We need not look back to distant ages to meet with the personification of all that is noble and virtuous. We shall find a Cornelia, an Arria, an Hypatia among the records of our own history. They furnish us with the names of a noble-hearted Lady Russell, a courageous Margaret Roper, and a self devoted Anne Askew. From the unsubdued firmness of the first we cannot withhold our admiration; the filial love of the second excites our warmest interest, and we follow with heartfelt sympathy this attached daughter in her visits to her father in prison. We then see his heavy eye lighted up with pleasure; we hear her soft accents as she essays to soothe his troubled mind and calm his irritated feelings; and we view the affectionate endearments which gild his last days with peace and joy! Then, when hope was quenched in dreadful certainty, and the lifeless form of her beloved parent was exposed upon London Bridge to contumely and derision, we see her awakening from her sorrow, and stepping forth to rescue his hallowed remains from the ignominious fate which was destined for them-a cold and watery sepulchre in the river Thames! We then behold her summoned before the council to answer for this act of generous temerity, where she nobly acknowledges and vindicates her conduct; and lastly, with strong indignation, we see her borne to a dungeon for gratifying her pure and noble feelings. But even her faithful and enduring love is forgotten, when we contemplate the patient and almost superhuman endurance of the martyr! the victim of a tyrant's power and a husband's barbarity! Not, like the Roman heroine, impelled merely by the overwhelming enthusiasm of the moment, but unsupported, as she was, by the presence of a beloved object, the admirable Anne Askew endured, with uncomplaining fortitude, torments under which the stoutest heart might have failed, or the firmest mind have sunk. After having been put in prison on suspicion of attachment to the reformed religion, and doomed to suffer there the most barbarous and revolting cruelties, she had still, the very day before her excution, "an angel's countenance and a smil ing face; though when the hour of darkness came, she was so racked that she could not stand, but was holden up by two sergeants." Indeed, when previously consigned to the torture by order of the chancellor Wrothesley, to induce her to discover the names of some persons who were suspected of lending her secret encouragement, and when that barbarian, enraged at her firmness, with his own hands increased her agonies, even then her mind was triumphant, and she endured in silence, until insensibility put a temporary stop to her sufferings. She was so mangled by this brutal treatment, that we learn she was obliged to be conveyed in a chair to the place where she was condemned to be burnt; and there, as the last test of her principles, a letter was presented to her, containing offers of immediate pardon upon the condition of the recantation of her opinions. But sin and the world had no longer any attrac tions for the soul which had devoted itself to its Saviour! Heaven was before her; and poor indeed seemed the gifts and the riches of earth: she disdained them all, and, refusing even to look at the guilty instrument which was proffered her, calmly resigned herself to those flames which might indeed destroy her frame, but could not consume the never-dying spirit which dwelt within! 66 A The conjugal fidelity of the exellent Lady Fanshawe is, in its way, no less conspicuous. An anecdote, illustrative of her strong attachment for her husband, when she was accompanying him on a voyage from Galway to Malaga, is given by herself in her memoirs. Turkish galley was seen approaching their vessel, and death or slavery appeared to be their doom. This," she remarks, "was sad for us passengers; but my husband bid us be sure to keep in the cabin, and not appear, which would make the Turks think we were a man-of-war; but if they saw women, they would take us for merchants, and board our vessel. He went upon deck and took a gun, a bandaleer, and a sword, expecting the arrival of a Turkish man-of-war. The captain had locked me up in the cabin.. I knocked and called to no purpose, until the cabin-boy came and opened the door. I, all in tears, desired him to be so good as to give me his thrum cap and tarred coat, which he did, and I gave him half a crown; and putting them on with other disguises, and flinging away my night-clothes, I crept up softly, and stood upon the deck by my husband's side, as free from sickness and fear as, I confess, of discretion; but it was the effect of the passion which I could never master. By this time the two vessels were engaged in parley, and so well satisfied with speech and sight of each other's force, that the Turk's man-ofwar tacked about, and we continued our course. But when your father saw it convenient to retreat, looking upon me, he snatched me up in his arms, saying, And is it possible that love could cause this change!'" The constancy of this lady was equally conspicuous during the confinement of Sir Richard at Whitehall, during the troubles of the civil war, when she tells us: "I failed not constantly, when the clock struck four in the morning, to go with a dark lanthorn in my hand, all alone, and on foot, from my lodgings in Chancery Lane, at my cousin Young's, to Whitehall, by the entry that went out of King's street into the bowlinggreen. There I would go under his window, and call him softly. He, excepting