Some Reflections Upon Marriage.: With additions.Astell, Mary
Philosophy
Some Reflections Upon Marriage.: With additions.
Astell, Mary
Marriage; Women -- Social conditions
But it must not be suppos’d that Womens Wit approaches those Heights
which Men arrive at, or that they indulge those Liberties the other
take. Decency lays greater Restraints on them, their Timorousness does
them this one, and perhaps this only Piece of Service, it keeps them
from breaking through these Restraints, and following their Masters and
Guides in many of their daring and masculine Crimes. As the World goes,
your Witty Men are usually distinguish’d by the Liberty they take with
Religion, good Manners, or their Neighbours Reputation: But, _GOD_ be
thank’d, it is not yet so bad, as that Women should form Cabals to
propagate Atheism and Irreligion[1]. A Man then cannot hope to find a
Woman whose Wit is of a Size with his, but when he doats on Wit, it is
to be imagin’d he makes Choice of that which comes the nearest to his
own.
Footnote 1:
_This was wrote in the Beginning of the present Century._
Thus, whether it be Wit or Beauty that a Man’s in Love with, there are
no great Hopes of a lasting Happiness; Beauty, with all the Helps of
Art, is of no long Date; the more it is help’d, the sooner it decays;
and he, who only or chiefly chose for Beauty, will in a little Time find
the same Reason for another Choice. Nor is that sort of Wit which he
prefers, of a more sure Tenure; or allowing it to last, it will not
always please. For that which has not a real Excellency and Value in it
self, entertains no longer than that giddy Humour which recommended it
to us holds; and when we can like on no just, or on very little Ground,
’tis certain a Dislike will arise, as lightly and as unaccountably. And
it is not improbable that such a Husband may in a little Time, by ill
Usage, provoke such a Wife to exercise her Wit, that is, her Spleen on
him, and then it is not hard to guess how very agreeable it will be to
him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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