66 66 "Snare of the Hunter, and "from the Noifom Peftilence. "Thou shalt not be afraid for any Terror by Night, nor for "the Arrow that fleeth by "Day; for the Peftilence that "walketh in Darkness, nor for "the Sickness that deftroyeth at Noon-day: There fhall no "Evil happen unto thee, nei ther fhall any Plague come "nigh thy Dwelling. Thou "fhalt go upon the Lyon and "Adder, the young Lyon and "the Dragon fhalt thou tread "under thy Feet. With long "Life will I fatisfie him, and "fhew him my Salvation. ་ Q. Why Should a Spider Spin a small Web four or five Tards long, hardly to be difcern'd, which will break with the weight of a Grain, and yet it felf, which is twenty Grains, hold and defcend fifty times by it? A. The Spider hangs true and equally, ftretching the Thread at its full extent; the Grain ftrikes it of one fide, when 'tis fo ftretch'd, and therefore more eafily breaks it. The Spider has the whole Strength of the Thread; the Grain fuppos'd to be thrown upon't, meets with Refiftance but from that one part or point on which it falls. We may add, That fhould it break when the Spider's upon't it could immediatly mend it, perhaps in the twinkling of an Eye, before the Breach were well difcernable, in fo small a Subftance for it darts this Thread with a prodigious swiftnels, and will, by the help of it, little less than fly in the Air; throwing its Ladder of Ropes from one Tree to another firft, and it self afterward; nay, you can fcarce throw one of the little Spinuers off your Hand, but 'twill still climb up again; which must be by ver tue of his Thread, which it darts up when 'tis fallen, and recovers by it. Q. Sometime ago, I dealt very unhandfomly with another Person; for which, a little while after, I was so extreamly concerned, that the trouble of my Mind prejudiced my Body, and very much difordered my Health: The Same ftill rather increases upon me and I have used all the probable Means I can hear of, in order to my Recovery, but as yet, all has proved ineffectual 3 and therefore I beg the affistance of your Advice. A. We have omitted giving the full account of your Condicion, becaufe, as you your felf observ'd, it can be of no great Service to the Publick; tho' we are apt to believe the Relation to be true, and not the effect of Trick and Whimsy, because it is very ratinonally given, and an air of Sincerity appears throughout the whole; therefore we the more willingly tell you what we think, and fhall be pleafed if we can con tribute any thing toward the Happiness of an Unfortunate Gentleman. 'Tis very probable, that as the Reflection of the Injuftice you had done, was the firft caufe of your illness, fo it is ftill a very great one of its continuance, and till you have fomething quieted your Mind grees. But, I thank God, 1 have at laft pretty well conquer'd my Paffion. But now I find he is in love with me, even to Fondness, and all occafion'd by my loving her. Mind, there is no hopes it fhould be removed; which can only now be effected, by making all poffible Reparation that lies in your power. That once done, you ll foon find fuch a Satisfaction, as will confidera-have convincing Proof it's no Deceit. I have a small Eftate, but not enough to maintain us both, according to that liberal Education we have both been bred in. I Since I have been the bly contribute to your Reco. very; which cannot be fuppofed to be perfected but with Time; that fort of Diftemper, when once got, being very difficult to be freed from, it re- occafion of her Paffion, which turning again in its greatest he says, she hall never forego; power, upon the leaft trouble tell me whether 1 ought to mar or concern of Mind. Therery her, or leave her in that confore you must difengage your dition? felf, for fome time, from any Business wherein you may pro bably meet with a Difappointment, go into a clear Air, get fome brisk and merry Acquaintance, ufe a moderate Exercife, take no more Phyfick than is abfolutely neceffary, and be fure never to be long fafting in a Morning, nor late up at Night. Q. Do the fame common Bonds of Faith and Justice bind all Mea? 4. If by the Bonds of Faith and Juftice, you underft nd Sincerity and Truth, they do, (none having any Difpenfation to be free and quit from them) fince 'tis by them that the good of Society is founded and maintain'd. A. The Lady has done very honourably, in discovering, the Truth to you, tho' not overprudently,in paffing for what she was not, fince it must proba. bly be the occafion of fome Misfortune or other; for had the carry'd on the Design to perfection, and married any one under the Notion of being a Fortune; when they had come to be undeceived, it might have been the cause of continual difquiets between 'em. And fo in your cafe, the owes the Unhappiness more to the Deceit than to you; and you are undoubtedly free to a as you please, if you made her no Promifes after you knew fhe had Nothing; but if you did, they are as binding, as if the really had what you firft expected. Q. I was lately courting a Lady that paled for a great Fortune: After fo long an Acqain. Q. You