the first. time, never failed to put out his head at the first call. Thus we talked together, and sometimes I was so wet with rain, that it went in at my neck and out at my heels." What an ecstatic moment must that have been, when through her own unremitting exertions this object of her fondest affection was at length restored to her, and she was rewarded for all her past sufferings by the delightful consciousness of being herself the chief instrument of his deliverance! This example is, to say nothing of others which might be adduced, sufficient to prove that my fair country women are in possession of those high and noble faculties of the soul which induce not only patient and courageous endurance, but lead also to acts of great and lofty daring. It is, therefore, incumbent upon me to bring evidence that neither have they been deficient in the display of those powers of the mind which by some are supposed to be exclusively confined to the other sex, but which experience may prove to us are also freely dispensed to them. and sentiments in the following words :"Give me leave to assure you, that as the rest of the world take notice of the strength and clearness of your reasoning, so I cannot but be extremely sensible that it was employed in my defence. You have herein not only vanquished my adversary, but reduced me also absolutely under your power, and left no desire more strong in me than that of meeting with some opportunity to assure you with what respect and submission I am yours.' Constantia Grierson, too, who is celebrated by Mrs. Pilkington, was, we are told, mistress of Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and French, at the early age of eighteen, besides being considerably advanced in the abstruse science of mathematics; and as a proof that this unusual stock of knowledge did not overset her sense of modesty, Mrs. Barber tells us, "she was not only happy in a fine imagination, a great memory, an excellent understanding, and an exact judgment, but had all these crowned by virtue and piety. She was too learned to be vain, too wise to be conceited, and too clear-sighted to be irreligious. As her learning and abilities raised her above her own sex, so they left her no room to envy any; on the contrary, her delight was to see others excel. She was always ready to direct and advise those who applied to her, and was herself willing to be advised. So little did she value herself upon her uncommon attainments and excellences, that she has often recalled to my mind a fine reflection of a French author, to the effect. "that great geniuses should be superior to their own abilities." But to discover the most extraordinary assemblage of talent and erudition ever perhaps concentrated in the females of one family, we must consent to revert to the period when Edward VI. filled the English throne. The preceptor of that monarch, Sir Anthony Cook, had four daughters, all of whom were celebrated for their profound Few persons probably, in these enlightened days, are ignorant of the fact, that when Catherine Cockburn published her learned and spirited defence of Locke's "Essays on the Human Understanding," in consequence of some anonymous strictures, which had appeared upon it, she had only attained her twenty-second year, while such was the modesty of her character, that she not only concealed her name, from a fear that a know-learning. Mildred, the eldest, who was marledge of her age and sex might be injurious to her work, but she took every possible precaution to preserve both a secret from the philosopher himself, declaring in a private letter to a friend, "I am more afraid of appearing before him I defend than of the public censure; and chiefly for the honor I bear to him resolve to conceal myself." In spite, however, of all her endeavors, Mr. Locke at length succeeded in discovering to whom he was indebted for this masterly defence of his work, and, accompanied by a present of books, he transmitted to her his thanks ried to Lord Burleigh, had not only a great genius for politics, but she was well acquainted with the Greek language, and was thoroughly conversant with the classic writers of Greece; she was also intimate with the works of most of the Christian Fathers, a part of the writings of one of whom, St. Chrysostom, she translated into English. The next daughter, Anne, united to Sir Nicholas Bacon, seems to have been possessed of at least equal erudition; among other proofs of which, we find that when Bishop Jewel wrote his famous "Apology for the Church of England," feeling very anxious, that the work should be open to every class of readers, she rendered it from Latin into her mother tongue, transmitting it to the author when completed, with a Greek epistle, which he answered in the same language, being moreover so satisfied with her translation as not to alter or revise a single word. Elizabeth, who was first wedded to Sir Thomas Hoby, and afterwards to Lord John Russel, was as conversant as her sisters with classic lore; and she was particularly famed for the numerous epitaphs which she wrote, both in Greek, Latin, and English, on her two husbands, her son, daughter, brother, sister, and her esteemed friend Mr. Noke, of Shottesbrooke; while, according to the accounts transmitted to us by history, the fourth star in this brilliant constellation excited no less wonder than the rest by her great and singular endowments. Elizabeth Carter, too-the translator of Epictetus, the friend of Johnson, and