worldly gain, cannot urely be faid to be well spent by a Chriftian whofe greatest gain is godlinefs; but he that is negligent in his temporal affairs, will certainly neglect his fpiritual. There's the lefs to be faid on this fubject; for that avarice in a great measure hinders the infection of idleness from fpreading among men of meaner condition, who too often fuffer the cares of this Life to thrust out thofe of another, and they are then truly idle and flothful fervants to God, how induftrious and faithful foever they are to the world. Time is but wafted and mifpent, if it makes not provifion for eternity; and it matters little whether it be used in pleasure, or in drudgery. The ladies are apt to think that the softness of their fex excuses their idleness, and a woman who can do nothing, imagines therefore that fhe has nothing to do. Is it not fhameful to fee how women of wit and politeness neglect the common rudiments of education? 'Tis enough for them to understand what they read, if - they do not know how to pronounce it, and read with a grace. The more trivial these faults appear, the greater fhame for such as cannot correct them; and how can they without blushing be in company guilty of errors, which they ought not to have brought out of their nurfery? They fhould not read with a tone, nor hefitate in reading; they should go on smoothly, and with a plain, natural, and uniform pronunciation. Their deficiences in fpelling are become fo fashionable, that to fpell well, is, among the fair fex, reckoned a fort of pedantry; they are taught a little more care in writing a good hand, but that care goes no farther than the making their letters; the connexing them, and an orderly placing their words in ftraight lines, is what they are, for the most part, utterly ftrangers to. They will find no manner of inconvenience in acquainting them felves a little with the grammar of their native language; not to learn it tediously by rule, as boys do Latin, but fo as that they may be able to ex prefs prefs themselves properly, and to explain their thoughts with clearness and brevity. "Tis well known, that in old Rome, Sempronia, the mother of the Gracchi, contributed very much to the forming of the eloquence of her fons, who became afterwards fo great men. If the ladies underftood arithmetick better, perhaps the keeping family accounts would not be fuch a piece of ill breeding. The convenience and advantage of having the miftrefs of the houfe, the fteward, fhould, methinks, make their learning the four first great rules of arithmetick, be thought more neceffary than it is at prefent. Let none think themselves above fuch Bufinefs. An illuftrious lady, now a dowager, did not only help her lord in examining bills, and ftating accounts, but even in writing his letters and drawing his covenants, tho' his fortune was fo large, that it might well have excufed the keeping more ftewards than one. Such an employment as this may at first fem too troublesome; but if the ladies were by their education prepared for it, and used to it from their childhood, the trouble of it would be little, the most intricate accounts being made familiar to them, would lofe the terror which their feeming difficuly raifes in the ignorant; and the pleasure of reducing things from confufion to order by the power of numbers would be the greater for the advantage which would accrue to them by their exactnefs. The very name of the law is frightful to the most part of the weaker fex, who are used to depend entirely on the protection of the ftronger. It would be well however, if they knew fomething of the common rules of right, the difference between a will and deed of gift, what a contract is, what a partition of coheirs, what a legacy, a bond, or the like, and by what laws they are in force; what property is, what a perfonal, and what a real eftate; for tho' they may not truit to their own judgment in matters of fuch weight, yet it will direct them in the ule of that of others, either in a fingle or a married life. Those of them, who out of a vexatious humour are for flying to the law upon all cccafions, or rather upon no occafion at all, are not by this encouraged to indulge themselves in fo expenfive a folly, which a great comick poet has fo happily expofed in the character of the widow Blackacre. But because that litigious widow knew too much law, it does not follow that the reft of the fex fhould know none at all. What knowledge is there, that may not be, that is not abufed? And when the ladies are advised to acquaint themselves with fo much of the law as help them to demand or defend their right, it is not meant that they fhould think it is to be got no where but in a court of juftice; that they fhould fly all terms of peace and arbitrement, and put themselves immediately into the hands of attorneys and folicitors. They fhould only fo far inform themselves in thefe matters, that they may know what is their due, and not lofe it for want of claiming; which may very well happen by the profound ignorance that women are bred in of things of this nature. "Tis very neceffary that women of quality, and of eftates, fhould know exactly what thofe eftates are; what part in land, what in houfes, what in money, where and in whofe hands: they fhould be as well acquainted with the rentals of their lands, the draughts of them, the fituation, leafes, and condition of their houses, as their husbands; what debts they owe, as well as what are owing to them. By this they regulate their domeftick and other expences, provide for the future fettlement of their children, and anfwer the ends of marriage, to be helps to their husbands in the discharge of paternal duties. How far it is convenient for them to understand well the business of the kitchen, to be the phyficians and furgeons of the village, I fhall not meddle with, reckoning fuch accomplishments as cafual only, and not of abfolute neceffity to the forming a compleat gentle. gentlewoman, which the other qualities are, and no more fo than a good taste of books. In order to which, young ladies fhould be enco raged to read the Greek and Roman hiftories in t best tranflations; they will find in them wonder inftances of courage, faithfulnefs, generofity, and great contempt of their own private advantage wh the publick good was in question. Neither fhou they be ignorant of the hiftory of Britain, which ful nishes them with many examples of brave action hardly exceeded by any thing in antiquity. Amon their own fex too, they will in both meet with i luftrious patterns of virtue, which will make th tronger impreflions on their minds. The hiftorie of other nations, accounts of voyages and travels, th lives of herces and philofophers will be both a plea fant and inftructive entertainment. The reading th beft authors on thefe fubjects, will enlarge and ele vate their fouls, and give them a contempt for the common amufements of the fex. Let them in thei reading avoid vanity and affectation; but let them not have fo mean an opinion of themselves as to think they are incapable of improving by it; nor of books, as to think they are incapable of improving by them; there's no lady, let the measure of her understanding be what it will, but may benefit by them; it will add a luftre to her other fhining qualities, and help to fupply the place of them where fuch qualities are wanting. The fair may be fupportable without them, but with them they are admirable. Naked reafon could never difcover many things, which we acquire the knowledge of by reading. It gives folidity to our thoughts, fweetnefs to our difcourfe, and finishes what nature began. Good wit, without study, is like a good face without ornament. The brighter the genius, the more worthy is it of improvement, as well as the more capable. To reading must be added converfation, which are together abfolutely neceffary to form a found under standing, ftanding, and agreeable temper. No paling bette qualine a perion to converte wei word chan that of nittors, which is here expected, because moft of the other part scoreng are clogged with terms that are not eas mugible. Realon fpeaks ali languages, and there is no part of learning bat may be expreffed in English, as well as in Greek or Latin. Tis an affected piece of pedantry in men of certain learned profeffions to hide their ars with a peculiar jargon, as if clearness renderes em eve nerable, and darknefs added to ther nament. While cuftom makes this pos to them, let the ladies defpife no complacency for the deficiencies was on and take pleafure and profit in luc 4 mo all their fires to them, as eloquence. The ladies may moral philosophy, which it is with the cther fex in the as well as a mouth. Are not by it upon the chief good, w aftions, upon the natura and upon the paffions: V. 1 not fee the nece certainly seman |