An Essay in Defence of the Female Sex/Section 1

AN

ESSAY

In Defence of the

Female Sex, &c.

HE Converation we had &rsquo;tother day, makes me, Dear Madam, but more enible of the unreaonablenes of your deire; which obliges me to inform you further upon a Subject, wherein I have more need of your intruction. The trength of Judgment, prightly Fancy, and admirable Addres, you hew&rsquo;d upon that Occaion, peak you o perfect a Mitres of that Argument (as I doubt not but you are of any other that you pleae to engage in) that whoever, would peak or write well on it, ought firt to be your Schollar. Yet to let you ee how abolutely you may command me, I had rather be your Eccho, than be ilent when You bid me peak, and beg your excue rather for my Failures, than want of Complacence. I know You will not accue me for a Plagiary if I return You nothing, but what I have glean&rsquo;d from You, when You conider, that I pretend not to make a Preent, but to pay the Interet only of a Debt. Nor can you tax me with Vanity, ince no Importunity of a Peron less lov&rsquo;d or valu&rsquo;d by me than your elf could have extorted thus much from me. This Conideration leaves me no room to doubt but that you will with your uual Candour pardon thoe Defects, and correct thoe Errors, which proceed only from an over forward Zeal to oblige You, though to my own Diadvantage. The defence of our Sex againt o many and o great Wits as have o trongly attack&rsquo;d it, may jutly eem a Task too difficult for a Woman to attempt. Not that I can, or ought to yield, that we are by Nature les enabled for uch an Enterprize, than Men are; which I hope at leat to hew plauible Reaons for, before I have done: But becaue through the Uurpation of Men, and the Tyranny of Cutom (here in England epecially) there are at mot but a few, who are by Education, and acquir&rsquo;d Wit, or Letters, ufficiently quallified for uch an Undertaking. For my own part I hall readily own, that as few as there are, there may be and are abundance, who in their daily Converations approve themelves much more able, and ufficient Aertors of our Caue, than my elf; and I am orry that either their Buines, their other Diverions, or too great Indulgence of their Eae, hinder them from doing publick Jutice to their Sex. The Men by Interet or Inclination are o generally engag&rsquo;d againt us, that it is not to be expected, that any one Man of Wit hould arie o generous as to engage in our Quarrel, and be the Champion of our Sex againt the Injuries and Oppreions of his own. Thoe Romantick days are over, and there is not o much as a Don Quixot of the Quill left to uccour the ditreed Damels. &rsquo;Tis true, a Feint of omething of this Nature was made three or four Years ince by one; but how much oever his EngeniaEugenia [sic] may be oblig&rsquo;d to him, I am of Opinion the ret of her Sex are but little beholding to him. For as you rightly oberv&rsquo;d, Madam, he has taken more care to give an Edge to his Satyr, than force to his Apology; he has play&rsquo;d a ham Prize, and receives more thruts than he makes; and like a fale Renegade fights under our Colours only for a fairer Opportunity of betraying us. But what could be expected ele from a Beau? An Annimal that can no more commend in earnet a Womans Wit, than a Man&rsquo;s Peron, and that compliments ours only to hew his own good Breeding and Parts. He levels his Scandal at the whole Sex, and thinks us ufficiently fortified, that if out of the Story of Two Thouand Years he has been able to pick up a few Examples of Women illutrious for their Wit, Learning or Vertue, and Men infamous for the contrary; though I think the mot inveterate of our Enemies would have par&rsquo;d him that labour, by granting that all Ages have produc&rsquo;d Perons famous or infamous of both Sexes; or they mut throw up all pretence to Modety, or Reaon.

I have neither Learning, nor Inclination to make a Precedent, or indeed any ue to Mr. W&rsquo;s. labour&rsquo;d Common Place Book; and hall leave Pedants and School-Boys to rake and tumble the Rubbih of Antiquity, and muter all the Heroes and Heroins they can find to furnih matter for ome wretched Harangue, or tuff a mierable Declamation with intead of Sene or Argument.

I hall not enter into any dipute, whether Men, or Women, be generally more ingenious, or learned; that Point mut be given up to the advantages Men have over us by their Education, Freedom of Convere, and variety of Buines and Company. But when any Comparion is made between &rsquo;em, great allowances mut be made for the diparity of thoe Circumtances. Neither hall I contet about the preheminence of our Virtues; I know there are too many Vicious, and I hope there are a great many Virtuous of both Sexes. Yet this I must ay, that whatever Vices are found amongt us, have in general both their ource, and encouragement from them. The Quetion I hall at preent handle is, whether the time an ingenious Gentleman pends in the Company of Women, may jutly be aid to be miemploy&rsquo;d, or not. I put the quetion in general terms; becaue whoever holds the affirmative mut maintain it o, or the Sex is no way concern&rsquo;d to oppoe him. On the other ide I hall not maintain the Negative, but with ome Retrictions and Limitations; becaue I will not be bound to jutifie thoe Women, whoe Vices and ill Conduct expoe them deervedly to the Cenure of the other Sex, as well as of their own. The Question being thus tated, let us conider the end and purpoes for which Coveration was at firt intituted, and is yet deirable; and then we hall ee, whether they may not all be found in the Company of Women. Thee Ends, I take it, are the ame with thoe of the Mind, and thoe of the Body. Of the latter I hall take no further Notice, as having no Relation to the preent Subject; but hall confine my elf wholly to the Mind, the Profit of which is the Improvement of the Undertanding, and the Pleaure is the Diverion, and Relaxation of its Cares and Paions. Now if either of thee Ends be attainable by the Society of Women, I have gain&rsquo;d my Point. However, I hope to make it appear, that they are not only both to be met with in the Converation of Women, but one of them more generally, and in greater meaure than in Mens.