equal happineſs on earth, and have felt the calm ſenſations of the man of nature inſtead of being prepared for another ſtage of exiſtence by nouriſhing the paſſions which agitate the civilized man.
But peace to his manes! I war not with his aſhes, but his opinions. I war only with the ſenſibility that led him to degrade woman by making her the ſlave of love.
'Curs'd vaſſalage,
Firſt idoliz'd till love's hot fire be o'er,
Then ſlaves to thoſe who courted us before.
The pernicious tendency of thoſe books, in which the writers inſidiouſly degrade the ſex whilſt they are proſtrate before their perſonal charms, cannot be too often or too ſeverely expoſed.
Let us, my dear contemporaries, ariſe above ſuch narrow prejudices! If wiſdom is deſirable on its own account, if virtue, to deſerve the name, muſt be founded on knowledge; let us endeavour to ſtrengthen 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 acquaintance with our lovers' or huſbands' hearts; but let the practice of every duty be ſubordinate to the grand one of improving our minds, and preparing our affections for a more exalted ſtate!
Beware then, my friends, of ſuffering the heart to be moved by every trivial incident: the reed is ſhaken by a breeze, and annually dies, but the oak ſtands firm, and for ages braves the ſtorm!
