Page:Vindication Women's Rights (Wollstonecraft).djvu/98

92 before it ripens into love, and in the bloom of life forgets her ex—forgets the pleaure of an awakening paion, which might again have been inpired and returned. She no longer thinks of pleaing, and concious dignity prevents her from priding herelf on account of the praie which her conduct demands. Her children have her love, and her brightet hopes are beyond the grave, where her imagination often trays.

I think I ee her urrounded by her children, reaping the reward of her care. The intelligent eye meets hers, whilt health and innocence mile on their chubby cheeks, and as they grow up the cares of life are leened by their grateful attention. She lives to ee the virtues which he endeavoured to plant on principles fixed into habits, to ee her children attain a trength of character ufficient to enable them to endure adverity without forgetting their mother's example.

The tak of life thus fulfilled, he calmly waits for the leep of death, and riing from the grave, may ay—Behold, thou gavet me a talent—and here are five talents.

I wih to um up what I have aid in a few words, for I here throw down my gauntlet, and deny the exitence of exual virtues, not excepting modety. For man and woman, truth, if I undertand the meaning of the word, mut be the ame; yet the fanciful female character, o prettily drawn by poets and novelits, demanding the acrifice of truth and incerity, virtue becomes a relative idea, having no other foundation than utility, and of that utility men pretend arbitrarily to judge, haping it to their own convenience. Women,&ensp;