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slaves, and his inferior gratification; he had no toleration for her vanity, though he so freely indulged his own. Indeed, how could he, to whom the character of mendacity became proverbial, value moral qualities in his wife, which would make her superior to himself?* The conversation recorded of Socrates with Theodota, in which he professes to teach her how to make herself valued, mentions nothing that is either moral or intellectual, a striking indication of what both Athenian men and Athenian women were, and that even their philosophers had no desire to improve them.t The Roman mind, with all its sternness, and even fierceness, had more becoming feelings on this subject. The Romans evinced on many occasions a higher appreciation, and a more confidential, respectful, and affectionate treatment of their wives and daughters, and derived all the benefit of this wiser conduct, by that superiority of moral and intellectual energies and character, which virtuous and cultivated females have so often elsewhere formed, and will always promote in those they teach and nurture.‡ The Persian ladies of rank

* Lucian fully agrees with Juvenal and others, on the "Grecia mendax." But one of the circumstances that have most struck me, as showing that lying was the inveterate habit of the Grecian, is, that Plutarch says, "I praise these customs of vowing in our prayers, as neither unbecoming nor unphilosophical, to live a year without wine or voluptuousness; to worship God during the abstinence; to refrain for an appointed time from all lying; so watching ourselves as to speak truth in our childish things, as well as in all serious ones." He adds, that he tried this for a month or two, and recommends, that by this gradual practice, they should gain the power of doing longer what they vowed to do.-De Cohib, Irac. v. ii. p. 825. That to speak truth should need a solemn vow, and that this should be difficult to keep, is too expressive to require

any comment.

f Xenoph. Aro. lib. iii. c. 11. But what must some Grecian ladies and their husbands have been, to have made Phocyllides think it necessary in his time to insert among his moral precepts, " Let not the mother destroy her embryo babe; nor let that, when born, be torn by dogs, nor be a prey to vultures," lib. v. 172, 3. This assimilates Greece to China in this depravity.

I need not refer you to the Lucretias, Cornelias, and Portias, and other distinguished ladies of ancient Rome; because with these, you and all reading persons are well acquainted: Livy gives many instances of the honours paid to them. I will only notice here a few customs of the Romans, which show their respectful consideration of their wives. They would not suffer their wives to grind the corn nor dress the meat in the kitchen for their families, as other nations compelled them to do. The wife of the priest of Jupiter was consecrated to perform the divine rites jointly with her husband. There were many which he was not allowed to do alone. When the Roman husband returned from a journey, or only from

seem also to have had high principles of conduct, which their imperious lords condescended to respect.

*

That the maternal offices and feelings were meant to be the most important and completing, as they always will be the most politically useful qualities of the female character, our own experience and daily observation fully attest; but the female nature is admirable, independent of these; and it has been part of the divine system, that it should have its beauties and benefits distinct from those which result from its social position as a mother. It was foreseen by its Creator, that a large proportion of both sexes, and therefore of women, would in every civilized state remain without the connubial association. Few or none are willingly so on either side; but the artificial and very complicated condition into which property, civilization, and even enlarging prosperity lead society, have in all ages and nations caused a considerable proportion of every existing population to live unallied, in the single state. This result is evidence, that the fulfilment of the purposes of our existence is as attainable in the one form as in the other, and we may likewise add its hap

his farm into the city, he always, if his wife was living, and at home, sent a messenger before him to give her notice of his coming.-Plut. Quest. Rom. There was something formal in this last custom; but nothing could more strongly remark both respect and confidence. Even Cæsar's harshness showed the high standard to which they carried the character of their women. When he was putting away his wife on a rumour of infidelity, which he was assured was unfounded, his answer was, that Cæsar's wife must not only be guiltless, but her conduct must be such that she should not even be suspected.

* It is mentioned by Plutarch, of the Ancient Persians, that "the queens sat usually with their kings at their suppers and banquets, but when the royal majesty resolved upon a drunken debauch, the queen was sent away, and then the singers and dancing girls were brought in."-Conjug. Prec. p. 242.

This is an important passage; for it illustrates that incident in the book of Esther which occasioned her elevation.

Ahasuerus made a feast of seven days to all his nobles and princes. "On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded the seven chamberlains to bring Vashti the queen before the king, with the crown-royal: but the queen refused to come at the king's commandment, therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him."-Esther i. 10, 11. He immediately held a council, and divorced her, and ordered another queen to be provided for him.-V. 19.

The information given by Plutarch shows that this intoxicated king could not have put a greater insult upon his queen in her estimation, and according to the Persian custom, than to insist upon her presence at this drunken festivity.

piness, although we might prefer to receive the boon of comfort rather in the one shape than in the other. But all can no more command marriage than they can command wealth, rank, or fame, or any specific object depending on others. The temporal blessings of life are generally to be earned and acquired by time, and with uncertainty and inequality; so must those subsisting means, the deficiency of which, according to the individual idea of comfort, is always the chief cause of any remaining unmarried in the young and active period of life.

