a vindication of the rights of woman-第2章

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hey　continued　to　reside　there；　until　he　left　Havre　for　London；　under　pretence　of　business；　and　with　a　promise　of　rejoining　her　soon　at　Paris；　which　however　he　did　not；　but　in　1795　sent　for　her　to　London。　　In　the　mean　time　she　had　become　the　mother　of　a　female　child；　whom　she　called　Frances　in　commemoration　of　her　early　friendship。　Before　she　went　to　England；　she　had　some　gloomy　forebodings　that　the　affections　of　Imlay；　had　waned；　if　they　were　not　estranged　from　her；　on　her　arrival；　those　forebodings　were　sorrowfully　confirmed。　His　attentions　were　too　formal　and　constrained　to　pass　unobserved　by　her　penetration；　and　though　he　ascribed　his　manner；　and　his　absence；　to　business　duties；　she　saw　his　affection　for　her　was　only　something　to　be　remembered。　　To　use　her　own　expression；　〃Love；　dear　delusion！　　Rigorous　reason　has　forced　me　to　resign；　and　now　my　rational　prospects　are　blasted；　just　as　I　have　learned　to　be　contented　with　rational　enjoyments。〃　　To　pretend　to　depict　her　misery　at　this　time　would　be　futile；　the　best　idea　can　be　formed　of　it　from　the　fact　that　she　had　planned　her　own　destruction；　from　which　Imlay　prevented　her。　　She　conceived　the　idea　of　suicide　a　second　time；　and　threw　herself　into　the　Thames；　she　remained　in　the　water；　until　consciousness　forsook　her；　but　she　was　taken　up　and　resuscitated。　　After　divers　attempts　to　revive　the　affections　of　Imlay；　with　sundry　explanations　and　professions　on　his　part；　through　the　lapse　of　two　years；　she　resolved　finally　to　forgo　all　hope　of　reclaiming　him；　and　endeavour　to　think　of　him　no　more　in　connexion　with　her　future　prospects。　　In　this　she　succeeded　so　well；　that　she　afterwards　had　a　private　interview　with　him；　which　did　not　produce　any　painful　emotions。　In　1796　she　revived　or　improved　an　acquaintance　which　commenced　years　before　with　Wm。　Godwin；　author　of　〃Political　Justice；〃　and　other　works　of　great　notoriety。　　Though　they　had　not　been　favourably　impressed　with　each　other　on　their　former　acquaintance；　they　now　met　under　circumstances　which　permitted　a　mutual　and　just　appreciation　of　character。　　Their　intimacy　increased　by　regular　and　almost　imperceptible　degrees。　　The　partiality　they　conceived　for　each　other　was；　according　to　her　biographer；　〃In　the　most　refined　style　of　love。　　It　grew　with　equal　advances　in　the　mind　of　each。　It　would　have　been　impossible　for　the　most　minute　observer　to　have　said　who　was　before；　or　who　after。　　One　sex　did　not　take　the　priority　which　long　established　custom　has　awarded　it；　nor　the　other　overstep　that　delicacy　which　is　so　severely　imposed。　　Neither　party　could　assume　to　have　been　the　agent　or　the　patient；　the　toil…spreader　or　the　prey　in　the　affair。　　When　in　the　course　of　things　the　disclosure　came；　there　was　nothing　in　a　manner　for　either　to　disclose　to　the　other。〃　Mary　lived　but　a　few　months　after　her　marriage；　and　died　in　child…bed；　having　given　birth　to　a　daughter　who　is　now　known　to　the　literary　world　as　Mrs。　Shelly；　the　widow　of　Percy　Bysche　Shelly。　We　can　scarcely　avoid　regret　that　one　of　such　splendid　talents；　and　high　toned　feelings；　should；　after　the　former　seemed　to　have　been　fully　developed；　and　the　latter　had　found　an　object　in　whom　they　might　repose；　after　their　eccentric　and　painful　efforts　to　find　a　resting　placethat　such　an　one　should　at　such　a　time；　be　cut　off　from　life　is　something　which　we　cannot　contemplate　without　feeling　regret；　we　can　scarcely　repress　the　murmur　that　she　had　not　been　removed　ere　clouds　darkened　her　horizon；　or　that　she　had　remained　to　witness　the　brightness　and　serenity　which　might　have　succeeded。　