lav- 
 1 they fujficient pte;.ifx:n> or pLivsr vf atttitticn t tfuceeetiznfiitttcff 
 
 * wbicL restart. accuracy : and jt i--> ^ ' ' , ,.-'-' ''-- -' '- ',[<' it 
 t'jofe only <n.;l-o are Kiojl <iii"ve, :>~'fi inaitijiiivf ; 
 
 the greatc/1 variety ef otjsfls : in fart, it. bthngs io i!.<;j^ ...... lave 
 
 the flrongcjl poiv->rs % and ivho c?:erc>fe them inojl t to jxJgv of the 
 1 relations let-ween fitiftjle ieings ami *".'<? 'aivs of nature. A ti'e.'yj/- 
 1 ivbt is naturally weak, and does not carry her ideas to any great 
 ' extent, knows hoyj to judge and m-.iJt-- a proper e Rim ate of tlujn 
 ' movements which JJje fits to work, it: cnlcr to aid Lsr ivcfitfiefs ; 
 
 * and thefe movements are the pajjlons of men. The tnechanift:- Jhe 
 
 * employs is much more powerful then can ; fir all her l.^crs sr.o'i-: 
 
 * the human heart. She tnufl have the Jkill to incline us to Jo ei>t: ^ 
 ' thing which her fex -will not enMc her to do of herfdf, asd liUcf. 
 1 is necejfary or agreeable to her ; therefore fle ought to Jludy tit 
 ' mind of man thoroughly, not the mind of man in general, abjlraSlfd^ 
 ( but the difpofttions of ihofe men to ivbtm Jbe is fubjtSl, either by the 
 ' laws of her country or by tbe force if opinion. Sle Jboi:ld laarn t 
 1 penetrate into their real fentimtnis from ibtir <.L-;:'ac*falion t tbt^ 
 1 affiant, their looks, and gejlurfS. Sue Jkoa'd alfi have tie art, lij 
 .' her otun con-verfation, aflions, looks, and gflures, ii eommttHtcttli 
 thofe fcntirnents ivhich are agreeable tt lift,:, vuit&cut f*einin% to in. 
 ' tend it. Men will argue wore philcfophically ui n.i ihe human heart ; 
 
 * but -women will real tbe heart of nan Itiitr tf.a.t fley. It lelor.gt 
 
 * ts ivomen t if I way b; allowed tbe ixpr ?$>,*. >i /'/;/ an txptrimt*t*l 
 
 G T, 
 
66 VINDICATION OF TH1 
 
 Eut, if ftrength of body be, with fome mow of reaum, 
 the boaft of men, why are women fo infatuated as to be 
 proud of a defe<5t ? Roufieau has furnifhed them with a 
 plaufible excufe, which could only have occurred to a 
 man, whofe imagination "had been allowed to run wild, 
 and refine on the impreffions made by exquifite fenfes 
 that they might, forfooth, have a pretext for yielding 
 to a natural appetite without violating a romantic fpe- 
 cies of modefty, which gratifies the pride and liberti- 
 nifm of man. 
 
 Women, deluded by thefe fentiments, fometimes boaft 
 of their weaknefs, cunningly obtaining power by play 
 ing on the nveaknefs of men ; and they may well glory 
 in their illicit fway, for, like Turkilh bafhaws, they have 
 more real power than their matters : but virtue is facri- 
 ficed to temporary gratifications, and the refpe&ability 
 of life to the triumph of an hour. 
 
 Women, as well as defpots, have now, perhaps, more 
 power than they would have, if the world, divided and 
 Subdivided into kingdoms and families, was governed 
 by laws deduced from the exercife of reafon; but in 
 
 * K>orrJ';i\y <>nrl ic reduce tht fiudy of man to a fyjttm. Women 
 
 * have txflft 1C it, men have tnojl genius \ ivomen obfcrve^ men reafon ' 
 
 * fiax tic concurrence of both <we derive the cleat eft ligfo and tie 
 ' moll perfect knowledge, ivhhb the human mind is, cf itfelf^ capable 
 ' of attaining. In one ivo<-d, from hence ive acquire the weft inti- 
 
 * mate acquaint arce, both iviih ourfcfafs and ethers, of ivb:cb our 
 ' nciure is capable', and it is iLus that art has a ccnfiant tendency t 
 'j'erfefl to^fe endotuwents tuhicb nature Lai beffoived Ive ivorld 
 ' is the Look cf women* RouiT^au's Envl'.us. / hope my readers 
 Atll remember tbtevttifarifon t 'ii'bica 2 have brought forward, Letit>cea 
 women end of.].ers. 
 
RIG-HTS OF WOMAN. 67 
 
 obtaining it, to carry on the comparifon, their characler 
 is degraded, and licentioufnefs fpread through the whole 
 aggregate of fociety. The many become pedeftal to 
 the few. I, therefore, will venture to affert, that till 
 women are more rationally educated,, the progrefs of 
 human virtue and improvement in knowledge mull re 
 ceive continual checks. And if it be granted, that \vc- 
 mari was not created merely to .gratify the.appetite of 
 man, nor to be the upper fervant, who provides his 
 meals and takes care of his linen, it mull follow, that the 
 iirft care of thofe mothers or fathers, who really attend 
 to the education of females, mould be, if not to 
 flrengthen the body, at lead, not to deftroy the confti- 
 tution by miltaken notions of beauty and female excel 
 lence ; nor mould girls ever be allowed to imbibe the 
 pernicious notion that a defect can, by any chemical 
 procefs of reafoning, become an excellence. In this re - 
 fpeft, I am happy to find, that the author of one of the 
 moft inflruftive books, that our country has produced 
 for children, coincides with me in opinion ; I mall quote 
 his pertinent remarks to give the force of his rcfpeclabj? 
 authority to reafon.* 
 
 * ^ rtfpcft&bie old man gives ike fallowing fanjibl* account of tie 
 method he purfucd ivben educating bis daughter . * I endeavoured to give 
 
 * both to her mind and body a degree of v?%o.\-, which it [ejdom found 
 ' in the female ftx , Atfoon as fee 'wasfujficicntly advanced in jJrenoifj 
 
 * to be capable of tie lighter labours of iiusbandry and gardening, Ijin* 
 1 ployed hey as my conjiant companion, Selene , for that ivai her nan:e^ 
 
 * foon acquired a dexterity in all tl.'fff ruftic employments tvhicb I con , 
 4 fidered luii-h equal pleafuie and admiration. If ivorr.cn are in gene- 
 
 * ral feeble both in body end mind } it ar'tfes Ufifrom nature tbtm'frotu 
 
 d? ^ 
 
CS VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 But mould it be proved that woman is naturally 
 uc. ker than man, from whence does it follow that it is 
 natural for her to labour to become flill weaker than na 
 ture intended her to be ? Arguments of this call are an 
 infult to common fenfe and favour of paffion. The di- 
 ftiiTte right of hufbands, like the divine right of kings, 
 may, it is to be hoped, in this enlightened age, be con 
 ic- ilrd without danger, and though conviction may not 
 ft'ience many boiflerous difputants, yet, when any pre 
 vailing prejudice is attacked, the wife will confider, and 
 bave the narrow-minded to rail with thoughtlefs vehe 
 mence at innovation. 
 
 ' C'iu'ni : cn. H r f encourage a vicious indolence ard inactivity, ivhicb lie 
 ' falfe'y call dd'c^cy ; in/lead cf hardening their minds by tbefcverer 
 ''principles of re~fi,n and fbilofophy t tve breed them to i:f clefs arts, ivhicb 
 '":'-'/ and Ccnfuality* In tnojl of the countries ivbicb I 
 '.'.'.' JT of an higher nature than afeia 
 '.- poftaret of the koJy ; their time is 
 :.'j '.r trif..s. ci.d irif.es become tie only pit rf nits capable 
 AV.V. 1-r'i h'nn io for <rei t tLat it is upon the qualities 
 1 of at our man domtftit comforts and tbe education of 
 
 -.'.. Ar.d lub&t are the comforts or tLe education 
 
 ' r; ' . "- : , ccrrvptcd from their infant y. and unacquainted 
 
 ' :: /"//'>, are fitted to Ifflciol To touch a nmfical 
 
 1 infl, u>T,'~:i with ufilefs fiill t to exhibit their natural or effefled graces, 
 { to t!:e eyes ^f In^o'e.it avd debaucbtd young men i iubo dijfifate their huf- 
 1 bantli* patrimony in riotous and unnecejjary expe rfes .- ihefe are the 
 < -r.'y of Is. euU:Vi!ted ty WOMCII in mojl cf the foli/bed nations I lad 
 ' Jtea. Jtvd tie cwfti, ; U'ues are uniformly fueb as may be exfetfcd to 
 1 proceed frtHnjucb / 'Diluted fourccs, private tni/ery t and public ftrr- 
 * *uitude. 
 
 ' Bat, Si!.:-i t '! c,:..( at'on W.TJ rrgulatcd by different views t and con- 
 { du5lt.il upun fe-verer principles ; if that can be called- feverity iL-L'.ib 
 optas the mind to afcnfe cf moral and religious (iuticS) u>:d mojl efTes* 
 tually arms it aoainfi the inevitable evils of life ' 
 
 Mr. Day's 5?.:.dford and Mcrtor, Vol. III. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN*. 69 
 
 The mother, who wifhes to give true dignity of cha 
 racter to her daughter, muft, regardlefs of the fneers of 
 ignorance, proceed on a plan diametrically oppoiite to 
 that which RoufTeau has recommended with all the de 
 luding charms of eloquence and philofophical fophiftry : 
 for his eloquence renders abfurdities plaufible, and his 
 dogmatic conclufions puzzle, without convincing thofe 
 who iiave not ability to refute them. 
 
 Throughout the whole animal kingdom every young 
 creature requires almoil continual exercife, and the in 
 fancy of children, conformable to this intimation, mould 
 be paffed in harmlefs gambols, that exercife the feet 
 and hands, without requiring very minute direction 
 from the head, or the conftant attention of a nurfe. In 
 fat, the care neceffary for felf-prefervation is the nrft 
 natural exercife of the underflanding, as little inven 
 tions to amufe the prefent moment unfold the imagina 
 tion. But thefe wife deligns of nature are counteracted 
 by miftaken fondnefs or blind zeal. The child is not 
 left a moment to its own direction, particularly a girl, 
 and thus rendered dependent dependence is called na 
 tural. 
 
 To preferve perfonal beauty, woman's glory ! the 
 limbs and faculties are cramped with worfe than Chinefe 
 bands, and the fedentary life which they are condemned 
 to live, whim boys frolic in the open air, weakens the 
 mufcles and relaxes the nerves. As for Roufieau's re 
 marks, which have fmce been echoed by feveral writers, 
 that they have naturally, that is from their birth, in 
 dependent of education, a fondnefs for dolls, dreiTmg, 
 
70 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 and talking they are fo puerile as not to merit a feri- 
 ous refutation. That a girl, condemned to fit for hours 
 together liftening to the idle chat of weak nurfes, or to 
 attend at her mother's toilet, will endeavour to join the 
 converfation, is, indeed very natural; and that (he will 
 imitate her mother or aunts, and amufe hsrfelf by adorn 
 ing her lifelefs doll, as they do in drelfmg her, poor 
 innocent babe! is undoubtedly a inoft natural confe- 
 quence. For men of the greateft abilities have feldom 
 had furEcient ftrength to rife above the furrounding at- 
 mofphere; and, if the page of genius has always been 
 blurred by the prejudices of the age, fome allowance 
 fhould be made for a fex, who, like kings, always fee 
 things through a falfe medium. 
 
 In this manner may the fondnefs for drefs, confpicu- 
 ous in women, be eafily accounted for, without fuppof- 
 ing it the refult of a defire to pleafe the fex on which 
 they are dependent. The abfurdity, in fhort, of fup- 
 pofmg that a girl is naturally a coquette, and that a de- 
 fire connected with the impulfe of nature to propagate 
 the fpecies, mould appear even before an improper edu 
 cation has, by heating the imagination, called it forth 
 prematurely, is fo unphilofophical, that fuch a fagacious 
 obferver as RoufTeau would not have adopted it, if he 
 had not been accuftomed to make reafon give way to his 
 defire of fingularity, and truth to a favourite paradox. 
 
 Yet thus to give a fex to mind was not very confident 
 with the principles of a man who argued fo warmly, 
 and fo well, for the immortality of the foul. But what 
 a weak barrier is truth when it Hands in the way of an 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. J 1 
 
 hypothecs ! RoufTeau refpe&ed almoft adored virtue 
 and yet allowed himfef to love with fenfual fondnefs. 
 His imagination conftantly prepared inflammable fewel 
 for his inflammable fenfes ; but, in order to reconcile 
 his refpecl for felf-denial, fortitude, and thofe heroic 
 virtues, which a mind like his could not coolly admire, 
 he labours to invert the law of nature, and broaches a 
 doctrine pregnant with mifchief, and derogatory to the 
 character of (upreme wifdom. 
 
 His ridiculous {lories, which tend to prove that girls 
 are naturally attentive to their perfons, without laying 
 any ftrefs on daily example, are below contempt. And 
 that a little mifs mould have fuch a correct tafte as to 
 negled the pleafing amufement of making O's, merely 
 becaufe ftie perceived that it was an ungraceful attitude, 
 fliould be felecled with the anecdotes of the learned pig*. 
 
 I have, probably, had an opportunity of observing 
 more girls in their infancy than J. J. Roufieau I can 
 recollect my own feelings, and I have looked fteadily 
 around me; yet, fo far from coinciding with him in 
 opinion refpe&ing the firft dawn of the female charac- 
 
 * I once kneiu d young pet Con ivho learned to lo^'rle before Jhe learned 
 
 ' to react, and began to ivrlteiv'th Ler nsedle befurc Jbe iQiild life a pen ; 
 
 4 At firjl. Indeed Jbs took it into her bead to make no oiler letter than 
 
 * the 0; this letter foe ivas conftantly mak'ng of alljlzcs, and alivays 
 ' tut tvrong ivay. Unluckily one day, as foe tuas, inte.it on iLis etxplay- 
 ' fffftif, Jhe happened toftei>erjc!fintl)elooktng-gldjsi ivben taking a 
 1 efrjliite to the confi rained attitude in tvbicb ft e fat ivbile writing, /be 
 
 * tl.fciv aivay her pen , like another P alias t and determined aga'injt mak~ 
 
 * inv the any more Her brother ivat alj~9 equally ai>erje to writing? 
 // was the confinement^ hoivc-vsr t and not the- ccnjlrained attitude, that 
 
 * mojl difgitjled him."" RouITcau's Emilius. 
 
72 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 ter, I will venture to affirm, that a girl, whofe fpirits 
 have not been damped by inactivity, or innocence taint 
 ed by falfe fhame, will always be a romp, and the doll 
 will never excite attention unlefs confinement allows her 
 no alternative. Girls and boys, in fhort, would play 
 harmlefs together, if the diilinction of fex was not in 
 culcated long before nature makes any difference. I 
 will go further, and affirm, as an indifputable fact, that 
 moft of the women, in the circle of my obfervation, who 
 have acted like rational creatures, or fliewn any vigour 
 of intellect, have accidentally been allowed to run wild 
 as fome of the elegant formers of the fair fex would 
 infiuate. 
 
 The baneful confequences which flow from inatten 
 tion to health during infancy, and youth, extend further 
 than is fuppofed dependence of body naturally pro 
 duces dependence of mind ; and how can me be a good 
 wife or mother, the greater part of whofe time is em 
 ployed to guard agamft or endure ficknefs; Nor can it 
 be expected, that a woman will refolutely endeavour to 
 ftrengthen her conlUtution and abftain from enervating 
 indulgencies, if artificial notions of beauty, and falfc 
 defcriptions of fenfibility, have been early entangled 
 with her motives of action. Moft men are fometimes 
 obliged to bear with bodily inconveniencies, and to 
 endure, occafionly, the inclemency of the elements ; but 
 genteel women are, literally fpeaking, Haves to their 
 bodies, and glory in their fubjection. 
 
 I once knew a weak woman of fafhion, who was 
 more than commonly proud of her delicacy and fenfibi- 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 73 
 
 Ihy. She thought a diftinguifhing tafte and puny appe 
 tite the height of all human perfection, and aded ac 
 cordingly 1 have Teen this weak fophiflicated being 
 neglect all the duties of life, yet recline with felf-com- 
 placency on a fofa, and boaft of her want of appetite as 
 a proof of delicacy that extended to, or, perhaps, arofe 
 from her exquinte fenfibility : for it is difficult to ren 
 der intelligible fuch ridiculous jargon. Yet, at the mo 
 ment, I have feen her infult a worthy old gentlewoman, 
 whom unexpected misfortunes had made dependent on 
 her oftentatious bounty, and who, in better days, had 
 claims on her gratitude. Is it pofiible that a human 
 creature mould have become fuch a weak and depraved 
 being, if, like the Sybarites, diflblved in luxury, every 
 thing like virtue had not been worn away, or never im- 
 preffed by precept, a poor fubilitute it is true, for culti 
 vation of mind, though it ferves as a fence againft vice ? 
 
 Such a woman is not a more irrational monfter than 
 fome of the Roman emperors, who were depraved by 
 lawlefs power. Yet, fince kings have been more under 
 the reftraint of law, and the curb, however weak, of 
 honour, the records of hiftory are not filled with fuch 
 unnatural inilances of folly and cruelty, nor does the 
 defpotifm that kills virtue and genius in the bud, hover 
 over Europe with that deftruclive blaft which defolates 
 Turkey, and renders the men, as well as the foil, 
 unfruitful. 
 
 Women are every where in this deplorable flate ; for, 
 in order to preferve their innocence, as ignorance is 
 courteoufly termed, truth is hidden from them, and they 
 
74 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 are made to afmme an artificial character before their 
 faculties have acquired any ftrength. Taught from 
 their infancy, that beauty is woman's fceptre, the mind 
 fhapes itfelf to the body, and, roaming round its gilt 
 cage, only feeks to adorn its priibn. Men have various 
 employments andpurfuits which engage their attention, 
 and give a character to the opening mind ; but women, 
 confined to one, and having their thoughts conflantly 
 directed to the molt infignificant part of themfelves, 
 feldom extend their views beyond the triumph of the 
 hour. But was their underflanding once emancipated 
 from the flavery to which the pride and fenfuality of 
 man and their fnort-fighted defire, like that of domi 
 nion in tyrants, of prefent fway, has fubjected them, we 
 mould probably read of their weakneffes with furprife. 
 I muft be allowed to purfue the argument a little farther. 
 
 Perhaps, if the exiftence of an evil being was al 
 lowed, who, in the allegorical language of fcripture, 
 went about feeking whom he mould devour, he could 
 not more effectually degrade the c human character than 
 by giving a man abfolute power. 
 
 This argument branches into various ramifications. 
 Birth, riches, a.nd every intrinfic advantage that exalt a 
 man above his fellows, without any mental exertion, 
 fink him in reality below them. In proportion to his 
 weaknefs, he is played upon by defigning men, till the 
 bloated monfter has loft all traces of humanity. And 
 that tribes of>men, like flocks of fheep, mould quietly 
 follow fuch a leader, is a folecifm that only a defire of 
 prefent enjoyment and^narrownefs of underftanding can 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 75 
 
 iblve, Educated in flaviih dependence, and enervated 
 by luxury and {loth, where (hall we lind men who will 
 fhnd forth to affert the rights of man ; or claim the 
 privilege of moral beings, who mould have bat one 
 road to excellence ? Slavery to monarchs and minifters, 
 which the world will be long in freeing itfelf from, and 
 whofe deadly grafp Hops the progrefs of the human 
 mind, is not yet abolimed. 
 
 Let not men then in the pride of powe/, ufe the fame 
 arguments that tyrannic kings and venal minifters have 
 ufed, and fallacioufly affert, that wormta ought to be fab- 
 jedled becaufe me has always been fo. But, when man, 
 governed by reafonable laws, enjoys his natural free 
 dom, let him defpife woman, if fhe do not mare 
 him ; and, till that glorious period arrives, in d 
 ing on the folly of the fex, let him not overlook his ow.r 
 
 Women, it is true, obtaining power by unjufl mearfs 
 by practifing or foilering vice, evidently lofe the rank 
 which reafon would affign them, and they become either 
 abject (laves or capricious tyrants. They lofe all (irsi- 
 plicity, all dignity of fnind, in acquiring power, and act 
 as men are obferved to al when they have been exalted 
 by the fame means . 
 
 It is time to effect a revolution in female manner:; 
 time to reftore to them their loft dignity and make 
 them, as apart of the human fpecies, labour by refc 
 in r >- themfelves to reform the world. It is time to fe- 
 
 O 
 
 parate unchangeable morals from local manners. If 
 men be demi-gods why let us fcrve them ! A . 
 
 f the female foul be as difputabls as that or" 
 H 
 
76 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 animals if their reafon does not afford fufficient light 
 to direcl their conduct whilil unerring inilindt is de 
 nied they are furely of all creatures the moil mifer- 
 able ! and, bent beneath the iron hand of defliny, muft 
 fubmit to be -if&ir defetl in creation. But to juftify the 
 ways of Providence refpeding them, by pointing out 
 fome irrefragable reafon for thus making fuch a large 
 portion of mankind accountable and not accountable, 
 would puzzle the fubtileft cafuifl. 
 
 The only folid foundation for morality appears to be 
 the characler of the Supreme Being ; the harmony of 
 which arifes from a balance of attributes and, to fpeak 
 with reverence, one attribute feems to imply the necejfity 
 of another. He muft be juft, becaufe he is wife, he 
 mufl be good, becaufe lie is omnipotent. For, to exalt 
 one attribute at the expenfe of another equally noble and 
 necefiary, bears" the flump of the warped reafon of man 
 the homage of puffion. Man, accaflomed to bow down 
 to power in his favage flate, can feldom diveft himfelf 
 of this barbarous prejudice even when civilization de 
 termines how much fuperior mentaHs to bodily, ftrength ; 
 and his reafon is clouded by thefe crude opinions, even 
 when he thinks of the Deity. His omnipotence is 
 made to fwallow up, or prefide over his other attri 
 butes, and thofe mortals are fuppofed to limit his 
 power irreverently, who think that it mull be regulated 
 by his wiidom. 
 
 I difclaim that fpecies of humility which, after invef- 
 tigating nature, Hops at the author. The High and 
 Lofty One, who inhabiteth eternity, doubtlefs poffeiTes 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 77 
 
 many attributes of which we can form no conception ; 
 but reafon tells me they cannot clafh wirh thofe I adore 
 and I am compelled to 1 liven to her voice. 
 
 It feems natur.il for man to fearch for excellence^ 
 and either to trace it in the object that he worihips, or 
 blindly to invert it with perfection as a garment. But 
 what good effect can the latter mode of worQiip have 
 on the moral conduct of a rational boing ? lij bends to 
 power; he adores a d my o.vn ,1 
 
 bright profpect to him, or burll in angry, lawlcfs fury 
 on his devoted head \c knows not why. And, fup- 
 pofmg thtt the D (e c.-f 
 
 tndirected 
 
 according to rules, d. 
 
 difclaims as irreverent. Into tLii d join 
 
 enthufiafts and cooler thinkers fallen, when they la 
 boured to free men from the wholefome reitraints which 
 a juft conception of the character of God impofes. 
 
 It is not impious thus to fcan the attributes of the 
 Almighty : in fact, who can avoid it that exercifes 
 his faculties ? for to love God as the fountain of wif- 
 dom, goodnefs, and power, appears to be the only wor- 
 fhip ufeful to a being who wifhes to acquire either vir 
 tue or knowledge. A blind unfettled affection may, 
 like human paflions, occupy the mind and warm the 
 heart, whilil, to do jufdce, love mercy, and walk hum 
 bly with our God, is forgotten. I mail purlue this fub- 
 ject ftill further, when I confider religion in a light op- 
 pofite to that recommended by Dr. Gregory, who treats 
 it as a matter of fentiment or tafte. 
 H 2 
 
78 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 To return from this apparent digreffion. It were t 
 be wifhed, that women would cherifh an affection for 
 their hufbands, founded on the fame principle that de 
 votion ought to reft upon. No other firm bafe is there 
 under heaven for let them beware of the fallacious 
 light of fentiment ; too often ufed as a fofter phrafe for 
 fenfuality. It follows then, I think, that from their in 
 fancy women ihould either be Ihut up like eaftern princes, 
 or educated in fuch a manner as to be able to think and 
 al for themfelves. 
 
 Why do men halt between two opinions, and expect 
 impoffibilities ? Why do they expeci: virtue from a flave, 
 from a being whom the conftitution of civil fociety has 
 rendered weak, if not vicious ? 
 
 Still I know that it will require a confiderable length 
 of time to eradicated the firmly rooted prejudices which 
 fenfualifls have planted ; it will alfo require fome time 
 to convince women that they aft contrary to their real 
 intereit on an enlarged fcale, when they cherifli or af 
 fect weaknefs under the name of delicacy, and to con 
 vince the world that the poifoned fource^of female vices 
 and follies, if it be necefTary, in compliance with cuf- 
 torn, to ufe fynonymous terms in a lax fenfe, has been 
 the fenfual homage paid to beauty : to beauty of 
 features ; for it has been fhrewdly obferved by a Ger 
 man writer, that a pretty woman, as an object of defire, 
 is generally allowed to be fo by men of all defcrip- 
 v, hilil a fine woman, who infpires more fublime 
 emotions by displaying intellectual beauty, may be over 
 looked or obferved with indifference, by thofe men 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 79 
 
 who find their happinefs in the gratification of their ap 
 petites. I forefee an obvious retori whiL'c man remains 
 fuch an imperfect being as he appears iiitnerto to ha.ve 
 been, he will, more or lei's, be the flave of his appetites ; 
 and thofe women obtaining moft power who gratify a 
 predominant one, the fex is degraded by a phyfical, if 
 not by a moral neceility. 
 
 This objection has, I grant, fome force; but while 
 fuch a (ublime precept exifts, as, * be pure as your hea- 
 ' venly father is p ;re ;' it would feem that the virtues 
 of man are not limited by the Being who alone 
 could limit them ; and that he may prefs forward with 
 out confidering whether he fteps out of liis fphere by 
 indulging fuch a noble ambition. To the wild billows 
 it has been faid, ' thus far malt thou go, and no fur 
 ther ; and here mall thy proud waves be Hayed.' Vain 
 ly then do they beat and foam, retrained by the power 
 that confines the ftruggling planets within their orbits, 
 matter yields to the great governing Spirit. But an 
 immortal foul, not reilrained by mechanical laws, and 
 ftruggling to free itfelf from the fnackles of matter, 
 contributes to, inftead of difturbing, the order of cre 
 ation, when, co-operating with the Father of fpirits, 
 it tries to govern itfelf by the invariable rule that, in 
 a degree, before which our imagination faints, the uni- 
 verfe is regulated. 
 
 Befides, if women are educated for dependence, that 
 is, to ac~l according to the will of another fallible be 
 ing, and fubmit, right or wrong, to power, where are 
 we to Hop ? Are they to be coniidered as vicegerents, 
 
O VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 allov.'ed to reign over a final 1 domain, and anfwcrable 
 for their conduct to a higher tribunal, liable to error? 
 
 It will not be difficult to prove, that iuch delegates 
 
 will act like men fubjected by fear, and make their 
 
 1 fervants endure their tyrannical oppref- 
 
 fion. As they fubmit without re:;ion, they will, having 
 
 no fixed rules to fquare their conduct by, be kind or 
 
 j'jil as the whim of the moment directs ; and we 
 
 not to wonder if fometimes, galled by their heavy 
 
 they take a malignant pleafure in refting it on 
 
 ,_T moulders. 
 
 But, fuopofing a woman, trained up to obedience, 
 ;. rried to a fenilble man, who directs her judg 
 ment, without making her feel the fervility of her fub- 
 jection, to act with as much propriety by this reflected 
 light as can be expected when reafon is taken at ieccnd 
 hand, yet me cannot enfure the life of her protector ; 
 he m:iy die and leave her with a large family. 
 
 A double duty devolves on her ; to educate them in 
 the character of both father and mother ; to form their 
 principles and fecure their property. But, alas ! me 
 has never thought, much lefs acted for herfelf. She 
 has only learned to pkufe * men, to depend gracefully 
 
 * ' In iLe union of the frx.''s f loth fiurfut one eonifKon oljeffi, but 
 
 * Kit in tie fame manner From tle-r dii>e>Jii^ in thh particular^ 
 
 * arifis tie Jirjl determinate dijfcrcnce bt^ueen > be moral relations c/ 
 
 * each. 17js one jkoiild he atfive and .froag, t e o : hcr fajjivc and 
 ( wettk : it it nectjj-.r^ the one /louitf i e Itib the foiier and tht 
 
 * will) and that the oike' .,'/. t:. x t - ttle rffijtancs 
 
 * T/jL / rinciple le':n^ cilab'. ''?d, it ,' 76:i'f, that ivoman ivas fx- 
 
 * ^y^r-l^ formed 10 plc.'fti ile man t if i - i ''ligaticn bd teetyrcal alfo^ 
 
 * a;>d iuc man tugbt t o U> if e in his tuw t it is not fo tw 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 8l 
 
 en them; yet, encumbered with children, how is flic 
 to obtain another prote&or a hufband to fupply the 
 place of reafon ? A rational man, for we are not 
 treading on romantic ground, though he may think 
 her a pleating docile creature, will not choofe to marry 
 a family for love, when the world contains many more 
 pretty creatures. What is then to become of her? She 
 either falls an eafy prey to fome mean fortune-hunter, 
 who defrauds her children of their paternal inheritance, 
 and renders her miferable ; or becomes the viclira of 
 difcontent and blind indulgence. Unable to educate 
 her fons, or imprefs them with refpecl ; for it is not a 
 play on words to alTert, that people are never refpecT:- 
 ed, though filling an important ftation, who are not 
 refpeclable ; ihq pines under the anguiih of unavailing 
 impotent regret. The ferpent's tooth enters into her 
 
 * canje hs is Jlrong* This, I muft confefs, is not one of the refined 
 t maxims of love ; it is y however) one of the Jaivs of nature , prior 
 i to Iwe iifelf. 
 
 * If "woman be formed to pleafe and be fubjcftsd to man, it is her 
 
 * place., doub'lefs) to render b erf elf agreeable to kirn, inftead of cbal- 
 knging bis pajfion, TLe -violence of bis dejires defends en her 
 < charms j it is by means of tlefe foe Jbould urge Lim to the exertion 
 
 * of tkofc powers ichicb nature bath given him. f le moft fucceftful 
 
 * method of exciting them tt y to render fash exertion neceffary by their 
 
 * rfftftance \ as, in that cafe, f elf -love is addid to defire t and the one 
 ' triumphs in the vifiory which the other obliged to acquire. Hence 
 t ar'/fe the various modes of attack and defence betiVeen the /exes ; tht 
 ' boldnefs of one fex, and the timidity of the ether ; and, in a ivordj 
 ' that bajhfalnefs anJ modefty ivith "which nature hath attntd the ivea% f 
 
 * in order to fubdue the ftrong? Rouffeau's Emilius. 
 
 I Jhall make no other comment on this ingenious pajfage^ than juft ft 
 ) that it is the pbilofoghy of lafciviovfneft t 
 
82 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 very foul, and the vices of licentious youth bring her" 
 with forrow, if not with poverty <ufo, to the grave. 
 
 This is not an overcharged piclure ; on i.he contrary, 
 it is a very poflible cafe, and fomcthing fimilar muft 
 have fallen unuer every attentive ^e. 
 
 I have, however, taken it for granted, that fhe was 
 well-difpofed, though expedience fliews, that the blind 
 may as eaiily be led into a ditch as along the beaten 
 road. But fuppofmg, no very improbable conjecture, 
 that a being oniy taught to ple^fe rr.uil ilill find her 
 happinefs in pleafmg j what an example of felly, not 
 to fay vice, will fhe be to her innocent daughters ! The 
 mother will be loft in the coquet. e, r.nJ, mfteud of 
 making friends of her daughters, view vhem with eyes 
 aikance, for they are rivals rivals more cruel than 
 any other, becauie they invite a comp,.riibn , and drive 
 her from the throne of beauty, who nas never thought 
 of a feat on the bench of reafon. 
 
 It does not require a lively pencil, or the dlfcrimi- 
 nating outline of a caricature, to Iketch the dornefhc 
 miferies and petty vices which fuch a miflrefs of a fa- . 
 jnily diffufes. Still flie only acts as a woman ought to- 
 act, brought up according to Roufieau's fyitem. She- 
 can never be reproached for being mafcnline, or turn-v 
 ing out of her fphere; nay, fhe iry obferve another 
 of his grand rules, and cautioufiy prei'erving her repu- ; 
 tation free from fpot, be reckoned a good kind of 
 woman. Yet in what refpec~l can me be ' . 
 good? She abfcains, it is tine, without ?ny great? 
 ilruggle, from committing grofs crimes j but how does j 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 83 
 
 Ihe fulfil her dudes ? Duties ! in truth fhe has enough 
 to think of to adorn her body and nurfe a weak con- 
 ftitution. 
 
 With refpeft to religion, fhe never prefumed to 
 judge for herfelf 5 but conformed, as a dependent crea 
 ture fhould, to the ceremonies of the church which fiie 
 was brought up in, pioufly believing, that wifer heads 
 than her own have fettled that bufmefs : and not to 
 doubt is her point of perfection. She therefore pays 
 her tythe of mint and cummin and thanks her God 
 that me is not as other women are. Thefe are the 
 blefled effects of a good education! thefe the virtues of 
 man's helpmate.* 
 
 I muft relieve myfelf by drawing a different picture. 
 
 Let fancy now prefent a woman with a tolerable un- 
 derftanding, for I do not wilh to leave the line of me 
 diocrity, whofe conftitution, ftrengthened by exercife, 
 has allowed her body to acquire its full vigour j her 
 mind, at the fame time, gradually expanding itfelf to 
 comprehend the moral duties of life, and in what hu 
 man virtue and dignity confift. Formed thus by the 
 relative duties of her ftation, me marries from affec 
 tion, without lofing fight of prudence, and looking be- 
 
 * ' fjoiv lovelyj exclaims Roujfcau, fpeakin^ of Sophia, * is her 
 
 * Ignorance I Happy is hs ivbo is deftined to infiruft her ! She ivill 
 
 * never pretend to be ths tutor of her husband, but will bt content to 
 be his pupil. Far from attempting to fubjett h'm to her tajle, Jbs 
 
 * ivi/l accfinniidale herfelf to /.>.'s. She *will bi- mor c eftimable to himt 
 
 * than if foe ivas learned : Le tuill have a pleasure in inftrucling her.' 
 
 I jkall content tnyCelf tuitl) fimply askin<r^ bow friendship can fub* 
 f'ft, when loi'c expires t between the mafisr and bis fufil* 
 
84 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 yond matrimonial felicity, me fecures her hufbancTs re- 
 fpecl: before it is necefiary to exert mean arts to pleafe 
 him, and feed a dying flame, which nature doomed to 
 expire when the objedl became familiar, when friend- 
 fhip and forbearance take place of a more ardent af- 
 feclion. This is the natural death of love, and do- 
 meflic peace is not deftroyed by itruggles to prevent 
 its extinction. I alfo fuppofe the huiband to be virtu 
 ous ; or fhe is Hill more in want of independent prm- 
 ciples. 
 
 Fate, however, breaks this tie. She is left a wi 
 dow, perhaps, without a fufficient provision ; but flie 
 is not defolate ! The pang cf nature is felt -, but after 
 time has foftened forrow into melancholy refignadon, 
 her heart turns to her children with redoubled fondnefs, 
 and anxious to provide for them, affeclion gives a fa- 
 cred heroic cr,ft to her maternal duties. She thinks that 
 not only the eye fees her virtuous efforts, from whom 
 all her comfort now muft flow, arid whofe approbation 
 is life ; but her imagination, a little abftracled and 
 exalted by grief, dwells on the fond Jupe, that the 
 eyes which her trembling hand clofcd, may Hili fee 
 how (he fubdues every wayward co fulfil the 
 
 double duty of being the father as v s the : 
 
 of her children. Knifed to heroifm i sfortunes, .f..e 
 repreflcs the nrft faint d^'V,!,u,'; of a 1 incuii .don, 
 
 before it ripens into loyr. th n ot life for 
 
 gets her f x forge fur i awakening 
 
 paiTion, which might e be : red and re 
 
 turned. She no longer thinks of p.fuiing, and con- 
 
EIGHTS OF WOMAN. 
 
 fcious dignity prevents her from priding herfelf on ac 
 count of the praife which her conduct demands. Her 
 children have her love, and her brighteft hopes are 
 beyond the grave, where her imagination often ftrays. 
 
 I think J fee her furrounded by her children, reap 
 ing the reward of her care. The intelligent eye meets 
 her's, whilil health and innocence fmile on their chubby 
 cheeks, and as they grow up the cares of life are lef- 
 fened by their grateful attention. She lives to fee the 
 virtues which me endeavourcd to plant on principles, 
 fixed into habits, to fee her children attain a ftrength 
 of character fufficient to enable them to endure adver- 
 fity, without forgetting their mother's example. 
 
 The talk of life thus fulfilled, me calmly waited for 
 the deep of death, and rifmg from the grave, may 
 fay Behold, thou gave/l me a talent and here are 
 ve talents. 
 
 I wifh to fum up what I have faid in a few words, 
 for I here throw down my gauntlet, and deny the ex- 
 iftence of lexual virtues, not excepting modefty. For 
 man and woman, truth, if I underfhnd the meaning of 
 the word, rnuft be the fame; yet the fanciful female 
 io prettily drawn by poets and noveliifts, 
 demanding the Sacrifice of truth and fmcerity, virtue 
 becomes a relative idea, having no other foundation 
 than utility, and of that utility men pretend arbitrarily 
 to judge, ill. ping it to their own convenience. 
 
 Woiv.ji:, 1 allow, may h.ive different duties to ful 
 fil; bin they are him a;. J ^.ies, and c.ie principles that 
 d regulate the difcJwrge of tiicm, I iturdily main 
 tain, mull be the fame. 
 
g6 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 To become refpeftable, the exercife of their under- 
 flanding is neceflkry ; there is no other foundation for 
 independence of charafter ; I mean explicitly to fay, : 
 that they muft only bow to the authority of reafon, m- 
 ftead of being the modcfl flaves of opinion. 
 
 In the fuperior ranks of life how feidom do we meet 
 with a man of fuperior abilities, or even common ac 
 quirements? The reafon appears to me clear ; the ftate 
 they are born in was an unnatural one. The human 
 charafter has ever been formed by the employments the = 
 individual, or clafs, parfues ; and if the faculties are : 
 not fharpened by neceffity, they muft remain obtufe. 
 The argument "may fairly be extended to women; for, 
 feidom occupied by ferious bufmefs, the purfuit of plea, 
 fare gives that infignificancy to their chafer which 
 renders the fociety of the great fo infipid. The fame 
 want of firmnefs, produced by a fimilar caufe, forces 
 them both to fly from themfelves to noify pleafures, 
 and artificial paffions, till vanity takes place of every 
 focial affeftion, and the charaftcriftics of humanity can 
 fcarcely be difcerned. Such are the bleffings of civil 
 governments, as they are at prefent organized, that 
 wealth and female foftnefs equally tend to debafe man 
 kind, and are produced by the fame caufe ; but allow-, 
 ing women to be rational creatures, they mould be in-i 
 cited to acquire virtues which they may call their own, 
 for how can a rational being be ennobled by any thing 
 that is not obtained by its own exertions? 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 87 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 $u>/er e vafiofis on the flate of degradation to which 
 is reduced by various cewfes. 
 
 JL HAT woman is naturally weak, or degraded by 
 a concurrence of circumftances is, I think, clear. But 
 this pofition I fhall fimply contraft with a conclufion, 
 which I have frequently heard fall from fenfible men 
 in favour of an ariftocracy : that the mafs of mankind 
 cannot be any thing, or the obfequious flaves, who pa 
 tiently allow tfiemfelves to be penned up, would feel 
 their own confequence, and fpurn their chains. Men, 
 they further obferve, fubmit every where to opprefuon> 
 when they have only to lift up their heads to throw off 
 the yoke; yet, inflead of averting their birthright, 
 they quietly lick the duft, and fay, let us eat and 
 drink, for to-morrow we die. Women, I argue from 
 analogy, are degraded by the fame propensity to enjoy 
 the prefent moment ; and, at laft, defpife the freedom 
 which they have not fufficient virtue to ftruggle to at 
 tain. But I muft be more explicit. 
 
 With refpea to the culture of the heart, it is una- 
 nimoufly allowed that fex is out of the queflion ; but 
 the line of fubordination in the mental powers is never 
 to be palled over.* Only < abfolute in lovelinefs,' die 
 
 * Into ivbat inconfijlencits do men fall -when they argue -without tLe 
 tompafs of principles. Women, -weak -women , are comfartd with an . 
 felt ; yet afuperivr order of beings Jhould bt fuppoftd ( fcftft mtrt 
 
Do VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 portion of rationality granted to woman is, indeed, 
 very {canty ; for, denying her genius and judgment, 
 it is fcarcely poilible to divine what remains to charac 
 terize intellect. 
 
 The ilamina of immortality, if I may be allowed 
 the phrafe, is the perfectibility of human reafon j for, 
 was man created perfect, or did a flood of knowledge 
 - break in upon him, when he arrived at maturity, that 
 precluded error, I mould doubt whether his exiilence 
 would be continued after the diflblution of the body. 
 But, in the prefent Hate of things, every difficulty in 
 morals, that efcapes from human difcuflion, and equally 
 baffles the iaveiligation of profound thinking, and 
 the lightning glance of genius, is an argument on 
 which I build my belief of the immortality of the 
 foul. Reafon is, confequentially, the fimple power of 
 improvement ; or, more properly fpeaking, of difcern- 
 ing truth. Every individual is in this refpect a world 
 in itfelf. More or lefs may be confpicuous in .one be 
 ing than another ; but the nature of reafon mull be the 
 fame in all, if it be an emanation of divinity, the tie 
 that connects the creature with the Creator ; for, can 
 that foul be {lamped with the heavenly image, that is 
 
 inlcllefl than wan ; or in inhat does their fuperiority conjijl ? In tht 
 Jiuxe JTyle, to dro'J the fiieer, they art allotved to pc/Jefs more goodiiefs 
 of heart) piety and benevolence. / doubt the fafl, though it be c'lur- 
 teoit/ly brought forward, unhfs ignorance be alkiucd to be the mother of 
 devotion ; for I am firmly pcrfuaded^ that t on an averagey the propoi'- 
 t' if >'i hdivecn virtue and knowledge is more upon a par than is (ommoxly 
 granted. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 89 
 
 not perfected by the exercife of ks o.vn reafonr* Yet 
 outwardly ornamented with re, and fo 
 
 adorned to delight man, that with honour he may 
 ' love,' f the foul of woman is not allowed to have 
 this diftinclion, anJ man, ever placed between her and 
 reafon, flic 'y created to fee 
 
 through 'a g . and to I tgs en trull. 
 
 But, d. :iful theories, and considering 
 
 woman as a whole, let it be what it will, inflcad of a 
 part of man, the inquiry is, whether flic has reafon or 
 not. If file has, which, for a moment, I will take for 
 granted, (he was not created merely to be the folace 
 of man, and the fexual fhould not dsflroy the human 
 character. 
 
 Into this error men have, probably, been led by 
 viewing education in a falfe light ; not confidering it 
 as the firft ilep to form a being advancing gradually 
 towards perfection ; J but only as a preparation for 
 life. On this fenfual error, for I muft call it fo, has 
 the falfe fyftem of female manners been reared, which 
 robs the whole fex of its dignity, and claiTes the brown 
 and fair with the fmiling flowers that only adorn the 
 land. This has ever been the language of men, and 
 the fear of" departing from a fuppofed fexual charac. 
 
 * The brutes^fays Lo>d MonlodJo, ' rcnain in ih? fiate in ivl'ich 
 nature bat placed f lent, except in fo far as tlelr natural injl'ncl is 
 ' improved by the culture we befioiu upon ilc;:iC 
 
 f Vide Milton. 
 
 J This ivor d is not fir icily juft, l:tt I ca"tiot find a Letter 
 
 I 2. 
 
fc> VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 t-jr, has made even women of fuperior fenfe adopt the 
 fame fentiments. * Thus underftanding, ftri&ly fpeak- 
 ing, has been denied to woman ; and inflincl, fubli- 
 mated into wit and cunning, for the purpofes of life, 
 has been fubftituted in its flead. 
 
 The power of generalizing ideas, of drawing com- 
 preheniive conclufions from individual obfervations, is 
 the only acquirement for an immortal being, that really 
 deferves the name of knowledge. Merely to obferve, 
 
 * ' Pleasure's tie portion of t/S inferior kind ; 
 f But glory, virtue, Heaven for man defignd. 
 
 After writing thefe lines, loiu tsuld Mrs, Batlaitld "Mriictlc fcl'~ 
 lewing igtivble ccmfarifon ? 
 
 * To a Lady with feme painted flowers.' 
 
 * flowers io tie fair : to you thefe floiuers I bring, 
 
 * Ana. firii>e to greet you ivitb an earlhr Jpring^ 
 
 * flower si -?'>.? i, andgiv, and delicate like you ; 
 
 * Emblems of innocence, and beauty too. 
 
 * Wttbf.'jivers the Graces bind their ycHotv lair, 
 
 * Andfioivery ivrcatls confenting lovsrs ivear. 
 1 FloivfiS) ibc fole luxury which nature kxeiv, 
 1 In Eden's pure and gtiililefs garden greiv. 
 
 * To loftier j It ms arc rougher tc-Jks vjjlgrfd, 
 ' Tbefcslteri** oak rt/ijls thcformy ivind : 
 1 The tougher yci<j repch invading foes, 
 
 * And the tall fine for future navies groius ; 
 4 But this f oft family i to cares unknown, 
 
 * \Verc born for picgfure and delig&t alon*. 
 
 * (ray ivttbou* toil, and lovely without art, 
 
 * 'TbeyJfrittgto'clM&fa.fenJtt and glad the heart, 
 4 Nor llujb, my fair, to own you copy tlefe ; 
 
 1 Tyur left, your fweetefl, empire is to pleafe.* 
 
 5- tbt men tell us : b;:t virtue muf, l>y rough tti/s, an* 
 
 . : -&'..ih worldly carts. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. QI 
 
 Without endeavouring to account for any tiling, may, 
 (in a very incomplete manner) ferve as the common 
 fenfe of life ; but where is the ftore laid up that is to 
 clothe the foul when it leaves the body ? 
 
 This power has not only been denied to women ; but 
 writers have infilled that it is inconfifient, with a few 
 exceptions; with their fexual character. L^t men prove 
 this, and I frail grant that woman on ! y exift.-i for man. 
 I muit, howevc/ oower 
 
 of generalizing ideas, to any great extent, is not very 
 common amongft men or women. Hut this exerciie is 
 the true cultivation of the underfhnding ; and every 
 thing confpires to render the cultivation of the ur.dcr- 
 fian-img more diliicukin the female than 
 
 I am naturally led by this afTertion to the m 
 of the prelent chapter, and mail now r. 
 out fome of the cvafes that degrade th 
 vent womcrt from generaliziug t 
 
 I mail not go b.ick to t.ie remo'ce a.in.ils of anti 
 quity to trace the hiftory of wjm.n ; J 
 Callow, that me has always been eit . e or a def- 
 
 |pot ; and to remark, that each of thefe utuitions e 
 
 Is the progrefs of reafon. 
 female Lily and vice has ever appeared to r:e to 
 
 'Voni narrow.nefs of mind ; and the ve 
 tion of civil governments has put almoft infuperable 
 obftaclca in me way to prevent the cultivation of the 
 female imderftanding : yet virtue can be built on no 
 other foundation I Yhe fame obfracles are thrown in the 
 way of the rich, and the fame confequences enfue. 
 13 
 
^2 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 Neceflity has been proverbially termed the mother of 
 invention the apliorifm may be extended to virtue. 
 It is an acquirement, and an acquirement to which plea- 
 fare mail be ficrificecl and who facrifices pleafure when 
 it is within the graip, whofe mind has not been opened 
 and ftrengthened by adverfity, or the purfuit of know 
 ledge goaded on by neceflity r Happy is it when peo 
 ple hive the cares of life to ftruggle with; for thefe 
 lit their becoming a prey to enervating 
 i ..uy from idleness ! But, if from their birth 
 "/omen are placed in a torrid zone, with the 
 in fun of pleaiure darting diredlly upon them, 
 now can they fufnciently brace their minds to difcharge 
 the duties of life, or even to reliili the affections that 
 carry them cut of themfelves ? 
 
 Pleafure is the bufmeis of a woman's life, according 
 to the prefent modification of focie;y, and while it con 
 tinues to be fo, little can be expected from fuch weak 
 beings. Inheriting, in a lineal defcent from the fir ft 
 fair defeft in nature, the fovereignty of beauty, they 
 have, to maintain their power, refign^d the natural 
 rights, which the exercife of reafon might have pro 
 cured them, and chofen rather to be mort-lived queens 
 than labour to attain the fobe*- plea fares that arife from 
 equality. Exalted by their inferiority (this founds like 
 a contradiction) they con.lantly demand homage as wo 
 men, though experience fhould teach them that the men 
 who pride themfelves upon paying this arbitrary info- 
 lent rcfpefl to the fcx, with the rr.oft ftrupulous exaft- 
 nefs, are jr.o.l-inclined to tyrannise over, and defpife 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN'. 93 
 
 the very weaknefs they cherifh. Often do they repeat 
 Mr. Hume's fentiments ; when, comparing the French 
 and Athenian character, he alludes to women. ' But 
 
 * what is more fmgular in this whimfical nation, fay I 
 1 to the Athenians, is, that a frolic of yours during the 
 1 Saturnalia, when the naves are ferved by their maf- 
 
 * ters, is ferioufly continued by them through the whole 
 
 * year, and through the whole courfe of their lives ; 
 4 accompanied too with fome circumflances, which fcill 
 ' further augment the abfurdity and ridicule. Your. 
 
 * fport only elevates for a few days, thofe whom fortune 
 
 * has thrown down, and whom me too, in fport, may 
 
 * really elevate for ever above you. But this nation 
 
 * gravely exalts thofe, whom nature has fubjecled to 
 ' them, and whofe inferiority and infirmities are abfo- 
 
 * lutely incurable. The women, though without vir- 
 f tue, are their matters and fovereigns.' 
 
 Ah ! why do women, I write with affectionate foli- 
 citude, condeicend to receive a degree of attention and 
 refpetl from Grangers, different from that reciprocation 
 of civility which the dictates of humanity, and the po- 
 litenefs of civilization authorife between man and man ? 
 And why do they not difcover, when f in the noon of 
 beauty's power* that they are treated like queens only 
 to be deluded by hollow refpecl, till they are led to 
 refign, or not afiume, their natural prerogatives ? Con 
 fined then in cages, like the feathered race, they have 
 nothing to do but to plume themfelves, and ihilk with 
 mock-majefty from perch to perch. It is true, they are 
 provided with food and raiment, for which they nei~ 
 
94 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 ther toil nor fpin ; but health, liberty, and virtue are 
 given in exchange. But, where, amoRgft mankind has 
 been found fufficient ilrength of* mind to enable a being 
 to refign thefe adventitious prerogatives ; one \v,io, 
 rifing with the calm dignity of reaion abc^ r e opinion, 
 dared to be proud of the privileges inherent in man ? 
 and it is vain to expect it whilft hereditary power chokes 
 the affections, and nips reafon in the bud. 
 
 Trie pillions of men have thus placed women on 
 t 5> .;na, till mankind become more reafon^ble, it 
 
 is to le fe.-^ed that women will av.dl themselves of the 
 pou jr which they attain witn the leaft exertion, and 
 wnich is the moft indiiputable. r i hey will fmile yes, 
 they will imiie, though told that 
 
 * In beauty's empire is no mean t 
 
 * Ji#divoma, either jlervc or queen* 
 
 * Is quickly J corn d f mi en not adoi d. 
 
 But the adoration comes firfl, and the fcorn is not an 
 ticipated. 
 
 Lewis the XlVth, in particular, fpread factitious 
 manners, and caught in a fpecious way, the whole na 
 tion in his toils ; for eftabiiiliing an artful chain of def- 
 p-ctifm, he niaae it ihe intereft of the people at large, 
 individually to rdpecfc his fiation, and fupport his 
 power. And women, whom he flattered by a puerile 
 attention to the whole lex, obtained in his reign that 
 prince-like diftinction fo fatal to reafon and virtue. 
 
 A king is always a king and a woman always a 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 95 
 
 woman : * his authority and her fex, ever ftand between 
 them and rational converfe. With a lover, I grant ihe 
 fhould be fo, and her fenfibility will naturally lead her 
 to endeavour to excite emotion, not to gratify her va 
 nity but her heart. This I do not allow to be coquettry, 
 it is the artlefs impulfe of nature, I only exclaim againfl 
 the fexual defire of conqueft, when, the heart is out of 
 the queftion. 
 
 This defire is not confined to women ; ' I have en- 
 ' deavoured, ' fays Lord Chefterfield, 'to gain the hearts 
 t of twenty women, whofe perfons I would not have 
 
 given a fig for. ' The libertine, who in a guft of paf- 
 fion, takes advantage of unfufpeding tendernefs, is a 
 faint when compared with this cold-hearted raical ; 
 for I like to ufe fignificant words. Yet only taught to 
 pleafe, women are always on the watch to pleafe, and 
 with true heroic ardour endeavour to gain hearts merely 
 to refign, or fpurn them, when the victory is decided, 
 and confpicuous. 
 
 I muit defcend to the minutiae of the fubjeft. 
 
 I lament that women are fyftematically degraded by 
 receiving the trivial attentions, which men think it man 
 ly to pay to the fex, when, in fadl, they are infultingly 
 fupporting their own fuperiority. It is not condefcen- 
 fion to bow to an inferior. So ludicrous, in fa&, do 
 thefe ceremonies appear to me that I fcarcely am able 
 to govern my mufcles, when I fee a man ilart with 
 
 * And a iv'tt always a ivit, might be added ; for the va.'rn fooleries, 
 tf ivlts and beauties to attain attention^ and make conyuejls J are muck 
 upon a par. 
 
