another, till he had fubdued his own paffion. Another time, his flave having offended him, "I would beat thee, fays he, but that I am angry." Indeed it were endless to recite the black epithets given by all moralifts to this vice. It fhall fuffice to take the fuffrage of the wifeft of men, one that had applied himself to know madnefs and folly, and he tells us, "anger refts in the bofom of fools."

What is thus univerfally unbecoming human nature,' cannot fure be lefs indecent for the gentler fex; every thing contracting fo much more of deformity, by how much it recedes from its proper kind. Now nature has befriended women with a more cool and temperate conftitution; fhe has put lefs of fire, and confequently of choler in their compofitions. All their heats of that kind are adventitious and preternatural, raised often by fancy or pride, and both look more unhandfomely, and have lefs of pretence to cover them: befides they have a native feeblenefs, unable to affert their anger with effectual force, which admonishes them that it was never intended they fhould let loofe to that paffion, which nature feems, by that very inability, to have interdicted them. When they do it, they render them felves at once despised and abhorred, nothing being more ridiculously hateful than an impotent rage. But as the moft feeble infect may fometimes difturb, though not much hurt us, fo there is one female weapon, which, as it is always ready, fo it proves often troublefome; you will presently imagine I mean that unruly member the tongue, which, though in its loudeft clamours it can naturally invade nothing but the ear, yet even that is a fufficient moleftation, for us to be careful to fet a guard upon it, for fear of its offending. The barking of a dog, though we are fure he cannot bite, is a grating and unpleafant found; and, while women feek to vent their rage that way, they are but a fort of fpeaking brutes, and fhould confider whether that does not reflect more contempt upon themselves, than their moft virulent reproaches can fix upon others.

Some

Some things have had the luck to become formidable no body knows how, and fure there is no greater inftance of it than in this cafe. A clamorous woman is looked on, though not with reverence, yet with dread; and we often find things done to prevent or appease her ftorms, which would be denied to the calm and rational defires of a meeker perfon. Such fucceffes have not been a little acceffary to fomenting the humour, yet it will give fuch women little caufe of triumph, when they confider how odious it makes them, how unfit for human fociety; "better to dwell in a corner of a house-top, "than with a brawling woman in a wide houfe," fays the wifeft of men: and the fon of Sirach, "a loud crying. "woman, and a fcold, fhall be fought out to drive away "the enemy." Though he taxes the feminine vices impartially enough, yet there is fcarce any of them which. he more often and more feverely brands, than this of unquietness. It feems it was a thing generally looked upon as very infufferable: when Socrates defigned to difcipline himself to perfect patience he knew no better way of exercife, than to get a fhrew to his wife; an excellence that may perhaps again recommend a woman when there happens an age of philofophers; but at prefent it will be hard for any of our Xantippes to find a Socrates, and therefore that quality is as deftructive to their interefts in getting husbands, as it is to the hufband's quiet when he is got.

This vice has not that prevalence over women of good breeding, as it has over the vulgar: but though they affect a filence, or a complaifance among their equals, and among strangers, if we know the clamours and vexations that they are perpetually perfecuting their fervants with, thefe reflections would not be thought inpertinent on this account, as well as others. A fcold is a creature to be looked for only in ftalls and markets, and not among perfons of quality; yet their women, their footmen, their tradesmen, can tell you, that though we muft not fay, ladies are fhrews, yet fome

of

of them are every whit as troublesome; and if we may not, out of decency, call their distemper by its name, we must make use of the fame remedies to cure it, as if we did. Such fhould confider, that as often as they fhew themfelves angry to their inferiors, fo often do they lose their fuperiority: he who is in temper, having always the command of him who has loft it. To fuch, we muft recommend the ufual method of phyfic, to cure by revulfion. Let that sharp humour, which fo habitually flows to the tongue, be taught a little to recoil and work inward: instead of reviling others, correct yourselves, and upbraid your own madness, if to gratify an impotent and most painful paffion, you degenerate from what your nature, your qualities, your education defigned you. Anger is corrofive, and if it be kept only to feed upon itself, must be its own devourer; if it be permitted to fetch no forrage from without, nor to nourish itfelf with fufpicions and furmifes of others, nor to make any fallies at the tongue, it cannot hold long.

