ment of our fex, merely because she has better fenfe; for I doubt not but our hearts will tell us, that this is the real and unpardonable offence, whatever may be pretended. Let us be better Chriftians, than to look upon her with an evil eye, only because the giver of all good gifts has entrusted and adorned her with the moft excellent talents. Rather let us freely own the fuperiority of this fublime genius, as I do in the fincerity of my foul, pleased that a woman triumphs, and proud to follow in her train. Let us offer her the palm which is so justly her due; and if we pretend to any lau rels, lay them willingly at her feet. December 18, 1724. M. A. Charm'd into love of what obfcures my If I had wit, I'd celebrate her name, You fee, Madam, how I lay every thing at your feet. As the tautology fhews the poverty of my genius, it likewife fhews the extent of your empire over my imagination. May 31, 1725. ADVERTISEMENT OF THE EDIT O R. T HE editor of thefe Letters, who du ring his refidence at Venice, was honoured with the esteem and friendship of their ingenious and elegant author, presents them to the publick, for the two following reafons. Firft, Because it was the manifeft intention of the late Lady My Wy Me, that this SELECT COLLECTION of her Letters fhould be communicated to the public; an intention declared, not only to the Editor,. but to a few more chofen friends, to whom, The gave copies of these incomparable Let ters. The fecond and principal reafon that has enga ged the Editor to let this collection fee the light, is, that the publication of these Letters will be an immortal monument to the memory of Lady My W y; and will fhew, as ADVERTISEMENT. as long as the English language endures, the fprightliness of her wit, the folidity of her judgment, the extent of her knowledge, the elegance of her tafte, and the excellence of her real character. The SELECT COLLECTION, here published, was faithfully transcribed from the original ma nuscript of her ladyship at Venice.. The Letters from Ratisbon, Vienna, Drefden, Peter waradin, Belgrade, Adrianople, Confantinople, Pera, Tunis, Genoa, Lyons and Paris, are, certainly, the most curious and interesting part of this publication, and both in point of matter and form, are, to say no more of them, fingularly worthy of the curiosity and attention of all men of taste, and even of all women of fafbion. As to those female readers, who read for improvement, and think their beauty an infipid thing, if it is not feafoned by intellectual: charms, they will find in these Letters what they seek for, and will behold in their author, an ornament and model to their sex. LET LETTER I. I' Rotterdam, Aug. 3. O. S. 17 16. FLATTER myfelf (dear fifter) that I fhall give you some pleasure in letting you know that I have fafely paffed the sea, though we had the ill fortune of a storm. We were perfuaded by the captain of the yacht to fet out in a calm, and he pretended there was nothing so easy as to tide it over; but, after two days flowly moving, the wind blew fo hard, that none of the failors could keep their feet, and we were all Sunday night toffed very handsomely. I never faw a man more frighted than the captain. For my part, I have been so lucky, neither to suffer from fear nor fea-fickness; tho', I confefs, I was fo impatient to see myself once more upon dry land, that I would not stay till the yacht could get to Rotterdam, but went in the longboat to Helvoetfluys, where we had voitures to carry us to the Briel. I was charmed with the neatness of that little town; but my arrival at Rot B Rotterdam, prefented me a new scene of pleafure. All the streets are paved with broad stones, and before many of the meanest artificers doors are placed feats of various coloured marble, fo neatly kept, that, I'll affure you, I walked almost all over the town yesterday, incognito, in my flippers, without receiving one fpot of dirt; and you may see the Dutch maids washing the pavement of the street, with more application than ours do our bed-chambers. The town feems fo full of people, with fuch bufy faces, all in motion, that I can hardly fancy it is not fome celebrated fair; but I fee it is every day the fame. 'Tis certain no town can be more advantageously fituated for commerce. Here are feven large canals, on which the merchant fhips come up to the very doors of their houses. The shops and warehouses are of a furprizing neatness and magnificence, filled with an incredible quantity of fine merchandize, and fo much cheaper than what we fee in England, that I have much ado to perfuade myself I am ftill fo near it. Here is neither dirt nor beggary to be féen. One is not fhocked with thofe loathfome cripples, fo common in London, nor teized with the importunity of idle fellows and wenches, that chuse to be nasty and lazy. The common servants and little shop-women, here, are more nicely clean, than most of our ladies, and the great variety of neat dreffes (every woman dreffing her head after her own fashion) |