A rare Example of Gratitude and Fidelity. tioned: At the fame hour of nine of the clock, if it be full-fea, your labour and service shall cease; and, if low-water, each of you shall set your fakes at the brim, each stake one yard from the other, and fo yether them on each fide with your yethers, and fo ftake on each fide with your fout towers, that they may ftand three tides without removing by the force thereof: Each of you fhall do, make, and execute the faid fervice all at that very hour, every year, except it be full-fea at that hour; but when it fhall fo fall out, this fervice thall ceafe. You fhall faithfully do this, in remem- . brance that you did most cruelly flay me; and that you may the better call to God for mercy, repent unfeignedly of your fins, and do good works. The officer of Efkdale-fide fhall blow, Out on you, Out on you, Out on you, for this heinous crime. If you or your fucceffors fhall refuse this fervice, 133 fo long as it shall not be full-fea at the aforefaid hour, you or yours fhall forfeit your lands to the Abbot of Whitby, or his fucceffors. This I entreat, and earnestly beg that you may have your lives and goods preferved for this fervice: And I request of you to promife by your parts in Heaven, that it fhall be done by you and your fucceffors, as it is aforefaid requested; and I will confirm it by the faith of an honeft man. Then the hermit faid, My foul longeth for the Lord, and I do as freely forgive these men my death, as Chrift forgave the thieves on the crols. And in the presence of the Abbot and the reft, he said moreover these words, In manus tuas, Domine, commendo fpiritum meum, a vinculis enim mortis redime me, Domine veritatis. Amen. So he yielded up the ghoft, the eighth day of December, whose foul God have mercy upon. Amen. A rare Example of Gratitude and Fidelity in d'SPANIARD, as recorded by HENRY KNIGHTON, an eminent Writer. OWARDS the latter end of Th the reign of Edward the Third, lived two valiant Squires, Robert Haule, and Richard Schakel, who, in the Wars under the Black Prince had taken the Count de Dena, a Spanish Don of great quality and eftate, who was fairly by the Law of Arms adjudged their prifoner, and brought to England, where he left his eldeft Son with him as a pledge, while he went home to raise his ranfom; but the Father being once got to Spain, neglected to fend the money, and in a little time died, whereby his honours and estate devolved to the young hoftage, which being understood by King Edward, both he and Prince Edward were very importunate with the two Gentlemen to release the Spanish Cavalier, but they were fo far from parting with him, that they refused to discover where he was, for which they were fent to the Tower, from whence efcaping, they took fanctuary in Westminster-abbey, and there continued till the Duke of Lancafter refolved to ferret them out, for which purpofe fifty armed men were fent thither, who entered the Church, put a trick upon John Schakel, foon got him out, and carried him back to the Tower: But as for Haule, he was among the Monks and at Mafs; the Soldiers went to him, and at first expoftulated with him, why he should fo obftinately difobey the King's command and withal told him he must go with them, which he peremptorily refufed, drew a fhort fword, and made at them, but although he performed wonders, he was at last knocked down; (which our Author calls crowned with Martyrdon) the Monks would fain have refcued him, but durft not, seeing the fuperiority of the Soldiers, however the Archbishop of Canterbutry, thundered out an excommunication against thefe Violaters of the fanctuary and all their Abettors, the King, his Mother, and the Duke of Lancafter, excepted: But about Vindication of the Fair Sex. about a year after, in King Richard cers had flain. But now comes the For the OXFORD MAGAZINE. That women have no characters at all. that they are vicious, I agree with Gracchus; but that men are as weak, as falfe, as vicious, Gracchus muft agree with me. -I characters of women, from a vio Was led into a reflection upon the Mr. Pope is for ever quoted by all lent vociferous converfation of a young men who are defirous of becoming facaptain, who would not allow a wo-tirifts against the women, without ever man to have a quality, but loudly and ftrongly infifted upon it," That they were mere domeftic animals, only intended by the Deity to wath linen, or fow it; to make pies or puddings; and, in short, to be of no more confequence about a house, than a cat or a joint ftool: That they had all illiberal, -minds; that the natural bent of their hearts was to vice; and that it was unbecoming any husband, unless a Jerry Sneak, to even allow them the merit of thinking j.. that they were unfit for places of importance, and equally unfit to argue or act upon folid, cool matters of judgment, and found fenfe; that they were originally formed from the rib of man, confequently a weaker creature; and that he abfolutely agreed with the Mulfulman--that women have no fouls.". Thus did Gracchus weakly affail the characters of the fex, with all the froth and volubility of a man without education, or a knowledge of virtue and honour; without ever confidering that he was born of a woman, and the very few qualities he poffefled were imbibed in his nature from her. That women are weak, that they are false, confidering that Mr. Pope's opinion was lefs to be depended on than any other man's; becaufe Mr. Pope was deformed from his earliest birth, and had not any external qualities either to allure or attract; and therefore from a confcious conviction of his own deformity, he naturally fatirized the lovely creatures he could not captivate. Mr. Cibber took advantage of this crookedness, and introduced Mr. Pope at Button's in a most ridiculous fituation. It had its defired effect; and authors, like finking failors, will feize upon any twig to fave themfelves. But though the natural defect of this genius was a misfortune, yet Pope, extracted from his great fenfe, could not allure the lovely maid. The lovely maid might with rapture admire his verfes, but the could not be enamoured • of his perfon; therefore Mr. Pope drew temale characters with different feelings from thofe of Lord Rochefter. But had the Bard of Twickenham been as well formed for pleasing the sex as his Lordship, I dare fay Mr. Pope would have excelled Ovid as much as he has done his tranflators. But, Vindication of the Fair Se But, Gracchus, where do the men fo capitally excel the women?