form to myfelf an idea of paradife more delightful than that ftate in which our first parents were placed: that did not last because they did not know the world; (which is the true reason that there are fo few love-matches happy.) Eve may be confidered as a foolish child, and Adam a man very little enlightened. When people of that fort meet, they may, perhaps, be amorous at firft, but that cannot laft. They form to them felves, in the violence of their paffions, ideas above nature; a man thinks his mistress an angel because she is handfome; a woman is inchanted with the merit of her lover, because he adores her. The first change of her complexion takes from his adoration, and the husband ceafing to adore her, becomes hateful to her, who had no other foundation for her love; by degrees they are difgufted with one another, and, after the example of our firft parents, they throw on each other the crime of their mutual weaknefs; afterwards coldness and contempt follow a great pace, and they believe they muft hate each other because they are married; their fmalleft faults are magnified in each others fight, and they are blinded to their mutual perfections. A commerce eftablifhed upon paffion can have no other attendants. A man, when he marries his miftrefs, ought to forget that the then appears adorable to him; to confider that the is but a fimple mortal, fubject to difeafes, caprice, and ill-humour. He must prepare his conftancy to fupport the lofs of her beauty, and collect a fund of complacency, which is neceffary for the continual converfation of the perfon who is most agreeable, and the leaft un

equal. The woman, on her fide, must not expect a continuance of flatteries and obedience. She muft difpofe herself to obey agreeably, a fcience very difficult, and, of confequence, of great merit to a man capable of feeling. She must ftrive to heighten the charms of a miftrefs by the good fenfe and folidity of a friend. When two perfons, prepoffeffed with fentiments fo reasonable, are united by eternal ties, all nature fmiles upon them, and the common objects become charming.

It appears to me a life infinitely more delightful, more elegant, and more pleasurable, than the best conducted and moft happy gallantry. A woman capable of reflection cannot but look upon her lover as her feducer, who would take advantage of her weakness to give himfelf a momentary pleasure, at the expence of her repofe, of her glory, and of her life. A highwayman who claps a piftol to the breaft, to take away your purse, appears to me more honeft and lefs guilty; andI have fo good an opinion of my felf as to think, was Ia man, I fhould be as capable to lay the plan of an affaffination as that of debauching an honest woman, refpectable in the world, and happy in her marriage. Should I be capable of empoifoning a heart by infpiring it with an unhappy paífion, to which the muft facrifice her honour, tranquillity, and virtue! Shall I render a perfon defpicable because the appears amiable to me! Shall I reward her tenderness' by rendering her houfe no longer agreeable, her children indifferent, and her husband hateful! I believe thefe reflections would appear of the fame force, if my fex did ren

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der fuch proceedings excufable; and I hope I fhould have fenfe enough not to think vice lefs vicious because it was in fashion. I efteem much the morals of the Turks, an ignorant people, but very polite, in my opinion. A gallant convicted of having debauched a married woman, is looked upon by them with the fame horror as an abandoned woman by us; he is fure never to make his fortune; and every one would be afhamed to give a confiderable employment to a man fufpected of being guilty of fo enormous a crime. What would they fay in that moral nation, were they to fee one of our anti-knight-errants, who are always in purfuit of adventures to put innocent young women in diftrefs, and to ruin the honour of women of fashion; who regard beauty, youth, rank, and virtue, but as fo many fpurs to incite their defire to ruin, and who place all their glory in appearing artful feducers, forgetting that, with all their care, they can never attain but to the fecond rank, the devils having been long fince in poffeffion of the firft!

I own, that our barbarous manners are fo well calculated for the establishment of vice and mifery (which is infeparable from it) that they must have hearts and heads infinitely above the common, to enjoy the felicity of a marriage fuch as I have defcribed. Nature

is fo weak, and fo given to change, that it is difficult to fupport the best - founded conftancy, amidst thofe many diffipations that our ridiculous customs have rendered inevitable. A husband who loves his wife, is in pain to fee her take the liberties which fashion allows;

it appears hard to refuse them to her, and he finds himself obliged to conform himself to the polite manners of Europe; to fee, every day, her hands a prey to every one who will take them; to hear her difplay, to the whole world, the charms of her wit; to fhew her neck in full day; to drefs for balls and fhows, to attract admirers, and to liften to the idle flattery of a thousand and a thoufand fops. Can any man fupport his efteem for a creature fo public, or, at least, does not the lofe much of her merit!

I return to the Oriental maxims, where the most beautiful women content themfelves with limiting the power of their charms to him who has a right to enjoy them; they have too much honour to wish to make other men miserable, and are too fincere not to own they think themfelves capable of exciting paffion.

I remember a conversation I had with a lady of great quality at Conftantinople, the moft amiable woman I ever knew in my life, and for whom I had afterwards the moft tender friendship; fhe owned, ingenuoufly, to me, that he was content with her husband. What libertines you Chriftian women are! (he faid;) it is permitted you to receive vifits from as many men as you pleafe; and your laws permit you, without limitation, the use of wine. I affured her he was very much mifinformed; that it was true we received vifits, but thofe vifits were full of form and refpect, and that it was a crime to hear talk of love, or to love any other than our husbands. Your husbands are very good (faid fhe, laughing) to content themselves

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with fo limited a fidelity. Your eyes, your hands, your converfation, are for the public, and what do you pretend to referve for them? Pardon me, my beautiful fultana, (added she, embracing me) I have all poffible inclination to believe what you fay, but you would impofe upon me impoffibilities. I know the amorous complexion of you infidels, I fee you are ashamed of them, and I will never mention them to you more*. I found fo much good fenfe and truth in all the faid, that I could fcarcely contradict her; and I owned at first, that she had reafons to prefer the morals of the muffulmen to our ridiculous cuftoms which are

furprisingly oppofite to the fevere maxims of Christianity. And, notwithstanding our foolish manners, I am of opinion, that a woman, determined to find her happiness in the love of her hufband, muft give up the extravagant defire of being admired by the public; and that a husband who loves his wife, muft deprive himself of the reputation of being a gallant at court. You fee that I fuppofe two perfons very extraordinary; it is not, then, very furprifing fuch a union fhould be rare in a country, where it is neceffary, in order to be happy, to defpife the established maxims.

I am, &c.