96 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 eager, and ferious folicitude to lift a handkerchief, or 
 fhut a door, when the lady could have done it herfelf, 
 had ihe only moved a pace or two. 
 
 A wild wiih has juil flown from my heart to my 
 head, and I will not ftifle it though it may excite a horfe- 
 laugh. I do earneilly wifh to fee the diflinction of fex 
 confounded in fociety, unlefs where love animates the 
 behaviour. For this diflindion is, I am firmly perfuad- 
 ed, the foundation of the weaknefs of character afcribed 
 to woman; is the caufe why the underftanding is ne 
 glected, whilft accomplishments are acquired with fe- 
 dulouscare: and the fame caufe accounts for their pre 
 ferring the graceful before the heroic virtues. 
 
 Mankind, including every defcription, wifh to be 
 loved and refpectedforyc^/>&z#g-; and the common herd 
 will always take the neareft road to the completion of 
 their wiflies. The refpect paid to wealth and beauty is 
 the moft certain and unequivocal; and, of conrfe, will 
 always attract the vulgar eye of common minds. Abi 
 lities and virtues are abfolu^ely neceflary to raife men, 
 from the middle rank of life into notice; and the natu 
 ral confequence is notorious, the middle rank contains 
 moil virtue and abilities. Men have thus, in one ftation, 
 ?.t lead, an opportunity of exerting themfelves with 
 dignity, and of rifmgby the exertions which really im 
 prove a L.tionr:! :reature ; but the whole female fex are, 
 till their character is formed, in the fame condition as 
 the rich : for they a.e born, I now fpeak of a flate of ci 
 vilization, with certain fexual privileges, and v/hilil they 
 are gratuitoufly granted them, few will ever think of 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 97 
 
 works of fupererogation, to obtain the efteem of a fmall 
 number of fuperior people. 
 
 When do we hear of women, who, ftarting out of 
 obfcurity, boldly claim refpeft on account of their great 
 abilities or daring virtues? Where are they to be found? 
 e To be obferved, to be attended to, to be taken no- 
 ' tice of with fympathy, complacency, and approbation, 
 * are all the advantages which they feek.' True ! my 
 male readers will probably exclaim ; but let them, be 
 fore they draw any conclufion, recoiled, that this was 
 not written originally as defcriptive of women, but of 
 the rich. In Dr. Smith's Theoiy of Moral Sentiments, 
 I have found a general character of people of rank and 
 fortune, that, in my opinion, rnighfriwith the greateft 
 propriety be applied to the female fex. I refer the fa- 
 gacious reader to the whole comparifon; but muil be 
 allowed to quote a PalTage to enforce an argument that 
 I mean to infift on, as the one mofl conclufive againft a 
 fexual character. For if, excepting warriors, no great 
 men, of any denomination, have ever appeared amongft 
 the nobility, may it not be fairly inferred, that their 
 local fituation fwallowed up the man, and produced a 
 character fimilar to that of women, who are localized, 
 if I may be allowed the word, by the rank they are 
 placed in, by courtefy? Women, coinironly called La 
 dies, are not to be contradicted in Company, are not 
 allowed to exert any manurl ftrength ; *r-d from them 
 the negative virtues only are expeCled, when any vir 
 tues are expected, patience, docility, good-humour, 
 and flexibility ; virtues incompatible with uny vigorous 
 
98 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 exertion of intellect. Befides, by living more with 
 each other, and being feldom abfolutely alone, they are 
 more under the influence of fentiments than paffions. 
 Solitude and reflection are neceflary to give to wii'hes 
 the force of paffions, and to enable the imagination to 
 enlarge the object, and make it the molt defirable. The 
 fame may be faid of the rich ; they do not fufficiently 
 deal in general ideas, collected by impafiionate think 
 ing, or calm inveftigation, to acquire that ftrength of 
 character, on which great refolves are built. But hear 
 what an acute obferver fays of the great. 
 . f Do the great feem infenfible of the eafy price at 
 
 * which they may acquire the public admiration? or 
 1 do they feem to imagine, that to them, as to other 
 
 * men, it muft be the purchafe either of fweat or of 
 ' blood ? By what important accompli Ihments is the 
 
 * young nobleman inftructed to fupport the dignity of 
 ' his rank, and to render himfelf worthy of that fupe- 
 
 * riority over his fellow citizens, to which the virtue 
 ' of his ancestors had raifed them ? Is it by know- 
 6 ledge, by induftry, by patience, by felf-denial, or 
 ( by virtue of any kind ? As all his words, as all his 
 ' motions are attended to, he learns an habitual regard 
 
 * every circumstance of ordinary behaviour, and Ihi- 
 
 * dies to perform all thofe fmall duties with the moft 
 c exact propriety. As he is confcious how much he 
 ' is obferved, and how much mankind are difpofed to 
 
 * favour all his inclinations, he acts, upon the moft 
 
 * indifferent occafions, with that freedom and elevation 
 ' which the thought of this naturally infpires. His 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 99 
 
 air, his manner, his deportment, all mark that elegant 
 and graceful fenfe of his own fuperiority, which thofe 
 who are born to an inferior {ration can hardly ever ar- 
 * : rive at. Thefe are the arts by which he propofes to 
 make mankind more eafily fubmit to his authority, and 
 to govern their inclinations according to his own plea- 
 fure : and in this he is feldom difappointed. Thefe 
 arts, fupported by rank and pre-eminence, are, upon 
 ordinary occafions, fufScient to govern the world. 
 Lewis XIV. during the greater part of his reign, 
 was regarded, not only in France, but over all Eu 
 rope, as the moft perfect model of a great prince. 
 But what were the talents and virtues, by which he 
 acquired this great reputation ? Was it by the fcm- 
 pulous and inflexible juitice of all his undertakings, 
 by the immenfe dangers and difficulties with which 
 they were attended, or by the unwearied and unre 
 lenting application with which he purfued them? 
 Was it by his extenfive knowledge, by his exquifite 
 judgment, or by his heroic valour ? It was by none 
 of thefe qualities. But he was, firfl of all, the moft 
 powerful prince in Europe, and confequently held 
 the highefl rank among kings; and then, fays his 
 hiftorian, " he furpaffed all his courtiers in the grace- 
 ' fulnefs of his mape, and the majeftic beauty of hi* 
 ' features. The found of his voice, noble and afFel- 
 1 ing, gained thofe hearts which his prefence intimi- 
 ' dated. He had a ftep and a deportment, which 
 ' could fuit only him and his rar.k, and which would 
 * have been ridiculous in any other perfon. The em- 
 K 
 
ICO VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 <( barra{iment which he occafioned to thofe who fpok'| 
 ** to him, flattered that fecret fatisfa&icn with which] 
 " he felt his own fuperiority." Thefe frivolous ac-g 
 e .complifhments, fupported by his rank, and, no doubt J 
 * too, by a degree of other talents and virtues, which I 
 feems, however, not to have been much above medio-J 
 f crity, eftabliihed this prince in the efteem of his own] 
 e age, and have drawn, even from poilerity, a good) 
 ' deal of refpect for his memory. Compared with' 
 ' thefe, in his own times, and in his own prefence, no I 
 ' other virtue, it feems, Appeared to have any merit. 8 
 ' Knowledge, induliry, valour, and beneficence, trem-j 
 bling, were abafhed, and loft all dignity before them.H 
 Woman, alfo, thus < in herfelf complete,* by pof~ 
 "fefling all thefe frivolous accomplifhments, fo changes 
 the nature of things, 
 
 ' That what Jie tuilh io do or fay 
 
 Seems iv if if, virtuoufefl, difcreetejl. Left ; 
 ' All higher Imivledge in her prefence falls 
 ' Degraded. TVtfdom in difcourfe "with her 
 ' i, fifes difionntencinc'cl, and like Folly fioius-; 
 4 Authority and Rfafon on her wait. 1 
 
 And all this is built on her lovelinefs ! 
 
 In the middle rank of life, to continue the compan 
 ion, men, in their youth, are prepared for profeflions, 
 and marriage is not confidered as the grand feature in 
 their lives ; whilft women, on the contrary, have no 
 other fcherne to fharpen their faculties. It is not bufi- 
 nefs, extenfive plans, or any of the excurfive flights 
 cf ambition, that engrofs their attention j no, their 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN". 101 
 
 thoughts are not employed in rearing fuch noble flruc- 
 tures. To rife in the world, and have the liberty of 
 tanning from pleafure to pleafure, they muft marry 
 'advantageoufly, and to this object their time is facrL 
 ficed, and their perfons often legally proftituted. A 
 man, when he enter any profeilion, has his eye {readily 
 flxed on fome future advantage (and the mind gains 
 great flrength by having all its efforts di reeled to one 
 point) and, full of his bufmefs, pleafure is coniidered 
 as mere relaxation ; whilft women feek .for pleafure z* 
 the main purpofe of exigence. In fact, from the edr. 
 cation which they receive from fociety, the love of 
 plealiire may be faid to govern them ail ; bat does 
 this prove that there is a fex in fouls ? It would be juic 
 as rational to declare, that the courtiers in France, when 
 a deilruclive fyftem of defpotifm had formed their cha 
 racter, were not men, becaufe liberty, virtue, and human 
 ity, were facrificed to pleafure and vanity. Fatal paf- 
 fions, which have ever domineered over the whole race ! 
 
 The fame love of pleafure, foftered by the whole 
 tendency of their education, gives a trifling turn to 
 the conduft of women in moil circumftances : for in- 
 ftance, they are ever anxious about fecondary things ; 
 and on the watch for adventures, inftead of being oc 
 cupied by duties. 
 
 A man, when he undertakes a journey, has, in ge 
 neral, the end in view ; a woman thinks more of the 
 incidental occurrences, the ftrange things that may 
 poflibly occur on the road; the impreffion that me may 
 make on her fellow-travellers j and, above all, me is 
 Kz. 
 
IO2 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 anxioufly intent on the care of the finery that flic car 
 ries with her, which is more than ever a part of her- < 
 felf, when going to figure on a new fcene ; when, to 
 ufe an apt French tarn of expreflion, flie is going to , 
 produce a fenfation.Can dignity of mind exift with 
 iuch trivial cares ? 
 
 In fhort, women, in general, as well as the rich of both ; 
 fexes, have acquired all the follies and vices of civiliza- i 
 tlon, and miffed the ufeful fruit. It is not necefiary for ; 
 jne always to premife, that I fpeak of the condition of! 
 The whole fex, leaving exceptions out of the queilion. : < 
 Their fenfes are inflamed, and their underftandingg 
 neglected ; confequently they become the prey of their 
 il-nies. delicately termed fenfibility, and are blown 
 xibotit by every momentary guft of feeling. They are, 
 therefore, in a much worfe condition than they would 
 be in, were they in a ftate nearer to nature. Ever relt- 
 lefs and anxious, their ovcr-exercifed fenfibility not 
 only renders them uncomfortable themfelves, but trou- 
 blefome, to ufe a foft phrafe, to others. All their 
 thoughts turn on things calculated to excite emotion; 
 and, feeling, when they mould reafon, their conduct 
 is unftable, and their opinions are wavering not the i 
 wavering produced by deliberation or progreffive views, 
 but by contradictory emotions. By fits and Harts they 
 are warm in many purfuits; yet this warmth, never 
 concentrated into perfeverance, foon exhaufts itfelf j 
 exhaled by its own heat, or meeting with fome other., 
 fleeting pailion, to which reafon has never given any 
 fpeciiic gravity, neutrality enfues. Mifcrable, indeed, 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 
 
 muft be that being whofe cultivation of mind has only 
 tended to inflame its paffions! A difdnction mould be 
 made between inflaming and ilrengthening them. The 
 paffions thus pampered, whilit the judgment is left un 
 formed, what can be expected to enfue? Undoubtedly, 
 a mixture of madnefs and folly ! 
 
 This obfervation mould not be confined to the fair 
 fex ; however, at prefcnt, I only mean to apply it to 
 them. 
 
 Novels, mufic, poetry and gallantry, all tend to make 
 women the creatures of 'fenfation, and their character is 
 thus formed during the time they are acquiring accom- 
 plimments, the only improvement they are excited, by 
 their ftation in fociety, to acquire. This overftretched 
 fenfibility naturally relaxes the other powers of the mind, 
 and prevents intellect from attaining that fovereignty 
 which it ought to attain, to render a rational creature 
 ufeful to others, and content with its own ftation : for 
 the exercife of the underflanding, as life advances, is the 
 only method pointed out by nature to calm the paffions. 
 
 Satiety has a very different effect, and I have often 
 been forcibly flruck by an emphatical defcription of 
 damnation, when the fpirit is reprefented as continu 
 ally hovering with abortive eagernefs round the defiled 
 body, unable to enjoy any thing without the organs of 
 fenfe. Yet, to their fenfes, are women made (laves, 
 becaufe it is by their fenfibility that they obtain prefent 
 power. 
 
 And will moralifls pretend to afTert, that this is the 
 condition in which one half of the human race fhould be 
 
104 VINDICATION" OF THE 
 
 encouraged to remain with liftlefs inactivity and ftupid 
 acquiescence ? Kind inftruftors ! what were we created 
 for ? To remain, it may be faid, innocent ; they mean 
 in a ftate of childhood. We might as well never have 
 been born, unlefs it were neceffary that we mould be 
 created to enable man to acquire the noble privilege of 
 reafon, the power of difcerning good from evil, whilil 
 we lie down in the duft from whence we were taken, 
 never to rife again. 
 
 It would be an endlefs tafk to trace the variety of 
 meannefles, cares, and forrows, into which women are 
 plunged by the prevailing opinion, that they were created 
 rather to feel than reafon, and that all the power they 
 obtain, mult be obtained by their charms and weaknefs : 
 
 ' Fine by defett^ and amiably ivcak /' 
 
 And, made by this amiable weaknefs entirely dependent, 
 excepting what they gain by illicit fway, en man, not 
 only for protection, but advice, is it furprifmg that, 
 neglecting the duties that reafon alone points out, and 
 (blinking from trials calculated to flrengthen their 
 minds, they only exert themfelves to give their defects 
 a graceful covering, which may ferve to heighten their 
 charms in the eye of the voluptuary, though it fink 
 them below the fcale of moral excellence ? 
 
 Fragile in every fenfe of the word, they are obliged 
 to lookup toman for every comfort. In the moil triiiing 
 dangers they cling to their fupport, with parafitical tena- . 
 city, piteoully demanding fuccour; and their natural 
 protector extends his arm,or lifts up his voice, to guard 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 105 
 
 the lovely trembler from what? Perhaps the frown of 
 an old cow, or the jump of a moufe; a rat, would be 
 a ferious danger. In the name of reafon, and even com 
 mon fenfc, what can iave fuch beings from contempt, 
 even though they be foft and fair? 
 
 Thefe fears, when not affected, may be very pretty; 
 but they {hew a degree of imbecility, that degrades a 
 rational creature in a way women are not aware of for 
 love and eileem are very difiind things. 
 
 I am fully perfuaded, that we mould hear of none of 
 thefe infantine airs, if girls were allowed to take fuffi- 
 cient exercife, and not confined in clofe rooms till their 
 mufcles are relaxed, and their powers of digeftion de- 
 ftroyed. To carry the remark {till further, if fear in 
 girls, inftead of being cherimed, perhaps, created, was 
 treated in the fame manner as cowardice in boys, we 
 mould quickly fee women with more dignified afpeds. 
 It is true, they could not then with equal propriety be 
 termed the fweet flowers that fmile in the walk of man; 
 but they would be more refpedtable members of fociety, 
 and difcharge the important duties of life by the light 
 of their own reafon. ' Educate women like men,' fays 
 Roufleau, * and the more they refemble our fex the lefs 
 ' power will they have over us. J This is the very point 
 I aim at. I do not wifli them to have power over men; 
 but over themfelves. 
 
 In the fame ftrain have I heard men argue againft 
 inftrufting the poor ; for many are the forms that arifto- 
 cracy affumes. * Teach them to read and write,' fay 
 they, ' and you take them out of the flation affigned 
 
IC6 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 e them by nature.' An eloquent Frenchman has an- 
 fwered themj' I will bofrow his fentiments. But they 
 know not, when they make man a brute, that they may 
 expect every inftant to fee him transformed into a feroci 
 ous beaft. \Vithout knowledge there can be no morality ! 
 
 Ignorance is a frail bafe for virtue ! Yet, that it is the 
 condition for which woman was organized, has been 
 infilled upon by the writers who have mod vehemently 
 argued in favour of the fuperiority of man; a fuperiority 
 not in degree, but effence; though, to foften the argu 
 ment, they hare laboured to prove, with chivalrous 
 generofity, that the fexes ought not to be compared ;. 
 man was made to reafon, woman to feel : and that toge 
 ther, em and fpirit, they make the moil perfect whole, 
 by blending happily reafon and fenfibility into one 
 character. 
 
 And what is fenfibility? ' Quicknefs of fenfation; 
 * quicknefs of perception; delicacy.' Thus it is defined; 
 by Dr. Johnfon; and the definition gives me no other 
 idea than of the moft exquifitely poliihed inftinct. I 
 difcern not a trace of the image of God in eiiher fenfa 
 tion or matter. Refined feventy times feven, they are- 
 ftill material ; intellect dwells not there ; nor will fire 
 ever make lead gold ! 
 
 I come round to my old argument; if woman be al 
 lowed to have an immortal foul, me muft have, as the 
 employment of life, an underitancling to improve. And, 
 when, to render the prefent flute more complete, though 
 every thing proves it to be but a fraction of a mighty 
 fum, fug is incited by prefent gratification, to forget hv- 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 10; 
 
 grand destination, Nature is counteracted, or me was 
 born only to procreate and rot. Or, granting brutes, 
 of every defcription, a foul, though not a reafonable one, 
 the exercife of inftincl and fenfibility may be the ftep, 
 which they are to take, in this life, towards the attain 
 ment of reafon in the next ; fo that through all eternity 
 they will lag behind man, who, why we cannot tell, 
 had the power given him of attaining reafon in his firft 
 mode of exigence. Hg m 
 
 When I treat of the peculiar duties of .women, as 
 I mould treat of the peculiar duties of a citizen or fa 
 ther, it will be found that I do not mean to infmuate, 
 that they mould be taken out of their families, fpeaking 
 of the majority. ' He that halh wife and children,' 
 fays Lord Bacon, ' hath given hoitages to fortune ; 
 ' for they are impediments to great enterprifes, either 
 ' of virtue or milchief. Certainly the beft works, and 
 ' of greateft merit for the public, have proceeded fnom 
 f the unmarried or ohildlefs men.' I fay the fame of 
 women. But, the welfare of fociety is not built on ex 
 traordinary exertions ; and were it more reafonably or 
 ganized, there would be ftill lefs need of great abilities, 
 or heroic virtues. 
 
 In the regulation of a family, in the education of 
 children, imderftanding, in an unfophiiticated fenfe, is 
 particularly required : flrength both of body and mind ; 
 yet the men who, by their writings, have moil: earneftly 
 laboured to domefxicate women, have endeavoured by 
 arguments dictated by a grofs appetite, that fatiety had 
 rendered faflidious, to weaken their bodies and cramp 
 
I08 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 their minds. But, if even by thefe fmifter methods they 
 really perfuaded women, by working on their feelings, 
 to Hay at home, and fulfil the duties of a mother and 
 miftrefs of a family, I mould cautioufly oppofe opinions 
 that led women to right conduct, by prevailing on them 
 to make the difcharge of a duty the bufinefs of life, 
 though reafon were infulted. Yet, and I appeal to ex 
 perience, if by neglecting the underftanding they are 
 as much, nay, more attached from thefe domerKc duties, 
 than they could be by the molt ferious intellectual pur- 
 fuit, though it may be obferved, that the mafs of man 
 kind will never vigoroufly purfue an intellectual ob 
 ject*, I may be allowed to infer, that reafon is abfo- 
 lutely neceffary to enable a woman -to- perform any 
 duty properly, and I muil again repeat, that fenfibility 
 
 is not reafon. 
 
 The comparifon with the rich ftill occurs to me ; 
 
 for, when men neglect the duties of humanity, women 
 will do the fame ; a common ftrcam hurries them both 
 along with thoughtlefs celerity. Riches and honours, 
 prevent a man from enlarging his underitanding, and. 
 enervate all his powers, by reverfing the order of nature, 
 which has ever made trwe pleafure the reward of labour. 
 Pleafure enervating pleafure is, likewife, within wo 
 men's reach without earning it. But, till hereditary 
 porTeflions are fpread abroad, how can we expect men to 
 be proud of virtue ? And, till they are, women will 
 govern them by the mod direct means, neglecting their 
 
 * le m*fs of manhin.d are ratbtr tlejlaves of their agpetitfs tbatt 
 vf tbtir fajTiotn, 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 109 
 
 dull domeftic duties, to catch the pleafure that is on the 
 wing of time. 
 
 ' The power of woman,' fays fome author, ' is her 
 ' fenfibility ;' and men, not aware of the confequence, 
 do all they can to make this power fwallow up every 
 other, Thofe who conftantly employ their fenfibility 
 will have moft : for example ; poets, painters, and com- 
 pofers,* Yet, when the fenfibility is thus increafed 
 at the expenfe of reafon, and even the imagination, 
 why do philofophical men complain of their ficklenefs ? 
 The fexual attention of man particularly acts on fe 
 male fenfibility, and this fympathy has been exercifed 
 from their youth up. A huiband cannot long pay thofe 
 attentions with the paflion neceflary to excite lively 
 emotions, and the heart, acjcuftomed to lively emotions, 
 turns to a new lover, or pines in fecret, the prey of 
 .virtue or prudence. I mean when the heart has really 
 been rendered fufceptible, and the tafte formed; for 
 J am apt to conclude, from what I have feen in fafhion- 
 able life, that vanity is oftener foftered than fenfibility 
 by the mode of education, and the intercourfe between 
 the fexes, which I have reprobated ; and that conquet- 
 try more frequently proceeds from vanity than from 
 that inconftancy, which overtrained fenfibility naturally 
 produces. 
 
 Another argument that has had a great weight with 
 
 * JVTtn oftbefe defcriptions pour it into their compactions, to amalga 
 mate iLi grofs materials \ and^ moulding them <witb pajfion t give to tbi 
 ine>< body afoul; but , in ivomati's imagination, love tlont concentrates 
 ' creal l/eams. 
 
IIO TINDICATJON OF THE 
 
 me, mufl, I think, have fome force with every confide- 
 rate, benevolent heart. Girls who have been thus 
 weakly educated, are often cruelly left by their parents 
 without any provifion ; and, of courfe, are dependent 
 on, not only the reafon, but the bounty of their bro 
 thers. Thefe brothers are, to view the faireft fide of 
 the queflon, good fort of men, and give as a favour, 
 what children of the fame parents had an equal right to, 
 In i his equivoca 1 humiliating fituation, a docile female 
 may remain fome time, with a tolerable degree of com- 
 fo.t. But, when the brother marries, a probable cir- 
 cumftance, frcm being confidered as the miftrefs of the 
 family, me is viewed with averted looks as an intruder, 
 an unneaflary burden on the benevolence of the maf- 
 ter of the houfe, and his new partner, 
 
 Whoc.-.n recount themifery, which many unfortunate 
 beings, whofe minds and bodies are equally weak, fuf- 
 fer in fuch iicuations unable to work, and amamed to 
 beg ? The wife, a cold-hearted, narrow-minded woman, 
 and this is not an unfair fuppofition ; for the prefent 
 mode of education does not tend to enlarge the heart 
 any more than the underftanding, is jealous of the little 
 kindnefs which her hufband mows to his relations ; and 
 her ft-nfibiiity not rifmg to humanity, me is difpleafed 
 at feeing the property of her children lavimed on an 
 helplefs fifcer. 
 
 Thefe are matters of facl,. which have come under 
 my eye again and again. The confequence is obvious, 
 the wife has recourfe to cunning to undermine the ha 
 bitual affection, which flie is afraid openly to oppofe ; 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. HI 
 
 and neither tears nor careiTes are fpared till the fpy is 
 worked out of her home, and thrown on the world^ 
 unprepared for its difficulties ; or fent, as a great ef 
 fort of generofity, or from fome regard to propriety, 
 with a fmall ftipsnd, and an uncultivated mind into joy- 
 lefs folitude. 
 
 Thefe two women may be much upon a par, with 
 refpel to reafon and humanity ; and changing fitua- 
 tions, might have acted juft the fame felfifh part ; but 
 kid they been differently educated, the cafe would aifo 
 have been very different. The wife would not have had 
 that fenfibility, of which felf is the centre, and reafon 
 might have taught her not to expect, and not even to 
 be flattered by the affection of her hufband, if it led 
 him to violate prior duties. She would wifh not to 
 love him, merely becaufe he loved her, but on account 
 of his virtues ; arid the fifter might have been able to 
 ftruggle for herfelf, inilead of eating the bitter bread 
 of dependence. 
 
 I am, indeed, perfuaded that the heart, as well as the 
 underftanding, is opened by cultivation ; and by, which 
 may not appear fo clear, ftrengthening the organs ; I 
 am not now talking of momentary ilaflies of fenfibility, 
 but of affections. And, perhaps, in the education, of 
 both fexes, the moll difficult talk is fo to adjuft inftruc- 
 tion as not to narrow the underftandmg, wliilit I'K- 
 heart is warmed by the generous juices of fpring, jail 
 raifed by the electric fermentation of the feafon ; nor 
 to dry up the feelings by employing the mind in. 
 tigations remote from life. 
 
 L 
 
112 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 With refpeft to women, when they receive a careful 
 education, they are either made fine ladies, brimful of 
 fenfibility, and teeming with capricious fancies ; or 
 mere notable women. The latter are often friendly, 
 honeit creatures, and have a fhrevvd kind of good fenfe 
 joined with worldly prudence, that often render them 
 more ufeful members of fociety than the fine fentimental 
 lady, though they pofTefs neither greatnefs of mind 
 nor uite. The intellectual world is fhut againil them ; 
 take them out of their family or neighbourhood, and 
 they ftand ftiil ; the mind finding no employment, for 
 literature affords a fund of amufement, winch they have 
 never fought to reliih, but frequently to delpife. The 
 fentiments and tafte of more cultivated minds appear 
 ridiculous, even in thofe whom chance and family con 
 nections have led them to love , but in mere acquaint 
 ance they think it all affectation. 
 
 A man of fenie can only love fuch a woman on ac 
 count of her fex, and refpecl her, becaufe me is a trufty 
 fervant. He lets her, to preferve his own peace, icold 
 the fervants, and go to church in clothes made of the 
 very belt materials. A man of her own fize of under- 
 flanding would, probably, not agree fo well with her ; 
 for he might wii'h to encroach on her prerogative, and 
 manage fome "\domeftic concerns himfelf. Yet women, 
 whofe minds are not enlarged by cultivation, or the 
 natural felfiflinefs of fenfibility expanded by rejection, 
 are very unfit to manage a family ; for, by an undue 
 flretch cf power, thjy are always tyrannizing to 1 
 a fj-criorlty that only re Us on the arbitrary diltifidion 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 113 
 
 cf fortune. The evil is fometimes more ferious, and 
 domeflics are deprived of innocent induigencies, and 
 made to work beyond their flrength, in order to enable 
 the notable woman to keep a better table, and outfhine 
 her neighbours in finery and parade. If fiie attend to 
 her children, it is, in general, to drefs them in a cofily 
 manner and, whether, this attention arifes from vanity. 
 or fonJnefs, it is equally pernicious. 
 
 BefideSj how many women of this description pafs 
 their days, or, at leaft their evenings, difcontentedly. 
 Their hufbands acknowledge that they are good rr.a- 
 nigers, and ch^fce wives; but leave home to feek for 
 more agreeable, may 1 be allowed to ufe a fignificant 
 French word, piquant fociety ; and the patient drudge, 
 who fulfils her talk, like a blind horfe in a mill, is de 
 frauded of her juft reward ; for the wages due to her 
 are the carefles of her huiband ; and women who have 
 fo few refources in themfelves, do not very patiently 
 bear this privation of a natural right. 
 
 A fine lady, on the contrary, has been taught to look 
 down with contempt on the vulgar employments of life ; 
 though me has only been incited to acquire accomplifh- 
 ments that rife a degree above fenfe ; for even corporeal 
 accompliftiments cannot be acquired with any degree of 
 precifion, unlefs the underftanding has been ftrength- 
 ened by exercife. Without a foundation of principles 
 taile is fuperficial ; and grace mull arife from fomething 
 deeper than imitation. The imagination, however, is 
 Cheated, and the feelings rendered faflidious, if not fo- 
 phifticated ; or, a counterpoife of judgment is not ac- 
 Lz 
 
1 14 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 quired, when the heart ftill remains artlefs, though it 
 becomes too tender. 
 
 Thefe women are often amiable ; and their hearts are 
 really more fenfiblc to general benevolence, more alive 
 to the fentiments that civilize life, thun the fqunre- 
 elbowed family drudge ; b:.it, wanting a due propor 
 tion 'of reflection and felf-governn .ent, they only infpire 
 love ; and are the miftreffes of their hulbands, w hilft 
 they have any lu.ld < n tl^ir ;.:ffeciions ; an.! the platonic 
 friends of his n ale acquaintance. Thefe are the 
 defects in nature ; Lie women who appear to be 
 created not to enjoy the fellowfhip of man, but to fare 
 him fromfinkihg in'.o ahfolute brutality, by rubbing off 
 the rough angles of his character, and by playful dal 
 liance to give feme dignity to the appetite that draws 
 him to them. Gracious Creator of the whole human 
 race. ! hail thou created fuch a being as woman, who 
 can trace thy wifdcm in thy works, and feel that thou 
 alone art by thy nature, exalted above her for no bet- 
 tiv purpcfe ? Can me believe that Ihe was onl^ made 
 to fubniit to man her equal ; a being, who, like her, was 
 il:nt into the world to acquire virtue ? Can me con- 
 lent to be occupied merely to pleafe him ; merely to 
 u.iorn the earth, when her foul is capable of rifmg to 
 thee ; And can flic reft fnpinely dependent on man for 
 '.n, when flie ought to mount with him the arduous 
 
 of knowledge ; 
 
 Yet, if love be the fupreme good, let women be only 
 
 to infpire it, and let every charm be polifhed 
 
 the fenfec ; but, if they are moral beings, 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 115 
 
 let them have a chance to become intelligent ; and let 
 love to man be only a part of that glowing flame of 
 univerfal love, which, after encircling humanity, mounts 
 in grateful incenfe to God. 
 
 To fulfil domellic duties much refolution isnecef&ry, 
 and a ferious kind of perfeverance that requires a more 
 firm fupport than emotions, however lively and true to 
 nature. To give an example of order, the foul of vir 
 tue, fome aufterity of behaviour mull pfce adopted, 
 fcarcely to be expected from a being who, from its in 
 fancy, has been made the weathercock of its own fenfa- 
 tions. Whoever rationally means to be ufeful, muii 
 have a plan of conduct ; and, in the diicharge of ths 
 fimpleft duty, we are often obliged to act contrary to 
 the prefent impulfe of tendernefs or cornpaiTioii. Seve 
 rity is frequently the moft certain, as weU as the moil 
 fublime proof of afFeclion: and the want of this power 
 over the feelings, and of that lofty, dignified affedion, 
 which makes a perfon prefer the future good of the 
 beloved objec~l to a prefent gratification, is the reafon 
 why fo many fond mothers fpoil their children, and his 
 made it questionable, whether negligence or indulgence 
 is more hurtful : but I am inclined to think, that the 
 latter has done moft harm. 
 
 Mankind feem to agree, that children fhould be left 
 under the management of women during their child 
 hood. Now, from all the obfervation that i have been 
 able to make, women of fenfibiiity are the moft unfit 
 for this tafk, becaufe they will infallibly, carried away 
 by their feelings, fpoil a child's temper. The manage- 
 L 3 
 
Il6 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 merit of the temper, the firft and moil important branch 
 of education, requires the fober fteady eye of reafon ; 
 a plan of conduct equally diftant from tyranny and in- 
 d-Igence: yet thefe are the extremes that people of fen- 
 iibhity alternately fall into; always mooting beyond the 
 mark. I have followed this train of reafoning much fur 
 ther, till I have concluded, that a perfon of genius is 
 .the moll improper perfon to be employed in education, 
 public cr private. Minds of this rare fpecies fee things 
 too much in rnaffes, and feldom, if ever, have a good 
 temper. That habitual cheerfulnefs, termed good hu 
 mour, is, perhaps, as feldorn united with great mental 
 powers, as with ftrcng feelings. And thofe people who 
 follow, with interefi and admiration, the flights of ge 
 nius; or, with cooler approbation fuck in the inilruclion, 
 which has been elaborately prepared for them by the 
 profound thinker, ought not to be difgufted, if they nd 
 the former choleric, and the Utter morofe ; becaufe live- 
 linefs of fancy, and a tenacious comprehenfion of mind, 
 are fcurcely compatible wilh that pliant urbanity which 
 leads a man, at leait, to bend to the opinions and preju 
 dices of others, indead of roughly confronting them. 
 
 But, treating of education or manners, minds of a 
 fuperior clafs are not to be considered, they may be left 
 to chance; it is the multitude, with moderate abilities, 
 who call for inilruclion, and catch the colour of the at- 
 mofphcre they breathe. This refpeftable concourfe, I 
 -contend, men and women, mould not have their fenfa- 
 tions heierh-'ened in the hot-bed of luxurious indolence, 
 
 o 
 
 at the exjpencc of their underftanding; for, unlefs there. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 1 17 
 
 be a ballad of underftanding, they will never become 
 either virtuous or free: an ariltocracy, founded on pro- 
 .perty, or ilerling talents, will ever fweep before it, the 
 alternately timid and ferocious flaves of feeling. 
 
 Numberlefs are the arguments, to take another view 
 of the fubject, brought forward with a Ihew of reafon ; 
 becaufe fuppofed to be deduced from nature, that men 
 have ufed morally and phyiically, to degrade the fex, 
 I muft notice a few. 
 
 The female underftanding has often been fpoken of 
 with contempt, as arriving fooner at maturity than the 
 male. I [hall not anfwer this argument by alluding to 
 the early proofs of reafon, as well as genius, in Cowley, 
 Milton, and Pope*, but only appeal to experience to 
 decide whether young men, who are early introduced 
 into company (and examples now abound) do not ac 
 quire the fame precocity. So notorious is this facl, that 
 the bare mentioning of it muft bring before people,- 
 who at all mix in the world, the idea of a number of 
 fwaggering apes of men, whofe underllandings are nar 
 rowed by being brought into the fociety of men when 
 they ought to have been fpinning a top or twirling a 
 hoop. 
 
 It has alfo been afferted, by fome naturalifts, that men 
 do not attain their full growth and ftrength till thirty; 
 but that women arrive at maturity by twenty. I appre 
 hend that they reafon on falfe ground, led aftray by the 
 male prejudice, which deems beauty' the perfection of 
 woman mere beauty of features and complexion, the 
 
 * Many other names might be added. 
 
Il8 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 vulgar acceptation of the world, whiift male beauty 
 is allowed to have fome connection With the mind. 
 Strength of body, and tli .. c-aiuaaer of countenance, 
 which the French term a pfVjio.-tonue, wuiucn do not ac 
 quire before thirty, any more tii ,n men. The little art-' 
 lefs tricks of chiidicn, it is true, are particularly pleaf- 
 ing and atu..u..e; yet, when the pretty freihnefs of 
 youth is wo, off, thefe artlels graces become iludied 
 airs, and dilguft every perfon of tafle. In the counte- 
 \,t ncc of girls \ve only look for vivacity and bafhful mo- 
 but, the fpringtide of life over, we look for fo- 
 b fef Teafe in the face, and for traces of paffion, inftead 
 of the dimples of animal fpirits; expecting to fee indivi 
 duality of character, the only faftener of the affections* f 
 We then wifn to conveile, not to fondle; to give fcope 
 to our imaginations as well as to the fenfations of our 
 hearts. 
 
 At twenty the beauty of both fexes is equal; but the 
 libertinifm of man leads him to make the difrinction, 
 and fuperannuated coquettes are commonly of the fame 
 opinion; for, when they can no longer infpire love, they 
 pay for the vigour and vivacity of youth. The French 
 who admit more of mhid into their notions of beauty, 
 give the preference to women of thirty. I mean to fay 
 that they allow women to be in their mofl perfect ftate 
 \vhen vivacity gives place to reafon, and to that majeit 
 ferioufnefs of character, which marks maturity; or, the 
 
 h, 
 
 
 
 ; 
 
 * TbefrengtJj of an afeflion is, generally, in tie fame proportion, as 
 tie cbaraffer of the ffecies in the oljeSl beloved, it lojl in ibat of tbt 
 individual* 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. Iig 
 
 Tcfcing point. In youth, till twenty, the body {hoots 
 out; till thirty the folids are attaining a degree of den- 
 fity ; and the flexible mufcles, growing daily more rigid, 
 give character to the countenance; that is, they trace 
 the operations of the mind with the iron pen of fate, 
 and tell us not only what powers are within, but how 
 they have been employed. 
 
 It is proper to obferve, that animals who arrive {lowly 
 at maturity, are the longeft lived, and of the nobleit 
 fpecies. Men cannot, however, claim any natural fu- 
 periority from the grandeur of longevity; for in this 
 refpecl nature has not diflinguimed the male. 
 
 Polygamy is another phyfical degradation; and a 
 plaufible argument for a cuftom, that blells every do- 
 melUc virtue, is drawn from the well-attefted fad, that 
 in the countries where it is eftablifhed, more females 
 arc born than males. This appears to be an indication 
 of nature, and to nature, apparently reafonable fpecula- 
 tions mull yield. A further conclufion obvioufly pre- 
 fented itfelf; if polygamy be necenliry, woman muft be 
 inferior to rran, and made for him. 
 
 With refpect to the formation of the fetus in the 
 womb, we are very ignorant; but it appears to me pro 
 bable, that an accidental phyfical caufe may account for 
 this phenomenon, and prove it not to be a law of nature, 
 I have met with fome pertinent obfervations on the fub- 
 jecl in Forfter's Account of the Ifles of the South-Sea, 
 that will explain my meaning. After obferving, that of 
 the two fexes amongft animals, the moft vigorous and 
 hotteft conilitution always prevails, and produces its 
 
120 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 kind; he adds, ' If this be applied to the inhabitants 
 ' of Africa, it is evident, that the men there, accuftomecr 
 f to polygamy, are enervated by the ufe of fo many wo-j 
 ' men, and there fare iels vigorous; the women, on the; 
 ' contrary, are of a hotter conftitution, not only on! 
 ' account of their more irritable nerves, more ienfible^ 
 ' organization, and more lively f.ncy ; but likewise be-^ 
 
 * caufe they are deprived in their matrimony of that 
 
 * mare of pliyfical love which, in a monogamous condi- 
 ' tion, would all be theirs; and thus, for the above rea- 
 ' ions, tiie generality of children ire born females.' 
 
 ' In the greater part of Europe it has been proved 
 
 * by the moft accurate lifls of mortality, that the pro- ' 
 1 portion of men t3 women i" nearly equal, or, if any 
 ' difference takes places, the males born are more nu- 
 ' merous, in the proportion or 105 to 100.' 
 
 The neceffity of polygamy, therefore, does not ap 
 pear; yet when a mm fe daces a woman, it mould, I 
 think, be termed a left-handed marriage, and the man 
 mould be legally obliged to maintain the woman and "her 
 children, unlefs adultery, a natural divorcement, abro 
 gated the law. And this law mould remain in force as 
 long as the weaknefs of women caufed the word feduc- 
 tion to be ufed as an excufe for &j*ir frailty and want of 
 principle ; nay, while they depend on man for a fubfift- 
 ence, inilead of earning it by the exercife of their own 
 hands or heads. But thefe women ihould not, in the full 
 meaning of the relationflrip, be termed wives, or the ; 
 very purpofe of marriage would be fubverted, and all 
 thofe endearing charities that flow from perfonal fide* 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. J2l 
 
 Hty, and give a fancliity to the tie, when neither love 
 [nor friendmip unites the hearts, would melt into felfim- 
 >nefs. The woman who is fu infill to the father of her 
 children demands reipeft, and mould not be treated like 
 [a proilitute ; though i readily grant, that if it be necef- 
 ifary for a man and woman to live together in order to 
 
 f O 
 
 | bring up their offspring, nature never intended that a 
 (man mould have more Uian one wife. 
 
 Still, highly as I refpedt marriage, as the foundation 
 of almoft every ibcial virtue, I cannot avoid feeling the 
 moft lively compaifion for thofe unfortunate females u-no 
 are broken olr from fociety, and by one error torn from 
 all thofe affections and relationmips that improve tne 
 heart and mind. It does not frequently even deserve 
 the name of error; for many innocent girls become the 
 dupes of afmcere, affectionate heart, and ftill more are, 
 as it may emphatically be termed, ruined before they 
 know the difference between virtue and vice: and thus 
 prepared by their education for infamy, they become, 
 infamous. Afylums and M igcialens are not the proper 
 remedies for thefe abufes. it is jaftice, not charity, that 
 is wanting in the world ! 
 
 A woman who has loft her honour, imagines that me 
 cannot fall lower, and as i\>T recovering her former fta- 
 tion, if is impoflibie; no edition c^n warn this ft -.In 
 aw;X Lofing thus every ipur. and having no other 
 means of fupport, proiuiacion becomes her only retire, 
 and the character is quickly depraved by circum .ances 
 over whkli the poor wretcii has little power, unlefs ilie 
 poiTefi'es an uncommon portion of Lnfe and ioftlneis of 
 
122 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 fpirit. Necefiity never makes proftitution the bufmefs : 
 of men's lives; though numberlefs are the women who 
 are thus rendered fyflematically vicious. This, how 
 ever, arifes, in a great degree, from the ftate of idlenefs 
 in which women are educated, who are always taught 
 to look up to man for a maintenance, and to confider 
 their peribns as the proper return for his exertions to 
 fupport them. Meretricious airs, and the whole fcience 
 of wantonnefs, has then a more powerful ftimulus than 
 either appetite or vanity; and this remark gives force to 
 the prevailing opinion, that with chaftity all is loft that 
 is refpeclable in woman. Her character depends on the 
 obiervance of one virtue, though the only pafiion fofter- 
 ed in her heart is love. Nay, the honour of a woman 
 is not made even to depend on her will. 
 
 When Richardfon* makes vlariffa tell Lovelace that 
 he had robbed her of her honour, he muft have had 
 flrange notions of honour and virtue. For, miferable 
 beyond all names of mifery is the condition of a being, 
 who could be degraded without its own confent ! This 
 excefs of ftriclnefs I have heard vindicated as a falutary 
 error. I mail anfwer in the words of Leibnitz * Errors 
 are often ufeful; but it is commonly to remedy other 
 errors, 
 
 Moft of the evils of life arife from a defire of prefent 
 enjoyment that outruns itfeif. The obedience required 
 of women in the marriage ftate comes under this defcrip- 
 tion; the mind, naturally weakened by depending on 
 
 * Dr Young fitpports the fame opinion, in Lit plays , ^vhsn he talks of 
 tJ}e misfortune, that fh tinned the light of tie day, _ 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 123 
 
 authority, never exerts itj own powers, and the obedient 
 wife is thus rendered a weak indolent mother. Or, fup- 
 pofmg that this is not always the confequence, a future 
 ft.ite of exiftence is fcarceiy taken into the reckoning 
 when only negative virtues are cultivated. For, in treat 
 ing of morals, particularly when women, are alluded to, 
 writers have too often confidered virtue in a very limit 
 ed fenie, and made the foundation of it folely worldly 
 utility; nay, a ftill more fragile bafe hr.s been given to 
 this flupendous fabric, and the wayward fluctuating feel 
 ings of men have been made the ftandard of virtue. 
 Yes, virtue as well -as religion, has been fubjected to the 
 decifions of tsfle. 
 
 It would almoft provoke a fmile of contempt, if the 
 vain abfurdities of man did not iirike us on ail fides, to 
 obferve, how eager men are to degrade the ie:: from 
 whom they pretend to receive the chief pleafuie of life; 
 and I have frequently, with full conviction, retorted 
 Pope's farcafm on them; or, to fpeak explicitly, it has 
 appeared to me applicable to the whole human race. A 
 love of pleafure or f.vay fccms to divide mankind, and 
 the hulband .who lords.it in his little ha ram, thinks only 
 of his pleafiire or his convenience. To iuch lengths, in 
 deed, does an intemperate love of pleaiure carry fonie 
 prudent men, or worn-ovit libertines, who marry to have 
 e hed-fdiow, that they feduce their own wives. 
 es modefty, and chafte love takes its flight. 
 e, confidered as an animal appetite, cannot long 
 feed on itfelf without expiring. And this extinction, 
 in it.j own flame, may be termed Uie violent death of 
 M 
 
J24 VINDICATION OF THi 
 
 love. But the wife who has thus been rendered licen 
 tious, will probably endeavour to fill the void left by the 
 lofs of Jier hufband's attentions; for (he cannot content 
 edly become merely an upper fervant after having been 
 treated like a goddefs. She is flill handfome, and, in- 
 llead of transferring her fondnefs to her children, fne 
 only dreams of enjoying the funfhine of life. Befides, 
 tjiere are many hufbands fo devoid of fenfe and parental 
 affection, that during the firft effervefcence of volup 
 tuous fondnefs, they refufe to let their wives fuckle their 
 children. They are only to drefs and live to pleafe them : 
 and love even innocent love, foon finks into lafcivi- 
 oufnefs when the exercife of a duty is facrificed to its 
 indulgence. 
 
 Perfonal attachment is a very happy foundation for 
 friendfnip; yet; when even two virtuous young people 
 marry, it would, perhaps, be happy if fome circumftance 
 checked their pallion; if the recollection of fome prior 
 attachment, or difappointed affection, made it on one 
 fide, at leaft, rather a match founded on efteem. In 
 that call they would look beyond the prefent moment, 
 and try to render the whole of life refpeclable, by 
 forming a plan to regulate a friendfhip which only 
 death ought to diflblve. 
 
 Friendmip is a ferious affection; the moft fublime of 
 nil affections, becaufe it is founded on principle, and 
 cemented by time. The very reverfe may be faid cf 
 Jove. In a great degree, love and friendfhip cannot 
 fubfiit in the fame bofom ; even when infpired by dif 
 ferent objects they weaken or dcilroy each other, and 
 
^vjnic, wr WOMAN. J 25 
 
 for the fame obj:l can only be felt in fuccefllon, The 
 vain fears and fond jealoaiies, thui winds which fan the 
 flame of love, when judicioufly or arUully tendered, 
 *re both incompatible with . .e tender confidence ancl 
 fin^e e reipe>_ o ch-nJLuip. 
 
 I ^, iuca as the glowing pen of genius has traced, 
 exi/^ nut on earth, or only refidcs in thofe exalted, 
 ferviu. imagina.ions that have L. etched iuch dangerous 
 pidures. D. ngerpus, becaufe they not only afford a 
 plaufible excufe to the voluptuary, v\ ho difguifes iheer 
 fenfuality under a fentimental veil ; but as they fpread 
 ane&ation, and take fiom the dignity of virtue. Vir 
 tue, as the very word imports, ihowld have an appear 
 ance of {erioulnefs, if not aufterity ; and to endeavour 
 to trick her out in the garb of pleafure, becauie the 
 epithet has been ufed as another name for beauty, is to 
 exalt her on a quickiand ; a moil infidious attempt to 
 haften her fall by apparent reipe&. Virtue and plea- 
 fure are not, in fact, fo nearly allied in this life as 
 fome eloquent writers have laboured to prov^(*!Plea- 
 fure prepares the fading wreath, and mixes the intoxi 
 cating cup ; but the fruit which virtue gives, is the re- 
 compence of toil: and, gradually feen as it ripens, 
 only affords calm fatisfa&ion ; nay, appearing to be 
 the refult of the natural tendency of things, it is 
 fcarcely obferved. Bread, the common food of life, 
 feldom thought f as a blefling, fupports the conftitu- 
 tion, and preferves health ; ftiU feafls delight the heart 
 of man, though difeafe and even death lurk in the cup 
 or dainty that elevates the fpirits or tickles the palate. 
 M z 
 
 
126 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 The lively heated imagination, in the fame ftyle, draws 
 the pi&ure of love, as it draws every other piclure, 
 with thofe glowing colours, which the daring hand 
 will fteal from the rainbow that is directed by a mind, 
 condemned, in a world like this, to prove its noble 
 origin, by panting after unattainable perfection ; ever 
 puriuing what it acknowledges to be a- fleeting dream. 
 An imagination of this vigorous caft can give exiilencej 
 to infubftantial forms, and (lability to the lhadowy ;J 
 reveries which tiie mind naturally falls into when re- 
 ties are found vapid. It can then depict love withjjj 
 celeftial charms, and dote on the grand ideal objecV- 
 it can imagine a degree of mutual affection that fhalll 
 refine the foul, and not expire when it has ferved as a j 
 ' fcale to heavenly;' and, like devotion, make it ab-| 
 forb every meaner affection and defire. In each other's .'. 
 rrnns, as in a temple, with its fummit loft in the clouds, * 
 the world is to be fhut out, and every thought andj 
 \vim r that do not nurture pure affection and permanent 
 virtues-Permanent virtue ! alas ! Roufleau, refpeclable 
 vifionary ! thy paradife would foon be violated by the 
 entrance of fome unexpected gueft. Like Milton's, it 
 would only contain angels, or men funk below the dig 
 nity of rational creatures, Happinefs is not material,! 
 it cannot be feen or felt ! Yet the eager purfuit of the'i 
 good which every one fhapes to his own fancy, pro- 1 
 claims man the lord of this lower world, and to be 
 an intelligential creature, who is not to receive, bi 
 acquire happinefs. They, therefore, who complain of 
 the delufioas of paflion, do not recoiled that they ai-e 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 127 
 
 exclaiming againil a ilrong proof of the immortality 
 of the foul. 
 
 But, leaving fuperior minds to correct themfelves, 
 and pay dearly for their experience, it is neceffary to 
 obferve, that it is not againfl ftrong, perfevering paf- 
 iions, but romantic, wavering feelings, that I wifli to 
 guard the female heart by exercifmg the underftanding ; 
 for thefe paradifiacal reveries are oftener the effect of- 
 idlencfs than of a lively fancy. 
 
 Women have feldom fufficient ferious employment to 
 filence their feelings ; a round of little cares, or vain 
 purfuits, frittering away all ftrength of mind and or 
 gans, they become naturally only objects of fenfe. In 
 fliort, the whole tenor of female education (the educa 
 tion of fociety) tends to render the beft difpofed ro r 
 mantic and inconftant; and the remainder vain and 
 mean. In the prefent ftate of fociety, this evil can 
 fcarcely be remedied, I am afraid, in the flighteft de 
 gree ; mould a more laudable ambition ever gain 
 ground, they may be brought nearer to nature and 
 reafon ; and become more virtuous and ufeful as they 
 grow more refpectable.. 
 
 But I will venture to afTert, that their reafon will- 
 never acquire fufficient ftrength to enable it to regulate 
 their conduct, whilft the making an appearance in the 
 world is the firil wifh of the majority of mankind. To 
 this weak wilh the natural affections and the molt ufe 
 ful virtues are facrificed. Girls marry merely to better 
 tbemfelvest to borrow a fignificant vulgar phrafe, and 
 have fuch perfect power over their hearts as not to 
 M 3 
 
128 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 permit themfelves to fall in love till a man with a 
 fuperior fortune offers. On this fubject I mean to en 
 large in a future chapter ; it is only neceffary to drop 
 a hint at prcfent, becaufe women are fo often degraded 
 by faffering the felnlh prudence of age to chill the' 
 ardour of youth. 
 
 From the fame fource flows an opinion that young 
 girls ought to dedicate great part of their time to needle 
 work ; yet, this employment contracts their faculties 
 more than any other that could have been chofen for 
 them, by confining their thoughts to their perfons. 
 Men order their clothes to be made, and have done 
 with the fubjeft ; women make their own clothes, ne- 
 ceiTary or ornamental, and are continually talking about 
 them ; and their thoughts follow their handj. It is not 
 indeed the making of neceiTaries that weakens the 
 mind ; but the frippery of drefs. For when a woman 
 in the lower rank of life makes her hufband's and chil 
 dren's clothes, fhe does her duty, this is part of her 
 buiinefs ; but when women work only to drefs better 
 than they could other wife afford, it is worfe than fheer 
 lofs of time. To render the poor virtuous, they muft 
 be employed, and women in the middle rank of life, 
 did they not ape the famions of the nobility, without 
 catching their eafe, might employ them, whilfl they 
 themfelves mamged their families, inftrufted their chil 
 dren, and exercifed their own minds. Gardening, ex 
 perimental philofophy, and literature, would afford 
 them fubj efts to think of, and matter for converfatiom 
 that in forne degree would exercife their underftand- 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN; 129 
 
 ings. The converfation of French women, who are 
 not fo rigidly nailed to their chairs, to twift lappets, 
 and knot ribands, is frequently fuperficial ; but, I con 
 tend, th.it it is not half To infipid as that of thofe 
 Englifh women, whofe time is fpent in making caps, 
 bonnets, and the whole mifchief of trimmings, not to 
 mention mopping, bargain-hunting, &c. &c. and it is 
 the decent, prudent women, who are mofl degraded 
 by thefe practices ; for their motive is fimply vanity. 
 The wanton, who exercifes her taile to render her per- 
 fon alluring, has fomething more in view. 
 
 Thefe obfervations all branch out of a general one, 
 which I have before made, and which cannot be too 
 often infilled upon, for, fpeaking of men, women, or 
 profeffions, it will be found, that the employment of the 
 thoughts fhapes the character both generally and indivi 
 dually. The thoughts of women ever hover around their 
 perfons, and is it farprifing that their perfons are rec 
 koned moft valuable ? Yet fome degree of liberty of 
 mind is neceffary even to form the perfon ; and this 
 may be one reafon why fome gentle wives have fo few 
 attractions befide that of fex. Add to this, fedentary 
 employments render the majority of women fickly 
 and filfe notions of female excellence make them proud 
 of this delicacy, though it be another fetter, that by 
 > calling the attention continually to the body, cramps 
 the activity of the mind. 
 
