Page:Vindication Women's Rights (Wollstonecraft).djvu/84

78 the impule of nature to propagate the pecies, hould appear even before an improper education has, by heating the imagination, called it forth prematurely, is o unphiloophical, that uch a agacious oberver as Roueau would not have adopted it, if he had not been accutomed to make reaon give way to his deire of ingularity, and truth to a favourite paradox.

Yet thus to give a ex to mind was not very conitent with the principles of a man who argued o warmly, and o well, for the immortality of the oul.—But what a weak barrier is truth when it tands in the way of an hypotheis! Roueau repected—almot adored virtue—and yet he allowed himelf to love with enual fondnes. His imagination contantly prepared inflammable fewel for his inflammable enes; but, in order to reconcile his repect for elf-denial, fortitude, and thoe heroic virtues, which a mind like his could not coolly admire, he labours to invert the law of nature, and broaches a doctrine pregnant with michief and derogatory to the character of upreme widom.

His ridiculous tories, which tend to prove that girls are naturally attentive to their perons, without laying any tres on daily example, are below contempt.—And that a little mis hould have uch a correct tate as to neglect the pleaing amuement of making O's, merely becaue he perceived that it was an ungraceful attitude, hould be elected with the anecdotes of the learned pig. I&ensp;