But　thus　it　is；　we　may　trace　the　cause　to　anti…social　arrangements；　it　is　not　individuals　but　society　which　must　change　it；　and　that　not　by　enactments；　but　by　a　change　in　public　opinion。　The　authoress　of　the　〃Rights　of　Woman；〃　was　born　April　1759；　died　September　1797。　That　there　may　be　no　doubt　regarding　the　facts　in　this　sketch；　they　are　taken　from　a　memoir　written　by　her　afflicted　husband。　　In　addition　to　many　kind　things　he　has　said　of　her；　（he　was　not　blinded　to　imperfections　in　her　character）　is；　that　she　was　〃Lovely　in　her　person；　and　in　the　best　and　most　engaging　sense　feminine　in　her　manners。〃

TO　M。　TALLEYRAND　PERIGORD；　LATE　BISHOP　OF　AUTUN。　Sir：　Having　read　with　great　pleasure　a　pamphlet；　which　you　have　lately　published；　on　National　Education；　I　dedicate　this　volume　to　you；　the　first　dedication　that　I　have　ever　written；　to　induce　you　to　read　it　with　attention；　and；　because　I　think　that　you　will　understand　me；　which　I　do　not　suppose　many　pert　witlings　will；　who　may　ridicule　the　arguments　they　are　unable　to　answer。　　But；　sir；　I　carry　my　respect　for　your　understanding　still　farther：　　so　far；　that　I　am　confident　you　will　not　throw　my　work　aside；　and　hastily　conclude　that　I　am　in　the　wrong　because　you　did　not　view　the　subject　in　the　same　light　yourself。　　And　pardon　my　frankness；　but　I　must　observe；　that　you　treated　it　in　too　cursory　a　manner；　contented　to　consider　it　as　it　had　been　considered　formerly；　when　the　rights　of　man；　not　to　advert　to　woman；　were　trampled　on　as　chimerical。　　I　call　upon　you；　therefore；　now　to　weigh　what　I　have　advanced　respecting　the　rights　of　woman；　and　national　education；　and　I　call　with　the　firm　tone　of　humanity。　　For　my　arguments；　sir；　are　dictated　by　a　disinterested　spirit：　　I　plead　for　my　sex；　not　for　myself。　　Independence　I　have　long　considered　as　the　grand　blessing　of　life；　the　basis　of　every　virtue；　and　independence　I　will　ever　secure　by　contracting　my　wants；　though　I　were　to　live　on　a　barren　heath。　It　is；　then；　an　affection　for　the　whole　human　race　that　makes　my　pen　dart　rapidly　along　to　support　what　I　believe　to　be　the　cause　of　virtue：　　and　the　same　motive　leads　me　earnestly　to　wish　to　see　woman　placed　in　a　station　in　which　she　would　advance；　instead　of　retarding；　the　progress　of　those　glorious　principles　that　give　a　substance　to　morality。　　My　opinion；　indeed；　respecting　the　rights　and　duties　of　woman；　seems　to　flow　so　naturally　from　these　simple　principles；　that　I　think　it　scarcely　possible；　but　that　some　of　the　enlarged　minds　who　formed　your　admirable　constitution；　will　coincide　with　me。　In　France；　there　is　undoubtedly　a　more　general　diffusion　of　knowledge　than　in　any　part　of　the　European　world；　and　I　attribute　it；　in　a　great　measure；　to　the　social　intercourse　which　has　long　subsisted　between　the　sexes。　　It　is　true；　I　utter　my　sentiments　with　freedom；　that　in　France　the　very　essence　of　sensuality　has　been　extracted　to　regale　the　voluptuary；　and　a　kind　of　sentimental　lust　has　prevailed；　which；　together　with　the　system　of　duplicity　that　the　whole　tenor　of　their　political　and　civil　government　taught；　have　given　a　sinister　sort　of　sagacity　to　the　French　character；　properly　termed　finesse；　and　a　polish　of　manners　that　injures　the　substance；　by　hunting　sincerity　out　of　society。　　And；　modesty；　the　fairest　garb　of　virtue　has　been　more　grossly　insulted　in　France　than　even　in　England；　till　their　women　have　treated　as　PRUDISH　that　attention　to　decency　which　brutes　instinctively　observe。　Manners　and　morals　are　so　nearly　allied；　that　they　have　often　been　confounded；　but；　though　the　former　should　only　be　the　natural　reflection　of　the　latter；　yet；　when　various　causes　have　produced