Page:Vindication Women's Rights (Wollstonecraft).djvu/97

Rh expanding itelf to comprehend the moral duties of life, and in what human virtue and dignity conit.

Formed thus by the dicharge of the relative duties of her tation, he marries from affection, without loing light of prudence, and looking beyond matrimonial felicity, he ecures her huband's repect before it is neceary to exert mean arts to pleae him and feed a dying flame, which nature doomed to expire when the object became familiar, when friendhip and forbearance take place of a more ardent affection.—This is the natural death of love, and dometic peace is not detroyed by truggles to prevent its extinction. I alo uppoe the huband to be virtuous; or he is till more in want of independent principles.

Fate, however, breaks this tie.—She is left a widow, perhaps, without a ufficient proviion; but he is not deolate! The pang of nature is felt; but after time has oftened orrow into melancholy reignation, her heart turns to her children with redoubled fondnes, and anxious to provide for them, affection gives a acred heroic cat to her maternal duties. She thinks that not only the eye ees her virtuous efforts from whom all her comfort now mut flow, and whoe approbation is life; but her imagination, a little abtracted and exalted by grief, dwells on the fond hope that the eyes which her trembling hand cloed, may till ee how he ubdues every wayward paion to fulfil the double duty of being the father as well as the mother of her children. Raied to heroim by misfortunes, he reprees the firt faint dawning of a natural inclination, before&ensp;