the occafion of the Trojan war, (Menelaus it must be confeffed, madam, if the story be true, was a very easy good-natur'd husband, who would be at fo much pains and charge to fetch back a wife who run away with another man. I do not remember in my own memory to have known above five or fix examples like it) And Plato in Phæd. fpeaks as if the belying her were the caufe of Homer's blindness, as well as of Stefichorus's; but that the latter understood the way of expiating his fault better, and made his recantation to this effect. That there was not a word of truth in the ftory of her going to Troy. If Clytemnestra was confenting to her hufband's death, yet it was Eghiftus, a man, who gave the blow: And if Thais did advise the burning Persepolis, yet it was no less a person than Alexander the Great who put it in execution. And as for Deianira and Cleopatra, whatever fatality arrived to their lovers from them, may certainly be very well excused upon the innocence of their intentions, and their punishment of themselves afterwards, the one hanging, the other poisoning herself. If the Capuan women deftroyed Hannibal's army, they destroyed a body of enemies that all the men in Italy could not. In like manner, for your other inftances we might tell you, that Procopius, who tells those terrible ftories of Theodora, Anecdota, is fo very paffionate all along, and mixes fuch ridiculous fables with what he tells, that there is no great credit to be given to him. (This Procopius was a foldier under Juftinian, and has writ amongst other things, a fecret hiftory of those times: In this he represents the empress Theodora more like a devil than a woman he makes her and the emperor converfe frequently with fpirits, and makes her put them to an employment, that favours more of the flesh than the fpirit.) Though granting fhe was as lewd as he reprefents her, what wonder is it, that one who had been a ftroling play-wench, and common ftrumpet, before the emperor emperor married her, fhould not turn faint after? If the princess of Parma embroiled Flanders, fhe did it by the command of Philip, for whom the governed. And as for your two queen Mary's, Cauffin, in his Holy Court you know, makes a faint of the one, and Parfons, of the other, with whom I leave you to fight it out, not thinking our difpute very much concerned in it. Then, Sir, if there are impertinents, if there are ridiculous perfons of the other fex, I hope you do not think they are all Plato's, nor all Ariftotle's of our own; and I will undertake for every woman who plagues you with her bufinefs, for every wou'd-be politician, and for every pedant amongst them, to bring you double the number of the men. If Olivia is impertinent in the Plain-dealer, I hope there are Novels and Plaufibles who keep her company; and if I fhould carry you to a city coffeehoufe, and there fhew a parcel of people talking of things that they understand nothing at all of; and fettling the governments of countries, which they never faw as much as in a map: From thence to a play-house, and hew you the pert and infipid rallery of the fparks upon the vizard masks: From thence to a New Market course, and enter you at a table, where you should hear nothing talked of but dogs and horfes: From thence to a tavern, and fhew you a fet of men in their drunken frolicks : Í fanfy you would wish yourself in your drawing-room again, as a more agreeable folly than any of those I have mentioned. And I appeal to you, whether Lucian in his Timon, Boileau in his eighth fatire, and my lord Rochefter in his upon the like subject, fay not as much against mankind, and make them as ridiculous as you can do the women. And I will affure you, Sir, I am far from being of the duke of Britanny's mind, that learning is un *Se Bentivoglio, Strada, Garnier, fit for a woman; and fhall, without any offence either to him or you, continue of the fame opinion, till you have anfwer'd Anna Maria Schurman's arguments in their behalf, and till you have taken away herself, who is one of the best arguments. (This Anna Maria Schurman was a Dutch lady of Utrecht, of whom you will hear more anon. There was a long difpute between her and Rivetus, whether learning was fit for women? "Tis printed in her works in Latin. Here, madam, there follows a tedious chapter of women who have been famous for wit and learning; which though it may be convenient for those who queftion their abilities that way, yet I do not fee of what ufe it can be to