But this single state is no diminution of the beauties and the utilities of the female character; on the contrary, our present life would lose many of the comforts, and much likewise of what is absolutely essential to the wellbeing of every part of society, and even of the private home, without the unmarried female. To how many a father-a mother -a brother, and not less, a sister, is she both a necessity and a blessing! How many orphans have to look up with gratitude to her care and kindness! How many nephews and nieces owe their young felicities and improvements to her! Were every woman married, the parental home would often in declining life be a solitary abode, when affectionate attentions are most precious, and, but from such a source, not attainable. It is the single class of women which supplies most of our teachers and governesses; and from the lower ranks, nearly all the domestic assistants of our household come. What vast changes, not promotive of the general happiness, would ensue in every station of life, if every female married as soon as she was fully grown! Certainly human life would in that case have a different aspect, and must be regulated on a new principle, and would lead to consequences which cannot now be calculated.

The single woman is therefore as important an element of social and private happiness as the married one. The utilities of each are different, but both are necessary; and it is vulgar nonsense, unworthy of manly reason, and discreditable to every just feeling, for any one to depreciate the unmarried condition.

If from what is beneficial we turn our glance to what is interesting, the single lady is in this respect not surpassed by the wedded matron. For no small portion of her life, I think for the whole of it, with judicious conduct, she is in

deed the most attractive personage. The wife resigns, or ought to resign, always her claims to general attention; and to concentre and confine her regards, and wishes, and objects, to her chosen companion, and domestic claims and scenes. She has quitted the public stage; she seeks no more the general gaze; she has become part of a distinct and separated proprietary. But the unmarried lady remains still the candidate for every honourable notice, and injures no one by receiving it, Those of the male sex who are in the same condition, are at as full liberty to pay her their proper attentions as she is to receive them. Being in this position as to society at large, she is always interesting wherever she goes; and, if she preserve her good temper, her steady conduct, and her modest reputation undiminished, and cultivate her amable, her intellectual, and her truly feminine qualities, she cannot go anywhere, in any station of life, without being an object of interest and pleasurable feeling, to all those of her own circle with whom she may choose to be acquainted,

It is only by displaying undue solicitude for changing her condition, or disappointinent at the change not occurring, or a peevishness which is imputed to such feelings, or unbe coming attempts to obtain or extort notice, that she less her natural attractiveness,

It is for us all, never to regret or covet what we do not or cannot obtain; and never to repine that others have what we do not possess. It is for us all to use and value, and cultivate the happinesses which we are possessing, and not to augh or crave for those which do not come to us.

It is for us all, to be at all times grateful to our kindest Provider, for the daily comforts with which he is supplying us, and to resign every thing else to his will and regulation, and patiently and magnanimously to await his direction of our state and fortunes Then every one of us would be enjoying a greater felicity from our ordinary life, than we can experience on any other plan.

He arranges and administers life on this principle. -- He requires us to believe in his invisible government and guidance of it; to be always content with his dispositions and distribution of it; and to be assured, that if we thus leave it to him, he will, from time to time, place us in that condi tion, and in those circumstances which will be really best and happiest for us Let the single of both sexes thunk, feel, and

act firmly and perseveringly on these principles, and they will find that life, in every one of its states and positions, is like a fine garden, full of rich, though varied, flowers and fruits, in all its compartments.*

LETTER XI.

System of Nature as to the successive states of Human Life-The Util ities of these several Stages, and especially of a young period of Life -Happiness attainable at every Season.

In our seasons we have the grateful succession of the spring, the summer, and the autumn. In our vegetation, the new leaf, the beauteous flower, and the nutritious fruit. These correspond with contemporaneous atmospherical changes of our system, and are followed by that peculiar destitution and apparent death of nature, which frosty and chilling winter brings on. The insect and reptile world exhibit congenial analogies. The vernal temperature recalls or hatches their tribes into life and feeling, in a creeping state. They have their summer day of playful gayety, varying in its duration, and enjoy existence in a winged form; their autumn is their time of depositing their oval brood; and from that they depart into death or insensibility. These four states of all that have vital being, growth, maturity, decline, and death, and these annual successions of aerial agencies which are so much associated with the life, pro

* I cannot doubt from my own experience, that happiness accompanies both the single and the married states; I have been now in the latter forty years, and no one can be happier than I have been in it; but I had left my parent roof, and been living in chambers in the Temple, and therefore much alone, for eight years before I married. This was a complete trial of the single state, and in this I have also to say that I was perfectly happy, though in a different way. I did not marry because I was deficient in happiness, but because the lady deeply interested me; and becoming so attached, my comfort then was associated with her, and having by that time before me the fair means and probability of an adequate maintenance by regular diligence, on a moderate and careful scale, I changed one mode of happiness for another; to that increase of it which always arises from reciprocal regard; if what is already happy can be more happy, by being differently happy.

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