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172 with cononant independence and dignity, he checks the natural flow of his thoughts, and neither advies one thing nor the other.

In the preface he tells them a mournful truth, 'that they will hear, at leat once in their lives, the genuine entiments of a man who has no interet in deceiving them.'

Haples woman! what can be expected from thee when the beings on whom thou art aid naturally to depend for reaon and upport, have all an interet in deceiving thee! This is the root of the evil that has hed a corroding mildew on all thy virtues; and blighting in the bud thy opening faculties, has rendered thee the weak thing thou art! It is this eparate interet—this inidious tate of warfare, that undermines morality, and divides mankind!

If love have made ome women wretched—how many more has the cold unmeaning intercoure of gallantry rendered vain and ueles! yet this heartles attention to the ex is reckoned o manly, o polite, that till ociety is very differently organized, I fear, this vetige of gothic manners will not be done away by a more reaonable and affectionate mode of conduct. Beides, to trip it of its imaginary dignity, I mut oberve, that in the mot uncivilized European tates this lip-ervice prevails in a very great degree, accompanied with extreme diolutenes of morals. In Portugal, the country that I particularly allude to, it takes place of the mot erious moral obligations; for a man is eldom aainated when in the company of a woman. The avage hand of rapine is unnerved by this chivalrous pirit; and, if&ensp;