your ladyship, or to any who have the honour of being acquainted with you; therefore if you please, madam, we will caft off here, and take hands again at the bottom.) Nor need you fear that I should search three feveral countries, and three feveral ages, to furnish me with a learned woman apiece. No, Sir, even Greece itself -to go no further, had nine mufes, nine fibyls, and nine lyric poeteffes, if you are delighted with the number nine, which is three times three. And if you have more mind to particulars, we will fhew you there* Megaloftrate the mistress of Alcman, who had a gift of poetry as well as the; the daughters of + Stefichorus, who were as good poets as their father. We have alfo an Eretrian Sapho, as well as she who was in love with Phaon; Erinna and Demophila, the firft the mistress of Sapho, the other equal to her, who flourished all four in the fame time. After these we have Theano, the wife of Pythagoras, who undertook his fchool when he was Voffius de Poet. Græcis. dead dead with two others of the fame name (if you wil! believe Suidas) whereof one was a Lyric poetefs, the other a Thurian, who writ of Pythagoras. We have also about the fame time Cleobulina (the daughter of Cleobulus, one of the seven wife men of Greece) a poetess, and Corinna who had the furname given her of the Lyric Mufe. We have presently after Telefilla, an Argive poetess, not only famous for her wit, but for her infpiring her country-women with fo much courage, as to make them put to flight the Spartiates, who came upon them in the abfence of their husbands! At the fame time lived Praxilla, one of the nine Lyrics, and of whom we have a copy of verses to Calais yet extant; what will you fay to Afpafia Milefia, who is celebrated as a fophiftrefs, (you know the word | Sophifter was not then abused) a teacher of rhetoric, and a poetefs? There was alfo Heftiæa, mentioned by Strabo; Antyte, by Tatian; and Nyffis, by Antipater Theffalus; of the two laft of which there are fome things yet extant. If you have a mind to see what they did after they turned Chriftians, we will produce Eudofia, the wife of Theodofius, inftructed in all fort of learning, and who writ several treatifes, very much cried up by Phocius. I have not faid a word here of Lasthemia the Mantinæan, nor Axiothea the Phliafian, tho' they are mentioned amongst the difciples of Plato, by Diogenes Laertius; and I own I forgot Hipparchia, whofe life he writes, and commends both as a philofopher and a writer of Tragedies, and Hedyle the poetess, whom Athenæus quotes, and § Voffius it feems has forgot them as well as I. I question not but there are feveral others whofe names we want, and I question not but there are feveral named whom I remem Plutarch in vit. Themiftocl. · Voffius mentions neither of these two in his Poetis Græcis. ber ber not However this is enough to let you fee we are not fo hard put to it as you imagine, fince one little country can furnish us with all these. What fay you, Sir, are you yet fatisfied there are women of wit and learning? Or fhall we fetch you the Cornelia you mentioned, † Sempronia, ‡ Cornificia, Polla Argentaria the wife of Lucan, and who affifted him in his poem ; Sulpitia, Proba Falconia, Helpine the wife of Boetius, from among the Latins? Or if these are not enow, ftall we bring up our referves of Italian, Spanish, French, German and English? And if you are not yet contented, because I fanfy every body elfe is, I fhall refer you to Jacobus à Sancto Carolo's library of women, illuftrious for their writings; or to Anna Maria Schurman, who was indeed a library herself, fince you mention her. Pardon me, Sir, if I detain you a little longer than ordinary with this woman; and though you may think it loft time, because you knew it before, yet it is poffible every body does not know, that she was very well skilled in the Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, Arabic, Turkish, Greek, Latin, French, English, Italian, Spanish, German, Dutch and Flemish languages; that she had a very good faculty at poetry and painting; that fhe was a perfect mistress of all the philofophies; that the greatest divines of her time were proud of her judgment in their own profeffion; and that when we had this character of her, he was not above thirty years of age. What think you, Sir, is not this woman fufficient of herself? Or fhall we refer you to mademoiselle || Gournay among the French, or § Lucretia Marinella among the Italians, |
