that the learning of the family is not at all
prejudicial to its manufactures.

4. I was mightily pleased the other day to find them all busy in
preserving several fruits of the season, with the Sparkler in the midst
of them, reading over "The plurality of Worlds." It was very
entertaining to me to see them dividing their speculations between
jellies and stars, and making a sudden transition from the sun to an
apricot, or from the Copernicum system to the figure of a cheese cake.

5. A second reason why women should apply themselves to useful knowledge
rather than men, is because they have that natural gift of speech in
greater perfection. Since they have so excellent a talent, such a _Copia
Verborum_, or plenty of words, it is pity they should not put it to some
use. If the female tongue will be in motion, why should it not be set to
go right? Could they discourse about the spots in the sun, it might
divert them from publishing the faults of their neighbours: could they
talk of the different aspects and conjunctions of the planets, they need
not be at the pains to comment upon oglings and clandestine marriages.
In short, were they furnished with matters of fact, out of arts and
sciences, it would now and then be of great ease to their invention.

6. There is another reason why those, especially who are women of
quality, should apply themselves to letters, namely, because their
husbands are generally strangers to them. It is great pity there should
by no knowledge in a family. For my own part, I am concerned when I go
into a great house, where perhaps there is not a single person that can
spell, unless it be by chance the butler, or one of the foot-men. What a
figure is the young heir likely to make, who is a dunce both by father
and mother's side?

7. If we look into the histories of famous women, we find many eminent
philosophers of this sex. Nay, we find that several females have
distinguished themselves in those sects of philosophy which seem almost
repugnant to their natures. There have been famous female
_Pythagorians_, notwithstanding most of that philosophy consisted in
keeping a secret, and that the disciple was to hold her tongue five
years together.

8. Learning and knowledge are perfections in us, not as we are men, but
as we are reasonable creatures, in which order of beings the female
world is upon the same level with the male. We ought to consider in this
particular, not what is the sex, but what is