depths of the human mind, to wurk the progrefs of intellectual open tion, and embody to the vulgar se thofe ever fleeting forms unde which the paffions vary. day, but particularly in the length of its periods, and the inartificial connection of them. In the edition of 1726 thofe errors were in a great measure corrected; the fentences are broken down, and molded with much elegance into others lefs prolix; and fharing in fome degree all Propriety in Females. From Mthe beauties of Addifon's ftyle, except those which perhaps his lordfhip could not copy, its eafe and fimplicity. Indeed Shafifbury, in the form in which we now have him, appears to be more attentive than Addifon to the harmony of his cadence, and the regular conftruction of his fentences; and certainly if he has lefs fimplicity has more ftrength. Bolingbroke, too, participating in correctnefs with Addifon, has fome topics of peculiar praife; he has more force than Addifon, and, what may appear ftrange, when we confider how much more vehement and copious he is, has more precifion. The nature of the fubjects on which Bolingbroke and Shaftsbury wrote naturally tended to make them more attentive to precifion than Addifon. Thefe fubjects were principally abftract morality and metaphyfics-fubjects of which no knowledge can be attained but by clofe and fleady thinking, or communicated but by words of definite and conftant meaning. The language of Addifon, however elegant in itfelf, or however admirably adapted by its eafy flow to thofe familiar topics which are generally the fubject of diurnal effays, was too weak for the weight of abstract moral difquifition, and too vague for the niceties of metaphysical diftinction. It was fitted for him whofe object was to catch what floated on the furface of life; but it could not ferve him who was to enter into the Mores Strictures on Female E cation. what Plan the great Ruzan Gir PROPR ROPRIETY is to a wors fays action is to an orator: it is t fir, the fecond, and the third, req fite. active, witty, and amuting; b A woman may be knowing without propriety fe cannot be amiable. Propriety is the centre in which all the lines of duty and ef agreeablenefs meet. It is to che racter what proportion is to figure and grace to attitude. It does ret depend on any one perfection; bet it is the refult of general excellence. It fhows itfelf by a regular, order, undeviating courfe; and never for from its fober orbit into any fldid eccentricities; for it would be afhamed of fuch praife as it might extort by any aberrations from a mendation but what is chara proper path. It renounces all com iftic; and I would make it the ci terion of true tafte, right principis, and genuine feeling, in a woman whether the would be lefs touched with all the flattery of romantic and exaggerated panegyric, than wh that beautiful picture of cored 2:3 elegant propriety, which M draws of our first mother, when be delineates Thofe thousand decencies which day tre From all her words and actions." To place a juft remark, hazard by the diffident, in the most advan geous point of view; to call the tention of the inattentive to the ofervation of one, who, though of uch worth, is perhaps of little ole: thefe are requifites for conerfation, lefs brilliant, but far more aluable, than the power of exciting urfts of laughter by the brightest it, or of extorting admiration by he most poignant fallies. For wit is of all the qualities of he female mind that which requires he feveret caftigation; yet the emperate exercife of this fafcinaing quality throws an additional aftre round the character of an miable woman; for to manage with difcreet modefty a dangerous alent, confers a higher praife than can be claimed by thofe in whom the abfence of the talent takes away the temptation to mifemploy it. But to women, wit is a peculiarly perilous poffeffion, which nothing fhort of the fobermindedness of Chriftianity can keep in order. Intemperate wit craves admiration as its natural aliment; it lives on flattery as its daily bread. The profeffe wit is a hungry beggar that fubfitts on the extorted alms of perpetual panegyric; and, like the vulture in the Grecian fable, its appetite increafes by indulgence. Simple truth and fober approbation become taftelefs and infipid to the palate, daily vitiated by the delicious poignancies of exaggerated commendation. But if it be true that fome women are too apt to affect brilliancy and difplay in their own difcourfe, and to undervalue the more humble pretenfions of lefs fhowy characters; it must be confeffed alfo, that fome of more ordinary abilities are now and then guilty of the oppofite error, and foolishly affect to value themfelves on not making ufe of the