It is yet more abfurd to be angry with a man because he does not apprehend the force of your reasons, or give'weak ones of his own. If you ar gue for reputation, this makes your victory the eafier; he is certainly in all refpects an object of your pity, rather than anger; and if he cannot comprehend what you do, you ought to thank nature for her favours, who has given you fo much the clearer understanding. You may please to add this confideration, That among your equals no one values your anger, which only preys upon its mafter; and perhaps your may find it not very confiftent either with prudence or your cafe, to punish yourself whenever you meet with a fool or a knave. Laftly, if you propose to yourself the true end of argument, which is information, it may be a feasonable check to your paffion; for, if you fearch purely after truth, it will be almoft indifferent to you where you find it. I cannot in this place omit an obfervation which I have often made, namely, That nothing procures a man more 'esteem and lefs envy from the whole company, than if he chufes the part of moderator, without engaging directly on either fide in a dispute. This gives him the character of impartial, furnishes him with an opportunity of fifting things to the bottom, fhew ing his judgment, and of fometimes making hand fome compliments to each of the contending parties, I fhall clofe this fubject with giving you one caution: When you have gained a victory, do not pufh it too far; it is fufficient to let the company and your adverfary fee it is in your power, but that you are too generous to make use of it. X WEDNESDAY, ********************** NO 198. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17. Gervi luporum præda rapacium Fallere, & effugere eft triumphus. HOR. Od. iv. lib. iv. ver. 5o. We, like the ftag, the brinded wolf provoke, Rufh on, though fure to die. ANON. THERE is a fpecies of women, whom I fhall diftinguifh by the name of Salamanders. Now a falamander is a kind of heroine in chastity, that treads upon fire, and lives in the midst of flames without being hurt. A falamander knows no diftinction of fex in. thofe fhe converfes with, grows familiar with a stranger at first fight, and is not fo narrow-fpirited as to obferve whether the perfon the talks to, be in breeches or petticoats. She admits a male vifitant to her bed-side, plays with him a whole afternoon at piquet, walks with him two or three hours by moon-light, and is extremely fcandalized at the unreafonablenefs of an hufband, or the feverity of a parent, that would debar the Sex from fuch innocent liberties. Your falamander is therefore a perpetual declaimer against jealousy, an admirer of the French good-breeding, and a. ftickler for freedom in converfation. In short, the falamander lives in an invincible state of fimplicity and innocence: Her conftitution is preferved in a kind of natural froft; fhe wonders what peo-ple mean by temptations, and defies mankind to do their worft. Her chastity is engaged in a conftant erdeal, or fiery trial: Like good Queen Emma, the pretty innocent walks blindfold among burning plough-fhares, without being. fcorched or finged by them. It is not therefore for the ufe of the falamander, whether in a married or single state of life, that I defign the following paper; but for fuch females only as are made of flesh and blood, and find themselves fubject to human frailties. As for this part of the Fair Sex who are not of the falamander kind, I would moft earnestly advife them to obferve a quite different conduct in their behaviour; and to avoid as much as poffible what religion calls temptations, and the world opFortunities. Did they but know how many thoufands of their fex have been gradually betrayed from innocent freedoms to ruin and infamy; and how many millions of ours have begun with flatteteries, proteftations, and endearments, but ended with reproaches,, perjury, and perfidioufnefs; they would hun like death the very firft approaches of one that might lead them into inextricable labyrinths of guilt and mifery. I muft fo far give up the cause of the male world, as to exhort the female fex in the language of Chamont in the Orphan; Truft not a man, we are by nature falje, I might very much enlarge upon this fubject, but fhall conclude it with a story which I lately heard from one of our Spanish officers, and which may thew the danger a woman incurs by too great familiarities with a male companion. An inhabitant of the kingdom of Caftile, being a man of more than ordinary prudence, and of a grave compofed behaviour, determined about the fiftieth year of his age to enter upon wedlock. In order to make himfelf cafy in it, he caft his eye upon a young woman who had nothing to recommend her but her beauty and her education, her parents having been reduced to great poverty by the wars, which for fome years years have laid that whole country wafte. The Caftilian having made his addreffes to her and mared her, they lived together in perfect happiness for fome time: When at length the hufband's affairs made it neceffary for him to take a voyage to the kingdom of Naples, where a great part of his eftate lay. The wife loved him too tenderly to be left behind him. They had not been a fhipboard above a day, when they unluckily fell into the hands of an Algerine pirate, who carried the whole company on fhore, and made them flaves. The Caftilian and his wife had the comfort to be under the fame mafter; who feeing how dearly they loved one another, and gafped after their liberty, demanded a moft exhorbitant price for their ransom. The Caftilian, though he would rather have died in flavery himfelf, than have paid fuch a fum as he found would go near to ruin him, was fo moved with compaffion towards his wife, that he fent repeated orders to his friend in Spain, (who happened to be his next relation) to fell his eftate, and tranfmit the money to him. His friend hoping that the terms of his ranfom might be made more reafonable, and unwilling to fell an estate which he himself had some profpect of inheriting, formed fo many delays, that three whole years paffed away without any thing being done for the fetting them at liberty. There happened to live a French renegado in the fame place where the Caftilian and his wife were kept prifoners. As this fellow had in him all the vivacity of his nation, he often entertained the captives with accounts of his own adventures; to which he fometimes added a fong or a dance, or fome other piece of mirth, to divert them during their confinement. His acquaintance with the manners of the Algerines, enabled him likewife to do them feveral good offices. The Caftilian, as he was one day in converfation with this renegado, difco vered to him the negligence and treachery of his correfpondent in Caftile, and at the fame time afked his advice how he fhould behave himself in that exigency: He further told the renegado, that he found it would be impoffible for him to raife the money, unless he himself might go over to dispose of his eftate. The renegado, after having reprefented to him that his Algerine mafter would never confent to his release upon fuch a pretence, at length contrived a method for the Caftilian to make his escape in the habit of a seaman. The Caftilian fucceeded in his attempt; and having fold his eftate, being afraid left the money should mifcarry by the way, and determining to perifh with it rather than lofe one who was much dearer to him than his life, he returned himself in a little veffel that was going to Algiers. It is impoffible to defcribe the joy he felt on this occafion, when he confidered that he fhould foon fee the wife whom he fo much loved, and endear himself more to her by this uncommon piece of generosity. The renegado, during the husband's abfence, fo infinuated himfelf into the good graces of his young wife, and fo turned her head with ftories of galantry, that fhe quickly thought him the finest Gentleman fhe had ever converfed with. To be brief, her mind was quite alienated from the honest Caftilian, whom he was taught to look upon as a formal old fellow, unworthy the poffeflion of fo charming a creature. She had been inftructed by the renegado how to manage herfelf upon his arrival; fo that the received him with an appearance of the utmost love and gratitude, and at length perfuaded him to trust their common friend the renegado with the money he had brought over for their ranfom; as not queftioning but he would beat down the terms of it, and negóciate the affair more to their advantage than they themselves could do. The good man admired her prudence, and followed her advice. |