 Women of quality feldom do any of the manual part 
 of their drefs, confequently only their tafte is exercifed, 
 and they acquire, by thinking lefs of the finery, when 
 
VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 the bufmefs of their toilet is over, that eafe, which fel-- 
 dom appears in the deportment of women, who drefs 
 merely for the fake of dreffing. In fa&, the obferva- 
 tion with refpedl to the middle rank, the one in which 
 talents thrive bell, extends not to women; for thofe of 
 the fuperior clafs, by catching, at leafl, a fmattering of 
 literature, and converfmg more with men, on general 
 topics, acquire more knowledge than the women who 
 ape their fafhions and faults without fharing their ad 
 vantages. With refpeft to virtue, to ufe the word in", 
 a comprehenfive fenfe, I have feen moil in low life.* 
 Many poor women maintain their children by the fweak 
 of their brow, and keep together families that the vices 
 of the fathers would have fcattered abroad ; but gentle 
 women are too indolent to be actively virtuous, and are. 
 foftened rather than refined by civilization. Indeed, 
 the good fenfe which I have met with among the poor 
 women who have had few advantages of education, and 
 yet have afted heroically, flrongly confirmed me in the 
 opinion, that trifling employments have rendered woman- 
 a trifler. Men, taking her * body, the mind is left to 
 ruil ; fo that while phyfical love enervates man, as being; 
 his favourite recreation, he will endeavour to enilave-' 
 woman : and, who can tell how many generations may 
 be necefTary to give vigour to the virtue and talents ofij 
 the freed poilerity of abjeclflaves ?f 
 
 * * / takt J:er lidyj fayt Ranger. 
 
 f- * Svppofitig tl At women are voluntary Jlaves -jlavtry of any i:nif^ 
 ' is- unjawuraiic ii human bafpir.eft and imprwcaent.' 
 
 Knox'a Efiays. ; 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 131 
 
 In tracing the caufes that, in my opinion, have de 
 graded woman, I have confined my obfervations to 
 ] fuch as univerfally adl upon the morals and manners of 
 I the whole fex, and to me it appears clear, that they all 
 fpring from want of understanding. Whether this 
 arife from a phyfical or accidental weaknefs of facul 
 ties, time alone can determine ; for I (hall not lay any 
 great flrefs upon the example of a few women, f who, 
 from having received a mafculine education, have ac 
 quired courage and refolution ; I only contend, that 
 the men who have been placed in fimilar fit uations 
 have acquired a fimilar character I fpeak of bodies 
 of men, and that men of genius and talents have 
 ftarted out of a clafs, in which women have never yet 
 been placed. 
 
 * Safpho, Jjjtoifa, Mrs. Macau fey t the Emprefs of ujpa, Madame 
 if* Eon, &c. Tbefc, and many more, may be reckoned exceptions ; and 
 are not all heroes, at ivell as heroines, txctptions to general rules ? / 
 iviji to fee ivomsn neither heroines nor brutes ; but reafonable 
 creatures. 
 
132 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 jtnimad'verfions on fame of the writers *wlo 
 nvcme n o&Jetfs of pity, bordering 
 
 X HE opinions fpecioufiy fupported, in fame modern j 
 publications on the female character, anc 1 education, 
 which have given the tone to moll of the obierv.uions] 
 made, in a more curibry nunner, on the fex, remain- 
 now to be examined. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 I SHALL begin v ;di Roufleau, and give a fketcli of 
 the chaiv;vk'.r of worn n m hi? own words, interfperfing 
 comments end refledions. My comments, it is true, 
 will all iprirg from a few fimple principles, and might 
 have been deduced from what J have already faid ; but 
 the artificial ftrulure has been raifed with fo much 
 ingenuity, that it feems neceiTary to attack it in a 
 more circumilantr.il manner, and make the application 
 myfelf. 
 
 Sophia, fays Roufieau, fnould be as perfed a woman 
 as Emilius is a man, and to render her fo, it is necef- 
 fary to examine the character which nature has given 
 to the fex. 
 
 He then proceeds to prove, that woman ought to be 
 weak and paiTive, becaufe {he has lefs bodily flrength ' 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. ! -^ 
 
 than man ; and from hence infers, that me was formed 
 to pleafe and to be fubjeft to him; and that it is her 
 duty to render herfelf agreeable to her mailer this being 
 the grand end of herexiftence.* Still, however, to give 
 a little mock dignity to luft, he infills that man mould 
 )t exert his flrength, but depend on the will of the 
 woman, when he feeks for pleafure with her. 
 ' Hence we deduce a third confequcnce from the dif 
 ferent conflitutions of the fexes ; which is, that the 
 ilrongefl mould be mailer in appearance, and be de- 
 ' pendent in fad on the weakeft; and that not from 
 f any frivolous practice of gallantry, or vanity of pro- 
 
 teftorlhip, but from an invariable law of nature, 
 ' which, furnifhing womanjwith a greater facility to ex- 
 cite defiies, than me has given man to fatisfy them, 
 
 makes the latter dependent on the good pleafure of the 
 former, and compels him to endeavour to pleafe in his 
 turn, in order to obtain her confent that he Jhould be 
 
 'jlrongejt.^ On thefe occafions, the moft delightful 
 
 circumftance a man finds in his viclory is, to doubt 
 
 whether it was the woman's weaknefs that yielded to 
 
 fuperior ftrength, or whether her inclinations 
 
 ' <poke in his favour : the females are alfo generally 
 utful enough to leave this matter in doubt. The un- 
 
 ( demanding of women anfwers in this refpecl: per- 
 aiy to their conftitution: fo far from being afhamed 
 
 * of their weaknefs, they glory in it; their tender muf- 
 
 Ibave already Infer ted tbe fa/age , pag e 80. 
 t Wbat r.onfenfe ' 
 
J34 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 < cles make no refinance ; they affeft to be incapable of 
 
 < lifting the fmalleft burdens, and would blulh to be 
 
 < thought robuft and ftrong. To what purpofe is all 
 
 < this ? Not merely for the fake of appearing delicate, 
 but through an artful precaution : it is thus they pro- 
 
 < vide an excufe before hand, and a right to be feebl 
 
 < when they think it expedient.'* 
 
 I have quoted this paffage, left my readers mould f 
 pea that I warped the author's reafoning tofupportmy 
 own arguments, I have already afferted, that in edu 
 cating women, thefe fundamental principles lead to a 
 fyftem of cunning and lafcivioufnefs. 
 
 Suppofmg woman to have been formed only to pleafe, 
 and be fubjedl to man, the conclufion is jufl, me oug! 
 to facrifice every other confideration to render herfelf 
 agreeable to him : andlet this brutal defire of felf-prefer- 
 vation be the grand fpring of all her adions, when i 
 is proved to be the iron bed of fate, to fit which, her 
 character mould be ftretched or comraded, regardlefs of 
 all moral or phyfical diflindions. But if, as I think 
 may be' demonftrated, the purpofes of even this life, 
 viewing the whole, are fubverted by pradical rules 
 built upon this ignoble bafe, I may be allowed to doubt 
 whether woman was created for man : and, though the 
 c.-y of irreligion, or even atheifm be raifed againft me, 
 I will fimply declare, that were an angel from heaven 
 to tell me that Mofes's beautiful, poetical cofmogony, 
 and the accc i t of the fall of man, were literally true, 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 135 
 
 I could not believe what my reafon told me was dero 
 gatory to the character of the Supreme Being : and, 
 having no fear of the devil before mine eyes, I venture 
 to call this a fuggeltioa of reafon, inflead of reillng rry 
 weaknefo on the broad moulders of the firft feducer tf 
 my frail fex. 
 
 ' It being once demonftrated/ continues 7? p 
 e that man and woman are -not, nor ought to 
 ' tuted alike in temperament and charatier, it follows 
 ' of coarfe, that they iluuld not be educated in thj 
 e fame manner. In piurfuing the directions of nature, 
 ' they ought indeed to act in concert, bi;t they fhould 
 * not be engaged in the fame employments ; the end 
 ' of their parfaits mould be tn:;'i"ime, but the means 
 ' they mould take to accomplifh them, and, ofconfe- 
 ' qaence, their taftes and inclinations mould be dif- 
 - ' ferent.'* 
 
 ' Whether I confider the peculiar delKnation of the 
 * fex, obferve their inclinations, or mark their duties, 
 ' all things equally concur to point out the peculiar 
 f method of education bell adapted to them. Woman 
 ' and man were made for each other ; but their mutual 
 ' dependence is not the fame. The men depend on 
 ' the women only on account of their deilies; t; . 
 ' men on the men botii on account of their dcfires and 
 
 Rowjj'eaus Ei:<ilius t Vol. HI, p. 176. 
 N 
 
136 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 f their neceffities : we could fuhful better without them 
 ' than they without us.*' 
 
 ' For this reafon, the education of the women mould 
 ' be always relative to the men. To pleafe, to be ufeful 
 ' to MS, to make us love and eileem them, to educate 
 ' us when young, and take care of us when grown up, 
 ' to advife, to confole us, to render our lives eafy 
 
 * and agreeable : thefe are the duties of women at all 
 f times, and what they mould be taught in their in- 
 
 * fancy. So long as we fail to recur to this principle, 
 ' \ve run wide of the mark, and all the precepts which 
 ' are given them contribute neither to their happinefs 
 nor our own.'f 
 
 - e Girls are from their earlieft infancy fond of drefs. 
 ' Not content with being pretty, they are defirous of 
 f being thought fo ; we fee, by all their little airs, 
 ' that this thought engages their attention ; and they 
 ' are hardly capable of underftanding what is faid to 
 
 * them, before they are to be governed by -talking to 
 ' them of what people will think of their behaviour. 
 
 * The fame motive, however, indifcreetly made ufe of 
 ' with boys, has not the fame effeft : provided they are 
 ' let to purfue their amufements at pleafure, they care 
 
 * Rou/catt's Emll'ws, Pel. III. f. 1 79. f P. l8l. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 1 37 
 
 * very little what people think of them. Time and 
 '* pains are necefiary to fubjedl boys to this motive. 
 
 ' Whencefoever girls derive this firfl leflbn it is a 
 
 * very good one. As the body is born, in a manner 
 ' before the foul, our firft concern mould be to cultivate 
 ' the former ; this order is common to both fexes, but 
 ' the object of that cultivation is different. In the one^ 
 < fex it is the developement of corporeal powers ; in the 
 ' other, that of perfonal charms : not that either the 
 
 * quality of ftrength or beauty ought to be confined 
 ' excluiively to one fex ; but only that the order of 
 
 * the cultivation of both is in that refpecl reverfed. 
 ' Women certainly require as much ftrength as to enable 
 ' them to move and aft gracefully, and men as much 
 
 * addrefs as to qualify them to aft with eafe.' 
 
 ' Children of both fexes have a great many amufe- 
 ' ments in common ; and fo they ought ; have they not 
 ' alfo many fuch when they are grown up ? Each fex 
 ' has alfo its peculiar tafle to diftinguim in this parti- 
 ' cular. Boys lovefports of noife and activity ; to beat 
 * the drum, to whip the top, and to drag about their 
 f little carts : girls, on the other hand, are fonder of 
 ' things of mow and ornament ; fuch as mirrors, 
 ' trinkets, and dolls ; the doll is the peculiar amufement 
 ' of the females ; from whence we fee their tafte 
 ' plainly adapted to their deilination.* The phyiical 
 ' part of the art of pleafing lies in drefs ; and this 
 N 2 
 
VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 ' is all which children are capacitated to cultivate of 
 ' that art.* 
 
 ' Here then we fee a primary propenfity firmly 
 
 * eftablimed, which you need only to purfue and regu- 
 
 * late. The little creature will doubtlefs be very de- 
 ' firous to know how lo d.efs up her doll, to make its 
 ' Jleevc -knots, its flounces, its head-drefs, &c. fhe is 
 1 obligeJ to hive fo much recourfe to the people about 
 
 .or their af.ifiarce in thefe articles, that it would 
 1 b - :r.rch more agreeable to her to owe them all to her 
 .:>'. Hence we have a good reafon for 
 Ions \vhich are ufually taught thefe young 
 ' /ei,;a'cs : in v, hiJi we do not appear to be fetting 
 ' them a t.vjc, but obliging them, by inftructing them 
 In vJi.it is Ln.r.sJi.itely ufeful to themfelves. And, 
 ' in fact, rJmoft all of them learn with reluctance to 
 ' read and write ; but very readily apply themfelves to 
 
 * the ufe of their needles. They imagine themfelves 
 f already grown up, and think with pleafure, that 
 ' fjch qualifications will enable them to decorate them- 
 ' felves.' 
 
 This is certainly only an education of the body ; but 
 Rouffeau is not the only man who has indirectly faid 
 that merely the perfon of a young woman, without any 
 mind, unlefs animal fpirits came under that defcription, 
 is very pleafins;. To render it weak, and what fome 
 may call beautiful, the underflanding is neglected, and 
 girls forced to fit ftill, play with dolls, and liften to 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 
 
 fbolifh converfations; the effect of habit is infilled upon 
 as an undoubted indication of nature. I know it was . 
 RouiTeau's opinion that the fall years of youth fhould be 
 employed to form the body, though in educating Emi- 
 lius he deviates from this plan ; yet the difference be 
 tween ft re ng then ing the body, on which ftrength of 
 jnind in a great meafure depends, and only giving it an. 
 eafy motion, is very wide. 
 
 Roufleau's obfervations, it is proper to remark, were 
 made in a country where the art of pleaiing was refined 
 only to extract the grofsnefs of vice. He did not go 
 back to nature, or his ruling appetite difturbed the ope 
 rations of reafon, elfe he would not have drawn thefe 
 crude inferences. 
 
 In France, boys and girls, particularly the latter, are 
 only educated to pleafe, to manage their perfons, and. 
 regulate their exterior behaviour ; and their minds are 
 corrupted at a very early age, by the worldly and pious, 
 cautions they receive, to guard them againil immodefly 
 I fpe.,k of pail times. The very confeffions which mere 
 Children are obliged to make, and the qu.ellions afked. 
 by the holy mea, I'.affert thefe fads on good authority, 
 were fuiiicient to imprefs a fexual character ; and the 
 education of fociety was a fciiool of coquetry and art. 
 At the age of ten or eleven, nay, often much fooner, girls 
 began to coquet, and talked, unreproved, of eftabliihing 
 themfclves in the world by marriage. 
 
 In fhort, they were made women, almoil from their 
 very birth, and compliments were liilened to inftead of 
 inltrudion, Thefe, weakening the mind, Nature wa&. 
 
VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 fuppofed to have afted like a ftep-mother, when me 
 formed this after-thought of creation. 
 
 Not allowing them underftanding, however, it was 
 but coniiftent to fubjeft them to authority, independent 
 of reafon ; and to prepare them for this fubjeclion, he 
 gives the following advice : 
 
 ' Girls ought to be aftive and diligent ; nor is that 
 ' all; they mould alfo be early fubjecled to reftraint. 
 ' Tills misfortune, if it really be one, is infeparable 
 
 * from their fex ; nor do they ever throw it off but to 
 ' fuifer more cruel evils. They muft be fubjecl, all 
 ' their lives, to the moil conftant and fevere reftraint, 
 ' which is that of decorum : it is, therefore, necefiary 
 ' to accuftom them early to fuch confinement, that it 
 < may not afterwards coft them too dear ; and to the 
 ' fuppreflion of their caprices, that they may the more 
 reacii'y fubmit to the will of others. If, indeed, they 
 
 * are fond of being always at work, they mould be 
 
 * fometimes compelled to lay it afide. DiiTipation, 
 
 * levity and inconftancy, are faults that readily fpring 
 
 * up fom their firft propenfities, when corrupted or per- 
 
 * verted by too much indulgence. To prevent this 
 
 * ali-.ife, we ^nouid learn them, above all things, to lay 
 
 * a due reftraint on themfelves. The life of a modeft 
 ' woman is reduced, by our abfurd inftitutions, to a 
 
 * perpetual conflit with herfelf : not but it is juft 
 ' that this fex fhould partake of the fufFerings which 
 e ra-ife from thofe evils it hath caufed us.' 
 
 And why is ihe life of a modeft woman a perpetual 
 conuicl ? I iliould anfwer, that this very fyftem of edu- 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 14! 
 
 cation makes it fo. Modeily, temperance, and felf- 
 denial, are the fober offspring of reafon ; but when fen- 
 fibilityis nurtured at the expenfe of the underftanding, 
 fuch weak beings muft be retrained by arbitrary 
 means, and be fubjefted to continual conflifts ; but 
 give their activity of mind a wider range, and nobler 
 paffions and motives will govern their appetites and 
 fentiments. 
 
 f The common attachment and regard of a mother, 
 
 * nay, mere habit, will make her beloved by her chil- 
 dren, if me does nothing to incur their hate. Even 
 ' the reftraint me lays them under, if well directed, 
 ' will increafe their afFe&ion, inflead of leiTening it ; 
 
 * becaufe a ftate of dependence being natural to the 
 ' fex, they perceive themfelves formed for obedience.' 
 
 This is begging the queilion ; for fervitude not only 
 debafes the individual, but its effects feem to be tranf- 
 mitted to pofterity. Confidering the length of time 
 that women have been dependent, is it furpriiing that 
 fome of them hug their chains, and fawn like the fpa- 
 niel ? ' Thefe dogs,' obferves a naturalift, ' at firfl kept 
 ' their ears eredl ; butcuftom has fuperieded nature, and 
 f a token of fear has become a beauty.' 
 
 ' For the fame reafon,' adds RoufTeau, ' women have 
 ' or ought to have, but little liberty ; they are apt to 
 f indulge themfelves exceifively in what is allowed themi 
 . Addicted in every thing to extremes, they are even 
 
 * more tranfported at their diverfions than boys.' 
 
 The anfwer to this is very fimple. Slaves and mobs 
 We always indulged themfelves in the fame exccffes* 
 

 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 when once they broke loofe from authority. The bent- 
 bow recoils with violence, when the hand is fuddenly 
 relaxed that forcibly held it ; and fenfibility, the play 
 thing of outward circumftances, inuft be fubje&ed to 
 authority, or moderated by reafon. 
 
 * There refalts,' he continues^ ' from this habitual 
 ' reilraint, a traclablenefs which the women have occa- 
 ( lion for during their whole lives, as they conilantly 
 ' remain either under fabjeclion to the men, or to the 
 
 * opinions of mankind ; and are never permitted to fet 
 
 * themfelves above thofe opinions. The firfr and mcft 
 f important qualification in a woman is good -nature or 
 fweetnefs of temper : formed to obey a being fo im- 
 
 * perfecl as man, often full of vices, and always full of 
 
 * faults, ilie ought to learn betimes even to fufFer injuf- 
 
 * tice, aud to bear the infultsofa hufband without com- 
 ' plaint; it is not for his fake, but her own, that fhe 
 ' mould be . of a mild difpontion. The perverfenefs 
 
 * and ill-nature of the women only ferve to aggravate 
 ' their own misfortunes, and the mifcondud of their- 
 ' hufbnnds ; they might plainly perceive that fuch are: 
 
 * not the arms by which they gain the fuperiority.' 
 
 Formed to live with fuch an imperfect being as 
 man, they Bought to learn from the exercife of their 
 faculties the neceiiity of forbearance ; but all the 
 facred rights of humanity are violated by infilling on 
 blind obedience ; or, the mofl facred rights belong only.: 
 to man. 
 
 The being who patiently endures injuftice, and filently 
 fcears iafuhs, will foon. become unjuft, or unable to dif* 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 143 
 
 cern right from wrong. Befides, I deny the fa6t, this 
 is not the true way to form or meliorate the temper ; 
 for, as a fex, men have better tempers than women, be- 
 caufe they are occupied by puriuits that intereft the 
 head as well as the heart ; and the fleadinefs of the 
 head gives a healthy temperature to the heart. People 
 of feniibility have feldom good tempers, The forma 
 tion of the temper is the cool work of reafon, when, 
 as life advances, me mixes with happy art, jarring ele 
 ments. I never knew a weak or ignorant perfon who 
 had a good temper, though that conftitutional good 
 humour, and that docility, which fear fiamps on the be 
 haviour, often obtains the name. I fay behaviour, for 
 genuine meeknefs never reached the heart or mind, un- 
 lefs as the effedl of reflection ; and that iimple reftraint 
 produces a number of peccant humours in domefUc 
 life, many fenlible men will allow, who find fome of 
 thefe gentle irritable creatures, very troublefome com 
 panions. 
 
 ' Each fex,' he further argues, ' mould preferve its 
 '* peculiar tone and manner ; a meek hufband may make 
 e a wife impertinent ; but mildnefs of difpofition on the 
 ' woman's fide will always bring a man back to reafon, 
 * at leaft if he be not abfolutely a brute, and will fooner 
 f or later triumph over him.' True, the mildnefs of 
 ' reafon ; but abjeft fear always infpires contempt ; 
 ' and tears are only eloquent when they flow down fair 
 ' cheeks. 
 
 Of what materials can that heart be conipofed, which 
 can melt when infulted, and inftead of revoking at in- 
 
144 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 juftice, kifs the rod ? It is unfair to infer, that her vir 
 tue is built on narrow views and felfiihnefs, who can 
 carefs a man, with true feminine foftnefs, the very mo 
 ment when he treats her tyrannically ? Nature never 
 dictated fuch infmcerity and, though prudence of this 
 fort be termed a virtue, morality becomes vague when 
 any part is fuppofed to reft on faliehood. Thefe are 
 mere expedients, and expedients are only ufeful for the 
 moment. 
 
 Let the huiband beware of trailing too implicitly to 
 this fervile obedience; for if his wife can with winning 
 fvveetnefs carefs him when angry, and when ilie ought 
 to be angry, unlefs contempt had Hided a natural effer- 
 vefcence, me may do the fame after parting with a 
 lover. Thefe are all preparations for adultery ; or, 
 mould the fear of the world, or of hell, reftrain her de- 
 fire of pleafing other men, when flie can no longer 
 pleafe her hufband, what fubfdtute can be found by a 
 being who was only formed by nature and art to pleafe 
 man ? what can make her amends for this privation, or 
 where is me to feek for a frefh employment ? where find 
 fumcient ilrength of mind to determine to begin the 
 fearch, when her habits are fixed, and vanity has long 
 ruled her chaotic mind ? 
 
 But this partial moraliit recommends cunning fyflem- 
 atically and plauiibly. 
 
 ' Daughters Inould be always fubmifiive ; their mo- 
 
 thcrs, however, mould not be inexorable. To make 
 ' a young perfon tractable, me ought not to be made 
 
 unhappy j to make her modeft me ought not to be 
 
RIGHTS F WOMAN. 145 
 
 < rendered flupid. On the contrary, I mould not be 
 ' difpleafed at her being permitted to ufe fome art, not 
 
 * to elude puniihment in cafe of difobedience, but to 
 
 * exempt herfelf from the necefiity of obeying. It is 
 ' not neceflary to make her dependence burdenfome, 
 ' but only to let her feel it. Sabtilty is a talent natural 
 ' to the fex ; and as I am perfuaded, all our natural in- 
 ( clinations are right and good in themfelves, I am of 
 
 * opinion this mould be cultivated as well as the others : 
 f it is requhite for us only to prevent its abufe.' 
 
 < \Vliatever is, is right,' he then proceeds trium 
 phantly to infer. Granted ; yet perhaps, no apho- 
 riim ever contained a more paradoxical affertion. It 
 is a foiemn truth with refpecl to God. He, reveren 
 tially I ipe^k, fees the whole at once, and faw its juft 
 propurtions in the womb of time j but man, who can 
 omy impecl disjointed parts, fixids many things wrong; 
 and it is a part of the fyftem, and therefore right, that 
 he (liould endeavour to alter what appears to him to 
 be fo, even while he bows to the Wii'Jorn of his Crea 
 tor, and refpets the darkneis he labours to difperfe. 
 
 The inference that follows is juft, fuppoiing the 
 principle to be found, The Riperiority of addrefs, 
 ' peculiar to cue fen; Lie f x, is a v-er^-* equitable indein- 
 ( nification for , u, ilry ii point of ftrengrh : 
 
 ' without this, woman would not be the compuiiion of 
 
 * man ; but his flave : it L- by her iuperlor art and inge- 
 ' nuity that ilie preierves her e ju:Jity, and governs 
 
 * him while (he affects to obey. Wom^n has every 
 ' thing againil her, as well our fauits as her own timi- 
 
146 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 dlty and weaknefs : me has nothing in her favour, but 
 f her fubtility and her beauty, Is it not very reafona- 
 ' able, therefore, {he ftiould cultivate both ? Greatnefs 
 of mind can never dwell with cunning or addrefs, for 
 I {hall not boggle about words, when their direct fig- 
 nification is infmcerky and falfehood ; but content my- 
 fclf with obferving, that if any ciafs of mankind are to 
 be educated by rules, not ftrictly deducible from truth, 
 virtue is an affair of convention. How could Rouffeau 
 dare to afTert, after giving this advice, that in the grand 
 end of exiilence, the object of both fexes {hould be the 
 fame, when he well knew, that the mind formed by its 
 purfuits, is expanded by great views fwallowing up 
 little ones, or that it becomes itfelf little ? 
 
 Men have fuperior flrength of body ; but were it not 
 for miftaken notions of beauty, women would acquire 
 fufficient to enable them to earn their own fSbfiftence> 
 the true definition of independence ; and to bear tho/e 
 bodily inconveniences and exertions that are requifite to 
 ilrengthen the miiid. 
 
 Let us then, by being allowed to take the fame exer- 
 cife as boys, not only during infancy, but youth, arrive 
 at perfection of body, th^t we may knovv how far the 
 natural fuperiority, of man extends. For what reafon 
 or virtue can be expecled from a creature when the feed- 
 time of life is negle^td ? None did not the winds of 
 heaven cafually fcatter many ufeful feeds in the fallow 
 ground. 
 
 ' Beauty cannot be acquired by drefs, and coquetry 
 ' is an art not fo early and fpeedily attained. While 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 147 ' 
 
 * girls are yet young, however,, they arc in a capa- 
 *' city to {lady agreeable gefture, a pleafmg mod 
 
 ' tion of voice, an eafy carnage and behaviour ; as 
 ' well as to take the advantage of gracefully adapt!' -g 
 < their looks and attitudes to time, place, and occaik;\. 
 
 * Their application, therefore, fhould not be il: 
 
 f confined to the arts of induflry and the needle, when 
 
 * they come to difplay other talents, whofe utility is 
 
 * already apparent.* 
 
 ' For my part, I would have a young Englishwoman 
 ' cultivate her agreeable talents, in order to pleafejier 
 ' future hufband, with as much care and afliduity as a 
 ' young Circailian cultivates her's, to fit her for the 
 f haram of an Eaflern bafhaw.' 
 
 To render women completely infignificant, he adds, 
 f The tongues of women are very voluble; they 
 
 * fpeak earlier, more readily, and more agreeably than 
 ' the men ; they are accufed alfo of fpcaking much 
 ' more : but fo it ought to be, and I fnouki be 
 
 * very ready to convert this reproach _ into a compli- 
 
 * ment; their lips and eyes h.;ve the fume aclivity, rnd 
 
 * for the fame reafon. A man fpe^ks of wli^t he 
 ' knows, a woman of what pleafes her; the one re- 
 ' quires knowledge, the o.h:r Uite ; the principal ob- 
 ' jecl of a man's difcoarfe fliould be v/hr.t is u'eful, 
 
 * that of a woman's what is agreeable. There ought 
 
 * to be nothing in common between their different 
 
 * conversion but truth.' 
 
 ' We ought not, therefore, to refir.-in the prattle of 
 
 * irls, in the ferae manner as we fhould thut of bo) s, 
 
 O 
 
I4-H VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 'T 
 
 ' with that fevere queillon, To '*what purpcfc are yc:t 
 
 * talking? but by another, which is nolefs difficult to 
 c anfwer, How will your difcourfc he received? In in- 
 
 * fancy, while they are as yet incapable to difcern 
 < good from evil, they ought to obferve it as a law, 
 never to fay any thing difagTeei>ble to thofif whom 
 f they are fpeaking to : what will render the practice 
 
 * of this rule alfo the more diilicah, is, that.itiLUil 
 ' ever be fubordinate to the former, of neveP^peaking 
 -* falfely or telling an untruth.' To govern the tongue 
 in this manner niafc require great addrefs indeed ; and 
 it is too much pradtifed both by men and women. 
 Out of the abundance of the heart how few ipea.k! 
 So few, that I, who love fimplicity, would gladly give 
 up pplitenefa for a quarter of the virtue thai has been 
 facrificed to an equivocal quality, which, at beft, mould 
 be only the polifli of virtue. 
 
 But to complete the fketch. ' It is eafy to be con^ 
 ' ccived, that if niak children are not in a capacity to 
 ' form any true notions of religion, thoie ideas muft 
 s be greatly above the conception of the females : it is 
 ' for ihis very reruon, I would begin to ipeak to them 
 
 * the earlier on this fubjecl; for if we were to wait 
 ( till they were in a capacity to difcufs methodically 
 f ilich profoundiquefrions, we fhould run a rifk of never 
 fpeaking to them on this fubjedt as long as they 
 ' lived. Reafon in women is a practical reaion, c-ipa- 
 
 < citsti: . '..faliy to diicover ttie ireans or at- 
 
 < f.. I, but whkh would never enable 
 
 O 
 
 * tiicni co uifcovtr that end itfelf. The focial reutioiu 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 149 
 
 * of ihe fexes are indeed truly admirable : from their 
 union there refults a moral perfon, of which woman 
 
 * may be termed the eyes, and man the Land, with 
 ' this dependence on each other, that it is from the 
 
 * man that the woman is to learn what ihe is to fee, 
 
 * and it is of the woman that man is to learn what he 
 ' ought to do. If woman could recur to the firiT; prin- 
 
 * ciples of things as well as man, and man was capa- 
 ' citated to enter into their minuii& as well as woman, 
 ' always independent of each other, they would live 
 
 * in perpetual difcord, and their union could not fub- 
 ' fift. But in the prefent harmony which natur 
 
 ' (ubfifts between them, their dlirercnt faculties tend to 
 
 * one common end ; it is difficult to fay which of them 
 
 * conduces the moft to it : each follows the impulfe of 
 
 * the other; each is obedient, and both are mailers.' 
 
 * As the conduct of a woman is fubfervient to the 
 f public opinion, her faith in matters of religion mould, 
 ' for that very reafon, be fubj-cl to authority. E*uery 
 ' daughter ought to le of the fame religion as her mother, 
 ' and every wife to be of the fame religion as her hujband: 
 e for, though J'ttch religion jnould be falj'e, thai docility 
 ( which induces the mother and daughter to fitbmit to the 
 ( order of nature, takes away, in the fight of God, ihe 
 criminality of their error'* As they are not in. a 
 
 * Wbat is to be the ccnfequence* if the waller's and bitftand*s opi 
 nion jhould ch'-ince not to agree? An ign^rsat perfi,n cannot ie rea- 
 FuHid out of an error and *w,:en p.-ilu .<!' LI to give lib one prrjudlce 
 fat andthtr, the mti-i is unfettled. Indeed, the hujtand may r,ot bavs 
 any r. Itvion to teach f.>cr though >n fitch a jiti'tition the t>:~ll Le 'ft preat 
 Want oj afufport to her vitius, indutHndeni oj worldly cunjidgratisns, > 
 
 Q 2 
 
15O VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 * capacity to judge for themfelves, they ought to abide 
 
 * by the deciiion of their fathers and hufbands as con- 
 
 * fidently as by that of the church,' 
 
 4 As authority ought to regulate the religion of 
 the women, it is not fo needful to explain to them 
 
 * the reafons for their belief, as to lay down precifely 
 the tenets they are to believe : for the creed, which 
 
 * prefents only obfcure ideas to the mind, is the fource 
 
 * of fanaticifm ; and that which prefents abfurdities, 
 leads' to infidelity. 3 
 
 Abfolute, uncontroverted authority, it feems, muft 
 fubfiil fomewhere : but is not this a direct and exclufive 
 appropriation of reafcn ? The rights of humanity have 
 been thus confined to the male line from Adam down 
 wards. Rouffeau would carry his male ariilocracy ftill 
 further, for he infinuates, that he mould not blame thofe, 
 who contend for leaving woman in a (late of the moft 
 profound ignorance, if it were not necefTary, in order 
 to preferve her chaflity, and juftify the man's choice 
 an the eyes of the world, to give her a little know 
 ledge of men, and the cuftcms produced by human 
 >ns; elfe fne might propagate at home without 
 being rendered lefs voluptuous ' and innocent by the 
 exercife of her underftanding : excepting, indeed, 
 during the firft year of marriage, when (he might 
 employ it to drefs, like Sophia. f Her drefs is ex- 
 
 * treirely modefl in appearance, and yet very coquet- 
 ' tiila in fkcl: : me does not make a difplay of her 
 ' charms, (he conceals them; but, in concealing them, 
 flic knows how to afFecl your imagination. Every 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 151 
 
 * one who fees her, will fay, There is a modeft and 
 
 * difcreet girl; but white you are near her, your eyes 
 ' and affections wander ail over her perfon, fo that 
 ' you cannot withdraw them ; and you would con- 
 ' elude that every part of her drefs, iimple as it feems, 
 c was only put in its proper order to be taken to pieces 
 
 * by the imagination.' Is this modelly? Is this a pre 
 paration for irr.morulity ! Again. What opinion are 
 we to form of a fyflem of education, when the author 
 fays of his heroine, ' that with her, doing things well 
 
 * is but a fecondary concern : her principal concern i 
 
 * to do them neatly* 
 
 Secondary, in fift, are all her virtues and qualities, 
 for, respecting religion, he m:.kes her parents thus 
 addrefs her, accuilomed to fubmifiion ' Your huibund 
 
 * will indraft you in good time.' 
 
 After thus cramping a woman's mind, if, irt order 
 to keep it fair, he has not made it quite a blank, he 
 advifes her to reflect, that a reflecting man may not- 
 yawn in her company, when lie is tired of Carefling her. 
 What has me to reflect about, who muft obey ? and 
 would it not be a refinement on cruelty only to open her 
 mind to make the darknefs and mifery of her fate ijljilh? 
 Yet thefe are his fenfxble remarks ; how confiu 
 what I have already been obliged to quote, to give a. 
 feir view of the fubjecl, the reader may determine. 
 
 ' They who pafs their whole lives in working for 
 
 * their daily bread, have no ideas beyond their bufmefs. 
 
 * or their intereft, and all their underilanding feems to 
 
 * lie in. theii finge4*s > ends. This ignorance is neither 
 
 0* 
 
152 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 e prejudicial to their integrity nor their morals ; it is 
 f often of fervice to them. Sometimes, by mean-s of 
 e refle&ion, we are led to compound with our duty, 
 e and we conclude, by fubflituting a jargon of words 
 
 * in. the room of things. Our own confcience is the 
 moft enlightened philofopher. There is no need of 
 ' being acquainted with Tuliy's offices, to make a man 
 ' of probity : and perhaps the moil virtuous woman in 
 ' die world is the leaft acquainted with the definition 
 ' of viitue. But it is no lefs true, that an improved 
 f .underftanding can only render fociety agreeable ; and 
 ' it is a melancholy thing for a father of a family, who 
 c is fond of home, to be obliged, to be always wrapped 
 
 * up in himfelf, and to have nobody about him to 
 
 * whom he can impart his fentiments.* 
 
 ' Befides, how mould a woman void of reflection be 
 
 * capable of educating her children? How fliould me 
 ' difcern what is proper for them? How mould me 
 ' incline them to thofe virtues ihe is unacquainted 
 
 * with, or to that merit of which ihe has no idea? 
 
 * She can only foothe or chide them ; render them infc- 
 
 * lent or timid ; me will make them formal coxcombs, 
 
 * or ignorant blockheads ; but will never make them 
 ' fenfible or amiable. 7 How indeed mould ihe, when 
 her hufband is not always at hand to lend her his rea- 
 
 fon ? when they both together make but one moral 
 
 being. A blind will, ' eyes without hands,' would 
 go a very little way ; and perchance his abftrad reafon, 
 that ihould concentrate the fcattered beams of her 
 practical reafon., may be employed in judging of the 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN, 153 
 
 flavour of wine, de 'canting on the fauces moil proper 
 for turtle ; or, more profoundly intent at a card-table, 
 he may be generalizing his ideas as he bets away his 
 fortune, leaving all the mi unties of education to his 
 helpmate or to chance. 
 
 But, granting that woman ought to be beautiful, 
 innocent, and filly, to render her a more alluring and 
 indulgent companion; what is her underitanding 
 Cicrificed for? And why is all this preparation necef- 
 fary only, according to Roufleau's own account, to 
 make her the miitrefs of her huiband, a very fhort 
 time ? For no man ever infilled more on the tranfient 
 nature of love. Thus fpeaks the philosopher. ' Senlual 
 
 * pleasures are tranfient. The habitual itacc of the affec- 
 ' tiuns always lofes by their gratification. The imagi- 
 ' nation, which decks the objecl of our defires, is iofl in 
 ' fruition. Excepting the Supreme Being, who is feif- 
 ' exiiicnt, there is nothing beautiful but what is ideal. 
 
 But he returns to his unintelligible paradoxes again, 
 when lie thus addrefTes Sophia. ' Emilius, in. becoming 
 ' your huiband, is become your mafter; and claims 
 ' your obedience. Such is the order of nature. When 
 ' a man is married, however, to fuch a wife as Sophia, 
 
 * it is proper he mould be directed by her: this is alfo 
 
 * agreeable to the order of nature : it is, therefore, to 
 
 * give you as much authority over his heart as- his fex 
 *- gives him over your perfon, that I have made you the 
 
 * arbiter of his pleafures. It may coft you, perhaps, 
 ' fome difagreeable felf denial ; but you will be cer- 
 f tain of 'maintaining your empire over him if you 
 
154 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 * can preferve it over yourfelf what I have already ob- 
 ferved, alfo mows me, that this diiiicult attempt doe& 
 
 * not furpafs your courage. 
 
 ' Would you have your hufband conftantly at your 
 ' feet ? keep him at ibme diftunce from your perion. 
 
 * You will long maintain the authority of love, if you 
 
 * know but how to render your favours rare and valu- 
 ' able. It is thus you may employ even the arts of 
 
 * coquetry in the lervice of virtue, and thofe of love in 
 ' that of reafon.' 
 
 I mall cloie my extracts with a juft defcription of a 
 comfortable couple. * And yet you mult not imagine, 
 
 * that even fuch management will always iufiice. Whut- 
 
 * ever precaution be taken, enjoyment will, by degrees, 
 f take off the edge of paffion. But when love hath 
 
 * lailed as long as pofiible, a pleafmg habitude fupplies 
 
 * its place, and the attachment of a mutual conhdencc 
 fuccteds to the tranipons of paffion. Children often 
 'form a more agreeable and permanent connection be- 
 
 * tween married people than even love itfelf. When 
 ' you ceaie to be the miftrels of Emilius, you will con- 
 ' tinue to be his wife and friend, you will be the mo- 
 
 * ther of his children.'* 
 
 Children, he truly obferves, form a much more per 
 manent connection between married people than love. 
 Beauty he declares will not be valued, or even leen, after 
 a couple have lived fix months together ; artificial 
 graces and coquetry will likewiie pall on the ienfes : 
 
RIGHTS OF WO?vIAN. 155 
 
 why then does he fay, that a girl mould be educated 
 for her hultund with the- fame care as for an Eaftern 
 haram. 
 
 I now appeal from the reveries of fancy and refined 
 licentioufnefs to the good fenfe of mankind, whether, 
 if the object of education be to prepare women to become 
 chafle wives and fenfible mothers', the method fo plau- 
 fibly recommended in the foregoing, fketch, be the one 
 befl calculated to produce tliofe ends ? Will it be al 
 lowed that the fureft way to make a wife chafte, is to 
 teach her to prac~Ufe the wanton arts of a miitrefs 
 termed virtuous conquetry, by the fenfualifts who can 
 no longer relifli the artlefs charms of fmcerity, or tafte 
 the pleafure arifing from a tender intimacy, when con 
 fidence is unchecked by fufpicion, and rendered inte- 
 reiUng by fenfe ? 
 
 The man who can be contented to live with a pretty 
 ufeful companion without a mind, has lofc in volup^ 
 tuous gratifications a tafte for more refined enjoyments ; 
 he has never felt the cairn fatisfaclion, that refrefhes 
 the parched heart, like the filent dew of heaven of 
 being beloved by one who could unden^and him. -In 
 the fociety of his wife he is ftill alone, unlefs when 
 the man is funk in the brute. * The charm of life/ 
 fays a grave philofophical reafoner, is f {ympathy ; 
 f nothing pleafes us more than to obferve in other 
 ' men a fellow-feeling with, all the emotions of our 
 * own breaft.' 
 
 But, according to the tenor of reafoning, by which 
 .women are kept from tlie tree of knowledge, the im- 
 
VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 portant years of youth, the ufefulnefs of age, and the 
 rational hopes of futurity, are all to be facrificed to ren 
 der woman an objeft of defire for a fhort time, Be- 
 fides, how could RoufTeau expert them to be virtuous 
 and conftant when reafon is neither allowed to be the 
 foundation of their virtue, nor truth the object of their 
 inquiries ? 
 
 But all RoufTeau's errors in reafoning arofe from 
 fenfibility, and feniibility to their charms women are 
 very ready to forgive ! When he mould have reafoned, 
 he became impafiioned, and reflection inflamed his ima 
 gination, initead of enlightening his underflanding. 
 Even his virtues alfo led him farther aftray ; for, born 
 with a warm conftitution and lively fancy, nature car 
 ried him toward the other fex, with fuch eager fond- 
 nefs, that he foon became lafcivious. Had he given 
 way to thefe denies, the fire would have extinguifhed 
 itfelf in a natural manner, but virtue, and a romantic 
 kind of delicacy, made him practice felf-denial ; yet, 
 \vhen fear, delicacy, or virtue retrained him, he de 
 bauched his imagination ; and, reflecting on the fenfa- 
 tions to which fancy gave force, he traced them in the 
 jnoft glowing colours, and funk them deep into his foul. 
 
 He then fought for folitude, not to fleep with the man 
 of nature ; or calmly invefligate the cauies of things 
 under the made where Sir Ifaac Newton indulged con 
 templation, but merely to indulge his feelings. And 
 fo warmly has he painted, what he forcibly felt, that, 
 interefting the heart and inflaming the imagination of 
 his readers j iu proportion to the ftrength of their fancy, 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 157 
 
 they imagine that their under-Handing is convinced wl}en 
 they only fympathize with a poetic writer, who ikilfuUy 
 exhibits the object of fenfe, moft voluptuously ihadowed 
 or gracefully veiled and thus making us feel, whilft 
 dreaming that we reafon, erroneous conclulions are left 
 in the mind. 
 
 Why was Rouileau's life divided between exftacy and 
 miiery ? Can any other aniwer be given than this, that 
 the effervefcence of his imagination produced both ; 
 but, had his fincy been allowed to cool, it is poiTible 
 that he might have acquired more ilrength of mind. 
 Still, if the purpoie of life be to educate the intellectual 
 part of man, ail with reipeft to him was right ; yet, 
 rud not deatli led to a nobler fcene ot adion, it is pro 
 bable that he would have enjoyed more equal happi- 
 nefs on earth, and have felt the Calm feniations of the 
 man of nature, inltead of being prepared ror another 
 ftage of exiftenceby nourishing the paifions whica agi 
 tate the civilized man. 
 
 
 But peace to his manes ! I war not with his aflies, 
 but his opinions. I war only with the feniibility that led 
 him to degrade woman by nuking her tiie (lave of love. 
 
 i ' Citft'd *DaJTitlqtrey 
 
 * F':rf : (':,:,^. d till (avis voifirs L- Ser, 
 
 * Tbenjlavci to t 1 - oje ivw com'tiid t;s before* 
 
 Drj'den. 
 
 The pernicious tendency of thofe books, in which 
 the writers inlUioufly degrade the fex, whilft they arc 
 
158 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 proflrate before their perfonal charms, cannot be too 
 often or too feverely expofed. 
 
 Let us, my dear cotemporaries, arife above fuch nar 
 row prejudices ! If v/ifdom is defirable on its own ac 
 count, if virtue, to deferve the name, muft be founded 
 on knowledge ; let us endeavour to flrengthen our minds 
 by reflection, till our heads become a balance for our 
 hearts ; let us not confine all our thoughts to the petty 
 Occurrences of the day, nor our knowledge to an ac 
 quaintance with our lovers' or hufbands' hearts ; but let 
 the practice of every duty be fubordinate to the grand 
 one of improving our minds, and preparing our affec 
 tions for a more exalted ilate ! 
 
 Beware then, my friends, of fuffering the heart to be 
 moved by every trivial incident : the reed is ihaken by 
 a breeze, and annually dies, but the oak ftands firm, and 
 for ages braves the ftorm. 
 
 Were we, indeed, only created to flutter our hour 
 Out and die why let us then indulge fcnfibility, and 
 laugh at the feve ity of reafon. Yet, alas ! even then 
 we mould want flrength of body and mind, and life 
 would be loft in feverifti pleafures of wearifome knguor. 
 
 But the fyftem of education which I earnellly wifli 
 to fee exploded, feerr-s to pre-fuppofe, what ought never 
 to be taken for granted, that virtue fhields us from the 
 casualties of life; and that fortune, flipping ofF her 
 bandage, willfmile on a well-educated female, and bring 
 in i^.-r hand an Emilius or a Telemachus. Whilft, on 
 the contrary, the reward which virtue promifes to her 
 votaries is conHned, it is clear to their own bofoms ; 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. I $$ 
 
 and often mull they contend with the moil vexatious 
 worldly cares, and bear with the vices and humours of 
 relations for whom they can never feel a friendihip. 
 
 There have been many women in the world #ho, in- 
 ftead of being fupportedby the reafon and \ " -.eir 
 
 fathers and brothers, have flrengthened tk- '-ids 
 
 by fcraggling with their vices and follies ; ne 
 
 ver met with a hero, in the iliape of a hidband -, who, 
 paying the debt that mankind owed them, Anight chance 
 to bring back their reafon to its natural depcj.ient Hate, 
 and rellore the ufurped prerogative, of rifmg above opi 
 nion, to man. 
 
 SECT. II. 
 
 DR. FORDYCE'S fermons have long made a part of 
 a young woman's library ; nay, girls at fchool are allow . 
 ed to read them; but I mould inftantly difmifs t> n 
 from my pupil's, if I wimed to ilrengthen her m der- 
 ftanding, by leading her to form found prind;. ;> en 
 a broad bafis ; or, were I only anxious to cultiv,,.: her 
 tafte ; though they mult be allowed to contain m-vy fcn- 
 fible obfervations. 
 
 Dr. Fordyce may have had a very laudable end in 
 view; but thefe difcourfes are written in fuch an affec~l- 
 ed ftyle, that were it only on that account, and had I no 
 thing to object againll his mellifluous precepts, 1 mould 
 not allow girls to perufe them, unlefs I defigned to hunt 
 every fpark of nature out of their compofition, melting 
 every human quality into female weaknefs and artificial 
 grace. I fay artificial, for true grace arifes from fome 
 kind of independence of mind. 
 
VINDICATION., OF. THE 
 
 Children, carelefs of pleafmg, and only anxious to 
 amufe themfelves, are often very graceful ; and the nobi 
 lity who have moftly lived with inferiors, and always 
 had the command of money, acquire a graceful eafe of 
 deportment, which mould rather be termed habitual 
 grace of body, than that fuperior gracefulnefs which is 
 truly the expremon of the mind. This mental grace, 
 not noticed by vulgar eyes, often flames acrofs a rough 
 countenance, and irradiating every feature, mows fim- 
 plicity and independence of mind. It is then we read 
 characters of immortality in the eye, and fee the foul in 
 every geilure, though when at reft, neither the face nor 
 limbs may have much beauty to recommend them ; or 
 the behaviour, any thing peculiar to attract univerfal 
 attention. The rrufs of mankind, however, look for 
 more tangible beauty; yet fimplicity is, in general, ad 
 mired, when people do not confider what they admire ; 
 and can there be fimplicity without fincerity? but, to 
 have done with remarks that are in fome meaiure deful- 
 tcry, though naturally excited by the fubject 
 
 In declamatory periods Dr. Fordyce fpins out Rouf- 
 feau's eloquence ; and in molt fentimental rant, details 
 his opinions refpecting the female character, and .he be 
 haviour which woman ought to amame to render her lovely . 
 He fliall fpeak for himfelf, for thus he makes Nature 
 addrefs man. ' Behold thefe fmiling innocents, wlum 
 ' I have graced with my faireil gifts, and committed to 
 ' your protection ; behold tnem with love and reipect ; 
 treat them with tendernefs and honour. They are 
 ' timid and want to be defended. They are frail; O 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. l6l 
 
 do not take advantage of their weaknefs ! Let thei r 
 ( fears and blames endear them. Let their confidence 
 in you never be ahufed. But is it pofiible, that any of 
 ' you can be fuch barbarians, fo fupremely wicked, as 
 ' to abufe it ? Can you find in your hearts* to defpoil 
 'the gentle, trufting creatures of their treafure, or do 
 'any thing to ftrip them of their native robe of virtue ? 
 ' Curft be the impious hand that would dare to violate 
 
 * the unblemiihed form of Chaflity ! Thou wretch ! 
 ' thou ruffian ! forbear ; nor venture to provoke heaven's 
 , fiercefl vengeance.* I know not any comment that 
 can be made ferioafly on this curious paflTage, and I could 
 produce many fimilar ones ; and forne, fo very fenti- 
 mental, that I have heard rational men ufe the word in- 
 decent when they mentioned them with difguit. 
 
 Throughout there is a. difplay of cold artificial feel 
 ings, and that parade of fenfibility which boys and girls 
 fliould be taught to defpife as the fare mark of a little 
 vain mind. Florid appeals are made to heaven, and to 
 ^.beauteous innocents, the faireft images of heaven here 
 below, whilft fober fenfe is left far behind. This is 
 not the language of the heart, nor will it ever reach it, 
 though the ear may be tickled. 
 
 I mall be told, perhaps, that the public have been 
 pleafed with thefe volumes, True and Hervey's Me 
 ditations are Hill read, though he equally finned againil 
 fenfe and tafle. 
 
 I particularly object to the lover-like phrafes of pump 
 ed up piffion, which are every were interfperfed. If 
 
 * Can you ? Can you ? 'would be the moft emphatic*} somment^ ivert 
 it draivhd out in a.iuhininz votes. 
 
l62 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 women be ever allowed to walk without leadmg-ftrings, 
 why muft they be cajoled into virtue by artful flattery 
 and fexual compliments? Speak to them the language 
 of truth and fobernefs, and away with the lullaby ftrains 
 of condefcending indearment \ Let them be taught to. 
 refpect themfelves as rational creatures, and not led to 
 have a paiTion for their own iniipid perfons. It moves 
 my gall to hear a preacher defcanting ondrefs and needle 
 work j and frill more, to hear him addrefs the Britijh 
 fair, ibe fair eft of the fair, as if they had only feelings. 
 
 Even recommending piety he ufes the following ar 
 gument. ' Never, perhaps, does a fine woman flrike 
 ' more deeply, than when, compofed into pious recollec- 
 t tion, and poffeffed with the nobleft confiderations, me 
 ' afTumes, without knowing it, fuperior dignity and new ] 
 < graces; fo that the beauties of holinefs feem to radiate 
 
 * about hei, and the by-Hand ers arc almofl induced to 
 c 'fancy her already wormipping amongft her kindred 
 
 * angels !' Why are women to be thus bred up with a 
 defire of conqueft ? the very epithet, ufed in this fenfe* 
 gives me a fickly qualm! Does religion and virtue offer 
 no ftronger motives, no brighter reward ? Muft they al 
 ways by debafed by being made to confider the fex of 
 their companions? Muft they be taught always to be 
 pleafing ? And when levelling their fmall artillery at the 
 heart of man, is it neceiTary to tell them that a little 
 fenfe is fufficient to render their attention incredibly footh- . 
 ing? < As a fu.ail degree of knowledge entertains in a 
 
 ' v. oman, fo from a woman, though for a different rea- 
 fon, a fmall cx-refiion of kindnefs dclights.pnrticularly J 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 163 
 
 if {he hive beauty !' I mould have fuppofed for the 
 fam reaf . 
 
 Why are girls to be told, that they refemble angels, 
 but to fink them below women ? Or, that a gentle, in 
 nocent female is an objeft that comes nearer to the idea 
 which we have formed of angels than any other. Yet 
 they are told, at the fame time, that they are only like 
 angels when they are young and beautiful; confe- 
 quently, it is their peribns, not their virtues, that 
 procure tnem this homage. 
 
 Idle, empty words ! what can fuch delufive flattery 
 lead to, but vanity and folly? The lover, it is true, has 
 a poetic licence to exalt his miftrefs ; his reafon is the 
 bubble of his paffion, and he does not utter a falfe- 
 hood when he borrows the language of adoration. 
 His imagination may raife the idol of his heart, un- 
 blamed, above humanity; and happy would it be for 
 women, if they were only flattered by the men who 
 loved them; I mean, who love the individual, net 
 the fex ; but mould a grave preacher interlard his dif- 
 courfes with fuch fooleries ? 
 
 In fermons or novels, however, voluptuoufnefs is 
 always true to its text. Men are allowed by moralifts 
 to cultivate, as Nature direfts, different qualities, and 
 ailume the different characters, that the fame paffions, 
 modified almofl to infinity, give to each individual. A 
 virtuous man may have a choleric or fanguine confUtu- 
 tion, be gay or grave, unreproved ; be firm till he is 
 almoft overbearing, or, weakly fubmiffive, have no will 
 or opinion of his own; but all women are to be levelled. 
 
l6-| VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 by meeknefs and docility, into one character of yielding 
 foftnefs and gentle compliance. 
 
 I will ufe the preacher's own words. ' Let it be ob- 
 ' ferved, that in your fex manly exercifes are never 
 
 * graceful ; that in them a tone and figure, as well as 
 
 * an air and deportment, of the mafculine kind, are 
 6 always forbidding; and that men of fenfibility defire 
 e in every woman foft features, and a flowing voice, a 
 e form not robuft, and demeanour delicate and gentle.' 
 
