to fee herself neglected fo foon, and fcorned by her own Children; but the confeffes with a Sigh, that he has led them the Way, by laughing so often at her good old Grandmother.

How much wifer is Phroniffa in the Education that the gives her Daughters, who maintains a happy Medium between the Severity of the laft Age, and the wild Licence of this! She manages her Conduct towards them with fuch an admirable Felicity, that though the confines them within the facred Limits of Virtue and Religion, yet they have not a Wish beyond the Liberties which they daily enjoy.

PHRONISSA, when her Daughters were little Children, used to spend feme Hours daily in the Nursery, and taught the young Creatures to recite many a pretty Paffage out of the Bible, before they were capable of reading it themselves; yet at fix Years old they read the Scriptures with Eafe, and then they rejoiced to find the fame Stories in Genefis and in the Gospels which their Mother had taught them before. As their Years advanced, they were admitted into the best Conversation, and had fuch Books put into their Hands as might acquaint them with the Rules of Prudence and Piety in an eafy and familiar Way: The reading the Lives of eminent Perfons who were Examples of this Kind, was one of the daily

Methods

Methods the used, at once to inftruct and entertain them. By fuch Means, and others which the wifely adapted to their advancing Age, they had all the Knowledge beftowed upon them that could be fuppofed proper for Women, and that might render their Character honourable and ufeful in the World.

As for Plays and Romances, they were ever bred up in a juft Apprehenfion of the Danger and Mischief of them: Collier's View of the Stage was early put into their Clofets, that they might learn there the hideous Immorality and Prophaneness of the English Comedies; and by the Way, he forbids us to hope from our tragical Poets a much fafer Entertainment. There they might read enough to forbid their Attendances on the Playhoufe, and fee the Poifon expofed, without Danger of the Infection. The Servants that waited on them, and the Books that were left within their Reach, were fuch as never corrupted their Minds with impure Words or Images.

LONG has Phroniffa known that domeftick Virtues are the Bufinefs and the Honour of her Sex. Nature and History agree to affure her, that the Conduct of the Houfhold is committed to the Women, and the Precepts and Examples of Scripture confirm it. She educated her Daughters therefore in conftant Acquaintance with all Family Affairs, and they knew betimes what belonged

to the Provifions of the Table, and the Furniture of every Room. Though her Circumstances were confiderable in the World, yet, by her own Example, the made her Children know, that a frequent Vifit to the Kitchen was not beneath their State, nor the common menial Affairs too mean for their Notice, that they might be able hereafter to manage their own Houfe, and not be directed, impofed upon, and perhaps ridiculed by their own Servants.

THEY were initiated early in the Science of the Needle, and were bred up skilful in all the plain and flowery Arts of it; but it was never made a Tafk nor a Toil to them, nor did they wafte their Hours in thofe nice and tedious Works, which coft our female Anceftors feven Years of their Life, and Stitches without Number. To render this Excrcife pleafant, one of them always entertained the Company with fome ufeful Author while the ref were at Work; every one had Freedom and Encouragement to start what Queftion fhe ple fed, and to make any Remarks on the prefent Subject; that Reading, Working and Converfation might fill up the Hour with Variety and Delight. while their Hands were making Garments for themselves or for the Poor, their Minds were enriched with Treafures of human and divine Knowledge.

Thus

AT

AT proper Seasons the young Ladies were inftructed in the gayer Accomplishments of their Age: But they were taught to esteem the Song and the Dance fome of their meanest Talents, because they are often forgotten in advanced Years, and add but little to the Virtue, the Honour, or the Happiness of Life.

PHRONISSA herfelf was fprightly and active, and she abhorred a flothful and lazy Humour? therefore the conftantly found out fome inviting and agreeable Employment for her Daughters, that they might hate Idleness as a mischievous Vice, and be trained up to an active and ufeful Life. Yet the perpetually infinuated the fuperior Delights of the Clofet, and tempted them by all divine Methods to the Love of devout Retirement. Whenfoever the feemed to diftinguish them by any peculiar Favours, it was generally upon fome new Indication of early Piety, or fome young Practice of a self-denying Virtue.

THEY were taught to receive Vifits in Forms agreeable to the Age; and though they knew the Modes of Drefs fufficient to fecure them from any Thing aukward or unfashionable, yet their Minds were fo well furnished with richer Variety, that they had no Need to run to thofe poor and trivial Topicks, to exclude Silence and Dulnefs from the Drawing-Room. They would

not

hot give fuch an Affront to the Understandings of the Ladies their Vifitants as to treat them with fuch Meannefs and Impertinence; therefore all this Sort of Converfation was reserved, almost entirely, for the Minutes appointed to the Milliner and the Tire

woman.

HERE I must publish it to their Honour, to provoke the Sex to Imitation, that though they comported with the Fashion in all their Ornaments, fo far as the Fashion was modeft, and could approve itself to Reason or Religion, yet Phronia would not fuffer their younger Judgments fo far to be impofed on by Custom, as that the Mode fhould be entirely the Measure of all Decency to them. She knew there is such a Thing as natural Harmony and Agreeableness; in the Beauties of Colour and Figure her Delicacy of Tafte was exquifite; and where the Mode run counter to Nature, though the indulged her Daughters to follow it in fome innocent Instances, because the loved not to be remarkably fingular in Things of Indifference, yet he took Care always to teach them to diftinguish gay Folly and affected Extravagance from natural Decencies, both in Furniture and in Drefs: Their Rank in the World was eminent, but they never appeared the firft, nor the highest in any newfangled Forms of Attire. By her wife Example and Inftructions fhe had fo formed their

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