Page:Vindication Women's Rights (Wollstonecraft).djvu/165

Rh Thus peaks the philoopher. 'Senual pleaures are tranient. The habitual tate of the affections always loe by their gratification. The imagination, which decks the object of our deires, is lot in fruition. Excepting the Supreme Being, who is elf-exitent, there is nothing beautiful but what is ideal.'

But he returns to his unintelligible paradoxes again, when he thus addrees Sophia. 'Emilius, in becoming your huband, is become your mater; and claims your obedience. Such is the order of nature. When a man is married, however, to uch a wife as Sophia, it is proper he hould be directed by her; this is alo agreeable to the order of nature: it is, therefore, to give you as much authority over his heart as his ex gives him over your peron, that I have made you the arbiter of his pleaures. It may cot you, perhaps, ome diagreeable elf-denial; but you will be certain of maintaining your empire over him, if you can preerve it over yourelf—what I have already oberved, alo, hows me, that this difficult attempt does not urpas your courage.

Would you have your huband contantly at your feet? keep him at ome ditance from your peron. You will long maintain the authority in love, if you know but how to render your favours rare and valuable. It is thus you may employ even the arts of coquetry in the ervice of virtue, and thoe of love in that of reaon.'

I hall cloe my extracts with a jut decription of a comfortable couple. 'And yet you mut not&ensp;