 Is not the following portrait the portrait of a houfe 
 Have ? ' I am aflonimed at the folly of many women, 
 ' who are itill reproaching their hulbands for leaving 
 
 * them alone, for preferring this or that company to 
 ' theirs, for treating them with this and the other mark 
 ' of difregard or indifference ; when, to fpeak the truth, 
 
 * they have themfelves in a great meafure to blame. 
 f Not that I would juflify the men in any thing wrong 
 ' on their part. But had you behaved to them v/ith more 
 
 * refpetfful obfer~jance, and a more equal lendernejs ; ftudj- 
 ' ing tueir humours , overlooking their mtjlakes, fubmiiting 
 
 * to their opinions in matters indifferent, pailing by Httle 
 
 * inihmces of unevennefs, caprice, or paflion, giving foft 
 
 * aniwers to hafly words, complaining as feldom as 
 
 * poifible, and making it your daily care to relieve 
 tteir anxieties, and prevent their wifr.es, to enliven 
 ' the hour of dulnefs, and call up the ideas of felicity : 
 
 * had you parfued this condudl, I doubt not but you 
 would have maintained and even increased their 
 ' efleem, fo far as to have fecured every degree of 
 ' influence that could cond-ice to their virtue, or your 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 165 
 
 c mutual fatisiction ; and your houfe might at this day 
 * have been the abode of domeftic bliis.' Such a wo 
 man ought to be an angel or me is an afs for I dif- 
 cern not a trace of the human character, neither rea- 
 fon nor paflion in this domeftic drudge, whofe being is 
 abforbed in that of a tyrant's. 
 
 Still Dr. Fordyce muft have very little acquaintance 
 with the human heart, if he really fuppoied, that fuch 
 conduct would bring back wandering love, inftead of 
 exciting contempt. No, beauty, gentlenefs, c. &c. 
 may gain a heart ; but efteem, the only lalling affection, 
 can alone be obtained by virtue fupported by reafon. 
 It is refpect for the underftanding that keeps alive ten- 
 dernefs for the perlbn. 
 
 As theie volumes are fo frequently put into the hands 
 of young people, I have taken more notice of them 
 than, ftricily ipeaking, they deferve ; but as they have 
 contributed to vitiate the taite, and enervate the under- 
 handing of many of my fellow-creatures, I could not 
 ' pals them iilently over. 
 
 SECT. III. 
 
 SUCH paternal folicitude pervades Dr. Gregory's 
 Legacy to his Daughters, that I enter on the talk of 
 cridcifm with affectionace reipect; but as this little 
 volume has many attractions to recommend it to the 
 notice of the moft reipectabie part of my fex, I cannot 
 ulently pafs over arguments that fo fpeoioully fupport 
 opinions which, I think, have had tue moil baneful 
 ' effect on tiie morals and manners of the female world. 
 
166 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 His eafy familiar flyle is particularly fuited to the 
 tenor c,f his advice, and the melanci oly tendernefs 
 which his refpect for the memory of a beloved wife 
 diffules through the whole work, renders it very in- 
 terefting ; yet there is a degree of concife elegance 
 confpicuous in many paflages, that difturbs this fym- 
 pathy; and we pop on the author, when we only 
 expected to meet the father. 
 
 Befides, having two objects in view, he feldom ad 
 hered ileadily to either ; for, wifliing to make his daugh 
 ters amiable, and fearing left unhappinefs mould only 
 be the confequcnce of inftilling fentiments, that might 
 draw them out of the track of common life, without 
 enabling them to act with conionant independence and 
 dignity, he checks the natural flow of his thoughts, 
 and neither advifes one thing nor the other. 
 
 In the preface he tells them a mournful truth, ' that 
 they will hear, at leaft once in their lives, the genuine 
 fentiments of a man, who has no interelt in deceiving 
 them.' 
 
 Haplefs woman ! what can be expected from thee, 
 when the beings on whom thou art faid naturally to 
 depend for reafon and fupport, have all ;;n intereft in 
 deceiving thee ! This is the root of the evil that has 
 Hied a corroding mildew on all thy vir ues ; and blight 
 ing in the bud thy opening faculties, has rendered thee 
 the weak thing thou art ! It is this feparate interefl 
 this infidious Mate of warfare, that undermines mo 
 rality, and divides mankind! 
 
 If love have made feme women wretched how many 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. l6f 
 
 more has the cold unmeaning intercourfe of gallan 
 try rendered vain and ufelefs ! yet this heartlefs atten 
 tion to the fex is reckoned fo manly, fo polite, that 
 till fociety is very differently organized, I fear, this 
 veftige of gothic manners will not be done away by a 
 more reafonable and affectionate mode of conduct. 
 Befides, to flrip it of its imaginary dignity, I muft ob- 
 ferve, that in the moil civilized European ftates, this 
 lip-fervice prevails in a very great degree, accompanied 
 with extreme difiblutenefs of morals. In Portugal, the 
 country that I particularly allude to, it takes place of 
 the molt ferious moral obligations j for a man is feldom 
 affaffinated when in the company of a woman. The fa- 
 vage hand of rapine is unnerved by this chivalrous 
 fpirit ; and, if the ilroke of vengeance cannot be frayed 
 the lady is entreated to pardon the rudenefs, and depart 
 in peace, though fprinkled, perhaps, with her hufbani'e 
 or brother's blood. 
 
 I mail pafs over his ftriftures on religon, becaufe I 
 mean to difcufs that fubjecl in a feparate hapter. 
 
 The remarks relative to behaviour f though many of 
 them very fenfible, I entirely difapprove of, becaufe it 
 appears to me to be beginning as it were, at the wrong 
 end. A cultivated underftanding, and an affe&ionate 
 heart, will never want ftarched rules of decorum 
 fomething more fubftantial than feemlinefs will be the 
 refult ; and, without underftanding the behaviour here 
 recommended, would be rank affedation. Decorum, 
 indeed, is the one thing needful ! decorum is to fup- 
 plant nature, and banilh all fimplicity ana variety of 
 
1 68 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 character out of the female world. Yet what good end 
 can all this fuperficial counfel produce ? It is, however, 
 much eafier to point out this or that mode of behaviour, 
 than to fet the reafon to work ; but, when the mind has 
 been ilored with ufeful knowledge, and ftrengthened by 
 being employed, the regulation of the behaviour may 
 fafely be left to its guidance. 
 
 Why, for inflance, fhould the following caution be 
 given, when art of every kind muft contaminate the 
 mind ; and why entangle the grand motives of a&ion, 
 which reafon and religion equally combine to enforce, 
 with pitiful worldly fhifts and flight-of-hand tricks to 
 gain the applaufe of gaping taftelefs fools ? ' Be even 
 
 * cautious in difplaying your good fenfe.* It will be 
 ' thought you aiTume a faperiority over the reft of the 
 
 * company But if you happen to have any learning 
 
 * keep it a profound fecret, efpecially from the men, 
 
 * who generally look with a jealous and malignant eye 
 ' on a woman of great parts, and a cultivated under- 
 ' (landing.' If men of real merit, as he afterwards 
 obferves, are fuperior to this meannefs, where is the ne- 
 ceflity that the behaviour of the whole fex mould be 
 modulated to pleafe fools, or men, who having little 
 claim to refpecl: as individuals, choofe to keep clofe in 
 their phalanx. Men, indeed, who infill on their com 
 mon fuperiority, having only this fexualfuperiority, are 
 certainly very excufable. 
 
 There would be no end to rules for behaviour, if it 
 
 * Let ii'omfn once acquire good fenfe and if it defervrs the natni t 
 if will teach thtm ; r, of ivbat life ivill if bs ? how to employ it. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 169 
 
 be proper always to adopt the tone of the country ; for 
 thus, for ever varying the key, a^/fof would often pais 
 for a natural note. 
 
 Surely it would have been wifer to have advifed 
 women to improve themfelves till they rofe above the 
 fumes of vanity ; and then to let the public opinion 
 come round for where are rules of accommodation to 
 flop ? The narrow path of truth and virtue inclines 
 neither to the right nor left it is a ftraight-forward 
 bufmefs, and they who are earnestly purfuing their 
 road, may bound over many decorous prejudices, with- 
 'out leaving modefty behind. Make the heart clean, 
 and give the head employment, and I will venture to 
 predict that their will be nothing offenlive in the be 
 haviour. 
 
 The air of fafhion, which many young people are fo 
 eager to attain, always ftrikes me like the itudied atti 
 tudes of fome modern prints, copied with taftelefs fer- 
 vility after the antiques j the foul is left out, and none 
 of the parts are tied together by what may properly be 
 termed character. This varniih of falhion, which fel- 
 dom iHcks very clofe to fenfe, may dazzle the ueak; 
 but leave nature to itfelf, and it will feldom difguft the 
 wife. Befides, when a woman has fuih'cient fenfe not to 
 pretend to any thing which (he does not underftand in 
 fome degree, there is no need of determin ng to hide 
 $er talents under a bufliel. Let things take their natural 
 coarfe, and all will be well. 
 
 It is this fyftem of diiiimulation, throughout the ro-> 
 lume, tnat I defpife* Women are always tv/tern to be 
 
170 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 this and that yet virtue might apoltrophize them, in 
 the words of Hamlet Seems ! I know not feems !- 
 Have that within that pafleth mow ! 
 
 Still th; fame tone occurs ; for in another place, 
 after recommending, without fufficiently difcriminating 
 delicacy, he adds, ' The men will complain of your re- 
 ' ferve. They will aflure you that a franker behaviour ' 
 ( would make you more amiable. But, truft me, they 
 ' are not fincere when they tell you fo. I acknowledge 
 f that on fome occafions it might render you more 
 
 * agreeable as companions, but it would make you lefs 
 ( amiable as women : an important diftinclion, which 
 
 * many of your fex are not aware of.' 
 
 This defire of being always women, is the very con- 
 fcioufnefs that degrades the fex. Excepting with a lover, 
 I muft repeat with emphafis, a former obfejrvation 
 it vvould be well if they were only agreeable or ra 
 tional companions. -But in this refped his advice is 
 even inconiiitent with a paflage which I mean to quote 
 with the moft marked approbation. 
 
 ' The fentiment, that a woman may allow all inno- 
 ' cent freedoms, provided her virtue is fecure, is both 
 ' grofsly indelicate and dangerous, and has proved 
 < fatal to many of your fex.' With this opinion I 
 perfectly coincide. A man, or a woman, of any feeling 
 mull always wim to convince a beloved object that it is 
 the carefTes of the individual, not the fex, that is re 
 ceived and returned with pleafnre ; and, that the heart, 
 rather than the fenfes, is moved. Without this natural 
 
RIGHTS- OF WOMAN. 171 
 
 delicacy, love becomes a felnlh pericnal gratification 
 that foon degrades the character. 
 
 I carry this fentiment ftill further. Affection, when 
 love is out of the queftion, authorities many perfonal en 
 dearments, that naturally flowing from an innocent 
 heart give life to the behaviour ; but the perfonal in- 
 tercourfe of appetite, gallantry, or vanity, is de.pi- 
 cabie. When a man fqueezes the hand of a pretty 
 woman, handing her to a carriage, whom lie has never 
 feen before,- ihe will confider fuch an impertinent free 
 dom in the light of an infult, if Ihe have any true de 
 licacy, initead of beim* flattered by this unmcanirg 
 homage to beaucy. Thefe are the privileges of friencl- 
 fhip, or the momentary homage which the heart pays to 
 virtue, when it dailies fuddenly on the notice mere ani- 
 pirit| have no claim to the kindneiTes of affection. 
 
 Wiilung to feed the affections with what is now the 
 food of vanity, I would fain perfuade my lex to act 
 iiinpler principles. Let them merit love, and 
 they will obtain it, though they may never be told that : 
 '.The power of a fine woman over the hearts of ircn, 
 ' of men of the finefh parts, is even beyond what 
 f ccnceives.' 
 
 I have already noticed the narrow cautions with re- 
 fpecl to duplicity, female foftiiefs, delicacy of conilitu- 
 don ; tor thefe are the changes which he rings round 
 without ceufmg s in a more decorous manner, it is true, 
 than Roufibiiu -, but it all comes home to the fame 
 point, and whoever is at the trouble to analyze thefe 
 
1/2 V INDICATION OF THE 
 
 fehtiir.ents, will find thefirft principles not quite fo deli 
 cate as the fuperftruclure. 
 
 The fubjsct of amufements is treated in too curfory 
 a manner ; but with the fame fpirit. 
 
 When I treat of friendfhip, love, and marriage, it 
 will be found that we materially differ in opinion ; I 
 ihall not then foreftdl what I have to obferve on thcfe 
 important ftibjcils ; but confine my remarks to the ge 
 neral tenor of them, to that cautious family prudence, 
 to thofe confined views of partial unenlightened affec 
 tion, which exclude pleafure and improvement, by vainly 
 wiihing to ward off forrow and error and by thus guard 
 ing the heart and -mind, deftroy alfo all their energy. 
 It is far better to be often deceived than never to trufl ; 
 to be difappointed in love, than never to love ; to lofe 
 a hn {band's fondnefs, than forfeit his efteem. 
 
 Happy would it be for the world, and for individuals, 
 of courfe, if all this unavailing folicitude to attain 
 worldly happinefs, on a confined plan, were turned into 
 an anxious defire to improve the under flan ding. ' Wif- 
 ' dom is the principal thing ; therefore get wifdorn ; and 
 * with ail thy gettings getunderftanding.' * How long 
 ' ye fun pie ones, will ye love fimplicity, and hate know- 
 ledge ;' Saith Wifdorn to the daughters of men ! 
 
 SECT. IV. 
 
 I DO not mean to allude to all the writers who have 
 written on the fubjeft of female manners it would it 
 fact, be only beating over the old groiunr, for they 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 173 
 
 have, ill general, written in the lame ftrain ; but attack 
 ing the boafted prerogative of man the prerogative 
 that may emphatically be called the iron fceptre of ty 
 ranny, the original fin of tyrants, I declare againft all 
 power built on prejudices, however hoary. 
 
 If the fubmiffion demanded be founded on juftice 
 there is no appealing to a higher power for God is Juf 
 tice itfelf. Let us then, as children o the fame parent, 
 if not baflardized by being the younger born, reafon 
 together, and learn to fubmit to the authority of reafon 
 when her voice is diftin&Iy heard. But, if it be proved 
 tint this tkrone of prerogative only rcfls on a c ; 
 mafs of prejudices, that hive no inherent prin 
 order to keep them together, or on an elephant, tor- 
 toifc, or even the mighty moulders of a fen of the 
 earth, they may efcape, who dare to brave the confe- 
 quence without any breach of duty, without finning 
 againft the order of things. 
 
 Whilit reafon raifes man above the brutal herd, and 
 death is big with promifes, they alone are fubjecl: to 
 blind authority who have no reliance on their own 
 flrength. f They are free who will be free !*' 
 
 The being who can govern itfelf, has nothing to fear 
 in life ; but if any thing is dearer than its own refpecl, 
 the price mure be paid to the laft farthing. Virtue, like 
 every thing valuable, muft be loved for herfelf alone ; 
 or (lie will not take up her abode with us. She will 
 not impart that peace, ' which pafTeth under/landing,' 
 
 * ' Hs is the free man ivlom tl?e truth makes free.'' 
 
 Cowper. 
 
*?4 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 when flic is merely made the ftilts of reputation and re- 
 fpe-fled 'with pharifuical exadnefs, became ' honefty is 
 the beft policy/ 
 
 That the plan of life which enables i:s to carry fome 
 knowledge and virtue into another world, is the one 
 belr calculated to ei^u.e content in this, cannot be de 
 nied ; yet few people aft according to this principle, 
 though it be univerfally allowed that it admit not of 
 difpute. Prefent pleafure, or prefent power, carry be 
 fore it thefe fober convictions ; and it is for the day, not 
 for life, that man bargains with happinefs. How few ! 
 how very few ! have fufEcient forelight or refolution, 
 to endure a fmall evil at the moment, to avoid a greater 
 hereafter. 
 
 Woman in particular, whofe virtue * is built on mu- 
 tuaji prejudces, feldom attains to this greatnefs of 
 mind ; fo that, becoming the flave of her own feelings, 
 ihe is eailly fubjugated by tliofe of others. Thus de 
 graded, her reafon, her ijuifty reafon ! is employed ra 
 ther to burnilh than to fnap her chains. 
 
 Indignantly have I heard women argue in the fame 
 track as men, and adopt the fentiments that brutalize 
 them with all the pertinacity of ignorance. 
 
 I mufl illuftrate my afiertion by a few examples. 
 Mrs. Piozzi, who often repeated by rote, what ihe did 
 not underfland, comes forward with Johnfonian periods. 
 
 ' Seek not for happinefs in fingularity ; and dread a 
 ' refinement of wifdom as a deviation into folly.' 
 
 * / mean to ifje a ivcrd that cotnfrjjcndi mere iijan clajlity the 
 
 i.v.';.;/ virtue. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 175 
 
 Thus (he dogmatically addreffcs a new married man ; 
 and to elucidate this pompous exordium, me adds, ' I 
 
 ' faid that the perfon of your lady would not grow rr.ora 
 
 ' pleafing to you, but pray never let her fufpect that it 
 
 f grows lefs fo : that a woman will pardon an affront to 
 
 ' her underftanding much fooner than one to her perfbn, 
 
 * is well known, nor will any of us contradict the afier- 
 ' tion. All our attainments, all our arts, are em- 
 
 * ployed to gain and keep the heart of man; and what 
 ' mortification can exceed the difappointment, if the 
 ' end be not obtained : There is no reproof however 
 ' pointed, no puniihment however fevere, that a woman 
 ' of fpirit will not prefer to neglect ; and if ill e can en- 
 ' dure it without complaint, it only proves that me 
 means to make herfelf amends by the attention of 
 ' others for the flights of her hufband !' 
 
 Thefe are true mafculine fentiments, c All our arts 
 ' are employed to gain and keep the heart of man: 
 and what is the inference ? if her perfcn, and was 
 there ever a perfon, though formed with Medicifan 
 fymmetry, that was not flighted ? be neglected, me 
 will make herfelf amends by endeavouring to pleafe 
 other men. Noble morality ! But thus is the under- 
 flanding of the whole fex affronted, and iheir virtue 
 deprived of the common bafis of vircue. A woman muft 
 know, that her perfon cannot be as pleafmg to her huf 
 band as it was to her lover, and if me be offended with 
 him for being a human creature, {he may as well whine 
 about the lofs of his heart as about any other fooiifh 
 thing. And this very want of difcernment or unrea- 
 
 cu 
 
176 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 fonable anger, proves that he could not change his 
 fondnefs for her perfon into affection for her virtues, or 
 refpect for her underftandlng. 
 
 Whili): women avow, and act up to fuch opinions, 
 their underitandings, at leafl, deferve the contempt and 
 obloquy that men, i;-/'o never infult their perfons, have 
 pointedly levelled at the female mind. And it is the 
 fentiments of thefe polite men, who do not wifli to be 
 encumbered with mind, that vain women thoughdefsly 
 adopt. Yet they fhould <know, that infulted reaibn 
 alone can fpread \.\vi\. facred referve about the perfons 
 which renders human affections, for human affections 
 have always fome ba'fe alloy, as permanent as is con- 
 ilflent with the grand end of exiilence the attainment 
 of virtue. 
 
 The Baronefs de Stael fpeaks the fame language as 
 the lady jufl cited, with more enthufiafm. Her eulo- 
 gium on RouiTeau \vas accidentally put into my hands, 
 and her fentiments, the fentiments of too many of my 
 fex, may ferve as the text fora few comments. * Though 
 ' RoufTeau,' me obferves, ' has endeavoured to prevent 
 ' women from interfering in public affairs, and acting a 
 'brilliant part in the theatre of polities ; yet, in fpeak- 
 ' ing of them, how much has he done it to their fatis- 
 faction ! If he wifned to deprive them of fome rights, 
 ' foreign to their fex, how has he forever reftored to 
 ' them all thofe to which it has a claim ! And in at- 
 ' tempting to diminim their influence over the delibc- 
 ' rations of men, how facredly has he eftablifhed the 
 s empire they have over their happinefs I In aiding 
 
R.IGH1. OF WOMAN. 177* 
 
 * them to defcend from an ufurped throne, he has firmly 
 ' feated them upon that to which they were deftinedrby 
 ' nature; and though he be full of indignation againft 
 ' them when they endeavour to refemble men, yet when 
 
 < they come before him with all the charms, taeaknej/ss, 
 
 < virtues, and errors, of their fex, his refpedl for their 
 ' perfons amounts almoit to adoration.' True ! For 
 never was there a fenlualift who paid more fervent ado 
 ration at the ftirine of beauty. So devout, indeed, was 
 his refpe6l for the perfon, that excepting the virtue of 
 challity, for obvious reafons, he only wifned to fee it 
 embellimed by charms, 'weakneffes, and errors. He 
 was afraid left the auilerity of reafon mould difturb the 
 foft playfulnefs of love. The mafcer wifhed to have a 
 meretricious flave to fondle, entirely dependent on his 
 reafon and bounty ; he did not want a companion, whom 
 he mould be compelled to efleem, or a friend to whom 
 he could confide the care of his children's education, 
 mould death deprive them of their father, before he had 
 fulfilled the facred talk. He denies woman reafon, muts 
 her out from knowledge, and turns her afide from truth; 
 yet his pardon is granted, becaufe ' he admits the paf- 
 fion of love.' It would require fome ingenuity to mow 
 why women were to be under fuch an obligation to him 
 for thus admitting love ; 'when it is clear that he admits 
 it only for the relaxation of men, and to perpetuate the 
 fpecies ; but he talked with paffion, and that powerful 
 fpell worked on the fenfibility of a young encomhft. 
 ' What fignifies it,' purfues this rhapfodiit. ' to women, 
 f that his reafon difputes with them the empire, whes 
 
1*3 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 * his heart is devotediy theirs.' It is not empire but 
 equality, that they fliould contend for. Yet, if they only 
 wiihed to lengthen out their Sway, th-y fhoukl not entirely 
 truft to their perfons, for though beauty may gain a 
 heart, it cannot keep it, even wnile the beauty is in 
 full bloom, unlefs the mind knd, at ie^ft, fome graces. 
 
 When women are once iaii:cien:ly enlightened to 
 difcover their real intereit, on -a grand fcale, they will, 
 I am perfuaded, be very ready to refign all the prero 
 gatives of love, that are not mutual, fpeaking of them as 
 lading prerogatives, for the calm fatisfadion of friend, 
 fliip, and the tender confidence of habitual efteem. Be 
 fore marriage they will not aiTume any infolent airs, 
 nor afterwards abjedly fubmit ; but, endeavouring to 
 aft like reafonable creatures, in both fituations, they 
 will not be tumbled from a throne to a flool. 
 
 Madame Genlis has written feveral entertaining 
 books for children; and her Letters on Education 
 afford many ufeful hints, that fenfible parents will cer 
 tainly avail themfelves of; but her views are narrow, 
 and ner prejudices as unreafonable as ftrong. 
 
 I (hall pals over her vehement argument in favour of 
 
 ; the eternity of future punimments, because I blufh to 
 
 think that a human being mould ever argue vehemently 
 
 in luch a caufe, and only make a few remarks on her 
 
 abfurd manner of making the parental authority, fup- 
 
 plant reafon. For every where does me inculcate not 
 
 , only blind fubmiffion to parents, but to the opinion of 
 
 . the world.* 
 
 * A perfon it not te afl in tins or thai way, though convinced t!>cy 
 an right *n fo do^ng, keeaufe fotnt eyuivwel (ireumjlanets may had tb e 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 179 
 
 She tells a ftory of a young man engaged by his 
 father's exprefs defire to a girl of fortune. Before the 
 marriage could take place, flie is deprived of her for 
 tune, and thrown friendlefs on the world. The father 
 pradtifes the moil infamous arts to feparate his foil from 
 her, and when the fon detects his villany, and, follow 
 ing the dictates of honour, marries the girl, nothing 
 but mifery enfues, becaufe forfooth he married without 
 his father's confent. On what ground can religion or 
 morality reft, when juilice is thus fet at defiance ? In 
 the fame ftyle me reprefcnts an accomplimed young 
 woman, as ready to marry any body that her mamma 
 pleafed to recommend ; and, as actually marrying the 
 young man of her own choice, without feeling any 
 emotions of paflion, becaufe that a well-educated girl 
 had not time to be in lovj. Is it poflible to have 
 much refpect for a fyftem of education that thus infults 
 reafon and nature? 
 
 Many fimilar opinions occur in her writings, mixed 
 with fentiments that do honour to her head and heart. 
 Yet fo much fuperftition is mixed with her religion, 
 and fo much worldly wifdom with her morality, that I 
 fnould not let a young perfon read her works, unlefs 
 I could afterwards converfe on the fubjects, and point 
 out the contradictions. 
 
 world to fufpciTt that t.'j.-y afled from different motives. This is facri- 
 Jtfinrr the htbjlance for a ftadoiv. Let people but watch their own 
 hearts, and aci r/gf.'/y as fur as they can judge, and they may pa 
 tiently wait till tit: opinion vf tie world comes round. It is bejl 
 to l>e directed by a Jftaph motive -for jiip.ice has too often been Jlicriftcsd 
 " impropriety ; .nothcr %v?rd for convenience. 
 
l8o VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 Mrs. Chapone's Letters are written with fuch good 
 fenfe, and unaffecled humility, and contain fo many 
 ufeful obfervations, that I only mention them to pay 
 the worthy writer this tribute of refpeft. I cannot, ' 
 it is true, always coincide in opinion with her, but I 
 always refpecl her. 
 
 The very word refpel brings Mrs. Macaulay to my 
 remembrance. The woman of the greateft abilities, 
 undoubtedly, that this country has ever produced. 
 And yet this woman has been fuffered to die without 
 fufiicient refpedl being paid to her memory. 
 
 Poiterity, however, will be more juft; and remem 
 ber, that Catharine Macaulay was an example of intel 
 lectual acquirements fuppofed to be incompatible with 
 the weaknefs of her fex. In her ftyle of writing, in 
 deed, no fex appears, for it is like the fenfe it con 
 veys, llrong and clear. 
 
 I will not call her's a mafculine underftanding, be- 
 caufe I admit not of fuch an arrogant affumption of 
 reafon; but I contend that it was a found one, and 
 that her judgment, the matured fruit of profound think 
 ing, was a proof that a woman can acquire judgment, 
 in the full extent of the word. Poffeiring more pene 
 tration than fagacity, more underftanding than fancy, 
 Ihe writes with fober energy, and argumentative clofe- 
 nefs ; yet fympathy and benevolence give an interelt to 
 her fcntiments, and that vital heat to arguments, which 
 forces the reader to weigh them.* 
 
 * Coinciding in ap'n'on ivit'3 JVlrs- Macaulny relative to many 
 branches of education, I refer t>j her valuable iuork t injlead oj quoting 
 btrjii.t.ments to fu^^ort my OIVH* 
 

 RIGHTS OF WOMAN. l8l 
 
 When I firft thought of writing thefe ftriclures I an 
 ticipated Mrs. JVLcaulay's approbation with a little of 
 that (anguine ardour which it has been the buiinefs of 
 my life to deprefs ; but foon heard with the fickly qualm 
 of difappointed hope, and the ftill ferioumefs of regret 
 that Ihe was no more ! 
 
 SECT. V. 
 
 TAKING a view of the different works which have 
 been written on education, Lord Chelterfield's Letters 
 muft not be filently paffed over. Not that I mean to 
 analyze his unmanly, immoral fyftem, or even to cull 
 any of the ufeful (hrewd remarks which occur in his fri 
 volous corrcfpondence No, I only mean to make a 
 few reflections on the avowed tendency of them the 
 art of acquiring an early knowledge of the world. An 
 art, I will venture to affert, that preys fecretlyjike the 
 worm in the bud, on the expanding powers, and turns 
 to poifon the generous juices which mould mount with 
 vigour in the youthful frame, inipiring warm affections 
 and great refolves.* 
 
 For every thing, faith the wife man, there is reafon ; 
 -and who would look for the fruits of autumn during 
 the genial months of fp ring? But this is mere declarna- 
 
 * Tfjat children ought to be conftatrtly giuirded a&ainft the iiiees and 
 follies of the ivorld, appeals to ma, a i>ery tniflaken opinion ; fur in th: 
 courfe of my experience, and my eyes have looked abroad* I never knew 
 a youth educated in this manner t ivho had early imbibed thefe chilling 
 fufylcicns, and repeated by rote the hejttating if of age t that did not 
 prove afelfij* character* 
 
l82 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 tlon, and I mean to reafon with thofe worldly-wife in- 
 flructors, who, inftead of cultivating the judgment, inilil 
 prejudices, and render hard the heart that gradual expe 
 rience would only n.tve cooled. An early acquaintance 
 with humiin infirmities ; or, what is termed knowledge 
 of the world, is the fureft way, in my opinion, to con- 
 ti. 6; the heart and damp the natural youthful ardour 
 which produces not .only great talents, but great virtues. 
 For the vain attempt to bring forth the fruit of experi 
 ence, /before the fapling has thrown out its leaves, only 
 exhaufls its ftrength, and prevents its affuming a natural 
 form; juft as the form and ftrength of fubfiding metals 
 are injured when the attraction of cohefionisdifturbed. 
 Tell me, ye who have ftudied the human mind, is it 
 not a ftrange way to fix principles by mowing young 
 people that they are feldom liable ? And how can they be 
 fortified by habits when they are proved to be fallacious 
 by example ? Why is the ardour of youth thus to be 
 damped, and the luxuriancy of fancy cut to the quick ? 
 This dry caution may, it is true, guard a character from 
 worldly mifchances ; but will infallibly preclude ex 
 cellence in either virtue or knowledge.* The ftumbling- 
 block thrown acrofs every path by fufpicion, will pre 
 vent any vigorous exertions of genius or benevolence, 
 and life will be ftripped of its moft alluring charm long 
 before its calm evening, when man fhould retire to con 
 templation for comfort and fupport. 
 
 * I have already dfi-rved, that an early ta&u>teitfge of the ivorld, 
 obtained in a natural way, by mixing in the world, has the fame ejfcft : 
 inji anting officers and women. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 183 
 
 A young man who has been bred up with domeftic 
 friends, and led to {lore his mind with as much fpecu- 
 lative knowledge as can be acquired by reading and the 
 natural reflections which youthful ebullitions of animal 
 fpirits and infiinctJve feelings infpire, will enter the 
 world with warm and erroneous expectations. But this 
 appears to be the courfe of nature ; and- in morals, as 
 well as in works of tafte, we mould be obfervant of her 
 facrcd indications, and not prefume to lead when we 
 ought obfequioufly to follow. 
 
 In the world few people act from principle ; prefent 
 feelings, and early habits, are the grand fprings : but 
 hew would the former be deadened, and the latter ren 
 dered iron corroding fetters, if the world were mown to 
 young people juft as it is ; when no knowledge of man 
 kind or their ewn hearts, flowly obtained by experience 
 rendered them forbearing ? Their fellow creatures 
 would not then be viewed as frail beings ; like them- 
 felves, condemned to ftruggle with human infirmities., 
 and fometimes difplaying the light and fometimes the 
 dark fide of their character ; extorting alternate feel 
 ings of love and difguft ; but guarded againft as beaih 
 of prey, till every enlarged focial feeling, in a word 
 humanity was eradicated. 
 
 In life, on the contrary, as we gradually difcover 
 the imperfections of our nature, we difcover virtues, 
 and various circumftances attach us to our fellow crea 
 tures, when we mix with them, and view the fame ob 
 jects, that are never thought of in acquiring a hafty 
 unnatural knowledge of the world. We fee a folly 
 R 
 
 
184 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 {well into a vice, by almoft imperceptible degrees, and 
 pity while we blame; but, if the hideous monfter burft 
 fuddenly on our fight, fear and difgufc rendering us 
 more fevere than man ought to be, might lead us with 
 blind zeal to urarp the character of omnipotence, and 
 denounce damnation on our fellow mortals, forgetting 
 that we cannot read the heart, and that we have feeds 
 of the fame vices lurking in our own. 
 
 I have already remarked , that we expect more from 
 inftruftion, than mere inflruflion can produce : for, in- 
 ilead of preparing young people to encounter the evils 
 of life with dignity, and to acquire wifdom and virtue 
 by the exercife of their own faculties, precepts are 
 heaped upon precepts, and blind obedience required, 
 when conviction mould be brought home to reafon* 
 
 Suppofe, for inftance, that a young perfon in the fo ft 
 ardour of friendfhip deifies the beloved objeft what 
 harm can arife from this mifiaken enthufiaftic attach 
 ment r Perhaps it is neceffary for virtue firft to appear 
 in a human form to imprefs youthful hearts ; the ideal 
 model, which a more matured and exalted mind looks 
 up to., and Ihapes for itfelf, would elude their fight. 
 He who loves not his brother whom he hath feen, how 
 can he love God ? afked the wifeft of men. 
 
 It is natural for youth to adorn the firft objedt of its 
 affedipn with every good quality, and the emulation 
 produced by ignorance, or, to fpeak with more propri 
 ety, by inexperience, brings forward the mind capable 
 #f' 6f*forming fuch an afTe&ion, "and,, when, in the lapfe of 
 time perfection is found not to be within the reach of 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 185 
 
 mortals, virtue, abftraftedly, is thought beautiful, and 
 wifdom fublime. Admiration then give.s place to fricnd- 
 fhip, properly To called, becaufe it is cemented by efteem ; 
 and the being walks alone only dependent on heaven for 
 that emulous panting after perfection which ever glow 5 
 in a noble mind. But this knowledge a man mull gain 
 by the exertion of his own faculties ; arid this is furely 
 the blefled fruit of difappointed hope! for He who de- 
 lighteth to diffufe happinefs and fhew mercy to the 
 weak creatures, who are learning to know him, never 
 implanted a good propenfity to be a tormenting ignis 
 fatuus. 
 
 Our trees are now allowed to fprcad with wild luxuri 
 ance, nor do we expect by force to combine the majeilic 
 marks of time with youthful graces ; but wait patiently 
 till they have fcruck deep their root, aud braved many a 
 dorm. Is the mind then, which, in proportion to its 
 dignity advances more flowly towards perfection, to be 
 treated with lefs refpect ? To argue from analogy, every 
 thing around us is in a progreffive ftate ; and when 
 an unwelcome knowledge of life produces alrnoft a fa- 
 tiety of life, and we difcover by the natural courfe of 
 things that all that is done under the fun is vanity, we 
 are drawing near the awful clofe of the drama. The 
 days of activity and hope are over, arid the opportunities 
 which the firit ftage of exiftence has afforded of advanc 
 ing in the fcale of intelligence, muft foon be fummed ' 
 up. A knowledge at this period of the futility of life, 
 or earlier, if obtained by experience, is very ufeful, be 
 caufe it is natural ; but when a frail being is fliewn the 
 Rz 
 
l86 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 follies and vices of man, that he may be taught pru 
 dently to guard againft the common casualties of life by 
 facrificing his heart furely it is not fpeaking harlhly 
 to call it the wifdom of this world, con-trafled with the 
 nobler fruit of piety and experience. 
 
 I will venture a paradox, and deliver my opinion with 
 out referve ; if men were only born to form a circle of 
 life and death, it would be wife to take every Hep that 
 forefight could fuggeft to render life happy. Modera 
 tion in every purfuit would then be fupreme wifdom ; 
 and the prudent voluptuary might enjoy a degree of 
 Content, though he neither cultivated his underftanding 
 nor kept his heart pure. Prudence, fuppofmg we were 
 mortal, would be true wifdom, or, to be more explicit, 
 would procure the greater! portion of happinefs, con- 
 fidering the whole of life, but knowledge beyond the 
 conveniences of life would be a curfe. 
 
 Why mould we injure our health by clofe fludy ? 
 The exalted pleafure which intellectual purfuits aiford 
 would fcarcely be equivalent to the hours of langour that 
 follow ; efpecially, if it be neceilary to take into the 
 reckoning the doubts and difappointments that cloud our 
 refeiirches. Vanity and vexation clofe every inquiry : 
 for the cnuie which we particularly wifhed to difcover 
 i::?s like the horizon beforft us as we advance. The ig 
 norant, en the contrary, refemble children^ and fuppofe, 
 that if :hey could walk Itraight forward, they fhouid at 
 laft arrive were the earth and clouds meet. Yet, dif- 
 appointed as we are in our refearches , the mind gains 
 ftrength by the exercife, fufficient, perhaps, to compre- 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 187 
 
 hend the anfwers which, in another ftep of exiftence, it 
 may receive to the anxious queftions it afkcd, when the 
 underftanding w th feeble wing was fluttering round the 
 vifible effects to dive into th-> hidden caufe. 
 
 The paflions alfo, the winds of life, would be ufelefs, 
 if not injurious, did ihe iubilance which composes our 
 thinking being, after we have thought in vain, only be 
 come the fupport of vegetable lite, and invigorate a cab 
 bage, or blufh in a rofe. The appetites would anfvver 
 every earthly purpofe, and produce more moderate and 
 permanent happinefs. But the powers of the foul that 
 are of little ufe here, and, probably, difturb our anim:ii 
 enjoyments, even while confcious dignity makes us glo 
 ry in poffeffing them, prove that life is merely an educa- 
 tion, a ftate of infancy, of which the only hones worvh 
 cheriming fnould not be facrificed. I mean, therefor 3 , 
 to infer, that we ought to have a precifeidea of what wo 
 wi(h to attain by education, for the immortality of the 
 foul is contradicted by the actions of many people who 
 firmly profefs the belief. 
 
 If you mean to fecure cafe and profperity on earth as 
 the firft confideration, and leave futurity to provide for 
 itfelf ; you aft prudently in giving your child an early 
 infight into the weaknefibs of his nature. You rmy 
 not., it is true, make an Inkfe of him; but do not i na- 
 gine that he will ftick to more than the letter of the la-v, 
 who lias very early imbibed a. mean opinion of hum^n 
 nature ? nor will he think it neccfiary to rife much above 
 the common flandard. He may avoid grcfs vices, be- 
 caule honelly is the bell policy ; but he will never ai:n 
 
VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 ;U attaining great virtues. The example of writers and 
 artifts will ilJuflrate this remark. 
 
 I muft therefoie venture to doubt, whether what has 
 been thought an axiom in morals, may not have been. a 
 dogmatical aflertion made by men who have coolly Teen 
 mankind through the medium of books* and fay, in dl- 
 redt contradiction to them, that the regulation of the 
 pafiions is not, always, wifdom. On the contrary, it 
 mould feem, that one reafon why men have fuperior 
 judgment, and more fortitude than women, is undoubt 
 edly this, that they give a freer fcope to the grand paf- 
 fions, and by more frequently going aflray enlarge their 
 rninds. If then by th.e exercife of their own * reafon 
 they fix on fome liable principle, they have probably to 
 thank the force of their pafiions, nourimed byfal/e views 
 of life, and permitted to overleap the boundary that fe- 
 cures content. But if, in the dawn of life, we could 
 foberly furvey the fcenes before as in perfpeclive, and 
 fee every thing in its true colours, how could the paf- 
 fions gain fufficient ftrength to unfold the faculties ? 
 
 Let me now, as from an eminence, furvey the world. 
 Gripped of all its falfe delufive charms. The clear at r 
 rr.ofphere enables me to fee each object in its true point 
 of view, while my heart is ftill. I am calm as the prof- 
 peel: in a morning when the roifts, {lowly difperfmg, 
 filently unveil the beauties of nature, refreshed by reft. 
 
 In what light will the world now appear ?. I rub 
 
 my eyes and think, perchance, that 1 am juft awaking 
 from a lively dream. 
 
 * ' 1 JitiJ that all i'j lui lip-ivlfdom tr/&/V& wants experience^ fovt 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 189 
 
 I fee the fons and daughters of men purfuing (hadows, 
 and anxioufly wailing their powers to feed paffions 
 which have no adequate objeft if the very excefsof 
 thefe blind impulfes, pampered by that lying, yet con- 
 ftantly-truiled guide, the imagination, did not, by pre 
 paring them for fome other ftate, render mort-fighted 
 mortals wifer without their own concurrence ; or, what 
 comes to the fame thing, when they were purfuing forae 
 imaginary prefent good. 
 
 After viewing objects in this light, it would not be 
 very fanciful to imagine, that this world was a ftage on 
 which a pantomime is daily performed for the amufe- 
 ment of fuperior beings. How would they be diverted 
 to fee the ambitious man confuming himfelf by running 
 af:er a phantom., and, * purfuing the bubble fame in 
 * the cannon's mouth' that was to blow him to no 
 thing : for when confcioufnefs is loft, it matters not 
 whether we mount in a whirlwind or defcend in rain. 
 And ihould they compaffionately invigorate his fight, 
 and (bow him the thorny path which led to eminence, 
 that like a quickfand finks as he afcends, difappointing 
 his hopes when almoft within his grafp, would lie not 
 leave to others the honour of amufmg them, and labour 
 to fecure the prefent moment, though from the. conditu- 
 tion of his nature he would not find it very cafy to catch 
 the flying ftream ? Such fiaves are we to hope and fear ! 
 
 But, vain as the ambitious man's purfuit would be, 
 he is often llriving for fomething more fubftantial than 
 fame that indeed would be the verieft meteor, the wild- 
 e-il fire that could lure a man to ruin. What ! renounce 
 
VINDICATION' OF THE 
 
 the mo"!: trifling gratification to be applauded when he 
 Ihould be no more ! Wncrefore this ftruggle, whether 
 man is mortal or immortal^ if that noble pafiion did not 
 really raife the being ab ,ve his fellows r 
 
 And love ! \V iac di v r u -ting :c: nes would it produce-^ 
 Pantaloon's tricks mult yield co more egregious folly. 
 To fee a mortal adorn an object with imaginary charms, 
 ard then JU down ::nd worfhip the idol v/hich he had 
 himfelf let up how ridiculous 1 But what ferious con- 
 fequences enfue to rob man of that portion of happi- 
 nefs, which the Deity by calling him into exifrence has 
 (or, on what can his attributes reft ?) indubitably pro- 
 inifed : would not all the purpofes of life have been 
 much better fulfilled if he had only felt what has been 
 termed phyiical love ? And, would not the fight of the 
 object, not feen through the medium of the imagina 
 tion, foon reduce the paffion to an appetite, if reflection, 
 the noble diflinclion of man, did not give it force, and 
 mc.ke it an inilrament to raife him above this earthly 
 drofs, by teaching him to love the centre of all perfec 
 tion ! whofe wifdom appears clearer and clearer in the 
 works of nature, in proportion a5 reafon is illuminated 
 and> exalted by contemplation, and by acquiring that 
 love of order which the ftruggles of paiiion produce ? 
 
 The habit of reflection, and the knowledge attained 
 by fjilering any paffion, might be fhown to be equally 
 ufeful, though the object be proved equally fallacious ; 
 for they would all appear in the fame light, if they 
 were not magnified by the governing paflion implanted 
 in us by the Author of all good, to call forth and 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. f 19! 
 
 fcrengthen the faculties of each individual, and enable 
 it to attain all the experience that an infant can obtain, 
 who does certain things, it cannot tell why. 
 
 I defcend from my height, and mixing with my fel 
 low-creatures, feel myfelf hurried along the commom 
 itream ; ambition, love, hope, and fear, exert their 
 .wonted power, though we be convinced by reafon that 
 their prefent and moft attractive promifes are only lying 
 dreams ; but had the cold hand of circumfpedticn 
 damped each generous feeling before it had left any 
 permanent character, or fixed fome habit, what could be 
 expected, but felfiih prudence and reafon juft rifmg 
 above inftinft ? Who that has read Dean Swift's dif- 
 gufting defcription of the Yahoos, and infipid one of 
 Houyhnhnm with a philofophical eye, can avoid feeing 
 the futility of degrading the paflions, or making man 
 reft in contentment ? 
 
 The youth mould aft ; for had he the experience of 
 a grey head he would be fitter for death than life, though 
 his virtues, rather refiding in his head than his heart' 
 could produce nothing great, and his underftanding pre 
 pared for this world, would not, by its nobre flights, 
 prove that it had a title to a better. 
 
 Befides, it is not poffible to give a young perfon a 
 juft view of life ; he muft have ftruggled with his own 
 paflions before he can eftimate the force of the tempta 
 tion which betrayed his brother into vice. Thofe who 
 are entering life, and thofe who are departing, fee the 
 world from fuch very different points of view, that they 
 caff feldom think alike, unlefs the unfledged reafon of 
 the former never attempted a folitary flighk 
 
VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 When we hear of fome daring crime it comes full 
 on us in the deepeft fhade of turpitude, and raifes indig 
 nation ; but the eye that gradually faw the darknefs 
 thicken, muft obferve it with more compaffionate for 
 bearance. The world cannot be feen by an unmoved 
 fpeclator, we muft mix in the throng, and feel as men 
 feel before we can judge of their feelings. If we mean, 
 in Ihort, to live in the world, to grow wifer and bet 
 ter, and not merely to enjoy the good things of life, we 
 molt attain a knowledge of others at the fame time that 
 we become acquainted with ourfelves knowledge ac 
 quired any other way only hardens the heart and per 
 plexes the underltanding. 
 
 I may be told, that the knowledge thus acquired, is 
 fometimes purchafed at too dear a rate. I can only an-, 
 fwer, that I very much doubt whether any knowledge 
 can be obtained without labour and forrow ; and thofe 
 who wifh to fpare their child/en both, mould not com 
 plain if they are neither wife nor virtuous. They only 
 aimed at making them prudent ; and prudence, early in 
 life, is but the cautious craft of ignorant feif-love. 
 
 I hav obferved, that young people, to whofe educa 
 tion particular attention has been paid, have, in general, 
 been very fuperficial and conceited, and far from pleafmg 
 in any refpeft, becaufe they had neither the unfufpedl- 
 ing warmth of youth, nor the cool depth of age. I can- 
 n?- help imputing this unnatural appearance princi- 
 ]J V to that hafly premature Inftru&ion, which leads 
 < r fumptubufly to repeat all the crude notions 
 
 tluy have taken upon trull," fo that the careful - 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 
 
 tion which they received, nukes them all their lives 
 the (laves of prejudices. 
 
 Mental as well as bodily exertion is, at firft, irkfome ; 
 fo much fo, that the many would fun let others both 
 work and think for them. An obfervation which I have 
 often mads will illuftrate my meaning. When in a 
 circle of ftrangsrs, or acquaintances, a perfon of mode- 
 'rate abilities, afferts an opinion with heat, I will venture 
 'to affirm, for I have traced this fad home, very often, 
 that it is a prejudice. Thefe echoes have a high re- 
 fpecl: for the underftanding of fome relation or friend, 
 and without fully comprehending the opinions, which 
 they are fo eager to retail, they maintain them with a 
 degree of obftinacy, that would furprife even the perfon 
 who concofted them. 
 
 I know that a kind of fafhion now prevails of refpeft- 
 ing prejudices ; and when any one dares to face them, 
 though actuated by humanity and armed by reafon, he 
 is fupercilioufly afked, whether his anceftors were fools. 
 No, I mould reply ; opinions, at firft, of every defcrip- 
 tion, were all, probably, confidered, and therefore were 
 founded on fome reafon ; yet not unfrequently, of courfe, 
 it was rather a local expedient than a fundamental 
 principle, that would be reafonable at all times. But, 
 mofs-covered opinions affume the difproportioned form 
 of prejudices, when they are indolently adopted only 
 becaufe age has given them a venerable aipecl:, though 
 the reafon on which they r were built ceafes to be a reafon, 
 or cannot be traced. Why are we to love prejudices^ 
 
T94 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 merely becaufe they are prejudices ?* A prejudice is & 
 fond obflinate perfuafion, for which we can give no rea- 
 fon ; for the moment a reafon can be given for an opi 
 nion, it ceafes to be a prejudice, though it may be an 
 error in judgment: and are we then advifed to cherim 
 opinions only to fet reafon at defiance ? This mode of 
 arguing, if arguing it may be called, reminds me of 
 what is vulgarly termed a woman's reafon. For women 
 fometimes declare that they love, or believe certain 
 things, becaufe they love, or believe them. 
 
 It is imponible to converfe with people to any purpofe, 
 who, in this ftyle, only ufe affirmatives and negatives. 
 Before you can bring them to a point, to (tart fairly 
 from, you mufl go back to the fimple principles that 
 were antecedent to the prejudices broached by power ; 
 and it is ten to one but you are flopped by the philofo- 
 phical affertion, that certain principles are as practically 
 falfe as they are abihactly true f Nay, it may be in 
 ferred, that reafon has whifpered fome doubts, for it ge 
 nerally happens that people afiert their opinions with the 
 greateft hea: when they begin to waver ; ftriving to 
 drive out their own doubts by convincing their oppo 
 nent, they grow angry when thofe gnawing doubts are 
 thrown back to prey on themfelves. 
 
 The fact is, that men expect from education, what 
 education cannot give. A fagacious parent or tutor 
 may flrengthen the body and fliarpen the inilruments 
 
 * Fide Mr. Burke. 
 
 j~ ' Convince a man a&ainft bis ijcill^ 
 * He 3 of the fame opinion Jlill? 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 195 
 
 by which the child is to gather knowledge ; but the 
 honey mull be the reward of the individual's own in- 
 duflry. It is almoft as abfurd to attempt to make a 
 youth wife by the experience of another, as to -expert 
 the body to grow flrong by the exercife which is only 
 talked of, or feen,* 
 
 Many of thofe children whofe conduct has been moft 
 narrowly watched, become the weakcft men, becaufe 
 their inltruclors only inilil certain notions into their 
 minds, that have no other foundation than their autho 
 rity ; and if they are loved or refpe&ed, the mind is 
 cramped in its exertions and wavering in its advances. 
 The bufmefs of education in this cafe, is only to conduct 
 the (hooting tendrils to a proper pole; yet after laying 
 precept upon precept, without allowing a child to ac 
 quire judgment itfelf, parents exped them to aft in the 
 fame manner by this borrowed fallacious light, as 
 if they had illuminated it themfelves ; and be, when 
 they enter life, what their parents are at the clofe" 
 They do not confider that the tree, and even the human 
 body, does not ftrengthen its fibres till it has reached 
 its full growth. 
 
 There appears to me fomethmg analogous in the mind. 
 The fenfes and the imagination give a form to the cha- 
 raclcr, during childhood and youth ; and the underfland- 
 ing as life advances, gives iirmnefs to the firft fair pur- 
 pofcs of fcTiiibility till virtue, arifmg rather from the 
 clear convidlion of reafon than the impulfe of the heart, 
 
 ' One fees nothing iv'jcn one is content to ftnttVtplate v T y \ ft it 
 ' ntCfjTary ta .-iff onefelftob* able to fef haw fibers aft.' 
 
 Ro uiTeaa. 
 S 
 
196 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 morality is made to reft on a rock againft which tht 
 ftorms of paffion vainly beat. 
 
 I hope I fliall not be mifunderftood when I fay, that 
 religion will not have this condenfmg energy, unlefs it 
 be founded on reafon. If it be merely the refuge of 
 weaknefs or wild fanaticifm, and not a governing prin 
 ciple of conducl:, drawn from felf-knowledge, and a 
 rational opinion refpeding the attributes of God, what 
 can it be expeded to produce? The religion which con- 
 fids in warming the affedions, and exalting the imagi 
 nation, is only the poetical part, and may afford the in 
 dividual pleafure without rendering it a more moral 
 being. It may be a fubftitute for worldly purfuits ; yet 
 narrow inflead of enlarging the heart j but virtue mult 
 be loved as in itfelf fublime and excellent, and not for 
 the advantages it procures or the evils it averts, if any 
 great degree of excellence be expeded. Men will not 
 become moral when they only build airy caflles in a fu 
 ture world to compenfate for the difappointments which 
 they meet with in this ; if they turn their thoughts from 
 relative duties to religious reveries. 
 
 Mofl: profpeds in life are marred by the muffling 
 worldly wifdom of men, who, forgetting that they can 
 not ferve God and mammon, endeavour to blend contra 
 dictory things If you wim to make your fon rich, purr 
 fue one courfc if you are only anxious to make him 
 virtuous, you muft take another ; but do not imagine 
 that you can bound from one road to the other without 
 lofmg your way.* 
 
 * See an excellent effay en this futy eft t by Mrs. JSarlauld, in M if eel* 
 lantous piceei in ProJ'e. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 197 
 
 CHAP. VI, 
 
 The efeft which an early affectation of ideas has upon the 
 character. 
 
 JlfDU GATED in the enervating flyle recommended 
 by the writers on whom I have been animadverting ; 
 and not having a chance, from their fubordinate 
 Hate in fociety, to recover their loft ground, is it fur- 
 prifmg that women every where appear a defect in 
 nature ? Is it furprifing, when we confider what a de 
 terminate effect an early affociation of ideas has on the 
 character, that they neglect their underilandings, and 
 turn all their attention to their perfons ? 
 
 The great advantages which naturally refult from 
 ftoring the mind with knowledge, are obvious from the 
 following confiderations. The affociation of our ideas 
 is either habitual or inflantaneous ; and the latter mode 
 feems rather to depend on the original temperature of 
 the mind than on the will. When the ideas, and mat- 
 ters of fact, are once taken in, they lie by for ufe, tilj 
 fome fortuitous circumftance makes the information 
 dart into the mind with illuftrative force, that has been 
 received at very different periods of our lives. Like 
 the lightning's flam are many recollections ; one idea 
 affirnilating and explaining another, with aftoniming 
 rapidity. I do not now allude to that quick perception 
 of truth, which isfo intuitive that it baffles research, and 
 makes us at a lofs to determine whether it is reminif- 
 Sz 
 
rg8 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 cence or ratiocination, loft fight of in' its celerity, that 
 opens the dark cloud. Over thofe inilantaneous aflbci- 
 ations we have little power ; for when the mind is once 
 enlarged byexcurfive flights, or profound reflection, the 
 raw materials, will, in fome degree, arrange themfelves. 
 The underitanding, it is true, may keep us from going 
 out of drawing when we group our thoughts, or tran- 
 fcribe from the imagination the warm Sketches of fancy; 
 but the animal fpirits, the individual character give 
 the colouring. Over this fubtile electric fluid,* how 
 little power do we poflefs, and over it how little power 
 can reafon obtain ! Thefe fine intractable fpirits appear 
 to be the efTence of genius, and beaming in its eagle 
 eye, produce in the moft imminent degree the happy 
 energy of aflbciating thoughts that furprife, delight, 
 and inftruct. Thefe are the glowing minds that con 
 centrate pictures for their fellow-creatures ; forcing them 
 to view with intereft the objects reflected from the im- 
 pafiioned imagination, which they pafled over in nature. 
 I muft be allowed to explain myfelf. The generality 
 of people cannot fee or feel poetically, they want fancy, 
 and therefore fly from folitude in fearch of fenfible ob- 
 jefls ; but when an author lends them his eyes, they can 
 fee as he fa\v, and be amufed by images they could not 
 felect, though lying before them. 
 
