betrayed by a gentleman she loved; and who, notwithstanding, had the grace to stop short (indeed later than were to be wished), and to abandon friends, country, lover, in order to avoid any further intercourse with him; and that God had blessed her penitence and resolution, and she was now very happy in a neighbouring dominion. A fine subject! said Miss Stapylton.-Was the gentleman a man of wit, madam? Was the lady a woman of taste? The gentleman, madam, was all that was desirable in man, had he been virtuous: the lady, all that was excellent in woman, had she been more circumspect. But it was a first love on both sides; and little did she think he could have taken advantage of her innocence and her affection for him. But, pray, madam, A sad, sad story! said Miss Cope. did their friends approve of their visits? times, as I have heard, arises from the cruelty of friends, who force lovers upon private and clandestine meetings: when perhaps there can be no material objection why the gentleman and lady may not come together. Well observed, Miss Cope! thought I. How we are for making every case applicable to our own, when our hearts are fixed upon a point! It cannot be called cruelty in friends, madam, said I, when their cautions, or even prohibitions, are so well justified by the event, as in this case—and, generally, by the wicked arts and practices of seducers. And how happy is it for a lady, when she suffers herself to be convinced that those who have lived forty years in the world, may know twice as much, at least, of that world, as she can possibly know at twenty; ten of which, moreover, are almost a blank! If they do not, the one must be supposed very ignorant; the other, very knowing. But, madam, the lady whose hard case I was considering, hoped too much, and feared too little; that was her fault; which made her give opportunities to the gentleman, which neither liberty nor restraint could justify in her. She had not the discretion, poor lady! in this one great point of all, that the ladies I have in my eye, I daresay, would have had in her case. I beg pardon, said Miss Cope, and blushed; I know not the case, and ought to have been silent. Ay, thought I, so you would, had not you thought yourself more affected by it than it were to be wished were. you I think, said Miss Sutton, the lady was the less to be pitied, as she must know what her character required of her; and that men will generally deceive when they are trusted. There are very few of them, who pretend to be virtuous; and it is allowed to be their privilege to ask, as it is the lady's to deny. So, madam, replied I, you are supposing a continual state of warfare between the two sexes; one offensive, the other defensive: and indeed I think the notion not altogether amiss; for a lady will assuredly be in less danger, where she rather fears an enemy in the acquaintance she has of that sex, than hopes a friend; especially as so much depends upon the issue, either of her doubt, or of her confidence. I don't know neither, madam, returned Miss Sutton very briskly, whether the men should be set out to us as such bugbears as our mothers generally represent them. It is making them too considerable; and is a kind of reflection upon the discretion and virtue of our sex, and supposes us weak indeed. The late czar, I have read, continued she, took a better method with the Swedes, who had often beat him; when after a great victory he made his captives march in procession, through the streets of his principal city, to familiarise them to the Russes, and show them they were but men. Very well observed, replied I: but then, did you not say, that this was thought necessary to be done because the Russes had been often defeated by these Swedes, and thought too highly of them; and when the Swedes, taking advantage of that prepossession, had the greater contempt of the Russes? She looked a little disconcerted; and, being silent, I proceeded: I am very far, madam, from thinking the generality of men very formidable, if our sex do justice to themselves, and to what their characters require of them. Nevertheless, give me leave to say, that the men I thought contemptible, I would not think worthy of my company, nor give it to them when I could avoid it. And as for those, who are more to be regarded, I am afraid, that when they can be assured that a lady allows it to be their privilege to sue for favours, it will certainly embolden them to solicit, and to think themselves acting in character when they put the lady upon hers, to refuse them. And yet I am humbly of opinion with the poet : 'He comes too near, who comes to be deny'd.' For these reasons, madam, I was pleased with your notion, that it would be best to look upon that sex, especially if we allow them the privilege you speak of, in a hostile light. But permit me to observe, with regard to the most contemptible of the species, fops, coxcombs, and pretty fellows, that many a good general has been defeated, when trusting to his great strength and skill, he has despised a truly weak enemy. I believe, madam, returned she, your observation is very just I have read of such instances. But, dear madam, permit me to ask, whether we speak not too generally, when we condemn every man who dresses well, and is not a sloven, as a fop or a coxcomb ? No doubt we do, when this is the case. But permit me to observe that you hardly ever in your life saw a man who was very nice about his person and dress, that had anything he thought of greater consequence to himself to regard. 'Tis natural it should be so; for should not the man of body take the greatest care to set out and adorn the part for which he thinks himself most valuable? And will not the man of mind bestow his principal care in improving that mind? perhaps to the neglect of dress and outward appearance, which is a fault. But surely, madam, there is a middle way to be observed, in these, as in most other cases; for a man need not be a sloven, any more than a fop. He need not show an utter disregard to dress, nor yet think it his first and chief concern; be ready to quarrel with the wind for discomposing his peruke, or fear to put on his hat, lest he should oppress his foretop: more dislike a spot upon his clothes than in his reputation be a self-admirer, and always at the glass, which he would perhaps never look into, could it show him the deformity of his mind, as well as the finery of his person: who has a tailor for his tutor, and a milliner for his schoolmistress: who laughs at men of sense (excusably enough perhaps, in revenge, because they laugh at him); who calls learning pedantry; and looks upon the knowledge of the fashions, as the only useful science to a fine gentleman. Pardon me, ladies: I could proceed with the character of this species of men; but I need not; because every lady present, I am sure, would despise such a one as much as I do, were he to fall in her way: and the rather, because it is certain that he who admires himself, will never admire his lady as he ought; and if he maintains his niceness after marriage, it will be with a preference to his own person if not, will sink, very probably, into the worst of slovens. For whoever is capable of one extreme (take almost all the cases in human life through), when he recedes from that, if he be not a man of prudence, will go over into the other. But to return to the former subject (for the general attention encouraged me to proceed), permit me, Miss Sutton, to add, that a lady must run great risks to her reputation, if not to her virtue, who will admit into her company any gentleman who shall be of opinion, and know it to be hers, that it is his province to ask a favour which it will be her duty to deny. I believe, madam, I spoke these words a little too carelessly but I meant honourable questions, to be sure. There can be but one honourable question, replied I; and that is seldom asked, but when the affair is brought near a conclusion, and there is a probability of its being granted; and which a single lady, while she has parents or guardians, should never think of permitting to be put to herself, much less of approving, nor perhaps as the case may be, of denying. But I make no doubt, madam, that you meant honourable questions. A young lady of Miss Sutton's good sense, and worthy character, could not mean otherwise. And I have said perhaps more than I needed to say upon this subject, because we all know how ready the presuming of the other sex are, right or wrong, to construe the most innocent meanings in favour of their own views. Very true, said she; but appeared to be under an agreeable confusion, every lady, by her eye, seeming to think she had met with a deserved rebuke; and which not seeming to expect, it abated her liveliness all the time after. Lady Towers seasonably relieved us both from a subject too applicable, if I may so express it, saying, But, dear Mrs. B, will you favour us with the result of your meditation, if you have committed it to writing, on the unhappy case you mentioned? I was rather, madam, exercising my fancy than my judgment, such as it is, upon the occasion. I was aiming at a kind of allegorical or metaphorical style, I know not which to call it; and it is not fit to be read before such judges, I doubt. Oh pray, dear madam, said Miss Stapylton, favour us with it to choose; for I am a great admirer of that style. I have a great curiosity, said Lady Arthur, both from the subject and the style, to hear what you have written: and I beg you will oblige us all. It is short and unfinished. It was written for the sake |