An Essay in Defence of the Female Sex/Letter 2

To Madam &mdash; on the Occaion of her Eay, in Defence of her Sex.

can&rsquo;t but mile at the Fantatick Malice of ome, that love me not, for their Spightful clamor has effected that, which the kind Ininuations of ome of my mitaken Friends, in vain attempted, and fixt upon me an honour, and upon themelves Characters, they wou&rsquo;d be glad to claw off again, tho&rsquo; at the expence of their Skins. Caprice, and Humour have indeed a great hare in the Movements, even of the wiet of Mankind, but I never met before with uch a frollickome piece of Malice, as to lander a Man into Reputation. I&rsquo;m none of the firt, that have hin&rsquo;d by the lustre of another&rsquo;s worth, and valu&rsquo;d themelves upon&rsquo;t too: But I believe, Madam, you find but few Precedents of Men, that have taken o much pains to undeceive the World to their own diadvantage. I have known Men (and o I fancy have you too) and thoe of no mean Reputation, that have affected to look grave and compos&rsquo;d at the Repetition of another Man&rsquo;s Jet, that it might be taken for their own; and, to ay truth, if the World will mitake Men for greater, or Wier, than they are, there are few that have Ingenuity enough not to help on the Cheat. Your Conduct, Madam, is very different, You conquer without triumphing and like a generous Enemy corn to inult o&rsquo;reo&rsquo;er [sic] thoe you vanquih. You leave the Spoil to uch as S&mdash;n, you are contented with Victory, they, like peaants after the rout, of an Army, come in only to do the Butcherly Execution. Yet thus to keep your elf conceal&rsquo;d, and refue the Honour, is a train beyond the Gallantry of Romance; there the Knight, tho&rsquo; he atchieves Incognito, always lifts up his Beaver to receive the Favour, and the Complement. But you, like your Laurels, affect the Shade, and, like the richet Jewels, are content to have your Lutre try&rsquo;d in the Dark.

This Procedure of Yours, Madam, eentially ditinguihes your Character from that of ome, that malign it. They are o unwilling to acknowledge themelves defeated by you, that they endeavour to force the Honour, tho&rsquo; unmerited, upon me, and extreamly regretted by them; and didain a chatiement from a Female Hand, tho&rsquo; too weak to oppoe it. You draw too well, to have occaion to write under your Pieces: for there is carce an Eminent Fool in Town, but owns his Picture. Yet o far are they from mending for your mart correction, (o much Solomon is wier than Mr. Dryden) o far from profiting by the Modety of your Example, that intead of uppreing their names to what they write, they are ready upon all occaions to put &rsquo;em to what others write. Not a French Journal, Mercure, Farce, or Op&eacute;ra can cape their pillaging, o violently they affect the Reputation of Wits. Yet the utmot they arrive at, is but a ort of Jack a Lanthorn Wit, that like the Sunhine with wanton Boys with Fragments of Looking Glas reflect in Men&rsquo;s Eyes, dazles the Weak-ighted, and troubles the trong. Thee are the Mues Black Guard, that, like thoe of our Camps, tho&rsquo; they have no hare in the danger, or Honour, yet have the greatet in the Plunder, that indifferently trip all that lie before &rsquo;em, dead or alive, Friends or Enemies. A tray Hore is afer in the Spanih Quarters, than an Anonymous Piece, Scene, or Line among them, and they are as unrefunding as a cat Mitres, and as unacknowledging as a Dutch Trademan. Whatever they light on is Terra Incognita, and they claim the right of dicoverers, that is, or giving their Names to it. They, like the Paron and Clark, are the common Godfathers, and anwer frequently what the true Parents are aham&rsquo;d to own: They fancy they make a Splendid figure in print, but like the Phophorus (which the Chymits extract from fermented Ordure) with all their glimmerling, and ham fire, they retain the Scent (pardon the homelines of the expreion, Madam,) of the Original, Sir Reverence. Thee Fellows are in their Humours omething a-kin to one (that I once knew) who never met a Man very drunk in an Evening, but he led him to his own Door to dicharge, that he might in the morning have the Credit of his Debauchery; o thee will carce uffer any one Scribler to enjoy undiputed the Scandal of his own Nonene.

Methinks, Madam, I begin to find the Ambition of an Author creeping upon me, and to feel (like ome greater Men than my elf) a trange itching to forfeit, by omething of my own production, the Reputation I have got by yours. This thing call&rsquo;d Reputation, Madam, is a very unaccountable thing, and baffles a very celebrated Axiom, or two of the Schools; for both they give, and they loe it, who never had, nor ever hall have any, like prodigal young Heirs, that pend their Etates before they come at &rsquo;em.

I perceive, Madam, after this way of digreing, it were eaier to tire your patience than my own; for nothing is more natural (to me at leat) than to forget the Deign we firt act upon, and write as incoherently as we talk: But whatever that were, I hall pare you that trouble at preent, and only beg the continuance of your Friendhip, which hall always be eteem&rsquo;d an honour, by


 * Madam,


 * Your mot humble, and


 * mot oblig&rsquo;d Servant,


 * J. D.

''Another Eay. Seion of Poets 96, 6 Characters of a Beau,'' &c.