 * / Lav? fbmeiltncs t when inclined to /a;j?j a? materialifts, afked 
 ivhcther, as the r.ofi poiv:rfnl ejftfts in nature are apparently prodvttd 
 by fluids) //', mx >:':!' c^ \jfc* tbe tafjioHt might n i Le fine votatile fluidt 
 
 tbal ti-il, '.'y. L.^nn'T the more r::J> acl'jfj cLmtntary parts to. 
 
 rretL^r or lu'.cti.'c-r //^-y icere Jimply a I'aru'nl jire th.it pirvccLd thf 
 we^fttigvtjb Ki.TtsrluIs giving them life and /'..-' ? 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 199 
 
 Education thus only fupplies the man of genius with 
 knowledge to give variety and contraft to his aflbcia- 
 tions ; but there is an habitual aiTociation of ideas, that 
 grows ' with our growth,' which has a great effect on 
 the moral character of mankind ; and by which a turn is 
 given to the mind that commonly remains throughout 
 life. So ductile is the underftanding, and yet fo ftubborn, 
 that the aflbciations which depend on adventitious cir- 
 cumftances, during the period that the body takes to ar 
 rive at maturity, can feidom be difentangled by reafon. 
 One idea calls up another, its old aflbciate, and memory-, 
 faithful to the firft impreffions, particularly when the in 
 tellectual powers are not employed to cool our fenfa- 
 tions, retraces them with mechanical exaclnefs. 
 
 This habitual flavery, to firft impreftions, has a more 
 baneful eitecl on the female than the male character, 
 becaufe bufmefs and other dry employments of the un 
 derftanding, tend to deaden the feelings and break afTo- 
 ciations that do violence to reafon. But females, who 
 are made women of when they are mere children, and 
 brought back to childhood when they ought to leave 
 the go-cart for ever, have not fufHcient ftrength of 
 mind to efface the fuperindu&ions of. art that have 
 finothered nature. 
 
 Every thing that they fee or hear ferves to fix impref 
 fions, call forth emotions, and aiTociate ideas, that give a 
 fexual character to the mind. Falfe notions of beauty and 
 delicacy flop the growth of their limbs and produce a 
 fickly forenefs, rather than delicacy of orgr.ns j and thus 
 weakened by being employed in unfolding inilead of 
 S 3 
 
20$ VINDICATION OF THI 
 
 examining the firfl afibciations, forced on them by every 
 furrounding objec~l, how can they attain the vigour ne- 
 cefiary to enable them to throw off their factitious cha 
 racter ? where find flrength to recur to reafon and rife 
 fuperior to a fyftem of oppreffion, that blafts the fair 
 promifes of fpring ? This cruel aflbciation of ideas, 
 which every thing confpires to twift into all their habits 
 
 o 
 
 , 
 
 f thinking, or, to fpeak with more precifion, of feelin 
 receives new force when they begin to aft a little for 
 themfelves ; for they then perceive, that it is only through 
 their addrefs to excite emotions in men, that plcafure 
 2nd power are to be obtained. Befides, all the books 
 profeffedly written for their inflruclion, which make 
 the firfl impreffion on their minds, all inculcate the fame 
 opinions. Educated than in worfe than Egyptian bond 
 age, it is unreafonable, as well as cruel, to upbraid 
 them with faults that can fcarcely be avoided, unlefs a 
 degree of native vigour be fuppofed, that falls to the 
 lot of very few amongft mankind. 
 
 For inflance, the feverefc farcafms have been levelled 
 *igainfl the fex, and they have ^een ridiculed for re 
 peating ' a fet of phrases learnt by rote,' when nothing 
 could be more natural, confi-dering the education they 
 receive, and that their * highefl praife is to obey, un- 
 argued' the will of man. If they are not allowed to 
 have reafon fufficient to govern their own conduct - 
 why, all they learn mull be learned by rote ! And when 
 all their ingenuity is called forth to adjuft their drefs, 
 ' a pafiion for a fcarlet coat,' is fo natural, that it never 
 furprifed me ; and, allowing Pope's fummary of their 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 201 
 
 chara&er to be ju(l, * that every woman is at heart 
 ' a rake/ why ihould they be bitterly ceniured for 
 feeking a congenial mind, and preferring a rake to a 
 man of fenfe ? 
 
 Rakes know how to work on their fenfibility, whilfl 
 
 the model! merit of reafonable men has, of courfe, lefs 
 
 effect on their feelings, and they cannot reach the heart 
 
 by the way of the underflanding, becaufe they have few 
 
 '* fentiments in common 
 
 It feems a little abfurd to expect women to be more 
 reafonable than men in their Itkitt'gs 3 and ftill to deny 
 them the uncontrolled uie of reaion. When do men 
 fall-in-lo<ve with fenfe ? When do they, with their fupe- 
 rior powers and advantages, turn from the perfonto the 
 mind ? And how can they then expect women, who are 
 only taught to obferve behaviour, and acquire manners 
 rather than morals, to defpife what they have been all 
 their lives labouring to attain ? Where are they fuddenly 
 to find judgment enough to weigh patiently the fenfe 
 of an aukward virtuous man, wnen his manners, of 
 which they are made critical judges, are rebuffing, and 
 his converfation cold and dull, becaufe it does not con- 
 M of pretty repartees or well-turned compliments ? In 
 order to admire or eileem any tiling for a continuance, 
 we muft, at leaft, have ourcuriolky excited by knowing, 
 in fome degree, what we admire ; for we are unable to 
 eftirnate the value of qualities and virtues above our 
 conip'elienfion. Such a refpect, when it is felt, may 
 be very fublime ; and the confukd cohfcioufnefs of hu 
 mility may render the dependeat creature an intcreft- 
 
202 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 ing objecl, in force points of view ; but human love 
 muft have groiTer ingredients ; and the perfon very na 
 turally will come in for its lhare and, an ample mare 
 it moflly has ! 
 
 Love is, in a great degree, an arbitrary paflion, and 
 will reign like fome other ftalking mifchiefs, by its own 
 authority, without deigning to reafon ; and it may alfo 
 be eafily diftinguiihed from eiteem, the foundation of 
 friendfhip, becaufe it is often excited by evanefcent 
 beauties and graces, though to give an energy to the 
 fentiment fornething more folid muft deepen their im- 
 preffion and fet the imagination to work, to make the 
 moft fair -the firfl good. 
 
 Common paffions are excited by common qualities. 
 Men look for beauty and the fimper of good humoured 
 docility : women are captivated by eafy manners ; a gen 
 tleman-like man feidom fails to pleafe them, and their 
 thirftyears eagerly drink the infmuating nothings of po- 
 litenefs, whilft they turn from the unintelligible founds 
 of the charmer reafon, charm he never fo wifely. 
 With relpeil to fuperficial accomplilhments, the rake 
 certainly has the advantage ; and of thefe, females can 
 form an opinion, for it is their own ground. Rendered 
 gay ana giddy by the whole tenor of their lives, the 
 very afpedl of wifdom, or the fevere graces of virtue 
 mult. have a lugubrious appearance to them ; and produce 
 a kind of reftraint from which they and love, fportive 
 child, naturally revolt. Without tafle, excepting of the 
 lighter kind, for tafte is the offspring of judgment, how 
 can they difcover, that true beauty and grace mull arife 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. t 203 
 
 from the play of the mind ? and how can they be ex- 
 pedled to relifli in a lover what they do not, or very im 
 perfectly, poffefs themfelves ? The fympathy that unites 
 hearts, and invites to confidence, in them is fo very 
 faint, that it cannot take fire, and thus mount to pafTion. 
 No, I repeat it, the love cherimed by fuch minds, muil 
 have grofler fewel ! 
 
 The inference is obvious ; till women are led to ex- 
 ercife their underftandings, they mould not be fatirized 
 for their attachment to rakes ; nor even for being rakes 
 at heart, when it appears to be the inevitable confe- 
 quence of their education. They who live to pleafc 
 muft find their enjoyments, their happinefs, inpleafure ! 
 "It is a trite, yet true remark, that we never do any thing 
 well, unlefs we love it for its own fake. 
 
 Suppofmg, however, for a moment, that women were, 
 in fome future revolution of time, to become, what I 
 fmcerely wifh them to be, even love would acquire more 
 ferious dignity, and be purified in its own fires ; and 
 /virtue giving true delicacy to their affections, they would 
 turn with difguil from a rake. Reufoning then, as well 
 as feeling, the only province of wom.m, at prjient, 
 they might eafily guard againft exterior graces, and 
 quickly learn to defpife the feniibility that had been ex 
 cited and hackneyed in.the ways of women, whofe trade 
 was vice ; and allurements wanton airs. They would 
 recollect that the flame, one muft ufe appropiated ex- 
 prefTions, which they wilhed to light up, had been cx- 
 hauiled by lull, and that the fated appetite, loiing all 
 reliih for pure and fimple pleafures, could only be roufed 
 
204 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 by licentious arts or variety. What fatisfadtion could 
 a woman of delicacy promife herfelf in a union with 
 fuch a man, when the very artlefthefs of her affection 
 might appear infipid ? Thus does Dryden defcribe the 
 fituation, 
 
 ' ' Where lve tJ duty en tit female fids > 
 
 * On theirs merefenfualgitjl, and fought with furly pride? 
 
 But one grand truth women have yet to learn, though 
 much it imports them to act accordingly. In the choice 
 of a hufband they mould not be led aflray by the quali 
 ties of a lover for a lover the huiband, even fuppofing 
 him to be wife and virtuous, cannot long remain. 
 
 Were women more rationally educated, could they 
 take a more comprehenfive view of things, they would 
 be contented to love but once in their lives ; and after 
 marriage calmly let paflion fubfide into friendfhip into 
 that tender intimacy, which is the bell refuge from 
 care ; yet is built on fuch pure, ftill affections, that idle 
 jealoufies would not be allowed to difturb the difcharge 
 of the fober duties of life, nor to engrofs the thoughts 
 that ought to be otherwife employed. This is a ilate 
 in which many men live ; but few, very few women. 
 And the difference may eafily be accounted for, without 
 recurring to a fexual character. Men, for whom we 
 are told women were made, have too much occupied 
 the thoughts of women ; and this aflbciation has fo en 
 tangled love, with ail their motives of action ; and, to 
 harp a little on an old firing, having been folely em 
 ployed either to prepare tnemfelves to excite love, or 
 actually putting their leilbns in practice, they cannot 
 
, 
 
 RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 205 
 
 live without love. But, when a fenfe of duty, or fear 
 of ihame, obliges them to reftrain this pampered deiire 
 of pleafing beyond certain lengths, too far for delicacy, 
 it is true, though far from criminality, they obftinately 
 determine to love, I fpeak of their paffion, their hufbands 
 to the end of the chapterand then afting the part 
 which they foolifhly exadled from their lovers, they be- 
 come abjecl: woers, and fond flaves. 
 
 Men of wit and fancy are often rakes ; and fancy is 
 the food of love. Such men will infpire paffion. Half 
 the fex, in its prefent infantine flate, would pine for a 
 Lovelace ; a man fo witty, fo graceful, and fo valiant ; 
 and can they deferwe blame for afting according to prin 
 ciples fo conftantly inculcated ? They want a lover and 
 prote&or: and, behold him kneeling before them 
 bravery proftrate to beauty ! The virtues of a hufband 
 are thus thrown by love into the back ground, and gay 
 hopes, or lively emotions, banifti reflection till the day 
 of reckoning comes j and come it furely will, to turn 
 the fprightly lover into a furly fufpicious tyrant, who 
 contemptuously infults the very weaknefs he foftered. 
 Or, fuppofmg the rake reformed, he cannot quickly 
 get rid of old habits. When a man of abilities is firft 
 carried away by his paffions, it is neceflary that fenti- 
 ment and tafte varnifh the enormities of vice, and give 
 a zeft to brutal indulgencies : but when the glois O 
 novelty is worn off, and pleafure palls upon the fenfe, 
 lafclvioufnefs becomes barefaced, and enjoyment only 
 the defperate effort of weaknefs flying from refle&ion 
 as from a legion of devils. Oh ! virtue, thou art not 
 an empty name I All that life can give thou giveft ! 
 
 
206 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 If much comfort cannot be expected from the friend- 
 mip of a reformed rake of fuperior abilities, what is the 
 confequence when he lacketh fenfe, as well as princi 
 ples? Verily mifery in its moil hideous ihape. When 
 the habits of weak people are confolidated by time, a 
 reformation is barely poflible; and actually makes the be 
 ings miferable who have not fufficient mind to be amufed 
 
 o 
 
 by innocent pleafure ; like the tradefman who retires 
 from the hurry of bufinefs, nature prefents to them only 
 a univerfal blank ; and the reillefs thoughts prey on the 
 damped fpirits.* Their reformation as well as his re 
 tirement actually makes them wretched, becaufe it de 
 prives them of all employment, by quenching the hopes 
 and fears that fet in motion their fluggifh minds. 
 
 If fuch is the force of habit ; if fuch is the bondage of 
 folly, how carefully ought, we to guard the mind from 
 florin g up vicious aiTociations ; and equally careful 
 mould we be to cultivate the underflanding, to fave the 
 poor wight from the weak dependent Hate of even harm- 
 lefs ignorance. For it is the right ufe of reafon alone 
 which makes us independent of every thing except 
 ing the unclouded Reafon ( Whofe fcrvicc is perfect 
 freedom.' 
 
 * / have frequently fee tb't exemplified in women, <wbcje beauty 
 tould no longer be repaired. They have retired from the no'fy fccne of 
 di /Jibuti on \ but, unlcfs they became mrtbodijls, tie folltndt of tie feleft 
 fociety of their family connections or acquaintance. Las pref^nttd only a 
 fearful void \ cortfcqiicntly, nervous complaint!} and all tbc vspourtjk 
 train of idle/iff* , rendered them quite as ufelefs t and far rnort ttnlaff>yi 
 tban vjbcn they joined the giddy throng. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 207 
 
 C II A P. VIL 
 
 Modejlj. Compr-ehenjively corfdcred, and net as a fcxual 
 Virtue. 
 
 J\l JDESTY ! Sacred offspring of fenfibility and ren- 
 'fon | ;r ae d.iicacy of mind i may I unbhmcdprefarre 
 AQ inveftigate thy nature, and trace to its covert the mild 
 charm, that mellowing e.ich har.li feature of a character, 
 renders what would otherwife only infpire cold admir 
 ation lovely! Thou that fmootheil the wrinkles of 
 wiidom, and fofteneilthe tone of the iubiimefl virtues till 
 they all melt into humanity ! thou that fpreadeit the 
 ethereal cloud that furroanding love heightens every 
 ^beauty, it half ihades, breathing thofe coy fweets th. 
 into the heart, and charm the fenfe; modulate for me the 
 language of perfuafive reafon, till I roule my fex from the 
 nOvvery bed, on which they fupinely fleep life away! 
 
 In fpe.iking of the ailbciatioh of our ideas, I h^ve no 
 ticed two diftincl modes ; and in dedning mocL 
 .appears to me equally proper to difcri inmate that purity 
 of mind, which is the elrecl of cliaiHty, from a firr^pli- 
 city of character that lead's us to form a juil opinion of 
 ourfelves, equally di lant from vanity or prefumption, 
 .though by no mejins incompatible with a lofty confci- 
 oufnefs of our own dignity. Modefty, in the Litter fig- 
 nification of the term, is that fobernefs of mind which 
 teaches a man not to think more highly of himieif than 
 he ought to think, and mould be diilinguiilied from hu 
 mility, becaufe humility is a kind ofjelf-abafement. 
 . T 
 
208 VINDICATION OF TKK 
 
 A model! man often conceives a great plan, and tena- 
 ciojfly adheres to it, confcious of his own itrengh, till 
 fucceis gives it a fandion that determines its charader. 
 Milton was not arrogant when he fuffered a fuggeilion 
 of judgment to efcape him that proved a prophefy ; nor 
 was General Waihington when he accepted of the corn*- 
 mand .an forces. The latter has always 
 
 been characterized as a modeil man ; but had he been : 
 merely humble, he would probably have ihrunk back ir-* 
 refolute, afraid of truiHng to himfelf the direction of aft] 
 enterprife on which fo much depended. 
 
 A modeil man is Heady, an humble man timid, and a 
 vain one prefumptuous : this is the judgment, which the 
 obfervation of many characters, has led me to form, jefus 
 Chriit was modeft, Mofes was humble, and Peter vain. 
 
 Tims, difc rim mating modefty from humility in one' 
 cafe, I do not mean to confound it with baflifulnefi in 
 the other. Baihfulnefs, in fad, is fo diftind from mo*| 
 deily, that the mofi balhful lafs, or raw country lout, 
 often becomes the mo i impudent ; for their balhfulnefs 
 being merely the inivmilive timidity of ignorance, cuflom 
 
 ' ; cu:;try maidens ftigbt t 
 
 * Wlenjirjl a rcJ coat is hi / 
 
 IMjln-.: the docrjbc Lidss kn /;*; 
 
 * Next time ai d'/; .':tct eye.; tie luce: 
 ' Sbc KCIV . 
 
 * frforfrom bltjijueftt tvii 
 
 * Ski; flays f ami 
 
 * And every foidlcr hath bis cia 
 
 1 Ft am tent tots i 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN, 
 
 The fhamelefs behaviour of the proftitutes who infeft 
 the ftreets of London, raiting alternate emotions of 
 pity and difguft, may ferve to illuflrate this remark ^ 
 They trample on virgin bafnfalnefs with a fort of bra 
 vado, and .glorying in their fhame, become more auda- 
 cioufly lewd than men, however depraved, to whom this 
 fexual quality has not been gratuitoully granted, ever ap 
 pear to be. But thefe poor ignorant wretches never had 
 any modefty to lofe, when they comlgned themfelves to 
 infamy ; for modefly is a virtue not a quality.- No, they 
 were only bafhful, mame-faced innocents; and loiing 
 their innocence, their mame-fkcednefs was rudely brufh- 
 ed oiF; a virtue would have le,ft fome vefliges in the mind, 
 had it been facrificed to pailion, to make us refpecl the 
 grand ruin. 
 
 Purity of mind, or that genuine delicacy, which is the 
 inly virtuous fupport of chaflity, is near a-kin to that re 
 finement of humanity, which never reildes in ?.ny but 
 cultivated minds. It is fomething nobler than inno 
 cence; it is the delic.tcy of reflection, and not the coy- 
 I nefs of ignorance. The referve of reafon, which like , 
 habitual cleanlinefs, is feidom feen in any great degree, 
 j unlefs the foul is aclive, may eafily be diflinguimed from 
 r ic ihynefs or wanton fkittifhnefs ; and, fo far from 
 | being incompatible with knowledge, it ib its faireft fruit.- 
 Wnat a grofs idea of modefly had the writer of the fol* 
 lo-.ving remark I 'The lady who afi^ed the queftion, whe- 
 
 * ther women may be inftrucled in the modern fyftem 
 ' of botany, confidently with female delicacy ? was ac- 
 
 * cufed of ridiculous prudery : neverthelefs, if me had pro- 
 
 
2H> VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 pofed the queftion to me, I fhould certainly have an- 
 
 * fwered They cannot'* Thus is the fair book of know 
 ledge to be fhut with an everlafting feal ! On reading fi- 
 milar pafiages I have reverentially lifted up my eyes' and 
 heart to Him who liveth or ever and ever, and dd, O 
 my Father, haft thou by the very conftitution of her na-' 
 tijre forbid Thy child to feek Thee in the fur forms ci 
 truth? And, can her foul be fullied by the knowledge' 
 that awfully calls her to Thee ? 
 
 I have then philofophically purfued thefe reflections; 
 till I inferred, that thofe women who have moft imjfrowj 
 ed their reafon, muft have the moft modefty though a 
 dignified fedatenefs of deportment may have fucceeded 
 the playful, bewitching bafhfulnefs of youth.* 
 
 And thus have I argued. To render chaftity the vir 
 tue from which unfophifticated modefty will naturally 
 flow, the attention mould be called away from employ 
 ments, which only exerciie the fenlibility ; and the heart 
 made to beat time to humanity, rather than to throb] 
 with love. The woman who has dedicated a confider- ' 
 ,able portion of her time to purfuits purely intellectual, 
 and whofa affections have been exercifed by humane 
 plans of ufefulnefs, muft have more purity of mind, as 
 a natural confequence, than the ignorant beings whofe 
 time and thoughts have been occupied by gay pleafurei 
 or fchemes to conquer hearts. f The regulation of the 
 
 * JMoJifly, is tl't graceful calm 'virtue of maturity ; lajbfulnefs t ils 
 f Is arm if vivacious youth. 
 
 -}- //. ', as v.an tuitb tnan, <witl> medical men, on 
 
 tn'calf: :^d tie prapotloxs of the huwan Lody >icitb^ 
 
 r v JiJ I meet ivit/.' t that I iv as neve* reft.. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 211 
 
 ,vlour is not modeily, though thofe who ftudy rules 
 of decorum, are, in general termed modelt women* 
 Make the heart clean, let it expand and feel for di that 
 is human, inilead of being narrowed by felfim paflions > 
 and let the mind frequently contemplate fubjeds that ex- 
 crcife the underilanding, without heating the imagina 
 tion, and artlefs modeity will give the fmifiiing touches 
 to the picture. 
 
 She who can difcern the dawn of immortality, in the 
 ilreaks that ihoot athwart the milty night of ignorance, 
 promifmg a clearer day, will refpect, as a facred temple* 
 the body that enfnrines fuch an improvable foul. True 
 love, like wife, fp reads this kind of myfterious fanclity 
 round the beloved obje6l, making the lover moil modeft 
 when in her prefence.f So referved is afFe&ion, that, 
 receiving or returning perfonal endearments, it wiihes, 
 not only to, Hum the human -eye, as a kind of profana 
 tion ; but to diifufe an encircling cloudy obfcurity to {hut 
 out even the faucy fparkling funbeams. Yet, tli.it af 
 fection does not deferve the epithet of chafte which does 
 not receive a fublime gloom of tender melancholy, tha*' 
 
 word or look of my ftx, of t?>t abfurd rules ivhicb mains mctlejly a pha- 
 riftiicat cloak of rueaknefs And I am peifuaJcd, that i'i the pur/nit of 
 knowledge, ivom ivould tifver be infuiied by fenji'olc mtn and rarely by 
 men of any defiripthn t if the\ did not by mock modffiy remind tbeta tnat 
 tley ivere women : actuated by the fame fp : .rh as the Portuguese ladies 
 ttho iuoul.1 think their- charms 'nfulted, .//, ivben lift alone iviib a man t 
 &e did not, at leaft, attempt to be grofsly familiar ivitb their pcrf^m > 
 Men are not always men in the company of luomen^ nor would wir/jcn 
 alivsys remember that they are r women ) if ikey ivere allowed tc acyuirt 
 more understanding 
 
 "\ jMLale erfemalt'i for the world contains many modtfl mtn, 
 
 T 3 
 
VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 allows the- mind for a moment to Rand flill and enjoy 
 the prefent fatisfaftion, when a confcioufnefs of the 
 Divine prefence is felt for this muft ever be the food. 
 ef joy ! 
 
 As I have always been fond of tracing to its fource ins 
 nature any prevailing cuftom, I have frequently thoughts 
 that it was a fentiment of affeftion for whatever had 
 touched the perfon of an abfent or loil friend, which 
 gave birth to that refpecl for relicks, fo much abufed byj 
 h pnefls. Devotion, or love, may be allowed to - 
 hallow the garments as well as the perfon; for the lover 
 inuft want fincy, who has not -a fort of facred refpect 
 for the glove or flipper of his miflrefs. He could not 
 confound them with vulgar things of the fame kind. 
 
 T nis fine fentiment, perhaps, would not bear to be- 
 analyzed by the experimental phijofopher but of fuch 
 fluff is human rapture made up I -A madowy phantom 
 glides before us, obfcuring every other object; yet when?; 
 the foft cloud is grafped, the form melts into common 
 air, leaving a fo'iitary void, or fweet perfume, flv 
 from the violet, that memory long holds dear. But, I 
 have tr'pped unawares on fairy ground, feeling the bal- 
 of fj>ii-'=g flealing on me, though November 
 
 As a fex, women are more chafte than men, and as 
 inodefty is the effect of cLiflity, they may deferve to have 
 this virtue afcribed to them in rather an appropriated 
 Icnfe; yet, I muft be allowed to add an heiltating if: 
 for I doubt, whether chaftity will produce modeily, 
 though it may propriety of conduct, wlien it is merely 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAtf. 2IJ 
 
 efpecl: for the opinion of the world, * and when co- 
 /quetry and the lovelorn tales of novelifts employ the 
 ^thoughts. Nay, from experience, and reafon, I fhould 
 be lead to expect, to meet with more modefty amongfl 
 men than women, limply becaufe men exercife their un* 
 deiitmdings more than women. 
 
 Bat, with refpecl; to propriety of behaviour, except 
 ing one claf? of females, women have evidently the ad 
 vantage. Whit can be more difguiiing than that ini .u- 
 dent drofs of gallantry, thought io manly, which nukes 
 many men ftare infuitiiigly at every female they meet ? 
 Is this refpecl for the fex ? This loofe behaviour (hews 
 fuch habitual depravity, fach weaknefs of mind, that it 
 is vd'm to expedt much public or private virtue, tL 
 men and women grow more modeil till men, curbing 
 a fenfual fondnefs for the fex, or an delation of ir ;ai y 
 afiurance, more properly fpeaking, impudence, 
 |ach other with refpc^i aniefs appe'aie or pctilion g 
 [the tone, peculiar to it, to their behaviour. I mean e^H 
 ^)erlbnal refpect the mocleil reiped of hu'r.iiiiity, and 
 Teiiow- feeling not the libidinous E>ockeiy of gallantry, 
 nor the infoient coadefceniion of protectorihip. 
 
 To carry the obiervation Hill fu; T muft 
 
 Kartily diiciaim, and refaie toa.ve.i u :ra nut i 
 chery of mind, .as a man cor>]\' to briii^ for- 
 
 rward, with a, maecent caiuliaas, or u; 
 
 |^itticifms, in ille prc^ ncfi *</ a fei;;jw creatui \- ; v, 
 |ire now out of the queiuon, for then it is brauiity. 
 
 Kitj 
 
214 VINDICATION OF TH1 
 
 Refpecl for man, as man, is the foundation of every noble 
 fentmient. How much more modeil is the libertine who 
 obeys the call of appetite or fancy, than trie lewd joker 
 who fees the table in a roar. 
 
 This is one of the many inflances in which the fexual' 
 diftinction reipectmg modeity has proved fatal to virtue}] 
 and happinefs. It is, however, carried ftili further, and- 
 woman, weak woman ! made by her education the Have 
 of fenfibiiity, is required, on the mull trying occafions^ 
 to reiift that fenfibility. * Can any thing,' fays KnoxJ 
 ' be more abfurd than kee ing women in a Hate of igno- v -. 
 * ranee, and yet fo vehemently to iniift on their refilling. 
 ' temptation ? Thus when virtue or honour make it 
 proper to check a p ifiion, the burden is thrown .on the 
 weaker moulders, contra y to reafon and true" modefly, 
 which, at lealt, momd render the felf-denial mutual,. 
 to iy nothing of the generofiiy of bravery, fuppofed to- 
 be a manly vi- t..e. 
 
 In the fame ftrain runs Rouff'au's and Dr. Gregory's .: 
 advice refpecting modefty. ftj .nifcalled! for they 
 
 both defire a wife to leave it in do^bt, whether feniibility. 
 or \veakneis led her to her hufix.nd'3 arms. Tae wo 
 man is immodcfl who c..n le: tiie fhadow of inch a doubt 
 remain on her hufb n-i'.s i?iinJ i moment. 
 
 But to (late the fubject in a di.fereat light. The 
 
 wr:nt of mudi-fty, wh'ch I principally deplore as fabver- 
 fivc of nioraiicy, ariieo from the ilate of warfare fo fire- 
 neouily supported by voluptuous men as the very eifeace 
 of r oadty iiou^h. in Ia6r, its bane; becaufe it is a re- 
 fiiiement on ieniual defire, that men fail inu> who have not. | 
 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 
 
 
 lent virtue to relifli the innocent pleafures of. love. 
 av. man of delicacy carries his notions of modefty ftill 
 I "further, for neither weaknefs nor fenfibility will gratify 
 I him he looks for affeftion. 
 
 Again, men boaft of their triumphs over women, what 
 
 j do they boaft of? Truly the creature of fenfibility was 
 
 I furprifed by her fenfibility into folly into vice;* and 
 
 I 'the dreadful reckoning fills heavily on her own weak 
 
 I head, when reafon wakes. For where art thou to fincf 
 
 1 comfort, forlorn and difconfolate one ? He who ought 
 
 ] to have directed thy reafon, and fupported thy weaknefs, 
 
 has betrayed thee ! In a dream of palfion thou confentedil 
 
 to wander through flowery lawns, and heedlefsly Hep- 
 
 ping over the precipice to which thy guide, inftead of 
 
 guarding, lured thee, thou ftarteft from thy dream only 
 
 to face a fneering, frowning world, and to find thyfelf 
 
 alone in a wafle, for he that triumphed in thy weaknefs 
 
 is now purfuing new conquefts; but for thee there is no 
 
 - redemption on this fide the grave ! And what refource 
 
 hail thou in an enervated mind to raife a finking heart ? 
 
 But, if the fexes are really to live in a ftite of warfare* 
 
 Kif nature has pointed it out, let men aft nobly, or let 
 
 pride whifper to them, that the vidlory is mean when 
 
 they merely vanquifh fenfibility. The real conqueft is 
 
 that over affection not taken by furprile ,vhen, like He- 
 
 |-loifa, a woman gives up all the world, deliberately, for 
 
 ' Jove. I do not now conilder the wifdom or virtue of fuch 
 
 ma. facrifice, I only contend that it was a facrrfice to affec 
 
 tion, and not merely to fenfibility, though flie had her 
 
 # The foor motb fluttering roun.l a candle) burns its zv/.^i. 
 
VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 fhare. And I muft be allowed to call her a modeft wo* 
 man, before I difmifs this part of the fubjedl, by faying,, 
 that till men are more chafte, women will be immodefh 
 Where, inde^ d, could modefl women find hufbands from 
 whom they would not continually turn with difguft? 
 Modefty muft be equally cultivated by both fexes, or it 
 will ever remain a fickly hot-houfe plant, whilft the af 
 fectation of it, the fig-leaf borrowed by v/antonnefs, may- 
 give a Left to voluptuous enjoyments. 
 
 Men s\ ill probably ftill iniift that woman ought to have 
 more moJefty than man ; but it is hot difpafTionate rea- 
 foners who will moft earneftly oppofe my opinion. No, 
 they are the men of fancy, the favourites of the fex, 
 who outwardly refpecl, and inwardly defpife the wealc 
 creatures whom they thus fport with. They cannot fub~ 
 mil to refign the higheft fenfaal gratification, nor even 
 to reiim the epicuriim of virtue felf-denial. 
 
 To take another view of the fubjec\ confining my 
 remaiks to women. 
 
 The ridiculous falfities * which are told to children* 
 from mi- aken notions of modefry, tend very early to 
 
 * Children very ear 7v fee cats ivith their Littens LirJs <VJiib their young 
 cue i &c. IV by wen are they nut to ht tolJ. thai tbfir mothers carry 
 and nour'J'h them in tLe fume ivay ( A: there ivould tijen be no appearanc* 
 of ntyj?cry+ they ivould never think of 'the fitfyefi more Truth may 
 always If tout to chi'.dren, if it be told gravely ; but it rs the imniodeft} 
 of ajfethd nir,di'fi'-). that does all the tn'fcbiif; and tL's fmoke heats th* 
 /-'<' >nai'<cn b\ vainly endeavouring to olfcure ecrfahi oljefls. If, inJeeed,: 
 f !.'>:) m tduH In kept entirely from improper company, nvcjkou d never 
 allude i* any fuch fr. l j<>tfs; but as this is im. oj/tble, it is bejl to tell them 
 the in.tb, cft.-e chilly as fnch information, net inter efting i/jefff, will ma k* 
 c i,,^rejjien en ibsir imaginatii-a* 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 21 / 
 
 in flame their imaginations and let their little minds to 
 :, refpe'ili.ng iubjecls, wliich nature never intended 
 they IhouJd think of, tLl the body arrived at fome de 
 gree of maturity j then, the pafiions naturally begin to 
 take phce of the fenies, as instruments to unfold the un- 
 deriLuiding, and form the moral character. 
 I In nurferies, and boarcimg-iciiGois, 1 fear girls are 
 firil iboikd; particularly in tlie latter. A number of 
 giriii ikep in the fame room, and waih together. And, 
 thojga I ihouid be fo-vy to contaminate an innocent 
 creature's mind by inihiling fklie delicacy, or thofe in 
 decent pradifli nodons, which early cautions refpe&ing 
 the other fex naturally engender, 1 fhould. be very anx- 
 to prevent their acquiring indelicate, or immodeft 
 ^ habit j; ^nd as many giris ha/e learned very indelicate 
 tr:_K:s fiOm ignorant fervancs, the mixing them thus in- 
 crimlnately togeiaer, is very improper. 
 
 To lay the truth, women are, in general, too familiar 
 
 li eacii othrr, which leads to that grofs degree of 
 
 gkmiliarity that io frequently renders the marriage Hate 
 
 uihappy. Why in the name of decency are ui'jers, fe- 
 
 Huale intimates, or ladies and their waiting- women, to 
 
 Bbe fo groisjy familiar as to forget the reipect which one 
 
 hurii.ia ere ..ure owes to another? That fqueamiili deli- 
 
 ;' ch flirinks from the moil difgufting offices when 
 
 BkffvCtioia * or humanity lead us to watch at a fick pillow, 
 
 HP- defpicable. But, why women in heulth mould be 
 
 S * A-feStion ivould raiher make one choofe to perform thefe offices, ttt 
 fern e tht d;l'ua^/ of aft ten I, byjfill'k^eptngaveilovertbem^ fir the 
 produced by Jtskn^fs^ is of 
 
2lS VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 m ire familiar with each other than men are, when they 
 bu.Jl of tneir fuperior delicacy, is a foiecifm in manners 
 w^icn i coula never (bhe. 
 
 In oruer to pi\ ^th and beauty, I mould ear- > 
 
 ne Lly recommend frequent ablutions, to dignify my 
 advice trut u may not oifend the ftfcidious ear j and, by'* 
 example, girls ought to be taught to wafh and art-is 
 alone, without any diftinCtion of rank ; and if cuitom 
 mould m^ke them require ibme little affiiUnce, let tutrn 
 not require it till that part of the balineis is over v/nich 
 
 .: never be done before a fellow creature ; becaufa j 
 it is an infuit to tne majefly of human nature. Not on 
 the icore of modefty, but decency ; for the care which 
 fo;;:e moaell women take, making at the fame time a 
 diiplay of that care, not to let their legs be feen, is as 
 childiih as immodefl.* 
 
 I could proceed flill further, till I animadverted on- 
 feme ftiii more indelicate cuftoms, which men never fall 
 into, oecrets are told where filence ought to reign; and 
 that regard to cleaniinefs, which fome religious feels 
 have? perhaps, carried too far, efpecially the EiTenes, 
 among:'! the Jews, by making that an infuit to God 
 
 v'.Ji is only an infuit to humanity, is violated in a 
 brutal, manner. How can delicate women obtrude on 
 notice that part of the animal ceconomy, which is fo 
 vc; y diig afting ? And it is not very rational to conclude, 
 
 * / / eminhier to have met ivitl ivilb a fcnicncc, in a bock of erfuca. 
 tlcn e fmile. ' II ivsuld be necdlefi to caution you again/I 
 
 f j '(!, hv chance, fader your neek- handkerchief i far a my- 
 
 ' dejt r m<ima.n .ne'v'sr ditifo /* 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. . 
 
 : dfiat the women who have not been taught to refpeft 
 the human nature of their own fex, in thefe particulars, 
 f will not long refpecl the mere difference of fex in their 
 \ hufbands ? After their maidenifh baihfulnefs is once loft, 
 }!, in fact, have generally obferved, that women fill 
 f into old habits ; and treat their hufbands as they did their 
 I fillers or female acquaintance. 
 
 Befidcs, women from neceffity, becaufe their minds 
 Hire not cultivated, have recourfe very often, to what I 
 ^familiarly term bodily wit ; and their intimacies are of 
 | the fame kind. In fhort, with refpecl: to both mind and 
 tbody, they are too intimate. That decent perfonal re- 
 I'ferve, which is the foundation of dignity of character, 
 I muft be' kept up between women, or their minds will 
 [ never gain ftrength or modefty. 
 
 ; On this account alfo, I object to many feir. 
 Bhut up together in nurferies, fchools, or .convents. I 
 fiannot recolleft without indignation, tKff jokes 
 toiden tricks, which knots of young women 
 Bhemfelves in, when in my youth accident threw m. 
 jfrkward ruilic, in their way. They were almoil on a 
 bar with the double meanings, which fliake the convi- 
 Kal table when the glafs has circulated freely. But it is 
 Klin to attempt to keep the heart pure, unlefs the he^d 
 furnifiied with ideas, and fet to work to compare- them, 
 
 order to acquire judgment, by generalizing firaple 
 
 s ; and modefty by making the underftanding damp 
 fenfibility. 
 
 t may be thought, that I lay too great a ftrefs on per - 
 referve; but it is ever the hand-maid of modcily. 
 U 
 
-S.2O VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 So that were I to name the graces that ought to adorn 
 beauty, I mould inftantly exclaim, cleanlinefs, neatnefs, 
 and perfonal refer ve. It is obvious, I fuppofe, that the 
 referve I mean, has nothing fexual in it, and that I 
 think it equally neceffary in both fexes. So neceffary,; 
 indeed, is that referve and cleanlinefs which indolent 
 women too often neglect, that I will venture to affirm* 
 that when two or three women live in the fame houfe, 
 the one will be moft refpecled by the male part of the 
 family, who refide with them, leaving love entirely ou|* 
 of the queftion, who pays this kind of habitual refpecY* 
 to her perfon. 
 
 When domeflic friends meet in a morning, there will 
 naturally prevail an affectionate ferioufnefs, efpeciallyi 
 if each look forward to the difcharge of daily duties 3 
 and, it may be reckoned fanciful, but this fentiment has 
 frequently rifen fpontaneoufiy in my mind, I have been 
 pleafed, after breathing the fweet bracing morning air, 
 to fee the fame kind of frefhnefs in the countenances \ 
 particularly loved ; I was glad to fee them braced, ai 
 it were, for the day, and ready to run their courfe with] 
 the fun. The greetings of affection in the morning are 
 by thefe means more refpeftful, than the familiar ten-- 
 dernefs which frequently prolongs the evening talk.*?! 
 Nay, I have often felt hurt, not to fay difgufted, when 
 :i friend has appeared, whom I parted with full drafted 
 the evening before, with her clothes huddled on, becaufd 
 Ihe chofe to indulge herfelf in bed till the laft moment. I 
 
 Domeftic affection can only be kept alive by thefe neg-j 
 lectsd attentions, yet if men and women took hajjf at 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN, 221 
 
 fciuch pains to drefs habitually neat, as they do to orna- 
 ftient, or rather to disfigure their perfons, much would 
 be done towards the attainment of purity of mind. But 
 Avomen only drefs to gratify men of gallantry; for the- 
 lover is always bell pleafed with the fimple garb that 
 fits clofe to the mape. There is an impertinence in- 
 fcrnaments that rebuffs affection; becaufe love alwayi- 
 clings round the idea of home. 
 
 As a fex, women are habitually indolent ; and every 
 thing tends to make them fo. I do not forget the fpurts 
 of activity which fenfibility produces; but as thefe 
 flights of feelings only cncreafe the evil, they are not 
 <to be confounded with the flow, orderly walk of reafon, 
 So great, in reality, is their mental and bodily indolence, 
 that till their body be ilrengthened and their under- 
 ftanding enlarged by active exertions, there is Mttls 
 leafon to expect that modeily will take place of baih- 
 fulnefs. They may find it prudent to aflame its fern- 
 blance ; but the fair veil will only be worn on gala days. 
 Perhaps there is not a virtue that mixes fo kindly 
 1with every other asmodefty. It is the pale moon-beam 
 ^that renders more interefting every virtue it fofiens, 
 ^giving mild grandeur to the contracted horizon. No 
 thing can be more beautiful than the poetical fiftion, 
 h makes Diana with her filver crefcent, the goddefs 
 tof chaftity. I have fometimes thought, that wandering 
 th fedate Hep in fome lonely recefs, a modeil dame 
 antiquity mull have felt a glow of confcious dignity, 
 r hen, after contemplating the foft fnadowy landfcape, 
 fhe has invited with placed fervor the mild reflection of 
 her fillers beams to turn to her chaflcfebofom. 
 
 ! 
 
222 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 A Cliriftian has ftill nobler motives to incite her to''." 
 preferve her chaftity and acquire modefty, for her body 
 has been called the Temple of the living God; of that 
 God who requires more than modefty of mein. His eye 
 fe;.rcheth the heart; and let her remember, that if fhtS 
 hopeth to -find favour in the iight of purity itfelf, heS 
 chaftity muft be founded on modefty, and not on worldljj 
 prudence ; or verily a good reputation will be her onlja 
 reward ; for that awful intercourfe, that facred commu-S 
 nication, which virtue eftablifnes between man and hi* 
 Maker, muft give rife to the wifh of being pure as he! 
 is pure ! 
 
 After the foregoing remarks, it is almoft fuperfluousi 
 to add, that I confider all thofe feminine airs of mata- s ' 
 rity, which fucceed bamfulnefs, to which truth is facri-l 
 ficed, to fecure the heart of a hufband, or rather to force 
 him to be ftill a lover when nature would, had Hie,. not; 
 been interrupted in her operations, have made love give! 
 place to friendship, as immodeft. The tendernefs which! 
 a man will feel for the mother of his children is an ex-i 
 cellent fubftitute for the ardour of unfatisfied paffion ; butt' 
 to prolong that ardour it is indelicate, not to fay immo-| 
 cleft, for women to feign an unnatural coldnefs of confti-^ 
 tution. Women as well as men ought to have the com-* 
 mon appetites and pafiions of their nature, they are only 
 brutal when unchecked by reafon : but the obligation toa 
 check them is the duty of mankind, not a fexual duty.! 
 Nature, in thefe refpecls, may fafely be left to hen 
 let women only acquire knowledge and humanity, an< 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 223 
 
 ove will teach them modeily.* There is no need of falfe- 
 ihoods, difguiHng as facile, foriludied rules of behaviour 
 jonly impofe on fhallow obfervers ; a man of fenfe foon 
 jfees through, and defpifes the affectation. 
 
 The behaviour of young people, to each other, as men 
 and women, is the laft thing that mould be thought of 
 in education. In facl, behaviour in moil circumilances 
 is now fo much thought of, that iimpiicity of character 
 is rarely to be ieen ; yet, if men were only anxious to 
 cultivate each virtue, and let it take root firmly in the 
 jnind, the grace refulting from it, its natural exterior 
 mark, would foon ilrip afteclation of its flaunting plumes; 
 becaufe, fallacious as unilable, is the conduct that is 
 not founded upon truth ! 
 
 Would ye, O my fitters, really poffefs modefty, y 
 muft remember that the pofTefiion of virtue, of any de 
 nomination, is incompatible with ignorance and vani 
 ty ! ye mail acquire that fobernefs of mind, which th 
 exercife of duties, and the purfuit of knowledge, alone 
 infpire, or ye will ilill remain in a doubtful dependent 
 fituution, and only be loved whilil ye are fair ! the - 
 downcail eye, the rofy bluih, the retiring grace, are all 
 proper in their feafon ; but modefly, being the child of 
 reafon, cannot long exifl with the fer.fibility that is not 
 tempered by reflection. Befidea, when love, even inno 
 cent love, is the whole employ of your lives, your hearts 
 .-will be too fofc to afford modeily that tranquil retreat , 
 where (he delights to dwell, in clofe union with humanity- 
 
 [ * The behainour sf many nciv-ly -niarrieJ. -j:ornft>. Las often d'lfoujltd 
 \me. They fc em an\>ous nKvcr to Id their bufiandt forget ibc privi'c-e 
 vf marriage, and tojindnopleafiire in bit kctety unltfs be is iii.\ 
 lover. Short, indesd, mujl be tJje reign of love, ivben the jljmt is thus 
 tcs.ftuntly blo%vn rtf } ivitocut its receivirig an"jfoluljc\asl ! 
 
224 riNDICAION OF THE 
 
 CHAP. VIII. 
 
 Morality undermined by fexital notions of the importance of 
 a gocd reputation. 
 
 AT lias long ilnce occurred to me, that advice refpeft- 
 ing behaviour, and all the various modes of preferr 
 ing a good reputation, which have been fo ftrenuonfly 
 inculcated on the female world, were fpecious poifons, 
 that incrufting morality eat away the fubftance. And> 
 that this meafuring of madows produced a falfe calcula 
 tion, becaufe their length depends fo much on the height 
 of the fun, and other adventitious circumftances. 
 
 From whence arifes the eafy fallacious behaviour of a 
 courtier ? From this fituation, undoubtedly : for fiand- 
 ing in need of dependents he is obliged to learn the art 
 of denying without giving offence, and, of evafively 
 feeding hope with the chameleon's food ; thus does po-> 
 litenefs fport with truth, and eating away the fince- 
 rity and humanity natural to man, produce the fine 
 gentleman. 
 
 Women in the fame way acquire, from a fuppofed ne- 
 ceffity, an equally artificial mode of behaviour. Yet 
 truth is not with impunity to be fported with, for the 
 pradlifed diflembler, at lail, become the dupe of his own 
 arts, lofes that fagacity which has been juftly termed 
 common fenfe ; namely, a quick perception of commoii| 
 truths : which are conliantly received as fuch by the 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 22$ 
 
 unfophiiUcated mind, though it might not have had 
 fufficient energy to difcover them itfelf, when obfcured 
 by local prejudices. The greater number of people take 
 their opinions on trufl, to avoid the trouble of exercifing 
 their own minds, and thefe indolent beings naturally 
 adhere to the letter, rather than the fpirit of a law, di 
 vine or human. ( Women,' fays fome author, I cannot 
 recoiled; who, ' mind not what only heaven fees.* Why, 
 indeed mould they ? it is the eye of man that they have 
 been taught to dread and if they can lull their Argus 
 to fleep, they feldom think of heaven or themfelves, 
 becaufe their reputation is fafe; and it is reputation not 
 chaftity and all its fair train, that they are employed 
 to keep free from fpot, not as a virtue, but to preferve 
 their ftation in the world. 
 
 To prove the truth qf this remark, I need only ad 
 vert to the intrigues of married women, particularly in 
 high life, and in countries where women are fuitably 
 married, according to their refpeclive ranks by their 
 parents.. If an innocent girl becomes a prey to love, 
 flie is degraded forever, though her rr.ind was not pol 
 luted by the arts which married women, under the con 
 venient cloak of marriage, pradife ; nor has flie violated 
 any duty but the duty of refpedling hcrfelf. The mar 
 ried woman, on the contrary, breaks a rfcqft facred en 
 gagement, and becomes a cruel mother whence is afalfe 
 .and faithlefs wife. If her hulband has iliil anX|Fecl:ion 
 tfor her, the arts which fhe mull pradife to deceivehim, 
 will render her the moft contemptible of human being^ 
 and at any rate, the contrivances neceffary to preferve 
 
226 VINDICATION" OF THE 
 
 appearances, will keep her mind in that childifii or 
 vicious tumult which deitroys all its energy. Befides, 
 in time, like thofe people who habitually take cordials 
 to raife their fpirits, flie will want an intrigue to give 
 life to her thoughts, having loft all reliih for pleafures 
 that are not highly feafoned by hope or fear. 
 
 Sometimes married women at ftiil more audacioufly ; . 
 I will mention an inflance. 
 
 A woman of quality, notorious for her gallantries-, 
 though as me ftill lived with her huiband, nobody chofe 
 to place her in the clais where me ought to have been 
 placed, made a point of treating with the moil infulting 
 contempt a poor timid creature, abaihed by a fenfe of 
 her former weaknefs, whom a neighbouring gentleman, 
 had feduced and afterwards married. This woman had 
 actually confounded virtue with reputation ; and, I do 
 believe, valued herfelf on the propriety of her behaviour 
 before marriage, though when once fettled, to tha fatis- 
 faction of her family, me and her lord were equally faith- 
 Icfs fo that the half alive heir to an imnienfe eflate.. 
 came from heaven knows where ! 
 
 To view this fubjeclin another light. 
 
 I have known a number of women who, if they did 
 not love their hulbands, loved nobody elfe, give them- 
 fclves entirely up to vanity -and diffipation, neglecting 
 every domeftic duty ; nay, even fquandering away all 
 the money which mould have been faved for their 
 helplefs younger children, yet have plumed themfelves 
 on their unfulibd reputation, as if the whole compafs of 
 their duty as wives and mothers was only to preferve 
 

 RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 227 
 
 it. Whilil other indolent women, neglecting every 
 perfonal duty, have thought that they deferved their 
 hufbands' affe&ion, becaufe they a died in this refpedl 
 with propriety. 
 
 Weak minds are always fond of refting in the cere 
 monials of duty, but morality offers much fimpler mo 
 tives ; and it were to be wifhed that fuperficial mo- 
 raliits had laid lefs refpedting behaviour, and outward 
 obfervances, for unlefs virtue, of any kind, is built on 
 knowledge, it will only produce a kind of iniipid de 
 cency. Refpedl: for the opinion of the world, has, 
 however, been termed the principal duty of woman 
 in the mod exprefs words, for Rouffeau declares, < that 
 ' reputation is no lefs indifpenfable than chaftity.' A 
 f man/ adds he, ' fecure in his own good conduct, de- 
 f pends only on himfelf, and may brave the public opi- 
 * nion ; but a woman, in behaving well, performs but 
 c half her duty ; as what is thought of her, is as im- 
 ' portant to her as what me really is. It fellows hence, 
 ' that the fyftem of a woman's education mould, in this 
 < refpeft, be diredtly contrary to that of ours. Opinion 
 ( is the grave of virtue among the men ; but its throne 
 s among women.' It is ftricHy logical to infer, 
 that the virtue that refts upon opinion is merely worldly, 
 and that it is the virtue of a being to whom reafon has 
 been denied. But, even with relpecl: to the opinion of 
 the world,- 1 am convinced, that this clafs of reafoners 
 are miftaken. 
 
 This regard for reputation, independent of its being 
 one of the natural rewards of virtue, however, took its 
 
VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 rife from a caufe that I have already deplored as the- 
 grand fource of female depravity, the impoffibility of 
 regaining refpe&ability by a return to virtue, though 
 men preferve theirs during the indulgence of vice. It 
 was natural for women then to endeavour to preferve 
 what once loft was loft for ever, till this care fwallow- 
 ing up every other care, reputation for chaftity, became 
 the one thing needful to the fex. But vain is the fcru- 
 pulofity of ignorance, for neither religion nor virtue^, 
 when they reiide in the heart, require fuch a puerile 
 attention to mere ceremonies, becaufe the behaviour 
 jnuft, upon the whole be proper, when the motive is pure.. 
 To fupport my opinion J can produce very refpecl.- 
 able authority ; and the authority of a cool reafoner 
 ought to have weight to enforce a confederation, though 
 not to eftabliih a fentiment. Speaking- of the general 
 laws of ^morality, Dr. Smith obferves < That by fome 
 
 * very extraordinary and unlucky circumftance, a good 
 
 * man may come to be fufpected of a crime of which 
 ' he was altogether incapable, and upon that account 
 
 * be moft unjuftly expofed for the remaining part of his 
 < life to the horror and averfion of mankind. By an 
 f accident of this kind he may be faid to lofe his all, 
 ' notwithstanding his integrity and juftice, in the fame 
 ' manner as a cautious man, notwithitanding his utmoil 
 circumfpedtion, may be ruined by an earthquake or 
 ' an inundation. Accidents of the firft kind, however*. 
 f are perhaps ft ill more rare, and ftill more contrary to 
 
 * the common courfe of things than thofe of the fecond ; 
 f and it {till remains true, that the practice of truth, 
 
K.ISHTS OF WOMAN. 
 
 229 
 
 * juftice, and humanity, is a certain and almoft infal- 
 ' lible method of acquiring what thofe virtues chiefly 
 < aim at, the confidence and love of thofe we live with. 
 ' A perfon may be eaiily mifreprefented with regard to a 
 ' particular action ; but it is fcarcely pofTible that he 
 ' mould be fo with regard to the general tenor of his con- 
 
 * dudt. An innocent man may be believed to have done 
 ' wrong : this, however, will rarely happen. On the 
 
 * contrary, the eftabliihed opinion of the innocence of 
 ' his manners will often lead us to abfolve him where 
 s he has really been in the fault, notwithilanding very 
 ' ftrong presumptions.' 
 
 I perfectly coincide in opinion with this writer, for I 
 verily believe, that few of either fex were ever defpifed 
 for certain vices without deferving to be defpifed. I 
 fpeak not of the calumny of the moment, which hangf 
 over a character, like one of the denfe fogs of November 
 over this metropolis, till it gradually fubiides before the 
 common light of day, I only contend, that the daily 
 conduct of the majority prevails to ftamp their cha- 
 racier with the imprefTion of truth. Quietly does the 
 clear light, mining day after day, refute the ignorant 
 furmife, or malicious tale, which has thrown dirt on a 
 .pure character. A filfe light diftorted, for a fliort time, 
 its fhadow reputation ; but it feldom fails to become 
 jufi when the cloud is difperfed that produced the miflake 
 in vifion. 
 
 Many people, undoubtedly, in feveral refpects obtain 
 
 * better reputation than, ftriclly fpeaking, they deferve, 
 for unremitting induftry will moftly reach its goal in all 
 
230 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 races. They who only itrive for this paltry prize, like 
 the Pharifees, who prayed at the corner of ilreets, to be 
 feen of men, verily obtain the reward they feek ; for 
 the heart of man cannot be read by man ! Still the fair 
 fame that is naturally reflected by good actions, when 
 the man is only employed to direct his fteps aright, re- 
 gardlefs of the lookers-on, is in general, not only more 
 true but more fure. 
 