understanding they really poffefs. They exhibit no fmall fatiffaction in ridiculing women of high intellectual endowments, while they exclaim with much affected humility, and much real envy, that "they are thankful they are not geniufes.” Now, though one is glad to hear gratitude expreffed on any occafion, yet the want of fenfe is really no fuch great mercy to be thankful for; and it would indicate a better spirit, were they to pray to be enabled to make a right ufe of the moderate underflanding they poffefs, than to expofe with a too vifible pleasure the imaginary or real defects of their more thining acquaintance. Women of the brighteft faculties fhould not only "bear thofe faculties meekly," but confider it as no derogation, cheerfully to fulfil thofe humbler duties which make up the bufinefs of common life, always taking into the account the higher refpontibility attached to higher gifts. While women of lower attainments fhould exert to the utmost fuch abilities as providence has affigned them; and while they fhould not deride excellencies which are above their reach, they fhould not defpond at an inferiority which did not depend on themfelves; nor, becaufe God has denied them ten talents, fhould they forget that they are equally refponfible for the one he has allotted them, but fet about devoting that one with humble diligence to the glory of the giver. Women of this caft of mind are lefs careful to avoid the charge of unbounded extremes, than to cfcape at all events the imputation of infenfibility. They are little alarmed at the danger of exceeding, though terrified at the fufpicion of coming fhort of what they take to be the extreme point of feeling. They will even refolve to prove the warmth of their fenfibility, though at the expense of their judgement, and fometimes alfo of their juftice. Even when they carneftly defire to be and to do right, they are apt to employ the wrong inftrument to accomplish the right end. They employ the paffions to do the work of the judgement; forgetting, or not knowing, that the paffions were not given us to be ufed in the fearch and difcovery of truth, which is the office of a cooler and more difcriminating faculty; but that they were given to animate us to warmer zeal in the purfuit and practice of truth, when the judgement fhall have pointed out what is truth. Through this natural warmth, which they have been juftly told is fo pleating, but which, perhaps, they have not been told will be continually expofing them to peril and to fuffering, their joys and forrows are exceffive. Of this extreme irritability, as was before remarked, the ill-educated learn to boat as if it were an indication of fuperiori ty of foul inftead of labouring to refrain it as the excefs of a tem per which ceases to be interesting when it is no longer under the control of the governing faculty. It is misfortune enough to be born more liable to fuffer and to fin, from this conformation of mind; it is too much to allow its unre ftrained indulgence; it is ftill worfe to be proud of fo mifieading a qua lity. Flippancy, impetuofity, refentment, and violence of fpirit, grow out of this difpofition, which will be rather promoted than corrected, by the fyftem of education on which we have been animadverting; in which fyftem, emotions are too early and too much excited, and taftes and feelings are confidered as too exclufively making up the whole of the female character; in which the judgement is little exercised, the reafoning powers are feldom brought into action, and felf-knowledge and felf-denial scarcely included. The propenfity of the mind which we are confidering, if unchecked, lays its poffeffors open to unjust prepoffeffions, and expofes them to all the danger of unfounded attachments. In early yh, not only love, but friendship, at firft fight, grows out of an ill-directed fentibility; and in afterlife, women under the powerful influence of this temper, confcious that they have much to be borne with are too readily inclined to felect for their confidertial connections, flexible and flattering companions, who will in dulge and perhaps admire their faults, rather than firm and hote friends, who will reprove and would affift in curing them. We may adopt it as a general masim, la W nobliging, weak, yielding, comlaifant friend, full of fmall attenions, with little religion, little udgement, and much natural acquiefcence and civility, is a moft dangerous, though generally a too nuch defired confidant: the fooths the indolence, and gratifies the vamity of her friend, by reconciling her own faults, while he neither keeps the understanding nor the virtues of that friend in exercife. Thefe obfequious qualities are the "foft