Solomon teaches them how much they herein confult their intereft and reputation too; he makes it the diftinguishing character of a foolish woman to be clamorous; whereas when he gives that of an excellent woman, he links wifdom and gentleness together, "fhe "openeth her mouth with wifdom, and in her tongue is "the law of kindnefs." No man ever paid dearer for his experience of the frailties of the fex, than this royal philofopher; and his judgment confutes the common plea of querulous fpirits, who think they appear filly and ftupid, if they feem infenfible of any the leaft provocation; though truly if it were fo, it would be full as eligible as to appear mad and raving, which they commonly do in the tranfport of their fury.

Meeknefs is fo amiable, fo endearing a quality, and peculiarly embellishing to women, that did they confider it with half the attention they do their molt trivial

exterior

exterior ornaments, it would certainly be taken up as the univerfal mode in all the feveral variations of it.

Having confidered the beauty and happiness of the virtue of meekness, let us take into confideration the deformity and mifery of the vice of anger, its oppofite, and the remedy against it.

Anger is the profeft enemy of coun fel, it is a direct ftorm, in which no man can be heard to speak or call from without: if you give gentle advice, you are de fpifed; and if you urge it with vehemence, you provoke it more. It is our duty then to lay up a great stock of reafon, that, like a befieged town, we may be provided for its affaults, and be defenfible from within, fince we are not likely to be relieved from without. Anger is not to be fuppreffed but by fomething that is as inward as itself; of all paffions, it endeavours moft to make reafon ufelefs, and is an univerfal paffion of an infinite object: for none was ever fo amorous as to love a toad, none fo envious as to repine at the condition of the wretched, no man fo timorous as to fear a dead bee; but anger is troubled at every thing, and every man, and every accident; and if it is not fuppreffed, will make a man's condition reftlefs. When it proceeds from a great caufe it turns to fury, from a small to peevishnefs, and thus is either always terrible or ridicu lous; it renders the body monftrous and contemptible, the voice horrid, the eyes fierce, the face pale or fiery, the speech clamorous and loud. It is neither manly nor ingenuous, proceeding from foftness of spirit and pufillanimity, which is the caufe that women are more fubject to it than men, fick perfons than healthful, the old more than the young, the unprofperous more than the fortunate; a paffion fitter for flies and infects, than people who have minds that are fufceptible of noble and generous fentiments. It is troublesome not only to thofe that fuffer it, but thofe that fee it; there being no greater incivility than to fly into the fury and extravagance of paffion before company. How often

is this done for a fault in the cook, or an accident in the butler, for a pullet ill-dreffed, or a glafs broke, fometimes for the fold of a gown, not placed as it fhould have been, and other fuch trifles not worth the confideration of reafonable creatures? Anger makes marriage a neceffary and unavoidable trouble; it renders friendships, familiarities, and focieties intolerable, and turns frequently mirth into tragedy, friendship into hatred, a wife man into a fool; he lofes himself when he is poffeffed by anger: it perverts the defire of knowledge to an itch of rangling, juftice to cruelty, judgment to oppreffion, and power to infolence: it changes difcipline into tedioufnefs and hatred of liberal. inftitution; it makes a profperous man to be envyed; and an unfortunate to be pitied; it is a confluence of all the irregular paffions; envy, forrow, fear, fcorn, pride prejudice, rafhnefs, felf-love and impatience, are in its compofition; and though very troublesome to others is moft fo to him that has it. For what a miferable state must that foul be in, which is poffeffed by fo many Dæmons?

In order to caft them out, and purge ourselves from fuch a dreadful poffeffion, let us diligently obferve, whether in our defires to fupprefs anger, we are angry with ourselves for being fo; whether we deal with others like phyficians, who give a bitter potion, when they intend to eject the bitterness of choler; for this will provoke the perfon, and increase the paffion. We muft quietly fet upon the mortification of it; we muft not do it with anger. Be watchful over yourselves for a day, that will be no great trouble to you; add a fecond day to your watchfulness, it will be more eafy than the firft; and by being thus watchful and obfervant, you will make your duty a habit. Anger is only criminal, when it is against charity to one's felf, or one's neighbour. Anger against vice is a holy zeal, and an effect of love to God and to our neigh bour, for whofe intereft I am paffionate, like a per

fon