 There are, it is true, trials when the good man muft 
 appeal to God from the injuflice of man ; and amidlll 
 the whining candour or hiffings of envy, erect a pavi 
 lion in his own mind to retire to till the rumour be over- 
 pail: ; nay, the darts of undeferved cenfure may pierce 
 an innocent tender bofom through with many forrows ; 
 but thefe are all exceptions to general rules. And it is 
 according to thefe common laws that human behaviour 
 ought to be regulated. The eccentric orbit of the comet 
 never influences aftronornical calculations refpecting the 
 invariable order eftablilhed in the motion of the princi 
 pal bodies of the folar fyftem. 
 
 I will then venture to affirm, that after a man is ar- 
 arived at maturity , the general outline of his character . 
 in the world is juft, allowing for the before-mentioned 
 exceptions to the rule. I do not fay, that a prudent, 
 w T orldly-wife man, with only negative virtues and qua 
 lities, may not fometimes obtain a more fmooth reputa 
 tion than a wifer or a better man. So far from it, that 
 I am apt to conclude from experience, that where thej 
 virtue of two people is nearly equal, the moU negative] 
 character will be liked belt by the world at large, whilftS 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN, 23! 
 
 the other may have more friends in private life. But 
 the hills and dales, clouds and funmine, confpicuous in 
 the virtues of great men, fet off each other ; and though 
 they afford envious weaknefs a fairer mark to fhoot 
 at, the real chara&er will flill work its way to light, 
 though ^befpattered by weak affedtion, or ingenious 
 
 malice.* 
 
 With refpecl to that anxiety to preferve a reputation 
 
 hardly earned, which leads fagacious people to analyze 
 it, I (hall not make the obvious comment ; but I am 
 afraid that morality is very infidiouily undermined, in 
 the female world, by the attention being turned to the 
 mew inftead of the fubftance. A fimple thing ' ; 
 made frrangely complicated ; nay, fometimes 
 its (hadow are fet at variance. We fnould. nev.v 
 haps, have heard of Lucretia, had me died to pi- 
 her chadity inftead of her reputation. If we really 
 deferve our own good opinion, we fliail cor: to 
 refpe&ed in the world ; but if we pant after highi-r im 
 provement and higher attainments, it is not fuflicient to 
 -view ourfelves as we fuppofe that we are viewed by 
 -Others, though this has been ingenioufly argued as the 
 foundation of our moral fentiments.f Becaufe, each 
 byftander may have his own prejudices, befides the 
 '. prejudices of his age or country. We mould rather 
 ^endeavour to view ourfelves, as we fappofs that Beings 
 view us, who feeth each thought ripen into acHon, 
 and whofe judgment never fwerves from the eternal 
 
 * I allude io various llograplical writings , but particularly to Bof- 
 
 life of Johnfon. 
 f Smith. 
 
232 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 rale of right. Righteous are all his judgments juft as 
 merciful ! 
 
 The humble mind that feeketh to find favour in His 
 iight,- and calmly examines its conduct when only His 
 prefenceis felt, will feldom form a very erroneous opinion 
 of its own virtues. During the Hill hour of felf-collec, 
 tion the angry brow of offended juftice will be fearfully 
 deprecated, or the tie which draws man to the Deity 
 will be recognized in the pure fentiment of reverential 
 adoration, that fwells the heart without exciting any^ 
 tumultuous emotions. In thefe folemn moments man 
 difcovers the germ of thofe vices, which like the Java' 
 tree ihed a peftiferous vapour around death is in the 
 made ! and he perceives them without abhorrence, be- 
 caufe he feels himfelf drawn by fome cord of love to all 
 his fellow-creatures, for whofe follies he is anxious to] 
 find every extenuation in their nature in himfelf. If 
 I, he may thus argue, who exercife my own mind, and^ 
 have been refined by tribulation, find the ferpent's egg 
 in fome fold of my heart, and crufh it with difficulty, i 
 fliall not I pity thofe who have ftamped withlefs vigour/ 
 VQ heedlefsly nurtured the infidious retil 
 
 e 
 
 ,:icd the vital flream it fucked ? Can I,' 
 confcious of my fecret fins, throw off my fellow-creatures 
 imly fee them drop into the chafm of perdition, 
 that yawns to receive them. No! no! The agonized 
 heart will cry with fuffocating impatience I too am a. 
 man ! and have vices, hid, perhaps, from human eye, 
 that bend me to the daft before God, and loudly tell me 
 when all is mute, that we are formed of the fame earth,; 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 233 
 
 and breathe the fame element. Humanity thus rifes na-- 
 turally out of humility, and twills the cords of love that 
 
 ,t in various convolutions entangle the heart. 
 
 This fympathy extends ftill farther, till a mr,;: 
 pleafed obferves force in arguments that do not carry 
 conviclion to his own bofom, and he gladly places in 
 the faireft light to himfelf, the fiiowsof r^eafon that have 
 
 'led others ,aftray, rejoiced to find forne region in all the 
 errors of man ; though before' convinced that he w no- 
 rales the day makes his fun to mine on all. Yet, making; 
 Is thus, as it were, with corruption, one foot on 
 earth, the other with bold ftrides mounts to heaven, and 
 claims kindred with fuperior natures. Virtues, unob- 
 ferved by men, drop their balmy fragrance at this cool 
 
 : hour, and the thirfty land, refreshed by the pure itrea 3 
 of comfort that fuddenly gufii out, is crowned with 
 fmiling verdure; this is the living green, on which that 
 
 i eye may look with complacency that is too pure to be- 
 
 ; hold iniquity ! 
 
 But my fpirits flag ; and I muft filently indulge the 
 reverie thefe reflections' lead to, unable to defcribe the 
 
 j fentirnents that have calmed my foul, when watching 
 the rifmg fun, a foft mower drizzling through the leaves 
 of neighbouring trees, feemed to fall on my languid, 
 yet tranquil fpirits, to cool the heart that had been heated 
 by the paflions which reafon laboured to tame. 
 
 The leading principles which run through all my dif- 
 quifitions, would render it unnecerTary to enlarge on 
 this fubjed,if a conltant attention to keep the varnifli 
 of the character frefh, and in good condition, were not 
 
 
234 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 often inculcated as the fum total of female duty ; if rule* 
 to regulate the behaviour, and to prefer ve the reputa 
 tion, did not too frequently fuperfede moral obliga 
 tions. But, with refpeft to reputation, the attention is 
 confined to a fmgle virtue chaflity. If the honour of a 
 woman, as it is abfurdly called, is fafe, ilie may neglect 
 every focial duty ; nay, ruin her family by gaming and 
 extravagance; yet flill prefent a fhamelefs front for 
 truly me is an honourable woman ! 
 
 Mrs. Macaulay has juilly obferved, that f there is but 
 
 one fault which a woman of honour may not commit 
 ' with impunity.' She then juftly and humanely adds 
 
 This has given rife to the trite and foolifh obferva- 
 ' tion, that the firft fault againft chaflity in woman 
 ' has a radical power to deprave the character. But 
 ' no fuch frail beings come out of the hands of nature. 
 
 The human mind is built of nobler materials than to 
 ' be fo eafily corrupted ; and with all their difadvan. 
 
 tages of fituation and education, women feldom be- 
 
 come entirely abandoned till they are thrown into a 
 ' flate of defperation, by the venomous rancour of their 
 ' own fex.' 
 
 But, in proportion as this regard for the reputation 
 of chaftity is prized by women, it is defpifed by men : 
 and the two extremes are equally deilrudlive to morality. 
 
 Men are certainly more under the influence of their 
 appetites than women ; and their appetites are more 
 depraved by unbridled indulgence, and the faflidious 
 contrivances of fatiety. Luxury has introduced a re 
 finement in eating that deflroys the conilitution ; and aj 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 235 
 
 degree of gluttony which is fo beaftly, that a percep 
 tion of feemlinefs of behaviour muft be worn out before 
 one being could eat immoderately in the prefence of 
 another, and afterwards complain of the oppreflion that 
 his intemperance naturally produced. Some women, 
 particularly French women, have alfo loil a fenfe of 
 
 I decency in this refpecl: ; for they will talk very calmly 
 of an incligeflion. It were to be wifhed, that idlenefs 
 was not allowed to generate, on the rank foil of wealth, 
 thofe fwarms of fummer infecls that feed on putrefac- 
 faftion, we mould not then be difgufted by the fight of 
 fuch brutal exceiTes. 
 
 There is one rule relative to behaviour that, I think, 
 ought to regulate every other ; and it is fimply to cherifh 
 fuch an habitual refpeft for mankind as may prevent us 
 from difgufling a fellow creature for the fake of a 
 prefent indulgence. The fhameful indolence of many 
 
 v married women, and others a little advanced in life, 
 frequently leads them to fin againfl delicacy. For, 
 though convinced that the perfon is the band of union 
 
 - between the fexes, yet, how often do they from ilieer 
 
 indolence, or to enjoy fome trifling indulgence, difguft ? 
 
 The depravity of the appetite, which brings the fexes 
 
 together, has had a ftill more fatal eiFecl. Nature muft 
 
 ever be the ftandardof taue, the gauge of appetite yet 
 
 , how grofsly is nature infulted by the voluptuary. 
 Leaving the refinements of love out of the queflion ; 
 nature, by making the gratification of an appetite, in 
 this refpecl, as well as every other, a natural and impe 
 rious law to preferve the fpecies, exalts the appetite, and 
 
36 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 mixes a little mind and affection with a fenfual guft. 
 The feelings of a parent mingling with an inftind 
 merely animal, give it dignity ; and the man and 
 woman often meeting on account of the child, a mutual 
 intereil and affection is excited by the exercife of a 
 common fympathy. Women then having necefTarily 
 fome duty to fulfil, more noble than to adorn their per- 
 fons, would not contendly be the Haves of cafual appetite, 
 which is now the iituation of a very conilderable num 
 ber, who are, literally fpeaking, {landing dimes to which 
 every glutton may have accefs. 
 
 I may be told, that great as this enormity is, it only 
 affects a devoted part of the fex devoted for the ialva- 
 tion of the reft. But, falfe as every aflertion might 
 eafily be proved, that recommends the fanctioning a 
 fmall evil to produce a greater good, the mifchief does 
 not {lop here, for the moral character, and peace of 
 mind, of the chafter part of the fex, is undermined by 
 the conduct of the very women to whom they allow no 
 refuge from guilt : whom they inexorably confign to 
 the exercife of arts that lure their hufbands from them, 
 debauch their fons, and force them, let not rnodeft 
 women ftart, to aflame, in fome degree, the fame cha 
 racter themfelves. For I will venture to afiert, that all 
 the caufes of female weaknefs, as well as depravity, 
 which I have already enlarged on, branch out of one 
 grand caufe want of chaftity in men. 
 
 This intemperance, fo prevalent, depraves the appe 
 tite to fuch a degree, that a wanton ftimulus is neceffary 
 to roufe it ; but the parental defign of nature is for- 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 237 
 
 gotten, and the mere perfon, and that for a moment, 
 alone engrofles the thoughts. So voluptuous, indeed, 
 often grows the luftful prowler, thas he refines on 
 female ibftnefs. Something more loft than woman is 
 then fought for ; till, in Italy and Portugal, men attend 
 the levees of equivocal beings, tough for more than fe- 
 
 male languor. 
 
 To fatisfy this genius of men, worn n are made fyf- 
 tematically voluptuous, and though they may not all 
 carry their libertinifm to the fame height, yet this 
 heartlefs interccurfe with the fex, which they allow 
 themfelves, depraves bothfexes, becaufe the tafte of men 
 is vitiated ; and women, of all claiTes, naturally fquare 
 their beha.viour to gratify the tafte by which they ob 
 tain pleafure and power. Women becoming, confe- 
 
 jj quently weaker, in mind and body, than they ought to 
 be, v/ere one of the grand ends of their being taken 
 into the account, that of bearing and nurfmg children, 
 have not fufficient ilrength to difcharge the firft duty of 
 a mother ; and facrificing to lafcivioufnefs the parental 
 affection, that ennobles inflmcT:, either deftroy the em*- 
 bsyo in the womb, or caft it off when born. Nature 
 in every thing demands refpecl, and thofe who violate 
 her laws feldom violate them with impunity. The weak 
 enervated women who particularly catch the attention 
 of libertines, are unfit to be mothers, though they may 
 conceive ; fo that the rich fenfualift, who has rioted 
 among women, fpreading depravity and mifcry, when 
 he willies to perpetuate his name, receives from his 
 wife only an half-formed being that inherits both itt 
 father's and mother's weaknefs. 
 
238 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 Contrailing the humanity of the prefent age with the 
 barbarifm of antiquity, great flrefs has been laid on the 
 favage cuitom of expoling the children whom their pa 
 rents could not maintain ; whilil the man of fenfibility, 
 who thus, perhaps, complains, by his promifcuous 
 amours produces a moft defcruclive barrennefs and con 
 tagious flagitioufnefs of manners. Surely nature never 
 intended that women, by fatisfying an appetite, mould 
 fruftrate the very purpole for which it was implanted ? 
 
 I have before obferved, that men ought to maintain 
 the women whom they have feduced ; this would be one 
 means of reforming female manners, and flopping an 
 abufe that hasian equally fatal efFecl: on population and 
 morals. Another, no lefs obvious, would be to turn the 
 attention of woman to the real virtue of chaflity ; for 
 to little refpecl has that woman a claim, on the fcore of 
 modefcy, though her reputation maybe white as the dri 
 ven fnow, who fmiles on the libertine whilfl me fpurns 
 the victims of his kwlefs appetites and their own folly. 
 
 Befides, (he has a taint of the fame folly, pure as me 
 eiieems herfelf, when me ftudioufiy adorns her perforr 
 only to be feen by men, to excite refpe&ful %hs, and 
 all the idle homage of what is called innocent gallantry. 
 Did women redly . refpedl virtue Tor its own fake, they 
 would not feek for a compenfation in vanity, for the 
 felf-uenial which they are obliged to pra&ife to pre- 
 fcrve their reputation, nor would they affociate with 
 men who fet reputation at defiance. 
 
 The two fexes mutually corrupt and improve each 
 other. This I believe to be an indifputable ' truth, 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 
 
 extending it to every virtue. Chaftity, modefty, public 
 fpirit, and all the noble train of virtues, on which fo- 
 fcial virtue and happinefs is built, mould be underftood 
 and cultivated by all mankind, or they will be culti 
 vated to little effect. And, inftead of furniming the 
 vicious or idle with a pretext for violating fome facred 
 duty, by terming it a fexual one, it would be wifer to 
 mow, that niture has not made any difference, for that 
 the unchafle man doubly defeats the purpofe of nature 
 by rendering women barren, and deilroying his own 
 conftitution, though he avoids the fhame that purfues the 
 crime in the other fex. Thefe are the phyfical confe- 
 quences, the moral are Hill more alarming ; for virtue 
 is only a nominal diftinction when the duties of citizens, 
 huibjinds, wives, fathers, mothers, and directors of fa 
 milies, become merely the felfifh ties of convenience, 
 
 Why then do philofophers look for public fpirit ? 
 Public fpirit muft be nurtured by private virtue, or it 
 will referable the factitious fentiment which makes women 
 careful to preferve their reputation, and men their ho 
 nour. A fentiment that often exifls unfupported by 
 virtue, unfupported by that fublime morality which 
 makes the habitual breach of one duty a breach of th 
 whole moral law. 
 
240 VINDICATION OF THK 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 Of the pernicious ejfetts which arifefrom the unnatural dif- 
 tintio~as ejiablijhed in fociety. 
 
 A ROM the refpeft paid to property flow, as from a 
 poifoned fountain, moft of the evils and vices which 
 render this world fuch a dreary fcene to the contem 
 plative mind. For it is in the moll polifned foeiety 
 that noify reptiles and venomous ferpcnts lurk under 
 the rank herbage; and there is voluptuoufnefs pam 
 pered by the {till fultry air, which relaxes every good 
 difpolition before it ripens into virtue. 
 
 One clafs prefies on another ; for all are aiming to 
 procure refpecl on account of their property' : and pro 
 perty, once gained, will procure the refpect due only 
 to talents and virtue. Men neglect the duties incum 
 bent on man, yet are treated like demi-gods ; religion 
 is alfo feparated from morality by a ceremonial veil, 
 yet men wonder that the world is almoil, literally fpeak- 
 ing, a den of fharpers or oppreiTors. 
 
 There is a homely proverb, which fpeaks a fhrewd 
 truth, that whoever the devil finds idle he will employ. 
 And what bat habitual idlenefs can hereditary wealth 
 and titles produce? For man is fo conftituted, that he 
 can only attain a proper ufe of his faculties by exercifing 
 them, and will not exercifethemunlefs neceffity, of fome 
 kind firit fet the wheels in motion. Virtue likewife can 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 
 
 ;0hly be acquired by the difcharge of relative duties ; 
 but the importance of thefe facred duties will fcarcely 
 be felt by the being who is cajoled out of his huma 
 nity by the flattery of fycophants. There muft be 
 more equality eflablifhed in fociety, or morality will 
 never gain ground, and this virtuous equality will not 
 reft firmly even when foun led on a rock, if one half 
 cf mankind are chained to its bottom by fate, for they 
 will be continually undermining it through ignorance 
 or pride. 
 
 It is vain to expect virtue from women till they are, 
 in fome degree, independent of men ; nay, it is vain 
 to expect that ftrength of natural affection, which would 
 make them good wives and good mothers. Whilft 
 they are abfolutely dependent on their hufbands, they 
 will be cunning, mean, and felfim, and the men who can 
 be gratified by the fawning fondnefs, of fpaniel-like af 
 fection, have not much delicacy, for love is. not to be 
 bought, in any fenfe of the words, its filken wings are 
 inilantly fhrivelled up when any thing befide a return 
 in kind is fought. Yet whilft wealth enervates men ; 
 and women live, as it were, by their perfonal charms, 
 how can we expert them to difcharge thofe ennobling 
 duties which equally require exertion and felf-denial. 
 Hereditary property fophifticates the mind, and the un 
 fortunate victims to it, if I may fo exprefs myfelf, 
 ;fwathed from their birth, feldom exert their locomotive 
 ? faculty of body or mind ; and, thus viewing every 
 thing through one medium, and that a falfe one, they 
 are unable to difcern in what true merit and happinef* 
 
442 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 confili. Falfe, indeed, muft be the light when the dra 
 pery of fituation hides the man, and makes him ftalk in 
 mafquerade, dragging from one fcene of diliipation t0 
 another the nerveleis limbs that hang with ftupid lift- 
 leflhefs, and rolling round the vacant eye which plainly 
 tells us that there is no mind at home. 
 
 I mean, therefore, to infer, that the fociety is not pro 
 perly organized which does not compel men and women" 
 to difcharge their refpective duties, by making it the 
 only way to acquire that countenance from their fellow 
 creatures, which every human being wiihes fome way to 
 attain. The refpect, confequently, which is paid to 
 wealth and mere perfonal charms, is a true north-eaft 
 blaft, that blights the tender bloffoms of affection and 
 virtue. Nature has wifely attached affections to duties, 
 to fweeten toil, and to give that vigour to the exertions 
 of reafon which only the heart can give. But, the af 
 fection which is put on merely becaufe it is the appro 
 priated infignia of a certain character, when its duties 
 are not fulfilled, is one of the empty compliments which 
 vice and folly are obliged to pay to virtue and the real 
 nature of things. 
 
 To illuflrate my opinion, I need only obferve, that 
 when a woman is admired for her beauty, and fufiers 
 herfelf to be fo far intoxicated by the admiration me 
 receives, as to neglect to difcharge the indifpenfable duty 
 of a mother, ilie fins againft herfelf by neglecting to 
 cultivate an affection that would equally tend to make'., 
 her ufeful and happy. True happinefs, I mean all the-* 
 contentment, and virtuous fatisfaction, that can b - ; 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 243 
 
 faatched in this imperfect ftate, muft arife from well 
 regulated affections ; and an affection includes a duty. 
 Men are not aware of the mifery they caufe, and the 
 vicious weaknefs they cherifh, by only inciting women 
 to render themfelves pleafmg ; they do not confider, 
 that they thus make natural and arti&cial duties clam, 
 by Sacrificing the comfort and refpectability of a wo- 
 nan's life to voluptuous notions of beauty, when in 
 nature they all harmonize. 
 
 Cold would be the heart of a hufband, were he not 
 rendered unnatural by early debauchery, who did not 
 feel more delight at feeing his child fuckled by its mo 
 ther, than the moft artful wanton tricks could ever raife; 
 yet this natural way of cementing the matrimonial tie, 
 and twilling efteem with fonder recollections, wealth 
 -leads women to fpurn. To preferve their beauty, and 
 wear the flowery crown of the day, that gives them a 
 kind of right to reign for a fhort time over the fex 
 they neglect to ftamp impreffions on their haikinds' 
 hearts, that would be remembered with more tendernefs 
 when the fnow on the head began to chill the bofom, 
 than even their virgin charms. The maternal folicitude 
 of a reafonable affectionate woman is very intereilmg, 
 and the chailened dignity with which a mother returns 
 the carefles that me and her child receive from a fa 
 ther who has been fulfilling the ferious duties of hi* 
 ftation, is not only a refpeclable, but a beautiful fight, 
 So fingular, indeed, are my feelings, and I have endea 
 voured not to catch factitious ones, that after having 
 been fatigued with the light of irdipid grandeur and the 
 Y 
 
2*4 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 flaviih ceremonies that with cumberous pomp fupplicd 
 the place of domeilic afFedions, I have turned to fomc 
 other fcene to relieve my eye, by refling it on the re- 
 frcfning green every where fcattered by nature. J have 
 then viewed with pleafure a woman nurfing her chil-j 
 dren, and ciii charging the duties of her ilation withj 
 perhaps, merely a fervant maid to take oit her hands! 
 the fervile part of the houfehold bufmefs. I have feenj 
 her prepare herfelf and children, with only the luxury! 
 cf cleanlinefs, to receive her hufband, who returning] 
 weary home in the evening, found fmiling babea and a] 
 clean hearth. My heart has loitered in the midft of the j 
 group, and has even throbbed with fympathetic emo-| 
 tion, when the fc raping of the well-known foot has] 
 railed a pieafmg tumult. 
 
 W hi lil my benevolence has been gratified by.contcm- 
 pkuing this artiefs picture, I have thought that a. couple 
 of this ccicription, equally neceffary and independent 
 of eacli other, becaufeeach fulfilled the refpedive duties? 
 of sJ*eir ftation, pofTefied all that life could give.-] 
 Raifed fufficiently above abjedl poverty not to be obliged! 
 to weigh the confequence of every farthing tiicy fpend >. 
 and having faflicient to prevent their attending to a fri- 
 gld fyftem of ceconorny which narrows both heart andl 
 rnind. J declare, fo vulgar are my conceptions, that If 
 know not what is wanted to render this the liappieil asi 
 well as "the moil refpeclable ficuation in the world, bud 
 a tafte for literature, to throw a little variety and intej 
 reft into focial converfc, and fome fuperiiuous mone)| 
 to give to the needy, and to buy books. For it is no* j 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 245 
 
 pleafint when the heart is opened by compaffiorf, and 
 the head a&ive in arranging plans of ufefulnefs, to have 
 a prim urchin continually twitching back the elbow to 
 prevent the hand from drawing out an almoft empty 
 purfe, whifpering at the fame time fome prudential 
 maxim about the priority of juilice. 
 
 Deftruclive, however, as riches and inherited honours 
 are to the human character, women are more debafed 
 and cramped, if poffible by ihem, than men, becaufe 
 men may Hill, in fome degree, unfold their faculties by 
 becoming foldiers and ftatefmen. 
 
 As foldiers, I grant, they can now only gather, for the 
 moft part, vain glorious laurels, whilil they adjuft to a hair 
 the European balance, taking efpecial care that no bleak 
 northern nook or found incline the beam. But the days 
 of true heroifm are over, when a citizen fought for his 
 country like a Fabricius or a Wafhington, and then re- 
 turned to his farm to let his virtuous fervour run in a 
 inore placid, but not a lefs falutary, irream. No, our 
 Britim heroes are oftener fent from the gaming tabie than 
 from the plow; and their paffions have been rather in 
 flamed by hanging with dumb fufpenfe on the turn of a 
 die, than fublimated by panting after the adventurous 
 inarch of virtue in the hiiloric page. 
 
 The ftatefman it is true, might with more propriety 
 quit the Faro Bank or card-table, to guiJe the helm, for 
 he has frill bat to ibuffle and trick. The whole fylterrt 
 of Britim politics, if fyftem it may courteoufiy be called, 
 coniifting in multiplying dependents and contriving taxes 
 which grind the poor to pamper the rich ; thus a war, 
 Y 2 
 
246 VINDICATION OF THR 
 
 or any wild goofe chace is, as the vulgar ufe the phrafe, 
 a lucky turn-up of patronage for the minifter, whofe 
 chief merit is the art of keeping himfelf in place. 
 
 It is not neceflary then that he fbould have bowels for 
 the poor, fo he can fecure for his family the odd trick* 
 Or fhould fomefhew of refpeft, for what is termed with 
 ignorant ollentation an Englimman's birth-right, be ex 
 pedient to bubble the gruff maftiff that he has to lead by 
 the nofe, he can make an empty ihew, very fafely, by 
 giving his ilngle voice, and fuffering his light fquadrort 
 to file oil to the other fide. And when a queftion of hu 
 manity is agitated, he may dip a fop in the milk of hu 
 man kindnefs, to filence Cerberus, and talk of the in- 
 tereft which his heart takes in an attempt to make the 
 earth no longer cry for vengeance as it fucks in its chil 
 dren's blood, though his cold hand may at the very mo 
 ment rivet their chains, by fan&ioning the abominable 
 trafHck. Aminifteris no longer a minifter than while 
 he can carry a point, which he is determined to carry - 
 ~Yet it is not neceflary that a minifter mould feel like 
 a man, when a bold puih might make his feat. 
 
 But, to have done with thefe epifodical obfervations, 
 let me return to the more fpecious flavery which chains 
 the very foul of woman, keeping her for ever under the 
 bondage of ignorance. 
 
 The prepofterous diftinclions of rank, which render 
 civilization a curfe, by dividing the world between vo 
 luptuous tyrants, and cunning envious dependents, cor 
 rupt, almoil equally, every clafs of people, becaufe re- 
 fpeftability is not attached to the difcharge of the rela- 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 247 
 
 five duties of life, but to the ftation, and when the dit 
 ties are not fulfilled, the affections cannot gain fufficient 
 itrength to fortify the virtue of which they are the natu 
 ral reward. Still there are fome loop-holes out of which 
 a man may creep, and dare to think and aft for him- 
 felf ; but for a woman it is an herculean talk, becaufe 
 me has difficulties peculiar to her fex to overcome, 
 which require almofl fuper-human powers. 
 
 A truly benevolent legiilator always endeavours to 
 make it the intcreft of each individual to be virtuous ; 
 and thus private virtue becoming the cement of public 
 happinefs, an orderly whole is confolidated by the ten 
 dency of all the parts towards a common centre. But, 
 the private or public virtue of woman is very pro 
 blematical ; for Roufteau, and a numerous lift of mals 
 writers, infift that me mould, all- her life, be fubie&ed to 
 a fevere reftraint, that of propriety. Why fubject her 
 to propriety blind propriety, i r me be capable of acling 
 from a nobler fpring, if me be an heir of immortality ? 
 Is fngar always to be produced by vital blood ? Is one 
 half of the human fpecies, like the poor African fbves, 
 to be fubjett to prejudices that brutalize them, 
 principles would be a furer guard, only to fweeten the 
 cup of man ? Is not this indiredly to deny woman rea- 
 fon ? for a gift is a mockery, if it be unfit for ufe. 
 
 Women are, in common with men, rendered weak 
 and luxurious by the relaxing pieafures which wealth 
 procures ; but added to this, they are made ib ves to their 
 perfons, and muft render them alluring, that man may 
 lend them his reafon to guide their tottering fteps aright. 
 
 = y 3 
 
VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 Or mould they be ambitious, they muft govern their 
 tyrants by fmifter tricks, for without rights there cannot 
 be any incumbent duties. The laws refpe&ing woman, 
 which 1 mean to difcufs in a future part, make an ab- 
 furd unit of a man and his wife ; and then, by the eafy 
 tranfition of only considering him as refponfibie, ihe is 
 reduced to a mere cypher. 
 
 The being who difcharges the duties of its flation is 
 independent; and, fpeaking of women at large, their 
 fcrft duty is to themfelves as rational creatures, and the 
 next in point of importance, as citizens, is that, which 
 'includes fo many, of a mother. The rank in life which 
 difpenfes with their fulfilling this duty, neceffarily de 
 grades them by making them mere dolls. Or, mould 
 they turn to fomething more important than merely 
 iktting drapery upon a fmooth block, their minds are 
 only occupied by fome foft platonic attachment; or, 
 the adual management of an intrigue may keep their 
 thoughts in motion ; for when they neglect domeftic 
 duties, thy have it not in their power to take the field 
 and march and counter-march like foldiers, or wrangle 
 in the fcnate io keep their faculties from rufting. 
 
 I know, that as a proof of the inferiority of the fex, 
 au has exultingly exclaimed, How can they leave 
 the' nurfery for the ^.dmp ! And the camp has by fome 
 moraiiils been termed the fchool of the moft heroic vir 
 tues ; though, I think, it would puzzle a keen cafuift ta 
 prove the rcafonablenefs of the greater number of wars, 
 that have dubbed heroes. I do not mean to confider this 
 queftion critically; becaufe, having frequently viewed 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 249 
 
 thefe freaks of ambition as the firfl natural mode of ci- 
 rilization, when the ground maft be torn up, and the 
 woods cleared by fire and fword, 1 do not choofe to 
 call them pelts ; but fureiy the prefent fyftem of war, 
 has little connection with virtue of any denomination, 
 being rather the fchool of fne//e and effeminacy, than 
 of fortitude. 
 
 Yet, if defeniive war, the only juftifiable war, in the 
 prefent advanced ftate of fociety, 'where virtue can fhew 
 its face and ripen amidit the rigours which purify the 
 air on the mountain's top, were alone to be adopted as 
 juft and glorious, the true heroifm of antiquity might 
 again animate female boibms. But fair and foftly, gen 
 tle reader, male or female, do not alarm thyfelf, for 
 though I have contrafted the character of a modern fol- 
 dier with that of a civilized worm,n, I am not going to 
 advife them to turn their diltaff into a mufker, though 
 I fmcerely wifh to fee the bayonet converted into a 
 pruning-hook. I only recreated an imagination, fa 
 tigued by contemplating the vices and follies which all 
 proceed from a feculent ftream of wealth thit has mud 
 died the pure rills of natural aiFeclion, by fuppcfirg 
 that fociety will fome time or other be ib conitiur 1, 
 that man muft neceffarily fulfil the duties of a citizen, 
 or be defpifed, and that while he was employed in any 
 of the departments of civil life, his wife, alio an active 
 citizen, mould be equally intent to manage her family, 
 educate her children, and affift her neigjiuouis. 
 
 But, to render her reaily virtuous and ufeful, {he muft 
 not, if me difcharge her civil duties, want, individually, 
 
VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 the protection of civil laws ; me muft not be dependent 
 on her hulband's bounty for her fubiiftance during his 
 life, or fupport after his death for how can a being be 
 generous who has nothing of its own ? or, virtuous, 
 who is not free ? The wife, in the prefent ftate of things, 
 who is. faithful to her hurt/and, and neither fuckles nor 
 educates her children, fcarcely deferves the name of a 
 wife, and has no right to that of a citizen. But take 
 away natural rights,' and there is of courfe an end of 
 duties. 
 
 Women thus infallibly become only the wanton folace 
 of men, when thy are ib weak in mind and body, that 
 they cannot exert themfelves, unlefs to purfue fome 
 frothy pleafure, or to invent iome frivolous famiom 
 What can be a more melancholy fight to a thinking 
 mind, than to look into the numerous carriages that 
 drive helter-ikelter about this metropolis in a morning, 
 full of pale-faced creatures who are flying from them 
 felves. I have often wifhed, with Dr. Johnfon, to place 
 fome of them in a little mop, with half a dozen chil 
 dren looking up to their languid countenances for 
 fupport. 1 am much miftaken, if fome latent vigour 
 would not foon give health and ipirit to their eyes, 
 and fome lines drawn by the exercile of reafon on the 
 blank cheeks, which before were only undulated by 
 dimples, might reilore loft dignity to the character, or 
 rather enable it to attain the true dignity of its nature* 
 Virtue is not to be acquired even by fpeculation, much 
 leis by the negative fupinenefs that wealth naturally 
 generates. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAW, 25! 
 
 Befides, when poverty is more difgraceful than even 
 vice, is not morality cut to the quick ? Still to avoid 
 mifconftrudlion, though I confider that women in the 
 common walks of life are called to fulfil the duties of 
 wives and mothers, by religion and reafon, I cannot 
 lielp lamenting that women of a fuperior caft have not 
 a road open by which they can purfue more exten- 
 iive plans of ufefulnefs and independence. I may ex 
 cite laughter, by dropping an hint, which I mean to 
 purfue, fome future time, for I really think that women- 
 ought to have reprefentatives, inftead of being arbi 
 trarily governed without having any di reel mare allowed 
 them in the deliberations of government. 
 
 But, as the whole fyftem of reprefentation is now, in 
 this country, only a convenient handle for defpotifm, 
 they need not complain, for they are as well reprefented 
 as a numerous clafs of hard-working mechanics, who 
 pay for the fupport of royalty when they can fcarcelv 
 flop their children's mouths with bread. How are they 
 reprefented, whofe very fweat fupports the fplendid 
 ftud of 'the heir apparent, or varmilies the chariot of 
 fome female favourite who looks down on mame ? Taxes 
 On the very necefiaries of life, enable an endlefs tribe 
 of idle princes and princelTes to pafs with ftupid ponip 
 before a gaping crowd, who almoft woiihip the very 
 parade which coils them fo dear. This is mere gothic 
 grandeur, fomething like thz barbarous, ufeleis parade 
 of having fentinels on horfeback at Whitehall, which 
 I could never view \vithout a mixture of contempt and 
 indignation. 
 
252 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 How ftrangely mu the mind be fophifticated when 
 this fort of itate imprefles it ! But till thefe monuments 
 of folly are levelled by virtue, fimiiar follies will leaven 
 the whole mafs. For the fame character, in fome de 
 gree, will prevail in the aggregate of fociety : and the 
 refinements of luxury, or the vicious repinings of en 
 vious poverty, will equally banim virlue from fociety, 
 coniidered as the characleriitic of that fociety, or only 
 allow it to appear as one of the ftripes of the harlequin 
 coat, worn by the civilized man. 
 
 In the fuperior ranks of life, every duty is done by 
 deputies, as if duties could ever be waved, and the 
 vain pleasures which confequent idlenefs forces the rich 
 to puriue, appear fo enticing to the next rank, that 
 the numerous fcramblers for wealth fa.crifice every thing 
 to thread on their heels. The moil fucred trufts are 
 then confiJercd as fmecures, becaufe they were procured 
 by intereft, and only fought to enable a man to keep^W 
 company. Women, in particular, all want to be ladies. 
 Which is fimply to have nothing to do, but liftlefsly to ga 
 they fcarcely care where, for they cannot tell what. 
 
 But what have women to do in fociety ? -I may bs 
 afked, but to loiter with eafy grace ; furely you would 
 not condemn them all to fuckle fools, and chronicle 
 fmall beer ! No. Women might certainly fludy the art 
 of healing, and be phyficians as well as nurfes. And 
 midwifery, decency feems to allot to them, though I 
 am afraid the word midwife, in our dictionaries, will 
 foon give place to accoucheur, and one proof of the foiv 
 pier delicacy of the fex be effaced from the language. 
 
RJCSHTS OF WOMAN. 
 
 They might, alfo ftudy politics, and fettle their bene 
 volence on the broadeil bidis ; for tne reading of Imlory 
 wiii scarcely be more ulcfui than tue peruial of romances, 
 if read as mere biography ; if the character of die 
 times, the political iaiprovements, arts, &c, be not cb- 
 ferved. In ihort, if it be not considered as the hiftjry 
 of man ; and nos of particular men, who filled a niche 
 in the temple of fame, and dropped into the black rol 
 ling flream of time, that iilendy fv/eeps all before it, 
 into the ihapelefs void called eternity. For ihape, 
 can it be called < that mape hath none ? 
 
 Buiinefs of various kinds, they might likewife pur- 
 fue, if they were educated in a more orderly manner, 
 which might fave many from common and legal proiU- 
 tudon. Women would not then marry for a fupport, 
 as men accept of places under government, and neglect 
 the implied duties ; nur would an attempt to earn their 
 own fubfiftence, a moft laudable one l fink them almofl 
 to the level of thoie poor abandoned creatures who live 
 by pro&tution. For, are not milliners and mantua- 
 makers reckoned the next clafs ? The few employments 
 . open to women, fo far from being liberal, are menial ; 
 and when a fuperior education enables them to take 
 charge of the education of children as governefles, they 
 are not treated like the tutors of fons, thougii even cle 
 rical tutors are not always treated in a manner calcu 
 lated to render them refpeftable in the eyes of their 
 pupils, to fay nothing of the private comfort of the in 
 dividual. But as women educated like gentlewomen, 
 are never defigned for tiie humiliating fituation whick 
 
-254 VINDICATION F THE 
 
 neceffity fometimes forces tliem to fill ; thefe filiations 
 aie considered in the light of a degradation; and tr.ey 
 know liule of the human heart, wno need to be told, 
 that nothing io painfully fharpens the fenfibiiity as fuch, 
 a fali in life. 
 
 Some of thefe women might be retrained from mar 
 rying by a proper iplrit or dsiicacy, and others may 
 not have had it in tiieir power to eicupe in this pitiful 
 way from lervitiide ; is not tiiiit government then very 
 defective, and very unmindful of the happinefs of one 
 half of its n^m >ers, that does not provide for hcneil, 
 independent v omen, by encouraging them to fill re- 
 fpeclable flations f But in order to render their private 
 virtue a public benefit, they mull have a civil exigence 
 in the flute, married orfmgle ; eife we (hall continually 
 fee iorne worthy wom^n, whole ienfibility has been ren 
 dered painfully acute by undeferved contempt, droop 
 like ' the ii;y broken down by a plow-lhare.' 
 
 It is a DiCiunciiojy truth, yet fuch is the blefied ef- 
 fedl orjciviUzationS the moil relpeftable women are the 
 moll opprelied; and, uniefs they have underftandings far 
 fupeiior to ciie common run of underftandings, taking 
 in both iexes, they mull, from being treated like con 
 temptible beings, become contemptible. How many 
 women thus wafte life away, the prey of difcontent, who 
 might have pra&ifed as phyiicians, regulated a farm, ma 
 naged a (hop, and flood ereft, Supported by their own 
 induflry, inf.ead of hanging their heads furcharged with 
 the dew of fenfibiiity, that confumes the beauty to which 
 it at firil gave iuilre ; nay, I doubt whether pity and love 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 255 
 
 are fo near a-kin as poets feign, for I have feldom fee.n 
 much compailion excited by the helplefihefs of females, 
 unlefs they were fair; then, perhaps, pity was the foft 
 handmaid of love, or the harbinger of lufl. 
 
 How much more refpeclable is the woman who earns 
 her own bread by fulfilling any duty, than the moil ac 
 compli filed beauty! beauty did I fiy: fo fenfible am 
 pi of the beauty of moral loveiinefs, or lae harmonious 
 propriety that attunes the paflions of a well-regulated 
 mind, tint I blum at making the companion; yet I 
 iigh to think how few women aim at attaining this re- 
 fpeclability by withdrawing from the giddy whirl of plea- 
 fure, or the indolent calm that fiupifies the good ibri of 
 women it facks in. 
 
 Proud of their weaknefs, however, they rnuil always 
 ,be protected, guarded from care, and all the rough toils 
 that dignify the mind. if this be the fiat of fate, if they 
 will make themfelves infignificant and co; 
 Sweetly to walte * life away,' let them not ex; tvl to !,o 
 ? valued when their beauty fades, for it is the 
 |faireft flowers to be admired and pulled to pieces by iLe 
 |carelefs hand that plucked them. In how many ways do 
 |l wim, from the pureil benevolence, to imprefs this truth 
 on my fex ; yet I fear that they will not Men to a truth, 
 that dear-bought experience has brought home to ma'ny 
 an agitated bofom, nor willingly refign the privileges o'f 
 .rank and fex for the privileges of humanity, to which 
 thofe have no claim who do not difcharge its duties. 
 
 Thofe writers are particularly ufeful, in my opinion, 
 "who make man feel for man, independent of the ftatioa 
 Z 
 
25& VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 . '?. fills, or the drapery of factitious fentiments. I then 
 would fain convince reafonable men of the importance 
 of fome of my remarks, and prevail on them to weigh 
 difpaffionately the whole tenor of my obfervations. I 
 appeal to their underftandings ; and, as a fellow-crea 
 ture claim, in the name of my fex, fome intereft in their 
 hearts. I entreat them to affift to emancipate their com. 
 panion to make her a help meet for them ! 
 
 Would men but generouily fnap our chains, and be 
 content with rational fellowfhip, inftead of flavifh obe 
 dience, they would find us more obfervant daughters, 
 more affectionate fitters, more faithful wives, more rea 
 fonable mothers in a word, better citizens. We iliould 
 then love them with true affedton, becaufe we mould 
 learn to refpect ourfelves ; and the peace of mind of a 
 worthy man would not be interrupted by the idle vanity 
 of his wife, nor his babes fent to neflle in a ftrange bofom, 
 having never found a home in their mother's. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 257 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 Parental affection, 
 
 JTARENTAL affeftion is, perhaps, the blindeft 
 modification of perverfe felf-love ; for we have not, 
 
 I like the French,* two terms to diilinguifh the purfuit 
 of a natural and reafonable defire, from tlie ignorant cal- 
 
 | culations of weaknefs. Parents often love their chil 
 dren in the moft brutal manner, and facrifice every re 
 lative duty to promote their advancement in the world' 
 To promote, fuch is the perveriity of unprincipled 
 prejudices, the future welfare of the very beings whofe 
 prefent exiitence they imbitter by the moll defpotic 
 ilretch of power. Power, in fact, is ever true to its 
 vital principle, for in every fhape it would reign with 
 out controul or inquiry. Its throne is built acrofs a 
 dark abyfs, which no eye muft dare to explore, left the 
 
 *; bafelefs fabric fnould totter under inveltigation. Obe 
 dience, unconditional obedience, is the catch- word of 
 tyrants of every defcription, and to render ' afTurance 
 doubly fure,' one kind of defpotifm fupports another. 
 Tyrants would have caufe to tremble if reafon were to 
 become the rule of duty in any of the relations of life, 
 for the light might fpread till perfect day appeared. 
 
 a And when it did appear, how would men fmilc at the 
 
 * ' amour propre- L* amour defoi meme. 
 
VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 fight of bugbears at which they flarted during the night 
 of ignorance, or the twilight of timid inquiry. 
 
 Parental affection, indeed, in many minds, is but a 
 pretext to tyrannize where it can be done with impu 
 nity, for only good and wife men are content with the 
 refpect that will bear difcuiTion. Convinced that they 
 have a right to wh.it they infill on, they do not fear 
 rcafon, or dread the lifting of fubjects that recur to 
 natural juftice : becaufethey firmly believe, that the more 
 enlightened the human mind becomes, the deeper root 
 viiJ j.vil and rlrnple principles take. They do not reft 
 ir: c:2pcd:cn-s, or grant that what is metuphyfically true 
 can be practically falfe ; but difiaining the mifts of the 
 moment they calmly wait till time, functioning innova 
 tion, filences the hifs of felfifnnefs or envy. 
 
 If the power of reflecting on the pail, and darting the 
 keen eye of contemplation into futurity, be the grand 
 privilege of man, it muft be granted that fome people 
 enjoy this prerogative in a very limited degree. Every 
 thing now appears to them wrong; and not able to dif- 
 tinguifh the poiTible from the monfirous, they fear where 
 no fear fnould find a place, running from the light of 
 reafon as if it were a firebrand ; yet the limits of the 
 pofiible have never been defined to flop the flurdy inno 
 vator's hand. 
 
 Woman, however, a Have in every fituation to preju 
 dice, feldom exerts enlightened maternal affection ; for 
 fi;e either neglects her children, or fpoils them by im 
 proper indulgence, Befides, the affection of fome 
 women for their children is, as I have before termed it,? 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 259 
 
 frequently very brutifh ; for it eradicates every fpark of 
 humanity. Juftice, truth, every thing is facrifked by 
 thefe Rebekahs, and for the fake of their own children 
 they violate the moft facred duties, forgetting the com 
 mon relationfhip that binds the whole family on earth 
 together. Yet, realbn feems to fay, that they whofuffer 
 one duty, or affedion to fwallow up the reft, have not 
 fufficient heart or mind to fulfil that one confcientioufly. 
 It then lofes the venerable afpecl: of a duty, and afTumes 
 the fantaftic form of a whim. 
 
 As the care of children in their infancy is one of the 
 grand duties annexed to the female character by nature, 
 this duty would afford many forcible arguments for 
 ftrengthening the female underilanding, if it were pro 
 perly confidered. 
 
 The formation of the mind muft be begun very early, 
 and the temper, in particular, requires the moft judicious 
 attention an attention which women cannot pay who 
 only love their children becaufe they are their children, 
 and feek no further for the foundation of their duty, than 
 in the feelings of the moment. It is this want of rcafon 
 in their affeclions which makes women fo ofcen run into 
 extremes, and either be the moft fond or moft carelefs 
 and unnatural mothers. 
 
 To be a good mother a woman rnuft have fenfe, and 
 that independence of mind which few women poifefs 
 who are taught to depend entirely on their huibands. 
 Meek wives are, in general, foolidi mothers ; wanting 
 their children to love them beft, and take their part, in 
 fecret, againft the father, who is held upas a fcarecrow. 
 
 23 
 
2OO VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 .if they are to be punifhed, though they have offended 
 the mother, the father rcuft inflict the punifhmeut ; he 
 mult be the j^dge in all difputes : but I (hall more fully 
 difcufs this fubjeft when I treat of private education, I 
 now only mean to infill, that unlefs the underftanding 
 of woman be enlarged, and her character rendered more 
 firm, by beiag allowed to govern her own conduit, {he 
 will never have fufficient fenfe or command of temper 
 to manage her children properly. Her parental affec 
 tion, indeed, fcarcely deferves the name, when it does 
 not had her to fuckle her children, becaufe the difcharge 
 of this duly is equally calculated to infpire maternal 
 iind nil J affection ; and it is the indifpenfkble duty of 
 men and women to fulfil the duties which give birth to 
 affections th.it are the furelt preservatives againft vice. 
 Natural uffe&ion, as it is termed, I believe to be a very 
 \veuk tie, aff actions mult grow out of the habitual exer- 
 cife of a mutual fympathy ; and what fympathy does a 
 mother exercife who fends her babe to a nurie, and only 
 t.;kes it from a nurfe to fend it to a fchool ? 
 
 In the exerclft: of their natural feelings, Providence 
 has furniihed women with a natural fubititute for love, 
 \vhen the lover becomes only a friend and mutual con 
 fidence takes place of overftrained admiration a child 
 then gently twilts the relaxing cord, and a mutual care 
 produces a new mutual fympathy. But a child, though 
 a pledge of affection, will not enliven it, if both father 
 find mother are content to transfer the charge to hire 
 lings ; for they who do their duty by proxy mould not 
 ffiurmur if they mifs the reward of duty parental af- 
 feftion produces filial duty. 
 
EIGHTS OF WOMAN. 2,6l 
 
 CHAP. XI. 
 Duty to Parents. 
 
 JL HERE feeems to be an indolent propenfity in 
 man to make profcription always take place of region, 
 and to place every duty on an arbitrary foundation. 
 The rights of kings are deduced in a direcl line from 
 the King of kings ; and that of parents from our firil 
 parent. 
 
 Why do we thus go back for principles that mould 
 always reft on the fame bafe, and have the fame weight 
 to-day that they had a thoufand ye-.rs ago and not a 
 jot more ? If parents difcharge their duty they have a 
 ftrong hold and facred claim on the gratitude of their 
 children ; but few parents are willing to receive the 
 refpeclful affection of their offspring on iuch terms. 
 They demand blind obedience, becaufe they do not me 
 rit a reafonable fervice : and to render thefe demands of 
 weaknefs and ignorance more binding, a myfterious 
 fancHty is fpread round the moil arbitrary principle ; 
 for what other name can be given to the blind duty 
 of obeying vicious or weak beings, merely becaule they 
 obeyed a powerful inftiiivl ? 
 
 The fimple definition of the reciprocal duty, which 
 naturally fubfifls between parent and cLilJ 5 n; iy l>f 
 in a few words : The parent who pays proper attention 
 to helplefs infancy has a right to require tnc 1 :; .; at 
 tention when the ieebienefs of age comes upon him. 
 
262 VINDICATION OF TH 
 
 But to fub jugate a rational being to the mere will of ano 
 ther, after he is of age to aniwe/io Society for his own 
 conduft, is a molt cruel and undue ftretchof power, and 
 perhaps as injurious to morality, as thofe religious iy{l 
 terns which do not allow right and \vrong to iiave any 
 exiilence, but in the Divine will. 
 
 I never knew a parent who had paid more than com 
 mon attention to his children, difregarded ;* on the 
 contrary, the early habit of relying almoft implicitly on 
 the opinion of a refpe&ed parent is not eafily mook, 
 even when matured reafon convinces the child that his 
 father is not the wifeft man in the world. This weak- 
 nefs, for a weaknefs it is, though the epithet amiable 
 may be tacked to it, a reafonable man muft fteel himfelf 
 again!! ; for the abfurd duty, too often inculcated, of 
 obeying a parent only on account of his being a parent, 
 fhackles the mind, and prepares it for a flavilh fubmif- 
 fion to any power but reafon. 
 
 I diilingaifh between the natural and accidental duty 
 due to parents. 
 
 The parent who feduloufly endeavours to form the 
 heart and enlarge the underftanding of his child, lias 
 given that dignity to the difcharge of a duty, common 
 to the whole animul world, that only reafon can give. 
 This is the parental *ffec"tion of humanity, and leaves in- 
 ftinclive natural affedion far behind. Such a parent ac 
 quires all the rights of the moil facred friendlhip, and 
 his advice, even when his child is advanced in life, de 
 mands ferious cosifideratkm. 
 
 * Dr. Jobiifon makes the fame olftrvatlon. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 63 
 
 With refpeft to marriage, though after one and twenty 
 a parent feems to have no right to withhold his con- 
 fent on any account ; yet twenty years of folicitude call 
 for a return, and the ion ought, at leail to promife not 
 to marry for two or three years, mould the objecl of 
 his choice not entirely meet with the approbation of 
 his firft friend. 
 
 But, refpecl for parents is, generally fpeaking, amuch 
 more debating principle ; it is only a felfifli refpecl for 
 property. The father who is blindly obeyed, is obeyed 
 from meer weaknefs, or from motives that degrade the 
 human character. 
 
 A great proportion of the mifery that wanders, in 
 hideous forms around the world, is allowed to rife 
 from the negligence of parents ; and ftill thefe are the 
 people who are moft tenacious of what they term a na 
 tural right, though it be fubverfive of the birth-right 
 of man, the right of acling according to the direction of 
 his own reafon. 
 
 I have already very frequently had occafion to ob- 
 ferve, that vicious or indolent people are always eager 
 to profit by enforcing arbitrary privileges ; and gene 
 rally in the fame proportion as they neglecl the dif- 
 charge of the duties which alone render the privileges 
 reafonable,. This is at the bottom, a dictate of common 
 fenfe, or the inftincl: of felf-defence, peculiar to igno 
 rant weaknefs ; refembling that infiindt, which makQs a 
 fim muddy the water it fwims in to elude its enemy, in- 
 ftead of boldly facing it in the clear ftream. 
 
 From the clear ftream of argument, indeed, the fup- 
 
264 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 porters of prefcription, of every denomination, fly; and 
 taking refuge in thedarknefs, which, in the language of 
 fublime poetry, has beenfuppofed to furround the throne 
 of Omnipotence, they dare to demand that implicit re-' 
 fpec~l which is only due to His unfearchable ways. But, 
 let me not be thought prefumptuous, the darknefs which 
 hides our God from us, only refpefts fpeculative truths 
 it never obfcures moral ones, they mine clearly, for God 
 is light, and never, by the conftitution of our nature, 
 requires the difcharge of a duty, the reafonablenefs of 
 which does not beam on us when we open our eyes. 
 
 The indolent parent of high rank may, it is true, ex 
 tort a mow of refpecl from his child, and females x>n 
 the continent are particularly fubjec~l to the views of 
 their families, who never think of confulting their in 
 clination, or providing for the comfort of the poor vic 
 tims of their pride. The confequence is notorious ; 
 thefe dutiful daughters become adultereiTes, and neglect 
 the education of their children, from whom they, in 
 their turn, exact the fame kind of obedience. 
 
 Females, it is true, in all countries, are too much un 
 der the dominion of their parents ; and few parents 
 think of addrefiing their children in the following man 
 ner, though it is in this reafonable way that Heaven 
 feems to command the whole human race. It is your 
 intereil to obey me till you can judge for yourfelf; and 
 the Almighty Father of all has implanted an affection 
 in me to ferve as a guard to you whillr. your reafon is 
 unfolding ; but when your mind arrives at maturity, you 
 muit only obey me, or rather refpedlmy opinions, fo far 
 
as they coincide wic'ii :'ie ii^ i; oi-.t is breaking in on 
 your own mind. 
 
