Page:Vindication Women's Rights (Wollstonecraft).djvu/77

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ODILY trength from being the ditinction of heroes is now unk into uch unmerited contempt, that men, as well as women, eem to think it unneceary: the latter, as it takes from their feminine graces, and from that lovely weaknes, the ource of their undue power; and the former, becaue it appears inimical with the character of a gentleman.

That they have both by departing from one extreme run into another, may eaily be proved; but firt it may be proper to oberve, that a vulgar error has obtained a degree of credit, which has given force to a fale concluion, in which an effect has been mitaken for a caue.

People of genius have, very frequently, impaired their contitutions by tudy or careles inattention to their health, and the violence of their paions bearing a proportion to the vigour of their intellects, the word's detroying the cabbard has become almot proverbial, and uperficial obervers have inferred from thence, that men of genius have commonly weak, or, to ue a more fahionable phrae, delicate contitutions. Yet the contrary, I believe, will appear to be the fact; for, on diligent inquiry, I find that trength of mind has, in mot caes, been accompanied by uperior trength of body,—natural oundnes of contitution,—not that robut tone Rh