An Essay in Defence of the Female Sex/Letter 1

To the Mot Ingenious Mrs. &mdash; oron [sic] her admirable Defence of Her Sex.

Ong have we ung the Fam&rsquo;d Orinda&rsquo;s praie, And own&rsquo;d Atrea&lsquo;s Title to the Bays, We to their Wit have paid the Tribute due, But hou&lsquo;d be Bankrupt before jut to you. Sweet flowing Numbers, and fine Thoughts they writ. But you Eternal Truths, as well as Wit. In them the Force of Harmony we find, In you the Strengh, and Vigour of the Mind. Dark Clouds of Prejudice obcur&rsquo;d their Vere, You with Victorious Proe thoe Clouds dipere; Thoe Foggs, which wou&rsquo;d not to their Flame ubmit, Vanih before your Riing Sun of Wit. Our Sex have long thro&rsquo; Uurpation reign&rsquo;d, And by their Tyranny their Rule maintain&rsquo;d. Till wanton grown with Arbitrary Sway Depos&rsquo;d by you They practice to obey, Proudly ubmitting, when uch Graces meet, Beauty by Nature, and by Conquet Wit. For Wit they had on their own Sex entail&rsquo;d, Till for your elf, and Sex you thus prevail&rsquo;d. Thrice happy Sex! Whoe Foes uch Pow&rsquo;r diarms, And gives freh Lutre to your native Charms, Whoe Nervous Sene couch&rsquo;d in cloe Method lies, Clear as her Soul, and piercing as her Eyes, If any yet o tupid hou&rsquo;d appear, As till to doubt, what he has made o clear, Her Beautie&rsquo;s Arguments they would allow, And to Her Eyes their full Converion owe. And by Experiment the World Convince. The Force of Reaon&rsquo;s les, than that of Sene.

Your Sex you with uch Charming Grace defend, While that you vindicate, you Ours amend: We in your Glas may ee each foul defect, And may not only ee, but may correct.

In vain old Greece her Sages would compare, They taught what Men hou&lsquo;d be, you what they are. With doubtfull Notions they Mankind perplext, And with unpracticable Precept vext.

In vain they trove wild Paions to reclaim, Uncertain what they were, or whence they came. But you, who have found out their certain Source, May with a happier Hand divert their Coure. Themelves o little did thoe Sages know, That to their Failings We their Learning owe. Their Vanity firt caus&rsquo;d &rsquo;em to apire, And with fierce Wranglings et all Greece on Fire: Thus into ects they plit the Grecian youth, Contending more for Victory than Truth. Your Speculations nobler Ends perue, They aim not to be Popular, but true. You with trict Jutice in an equal Light, Expoe both Wit and Folly to our Sight. Yet as the Bee ecure on Poyon feeds, Extracting Honey from the ranket Weeds: So afely you in Fools Intructours find, And Widom in the Follies of mankind.

With purer Waves henceforth hall Satyr flow, And we this change to your chat Labours owe; Satyr before from a Polluted Source Brought Native Filth, augmented in its coure. No longer muddy hall thoe Streams appear, Which you have purg&lsquo;d, and made o weet, and clear. Well may youyour [sic] Wit to us a wonder eem, So trong&rsquo;s the Current, yet o clear the tream, Deep, but not Dull, thro&rsquo; each tranparent Line We ee the Gems, which at the Bottom hine.

To your Correction freely we ubmit, Who teach us Modety as well as Wit. Our Sex with Bluhes mut your Conquet own, While yours prepare the Garlands you have won. Your Fame ecure long as your Sex hall lat, Nor Time, nor Envy hall your Lawrels blat.


 * James Drake.