366 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



paffion, which is love, and this paffion has only 

 one obje(5t ; whereas men refer every thing to am- 

 bition, which has thoufands. Whatever be the ir- 

 regularities of women, they are always nearer to 

 Nature than we are, becaufe their ruling paffion is 

 inceflantly impelling them in that diredion, 

 whereas ours, on the contrary, is betraying us into 

 endlefs deviations. A Provincial, and even a Pa- 

 rifian, tradefman, hardly behaves with kindnefs to 

 his children, when they are fomewhat grown up ; 

 but he bends with profound reverence before thofe 

 of ftrangers, provided thev are rich, or of high 

 quality : his wife, on the contrary, is regulated in 

 her behaviour to them by their figure. If they are 

 homely, flie negleâis them ; but (he will carefs a 

 peafant's child, if it is beautiful; fhe will pay 

 more refpecfb to a low-born man with gray hairs, 

 and a venerable head, than to a counfellor without 

 a beard. Women attend only to the advantages 

 which are the gift of Nature, and men only to 

 thofe of fortune. Thus the women, amidft all 

 their irregularities, ftill bring us back to Nature, 

 while we, with our affedation of fuperior wifdom, 

 are in a confiant tendency to deviation from her. 



I admit, at the fame time, that they have pre- 

 vented the general calamity only by introducing 

 among us an infinite number of particular evils. 



Alas! 



