of Europe, of Travels into remoter Nations, of the State of their own Countries, or of the great Men and Actions of Greece and Rome; if they give their Judgment upon English and French Writers, either in Verfe or Profe, or of the Nature and Limits of Virtue and Vice, it is a Shame for an English Lady not to relish fuch Difcourfes, not to improve by them, and endeavour, by Reading and Information, to have her Share in thofe Entertainments; rather than turn aside, as it is the ufual Custom, and confult with the Woman who fits next her about a new Cargo of Fans.

It is a little hard that not one Gentleman's Daughter in a thousand should be brought to read or understand her own natural Tongue, or be Judge of the eafieft Books that are written in it, as any one may find, when they are difposed to mangle a Play or a Novel, where the leaft Word out of the common Road is fure to disconcert them. It is no Wonder, when they are not so much as taught to spell in their Childhood, nor can ever attain to it in their whole Lives. I advise you, therefore, to read aloud more or less every Day to your Husband, if he will permit you, or to any other Friend (but not a Female one) who is able to fet you right; and as for Spelling, you may compass it in time, by making Collections from the Books you read.

I know very well that those who are commonly called Learned Women, have lost all manner of Credit, by their impertinent Talkativenefs and Conceit of themselves; but there is an eafy Remedy for this, if you once confider that after the Pains you may be at, you never can arrive in point of Learning, to the Perfection of

a School-boy. The Reading I would advise you to, is only for Improvement of your own good Senfe, which will never fail of being mended by Discretion. It is a wrong Method and ill Choice of Books, that makes those learned Ladies juft so much worse for what they have read, and therefore it shall be my Care to direct you better, a Task for which I take myself to be not ill-qualified, because I have spent more Time, and have had more Opportunities than many others, to obferve and discover from what Sources the various Follies of Women are derived.

Pray obferve how infignificant Things are the common Race of Ladies, when they have paffed their Youth and Beauty, how contemptible they appear to the Men, and yet more contemptible to the younger Part of their own Sex, and have no Relief but in paffing their Afternoons in Vifits where they are never acceptable, and their Evenings at Cards among each other, while the former Part of the Day is fpent in Spleen and Envy, or in vain Endeavours to repair by Art and Dress the Ruins of Time; whereas I have known Ladies at Sixty, to whom all the polite Part of the Court and Town, paid their Addreffes, without any farther View, than that of enjoying the Pleasure of their Conversation.

I am ignorant of any one Quality that is amiable in a Man, which is not equally fo in a Woman; I do not except even Modefty and Gentleness of Nature, nor do I know one Vice or Folly, which is not equally deteftable in both, there is indeed one Infirmity which feems to be generally allowed you, I mean that of Cowardice, yet there fhould feem to be fomething very capricious, that when Women profess their Admi

ration

ration for a Colonel or a Captain, on account of his Valour, they fhould fancy it a very graceful becoming Quality in themselves to be afraid of their own Shadows; to scream in a Barge when the Weather is calmeft, or in a Coach at the Ring; to run from a Cow at a hundred Yards distance; to fall into Fits at the Sight of a Spider, an Earwig, or a Frog; at least if Cowardice be a Sign of Cruelty (as it is generally granted) I can hardly think it an Accomplishment fo defirable as to be thought worth improving by Affectation.

And as the fame Virtue equally becomes both Sexes, fo there is no Quality whereby Women endeavour to diftinguifh themselves from Men, for which they are not juft fo much the worse, except that only of Refervedness, which, however, as you generally manage it, is nothing else but Affectation or Hypocrify; for as you cannot too much discountenance thofe of our Sex who presume to take unbecoming Liberty before you, fo you ought to be wholly unconstrained in the Company of deferving Men, when you have had fufficient Experience of their Discretion.

There is never wanting in this Town a Tribe of bold, fwaggering, rattling Ladies, whose Talents pafs among Coxcombs for Wit and Humour ; their Excellency lies in rude choaking Expreffions, and what they call running a Man down. If a Gentleman in their Company, happens to have a Blemish in his Birth or Perfon, if any Misfortune hath befallen his Family or himself, for which he is afhamed, they will be fure to give him broad Hints of it without any Provocation. I would recommend you to the Acquaintance of a common Proftitute, rather than to that of fuch Termagants

magants as these. I have often thought that no Man is obliged to fuppofe fuch Creatures to be Women, but to treat them like infolent Rafcals, difguifed in female Habits, who ought to be stript and kicked down Stairs.

I will add one thing, although it be a little out of Place, which is to defire that you will learn to value and efteem your Husband for thofe good Qualities he really poffeffeth, and not to fancy others in him which he certainly hath not, for although this latter is generally understood to be a Mark of Love, yet it is indeed nothing but Affectation or ill Judgment. It is true he wants fo very few Accomplishments, that you are in no great Danger of erring on this fide, but my Caution is occafioned by a Lady of your Acquaintance, married to a very valuable Perfon whom yet fhe is fo unfortunate as to be always commending for those Perfections to which he can leaft pretend.

I can give you no Advice upon the Article of Expence, only I think you ought to be well informed how much your Hufband's Revenue amounts to, and be fo good a Computer as to keep within it, in that Part of the Management which falls to your Share; and not to put yourself in the Number of thofe politic Ladies, who think they gain a great Point when they have teazed their Hufbands to buy them a new Equipage, a laced Head, or a fine Petticoat; without once confidering what long Scores remain unpaid to the Butcher.

your

I defire you will keep this Letter in Cabinet, and often examine impartially your whole Conduct by it, and fo God bless you, and make you a fair Example to your Sex, and a per

petual

petual Comfort to your Husband and your Parents. I am, with great Truth and Affection,

THO' you expected to fee me the happiest Man in the World, by the extraordinary Honours which I receiv'd from his Excellency; yet I cannot forbear acquainting you, you are greatly disappointed in that refpect.

Before I receiv'd his Bounty (which far furpaffed my Hopes, and was more the Effect of his Generofity than any Merit of mine) I thought Riches were fo neceflary an Ingredient in human Life, that it was scarce poffible to attain any Degree of Happiness without them.

I imagin'd, that if I had but a competent Sum, I fhould have no Care, no Trouble to discompofe my Thoughts, nothing to withdraw my Mind from Virtue and the Mufes; but that, if poffible, I should enjoy a more exalted Degree of Content and Delight than I had hitherto; but now I perceive these kind of Notions to have been the pure genuine Effect of a very empty Purse.

My Hopes are vanifh'd at the Increase of my Fortune; my Opinion of Things is of a fudden

fo