that it turns her into a worfe Creature than a Monkey. She falls out with Nature, against which the makes War without admitting a Truce, thofe Moments excepted in which her Gallant may reconcile her to it. When the hath a Mind to be foft and languishing, there is fomething fo unnatural in that affected Eafinefs, that her Frowns could not be by many Degrees fo forbidden. When the would appear unreafonably humble, one may fee fhe is fo exceffively proud, that there is no enduring it. There is fuch an impertinent Smile, fuch a fatisfied Simper, when fhe faintly difowns fome fulfome Commendation a Man happens to bestow upon her againft his Confcience, that her Thanks for it are more vifible under fuch a thin Difguife, than they could be if the fhould print them. If a handsomer Woman taketh any Liberty of dreffing out of the ordinary Rules, the mistaken Lady followeth without diftinguishing the unequal Pattern, and makes herself uglier by an Example misplaced, either forgetting the Privilege of good Looks in another, or prefuming, without fufficient Reason, upon her own. Her Difcourfe is a fenfelefs Chime of empty Words, a Heap of Compliments fo equally applied to differing Perfons, that they are neither valued nor believed. Her Eyes keep Pace with her Tongue, and are, therefore, always in Motion. One may difcern that they generally incline to the compaflionate Side, and that, notwithstanding her Pretence to Virtue, he is gentle to diftreffed Lovers, and Ladies that are merciful. She will repeat the tender Part of a Play fo feelingly, that the Company may guefs, without Injustice, the was not altogether a difinterefted Spectator. She thinks that Paint and Sin are concealed by railing at them: Upon the latter fhe

is

is lefs hard, and being divided between the two oppofite Prides of her Beauty and her Virtue, fhe is often tempted to give broad Hints that fomebody is dying for her; and of the two, fhe is lefs unwilling to let the World think she may be fometimes profan'd, than that he is never worshipped.

Very great Beauty may, perhaps, fo dazzle for a Time, that Men may not fo clearly fce the Deformity of these Affectaions; but when the Brightness goeth off, and that the Lover's Eyes are by that Means fet at Liberty to fee things as they are, he will naturally return to his Senfes and recover the Mistake into which the Lady's good Looks had at first engaged him; and being once undeceived, ceafes to worship that, as a Goddess, which he sees only an artificial Shrine moved by Wheels and Springs to delude him. Such Women please only like the firft opening of a Scene, that has nothing to recommend it but being new: They may be compared to Flies, that have pretty hining Wings for two or three hot Months, but the first cold Weather makes an End of them; fo the latter Season of these fluttering Creatures is difmal; from their nearest Friends they receive a very faint Refpect; from the rest of the World, the utmost Degree of Contempt.

This Picture may supply the Place of any other Rules which might be given to prevent a Woman's refembling it; the Deformity of it, well confidered, is Inftruction enough; from the fame Reason, that the Sight of a Drunkard is a better Sermon against that Vice, than the best that was ever preached upon that Subject.

CHAP.

CHAP. X.

Of PRIDE and DIVERSIONS.

FTER having faid this againft Vanity, we do not

A intend to apply the fame Cenfure to Pride, well

placed and rightly defined. It is an ambiguous Word; one kind of it is as much a Virtue, as the other is a Vice: But we are naturally fo apt to choose the worst, that it is become dangerous to commend the beft Side of it.

A Woman is not to be proud of her fine Gown; nor when he has lefs Wit than her Neighbours, to comfort herself that she has more Lace. Some Ladies put fo much Weight upon Ornaments, that if one could fee into their Hearts, it would be found, that even the Thoughts of Death made less heavy to them by the Contemplation of their being laid out in State, and honourably attended to the Grave. One may come a good deal fhort of fuch an Extream, and yet ftill be fufficiently impertinent, by fetting a wrong Value upon things which ought to be used with more Indifference. A Lady must not appear follicitous to ingrofs Refpect to herself, but be content with a reasonable Diftribution, and allow it to others, that the may have it returned to her. She is not to be troublesomely nice, nor diftinguish herself by being too delicate, as if ordinary Things were too coarfe for her; this is an unmannerly and an offenfive Pride, and where it is practiced deferves to be mortified, of which it feldom fails. She is not to lean too much upon her Quality, much lefs, to defpifc.

fpife thofe who are below it. Some make Quality an Idol, and then their Reafon muft fall down and worship it. They would have the World think, that no Amends can ever be made for the want of a great Title, or an ancient Coat of Arms; they imagine, that with thefe Advantages they tand upon the higher Ground, which makes them look down upon Merit and Virtue, as Things inferior to them. This Miftake is not only fenfelefs, but criminal too, in putting a greater Price upon that which is a Piece of good Luck, than upon things that are valuable in themselves. Laughing is not enough for fuch a Folly; it must be feverely whipped, as it juftly deferves. It will be confeffed, there are frequent Temptations given by pert Upftarts to be angry, and by that to have our Judgments corrupted in thefe Cafes: But they are to be refifted; and the utmoft that is to be allowed, is when thofe of a new Edition will forget themselves, fo as either to brag of their weak Side, or to endeavour to hide their Meannefs by their Infolence, to cure them by a little feasonable Raillery, a little Sharpness well placed, without dwelling too long up

on it.

Thefe and many other Kinds of Pride are to be avoided. That which is to be recommended, is an Emulation in a Woman to rife to a Character, by which fhe may be diftinguifhed; an Eagernefs for Precedence in Virtue, and all fuch other Things as may gain a greater Share in the good Opinion of the World. Efteem to Virtue is like a cherishing Air to Plants and Flowers, which makes them blow and profper; and for that Reafon it may be allowed to be in fome Degree the Caufe as well as the Reward of it. That Pride which leads to a good End, cannot be a Vice,

fince it is the Beginning of a Virtue; and to be pleafed with juft Applaufe, is fo far from a Fault, that it would be an ill Symptom in a Woman, who fhould not place the greatest Part of her Satisfaction on it. Humility is, no Doubt, a great Virtue, but it ceases to be fo, when it is afraid to fcorn an ill Thing. Against Vice and Folly it is becoming the Female Sex to be haughty, but they muft not carry the Contempt of things to Arrogance towards Persons, and it must be done with fitting Diftinctions, else it may be inconvenient by being unfeafonable: A Pride that raiseth a little Anger, to be outdone in any thing that is good, will have so good an Effect, that it is very hard to allow it to be a Fault.

It is no eafy Matter to carry even between these differing Kinds defcrib'd; but remember, that it is fafer for a Woman to be thought too proud, than too familiar.

The last Thing we have to recommend to young Women particularly, tho' it likewise affects thofe of every Age and Station of Life, is, a wife and fafe Method of ufing Diverfions. To be too eager in the Pursuit of Pleafure whilst they are young, is dangerous; to catch at it in riper Years, is grafping a Shadow; it will not be held: Befides, that by being lefs natural it grows to be indecent. Diverfions are moft properly applied to eafe and relieve those who are oppreffed, by being too much employed. Those that are idle have no need of them, and yet they, above all others, give themselves up to them. To unbend our Thoughts, when they are too much stretched by our Cares, is not more natural than it is neceffary, but to turn our whole Lives into a Holiday, is not only ridiculous, but destroys Pleasure instead of promoting it. The Mind, O

like