Page:Vindication Women's Rights (Wollstonecraft).djvu/257

Rh not pleaant when the heart is opened by compaion and the head active in arranging plans of uefulnes, to have a prim urchin continually twitching back the elbow to prevent the hand from drawing out an almot empty pure, whipering at the ame time ome prudential maxim about the priority of jutice.

Detructive, however, as riches and inherited honours are to the human character, women are more debaed and cramped, if poible, by them, than men, becaue men may till, in ome degree, unfold their faculties by becoming oldiers and tatemen.

As oldiers, I grant, they can now only gather, for the mot part, vain glorious laurels, whilt they adjut to a hair the European balance, taking epecial care that no bleak northern nook or ound incline the beam. But the days of true heroim are over, when a citizen fought for his country like a Fabricius or a Wahington, and then returned to his farm to let his virtuous fervour run in a more placid, but not a les alutary, tream. No, our Britih heroes are oftener ent from the gaming table than from the plow; and their paions have been rather inflamed by hanging with dumb upene on the turn of a die, than ublimated by panting after the adventurous march of virtue in the hitoric page.

The tateman, it is true, might with more propriety quit the Faro Bank, or card-table, to guide the helm, for he has till but to huffle and trick. The whole ytem of Britih politics, if ytem it may courteouly be called, coniting in multiplying dependents and contriving taxes which&ensp;