signs of a Michael Angelo or a Salvator Rosa. So, in music, those compositions which inspire grand and lofty ideas, will exclude such as soothe and enervate; and a march, or an Indian war-song, will be esteemed above any pastoral or melting strains whatever. To blow the horn, will be considered as a first rate accomplishment in this branch. Wednesday.-Mathematics, algebraic questions, and chemistry, shall be the objects of this day. In the prosecution of the first, their ambition shall always be pointed towards the quadrature of the circle, and the discovery of perpetual motion. By the energies of their minds also, we may possibly come at the solution of that question which so puzzled the monks some ages ago; namely, how many square inches, in the regions below, might suffice for all the souls that were there lodged, so as for each ghost to have elbow-room? By their efforts in chemistry, we shall not despair of arriving at the knowledge of the philosopher's stone, and the ingredients of Medea's kettle. Thursday.-Classical reading will take its turn this day, in which it must be remembered, the greatest female names of antiquity are to be constantly held up to view : such as Semiramis, Sheba, Thalestris, Penthesilea, and Camilla; the contemplation of which will give them the spirit of ancient hardihood, and teach them their own strength. It is proper also that the young ladies drop their own names of Maria, Dorothea, &c. and adopt those of Sappho, Erinna, Demophila, Cleobulina, Corinna, Telesilla, Aspasia, Lastthemia, Axiothea, Hipparchia, Cornelia, Sempronia, Polla, Argentaria, Cornificia, and Sulpitia. Friday. This day will be divided between poetry, oratory, and the polite languages. In poetry, the lyric will be preferred for its fire and irregularity; unless, perhaps, the feminine verse, which consists of thirteen syllables, be judged more favourable to female volubility, which it will be the object of this institution to promote. Thus has Mr. Pope thought proper to make Camilla "fly o'er th' unbending corn" with a longer train of syllables than an ordinary person, to give dignity to her stride, and spring to her activity. Their principal subjects will be chosen with a view to the terrible and sublime; such as the burning of Persepolis, the labours of Hercules, the discoveries of Achilles, the murder of Orpheus, the spells of Medea.—In oratory, the vehemence of Demosthenes will be chiefly commendable, into which they may throw as much of the spleen of the Satirist as they please: taking care always to be sufficiently long; for which reason we shall recommend to their imitation those British senators only who can persist for four hours together. The living languages will be eminently useful to our fair disciples, in exercising their organs so variously, that the most rattling and tremendous words will give them no pain in the utterance; and by being thus enabled to multiply sound, and ring changes on the same idea, they may fill up every interval of conversation, to the entire exclusion of male impertinence. : Saturday-must be left whole for political inquiry the conduct of persons in power will be rigorously canvassed; and such as have brought the nation to the brink of ruin shall be burned or beheaded in effigy. A rigid discipline shall be maintained to-day; and something will be saved to the institution in the banyan beverage of black broth and onions. Sunday.-Devout exercises will constitute the business of to-day: two by two they shall march to church twice a-day, suffering their lines to be broken by no Sunday cavaliers; nobly asserting the wall, as the most powerful, and not claiming it as the weakest. In the evening, their ardour will be called forth on disputed points; in the course of which, if any quarrel take place, the decision of it will be postponed till Monday morning. My friend has said a great deal more on each day's employment; but the limits of my paper oblige me to content myself with mentioning only the most remarkable particulars. He dwells much on the necessity of making an entire alteration in the mode of their dress, which he wishes to be rendered as expedite as possible, and compatible with the fullest play of their muscles and proportions; and those who are destined to military lives are to be arrayed like the "florentes æra caterva, or brazen troops of Camilla. In the article of food, the firmest aliments, and those which throw in the greatest nourishment, should in all cases be preferred: and according to him, the morning, noon and evening repast, should all consist of solid meat, or marrow puddings, diluted with home-brewed ale, or stout October. Tea is entirely banished from his ideal republic, as only fit to please the masculine effeminacy of male housewives. He makes it a great point, that their games should be the most athletic and robust; such as wrestling, coits, cricket, hop-scotch, and Hunt the devil to Highgate. Whether our projector will ever bring this laudable plan to bear, is yet a doubt with me, notwithstanding the fondness of the age for novelties and inversions. I am sure, however, my friend will put forth all his might, in a cause which he has so much at heart. As his plan is to be laid very broad, he has form ed a club of Bill-of-Rights Women who have drawn up a Magna Charta, or Charta Foresta, which they propose to send to the heads of the nation, by whom if they be not weighed as they could wish, they will throw into the lighter balance the sword of Brennus. For my own part, being an old man, and somewhat timorous, I do not enter into this ingenious plan with all the warmth it may deserve: I have been so long used to love my countrywomen in their usual forms, that I do not like to hazard any change. Nor am I sure they would be gainers by the promotion, or I might perhaps be tempted to become of their party, out of pure love and veneration. I am a friend to the sense of that ancient epigram, which represents the naked Venus as more formidable than Pallas with her shield and buckler. My mother is decidedly against the scheme, and raises her voice above her usual tones in speaking about it. She reminds me, that Rome (for the old lady is more of a classic than she desires to be thought) was rescued from two imminent catastrophes by the blandishments of her sex; alluding to the story of Coriolanus's wife and mother, who turned that exasperated chief from his fatal purpose by their tears and entreaties; and that of the Sabine ladies, who reconciled by the same means two furious armies, on the point of falling upon each other. I shall, however, wait till I see the effects of my correspondent's plan, before I declare myself more decidedly about it; and shall remain in tranquil suspense till I see a regiment of female dragoons, and a woman in armour at the Lord Mayor's show. We are much afraid that a few of these spirited female adventurers will claim to be admitted into our club: for some of our old bachelors who pique NO. 9. themselves greatly upon their gallantry, would be very much chagrined at being forced upon a refusal. Mr. Barnaby the churchwarden, who is a very plain speaker upon all occasions, and very jealous of the credit of our society, raised the echo three times about it last night, and paid a guinea for declaring, with a tremendous oath, that he would never give up the exclusive, unalienable, hereditary right of wearing breeches, which he conceived to be transmitted to us through as long a line of ancestry as any privilege we enjoy, and as sacred as our property and our lives. But I will venture to break in upon Mr. Barnaby's harangue, for the sake of introducing a little story, which some of my readers may be pleased with. One of the latest European travellers to the interior parts of South America, as he pursued his journey along the famous river of Orelana, in the country of Amazonia, came up with an old man who was employed in catching tortoises. He put many questions to him, and found him very communicative and full of information. Among other anecdotes, he obtained from him the following.-In the centre of the mountains of Guiana, lived a nation of Cougnontain Secouima (women without husbands), who had separated themselves entirely from men, and went about in armed troops. Though they admitted the males among them once a year, yet they abstained from forming any attachments; and it was one of their most sacred and inviolable laws, that new connections should be made at every fresh intercourse with our sex. The offspring, if male, was sent to the father to be educated by him; if female, it was brought up by the mother. The favourite ornament of these female warriors was a certain green gem, which they found in great abundance on the other |