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than Men are by what is faid of theirs. When fhe had a little recovered herself from the ferious Anger fhe was in, the replied in the following Manner:

Sir, when I confider how perfectly new all you have faid on this Subject is, and that the Story you have given us is not quite two thousand Years old, I cannot but think it a Piece of Prefumption to dispute with you. But your Quotation puts me in Mind of the

Fable of the Lion and the Man. The Man walking with that noble Animal, fhewed him, in the Oftentation of human Superiority, a Sign of a Man killing a Lion. Upon which the Lion faid very juftly, "We Lions are none of us Painters, elle we could fhew a hundred Men killed by Lions, for one Lion killed by a Man.”

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You Men are Writers, and can represent us Women as unbecoming as you please in your Works, while we are unable to return the Injury. You have twice or thrice observed in your Difcourfe, that Hypocrify is the very Foundation of your Education; and that an Ability to diffemble our Affections is a profeffed Part of our Breeding. Thefe, and H 2

fuch

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fuch other Reflections, are sprinkled up and down the Writings of all Ages by Authors, who leave behind them Memorials of their Refentment against the Scorn of particular Women, in Invectives against the whole Sex. Such a Writer, I doubt not, was the celc brated Petronius, who invented the pleasant Aggravations of the Frailty of the Ephefian Lady; but, when we confider this Question between the Sexes, which has been either a Point of Difpute or Raillery ever fince there were Man and Woman, let us take Facts from plain People, and from fuch as have not either Ambition or Capacity to embellish their Narrations with any Beauties of Imagination..

I was the other Day amusing myself with Ligon's Account of Barbadoes; and, in Anfwer to your well-wrought Tale, I will give you, as it dwells on my Memory, out of that honeft Traveller, the Hiftory of Inkle and Yarico.

Mr. Thomas Inkle, of London, aged twenty Years, embarked in the Downs on the good Ship, called the Achilles, bound for the Weft Indies, on the 16th of June, 1647, in order

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to improve his Fortune by Trade and Merchandize. Our Adventurer was the third Son of an eminent Citizen, who had taken particular Care to inftil into his Mind an early Love of Gain, by making him a perfect Mafter of Numbers, and confequently giving him a quick View of Lofs and Advantage, and preventing the natural Impulfes of his Paffions, by Prepoffeffions towards his Interefts.

With a Mind thus turned, young Inkle had a Perfon every Way agreeable, a ruddy. Vigour in his Countenance, Strength in his Limbs, with Ringlets of fair Hair loosely flowing on his Shoulders. It happened in the Course of his Voyage, that the Achilles, in fome Diftrefs, put into a Creek on the Main of America, in Search of Provifions. The Youth, who is the Hero of my Story, among others went afḥore on this Occafion.

From their first Landing, they were observed by a Party of Indians, who hid themfelves for that Purpose in the Woods. The English unadvifedly marched a great Distance from the Shore into the Country, and were intercepted by the Natives, who flew the H 3 greatest

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greatest Part of them. Our Adventurer escap ed among others, by flying into a Foreft. Upon his coming into a remote and pathlefs Part of the Wood, he threw himself, tired and breathlefs, on a little Hillock, when an Indian Maid rufhed from a Thicket behind him. After the firft Surprife, they appeared mutually agreeable to each other. If the European was highly charmed with the Features and wild Graces of the American, the American was no lefs taken with the Drefs, Complexion and Shape of an European covered from Head to Foot. The Indian grew immediately enamoured of him, and confequently follicitous for his Prefervation: She therefore conveyed him to a Cave,, where the. gave him a delicious Repaft of Fruits, and led him to a Stream, to flake his Thirst.

Let not the vain, tho' polifhed European imagine, that the tender Paffion of Love is known only to his Clime: It is peculiar to every Region of the Earth; and, perhaps, among even Savage Nations, it is more pure and fincere than among us

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In the Midst of thefe good Offices, fhe would fometimes play with her Hair, and delight in the Oppofition of its Colour to that of her Fingers: Then open his Bofom, then laugh at him for covering it. She was, it feems, a Person of Distinction; for she every Day came to him in a different Dress of the most beautiful Shells, Bugles and Beads. She likewife brought him a great many Spoils with which her other Lovers had prefented her: So that his Cave was richly adorned with all the spotted Skins of Beasts, and most

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