STANZAS TO THE LADY ELIZABETH LEVESON GOWER.

ERE yet the fatal morn had birth,
That plunged our race in sadness,
Like thee young seraphs walked the earth
In light, and love, and gladness :

Like thee they wore the form and face
That flush the poet's vision,

And make this mortal dwelling-place
A rival for th' Elysian.

At length, 'tis said, a brighter zone
Of looks so sweet bereft us;
But who shall deem those seraphs flown,
While aught like thee is left us?
On thee propitious stars have smil'd,
Whose boon no blight can wither;
In thee the cherub and the child
United bloom together!

The stamp of heaven is on thy brow,
To shield the form it blesses;
Like ringlets from the acacia's bough
Descend thy shining tresses-
Those sunny locks! like Sybil leaves,
Spell bound and mystic letters-

Where Love for future conquest weaves
His sure and silent fetters.

"Tis meet of Albyn's " premier" tree,
The scion should inherit,

With all that's bright in pedigree,
The all that's pure in spirit.

From stem so fair, 'tis meet the flower
Thus richly should be dowered -

Blend with the hallowed fame of Gower

The kingly blood of Howard.

But rank, nor loveliness, alone
Can sanctify the wearer;

Unless, like thine, the heart enthrone
Hopes, gifts, and graces fairer.
Be these thy fadeless diadem!

This maxim ne'er forgetting: -
That Virtue is the brightest gem,
And Beauty but its setting!

The Author of Heliotrope.

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

THE amiable and sensible Fenelon addressed himself to the important subject of the Volume of the Affections; other writers also, who succeeded the Archbishop of Cambray, treated upon the same interesting topic; and perhaps it may not be deemed superfluous if I venture to propose a new work upon the same useful but neglected concernment. This, however, is not the highest object I have in view: the mere authorship of a fresh volume," to say the least, would ill accord with my sincere desire to confer an enduring benefit upon the present generation of my country-women, or in any degree tend to recompense those labours, which have been unceasing during the last three years, consequent upon an undertaking which, as I ventured to anticipate, The Volume of the Affections will be acknowledged to be, by all dispassionate readers and unprejudiced critics.

My desire has been to present an HISTORICAL PICTURE (rather than a new and enlarged History of Woman), as a result of facts and experiences, drawn from the best possible sources, which may be relied upon, as a foundation to the volume. It is more than probable that, by its well-meant endeavours, and through its unambitious instrumentality, Man may see that "Woman" is susceptible of all the qualities which religion, policy, or government would give her.

I have carefully examined the various sorts of merit which have distinguished the most celebrated of the sex in different periods of history, and on that account have given, almost invariably, the praises which have been bestowed upon them.

B

THE WHISPER OF LOVE.

It was but a whisper,

As soft as the swell,

Of the murmurs that even

Oft wakes in the dell ;

As low as the plaints

Of a young maiden's grief,

The song of a river,

The fall of a leaf;

Or the feet of the fairies

That dance as they pass,

Without brushing the dew from
The beautiful grass.

It was but a whisper,
She heard it full well;
It hath made her eye sparkle,
Her white bosom swell :
Like the dolphin that dies
In the sun's golden light;
Her cheek changes colour,
Now crimson, now white;
Now flutters her heart,

Like the gondolier's sail,
Her hand like the lily

That shakes in the gale!

It was but a whisper
As soft as a sigh,

But such word was not born
With such whisper to die :
It will long be her Eden
In memory's isle,

The light of her brow and
The life of her smile.

To the ark of her hopes

It hath come like a dove, And her heart is the home of The Whisper of Love.

***

PREFACE.

THAT learned and excellent scholar, Dr. Adam Smith, it is well known, contended that every individual is a burthen upon the society to which he belongs, who does not contribute his proportion of productive labour for the good of the whole community. The Doctor, when he propounded this principle, spoke, as I believe, in general terms of man, as a being capable of forming a social compact for mutual defence, and the ultimate, if not immediate advantage of the public at large. He did not absolutely assert, that both sexes, in order to render themselves good and useful members of society, were equally required to conform to these terms; but since the sex is included in the idea of the species, and as woman" possesses the same qualities as man, however different in degree, her sex cannot release her from the claim of the community for her due and proper share of practical utility. That the greater part of the sex, more particu

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larly those among the loftier grades, neglect to fulfil this self-evident obligation, is a fact that cannot be denied— and renders the propriety and expediency of an inquiry into their deficiency, necessary.

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The continuous indulgence and general character of the pursuits in which those who are distinguished" often pass their lives, may be attributed either to the absence of a substantial education, or to that most obtrusive and ephemeral trifler-CUSTOM, rather than to any real defect in their intellectual powers. The contest for equality in the mental strength of the sexes has been maintained, hitherto, on either side, with no small share of ingenuity; but as a judgment only can be formed from facts, as they arise in this most important epoch of manifest enlightenment and advanced general female education; if the trial be fairly and honourably made, the rare instances of extraordinary talents, which have been brought forward to support the system of "equality," must yield to the irresistible influence of corporeal powers; which leads to a conclusion, that the intellectual faculties of either sex are wisely suited to their peculiar purposes; and that, putting aside the impolite terms of superiority and inferiority, the perfection of mind in man and woman, consists in a power to establish and support the admirable characteristics of excellence in each. But this concession by no means demonstrates, that even in the nineteenth century, the mental powers of women have been morally and religiously exerted to the greatest stretch of their acknowledged and distinguished capacity, or that they have been sensibly directed towards objects.