An Essay in Defence of the Female Sex/Letter 3

The Lady&rsquo;s Anwer.

''Owever impertinent the unjut Aperions of thoe that envie you, may appear to your elf, and others; yet methinks, there is a ort of Generoity in it, that makes &rsquo;em deny me Jutice with a Complement: If they will not uffer me to own my Triffle, I am at leat oblig&rsquo;d to &rsquo;em, that in acribing it to you, they confes it deerves a better Author. I am far from imagining, that this was intended as a Civility to me, which was indeed deign&rsquo;d as an Injury to you: But it has laid freh Obligations upon me, ince it leens not their Respect, tho&rsquo; you uffer in the Inputation, and lets me ee that you can with all the Gallantry of a Courtier engage in a Friends caue, and corn the Court Trick of deerting it, when it grows troubleome, or difficult. &rsquo;Tis no mall comfort to me, that I have uch a Champion againt uch petty Adveraries; for tho&rsquo; a Man can&rsquo;t decently draw his Sword upon e&rsquo; yelping little Cur, that barks at him in the treet, yet if they narl too near his heels, he may purn &rsquo;em without offence to his gravity. To oppoe uch Fellows their own way, were like quarrelling with the common Scavengers, and throwing Filth about to bewray themelves and annoy the Neighborhood. Such immoral Swine ought to be ubmitted to the Eccleiatical Cenure, and do Pennance in one clean heet, for the filthy Rheams they&rsquo;ve abus&rsquo;d the World with. I end you herewith the Enclos&rsquo;d, that you may ee there are thoe, that tho&rsquo; they differ in my Opinion, yet can treat me with good Breeding: The Candour and Ingenuity of this Gentleman, makes me regret his being unknown to me, becaue it deprives me of the proper means of Acknowledgment: For tho&rsquo; I can&rsquo;t in all points mention&rsquo;d be convinc&rsquo;d by his Arguments, yet I mut confes my Self throughout overcome, and made a Proelite to his Civility. I wih I had his Leave to make it publick, which I dare not preume to do without it: I am confident e&rsquo;ry civil Woman, as well as Man, wou&rsquo;d think her elf oblig&rsquo;d to him, even while he pleads for the ubjection of her whole Sex. If I hould ever be induc&rsquo;d to proecute this Subject (which is far from being exhauted by all that I, or others, have written upon it) any farther; I hou&rsquo;d think my elf oblig&rsquo;d to yield to his Arguments, or produce my own Reaons for my Dient; and hall, I am confident, have more caue to bluh for his Complements, than his Oppoition.''

''Here, Sir, Gratitude compels me to return you and him Thanks, for thoe obliging fine things you are pleas&rsquo;d to ay of me; tho&rsquo; they have an effect on me quite contrary to your Deign; for, I believe, you generouly intended to encourage me by &rsquo;em; but they have humbl&rsquo;d me, by giving uch admirable means to meaure the diproportion between how I write, and how I ought to write. I am enible of the native courenes of my Mettal, (tho&rsquo; without the Alloy ome wou&rsquo;d find in it) and if it has met with general Acceptance, &rsquo;tis the Stamp you have put upon it has made it current: Yet, with the incerity of a Friend, permit me to advie you againt my own Interet: Let your Complaiance prevail no more againt your Opinion, for fear the World hou&rsquo;d upect, that you had either lot your Judgment, or alter&rsquo;d your Standard. &rsquo;Tis no vain Opinion of my own Lutre, that makes me eek Obcurity, but a jut Conciounes; that like a Glow-worm, &rsquo;tis to that only I am beholding for the notice that is taken of me; and if I Affect the hade, &rsquo;tis out of a fear of diappearing in the Sun-hine of better Authors. Nor am I without my Apprehenions, that your obliging Letter, like the Sun let in upon a common fire, may extinguih what it was deign&rsquo;d to cherih. This Advantage however I reap by being unknown, that I frequently hear unupected, the unbias&rsquo;d Opinions of thoe that criticize upon me, and carce, without Scorn, hear mot Men pronounce it a Performance upove the Ability of a Woman, yet none Anwer the Arguments in it to the contrary. But of all the nice Judges, the pleaantet are thoe that think the Stile too Maculine: But, with their leave, I think I may boldly advance, that let them form themelves with equal Care, by the ame Models, and they will no more be able to dicern a Man&rsquo;s Stile from a Woman&rsquo;s, than they can tell whether this was written with a Gooe Quill, or a Gander&rsquo;s: But I hall not trouble you, nor my elf any longer about &rsquo;em, but leave &rsquo;em to the liberty of their cenure, and only aure you, that I am''


 * Sir,