The
Female
Right
to
LITERATURE
,
in
a
Letter
to
a
young
Lady
from
FLORENCE
.
By
—
WHilst
you
,
ATHENIA
,
with
assiduous
toil
Reap
the
rich
fruits
of
learning's
fertile
soil
;
Now
search
whate'er
historick
truth
has
shewn
,
And
make
the
wealth
of
ages
past
your
own
;
Now
crop
the
blossoms
of
poetick
flow'rs
,
And
range
delighted
in
the
Muses
bowers
;
Say
,
will
the
sweetest
of
her
sex
attend
To
lines
by
friendship
,
not
by
by
flatt'ry
penn'd
;
To
lines
which
tempt
not
worth
with
empty
praise
;
But
to
still
greater
height
that
worth
would
raise
;
To
lines
which
dare
against
a
world
decide
,
And
stem
the
rage
of
custom's
rapid
tide
!
Come
then
,
ATHENIA
,
freely
let
us
scan
The
coward
insults
of
that
tyrant
,
man
.
Self-prais'd
,
and
grasping
at
despotick
pow'r
,
He
looks
on
slav'ry
as
the
female
dow'r
;
To
Nature's
boon
ascribes
what
force
has
giv'n
,
And
usurpation
deems
the
gift
of
heav'n
.
See
the
first-peopled
East
,
where
ASIA
sheds
Her
balmy
spices
o'er
her
fertile
meads
:
There
,
while
th'
ASSYRIAN
stretch'd
his
wide
domain
From
distant
Indus
to
the
Cyprian
main
,
All
nature's
laws
by
impious
force
were
broke
;
The
female
sex
to
slav'ry's
galling
yoke
Bow'd
their
fair
necks
:
from
social
life
confin'd
,
And
all
th'
exertions
of
th'
enlighten'd
mind
,
Clos'd
in
a
proud
Seraglio's
wanton
bow'rs
,
The
dalliance
of
a
tyrant's
looser
hours
.
By
kings'
examples
subjects
form
their
lives
,
Dependent
satraps
had
their
train
of
wives
;
Proportion'd
pow'r
each
petty
tyrant
craves
,
And
each
poor
female
was
the
slave
of
slaves
.
When
PERSIA
next
o'erturn'd
th'
Assyrian
throne
,
Destroy'd
her
tyranny
and
fix'd
its
own
;
The
fair
distress'd
no
milder
treatment
saw
,
This
was
indeed
th'
unalterable
law
.
In
future
times
,
whatever
masters
came
,
Tyrants
were
chang'd
,
but
tyranny
the
same
:
At
length
t'
accumulate
the
female
woes
,
The
grand
impostor
MAHOMET
arose
;
Swoln
with
prophetick
lyes
,
he
lay'd
his
plan
On
the
firm
basis
of
the
pride
of
man
;
"
Women
,
the
toys
of
men
,
and
slaves
of
lust
,
"
Are
but
mere
moulds
to
form
man's
outward
crust
;
"
The
heavenly
spark
,
that
animates
the
clay
,
"
Of
the
prime
essence
that
effulgent
ray
,
"
Th'
immortal
soul
is
all
to
man
confin'd
,
"
Not
meanly
squander'd
on
weak
woman-kind
.
"
Accursed
wretch
!
by
hell's
black
council
driv'n
Thus
to
debase
the
fairest
work
of
heav'n
.
And
could
Religion
rear
her
sacred
head
Fraught
with
such
doctrines
?
could
such
errors
spread
From
western
TANGIER
,
and
the
sun-burnt
Moor
,
To
the
cold
TARTAR'S
ever-frozen
shore
?
Ev'n
GREECE
too
not
exempt
,
GREECE
,
once
the
seat
Where
Sense
and
Freedom
held
the
reins
of
state
;
Where
Force
was
Reason's
hand-maid
;
where
the
bands
Of
Love
and
Friendship
join'd
the
wedded
hands
;
Where
flourish'd
once
,
and
flourish
still
in
fame
Th'
ATHENIAN
matron
,
and
the
SPARTAN
dame
.
In
ROME
too
Liberty
once
reign'd
,
in
ROME
The
female
virtues
were
allow'd
to
bloom
,
And
bloom
they
did
:
when
CANNAE'S
fatal
plain
Was
heap'd
with
mountains
of
the
Roman
slain
,
Was
there
a
matron
wept
her
children
dead
?
Was
there
a
matron
wept
not
those
that
fled
?
Then
when
each
rumour
seem'd
the
voice
of
fate
,
And
spoke
the
victor
thund'ring
at
their
gate
,
Was
there
one
mention'd
peace
?
did
they
not
pour
Their
wealth
,
their
jewels
to
the
publick
store
,
In
emulous
haste
all
pressing
to
be
poor
?
Alas
how
chang'd
!
how
are
the
mighty
sunk
,
From
the
firm
Patriot
to
the
whining
Monk
!
Where
Industry
secur'd
the
publick
good
,
Where
censors
,
consuls
,
and
dictators
plough'd
.
Now
lazy
zealots
batten
on
the
spoil
,
And
consecrated
Sloth
devours
the
farmer's
toil
.
