17966] 
tile td the public good, or contradiétory 
to former ‘declarations.. But the term 
republican ot commonwealia’s-man, has a 
fixed and determinate meaning ; ¢nd may, 
without hefitation, be avowed by all who 
hold that government was. inftituted for 
the good of the whole; and that this 
good is beft confulted by placing the 
fupreme power in more hands than one. 
: i 

THE ENQUIRER. No. III. 
UESTION: Ave Literary and Scientific 
Purfits futed to the Female Charadter ? 
‘Evy ob 7% “6071 TOA, OLAT eH diye tng ap 
w gees. wt yee Wes BD yeceyastlee nore nounlo, % 
Heo} DUDE» % YEO[AET ELEY, Aceh ASywy O1aogo¢wy 
Sera Heng hams HUY ELV. PLUTARCH, 
THERE WERE IN THIS LADY [corR- 
NELIA], MANY CHARMS BESIDES 
HER BEAUTY}; FOR SHE WAS FINE- 
LY ACCOMPLISHED IN LITERA- 
TURE, IN MUSIC, AND IN GEOME- 
TRY, AND SHE USED TO ATTEND 
TO PHILOSOPHICAL DISCOURSES 
WITH GREAT ADVANTAGE. 
See Know on ue SCCE 27. 
ele Enguirer, who, if not a philofo- 
pher in the arrogant meaning an- 
eied to the. appellation in modern 
times, ventures to aflume the title in the 
modeft fenfe, in which it was underftood 
by the ancients, as denoting a lover. of 
wildom, has obfervead, with much fati{- 
- faction, the firm and dignified tone, with 
which the female fex, in the perfon cf 
its able and eloquent advocate, Mrs. 
W ollftoncraft, has afferted its intelleétuil 
rights. Although he is too jealous of 
the rights of man, to concede to woman 
fo unjutt a ule Ge as that of being at 
“once the moft lovely and the wifeft part 
of the human fpecies, he has no with to 
fhare in the barbari{m of cure her 
from a free participation of the pleafures 
and honours of fcience. The tree’ of 
knowledge, planted by the hand of na- 
ture, in an upen plain, invites every paf- 
fenger to partake of its bounty ; and 
man, inftead of rudely hedging it round 
with thorns, to deter the approach of 
woman, ought to affift her in plucking 
the fruit from thofe branches which may 
happen to hang above her reach. 
Strongly impreif-d with thefe fenti- 
ments concerning the right of women to 
knowledge, and | to ail the means of at- 
taining it; but at the famé time per- 
ceiving fome obftacles in the way of their 
“Mntellectual progrefs, arifing from. cir. 
The Enquirer. 
No. IIE. 181 
cumftances peculiar to the female cha- 
racter; it has appeared to the Enquirer, 
a queftion, highly interefiing to one 
halt of the human fpecies diredtly, and 
indirectly to the other, how far it 1s of 
adventage to females to affert their claim, 
and engage in literary and fcientific pur- 
faits? Ja attempting to fettle this point, 
a has, however, met with difficulties, 
ich had almoft ditheartened him, hen 
a 2 rae eae incident relieved hit from 
his embarrafiment. ce on this 
fubjeét with an elde tly lady of his ac- 
quaintance, who not having been en- 
cuntbered with domeftic cares, has had 
much leifure for impr 
fianding, and who has been an attentive 
and judicious oblerver of the female 
world; this lady, who fhall be known to 
the reader by the name of eee 
communicated, to him the particulars of 
aconverfation on female accomplithments, 
which had, a oe days ake paifed 
oving her under- 
with her and two o her nicces, of dif- 
ferent ttanless ae a young lady 
educated in the fafhionable ftyle, and 
fond of difipation; and Eliza, a ftudious 
lady, habituated to domeftic retirement, 
and more folicious to cultivate her mind, 
than to difplay the charms of her perio. 
The converfa.ion was, in fubftance, as 
follows: 
Sophia. So, my, grave coz, they tell 
me,-you are a ferious admirer of this 
rhodomontade work, that has of late 
turned the heads of fo many females, 
Mrs. Wollitoncraft’s Rights ot Women ? 
Ehza. Why, yes my lively cox, if 
I am to underftand this {mart attack fe- 
rioufly, I plea ad guilty to the charge, 
I own I do admire, the rational fenti- 
ments and liberal fp iit of the work ; 
and, at the hazard, perhaps, of being 
thought a little deranged i in my intellects, 
I will confefs to you, that f fhould my- 
felf think it no difcredit to be called one 
of Mrs. Wollftoncraft’s female philo- 
Peay Indeed, [ think it fcarcely 
{ible for any woman of fenfe to refit 
a united force of her reafoning and 
eloquence; and I wonder how it has 
happened, that you, Sophia, in reading 
the work, efcaped having had your head 
turned too? 
Sophia. O, that matter is very eafil 
explained. I have never given myfelf a 
chance of ae one of Mrs. Woil- 
ftoncraft’s difciples. Curiofity, ‘tis 
true, enticed me to take up a book that 
every body was talking about ; but, care- 
lefsly a ipping into it, before {fat downto 
the feriouS butinefs or reading a large 
octavo 
