Page:Vindication Women's Rights (Wollstonecraft).djvu/179

Rh if the troke of vengeance cannot be tayed—the lady is entreated to pardon the rudenes and depart in peace, though prinkled, perhaps, with her huband's or brother's blood.

I hall pas over his trictures on religion, becaue I mean to dicus that ubject in a eparate chapter.

The remarks relative to behaviour, though many of them very enible, I entirely diapprove of, becaue it appears to me to be beginning, as it were, at the wrong end. A cultivated undertanding, and an affectionate heart, will never want tarched rules of decorum–omething more ubtantial than eemlines will be the reult; and, without undertanding the behaviour here recommended, would be rank affectation. Decorum, indeed, is the one thing needful!—decorum is to upplant nature, and banih all implicity and variety of character out of the female world. Yet what good end can all this uperficial counel produce? It is, however, much eaier to point out this or that mode of behaviour, than to et the reaon to work; but, when the mind has been tored with ueful knowledge, and trengthened by being employed, the regulation of the behaviour may afely be left to its guidance.

Why, for intance, hould the following caution be given when art of every kind mut contaminate the mind; and why entangle the grand motives of action, which reaon and religion equally combine to enforce, with pitiful worldly hifts and light of hand tricks to gain the applaue of gaping tateles fools? 'Be even cautious in playing&ensp;