 A Hav^ifh bondage to parents cramps every faculty of 
 the mind ; and Mr. Locke very judicially obferves, 
 that < if the mind be curbed and humbled too much in 
 
 children; if their Ipirits be abafed and broken much 
 
 by too Uriel an hand over them ; they iofe all their 
 
 vigour and induflry.' This ftric~t hand may, in fome 
 degree, account for the weaknefs of women, for girls, 
 from various caufes, are more kept down by their pa 
 rents, in every fenie of the word, than boys. The 
 duty expe&ed from them is, like all the duties arbi 
 trarily impofed on women, more from a fenfe of pro 
 priety, more out of refpecl for decorum, than reafon ; 
 and thus taught flaviftily to fubmit to their parents, they 
 are prepared for the flavery of marriage. I may be 
 told that a number of women are not Haves in the mar- 
 
 ,riage ftate. True, but they then become tyrants ; for 
 it is not rational freedom, but a lawlefs kind of power, 
 refembling the authority exercifed by the favourites of 
 abfolute monarchs, which they obtain by debating means. 
 I do not, like wife, dream of infmuating, that either boys 
 or girls are always flaves, I only infill, that when they 
 are obliged to fubmit to authority blindly, their facul 
 ties are weakened, and their tempers rendered impe 
 rious or abjecl. I alfo lament, that parents indolently 
 availing themfelves of a fuppofed privilege, damp the 
 firft faint glimmering of reafon rendering at the fame 
 time the duty, which they are fo anxious to enforce, 
 an empty name ; becaufe they will not let it reft on the 
 
266 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 only bafis on which a duty can reft fecurely : for, un- 
 lefs it be founded on knowledge, it cannot gain fufft- 
 cient ftrength to refift the fqualls of paffion, or the 
 filent Tapping of ielf-iove. But it is not the parents who 
 have given the fureil proof of their affedion for their 
 children, or, to fpeak more properly, who by fulfilling 
 their duty, have allowed a natural parental affe&ion 
 to take root in their hearts, the child of excifed fym- 
 paiiiy and realon, and not the over-weening offspring 
 of ielfifh pride, \\ ho moil vehemently iriift en their 
 children iubmitting to their will, merely bccaufe it is 
 their will. Cri the contrary, the parent who fets a 
 good example, patiently lets that example work ; and it 
 ffldom fails to produce its natural effect filial refpeft. 
 
 Children cannot be taught too early to fubmit to 
 reafon, the true definition of that neceffity, which Rouf- 
 feau infifted on, without defining it ; for to fubmit to 
 reafon, is to fubmit to the nature of things, and to that 
 God who formed them fo, to promote our real intereft. 
 Why mould the minds of children be warped as they 
 juft begin to expand, only to favour the indolence of pa 
 rents, who infift on a privilege without being willing to 
 pay the price fixed by nature ? I have before had occa- 
 fion to obferve, that a right always includes a dufy, and 
 I think it may, likevvife fairly be inferred, that they 
 forfeit the right, who do not fulfil the duty. 
 
 It is eafier, I grant, to command than reafon ; but 
 it does not follow from hence, that children cannot com 
 prehend the reafon why they are made to do certa'n 
 things habitually ; for, from a Heady adherence to a few 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAT7. 2O/; 
 
 Ample principles of conduft, flows that faints ry po-.ver, 
 which a judicious parent gradually gains over a child's 
 mind. And this power becomes ftrong indeed, if tem 
 pered by an even difplay of affection brought home to 
 the child's heart, For, I believe, as a general rule, it 
 muft be allowed, that the affection which we infplr^ al- 
 ways refembles that we cultivate ; fo that natural af 
 fections, which have been fappofed almoft dJiunci from 
 reafon, may be found more nearly connected with judg 
 ment than is commonly allowed. N,;y, as anoe iei 
 of the neceffity of cultivating the fe .iale underfill; 
 it is but juft to obferve, that the aireittoiis feem to have 
 a kind of animal capricioufnefs when they merely re.lde 
 in the heart. 
 
 It is the irregular exsrcife of parental authority that 
 firft injures the mind, and to thefe irregularities girls 
 are more fubject than boys. The will of thole who 
 never allow their will to be difputed, unle.o 
 pen to be in a good humour, wJien they rel 
 tionally, is almofl always unreafonable. To elude this 
 arbitrary authority, girls very early learn the leiibns 
 which they afterwards practHe on tneir hufbands ; for 
 I have frequently feen a little (harp-faced mifs rule a 
 whole family, excepting that now and then mamma's 
 anger will burft out of fome accidental cloud either 
 her hair was ill-drefled,* or ihe had loll more money 
 [at cards, the night before, than me was willing to own 
 to her hufband ; or fome fuch moral caufe of aner. 
 
 * I myfelf beard a little girl once fa\> f-i afirvant, ' My mamma. 
 ' las been fcolding me f.ne'y tb'n tnorn : t:g, le caufe tier hair i-.'a* not 
 1 Vreftd to pL-afe her* Though this remark was fet t, it was jujl. 
 A id ivhat refpccl could a girl acjuire for fuch a parent^ without doing 
 ^>9te'nff if rcafo/i ? A a 
 
263 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 After observing failles cf this kind, I have been led 
 into a melancholy tr.iin of reileclion refpeiUng females, 
 concluding that when their mil affection mull lead them 
 alhuy, or make their duties chfh till they reft on mere 
 whims and cuiloms, little can be expeded from them 
 as the/ advance in life. How, indeed, can an inftru&or 
 remedy this evil ? for to teach them virtue on any foiid 
 principle is to teach them to defpife their parents. Chil 
 dren cannot, ought not, to be taught to make allowance 
 for the faults of their parents, becaufe every fuch al 
 lowance weakens the force of reafoa in their minds, 
 and makes them frill more indulgent to their own. It 
 is one of" the moil fublime virtues of maturity that leads 
 us to be fevere with refpeclto ourfelves, and forbearing 
 to others; but children mould only be taught the fimple 
 virtues, for if they begin too early to make allowance for 
 human paffions and manners, they wear oft the fine edge 
 of the criterion by which they mould regulate their 
 o\vn, and become unjuft in the fame proportion as they 
 grow indulgent, 
 
 The affections of children, and weak people, are al 
 ways feifiihj they love others, becaufe others love them, 
 and not on account of their virtues. Yet, till efleem 
 and love are blended together in the nrft affection, and 
 reafon made the foundation of the firft duty, morality 
 will Humble at the threfhold, But, till fociety is very 
 diiTerenrly conflituted, parents, I fear, will ftill infift on 
 being obeyed, becaufe they will be obeyed, and con- 
 ib.ntly er,d*avour to fettle that power on a Divins 
 right, which will not bear the investigation ofrei.fon. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 269 
 
 C H A P. XII. 
 On National Education. 
 
 JL HE good efFe&s refulting from attention to private 
 education will ever be very confined, and the parent 
 who really puts his own hand to the plow, will always, 
 in fome degree, be di {appointed, till education become 
 a grand national concern. A man cannot retire into a 
 defert with his child, and if he c.i.1, he could not bring 
 himfelf back to childhood, and become the proper 
 friend and play-fellow of an infant or youth. And when 
 children are confined to the fociety of men and women, 
 they very foon acquire that kind of premature manhood 
 which flops the growth of every vigorous power of 
 mind or body. In order to open their faculties they 
 mould be excited to think for themfelves; and this cm 
 only be done by mixing a number of children together, 
 and making them jointly purfue the fame objects. 
 
 A child very foon contracts a benumbing indolence 
 of mind, which he has feldom fufficient vigour to fliake 
 off, when he only afks a queilion inftead of feeking for 
 information, and then relies implicitly on the anfwer 
 he receives. With his equals in are this could never 
 be the cafe, and the fubjeds of inquiry, though they 
 might be influenced, would not be entirely under tl.e 
 direction of men, who frequently damp, if not deftrcy 
 abilities, by bringing them forward too hallily : and 
 too hailily they will infallibly be brought forward, if 
 A a 2 
 
270 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 the child be confined to the fociety of a man, however 
 fugacious that man may be. 
 
 Befides. in youth the feeds of every affeUon fhould be 
 ibwR, and the refpeftful regard, which is felt for a parent, 
 is very different from the focial affections that are to 
 conditute the happinefs of life as it advances. Of thefe, 
 equality is the bafts, and an intercourfe of fenti merits 
 unclogged by tlie obfervant ferioufhefs which prevents 
 difputaticn, though it may not enforce fubmifiion. Let 
 a child have ever fuch an affection for his parent, he 
 will alwavs languifli to play and chat with children ; ^ 
 and the very refpe& which he entertains, for filial 
 cfieem always has a dafn of fear mixed with it, will, if, 
 it do not teach him cunning, at leail prevent him from 
 pouring out the little fecrets v/hich firft open the hearts; 
 to friencUhip and confidence, gradually leading to more 
 expanfive benevolence. Added to this, he will never 
 acquire that frank ingenuoufnefs of behaviour, which 
 young people can only attain by being frequently in 
 fociety, where they dare to fpeak what they think ', 
 neither afraid of being reproved for their prefumption, 
 nor laughed at for their folly. 
 
 Forcibly imprelTed by the reflexions which the fight 
 of ichools, as they are at prefent conduced, naturally \ 
 faggefled, I have formerly delivered my opinion rather 
 warmly in favour of a private education ; but further 
 experience has' led me to view the fubje6l in a different 
 light. I ftill, however, think fchoole, as they are now 
 regulated, the hot-beds of vice and folly, and the 
 knowledge of human nature, fuppofed to be attained 
 these, merely cunning feiiifhnefs. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 2J I 
 
 At fchool boys, become gluttons and flovens, and m- 
 fle;.d of cultivating domeftic affections, very early ruffi 
 into the libertinifm which deftroys the conftitution be 
 fore it is formed ; hardening the heart as it weakens 
 the underftanding. 
 
 I mould, in fkc~l, be averfe to boarding -fchools, if it 
 were for no other reafon than the unfettled flate of 
 mind which the expectation of the vacations produce. 
 On thefe the children's thoughts are fixed with eager 
 anticipating hopes, for at hail, to fpeuk \vith mode 
 ration, half of the time, and when they arrive they are 
 fpent in total diflipation and bealtiy indulgence. 
 
 But, on the contrary, when they are brought up at 
 home, though they may purfue a plan of ftudyin a more 
 orderly manner than can b^ adopted, when near a 
 .fourth part of the year is actually fpent in idlenefs, a r d 
 as much more in regret and anticipation ; yet they 
 there acquire too high an opinion of their own import 
 ance, from being allowed to tyrannize over fervants 
 and from the anxiety expreffed by moil mothers, on the 
 fcore of manners, who eager, to teach the accompliili- 
 jnents of a gentleman, ftifle, in their birth, the virtues of 
 a man. Thus brought into company when they ought 
 to be feriojfly employed, and treated like men when 
 they are ftill boys, they become vain and effeminate. 
 
 The only way to avoid two extremes equally injurious 
 to morality, would be to contrive fome way of com 
 bining a public and private education. Thus to make 
 men citizens, two natural Heps might be taken, which 
 feem diredly to lead to the defired point; for the 
 Aa 3 
 
272 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 domeftic affections, that firil open the heart to the va 
 rious modifications of humanity would be cultivated, 
 whilft the children were neverthelefs allowed to fpend 
 great part of their time, on terms of equality, with 
 other children. 
 
 I ilill recollect, with pleafure, the country day-fchoolj 
 where a boy trudged in the morning, wet or dry, carry 
 ing his books, and his dinner, if it were at a confider 
 able diftsnce ; a fervant did not then lead mafter by the 
 hand, for, w'ler. he had once put on coat and breeches, he 
 was allowed to fhift for himfelf, and return alone in the 
 evening to recount the feats of the day clofc at the pa-- 
 renuJ knee. His father's houfe was his home, and 
 was ever after fondly remembered ; nay, I appeal to 
 fome fuperior men who were educated in this manner, 
 whether the recollection of fome fhady lane where they 
 conned their leffon ; or, of fome ilyle, where they fat 
 making a kite, or mending a bat, has not endeared their 
 country to them ? 
 
 Bat, what boy ever recolleded with pleafure the years 
 he fpent in clofe confinement, at an academy near Lon~ 
 don ? unlefs, indeed, he mould, by chance, remember 
 the poor fcare-crow of an uflier, whom he tormented ; 
 or, the t-irtnian, from whom he caught a cake, to de 
 vour it w 1 1 the cattiOi appetite of felfiihnefs. At board 
 ing fchools of every defcription, the relaxation of the 
 junior boys is mifchief ; and of the fenior, vice. Befides, 
 in great fchools, what can be more prejudicial to the 
 moral character, than the fyfiern of tyranny and abjeft 
 flavery which is eilablifhed amongil the boys, to fay 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 2J3 
 
 nothing of the flavery to forms, which makes religion 
 worfe than a farce ? For what good can be expecled from 
 the youth who receives the facrament of the Lord's 
 fupper, to avoid forfeiting half-a-guinea, which lie 
 probably afterwards fpends in fome fenfual manner? 
 Half the employment of the youths is to elude the ne~ 
 ceffity of attending public woriliip; and well they may, 
 for fuch a conftant repetition of the fame thing mufl be 
 a very irkfome reltraint on their natural vivacity. As 
 thefe ceremonies have the moll fatal effect on their morals, 
 and as a ritual performed by the lips, when the heart 
 and mind are far away, is not now flored up by our 
 church as a bank to draw on for the fees of the poor 
 fouls in purgatory, why mould they not be abolimed ? 
 
 But the fear of innovation, in this country, extends 
 *to every thing. This is only a covert fear, the appre- 
 henfive timidity of indolent Hugs, who guard, by flim- 
 ing it over, the mug place, whica they coniider in the 
 light of an hereditary eilate ; and e;tt, drink, and enjoy 
 thcmfelves, inflead of fulfilling the duties, excepting a 
 few empty forms, for which it was endowed. Thefe 
 are the people who moil ilrenuoufly infill on the will of 
 .the founder being obfervcd, crying out againil all re 
 formation, as if it were a violation of juflice. I am 
 now alluding particularly to the relics of popery re 
 tained in our colleges, when the proteil.nt members 
 feem to be fuch ilickiers for the eiiabliPned church; but 
 the : r zeal never makes them lole fight of the fpoil of 
 ignorance, which rapacious prieils of uperil tious me 
 mory have fcraped together. No, wile in their gene- 
 
274- VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 ration, they venerate the prefcriptive right of pofleiHon, 
 as a flrong hold, and {till let the iluggiih bell tingle to 
 prayers, as during the days, when the elevation of tha 
 holt was fuppofed to atone for the fins of the people, 
 left one reformation fhould lead to another, and the 
 fpirit kill the letter, Thefe Romifli cuiloms have the 
 moft baneful effsft on the morals of our clergy ; for 
 the idle vermin who two or three times a day perform, 
 in the moil flovenly manner, a fcrvice which they think 
 ufelefs, but call their duty, foon loofe a fenfe of duty. 
 At college, forced to attend or evade public worfhip, 
 they acquire an habitual contempt for the very fervice, 
 the performance of which is to enable them to live in 
 idlenefs. It is mumbled over as an affair of bufmefs, 
 as a ftupid boy repeats his talk, and frequently the 
 college cant efcapes from the preacher the moment after 
 he has left the pulpit, and even whilft he is eating the 
 dinner which he earned in fuch a difhoneft manner. 
 
 Nothing, indeed, can be more irreverent than the 
 cathedral fervice as it is now performed in this country, 
 nor does it contain a fet of weaker men than thofe who 
 are the fhves of this childifti routine. A difgufdng 
 Skeleton of the former ftate is flill exhibited : but ail the 
 foltmnity th.it interelled the imagination, if it did not 
 purify the heart, is ftripped off. The performance of 
 high mafs on the continent muft imprefs every mind, 
 where a {park of f-incy glows, wiih that awful melan 
 choly, that fubiime tendernefs, fo near a-kln to devotion. 
 I do not fay, that thefe devotional feelings are of more 
 life, in a moral fenfe, than any other emotion of tafte ; 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 275 
 
 but I contend, that the theatrical pomp which gratifies 
 our fenfes, is to be preferred to the cold parade that in- 
 fults the underilanding without reaching the heart. 
 
 Amongft remarks on national education, fuch obfer- 
 vations cannot be mifplaced, efpecially as the fupporters 
 of thefe ercablifhrnents, degenerated into puerilities, af 
 fect to be the champions of religion. Religion, pure 
 fource of comfort in this vale of tears ! how haft thy 
 clear Itream been muddied by the dabblers, who have 
 prefumptuoufly endeavoured to confine in one narrow 
 channel, the living waters that ever now towards God 
 the fublime ocean of exiftence ! What would life be 
 without that peace which the love of God, when built 
 on humanity, alone can impart ? Every earthly affection 
 turns back, at intervals, to prey upon the heart that 
 feeds it ; and the pureft effufions of benevolence, often 
 rudely damped by men, muft mount as a free-will offer 
 ing to Him who gave them birth, whofe bright image 
 they faintly reflect. 
 
 In public fchools, however, religion, confounded with 
 irkfome ceremonies and unreafonable reflraints, afTames 
 the moil ungracious afpect : not the fober auftere one 
 that commands refpecl whilft it infpires fear ; but a lu 
 dicrous caft, that ferves to point a pun, For, in fact, 
 moft of the good ftories and fmart things which enliven 
 the fpirits that have been concentrated at whift, are 
 manufactured out of the incidents to which the very 
 men labour to give a droll turn who countenance the 
 abufe to live on the fpoil. 
 
 There is not, perhaps, in the kingdom, a more dog- 
 
276 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 matical or luxurious fet of men, than the pedantic ty 
 rants who refide in colleges and prefide at public fchools. 
 The vacations are equally injurious to the moral'? of the 
 mailers and pupils, and the intercourfe, which the for 
 mer keep up with the nobility, introduces the fame 
 vanity and extravagance into their families, which ba- 
 niih domeflic duties and comforts from the lordly man- 
 fion, whofe ilate is awkwardly aped on a {mailer fcale. 
 The boys, who live at a great expence with the mailers 
 and aiTiilants, are never domeiUcated, though placed 
 there for that purpofe ; for, after a iilent dinner, they 
 fwailow a haily glafs of wine, and retire to plan fome 
 mifchievous trick, or to ridicule the perfon or manners 
 of the very people they have juil been cringing to, and 
 whom they ought to confider as the reprefentatives of- 
 their parents. 
 
 Can it then be a matter of furprife, that boys become 
 felih and vicious who are thus (hut out from focia.1 con- 
 verfe ? or that a mitre often graces the brow of one of 
 thefe diligent parlors ? 
 
 The defire of living in the fame ilyle, as the rank juil 
 above them, infects each individual and every clafs of peo 
 ple, and meannefs is the concomitant of this ignoble am 
 bition? but thofe profeiTions are moil debaling whofe 
 ladder is patronage ; yet out of one of thefe profeiTions 
 the tutors of youth are in general chofen. But, can the/ 
 be expccled to infpire independent fentiments, whofe 
 conduct muft-be regulated by the cautious prudence th.it 
 is ever on the watch for preferment? 
 
 So far, however, from thinking of the morals of boys* 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 277 
 
 ; I have heard feverai mailers of fchools argue, that they 
 eniy undertook to leach Latin and Greek ; and th:c they 
 I had fulfilled their duty, by lending io-me guod fcnoiara to 
 college. 
 
 A few good fcholars, I grant, may have besn formed 
 by emulation and discipline ; bat, to bring forward thefe 
 clever boys, the health and morals of a number have been 
 facrillced. The ions of our gentry and wealthy com 
 moners are moitly educated at thefe ieminaries, and will 
 any one pretend to aflert, that tne majority, making 
 every allowance, come under the description of toler 
 able fcholars ? 
 
 It is not for the benefit of fociety that a few brilliant 
 men mould be brought foiward at the expence of the 
 multitude. It is true, that great men (eem to Hart up, as 
 great revolutions occur, at proper intervals, to reftore 
 order, and to blow afide the ciouds that thicken over the 
 face of truth ; but let more reatbn and virtue prevail in 
 fociety, and thefe ftrong winds would not be neceffary. 
 Public education, of every denomination, mould be di 
 rected to form citizens ; but if you wifti to make good 
 itizens, you muft firft exercife the affections of a fon 
 and a brother. This is the only way to expand the 
 leart ; for public affections, as well as public virtues, 
 muft ever grow out of the private character, or they ace 
 merely meteors that moot athwart a dark fky, and dif- 
 appear as they are gazed at and admired. 
 
 Few, I believe, have had much affedion for mankind, 
 who did not firft love their parents, their brothers, filters, 
 and even the domeftic brutes, whom they firft played 
 
278 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 with. The ex^ercife of youthful fympathies forms the 
 n.i.r.J temperature ; and ii is the recollection of thefe 
 
 firil affeuions and purfuits, that gives life to thofe that 
 are af cer wards more under trie direction of reaion. In 
 youth, the fondel frietidihips are formed, the genial 
 juices mounting at the iante time, kindly mix ; or, 
 rathei :he iie^rt, tempered for the reception of friend, 
 fhip, is accuftomed to letk for pleafure in fomething 
 more noble than the chuiiifh gratification of appetite. 
 
 In order then to infpire a love of home and dcmeftic 
 pleafures, children ought to be educated at home, for 
 riotous holidays only. make them fond of home for their 
 own fakes. Yet, the vacations, \vhich do not fofter do- 
 meltic affections, continually diflurb the courfe of iludy, 
 and render any plan of improvement abortive which in 
 cludes temperance ; ftill, were they abolifhed, children 
 would be entirely feparated from their parents, and I 
 question whether they would become better citizens by,. 
 facrificing the preparatory Hifeftions, by deftroying the 
 force of relationmips that render the marriage Hate as, 
 neceffary as refr;edable. But if a private education pro-, 
 duces felf-importance, or iiifulates a man in his family, 
 the evil is only fhifted, not remedied. 
 
 This train of reafoning brings me back to a fubjedl, 
 on which 1 mean to dwell, the neceffity of eftablifning 
 prc. ( tr d .y-khools. 
 
 Eut theie mould be national eftablilhments, for wliilft 
 fchool-mafters are dependent on the caprice of parents! 
 little exertion can be expected from them, mere than isj 
 neceiiary to pleafc ignorant people. Indeed, the ne- 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 279 
 
 ceffity o r a mailer's giving the parents feme fcrnple of 
 the boys abilities, which during the vacation, is i~hewn 
 to every vifitor,* is productive of more mifchief than 
 would at firft be fappofed. For they are feldom done 
 entirely, to fpeak with moderation, by the child itfelf ; 
 thus the mafter countenances falfehoods, or winds the 
 poor machine up to fome extraordinary exertion, that 
 injures the wheels, and {lops the progrefs of gradual 
 improvement. The memory is loaded with unintelli 
 gible words, to make a mew of, without the undcr- 
 flanding's acquiring any dilUncl ideas : but only that 
 education deferves emphatically to'be termed cultivation 
 of mind, which teaches young people how to begin to 
 think. The imagination mould not be allowed to de 
 bauch the underflanding before it gained ilrength, or 
 -vanity will become the forerunner of vice : for every 
 way of exhibiting the acquirements cf a child is inju 
 rious to its moral chara&er. 
 
 How much time is loft in teaching diem to recite wh-.t 
 they do not undsriiand ! whilu icated on benches, all 
 in their belt array, the mammas liilen with a ! 
 to the parrot-like prattle, uttered in folemn cac! 
 with all the pomp of ignorance and folly. Such exhi 
 bitions only ferve to ftrike the fpreading fibres of vanity 
 through the whole mind ; for they neither teach chil 
 dren to fpeak fluently, nor behave gracefully. So far 
 from it, that thefe frivolous parfaits might comprehen- 
 
 * I noiv particularly a'l^i'' io il^e numerous academies in, ai-.d alout 
 Lox.l'ju, and to lie behaviour of the trading fart of this grtJl <'*> 
 
 Bb 
 
2,8o VINDICATION OF THE. 
 
 lively be termed the ftudy of affectation ; for we now 
 rarely fee a fimple, bafhful boy, though few people of 
 tafte were ever difgufted by that awkward fheepifhnefs 
 fo natural to the age, which fchools and an early in 
 troduction into fociety, have changed into impudence 
 and apilh grimace. 
 
 Yet, huw can thefe things be remedied whilft fchool- 
 mafters depend entirely on parents for a fubfiftence ; and 
 when fo many rival fchools hang out their lures, to 
 catch the attention of vain fathers and mothers, whofe 
 parental affection only leads them to wifh, that their 
 children, mould outlhine thofe of their neighbours ? 
 
 Without great good luck, a fenfible, confcientious 
 man, would ilarve before he could raife a fchool, if he 
 diidained to bubble weak parents, by praclifing the fe- 
 cret tricks of the craft. 
 
 In the befl regulated fchools, however, where fwarms 
 are not crammed together, many bad habits mull be 
 acquired; but, at common fchools, the body, heart, 
 and underflanding, are equally flunted, for parents are 
 often only in queft of the cheapefl fchool, and the maf- 
 ter could not live, if he did not take a much greater 
 number than he could manage himfelf ; nor will the 
 fcanty pittance, allowed for each child, permit him to 
 Lire ufhei s fu:"xient to aflifl in the difckarge of the me 
 chanical part or the bufmefs. Beildes, whatever ap 
 pearance the houfe and garden may make, the children 
 do not enjoy the comfort of either, for they are con 
 tinually reminded, by irkfome reflriilions, that they are 
 not at home, and the ilatc-rconis, garden, &c. mail be 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 2&I 
 
 kept in order for the recreation of the parents ; wlio, 
 of a Sunday, vifit the fchool, and are imprefTcd by the 
 very parade that renders the iitiuiticn of their children 
 uncomfortable. 
 
 With what difguil have I heard fenfible women, for 
 girls are more reilrained and cowed than boys, fpcik 
 of the wearifome confinement, which they endured at 
 fchool. Not allowed, perhaps, to rtep out of one broad 
 walk in a fuperb garden, and obliged to pace with fteady 
 deportment ftupidly backwards and forwards, holding 
 up their heads, and turning out their toes, with fhoul- 
 ders braced back, inflead of bounding, as nature direcls 
 to complete her own defign, in the various attitudes To 
 conducive to health.* The pure animal fpirits, which 
 make both mind and body fhoot out, and unfold the 
 tender blofToms of hope, are turned four, and vented in 
 vain wifhes, or pert repinings, that contract the facul 
 ties and fpoil the temper ; elfe they mount to- the brain, 
 and fharpening the understanding before it gains pro- 
 
 * I remember a circumjtance that once cav:e under my fiivii obferwation t 
 and raifed my indignation. I went to vifit a little liyy at afcbool where 
 young children "were prepared for a larger one. r fhe ms.jltr took vie into 
 tbefchool-rcom, &c. but ivhilft I walked down a breed gravel ivalk^ I 
 could not help obferving that the grafs gre r w very luxuriantly en eacbfde 
 of me. I immediately rjkcd lit c'/.'d f?n:c nd found ^ that ths 
 
 povr ioys -were not a Ho-:. ' at i!- majler fviae- 
 
 times permitted jlec <) to be tun;:.l in to crop the untrodden graft, c lbe 
 tyrant of ibis domain uj'cii to fit by a window that overlooked the prifan 
 yard) and one nook turninv jrom it y inhere ibe unfortunate l>u!>i'? 
 /port freely, he enclofed^ and planted it ivith potatoes. The v.'ije, /.'/^T; iff, 
 iua.~ as equally anxious to ka'p the children in etder } lead they Juouid dirty 
 tr tear thtir clothe:, 
 
 Bb 2 
 
VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 portionable ftrength, produce that pitiful cunning which 
 difgracefally characterizes the female mind and I fear 
 'will ever characterize it vvhilft women remain the ilaves 
 of power ! 
 
 The little refpedl: which the male world pay to chaftity 
 is, I am perfuaded, the grand fource of many of thephy- 
 fical and moral evils that torment mankind, as well as 
 of the vices and follies that degrade and deiboy wo 
 men ; yet at fchool, boys infallibly lofe that decent bafh- 
 flilnefs, which might have ripened intomodefty at home._ 
 And what nafiy indecent tricks do they alfo learn 
 from each other, when a number of them pig together 
 in the fame bedchamber, not to fpeak of their vices, 
 which render the body weak, whilft they effectually 
 prevent the acquifition of any delicacy of mind. The 
 little attention paid to the cultivation of modeity, 
 amongit men, produces great depravity in all the rela- 
 tionfliips of fociety ; for, not only love love that ought 
 to purify the heart, and firft call forth all the youthful 
 powers, to prepare the man to difcharge the benevolent 
 duties of life, is facrificed to premature luft ; but all the 
 focial affections are deadened by the felfim gratifica 
 tions, which very early pollute the mind, and dry up 
 the generous juices of the h^art. In what an unnatural 
 manner is innocence often violated ; and what ferious 
 confequences enfue to render private vices a public pelt. 
 Belides, an habit ofperfonal order, which has more effect 
 on the moral character, than is, in general fuppofed, 
 can only be acquired at home, where that refpeclable 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 283 
 
 referve is kept up, which checks the familiarity, that 
 finking into beaftlinefs, undermines the affection it infuits. 
 
 I have already animadverted on the bad habits which 
 females acquire when they are {hut up together; and I 
 think that the obfervation may fairly be extended to the 
 other fex, till the natural inference is drawn, which I 
 have had in view throughout that to improve both 
 fexes they ought, not only in private families, but in 
 public fchools, to be educated together, if marriage be 
 the cement of fociety, mankind fhould all be educated 
 sifter the fame mode!, or the intercourfe of the (exes 
 will never defer ve the name of feilowilup, nor v, ill wo 
 men ever fulfil the peculiar duties of their lex, till they 
 become enlightened citizens, till they become free, by 
 being enabled to earn their own fubfiftence, independent 
 of men ; in the fame manner, I mean, to prevent mif- 
 conilruclion, as one man is independent of another. 
 Nay, marriage will never be ^held fatred till women, 
 by being brought up with men, are prepared to be their 
 companions, rather than their niilircfies; for the mean 
 doublings of cunning will ever render them con 
 temptible, whilfc oppreiuon renders them timid. So 
 convinced am I of this truth, that I will venture to 
 predict, that virtue will never prevail in fociety till the 
 virtues of both fexes are founded on reafon ; and, till 
 the affections common to both are aiiowcd to gain their 
 due ftrength by the difcharge of mutual duties. 
 
 Were boys and girls permitted to purfue the fame 
 fludies together, thofe graceful decencies might early 
 be inculcated which produce modefty, without thofe 
 Bb 3 
 
VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 fexual diftinclions that taint the mind. LdTons of po- 
 litenefsj and that formulary of decorum, which treads 
 on the heels of falfehood, would be rendered ufelefs by 
 habitual propriety of behaviour. Not, indeed, put on 
 for viiitors like the courtly robe of politenefs, but the 
 fober effccl of cleanlinefs of mind. Would not this 
 firnple elegance of fmcerity be a chafte homage paid to 
 domeiiic affections, far furpaliing the meretricious com 
 pliments that mine with falfe luilre in the heartlefs in- 
 tercourfe of fifliionable life ? But, till more underftand- 
 ing preponderate in fociety, there will ever be a want 
 of heart and talte, and the harlot's rouge will fupply the 
 place of that celeftial fuffufion which only virtuous af 
 fections can give to the face. Gallantry, and what is 
 called love, may fubfill without fimplicity of character ; 
 but the main pillars of friendfhip, are refpecl: and con 
 fidence eileem is never founded on it cannot tell what. 
 
 A tafte for the fine arts requires great cultivation ; 
 but not more than a tafte for the virtuous affections ; 
 and both fuppofe that enlargement of mind which 
 opens fo many fources of mental pleafure. Why do 
 people hurry to noify fcenes and crowded circles ? I 
 mould anfwer, becaufe they want adlivity of mind, be- 
 caufe they have not cherifhed the virtues of the heart . 
 They only, therefore, fee and feel in the grofs, and 
 continually pine after variety, finding every thing that 
 is nrnple, infipid. 
 
 This argument may be carried further than philofo- 
 phers are aware of, for if nature deftined woman, in par 
 ticular, for the difcharge of domeilic duties, me made 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 25 
 
 her fufceptible of the attached affeftions in a great de 
 gree. Now women are notorioufly fond of pleafure ; 
 and naturally mull be fo, according to my definition, be- 
 caufe they cannot enter into the minutiae of domeftic 
 tafte ; lacking judgment, the foundation of all tafte. 
 For the underftanding, in fpite of fenfual cavillers, re- 
 ferves to itfelf the privilege of conveying pure joy to the 
 heart. 
 
 With what a languid yawn have I feen an admirable 
 jpoem thrown down, that a man of true tafte returns to, 
 again and again, with rapture ; and, whilft melody has 
 almoft fufpended refpiration, a lady has aflced me, where 
 I bought my gown. I have feen alfo an eye glanced 
 coldly over a moft exquifite picture, reft, fparkling with 
 pleafure, on a caricature rudely fketched; and whilft 
 fome terrific feature in nature has fpread a fublime ftill- 
 nefs through my foul, I have been defired to obferve the 
 pretty tricks of a lap-dog, that my perverfe fate forced 
 me to travel with. Is it furprifmg, that fuch a taftelefs 
 being mould rather carefs this dog than her children ? 
 Or, that fhe fhould prefer the rant of flattery to the nm- 
 ple accents of fmcerity ? 
 
 To illuftrate this remark I muft be allowed to obferve, 
 that men of the firft genius, and moft cultivated minds, 
 have appeared to have the higheft relifh for the fimple 
 beauties of nature ; and they muft have forcibly felt, 
 what they have fo well defcribed, the charm, which na 
 tural affections, and unfophifticated feelings fpread round 
 the human character. It is this power of looking into 
 the heart, and refponfively vibrating with each emotion, 
 
286 VINDICATION OF THS 
 
 that enables the poet to perfonify each paffion, and the 
 painter to {ketch with a pencil of fire. 
 
 True tails is ever the work of the underflanding em 
 ployed in objferving natural effects ; and till women have 
 more undemanding, IL is vain to exped them to poiTefs 
 domeftic taile. Their lively fenfes will ever be at work 
 to harden tiieir hearts, and the emotions ftruck out of 
 them will continue to be vivid and tranfitory, unlefs a 
 proper education ftores their minds with knowledge. 
 
 It is the want of domeftic lai-.e, and net the acquire 
 ment of knowledge, that takes worsen out cf their fami 
 lies, and tears the fmiiing b:ibc fvcm the breaft that 
 ought to afford it nouriihment. Women have been al 
 lowed to remain in ignorance., and flaviih dependence, 
 many, very many years, and ftill we hear of nothing but 
 their fondnefs of pleafure and fway, their preference of 
 rakes and foldiers, their childifh attachment to toys, and 
 tiic vanity that makes them value accornplilhnients more 
 than virtues. 
 
 Hiitory brings forward a fcarfai catalogue of the 
 crimes which their cunning has produced, when the 
 weak {laves have had fuflicient addrefs to over-reach their 
 maflers. In France, and in how many other countries 
 have men been the luxurious clefpots, and women the 
 crafty miniiters ? Does this prove that ignorance and 
 dependence domeilicate them ? Is not their folly the by 
 word cf the libertines, who relax in their fociety ; and 
 do not men of fenfe continually lament, that an immode 
 rate fondnefs for drefs and diillpation carries the mother 
 of a family for ever from home. Their hearts have not 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 287 
 
 been debauched by knowledge, nor their minds led aftray 
 by fcientific purfuits ; yet, they do not fulfil the peculiar 
 duties, which as women they are called upon by nature 
 to fulfil. On the contrary, the ftate of warfare which 
 fubfiils between the fexes, makes them employ thofe 
 wiles, that fruilrate the more open defigns offeree. 
 
 When, therefore, I call women flaves, I mean in a 
 political and civil fenfe ; for, indireclly they obtain too 
 much power, and are debafed by their exertions to ob 
 tain illicit fway. 
 
 Let an enlightened nation * then try what effect rea- 
 fon would have to bring them back to nature, and their 
 duty ; and allowing them to mare the advantages of edu 
 cation and government with man, fee whether they will 
 become better, as they grow wifer and become free. 
 They cannot be injured by the experiment; for it is 
 not in the power of man to render them more infignifi- 
 cant than they are at prefent. 
 
 To render this practicable, day fchools for particular 
 ages mould be eftablimed by government, in which boys 
 and girls might be educated together. The fchool for 
 the younger children, from five to nine years of age* 
 ought to be abfolutely free and open to all claflesf. A 
 fufHcient number of mafters mould alfo be chofen by a 
 feleft committee, in each parifh, to whom any complaint 
 
 * France. 
 
 f- Treating this part of the fitljiSl, I have borrowed fome hints from 
 H very fenfible pamphlet) iv tit ten by the late bijbop of Autun on Publi* 
 Education, 
 
288 
 
 VINDICATION OF THJE 
 
 of negligence, &c. might be made, if %ned by fix of 
 the children's parents. 
 
 Umers would then be unneceffary : for, I believe, 
 experience will ever prove, that this kind of fubordinate 
 authority is particularly injurious to the morals of youth. 
 What, indeed, can tend to deprave the character more 
 than outward fubmiffion and inward contempt? Yet, how 
 can boys be expected to treat an ufher with refpeov 
 when the mailer feems to confider him in the light of a 
 fervant, and almofl to countenance the ridicule which be 
 comes the chief amufement of the boys during the play 
 hours. 
 
 But nothing of this kind could occur in an elementary 
 day-fchool, where boys and girls, the rich and poor, 
 mould meet together. And to prevent any of the difl 
 tinclions of vanity, they fliould be drefled alike, and all 
 obliged to fubmit to the fame difcipline, or leave the 
 fchool. The fchool-room ought to be fur rounded by a 
 large piece of ground, in which the children might be 
 ufe fully exerciied, for at this age they mould not be con 
 fined to any fedentary employment for more than an honr 
 at a time. But thefe relaxations might all be rendered 
 a part of elementary education, for many things improve 
 and amufe the fenfes, when introduced as a kind of mow* 
 to the principles of which, dryly laid down, children 
 would turn a deaf ear. For inftance, botany, mecha 
 nics, and aftronomy. Reading, writing, arithmetic, na 
 tural hiftory, and fome fimple experiments in natural phi- 
 lofophy, might fill up the day ; but thefe purfuits mould 
 never encroacJi on gymnaftic plays in the open air. The 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 280 
 
 7 
 
 elements of religion, hiftory, the hiflory of man, and 
 politics might alib be taught, by conversions in the 
 ! focratic form. 
 
 After the age of nine, girls and boys, intended for do- 
 meftic employments, or mechanical trades, ought to be 
 removed to other fchools, and receive inftruclion, in 
 feme meafure appropriated to the destination of each in 
 dividual, the two fexes, being ftiil together in the mor 
 ning ; but in the afternoon, the girls mould attend a 
 fchool, where plain-work, mantua-making, millinery, 
 &c. would be their employment. 
 
 The young people of fuperior abilities, or fortune, 
 
 i might now be taught, in another fchool, the dead and 
 
 I living languages, the elements of fcience, and continue 
 
 ( the ftudy of hiflory and politics, on a more extenfive 
 
 | fcale, which would not exclude polite literature. Girls 
 
 i and boys Hill together ? I hear fome readeis afk : yes. 
 
 i And I mould not fear any other confequence, than that 
 
 | fome early attachment might take place ; which, whilft 
 
 I it had the bed effect on the moral chandler of the young 
 
 people, might not perfedly agree with the views of the 
 
 parents, for it will be a long time I fear, before the 
 
 world is fo enlightened, that parents, only anxious to 
 
 j rentier their children virtuous, will let them choofe 
 
 companions for life themfeives. 
 
 Befides, this would be a fure way to promote early 
 toiarmges, and from early marriages the mofl falutary 
 phyilcal and moral effecls naturally flow. What a dif 
 ferent character does a married citizen aflume from the 
 felfifli coxcomb, who lives but for hknfelf, and who is 
 
VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 often afraid to marry left he mould not be able to livt 
 in a certain ftyle. Great emergencies excepted, which 
 would rarely occur in a fociety of which equality was 
 the bafis, a man could only be prepared to difcharge the 
 duties of public life, by the habkual practice of thofe 
 inferior ones which form the man. 
 
 In this plan of education, the confcitution of bcy$ 
 would not be ruined by the early debaucheries, 
 which now make men fo felfifti, nor girls rendered 
 weak and vain, by indolence and frivolous purfuits. 
 But, I prefuppofe, that fuch a degree of equality ihould 
 be eftablifhed between the fexes as would fhut out gal 
 lantry and coquetry, yet allow frienddiip and love to 
 temper the heart for the difcharge of higher duties. 
 
 Thefe would be fchools of morality and the happi- 
 nefs of man, allowed to flow from the pure fprings. of 
 duty and affection, what advances might not the human 
 mind make ? Society can only be happy and free in 
 proportion as it is virtuous ; but the prefent diftinc- 
 tions eftablimed in fociety, corrode all private, and blaft 
 all public virtue. 
 
 I have already inveighed againft the cullom of con 
 fining girls to their needle, and (hutting them out from 
 all political and civil employments ; for by thus nar 
 rowing their minds they are rendered unfit to fulfil the i 
 peculiar duties which nature has aillgned them. 
 
 Only employed about the little incidents of the clay, 
 they neceflarily grow up cunning. My very foul has 
 often fickened at obferving the fly tricks pradUfed by 
 women to gain fome fcoliin thing on which their filly 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 2$I 
 
 hearts were fet. Not allowed to difpofe of money, or 
 call any thing their own, they iearri to turn the market 
 penny ; or, ihould a huiband offend, by fhying from 
 home, or give rile to forne emotions of jeuioui) a new 
 gown, or any pretty bauble, imooths Juno's angry brow. 
 But thefe littUneffes would not degrade their cha- 
 rader, if women were led to refped themfelves, if po 
 litical and moral fubjeda wex'e opened to them ; aad I 
 will venture to affirm, that this is the only way to make 
 them properly attentive to tiieir domekic autie., An 
 active mind embraces the waoie circle of us duties, 
 and finds time enougii for ail. It is not, i aflert, a bold 
 atte npt to emulate mafcuune virtues ; k L not the en 
 chantment of literary puri'uits, or tiie Heady inveiriga- 
 tioa of fcicntific fubjeds, that lead women aitray from 
 duty. No, it is indolence and vanity the love of plea- 
 fure and the love of fway, that will reign paramount in 
 an empty mind. 1 fay empty, emphatically, becaufcthe 
 education which women now receive icarcely Jc-ierv e; the 
 name. For the little knowledge they areieJ to acquire 
 during the important years of youtii, is mereiy relative 
 to accompliirmients ; and accompiiiliments without a 
 bottom, for unlefs the underilanding be cultivated, fu- 
 perficial and monotonous is every grace. Like the 
 charms of a mad.'-up face, they only itrike the fenfes 
 in a crowd ; but at home, wanting mind, they want va 
 riety. The confequence is obvious ; in gay fcenes of 
 diifipcttion we meet the artificial mind and face, for 
 thofe who fly from folitude dread next to folitude, the 
 domeilic circle ; not having it in their power to amufe 
 Cc 
 
VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 or mtereft, they feel their own infignincance, or find 
 nothing to aniufe or mtereft themfelves. 
 
 Beiides, what can be more indelicate than a girl's 
 coming out in the faihionable world ? Which, in other 
 words, is to bring to market a marriageable mifs, whofc 
 perfon is taken from one public place to another, richly 
 caparifoned. Yet, mixing in the giddy circle under 
 reftraint, thefe butterflies long to flutter at large, for 
 the firil affection of their fouls is their own peribns, to 
 which their attention has been called with the moft fe- 
 dulous care, whilft they were preparing for the period 
 that decides their fate for life. Indead of purfuing this 
 idle routine, fighing for taiteleis mow, and heartlefs 
 flatc, with what dignity would the youths of both fexes 
 form attachments in the fchools that I have curforily 
 }'0 nted out ; in which, as life advanced, dancing, mufic, 
 .and drawing, might be admitted as relaxations, for at 
 thefe fchools young people of fortune ought to remain, 
 more or lefs, till they were of age. Thoie, who were 
 defined for particular profeffions, might attend, three 
 or four mornings in the week, the fchools appropriated 
 for their immediate inttruclion. 
 
 I only drop thefe cbfervations at prefent, as hints, ra 
 ther indeed as an outline of the plan I mean, than a 
 duelled one ; but I mufladd, that I highly approve of 
 one regulation mentioned in the pamphlet * already al 
 luded to, that of making the children and youths in 
 dependent of the matters refpe&ing punifhments. Tl 
 
 * The Bijbof of Autuns. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 
 
 fhould be tried by their peers, which would be an ad 
 mirable method of fixing found principles of juilice in 
 the mind, and might have the happieft effect on the tem 
 per, which is very early loured or irritated by tyranny, 
 till it becomes peeviihly cunning, or ferocioufly over 
 bearing. 
 
 My imagination darts forward with benevolent fer 
 vour to greet thefe amiable and refpeclable groups, in 
 fpite of the fneering of cold hearts, who are at liberty 
 to utter, with frigid felf-importance, the damning epi 
 thet. romantic j the force of which I {hall endeavour 
 to blunt by repeating the words of an eloquent moraiill. 
 
 * 1 know not whether the alluiions of a truly humane 
 ' he a rt, whoie zeal renders every thing eaiy, is not 
 
 * preferable to that rough and repulfmg reafon, which 
 
 * always finds in indifference for the public good, the 
 ' firft obflacle to whatever would promote it.' 
 
 I know that libertines will allb exclaim, that woman 
 would be unfexed by acquiring ilrength of body and 
 mind, and that beauty, foft bewitching beauty ! would 
 no longer adorn the daughters of men ! I am of a very 
 different opinion, for I think, that, on the contrary, we 
 mould then fee dignified beauty, and true grace ; to pro 
 duce which, many powerful phyfical and moral caufes 
 would concur. Not relaxed beauty, it is true, nor the 
 graces of helplelTnefs ; but fuch as appears to make us 
 refpeft the human body as a majeftic pile fit to receive 
 a noble inhabitant, in the relics of antiquity. 
 
 I do not forget the popular opinion, that the Grecian 
 iUtues were not modelled after nature. I mean, not 
 
 CC2 
 
294 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 according to the proportions of a particular man; but 
 th it beautiful limbs and features were {elected from va 
 rious bodies to form a harmonious whole. This might, 
 in fome degree, be true. The fine ideal picture of an 
 exalted imagination might be fuperior to the materials 
 which the painter found in nature, and thus it might 
 with propriety be termed rather the model of mankind 
 than of a man. It was not, however the mechanical 
 felectioR of limbs and features ; but the ebullition of an 
 heated funcy that burft forth, and the fine fenfes and 
 enlarged understanding of the artift feleded the folid 
 matter, which he drew into this glowing focus. 
 
 I obferved that it was not mechanical, becaufe a whole 
 was produced a model of that grand fimplicky, of 
 thofe concurring energies, which arreftour attention and 
 command our reverence. For only infipid lifelefs beauty 
 is produced by a fervile copy of even beautiful nature. 
 Yet, independent of thefe obfervations, I believe, that 
 the human form muft have been far more beautiful than 
 it is at prefent, becauie extreme indolence, barbarous 
 ligatures, and many caufes, which forcibly ad on it, in 
 our .uxuiious ftate of lociety, did not retard its expan- 
 fion, or render it deformed. Exercife and cleanlinefs 
 appear to be not only the furelt means of preferving 
 health, but of promoting beauty, the phyiical caufes 
 only confidered; yet, this is not fufncient, moral ones 
 mult occur, or beauty will be merely of that ruftic kind 
 which blooms on the innocent, wholefome countenances 
 of ionic country people, whole minds have not been 
 cxerciied. To render the perfon perfect, phyncal and 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 2Q5 
 
 moral beauty ought to be attained at the fame time ; 
 each lending and receiving force by the combination. 
 Judgment muft refide on the brow, affection and fancy 
 beam in the eye, and humanity curve the cheek, or 
 vain is the fparkling of the fineft eye, or the elegantly 
 turned finim of the faireft features ; whilfl in every mo 
 tion that diiplays the active limbs and well-knit joints, 
 grace and modefty mould appear. But this fair afTem- 
 biage is not to be brought together by chance ; it is 
 the reward of exertions met to fupport each other ; 
 for judgment can only be acquired by reflection, affec 
 tion by the difcharge of duties, and humanity by the 
 exercife of companion to every living creature. 
 
 Humanity to animals mould be particularly incul 
 cated as a part of national education, for it is not at 
 prefe.it one of our national virtues. TcnJernefs for 
 their humble dumb dcmeftics, amongft the lower clafs, 
 is oftcner to be found in a favage than a civilized fcate. 
 For civilization prevents that intercourfe which creates 
 in the rude hut, or mud cabin, and leads un 
 
 cultivated minds who are only depraved by the refine 
 ments which prevail in the fccie'cy, where they are 
 trouden under foot by the rich, to domineer over 
 theji to revenge the infults that they are obliged to bear 
 from their fuperiors. 
 
 This habitual cruelty is firftcuight at fchool, where it 
 is one of the rare fports of the boys to torment the mi- 
 ferable brutes that fall in their way. The tranfition, as 
 they grow up, from barbarity to brutes to domeftic ty 
 ranny over wives, children, and fervants, is very eafy, 
 Cc 3 
 
296 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 Juftice, or even benevolence, will not be a powerful 
 *pring of aclion, unlefs it be extended to the whole crea 
 tion j nay, I believe, that it may be delivered as an 
 axiom, that thole who can fee pain, unmoved, will foon 
 learn to inflict it. 
 
 The vulgar are fwayed by prefent feelings, and the 
 h-ibits which they have accidentally acquired ; but on 
 partial feelings much dependence cannot be placed, 
 though they be juft ; for, when they are not invigorated 
 by reflection, cuftom weakens them, till they arefcarcely 
 felt. The fympathies of our nature are flrengthened 
 by pondering cogitations, and deadened by thought- 
 lefs uie. Macbeth's heart fmote him more for one mur 
 der, the firft, than for a hundred fubfequent ones, which 
 were neceiTary to back it. But, when I ufed the epithet 
 vulgar, I did not mean to confine my remark to the 
 poor, for partial h/jmanity, founded on prefent fenfa- 
 tions or whim, is quite as conipicuoas, if not more fo, 
 amongft the rich. 
 
 The lady who meds tears for the bird ftarved in a 
 fn:ire, and execrates the devils in the (liape of men, 
 who goad to madnefs the poor ox, or whip the patient 
 afs, tottering under a burden above its ftrength, will, 
 neverthelefs, keep her coachman an^ horfes whole hours 
 waiting for her, when the Iharp froft bites, or the rain 
 beits again ft the well-clofei windows which do not ad 
 mit a breath of air to tell her how roughly the wind 
 bio vvs without. And fhe who takes her dogs to bed, 
 and nurfes them with a parade of fenfibility, when lick, 
 fuifer her babes to grow up crooked in a nurfery. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 
 
 This illuftration of my argument is drawn from a matter 
 of fad. The woman whom I allude to was handfome, 
 reckoned very handfome, by thofe who do not mifs the 
 mind when the face is plump and fair ; but her under* 
 (landing had not been led from ft m Je duties by litera 
 ture, nor her innocence debauched by knowledge. No, 
 me was quite feminine, according to the niafculine ac 
 ceptation of the word ; and, ib far from loving thefe 
 fpoiled brutes that filled the place which her children 
 ought to have occupied, me only lifped out a pretty 
 mixture of French and Englilh nonfenfe, to pleafe the 
 men who flocked round her. The wife, mother, and 
 human creature, were all fwallowed up by the factitious 
 character, which an improper education, and the ielfiih 
 vanity of beauty, had produced. 
 
 I do not like to make a uiftincrion without a differ 
 ence, and I own that I have been as much difgufted by 
 the fine lady who took her lap-dog to her bofbm, in- 
 ilead of her child, as by the ferocity of a man, who 
 beating his horfe, declared, that he knew as well when 
 he did wrong as a Chriftian. 
 
 This brood of folly mows how miflaken they are who, 
 if they allow women to leave their harams, do not cul 
 tivate their underilandings, in order to plant virtues 
 in their hearts. For hid they fenfe, they might ac 
 quire that domeflic tafle which would lead them to love 
 with reafonable fubordination their whole fimiiy, from 
 the hufband to the houfe-dog ; nor would they ever in- 
 fult humanity in the p^rfon of th? moft menial fervant, 
 by paying more attention to the comfort of a bruic than 
 to that of a fellow-creature. 
 
2g VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 My obfrrvations on national education are obvioufly 
 hinis ; but I principally wiih to enforce the neceffity of 
 educ-iting the fenies together to perfect both, and of ; 
 making chiicL-en ileep at home, that they may learn 
 to love home ; yet to make private iupport, inftead of 
 fmothering public affections, they mould be fent to 
 fcnool to mix wicri a number of equals, for only by the 
 jo!Hings of equality can we form a juft opinion of 
 ouifelves. 
 
 To render mankind more virtuous, and happier of 
 courfe, both fexes muft aft from the fame principle ; but 
 how can that be expected when only one is allowed to 
 fee the reafonablenefs of it ? To render alfo the ibcial 
 compact truly equitable, and in order to fpread thofe 
 enlightening principles, which alone can meliorate the 
 fate of man, women muft be allowed to found their vir 
 tue on knowledge, which is fcarcely poffible unlefs they 
 are educated by the fame purfuits as men. For they 
 are now made fo inferior by ignorance and low defires, 
 as not to defer ve to be ranked with them ; or, by the 
 ferpentine wrigglings of cunning they mount the tree of 
 knowledge, and only acquire fufHcientto lead men aftray. 
 
 It is plain from the hiilory of all nations, that women 
 cannot be confined to merely domeflic purfuits, for they 
 will not fulfil family duties, unlefs their minds take a 
 \vi ler range, and whilft they are kept in ignorance, they 
 become, in the lame proportion, the ilaves of pleafure, 
 as they are the flaves of man. Nor can they be ihut 
 out of great enterprifes, though the narrownefs of their 
 minds often make them mar, what they are unable to 
 comprehend. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 29$ 
 
 The libertinifm, and even the virtues of fuperior 
 men, will always give women of fome defcription, 
 it power over them ; and theie weak women, under 
 the influence of childiih pafiions and felhm vanity, will 
 throw a falfe light over the objects which the very men 
 view with their eyes, who ought to enlighten their 
 judgment. Men of fancy, and thofe fanguine cha- 
 rafters who moilly hold the helm of human affairs, in 
 general, relax in the fociety of women ; and furely I 
 need not cite to the moft fuperficial reader of hiitory, 
 the numerous examples of vice and oppreflion which the 
 private intrigues of female favourites have produced ; 
 not to dwell on the miichief t-iat naturally arifes from 
 the blundering interpofition of well-meaning foily. 
 For in the transactions of bufmefs it is much better to 
 have to deal with a knave than a fool, becauie a kn.ive 
 adheres to fome plan; and any plan of reafon may be 
 feen through much fooner than a fudden flight of folly. 
 The power which vile and fooliih women iiave had over 
 wife men, who poiTeiTed leniibiiuy, is notorious; I lhall 
 only mention one inibtnce. 
 