the favorite of the pious Secker-stands forth in later times a practical asserter of the extensive scope of female intellect and female powers. Another unintentional champion of the cause also, and one with whom perhaps my readers are not so generally acquainted, was Miss Elizabeth Smith, a short but interesting memoir of whom was published in the early part of the present century, which gives a most pleasing insight into her extraordinary and amiable character. This young lady, although destined to experience early trials and difficulties which would have checked the progress of a common mind, acquired, in a short life of thirty years, a mass of learning and general information truly sur prising, without, however, this variety of knowledge in any instance involving the omission of a single duty, or the forfeiture of those mild and feminine graces which are peculiar to her sex. The following letter, from her friend Mrs. H. Bowdler to Dr. Mumsien, will abundantly prove this assertion, while it will present the reader with a delightful summary of the virtues and acquire ments of this noble and highly-gifted female. "The lovely young creature, on whose account I first applied to you, had been for above a year gradually declining, and on the 7th of August she resigned her spirit to God who gave it. Her person and manners were extremely pleasing, with a pensive softness of countenance that indicated deep reflection; but her extreme timidity concealed the most wonderful talents that ever fell under my observation. With scarcely any She assistance, she taught herself the French, Italian, Spanish, German, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew languages, She had no inconsiderable knowledge of Arabic and Persic. She was well acquainted with geometry, algebra, and other branches of the mathematics. was a very fine musician. She drew landscapes from nature extremely well, and was a mistress of perspective. She showed an early taste for poetry, of which some specimens remain; but I believe she destroyed most of the effusions of her youthful muse, when an acquaintance with your great poet, and still more, when the sublime compositions of the Hebrew bards, gave a different turn to her thoughts. With all these acquirements she was perfectly feminine in her disposition; elegant, modest, gentle, and affectionate; nothing was neglected which a woman ought to know, no duty was omitted which her situation in life required her to perform." Many fragments of the writings of this accomplished young lady are collected in this little volume, some of which hear the stamp of such maturity of thought and purity of feeling, that I cannot resist the desire which I feel to transcribe a sample of them, particularly as they will tend to show that, though A little learning is a dangerous thing, it is the property of a great deal to prove to us our ignorance, and divest us of vanity and conceit. "An hour well spent condemns a life; when we reflect on the sum of improvement and delight gained in that single hour, how do the multitude of hours already past rise up and say, What good has marked us? Wouldst thou know the true worth of time, employ one hour well.'"' "It is not learning that is disliked in women, but the ignorance and vanity which too generally accompany it. A woman's learning is too often like the fine clothes of an upstart, who is anxious to exhibit to all the world the riches so unexpectedly acquired. The learning of a man, on the contrary, is like hereditary rank, which having grown up with him, and being in a manner interwoven with his nature, he is almost unconscious of possessing it. The reason of this difference is the scarcity of the commodity amongst females, which makes every one who possesses a little, fancy herself a prodigy. As the sum total increases, we may reasonably hope that each will become able to bear her share with a better grace." "Happiness is a very common plant, a native of every soil: yet is some skill required in gathering it; for many poisonous weeds look like it, and deceive the unwary to their ruin." "The Christian life may be compared to a magnificent column, whose summit always points to heaven. The innocent and therefore real pleasures of this world are the ornaments on the pedestal; very beautiful, and highly to be enjoyed when the eye is near, but which should not too long or too frequently detain us from that just distance where we can contemplate the whole column, and where the ornaments on its base disappear." It now only remains for me to show that not only faith and heroism have characterized, not only have wit and learning shone conspicuously in many of my country women, but that genuine piety and vital religion have also flourished strikingly among them. The names of Timmer, Fry, and More-a powerful host in themselves-are alone sufficient to support my assertion; and while their writings and example are still diffusing around a love of virtue and a spirit of Christianity, it would be superfluous to cite more, although so many might be named whose exertions in the sacred cause of religion deserve our highest praise and liveliest gratitude. Plato congratulates himself that he was not born a woman; but in his time women, considered and treated as inferiors, were not allowed opportunities or means of improvement; the blossoms of intellect were nipped in the bud, and the powers of the mind confined by custom and repressed by the certainty of contempt. Perhaps, had he lived at a later