I speak of the improvement and emancipation of the whole sex, for
I know that the behaviour of a few women, who, by accident, or
following a strong bent of nature, have acquired a portion of
knowledge superiour to that of the rest of their sex, has often
been over-bearing; but there have been instances of women who,
attaining knowledge, have not discarded modesty, nor have they
always pedantically appeared to despise the ignorance which they
laboured to disperse in their own minds. The exclamations then
which any advice respecting female learning, commonly produces,
especially from pretty women, often arise from envy. When they
chance to see that even the lustre of their eyes, and the
flippant sportiveness of refined coquetry will not always secure
them attention, during a whole evening, should a woman of a more
cultivated understanding endeavour to give a rational turn to the
conversation, the common source of consolation is, that such
women seldom get husbands. What arts have I not seen silly women
use to interrupt by flirtation, a very significant word to
describe such a manoeuvre, a rational conversation which made the
men forget that they were pretty women.