 Whoever drew a more exalted female character than 
 Roufleau ? though in the lump he conftantly enaeavoarcd 
 to degrade the iex. And why was he thus anxious ? 
 Truly to juflify to himfelf the affection winch we .kn^fs 
 and virtue had made him cnerim for th.it fool Taerefa. 
 He could not raife her to the common level of her fex ; 
 and therefore he laboured to bang woman down to 
 her's. He found her a convenient humble couipanion, 
 and pride made him determine to tind lome iuperior 
 
300 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 virtues in the being whom he chofe to live with ; but 
 did not her conduct during his life, and after his death, 
 clearly {how how groisly lie was miftaken who called <,er 
 a ceieftial innocent. Nay, in the bitternefs of his heart, 
 he himfelf laments, that when his bod-.iy infirmities made 
 him no longer treat her like a woman, me ceaied to have 
 an affeclion for him. And it was very natural that me 
 fhouid, for having fo few ienviments in common, when 
 the iexual tie was broken what was to hold her ? To 
 hold her affection whole ieniibility was confined to one 
 fex, nay, to one man, it requires fenfe to turn fenubi- 
 lity into the broad channel of humanity ; many women 
 have not mind enough to have an affection for a woman 
 or a friendfhip for a man. But the fexual weakneis that 
 makes woman depend on man for a fubtiilence, produces 
 a kind of cattifn affection wnicn leads a wife to purr 
 about her hufband, as ihe would about any man who fed 
 and carefied her. 
 
 Men are, however, often gratified by this kind of fond- 
 nefs, which is confined in a beaftly manner to themfelves, 
 but ihould they ever become more virtuous, they will 
 wifh to converfe at their fire-fide with a friend, after 
 they ceafe to play with a miflrefs. 
 
 Beiides, understanding is necefT.ry to give variety and 
 interefl to ienlual enjoyments, for low, indeed, in the 
 intellectual fcale, is the mind that can continue to love 
 when neither virtue nor fenfe give a human appearance 
 to an animal appetite. But fenfe will always prepon 
 derate; and if women are not, in general, brought more 
 on a level with men, fome Superior women, like the 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 
 
 Greek courtezans, will affemble the men of abilities 
 around them, and draw from their families many citi 
 zens, who would have ftayed at home, had their wives 
 had more fenfe, or tne graces which refult from the 
 exerciie of the underfh,nding and f.ncy, the legitimate 
 parents of taite. A woman uf talents, if ihe be not ab- 
 foiuteiy ugly, will always obtain great power, raifed 
 by the we^knefs of her fexj and in proportion as men 
 acquire virtue and delicacy ; by the exertion of re.tfon, 
 they will look for both in women, but they can only 
 acquire them in the fame way that men do. 
 
 In i ranee or Italy h.ive the women confined them* 
 felves to domeftic life ? though they have nol hitherto 
 had a political exiilence, yet, have they no: iineitiy 
 had great fway ? corrupting thcmfeives and the men 
 with whofe p.ifiions they payed. In (hort, in wh-iiever 
 light I view the fubjecl, reaion and experience con 
 vince me, that the on. / method of leading women co 
 fulfil their peculiar duties, is to free 'iem from ail re- 
 flraint by allowing them to participate the inherent 
 rights of mankind. 
 
 M-.ke them free, and they will quickly become wife 
 and virtuous, as man become more io -, Tor tLe improve 
 ment muft be mutual, or the juihce which one halt of 
 the human race are obliged to fub^it to, retorting on 
 their oppreflbrs, the virtue of man will be worm-eaten 
 by the infeft whom he keeps under his feet. 
 
 Let men take their ch -ice, man and woman were 
 made for each other, though not ;o become o,:e being ; 
 and if they will not improve women, tuey will deprave 
 them! 
 
302 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 J fpeak of the impiovement and emancipation of the 
 whoie iex, for 1 know tiiat the behaviour of a few wo* 
 men, who, b accident, or following a ftrong bent of 
 natuie, nave acquired a portion cf knowledge luperior 
 to that of the reft of their fex, has often been overbear- 
 ing; but there have been inftances of women who, at- 
 taming knowieuge, nave nui dhc.rded modefty, nor 
 have they always ^edaiKicaiiy a f Beared to dcipiie the 
 ignorance whica they laboured 10 aiipene in tlieir own 
 minds. The excJan;aiioni> Uien winch <-ny advice re- 
 fpeclmg female le.-.miug, commonly pruducej, eipccuily 
 from pretty wcii.ci.. c-i^n ariie lioiu envy. When they 
 chance to lee that even the iuiue of their eyes, and the 
 flippant fportivenefs of reiined coquetry will not alway 
 fee are them attention, during a whole evening, lliould 
 a woman of a more cultivated underrlanding endeavour 
 to give a rational turn to the conversation, the common 
 fource of confoiution is, that fuch women ieidom get 
 hufbanas. What arts have I not feen filly women ule to 
 interrupt \>y flirtation, a very ftgnificant word todeicribe 
 fucn a manoeuvre, a rational converiadon which made 
 the men forget that they were pretty women. 
 
 But, allowing what is very natural to man, that the 
 poflefiion of rare abilities is really calculated to excite 
 over-weening priie, difgufting in both men and women, 
 in what a flate of inferiority muft tiie femaie faculties 
 have rafted when fuch a fmull portion of knowledge as 
 thofe women attained, who have fneeringly been termed 
 learned women, could be fmgular ?- Surl;cicntly To to 
 puff up the poffefibr, and excite envy in her contempo- 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 303 
 
 raries, and fome of the other fex. Nay, has not a little 
 rationality expofed many women to the fevereft cenfure?, 
 I advert to well-known fads, for I have frequently 
 heard women ridiculed, and every little weaknefs ex 
 pofed, only becaufe they adopted the advice of fome 
 medical men, and deviated from the beaten track in 
 their mode of treating their infants. I have actually 
 heard this barbarous averfion to innovation carried ftill 
 further, and a fenfible woman ftigmatized as an 
 tural mother, who has thus been wifely folicitous to pre- 
 ferve the health of her children, when in the midx r r of her 
 care me has loll one by fome of the culuaides . 
 which no prudence can ward off. Her ac< 
 have obferved, that this was the confcquence of new 
 fangled notions the nsw-fangl^d notions o 
 cleanlinefs. And thofe who pretending to experience, 
 though they have Ion. ., have, 
 
 according to the opinion of the moft . 
 cians, thinned the n . 
 difafter that gave a kind 
 Indeed, if it were only : 
 education of women is of ti 
 what a number of human prejudices are 
 moloch prejudice 1 And in how many ways are children 
 deftroyed by the lafcivioufnefs of man ? The want of 
 natural affection in many women, who are drawn from, 
 their duty by the admiration of me , and the ignorance 
 of others, render the infancy c r i a much more peril- 
 |ous ftate than that of brute^ , yet men are unwilling to 
 place women in fituations proper to enable, them U> 
 Dd 
 
VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 acquire fufficient understanding to know how even td 
 nurfe their babes. 
 
 So forcibly does this truth ftrike me, that I would 
 reft the whole tendency of my reafoning upon it, for 
 whatever tends to incapacitate the maternal character, 
 takes woman out of her fphere. 
 
 But it is vain to expect the prefent race of weak 
 mothers either to take that reafonable care of a child's 
 body, which is nece/Tary to lay the foundation of a good 
 conflitution, fuppofing that it do not fuffer for the fins 
 of its fathers ; or to manage its temper fo judicioufly 
 that the child will not have, as it grows up, to throw 
 off all that its mother, its firft inftructor, directly or in 
 directly taught, and unlefs the mind has uncommon vi 
 gour, womanifn follies will flick to the chara&er through 
 out life. The weakneis of the mother will be vifited on 
 the children ! And whilfl women are educated to rely 
 on their htrfbands for judgment, this mult ever be the 
 consequence, for there is no improving an underftand- 
 ing by halves, nor can any being act wifely from imita 
 tion, beeaafe in every circumftance of life there is a 
 kind of individuality, which requires an exertion of 
 judgment to modify general rules. The being who can 
 think juftly in one track, will foon extend its intellec 
 tual empire ; and ihe who has fufficient judgment to 
 manage her children, will not fubmit right or wrong to 
 her huikind, or patently to the focial laws which makes 
 a non-entity of a wife. 
 
 In public fchools, women, to guard againft the errors 
 of ignorance, mould be taught the elements of anatomy 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 305 
 
 and medicine, not only to enable them to take proper 
 care of their own health, but to make them rational 
 nurfes of their infants, parents, and hulbands ; for the 
 bills of mortality are fwelled by the blunders of felf- 
 willed old women, who give noftrums of their own, 
 without knowing any thing of the human frame. It 
 is likewife proper, only in a domeftic view, to make 
 women, acquainted with the anatomy of the mind, by 
 allowing the fexes to affociate together in every pur- 
 fuit; and by leading them to obferve the progrefs of 
 the human undemanding in the improvement of the 
 fciences and arts; never forgetting the fcience of mora 
 lity, nor the iludy of the political hiftory of mankind. 
 
 A man has been termed a microcofm ; and every fa 
 mily might alfo be called a ftate. States, it is true, 
 have moftly been governed by arts that difgrace th 
 character of man; and the want of a juil conftitution, 
 and equal laws, have fo perplexed the notions of the 
 worldly wife, that they more than queftion the reafon- 
 ablenefs of contending for the rights of humanity. 
 Thus morality, polluted in the national refervoir, fends 
 off ftreams of vice to corrupt the conftituent parts of 
 the body politic ; but mould more noble, or .rather 
 more juft principles regulate the laws, which ought to 
 be the government of fociety, and notthofe who execute 
 them, duty might become the rule of private conduct. 
 
 Befides, by the exercife of their bodies and minds, 
 
 women would acquire that mental activity fo neceflary 
 
 in the maternal character, united with the fortitude that 
 
 diftinguiflies ileadinefs of conduct from the obftinaj:* 
 
 Ddz 
 
306 VINDICATION CF THE 
 
 perverfenefs of weaknefs. For it is dangerous to advife 
 ' the indolent to be fteady, becaufe they inftantly become 
 rigorous, and to fave themfelves trouble, punifti withie- 
 verity faults that the patient fortitude of reafon might have 
 prevented. But fortitude prefuppofcs ftrength of mind, 
 and is ftrength of mind to be acquired by indolent acqui- 
 efcence ? By aiking advice inftead of exerting the judg 
 ment? By obeying through fear, inftead of praftifmg the 
 forbearance, which we all Hand in need of ourfelves ? 
 The conlcufion which I vvifh to draw is obvious ; make 
 TV omen rational creatures and free citizens, and they will 
 quickly become good wives, and mothers j that is if 
 men do not negleft the duties of huibands and fathers. 
 
 Difcufling the advantages which a public and private 
 education combined, as I have iketched, might ration 
 ally be expected to produce, I have dwelt moil on fuch 
 as are particularly relative to the female world, becaufe 
 I think the female world opprefTed ; yet the gangrene 
 which the vices engendered by oppreflion have produced, 
 is not confined to the morbid part, but pervades fociety 
 at large ; fo that when I wilh to fee my fex become mere 
 like moral agents, my heart bounds with the anticipa 
 tion of the general diffufion of that fublime contentment 
 which only morality can diiTufe. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 307 
 
 CHAP. XIII. 
 
 Some wftancts of the folly which the ignorance of Women 
 generates y with concluding Reflexions on the moral im 
 provement that a Re-volution in female Manners might 
 naturally be expecled to produce. 
 
 L HERE are many follies, in fome degree, peculiar 
 to women: fins againft reafon of commifiion as well as 
 of orniffion; but all flowing from ignorance or preju 
 dice, I mall only point out fuch as appear to be injurious, 
 to their moral character. And in animadverting on 
 them, I wifti efpecially to prove, that the weaknefs of 
 mind and body, which men have endeavoured, impelled 
 by various motives, to perpetuate, prevents their dif- 
 charging the peculiar duty of their fox : for when weak 
 nefs of body will not permit them to fuckle their chil 
 dren, and weaknefs of mind makes them fpoil their 
 tempers is woman in a natural ftate ? 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 ONE glaring inilance of the weaknefs which proceeds 
 from ignorance/ firft claims attention, and calls for 
 fevere reproof. 
 
 In this metropolis a number of lurking leeches infa- 
 moufly gain a fubfiflence by praclifing on the credulity 
 of women, pretending to caft nativities, to ufe the 
 technical word ; and many females, who, proud of their 
 
VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 rank and fortune, look down on ths vulgar with fove- 
 reign contempt, fhevv by this credulity, that the dif- 
 tinclion is arbitrary, and that they have not fufficiently 
 cultivated their minds to raife above vulgar prejudices. 
 Women, becaufe they have net been led* to confider the 
 knowledge of their duty a5 the one thing neceffary to 
 know, or, to live in the prefent moment by the dif- 
 charge of it, are very anxious to peep into futurity, to 
 learn what they have to expect to render life interefting, 
 and to break the vacuum of ignorance. 
 
 I muft be allowed to expoflulate ferioufly with the 
 ladies, who follow thefe idle inventions ; for ladies, 
 midrefles of families, are not afhamed to drive in their 
 own carriages to the door of the cunning man,* And 
 if any of them mould perufe this work, I entreat them 
 to anfwer to their own hearts the following queflions, 
 not forgetting that they are in the prefence of God. 
 
 Do you believe that there is but one God, and that 
 he is powerful, wife, and good ? 
 
 Do you believe that ail things were created by him, 
 and that all beings are dependent on him ? 
 
 Do you rely on his wifdoni, fo confpicuous in his 
 works, and in your own frame, and are you convinced, 
 that he has ordered all things which do not come under 
 the cognizance of your fenfes, in the fame perfect har 
 mony, to fulfil his defigns ? 
 
 * I tnce li'ved in t':c neighbourhood of one of thefe tncn^ a hindfomc 
 rr'j-:i, and f-..iv fe and indignation t ii'Oincn^ nub'jfe appearance 
 
 , nJ ctt. iLut rank in ivbicb females arejupf'rjedto rtfav* 
 
 e JupetiGf education. Jlock to bis door. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 309 
 
 Do you acknowledge that the power of looking into 
 futurity, and feeing things that are not, as if they were, 
 is an attribute of the Creator ? And fhould he, by an 
 impreilion on the minds of his creatures, think fit to 
 impart them fome event hid in the fhades of time, yet 
 unborn, to whom would the fecret be revealed by im 
 mediate infpiration? The opinion of ages will anfwer 
 this queiUon to reverend old men, to people diiHn- 
 guifhed for eminent piety. 
 
 The oracles of old were thus delivered by priefts dedi 
 cated to the fervice of the God, who was fuppofed to in- 
 fpire them. The glare of worldly pomp which fur- 
 rounded thefs impofuors, and the refpeci paid to them 
 by artful politicians, who knew how to avail themfelves 
 of this ufeful engine to bend the necks of the ftrong un 
 der the dominion of the cunning, fpread a facred rnyfte^ 
 rious veil of fanctity over their lies and abominations. 
 Impreffedby fuch folemn devotional parade, a Greek or 
 Roman lady might be excufed, if fiie inquired of the 
 oracie, when ilie was anxious to pry^into futurity, or in 
 quire aboai "fome dubious event: and her inquiries, 
 however contrary to reafon , could not be reckoned im 
 pious. Bur, can the profeflbrs of Chriftianity ward off 
 that imputation ? Can a Chriilian fuppoie, that the fa 
 vourites of the moil High, the highly favoured, would be 
 obliged to lurk in difguife, and pradile the moft diflio- 
 
 neft tricks to cheat filly women out of the money . 
 
 which the poor cry for in vain ? 
 
 Say not that fuch queflions are an infult to common 
 fenfc for it is your own conduct, O ye foolifli women ! 
 
3IO VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 which throws an odium on your fex 1 And thefe reflec* 
 tions fhould make you fhudder at your thoughtlemiefs, 
 and irrational devotion. for I do not fuppoie, tk t all 
 of you laid afide your religion, fuch as it is, when you 
 entered thofe myilerious dwellings. Yet, as I have 
 throughout fuppofed myfelf talking to ignorant women, 
 for ignorant ye are in the moft emphatical fenfe of the 
 word, it would be abiurd to reaibn with you on the 
 egregious folly of defiring to know what the Supreme 
 Wiidorn has concealed. 
 
 Probably you would not underftand me, were I to at 
 tempt to mew you that it would be abfolutely inconfifix 
 ent with the grand purpoie of lift, that of rendering 
 hun;an creatures wile and virtuous : and that, were it 
 fandioned by God, it would diilurb the order eftablifh- 
 ed in creation ; and if it be not fanclioned by God, do 
 you exped to hear truth ? Can events be foretold, events 
 which have not yet aflumed a body to become fubjecl: to 
 mortal infpeclion, can they be forefeen by a vicious 
 worlding, who pampers his appetites by preying on the 
 foolim ones ? 
 
 Perhaps, however, you devoutly believe in the devil, 
 and imagine, to mift the queftion, that he may affift his 
 votaries ? but, if really refpeding the power of fuch a 
 being, an enemy to goodnefs and to God, can you go to 
 church after having been under fuch an obligation to him. 
 
 From thefe delufions to thofe ftill more faihionable 
 deceptions, praftifed by the whole tribe of magnetifers, 
 the tranfition is very natural. With refpedl to them, it ii 
 equally proper to aik women a few queitions. 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 3!* 
 
 Do you know any thing of the conllruftion of the hu 
 man frame ? If not, it is proper that you fhould be 
 told; what every child ought to know, that when its 
 admirable ceconomy has been difturbed by intempe 
 rance or indolence, I fpeak not of violent diibrders, 
 but of chronical difeafes, it muft be brought into a 
 healthy ftate again by flow degrees, and if the func 
 tions of life have not been materially injured, regimen, 
 another word for temperance, air, exercrfe, and a few 
 medicines prefcribed by perfons who have fludied the 
 human body, are the only human means, yet difcovered, 
 of recovering that ifieiUmable bleiTmg health, that will- 
 bear invefligation. 
 
 Do you then believe, that thefe magnetifers, who, by 
 hocus pocus tricks, pretend, to work a miracle, are dele 
 gated by God, or afiifted by the folver of all thefe kind of 
 difficulties the devil. 
 
 Do they, when they put to flight, as it is faid, diibr 
 ders that have baffled the powers of medicine, work in 
 conformity to the light of reafon ? Or do they effect thefe 
 wonderful cures by fupernatural aid ? 
 
 By a communication, an adept may anfwer, with the 
 
 world of fpirits. A noble privilege, it muft be allowed. 
 
 1C of the ancients mention familiar daemons, who 
 
 ded them from danger, by kindly intimating, we 
 
 cannot guefs in what manner, when any danger was 
 
 nigh; or pointed out what they ought to undertake. 
 
 Yet the men who laid claim to this privilege, out of 
 
 the order of nature, infilled, that it was the reward or 
 
 confequence of fuperior temperance and piety. But 
 
312 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 the prefent workers of wonders are not raifed above 
 their fellows by fuperior temperance or fandtity. They 
 do not cure for the love of God, but money. Thefe 
 are the priefts of quackery, though it be true they 
 have not the convenient expedient of felling mafles 
 for fouls in purgatory, nor churches, where they can 
 difplay crutches, and models of limbs made found by 
 a touch or a word. 
 
 I am not converfant with the technical terms, nor 
 initiated into the arcana, therefore I may fpeak impro 
 perly ; but it is clear, that men who will not conform 
 to the law of reafon, and earn a fubfiftenee in an ho- 
 neft way, by degrees, are very fortunate in becoming 
 acquainted with fuch obliging fpirits. We cannot, 
 Indeed, give them credit for either great fagacity or 
 goodnefs, elfe they would have chofen more noble 
 inftruments, when they wimed to mew themfelves the 
 benevolent friends of man. 
 
 It is, however, little iliort of blafphemy to pretend 
 to fuch powers ! 
 
 From the whole tenor of the difpenfations of Provi 
 dence, it appears evident to fober reafon, that certain 
 vices produce certain effecls ; and can any one fo 
 grofsly infult the wifdom of God, as to fuppofe, that a 
 miracle will be allowed to difturb his general laws, to 
 reflore to health the intemperate and vicious, merely to 
 enable them to purfue the fame courfe with impunity ? 
 Be whole, and fin no more, faid jefus. And are greater 
 miracles to be performed by thofe who do not follow his 
 footiteps, who healed the body to reach the mind? 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 315 
 
 The mentioning of the name of Chrift after fuch 
 vile impoftors may difpleafe fome of my readers I 
 refpedl their warmth; but let them not forget, that the 
 followers of tliefe delufions bear his name, and profefs 
 to be the difciples of him, who faid, by their works 
 we fhould know who were the children of God or the 
 fervants of fin. I allow that it is ealier to touch the 
 body of a faint, or to be magnetiied, than to reftrain 
 our appetites or govern our puinons ; but health of 
 body or mind can only be recovered by thefe means, or 
 we make the Supreme Judge partial and revengeful. 
 
 Is he a man, that he mould change, or punifh out of 
 refentment ? He the common father, wounds but to 
 heal, fays reafon, and our irregularities producing cer 
 tain confequences, we are forcibly fhewn the nature of 
 vice ; that thus learning to know good from evil, by 
 experience, we may hate one and love the other, in 
 proportion to the wifdom which we attain. The poi- 
 fon contains the antidote; and we either reform our 
 evil habits, and ceafe to fin againft our own bodies, to 
 ufe the forcible language of fcripture, or a premature 
 death, the punimment of fin, ihaps the thread of life. 
 
 Kere an awful Hop is put to our inquiries. But, why 
 ftiould I conceal my fentiments ? Coniidering the a-n-i- 
 butes of God, I believe, that whatever punimn ent rmy 
 follow, will tend, like the anguim of diieafe, to lho\v the 
 malignity of vice, for the purpofe of reformation. Po- 
 fitive punishment appears fo contrary to the nature of 
 God, difcoverable in all his works, and in our own rea 
 fon, that I could fooner believe that the Deity paid no 
 
314 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 attention to the conduct of men, than that he puniihed 
 without the benevolent deiign of reforming. 
 
 To fuppofe only, that an all-wife and powerful Being, 
 as good as he is great, fhould create a being, foreiee- 
 ing that after fifty or iixty years of feverifh exiflence,, 
 it would be plunged into never-ending woe is blaf- 
 phemy. On what will the worm feed that is never to 
 die ? On folly, on ignorance, fay ye I mould blufh 
 indignantly at drawing the natural conclufion, could I 
 infert it, and wiih to withdraw myielf from the wing 
 of my God ! *-On fuch a iuppoiitlon, I fpeak with re 
 verence, he would be a coniurning fire. We fhould wim, 
 though vainly, to fly from his prefence when fear ab- 
 forbed love, and darknefs involved all his counfels. 
 
 I know that many devout people boafl of fubmitting 
 to the Will of God blindly, as to an arbitrary fceptre 
 or rod,, on the fame principle as the Indians worfhip 
 the devil. In other words, like people in the common 
 concerns of life, they do homage to power, and cringe 
 under the foot that can cruih them. Rational religion, 
 on the contrary, is a fubmiffion to the will of a being 
 fo perfectly wife, that all he wills muft be directed by 
 the proper motive muft be reafonable. 
 
 And, if thus we refpecl: God, can we give credit to 
 the myfterious infmuations which infult his laws ? Can 
 we believe, though it mould flare us in the face, that 
 he would work a miracle to authorize confufion by 
 fandioning an error ? Yet we muft either allow thefe 
 impious conclufions, or treat with contempt every pro- 
 mife to reflore health to a difeafed body by fupernatural 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 315 
 
 means, or to foretel, the incidents that can only be 
 forefeen by God. 
 
 SECT. II. 
 
 ANOTHER inilance of that feminine weaknefs of 
 chara&er, often produced by a confined education, is 
 a romantic twift of the mind, which has been very pro 
 perly termed fentimental. 
 
 Women, fubje&ed by ignorance, to their fenfations, 
 and only taught to look for happinefs in love, refine 
 on fenfual feelings, and adopt metaphyfical r 
 refpedting that paffion, which lead them Ihamefully to 
 neglect the duties of life, and frequently in the midft of 
 thefe fublime refinements they plump into actual vice. 
 
 Thefe are the women who are amufed by the reveriei 
 of the ftupid novelifts, who, knowing little of human 
 nature, work up Hale tales, and defcribe meretricious 
 icenes, all retailed in a fentimental jargon, which 
 equally tend to corrupt the tafte, and draw the heart 
 afide from its daily duties. I do not mention th* 
 underftanding, becaufe never having been exercifed, 
 its flumbering energies reft inactive,, like the lurking 
 particles of fire, which are fuppofed univerfally to per 
 vade matter. 
 
 Females, in faft, denied all political privileges, and 
 not allowed, as married women, excepting in criminal 
 cafes, a civil exiftence, have their attention naturally 
 drawn from the intereft of the whole community to 
 that of the minute parts, though the private duty of 
 t 
 
. VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 any member of fociety mull be very imperfectly per 
 formed, when not connected with the general good. 
 The mighty bufmefs of female life is to pleafe, and, 
 retrained from entering into more important concerns 
 by political and civil oppreffion, fentiments become 
 events, and reflection deepens what it faould, and 
 would have effaced, if the undemanding had been 
 allowed to take a wider range. 
 
 But, confined to trifling employments, they naturally 
 e opinions which the only kind of reading calcu 
 lated to interefl an innocent frivolous mind, infpires. 
 Unable to grafp any thing great, is it furprifmg that 
 they find the reading of hiftoiy a very dry talk, and 
 difquifitions addreffed to the undemanding, intolerably 
 tedious, and almofl unintelligible? Thus are they 
 necefi~:rily dependent on the noveliil for amufement. 
 Yet, wnen I exclaim agair.il novels, I mean when con-. 
 with thole works which exercife the underiland- 
 ing and regulate the imagination.- For any kind of 
 reading I think better than leaving a blank flill a 
 blank, becaufe the mind mull receive a degree of en- 
 ent, and obtain a little ftrength by a flight 
 exertion of its thinking powers; beildes, even the 
 produ&ions that are only addreffed to the imagination, 
 raife the reader a little above the grofs gratification of 
 appetites, to which the mind has not given a {hade of 
 delicacy. 
 
 This obfervation is the refult of experience ; for I 
 have known feveral notable women, and one in parti 
 cular, who was a very good woman as good as fuch a 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN", $IJ 
 
 narrow mind would allow her to be, who took care tL.it 
 her daughters (three in number) fhcu'- fee a no 
 
 vel. As fhe was a woman of fortune and feihion, they 
 had various mailers to attend them, and a fort of me 
 nial governefs to watch their footfteps. From their 
 matters they learned how tables, chairs, &c. were called 
 in French and Italian; but as the few books thrown 
 in their way were far above their capacities, or devo 
 tional, they neither acquired ideas nor fentiments, and 
 pa fled their time, when not compelled to repeat words, 
 in dreffing, quarrelling with each other, or converfiag 
 with their maids by Health, till they were brought into 
 company as marriageable. 
 
 Their mother, a widow, war: bufy In the mean time 
 in keeping up her connections, as me termed a nume 
 rous acquaintance, leil her girls mould want a proper 
 introduction into the great world. And thefe young 
 ladies, with minds vulgar in every fenfe of the word, 
 and fpolled tempers, entered life puffed up with notions 
 of their own confequence, and looking down with 
 contempt on thofe who could not vie with them in 
 drefs and parade. 
 
 With refpecl to love, nature, or their nurfes, had 
 taken care to teach them the phyflcal meaning of the 
 word; and, as they had fev/ topics of converia: 
 and fewer refinements of fentiment, they exprefied 
 their grofs wiflies not in very deiicnte phrafes, when 
 they fpoke freely, talking of matrimony. 
 
 Could thefe girls have been injured by the perufal of 
 novels ? I almoft forgot a {hade in the character of ens 
 Ee 2 
 
318 VINDICATION OF THfi 
 
 of them ; fhe affected a fimplicity bordering on folly, and 
 with a fimper would utter the moft immodeil remarks 
 and quefiions, the full meaning of which fhe had learned 
 whilii fecluded from the world, and afraid to fpeak in 
 her mother's prefence, who governed with a high hand: 
 they were all educated, as fhe prided herfelf, in a moft 
 exemplary manner; and read their chapters and pfalms 
 before breakfaft, never touching a filly novel. 
 
 This i.s only one inflance ; but I recollect many other 
 women, who, not led by degrees to proper lludies, and 
 not permitted to choofe for themfelves, have indeed 
 been overgrown children ; or have obtained, by mix 
 ing in the world, a little of what is termed common 
 fenfe ; that is, a diflinct manner of feeing common 
 occurrences, as they flancl detached : but what defervea 
 the name of intellect, the power of gaining general or 
 abftradt ideas, or even intermediate ones, was out of 
 the queflicn. Their minds were quiefcent, and when 
 they were not roufed by fenfible objects and employ 
 ments of that kind, they were low-fpirit^d, would cry, 
 or go to ileep. 
 
 When, therefore, I advife my fex not to read fuch 
 flimfy works, it is to induce them to read fomething 
 fuperior , for I coincide in opinion wkh a fagacious 
 man, who, having a daughter and niece under his care, 
 purfued a very different plan with each. 
 
 The niece, who had confiderable abilities, had, be 
 fore fhe was left to his guardianfhip, been indulged in 
 defultory reading. Ker he endeavoured to lead, and 
 did lead, to hiftory and moral effays j but his daughter, 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 
 
 319 
 
 whom a fond, weak mother had indulged, and who con- 
 fequently was averfe to every thing like application, he 
 allowed to read novels; and ufed to juftify his conduct 
 by faying, that if (lie ever attained a relifli for ix 
 them, he mould have fome foundation to work upon ; 
 and that erroneous opinions were better than none at all. 
 
 In fad, the female mind has been fo totally neglected, 
 that knowledge was only to be acquired from this 
 muddy fource, till from reading novels fome women of 
 fuperior talents learned to defpife them, 
 
 Tiie bed method, I believe, that can be adopted to 
 correct a fondneis for novels is to ridicule them : not in- 
 difcrimmately, for then it would have little effect ; but, 
 if a judicious perfon, with fome turn for humour, would 
 read feveral to a young girl, and point out, both by 
 tones and apt comparifotr., with pathetic incidents and 
 heroic characters in hiftory, how foe .nd ridicu- 
 
 loufly they caricatured human nature, ju might 
 
 be fubilituted iniicad of romantic fentiments. 
 
 In one refpecl, however, the majority of bsth 
 refemble, and equally (how a want of a ufte and moclefjy. 
 Ignorant women, forced to be chafte to prefer v; 
 reputation, allow their imagination to revel in the un 
 natural and meretricious fcenes fk etc lied by the novel 
 writers of the day, flighting as infipid the fober dignity 
 and matronly grace of hiflory,* whilit men carry the 
 
 * / am not twiu alluding to i'jat f:;f>crio;-iiy of :: 
 t':e creation of ideal teauty, <wben life, furveyt 
 
 appears a trapi comedy in "Which little can 
 Miihwt the be'p of fane -ft 
 
 Ee 3 
 
320 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 fame vitiated tafte into life, and fly for amufement to 
 th^ wanton, from the unfophifticated charms of virtue, 
 and the grave refpectabiiity of fenfe. 
 
 JSefiJes, the reading of novels makes women, and 
 particularly ladies of fafhion, very fond of ufmg ftrong 
 expreffions and fuperlatives in converfation ; and, though 
 the diffipated artificial life which they lead prevents 
 their cheri filing any flrong legitimate paffion, the 
 language of pafTion in affecled tones flips for ever from 
 their glib tongues, and every trifle produces thofe phof- 
 phoric burils which only mimic in the dark the fianu 
 of paffion. 
 
 SECT. III. 
 
 IGNORANCE and the miftaken cunning that natui 
 marpens in weak heads, as a principle of felf-preferv; 
 tion, render women very fond of drefs, and produc< 
 all the vanity which fuch a fondnefs may naturally 
 expected to generate, to the exclufion of emulatioi 
 and magnanimity. 
 
 I agree with RoufTeau, that the phyfical part of tJ 
 art of pleafing confifts in ornaments, and for that ver] 
 reafon I mould guard girls againft the contagious fond 
 nefs for drefs, fo common to weak women, that they ma] 
 not reft in the phyfical part. Yet, weak are thewomei 
 who imagine, that they can long pleafe without the ait 
 of the mind ; or, in other words, without the moral art 
 of pleafing. But the moral art, if it be not a profana 
 tion to ufe the word art, whsn alluding to the grace 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 32j 
 
 which is an effeft of virtue, and not the motive of ac- 
 v tion, is never to be found with ignorance ; the fportive- 
 nefs of innocence, fopleafmg to refined libertines of both 
 fexes, is widely different in its effence from this fuperior 
 gracefulnefs. 
 
 A ftrong inclination for external ornaments ever ap 
 pears in barbarous flates, only the men not the women 
 adorn themfelves ; for where women are allowed to be 
 fo far on a level with men, fociety has advanced at leail 
 one ilep in civilization. 
 
 The attention to drefs, therefore, which has been 
 thought a fexual propeniity, I think natural to mankind. 
 But I ought to exprefs myfelf with more precifion. 
 When the mind is not fufHciently opened to take plea- 
 fure in reflection, the body will be adorned with fedu- 
 lous care j and ambition will appear in tattooing or 
 painting it. 
 
 So far is the firft inclination carried, that even the 
 hellifh yoke of flavery cannot ftifle the favage defire of 
 admiration, which the black heroes inherit from both 
 their parents, for all the hardly-earned favings ofafiave 
 are commonly expended in a little tawdry finery. And 
 I have feldom known a good male or female fervant 
 that was not particularly fond of drefs. Their clothes 
 were their riches ; and I argue from analogy, that the 
 fondnefs for drefs, fo extravagant in females, arifes from 
 the fame caufe want of cultivation of mind. When 
 men meet, they converfe about bufmefs, politics, or lite 
 rature; but, fays Swift, ' how naturally do women 
 apply their hands to each others lappets and ruffles.' 
 
VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 .And very natural is it for they have not any bufmefs 
 to intereft them, have not a talte for literature, and they 
 find politics dry, becaufe they have not acquired a love 
 for mankind by turning their thoughts to the grand 
 purfuits that exalt the human race and promote general 
 happinefs. 
 
 Eefides, various are the paths to power and fame, 
 \vhich by accident or choice men purfue, and though 
 they joflle againfi each other, for men of the fame pro- 
 fefiion are feldom friends: yet there is a much greater 
 number of their fellow-creatures with whom they never 
 clam. But women are very differently fituated with 
 refpedt to each other for they are all rivals. 
 
 Before marriage it is their bufmefs to pleafe men; and 
 after, with a few exceptions, they follow the famefcent, 
 with all the perfevering pertinacity of inftinct. Even 
 virtuous women never forget their fex in company, for 
 they are for ever trying to make tliemfelves agreeable* 
 A female beauty and a male wit, appear to be equally 
 anxious to draw the attention of the company to 
 themfelves ; and the animofity of contemporary wits 
 is proverbial. 
 
 Is it then furpriiing, that when the fole ambition of 
 woman centres in beauty, and intereft gives vanity ad 
 ditional force, perpetual rivalfhips ihould enfue ? They 
 are all running the ;me race, and would rife above the 
 virtue of mortals, if they did not view each other with 
 a fufpicious and even envious eye. 
 
 An immoderate fondnefs fordrefs, for pleafure and for 
 fway,arethepaffions of favages ; the paffions that occupy 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN'. 323 
 
 thofe uncivilized beings who have not yet extended 
 the dominion of the mind, or even learned to think with 
 the energy neceffary to concatenate that abftract train of 
 thought which produces principles. And that women, 
 from their education and the prefent ftate of civilized 
 life, are in the fame condition, cannot, I think, be con 
 troverted. To laugh at them then, or fatirize the fol 
 lies of a being who is never to be allowed to aft freely 
 from the light of her own reafon, is as abfurd as cruel ; 
 for that they who are taught blindly to obey authority, 
 will endeavour cunningly to elude it, is moil natural 
 and certain. 
 
 Yet let it be proved, that they ought to obey man 
 implicitly, and I mall immediately agree, that it is wo 
 man's duty to cultivate a fondnefs for drefs, in order 
 to pleafe, and a propenfity to cunning for her own pre 
 fer vation. 
 
 The virtues, however, which are fupported by igno 
 rance, muft ever be wavering the houfe built on fand 
 could not endure a ftorm. It is almoft unneceflary to 
 draw the inference. If women are to be made virtuous 
 by authority, which is a contradiction in terms, let them 
 be immured in feraglios and watched with a jealous eye. 
 Fear not that the iron will enter into their fouls for the 
 fouls that can bear fuch treatment are made of yielding 
 materials, juft animated enough to give life to the body. 
 
 ' Matter to foft a lajling mark to bear^ 
 
 * And bejl dijl ingulfed by blatk, broivn, or fair? 
 
 The mofl cruel wounds will of courfe foon heal, and they 
 
324 VINDICATION OF THI 
 
 may flill people the world and drefs to pleafe man all 
 tiie purpofes which certain celebrated writers have al 
 lowed that they were created to fill. 
 
 SECT. IV. 
 
 WOMEN are fuppofed to pofTefs more fenfibility, and 
 even humanity, than men, and their ftrong attachments 
 and inftantaneous .emotions of companion are given as 
 proofs ; but the clinging affection of ignorance has fel- 
 dom any thing noble in it, and may moflly be refolved 
 into feliifhnefs, as well as the affeclion of children and 
 brutes. I have known many weak women whofe fenfi- 
 bility was entirely engrofTed by their hufbands; and 
 as for their humanity, it was very faint indeed, or ra 
 ther it was only a tranfient emotion of companion. 
 f Humanity does not confift in a fcjueamim ear,* fay 
 an eminent orator, ' It belongs to the mind as well as 
 ' the nerves.' 
 
 But this kind of exclufive affeclion, though it degrade 
 the individual, (houid not be brought forward, as. a 
 proof of the inferiority of the fex, becaufe it is the na 
 tural confequence of confined views : for even women 
 of fuperior fenie, having their attention turned to little 
 employments) and private plans, rarely rife to hercifm,. 
 uniefs when fpurred on by love; and love, as an heroic 
 pailion,like genius, appears but once in an age. I there 
 fore agree with the moralift who afierts, ' that women 
 ( have feldom fo much generofity as men ;' and that 
 their narrow affections, to which jufdce and humanity are 
 
RIGHTS OF VfOMAtf. 325 
 
 often facriiiced, render the fex apparently inferior, 
 efpecially as they are commonly infpired by men ; but 
 I contend, that the heart would expand as the under- 
 jftanding gained ftrength, if women were not depreffed 
 from their cradles. 
 
 I know that a little fenfibility and great weaknefs will 
 produce a ft rongfexual attachment, and that reafon muft 
 cement friendihip ; confequently I allow, that more 
 friendfhip is to be found in the male than the female 
 world, and that men have a higher fenfe of juftice. 
 The cxclufive affections of women feem indeed to re- 
 femble Cato's moft unjuft love for his country. He 
 wiflied to crufh Carthage, not to fave Rome, but to 
 promote its vain glory ; and in general, it is to fimilar 
 principles that humanity is facrificed, for genuine duties 
 fupport each other. 
 
 Befides, how can women be juft or generous, when 
 they are the (laves of injuftice. 
 
 SECT. V. 
 
 As the rearing of children, that is, the laying a foun 
 dation of found health both of body and mind in the rifmg 
 generation, has juilly been infilled on as the peculiar def- 
 ti nation of woman, the ignorance that incapacitates them 
 muft be contrary to the order of things. And I contend, 
 that their minds can take in much more, and ought to do 
 fo, or they will never become fenfible mothers. Many 
 niv'i aucau to the breeding of horfes, and overlook the 
 
326 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 management of the ftable, who would, flrange want of 
 fenfe and feeling ! think themfelves degraded by paying 
 any attention to the nurfery ; yet, how many children 
 are abfolutely murdered by the ignorance of women! 
 But when they efcape, and are neither deftroyed by un 
 natural negligence nor blind fondnefs, how few are ma 
 naged properly with refpect to the infant mind ! So that 
 to break the fpirit, allowed to become vicious at home, a 
 child is fent to fchool ; and the methods taken there, 
 which muft be taken to keep a number of children in 
 order, fcatter the feeds of almofl every vice in the foil 
 thus forcibly torn up. 
 
 I have fometimes compared the ftruggles of thefe poor 
 children who ought never to have felt reilraint,nor would, 
 had they been always held in with an even hand, to the 
 defpairing plunges of a fpirited filly, which I have een 
 breaking on a "ftrand : its feet finking deeper and deeper 
 in the fand every time it endeavoured to throw its rider, 
 till at laft it fullenly fubmitted. 
 
 I have always found.horfes, an animal I am attached to, 
 very tractable when treated with humanity and fteadi- 
 nefs, fo that I doubt whether the violent methods taken 
 to break them, do not eiTentially injure them ; I am, how 
 ever, certain that a child mould never be thus forcibly 
 tamed after it has injudicioufly been all owed to run wild > 
 for every violation of juftice and reafon, in the treatment 
 of children, weakens their reafon. And,fo early do they 
 catch a character, that the bafe of the moral character, 
 experience leads me to infer, is fixed before their feventh 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 327 
 
 year, the period during which women are aj owed the 
 fole management of children. Afterwards it too often 
 happens that half the bufmefs of education is to correcl, 
 and very impefe&ly is it done, if done haitily, the faults, 
 which they would never have acquired if their mothers 
 had had more underftanding. 
 
 One ftriking inflance of the folly of women muft not 
 be omitted. The'manner in which they treat fervants in 
 the prefence of children, permitting them to fuppofe, that 
 they ought to wait on them, and bear their humours. A 
 child mould always be made to receive afliftance from * 
 man or woman as a favour ; and, as the firfc lefTon of in 
 dependence, they mould pradically be taught, by the 
 example of their mother, not to require that perfonal 
 attendance which it is an infult to humanity to require, 
 when in-, health; and inflead of being led to aflume airs 
 of eonfequence, a fenfe of their own weaknefs mould nrft 
 make them feel the natural equality of man. Yet, how 
 frequently have I indignantly heard fervants imperioufiy 
 called to p'ut children to bed, and fent away agaki and 
 again, becaufe mafter or mifs hung about mania, to ftay 
 a little longer. Thus made flavifhly to attend the little 
 idol, all thofe moft difgufting humours where exhibited 
 which characterize afpoiledchild. 
 
 In fhort, fpeaking of the majority of mothers, they 
 leave their children entirely to the care of fervants: or, 
 becaufe they are their children, treat them as, if they were 
 little demi-gods, though 1 have always obferved,that the 
 women who thus idolize their children, feldom mew com- 
 Ff 
 
VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 mon humanity tofervants, or feel the leaft tendernefs for 
 any children but their own. 
 
 It is, however, thefe exclufive affe&ions, and an indi 
 vidual manner of feeing things, produced by ignorance, 
 which keep women for ever at a fland, with refpecl to 
 improvement, and make many of them dedicate their 
 lives to their children only to weaken their bodies and 
 fpbil their tempers, fruflrating alfo any plan of educa 
 tion that a more rational father may adopt; for, unlefs a 
 mother concurs, the father who retrains will ever be 
 confidered as a tyrant. 
 
 But, fulfilling the duties of a mother, a woman with a 
 found conflitution, may ftill keep herperfcn fcrupuloufly 
 neat, and affiil to maintain her family, if necefTary, 
 or by reading and converfations with both fexes, indif- 
 criminately, improve her mind. For nature has fo wifely 
 ordered things, that did women fuckle their children, 
 they would preferve their own health, and there would 
 be fuch an interval between the birth of each child, that 
 we mould feldom fee a houfe full of babes. And did they 
 purfue a plan of conduft, and notwafte their time in fol 
 lowing the fafhionable vagaries of drefs, the management 
 of their houfehold and children need not (hut them out 
 from literature, nor prevent their attaching themfelves to a 
 fcience, with that Heady eye which ftrengthens the mind, 
 or pra&ifmg one of the fine arts that cultivate the taile. 
 
 But, vifiting to difplay finery, card-playing, and balls, 
 not to mfention the idle buftle of morning trifling, draw 
 women from their duty, to render them infignificant, t 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 
 
 render them pleafmg, according to the prefent accepta 
 tion of the word, to every man, but their hufband. Fora 
 round of pleafures in which the affections are not exer- 
 cifed, cannot be faid to improve the underftanding, 
 though it be erroneoufly called feeing the world ; yet the 
 heart is rendered cold and averfe to duty, by fuch a fenfe- 
 lefs intercourfe, which becomes neceffary from habit, 
 even when it has ceafed to amufe. 
 
 But, till more equality be eflablimed in fociety, till 
 ranks are confounded and women freed, we mall not fee 
 that dignified domeftic happinefs, the fimple grandeur of 
 which cannot be relifhed by ignorant or vitiated minds ; 
 nor will the important talk of education ever be properly 
 begun till the perfon of a woman is no longer preferred 
 to her mind. For it would be as wife to expect corn 
 from tares, or figs from thirties, as that a fooiilh ignorant 
 woman mould be a good mother. 
 
 SECT. VI. 
 
 IT is not neceflary to inform the fagacious reader, now 
 I enter on my concluding reflections, that the difcufiion 
 of this fubject merely confiils in opening a few fimple 
 principles, and clearing away the rnbbifli which obfcured 
 them. But, as all readers are not fagacious, I rnurt be 
 allowed to add fome explanatory remarks to bring the 
 fubject home to reafpn to that fluggifh reafcn, which 
 fupinely takes opinions on trull, and obftinately fupports 
 them to fpare itfelf the labour of thinking. 
 Ff 2 
 
330 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 Moralifts have unanimoufly agreed, that unlefs virtue 
 be nurfed by liberty, it \vill never attain due ftrength-*- 
 and what they fay of man I extend to mankind, infifting, 
 that in all cafes morals muft be fixed on immutable prin 
 ciples ; and that the being cannot be termed rational or 
 virtuous, who obeys any authority but that of reafon. 
 
 To render women truly ufeful members of fociety, 
 I argue, that they mould be led, by having their under- 
 ftandings cultivated on a large fcale, to acquire a ra 
 tional affection for their country, founded on know 
 ledge, becaufe it is obvious, that we are little interefted 
 about what we do not underftand. And to render this 
 general knowledge of due importance, I have endea 
 voured to mow, that private duties are never properly 
 fulfilled, unlefs the underflanding enlarges the heart; 
 and that public virtue is only an aggregate of private. 
 But, the diftinctions eftablilhed in fociety undermine 
 both, by beating out the folid gold of virtue, till it 
 becomes only the tinfel-covering of vice ; for, whilfl 
 v;ealth renders a man more refpe&able than virtue, 
 wealth will be fought before virtue ; and, whilft wo 
 men's perfons are carefTed, when a childifh fimper 
 Itows an abfence of mind the mind will lie fallow. 
 Yet, true voluptuoufnefs muft proceed from the mind 
 for what can equal the fenfations produced by mutual 
 affefticn, fupported by mutual refpeft ? What are the 
 old or feveridi careffes of appetite, but fin embracing 
 5eath, compared with the modefl overflowings of a 
 pure heart and exalted imagination ? Yes, let me tell 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 331 
 
 the libertine of fancy, when he dcfpifes underftanding 
 in womanthat the mind, which he difregards, gives 
 life to the enthufiaftic affe&ion from which rapture, 
 fhort-lived as it is, alone can, flow ! And that, without 
 virtue, a fexual attachment muft expire, like a tallow- 
 candle in the focket, creating intolerable difguft. To 
 prove this, I need only obferve, that men who have 
 wafted great part of their lives with women, and with 
 whom they have fought for pleafure with e<iger thirft, 
 entertain the meaneft opinion of the fex. Virtue, true 
 refiner of joy ! if foolifh men were to fright thee 
 from earth, in order to give loofe to all their appetites 
 without a check fome fenfual' wight of taile would 
 fcale the heavens to invite thee back, to give a zefl 
 to pleafure ! 
 
 That women at prefent are by ignorance rendered 
 foolifli or vicious, is, I think, not to be difputed; and 
 that the moft falutary effects tending to improve man 
 kind, might be expected from a resolution in female 
 manners, appears at leaft, with a face of probability, 
 to rife out of -the obfervation. For as marriage has 
 been termed the parent of thofe endearing charities, 
 which draw man from the brutal herd, the corrupting 
 intercourse that wealth, idlenefs, and folly produce 
 between the fexes, is more univerfally injurious to 
 morality, than all the other vices of mankind collec 
 tively confidered. To adulterous luft the moft facred 
 duties are facrificed, becaufe, before marriage, men, 
 by a promifcuous intimacy with women, learned to 
 Ff 3 
 
332 VINDICATION OF THJT 
 
 coniider love as a felfiih gratification learned to feps- 
 rate it not only from eileem, but from the affection 
 merely built on habit, which mixes a little humanity 
 with it. Juftice and friendlhip are alfo fet at defiance, 
 and that purity of tafte is vitiated, which would natu 
 rally lead a man to relifh an artlefs difplay of affection, 
 rather than affected airs. But that noble fimplicity of 
 affeftion, which dares to appear unadorned, has few 
 attractions for the libertine, though it be the charm, 
 which, by cementing the matrimonial tie, fecures to 
 the pledges of a warmer paffion the neceiTary parental 
 attention ; for children will never be properly edu 
 cated till friendship fubfifts between parents. Virtue 
 flies from a houfe divided againft itfelf and a whole 
 legion of devils take up their refidence there. 
 
 .The affection of hufbancls and wives cannot be pure 
 when they have fo few fentiments in common, and 
 when fo little confidence is eftabliihed at home, as muil 
 be the cafe when their purfuits are fo different. That 
 intimacy from which tendernefs fliould flow, will not, 
 cannot fubfnl between the vicious. 
 
 Contending, therefore, that the fexual diftinction> 
 which men have fo warmly infifted upon, is arbitrary, 
 J have dwelt on an obfervation, that feveral fenfible 
 men, with whom I have converfed on the fubject> 
 allowed to be well founded ; and it is fimply this, that 
 the little chaftity to be found amongft men, and con*- 
 fequent difregard of modefly, tend to degrade both 
 fexes ; and further, that the modefly of women, cha- 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 333 
 
 fa&erized as fuch, will often be only the artful veil of 
 wantonnefs, inftead of being the natural reflection of 
 purity, till modeily be univerfaily refpecled. 
 
 From the tyranny of man, I firmly believe, the 
 greater number of female follies proceeds; and the 
 cunning, which, I allow, makes at prefent a part of 
 their character, I likewife have repeatedly endeavoured 
 to prove, is produced by oppreffion. 
 
 Were not diilenters, for inltance, a clafs of people, 
 with Uriel: truth characterized as cunning? And may I 
 not lay fome ilrefs on this fact to prove, that when any 
 power but reafon curbs the free fpirit of man, diffimu- 
 lation is praclifed, and the various fhifts of art are na 
 turally called forth? Great attention to decorum, 
 which was carried to- a degree of fcrupulonty, and all 
 that puerile bullle about trifles and confequential fo- 
 lemnity, which Butler's caricature of a difTenter brings 
 before, the imagination, fhaped tiieir perfons as well as 
 their minds in the mould of prim littlenefs. 1 {peak 
 collectively, for I know how many ornaments to human 
 nature have been enrolled amongfl feclaries ; yet, I afiert, 
 that the fame narrow prejudice for their feel, which 
 women have for their families, prevailed in the difient- 
 ing part of the community, however worthy in other 
 refpecls ; and alfo that the fame timid prudence, or 
 lieaditrong efforts, often difgraced the exertions of 
 both. Oppreffion thus formed many of the features of 
 their character perfectly to coincide with that of the 
 opprefled half of mankind ; for is it not notorious, 
 
334 VINDICATION OF THE 
 
 that dilTenters were, like women, fond of deliberating 
 together, and afking advice of each other, till, by a 
 complication of little contrivances, fome little end was 
 brought about ? A fimilar attention to preferve their 
 reputation was confpicuous in the diffenting and female 
 world, and was produced by a fimilar cauie. 
 
 Afferting the rights which women in common with 
 men ought to contend for, 1 have not attempted to ex 
 tenuate their faults ; but to prove them to be the na 
 tural confequence of their education and ftation in fo- 
 ciety. If fo, it is reafonable to fuppofe, that they will 
 change their character, and correct their vices and fol 
 lies, when they are allowed to be free in a phyfical, 
 moral, and civil fenfe.* 
 
 Let woman {hare the rights, and me will emulate the 
 virtues of man ; for fhe muil grow more perfect when 
 emancipated, or juilify the authority that chains fuch a 
 weak being to her duty. If the latter, it will be expe 
 dient to open a frefli trade with Ruffia Tor whips ; a 
 prefent which a father mould always make to his fon- 
 in-law on his wedding day, that a hulband may keep his 
 whole family in order by the fame means; and without 
 any violation of juftice reign, wielding his fceptre, fole 
 mailer of his houfe, becaufc he is the only being in it 
 who has reafon ; the divine, indefeafible, earthly fove- 
 reignty breathed into man by the Matter of the Uni- 
 
 * I had further enlarged on the advantages vjhich might ra:J'ial>Iy 
 Le expeflet! to refult from an improvement in female manners towards 
 the general reformation of Jpcisty ; but it appeared to me that fufh rejisf- 
 tions "would more properly clofe the laji 
 
RIGHTS OF WOMAN. 335 
 
 verfe. Allowing this pofition, women have not any 
 inherent rights to clairif, and by the fame rule their du 
 ties vanifh, for rights and duties are infeparable. 
 
 Be juft then, O ye men of underflanding ! and mark 
 not more feverely what women do amifs than the vicious 
 tricks of the horfe or the afs for whom ye provide pro 
 vender, and allow her the privileges of ignorance, to 
 whom ye deny the rights of reafon, or ye will be worfe 
 than Egyptian talk-matters, expecting virtue where 
 nature has not given understanding ! 
 
 THE END. 
 
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