period, he might have taken a just er and more enlarged view of female capacity, and have felt that even a philosopher might often with pleasure, if not with advantage, have entered into female society. But, even when the ancient poets present their heroines to our view, it is always with the accompaniment of a distaff or a spindle. For instance, the character of the virtuous Penelope is woven in the tissue of her own unfailing web; and so mean was the opinion which the Greeks entertained of the fair sex, that its almost universal emblems-those which were placed by way of eulogium on the tombs of the ladies-were an owl, a muzzle, and a pair of reins; thus implying that the brightest qualities of woman were watchfulness, silence, and precision in guiding, directing, and executing those domestic affairs in which alone she was permitted to take any VOL. XXXII. NO IV. interest. Thucydides, indeed, openly proclaims his opinion that she is the best of whom least is said, either of good or harm; and, in fact, the mind of the Grecian female, like the unfortunate feet of the fair inhabitants of China, seems to have been so effectually compressed and crippled, that either expansion or progression was totally impossible. Even until towards the fifteenth century, women were allowed little participation in the improvements or pleasures of the age. The gallant Francis was the one who first gave grace and elegance to his court by the introduction of ladies on days of public solemnity; and it is a striking fact, that the treatment of the sex ameliorated and improved in an exact ratio with the march of intellect and the progress of civilization. In England its privileges have long been very extensive, and many instances are on record of private females in this country filling offices of very considerable trust and power. In the present day, although wisely excluded from public employments, as altogether unsuitable to their sex and character, they have little reason to complain. If they rule not with the mace of authority, they can influence by the mind, and they can govern by the heart. If they cannot compel, they can win submission; they can-but what cannot a wise, virtuous, and amiable woman effect? Oh! she can melt the spirit into love, Or bid it rise to goodness. After all, whatever her powers of captivation may be, home is the fitting place for their chief exercise; domestic life the sphere for their best and noblest exertion! There it is that she shines in her greatest purity. This is the kingdom over which she reigns with sweetest lustre; and whatever be her talents, whatever her opportunities, this is the spot on which they should most fondly repose-the centre from which should emanate the warm rays of love, of benevolence, and of genius. The fault of the present day, it has long occurred to the writer, does not seem to lie, in this country at least, in the want of education for females in the higher and middle ranks; but in that whose effects are equally destructive-its total misapplication. Women are now taught, or rather endeavored to be taught, every thing; the natural consequence of which is, that they know nothing well. That useful knowledge which contributes so much to their own happiness and the general 32 improvement of their tastes and habits, is laid aside, for the admission of empty accomplishments, learnt only to be displayed, and employed only to obtain admiration! Far be it from me to depreciate the cultivation of all those mental and personal graces which so peculiarly belong to the fair sex. These are their own especial charms; nor should I bear to see their vivacity, their lively fancy, their light and easy gayety, their playful badinage, or their simple and unstudied eloquence of the heart, substituted for the dry tone of the obtrusive moralist, or the grave air and studied language of the metaphysician. No! I would have women natural in their manners; their minds stored, not loaded; their imaginations regulated, not destroyed; not the prey or the plaything of every handsome coxcomb or idle fop who might choose to address them with the honeyed accents of flattery: but sweet and rational companions, capable of appreciating talent, the wonders of nature, and the rich stores of art and literature; and, above all, without being either subtle disputants or abstruse theologians, able to account "for the hope that is in them," with hearts softened by piety, and minds purified and enlarged by religious knowledge; for such may we make the friends of our bosom-the participators of our joys-the comforters of our sorrows; and to such may we with confidence intrust those infant treasures whose souls are confided to our care, and are dependent upon our guidance! Who can, like woman, soothe the suffering soul? Whose glance of sympathy the cloud dispels, Oh! say not then that weak is woman's mind; What is it that he oft in turn bestows? hour! From Fraser's Magazine. LIGHTS OF DUTCH LITERATURE. tenance bore evidence to his cleverness and the sublimity of his mind. His face was pale and thin in the prime of life, but in old age broad and full, healthy looking, with a good color on his cheeks, and a rather low forehead. Beneath his bushy eye-brows, somewhat more boldly arched on the left than on the right side, without any appearance of deformity, he had brown, lively, piercing, restless eagle-eyes, so full of fire that he seemed to be continually occupied with his satires. His nose was prominent, his mouth not too large |