have in one of your tance, that he found I really lo- late Oracles given your Adved ber, the ingenuously difco- vice, what was the best Mever'd to me, she had no Fortune. thod for a Young Man's Study, But I really loved her, and could and I doubt not but you are not withdraw my felf of a fud- as capable to give Directions den, but endeavour'd it by de-for the Education of Young Women's in vain. Women; which I think my felf (oneffes excepted) would be ufemuch the more concern'd to afk, ful to Women. Vertue and as I should be very glad to con- Piety is, indeed, the most pretribute any thing to the Happi-ferable Study, and makes all nefs of others; and I have made Rational Creatures the likeft it my general Obfervation, That God himself; and and Rational the chief Reafon that Men com- Creatures cannot imitate a betmonly fo much disregard the Com-ter Pattern than the Original pany of their Wives, is, Because of Reafon. Next to the bufithey are unfuitable Conversation; nefs of Piety or the Knowand therefore, I believe, if more ledge and Practice of our Ducare were taken in the Educa- ties, which, indeed, ought to tion of Women, Marriages would be the ftudy of our whole Lives, be more confonant to the Primitive we would advife as great a Inftitution than now they are. I freedom of Converse with all know of none so fit to Adrife forts of Perfons, especially the what Methods ought to be taken Wife and Good, as Custom and as your felves; nor any from the innocent Practices of the whom the Ladies will take it fo Age will permit: To read Perkindly, or whofe Directions they'll fons, makes a deeper and more be more probable to follow; there- lafting impreffion, than Books, fore I fear not asking your Opinion and fits us more for paffing handsomely through the World. But among the Studies of Books, a confiderable part of the Ma4. Your Obfervation, un- thematicks is fo abfolutely nedoubtedly, is very Juft, and ceffary for forming the Mind, many have been fenfible of it: that it appears to us the greatest Dr. Burnet, in his Letters, tells Riddle in Nature, that the Feus of an Italian that complain- male Gentry and Nobility of our ed to him of the unhappiness of Nation, are ignorant of 'em: his Nation, in their Womens The practical parts, indeed, of being generally fo Educated, the Mathematicks, would be that they were unfit for Socie- almost useless, as Gunnery, Forty; and thought the English tification, Dyaling, Architewere happy, in having fome- &ture, . but the Theorick thing the Advantage of 'em in parts ought by no means to be that refpe&t; which is certain-neglected, they do to enlarge ly true; yet would our Women and open the Mind; make it be much more agreeable, if ftrong, piercing, and folid; and they'd endeavour to become confequently, free it from those more Reasonable. Women have, impertinencies which, doubtless, undoubtedly, the fame Princi are rather Accidental, chan Naples of Reaton with Men, and tural to that Sex. The Axioms therefore, whatever would tend only in Euclids Elements ought to the Accomplishing of Men to be got by Heart, as Young as (fome particular publick Bufi- poffible; common Arithmetick, And and the first fix Books of Euclid, to be neglected; it is a very Ought to be read about the 13th Or 14th Year, or iooner, according to the forwardness of the Learner; aud Algebra, with its Application to Geometry and Numeral Queftions, ought to be read with Euclid, together with the use of the Globes, Geography and Hiftory an hour in a Day will in twelve Months, or a very little more, accomplish this, which may very well be fpar'd out of the impertinent, not to fay criminal, lofs of Time, which too many are fuffered to fquander asay. A Course of Philo ophy, Logick, and a little Metaphyficks, are alfo Neceffary; two Hours in a Day (omitting the Seventh Day will be fufficient, in a Year and an half, for an happier Education then moft of our Female Gentry can boaft of. Befides thefe Endowments of the Mind, the Body is not confiderable part of us, and a good Servant to the Mind when well regulated; fo much Dancing as is abfolutely neceffary for a good Carriage and decent Deportment to all Perfons, according to their Qualities; more (perhaps) might well be fpar'd. Afternoons for Converse and innocent Diverfions; and Mornings for Studies, would do well. This is a rude Draught of what we think proper for Ladies Educations; and there are some, to our knowledge, who are now in practice of it; and (perhaps) we have fome reason to be lieve, before this Generation i extin&t, the Benefit of it wil make it more univerfally re ceived and believed, That thof things are as abfolutely necel fary for Ladies, as now the begin to be esteemed for a Gen tleman's Education. Clofe feal'd within its Sacred Urn, Like filent Lamps in Sepulchres, 'twill ever burn. Meteors 2. Metors are glaring, as they're loud, 3. Slow Torments give us Eafe too late ; The Tree that's Thunder-ftruck is facred ftill to Jove. Asfw. Self-chofen Judge of Wit and Senfe; Where are their Brains, or where thy Face? 2. 'Tis Love doth Earth and Heaven embrace, |