to turn it off if they are? Whilft a fool by his want of fenfe fhall quickly make the thing public, if there be an intrigue, or by his vanity brag of one though there be none. Add to this, that when a woman seems pleased with a man of wit, every body is apt to attribute it to the pleasure of his converfation; whereas, when she is fond of a man, in whom we can fee nothing to be liked, we naturally fuppofe fhe likes him for fomething that we do not fee: and though it is poffible it may be only want of judgment in the lady, yet the world is apt to compliment her understanding in that cafe, to the prejudice of her reputation. And to conclude, Sir, though I do not believe all those men fuccessful who fay they are not, yet I am very much inclined to believe all thofe men not to be fuccessful who say they are. For your examples of women haters, I have fuffi. ciently I think reply'd to them already; and for your other argument, if it be an affront to call a man effeminate, I hope you do not think it any great compliment to tell a woman she is masculine; and had that argument been urged against you, I dare anfwer for, you you would have faid, that that only proved the perfections of the fexes different: and as man was made for the ruder labours, it was requifite he should be strong and coarfe; and the women, being made for the easier things, ought to be foft, tender and delicate: and as for mens being governed by their wives, though the being hector'd by them is not fo commendable; yet it was obferved by † Cato of the Romans, that they governed all the world, and that their wives governed them amongst the Affyrians it was a cuftom intro * * Vide Alex, ab Alex. lib. 4. cap. 8. + Plutarch in vit. Catonis. Vide Leges Connubiales. duced duced by Semiramis (who had ruled that kingdom with fo much glory) that the wives fhould have dominion over the husbands: the fame cuftom prevailed likewise among the || Sauromata; and the § Ægyptians had an exprefs law to that purpose. We know how much the * Spartans (the braveft men of the world) were commanded by their wives, and that all the care and management of domestic affairs was committed to them. So that I cannot imagine how a thing fhould be fo very scandalous, that was practifed by moit of the bravest people under the fun. Here are very good precedents for married women, which it is to be hoped they will lay up in their hearts, and practise in their lives and conversations. I have as great a veneration for those poets you mention, as any man can; and upon that account I shall not believe all the ill they fay of their mistreffes, because I suppose they would not have me: as I have been a lover myself, fo I know very well that people are apt in those cafes to take fufpicions for realities, and furmises for matter of fact. Does not † Aurengzebe call Indamora faithlefs, and ingrate? And yet I believe he would be very angry that you should call her fo too; and would not any one who came in when he was in one of his rants, conclude, a man who loved fo well, would not be enraged against a mistress at that rate, unless her falfhood was very apparent? And yet when we come to examine the cause of this diforder, what is it but Morats giving him his life at her requeft, or his leaning upon her lap when he died. I rather mention this than Nicholaus wept 9v, and from him Stobæus. Serm. 42. Diodor. Sicul. lib. 1. * Ariftot. politic, lib. 2. cap. 7. See the tragedy by Mr, Dryden. any any of the poets you fpoke of, not only because all the motions and paffions of a lover are described with as much art and delicacy as in any of thofe ancients, but alfo that feeing the whole business before you, you may judge of every little caufe of his diforder, as well as he himself, which in odes and elegies you cannot do. You fee the lover there in a fury, but what cause he has to be fo, there is no body to tell you, but he who is in it. Add to this, that a man often feigns jealoufy of his mistress, to hinder her from being fo of him, and will upbraid her falfhood to defend his own. (That is a thing, now I confefs, madam, which I can hardly believe.) And it is evident, they had not really any fuch bad opinion of women, fince with all this they did not cease to run after them. However, if you think these general anfwers not fufficient, let us fee what we cant fay to particulars. For the complaints of cruelty and fcorn, I look upon them as things of courfe; and therefore fhall fay nothing to them. If Anacreon's mistress did ask him nothing but money, why did he choose one whofe neceffities drove her upon it. And if other men have made complaints of the womens minding wealth more than love; I defire to know whether women have not as much reason to make the fame complaints of the And for those who talk of their miftreffes inconRancy, let us fee firft whether they were conftant to them. For Ovid, he does not pretend to put it upon you, but complains in one place of his being in love with two at once, and tells you frankly in another, that he was in love with all the town. For Horace, Suetonius (or whoever it was that writ his life) informs you that he was intemperately given to women; and what wonder then men. Eleg. 1. Lib. 10, 1. Eleg. 4. Lib. 1. that that a man who try'd fo many, fhould find one or two false. Tibullus had two § miftreffes whom he celebrates by name, and there are fome more elegies that it does not appear whether they are writ to them or others; and though he tells us the report was that his miftrefs was kind to other men; yet the report gave him fo much torment, that he defired it fhould be ftifled; if therefore you have any friendship for him, endeavour to fulfil his defire in that point. For Propertius, befides his intemperate love of all women, he tells you his miftrefs caught him with two wenches at the fame time; and confeffes that he rails at the incontinence of women, only because the upbraided him with his. Thus whatever qualifications thofe great men had, confancy, you see, was none; and though we allow you, each of them had merit enough for any one woman, yet one man can hardly have enough for half a score. Now if ruin and defolation has come to great men and ftates, from women, it fhewed they had a good opinion of the fex in general, that they would fuffer for them; and had they not been fenfible the greatest part were good, they could never have been impofed upon by the bad. Then as for thofe ill women whom you have mentioned, as I fuppofe you will not undertake to defend all the actions of tyrants and murderers; fo I do not think myself at all obliged to defend all the women who have been guilty of fome of their crimes. The difpute is not whether there have been any ill women 1 § Delia. Nemefis. Rumor ait crebro noftram peccaffe puellam, † Afpice uti cœlo modo Sol, modo Luna miniftrat : in in the world, but whether there are not more good. And when I have told you that the book that condemns Dalilah, cries up Deborah and Jael: that if Homer has represented Helen guilty of fome faults (for you will fee that Homer does not represent her caufe fo violently bad) he tells us of Hecuba and Andromache, and a thousand others who were very good ones; that if Clytemnestra was falfe to Agamemnon, Penelope was as famous for her truth to Ulyffes; and fo put you example against example, which I forbear to do, only because it is fo very cafy; fhould I, I fay, do but this, you would not complain that your arguments were unanswered. But truly, Sir, we might carry the thing much farther; we might defend some of those women you mentioned, and excufe the reft. For Dalilah I fhall fay nothing, out of refpect to the fcripture, that represents her as an ill woman; it is poffible, were fhe alive, she might tell you in her own defence, that what account you have of her is from her profeffed enemies: that however taking the thing as they tell it; if she did commit a piece of treachery it was against an enemy of her country; and that it was very hard fhe fhould be fo much run down for the fame thing they have fo much admired in Jael and Judith, as well as every body elfe did in Marcus Brutus fhe would perhaps push her defence further, and tell you that though fhe deliver'd Samfon to the Philiftines to be kept prifoner, yet fhe neither drove a nail through his head, nor cut it off. But for Helen, give me leave to tell you, it is a great difpute amongst the hiftorians, whether she was forced away by Paris, or went by her own confent; several are of the former opinion; and *Hoelztxim fays plainly, he wonders Homer will put fuch a ridiculous ftory upon the world, as to make her ; *Prolegom, ad Apollon. the |