But
oh
still
worse
!
where
Love
and
Friendship
shone
,
Domestick
Tyranny
has
fix'd
his
throne
,
With
all
his
train
of
monsters
:
at
his
side
Swoln
with
self-flatteries
sits
stiff-neck'd
Pride
;
Two
twin-born
fiends
his
other
ear
engage
,
Heart-canker'd
Jealousy
,
and
fire-ey'd
Rage
;
In
front
,
his
empire's
sole
support
and
source
,
Rattling
chains
,
bars
and
locks
,
stalks
brutal
Force
;
Whilst
pale
and
shrivel'd
,
crouch'd
beneath
the
chair
,
Lies
sneaking
,
conscious
Worthlessness
;
and
near
Squint-ey'd
Suspicion
lurks
,
with
self-distracting
Fear
.
Hail
,
happy
BRITAIN
,
dear
parental
land
,
Where
Liberty
maintains
her
latest
stand
!
Oh
while
amidst
tyrannick
realms
I
rove
,
Enamour'd
let
me
pour
my
filial
love
Into
thy
bosom
.
When
the
raven
wings
Of
darkness
hover
o'er
me
,
when
the
springs
Of
every
outward
sense
are
shut
,
my
soul
Thee
oft
revisits
,
oft
without
controul
Ranges
thy
fields
delighted
,
and
inhales
Friendship's
pure
joys
,
and
Freedom's
healthful
gales
.
But
say
,
BRITANNIA
,
do
thy
sons
,
who
claim
A
birth-right
liberty
,
dispense
the
same
In
equal
scales
?
Why
then
does
Custom
bind
In
chains
of
Ignorance
the
female
mind
?
Why
is
to
them
the
bright
etherial
ray
Of
science
veil'd
?
Why
does
each
pedant
say
,
"
Shield
me
,
propitious
powers
,
nor
clog
my
life
"
With
that
supreme
of
plagues
a
learned
wife
.
"
'Tis
man's
,
with
science
to
expand
the
soul
,
"
And
wing
his
eagle-flight
from
pole
to
pole
;
"
'Tis
his
to
pierce
antiquity's
dark
gloom
,
"
And
the
still
thicker
shades
of
times
to
come
;
"
'Tis
his
to
guide
the
pond'rous
helm
of
state
,
"
And
bear
alone
all
wisdom's
solid
weight
.
"
Let
woman
with
alluring
graces
move
"
The
fondling
passions
and
the
baby
love
;
"
Be
this
our
only
science
,
be
her
doom
"
Fix'd
to
the
toilette
,
the
spinnet
and
loom
.
"
Tongue-doughty
pedant
,
was
ATHENIA'S
soul
Form'd
for
these
only
?
Bring
th'
exactest
rule
Of
judgment
to
the
tryal
,
prove
that
e'er
Thy
school-proud
tribe
engross'd
a
greater
share
Of
mental
excellence
;
tho'
vernal
Youth
Justs
swell
her
lovely
bosom
,
yet
blest
Truth
,
Offspring
of
Sense
and
Industry
,
has
there
Long
fix'd
her
residence
;
and
taught
the
fair
Or
wisdom's
deep
recesses
to
explore
,
Or
on
invention's
rapid
wings
to
soar
Above
th'
Aonian
mount
;
and
can'st
thou
think
That
virtues
,
which
exalt
the
soul
,
can
sink
The
outward
charms
?
must
knowledge
give
offence
?
And
are
the
graces
all
at
war
with
sense
?
Say
,
who
of
all
the
fair
is
form'd
to
move
The
fondest
passions
,
most
ecstatick
love
,
More
than
ATHENIA
?
in
her
gentle
eye
Soft
innocence
and
virgin
modesty
Incessant
shine
,
while
still
a
new-born
grace
Springs
in
each
speaking
feature
of
her
face
.
Her
sprightly
wit
no
forward
pertness
spoils
:
No
self-assuming
air
her
judgment
soils
;
Still
prone
to
learn
,
tho'
capable
to
teach
,
And
lofty
all
her
thoughts
,
but
humble
all
her
speech
.
Proceed
,
ATHENIA
,
let
thy
growing
mind
Take
ev'ry
knowledge
in
of
ev'ry
kind
:
Still
on
perfection
fix
thy
steady
eye
,
Be
ever
rising
,
rise
thou
ne'er
so
high
.
But
oh
reflect
,
that
in
th'
advent'rous
flight
,
Thou
mount'st
a
glorious
,
but
a
dangerous
height
:
When
ev'ry
science
ev'ry
grace
shall
join
,
When
most
thy
wit
,
when
most
thy
beauties
shine
,
When
thickest
crowds
enamour'd
press
around
,
When
loudest
ev'ry
tongue
thy
praise
shall
sound
,
When
verse
too
offers
incense
to
thy
shrine
,
And
adoration
breathes
in
ev'ry
line
,
Then
let
my
friendly
Muse
express
her
care
,
Then
most
will
danger
spread
her
viewless
snare
:
Then
let
this
truth
possess
thy
inmost
soul
,
"
One
drop
of
Vanity
may
spoil
the
whole
.
"
Not
self-secure
on
earth
can
Knowledge
dwell
,
Knowledge
the
bliss
of
heav'n
and
pang
of
hell
,
Alike
the
instrument
of
good
and
evil
,
The
attribute
of
God
and
of
the
Devil
.
Without
her
,
Virtue
is
a
powerless
Will
;
She
,
without
Virtue
,
is
a
powerful
ill
;
Does
she
then
join
with
Virtue
,
or
oppose
,
She
proves
the
best
of
Friends
,
or
worst
of
Foes
.
O
!
be
they
once
in
happiest
union
join'd
,
And
be
that
union
in
ATHENIA'S
mind
.