-I have never been able to difcern that the actions of men were even fo meritorious. Are the men fo fober? Are they fo honeft? Do the women offend the Creator with oaths like the men? Do they run into debaucheries like the men? Are they not more attached to their affections? Canft thou, Gracchus, fay they are not fo fenfible? Can I not ennumerate the names of a thoufand women as fuperior to the Gracchi, as the chastity of Dian to the lewdnefs of Ligonier? Why should not the minds of women be as equally enlightened as the minds of men? Why thould not their capacities be as extenfive? And fince they fo largely poffefs the virtues of fobriety and temperance, why fhould they not by application obtain an equal knowledge? I believe few men can boaft of fo fenfible an acquaintance amongst their companions, as I can produce in this kingdom; nay, I even queftion if you felect the Literati, whether they far exceed the genius and ability of this learned female troop. England, from her earlieft ftate, has been famed for her illuftrious women; but perhaps no one period of human -life ever excelled our Macaulay, Brooks, Montague, Carter, Lenox, Griffiths, Lady Temple, &c. as authoreffes and poeteffes. Again, in the politer arts they are more numerous. In what would you, Gracchus, have them ambitious? Would you have them wield the fword, or vault the courfer's back and fivebarr'd gates? I cannot find any general crime to lay to the charge of the fex; and he is an illiberal and inhu*man blockhead, who cenfures the whole fex for the abandoned principles of a few: And though the names of Grofvenor and Ligonier, Bunbury and Bailey, are echoed through the world with ignominy, yet the man's mind must be cribbed and confined, that can draw a character of the fex from thefe, or condemn the thousands of virtuous women for the abandoned conduct of a few. I have difcovered within Temple-Bar, a kind of celibacy refolved upon by fome young flagitious men, who make use of the prefent 135 vices of the Court, as a necessary plaufible plea for not entering into wedlock, in order to indulge more largely their own luftful appetites. Alas! young men, ye know little of the path which leads to the fublimeft happiness of this life.-I have feen the ftale, falfe joys of debauchery, and the lafting and fubftantial felicities of marriages and was the fenible man to weigh them in oppofite fcales, he would fee, with aftonishment, the inequality of their weights. There is no fituation in this fojourn of equal blifs; marriage is the only real happiness of man; the rapture and heart-felt fatisfaction of virtuous wife, is fuperlatively beyond all the other delights of the world. She, on whofe bofoun we recline our cares, and to whom we impart our griefs; the, that is worthy of our inmolt thoughts and our greateft joys, is fuch a treafure, that the Deity can alone create for our mortal lifs. He that enjoys fuch a woman poffeffeth an inestimable treasure; and fuch fweet women are to be found in every town of these kingdoms. But fome men, from a narrowness of foul, are cautious of intrufting them with the fecrets of their profeffions, when they fhould be the firft confulted; for that temperance and coolness which they naturally poffefs, make them the beft able to judge upon critical and in'tricate affairs; and I aver with verity, that I never knew a capital error made in the common tranfactions of life, wherein the Lady was confulted with temper and confidence. 'In short, every wife, more or less, according to her health_and_mental ability, should be treated as PORCIA was by Brutus, with confidence and refpect. There is no mediocrity in marriage; it confifts in extremes, good or bad; and when it evaporates to a dull mediocrity, it becomes lifeless, infipid, and indifferent: And women can better bear any contempt or hatred, than a cool indifference. PORCIA obferved Brutus fall from a ferene, fond, and endearing behaviour, to a peevish, paffionate diposition, She faw his mind troubled, and la bouring with fome important event, 136 Vindication of the Fair Sex. which made him entirely neglect those conjugal endearments the had fo happily enjoyed. She filently mourned his affliction, and turned all the fufpicion upon herself. She believed herfelf unworthy of his confidence, and. therefore did not infult him in his affiction, which the thought the had a right and title to participate: She determined to prove how far the was capable of maintaining a fecret; and to make this trial, he gave herself a terrible wound in the thigh; concluding, that if he could bear the torture, fhe could retain a fecret. The pain of her wound, and the anguish of her mind, threw her into a fever; when the fent for Brutus, and spoke to him thus: "I, Brutus, being the daughter of Cato, was given to you in marriage, not like a concubine, to partake only of the common civilities of bed and board, but to bear a part in all your good and all your evil fortunes; and for my part, when I look on you, I find no reafon to repent this match: But from me, what evidence of my Jove, what fatisfaction can you receive, if I may not fhare with you in your ́most hidden griefs, nor be admitted to any of your councils that require fecrecy or truft? I know very well, that women féem to be of too weak a nature to be trufted with fecrets; but certainly, Brutus, a virtuous birth and education, and a converfation with the good and honourable, are of fome force to the forming our manners, afd ftrengthening our natural weakness ; and I can boaft that I am the daughter of Cato, and the wife of Brutus; in which two great titles though before I put too little confidence, yet now I have tried myfelf, I find that even against grief and pain I am invincible." She then related to Brutus what she had done; but it is not easy to describe the exquifite pleasure it must give a man to find himself poffeffed of fuch immaculate virtue; the mutual struggles and tranfports of two fuch fouls, could only be felt, and only described by a Porcia and a Brutus. What must be the fenfations of her bofom, when Brutus entered upon the affaffination? Fear, rage, grief, and madness! And though the largely and alternately dif covered thefe paffrons, yet the never betrayed the fecret that fo nearly related to her husband's fame and reputation. This memorable, virtuous, illuftrious wife has left behind her an eternal obelisk of worth and reputa tion; he has plainly proved to us, how far an open, generous treatment can make the female fex even rife fuperior to the magnanimity and refolution of man, when we allow them formed for love, pity, fear, and delight. N. To the EDITOR of the OXFORD MAGAZINE. (With a Copper-Plate annexed.) |