182 
eéavo volume, I happened to fall upon 
a pailage, which taught me, that philofo- 
phy is of no fex; and hinted that the 
creatures, hitherto called men and women, 
eught to wear a common drefs. I was 
foon fick of fuch abfurdities—threw afide 
the book, perhaps a little peevitkly, and 
made a hee vow; trom that moment, 
that I would never be a philofopher. 
Efiza. In good truth, pioufly vowed ! 
but parden me, my dear Sophia, if I 
conjecture, that it may have happened in 
this cafe, as it has.in many others, that 
ignorance has been the mother of devo- 
tion. As, by your own confelton, you 
have not read the work ; an ad as you have 
soe me the honour to clafs me among 
he female philcfophcrs ; will you have 
ae ence with me, if I give you my ideas 
on the fubject, under the correction of 
our good aunt, who, I know, though 
the has not joined in the converfation, has 
not been inattentive to what has pafied. 
Sophia. As to patience, my dear, I 
cannot promife you fo much in that w 2y 3 
but as i fuppote you ae not mean to 
preach a fermon, T am all attention. 
Margarita. The Gince niece, de- 
ves attention: I believe few peaie 
HN) accurate noticnsuponit: [ fhail 
* 
fery 
hay nit: 
be ce to hear my niece. os ve eee 
eg. My opimion, if Ia 
aS in a 1S, that w cen in ¢ 
with the men, are rational ies and 
- have an equal right with them to all the 
pleafures of intelled ; and that it fhould 
be a woman’s firf object, as a human 
being, to cultivate her underfianding. 
I never could read, with, patience, the 
infolent obfervation of the Speciator, 
that ‘all that a women has to do in th:s 
world, is contained withi n the duties of 
a daughter, a ae a wife, and a mo- 
ther.”’. If thefe Lords of ne creatio: 
vould give us fair play, we would bn 
convince them, that we ar e capable of 
rivalling them in any thing, except bo- 
dily firength ; and I know a better ob- 
jet of ambition, than to rival them in 
knowledge. 
Sophia. What! not that of fubdui 
the tyrants, oe bringing them av 
to your feet? Your's, my dear Eliza, 
mutt be a hones unnatural fyfiem, that 
wuld teach you to find more ple afure in 
refutin 1@ an argument, than in conquer- 
ing a heatt. 
Me ge as: 
yeur raillery | 
be ferious. 
Sophia. I proteft, my dear aunt, L 
meyer was more ferious i in all my life. I 
a: 
A truce, Scphia, with 
and for once, if you can, 
The Enquirer. No. IIs di. 
Know not what fhou!d make one ferious, 
if not an attempt to rob us young women 
of the pleafure of flirtation. Now do, 
aa belgved coz, tell me honefily—none of, 
the maie creatures are by does it not 
go a littl agamfift the grain, even 
with your wife gravity, to tut yourfelf 
up with your Lockes and your Newtons, 
and to be “ commercing with the fkies/” 
aie you might be footing it on the 
floor of a public room, among a crowd of 
admirers? Or can you in your conici- 
ence fay, 
learned’ converfation with philofophers of 
no fex, cn liberty and necefiity, or on 
the origin of evil, than enjoy the delight 
of a little rattle about fothing with the 
fellows in a fidé-box ? 
Elza. As to the dear delight’ you 
talk of, Sophia, I muf tell you horeftly, 
that philofophy has already made me too 
wife, or if you like it better, too ftupid, 
to relith it.. I could never perfuade my- 
felf that nonfenfe, in failmg from the 
lips of a pretty fellow, was converted 
into fenfe. Nor have I ever felt what, 
i ok n, my reaton inftruéts me to call the 
culpable vanity of making numerous 
Cf the congueft of one wor 
.eart, no woman needs be afhamed : 
a , coquet, vith a train’ of danglers, 
ea appeared tome a defpicable 
EEE. 
S: po:a. Your wifdom, my dear, makes 
you, methinks, a little too fevere. If I 
am to {peak plainly in my turn, T muft 
fay, I have no patience with that freez- 
g philofophy, which would nip every = 
i bud, and convert every 
into ftone. I am afraid, 
fyfiem, in banifhing that 

he 
lively nonfenfe, that drops from the lips _ 
without the trouble of thinking, would 
convert our Bay ¢ circles into filent meet-_ 
ings. If I were to grow fo very wife, 
és [ am fure your philofophy would make 
me, I am perfuaded, I thould lofe more 
than half my charms. 
Eliza. Still, 
the fame {tr ‘ing | How Boppy fhould E 
think myfelf, my dear girl, could I teach ~ 
you at leaft fo much philofophy, as to 
convince you, that a woman has higher — 
objets to setae: than to gratify her own 
v anity, or to pleafe the men. By devote 
ing themfelves to thefe objeéts, and by 
entertaining the filly notion that their 
weakneffes ‘and dcfeé's render them ami- 
abie, women have hitherto kept them- 
felves in a fate of inferiority, for which 
nature never defigned them. It has ne- 
ver yet been proved, that woman’s un- 
derfia nding, 
[April | 
that you had rather hold. a a 
Sophia, harping upon y 

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