green" on which the foul loves to repofe itself. But it is not a refreshing or a wholefome repofe: we fhould not felect, for the fake of prefent cafe, a foothing flatterer, who will lull us into a pleafing oblivion of our failings, but a friend, who valuing our foul's health above our immediate comfort, will roufe us from torpid indulgence to animation, vigilance, and virtue. It is a proof that merit is of the higheft kind, when it continues to fine with accuftomed luftre, although merit of as high a rank is in its prefence. I call genius a fecret gift of the Deity, which the poffeffor difplays unknown to himself. He who runs after wit is apt to embrace folly. I once faid to Madam du Châtelet-" You poftpone your fleep to read the philofophers; you should read the philofophers, to haften your flumbers." Hope is the link that unites all our pleafures. The interval is too fhort between the time of our being too young and too old. It demands a great deal of ftudy to acquire moderate knowledge. Of those who make companions of their fervants, I have only to say, that vice is its own punishment. Men of talents govern fools; and fome fool or other often governs a man of talent. When I reflect on our discoveries in natural philofophy, I think we have gone very far for human beings. Idlenes ought to have been ranked among the punishments of hell; and most people place it among the joys of heaven. On friends that are tyrannical though ufeful to us, my obfervation is that love has compenfations which friendship has not. Ordinary graces lofe part of their beauty by being fet in competition with each other: graces of the highest rank acquire a brighter luftre when opposed to each other. Moft virtues are relative to individuals, or to parts of the whole : fuch are friendship, love of one's Ff4 country, country, compaffion. But juftice is relative to the whole; and when any action interferes with that, it is vice, though ranked among the virtues. The fuccefs of moft enterprifes depends upon knowing how much time is neceflary to their fuccefs. That ought never to be attempted by the laws, which can be effected by the customs and manners of a people. I have remarked that, to fucceed in the world, one must have a vacant air with a fubtle head. One's drefs fhould be a little inferior to one's condition. Supper deftroys one half of Paris, and dinner the other. I hate Verfailles, because every body is little and mean there; but Paris I love, for there one finds great men. If we were content to be happy, that would not be difficult; but we are ambitious to be more happy than others, and that is difficult, because others appear to be happier than they really are. Some people hate digreffions; but I think he who understands their ufe is like one with long arms: he has more objects within his reach. Men are of two forts: those who think, and those who amufe themfelves. A fine action is one that is beneficial to man, and whofe accomplishment requires talent. The common people have geperally good intentions and vicious manners. Hiftories are romances founded. on facts. A work gives celebrity to a man's name, and after that, his name gives celebrity to his works. It is a nice point to know whe to quit a company: an accurate knowledge of the world gives a readiness in perceiving it. Bravery and a love of glory are declining among us: it is of Little moment to our happiness to belong to one mafter or to another; but formerly, defeat in the field, o the reduction of a man's country, was the lofs of all that was dear to him, his country, family, and friends. We shall never arrive at prin ciples in finance, because we rever know more than that we do fome. thing, and never what it is we do, We do not now call a minifter great, when he is an intelligent adminiftrator of the public revenue, but when he is fertile in expedients to increase the revenues, and inde fatigable in their application. People love their grand-children better than their children, and it is becaufe they can eftimate tolerably well the worth of the latter; but their knowledge of the former being lefs perfect, they flatter themfel c with vain hopes refpecting them. The reason why fools fo often fucceed in their plans is, that never, diftrufting themfelves, they always perfevere. It is worthy to be obferved, that the greater part of our pleatures are unreasonable. Old men, who have studied in youth, need only refort to the memory for pleasure or ufe, when others are obliged to begin to fiudv. Merit is a confolation in every affliction. A figurative fiyle is fo far from difficult, that a nation emerging from ignorance first employs the figurative and fwelling file, a I alterwards acquires the fimple |