But to conclude with what is of the greatef moment in this refpect; women of high birth fhould endeavour to join the nobility of virtue with that of inheritance; as merit can render those illustrious who are but of mean extraction, vice will make those infamous that are of the best of families. The counsel of faint Jerom to Celantia is worthy the observation of the whole fex: "We ought, fays he, to esteem that

nobility which pleaseth God, which depends "upon ourselves, and is infeparable from virtue". There are three forts of nobility, divine, worldly, and moral; the divine relates to the heavenly origin of the foul, the worldly to ancestry and the genealogy of families, the moral only to virtue, which we ought to have in order to gain true efteem: The divine depends upon the power of God, the worldly upon the greatness of our birth, the moral upon the liberty of our mind; if we confider well the importance of the firft, we shall fet less value upon the second, and render ourselves more capable of the third.

Lastly, As our ancestors wore moons on their fhoes as marks of their nobility, I cannot give a better example here than that in holy writ†, where it is faid; And there appeared a woman clothed with the fun; upon her head was a crown of ftars, and the moon under her feet. To re

* This custom was obferv'd by the nobleft fenators of Rome. See the reason of it in Plutarch on Roman queftions. + Rev. xii. 1.

femble

femble this vifion, women fhould contemn that which most of them adore; they must throw under foot the sparkling vanities that many carry in their head, and feek the whole fplendor of their nobility in being illumin'd by the grace of God, and crown'd with virtue.

CHA P. III.

Of AMBITION compared with Love. S reafon feems the mother of love, ambition fometimes feems the mother of virtue; as ambition is a bad caufe which yet may have good effects, love is fometimes a bad effect from a good caufe; these two paffions have a fair appearance, but are hazardous in their progrefs, and have oftentimes a tragical end: On the bad part they act differently, either by union or divifion, as the one fometimes attacheth us to that which is worthy our hate, and the other feparates us from that which is worthy our regard. If in loving we offend against reafon by an unworthy alliance, in affecting dominion we violate even the laws of nature, in renouncing and contemning what she holds most dear and facred.

Love and ambition full often carry women to the utmost extremities; if they can defend themfelves from the tyranny of these two paffions, they will certainly find the means of liv-,

ing with lefs inquietude and more folid comfort. The ambitious and the amorous can never enjoy a quiet mind; these two paffions are the tyrants of life; love begins, and ambition finishes it ; the one is never free from defires, nor the other without anxious hope: The more to abuse us, they are continually prefenting us with fome new appearances, either of grandeur or pleafure; and to keep us ftill in heart, they always promife us more than they give. We will now examine which of the two is attended with the worfe confequences to the fair sex.

It seems at first as if ambition had more influence on women than love, because a defire of exalting themselves is more natural than that of fubjection; ambition promifes thrones of grandeur, but love presents only a fervile yoke; the one offers us fceptres, the other chains. Love demands our liberty from us, ambition promiseth that of others; and however powerful love may be, upon a thorough examination we fhall find that whatever strength it hath, it borrows it from ambition; it is this which lighteth up his torch; it is this that raises their fpirits, and animates them to great defigns and the most noble enterprifes. He that would take away ambition from love, deprives him of his wings; it seems these two paffions have need of each other for their mutual fupport; love foftens ambition, and ambition fires love; without love ambition could have neither sweet

nefs

nefs nor repose, without ambition love could have neither strength nor courage.

And indeed if love was exempt from ambition, would it not be alfo free from jealoufy? It is the fame ambition which caufeth, that as we cannot bear an equal in power we cannot bear a rival in love. Moreover ambition heightens love, according to the oppofition or difficulty it meets with in its perfuits. Cato* thought no more of loving his wife, after he had divorc'd her; he look'd upon her rather as a friend than a wife. Meffalina was grievously vexed that Claudius was not jealous of her; fhe defired rather to infpire him with fear than love; fhe had rather he should esteem her beauty than her fidelity. Many like her defpife the pleasures. they can too easily enjoy; where they ftand not upon a point of honour, they foon fall into difguft and inconftancy; this is a vanity too common to love, to wish that many should endeavour after what itfelf would wholly enjoy alone. Let us examine farther into this matter; jealousy comes not lefs from ambition than from love; as one is the father, the other is the mother of it. Love afpires to monarchy as well as ambition; envy regards the fortune, jealousy

Cate of Utica: He had three wives, Servilia, Attilia, and Martia, and was unhappy in them all. I take Attilia to be the wife here mention'd. See his life in Plutarch.

†Tacit. Annal. x11.

the

the affection; if they differ in their effects, they differ not in their nature and origin; the one fears to have the numbers of its fubjects diminished, the other fears to have them increased. Indeed it seems to be the fame paffion, but to have different objects; jealoufy hath respect to pleafure, envy to glory. And what difference is there in faying, that envy is a jealousy with regard to fortune, or that jealoufy is envy with regard to love? In fhort envy is an ambition, which cannot endure a companion in dominion jealoufy is an ambition, which cannot endure one in love; from hence it is manifest that ambition makes love more fenfible, jealous, active, and courageous; and that they who prove the power of love, prove at the fame time that of ambition, fince it is this which encourageth the lover to furmount all difficulties, and to pass by no injury without refentment and revenge.

;

But further, to give a ftronger reason why it is-more difficult to cure ambition than love; as this paffion is more pure, it is alfo more strong and lafting; it does not confine itself to nature, it depends not on the vigor of the constitution; it is more spiritual than love, it is not therefore to be cured or lowered by bleeding or fickness. As it is attached to the foul it feems to borrow fomewhat of its immortality; it is fometimes more ftrong when the fenfes are weaker; indeed ambition feems the paffion of angels, love

that