 me. The utmost indeed that I should
venture would be to question the Utility of Learning in a young Lady's
Education.«
    »I own,« said Mrs. Atkinson, »as the World is constituted, it cannot be as
serviceable to her Fortune, as it will be to that of a Man; but you will allow,
Doctor, that Learning may afford a Woman at least a reasonable and an innocent
Entertainment.«
    »But I will suppose,« cried the Doctor, »it may have its Inconveniencies. As
for Instance, if a learned Lady should meet with an unlearned Husband, might she
not be apt to despise him?«
    »I think not,« cries Mrs. Atkinson - »and if I may be allowed the Instance -
I think I have shewn myself that Women who have Learning themselves, can be
contented without that Qualification in a Man.«
    »To be sure,« cries the Doctor, »there may be other Qualifications which may
have their Weight in the Balance. But let us take the other Side of the
Question, and suppose the Learned of both Sexes to meet in the Matrimonial
Union, may it not afford one excellent Subject of Disputation, which is the most
learned?«
    »Not at all,« cries Mrs. Atkinson; »for, if they had both Learning and good
Sense, they would soon see on which Side the Superiority lay.«
    »But if the learned Man,« said the Doctor, »should be a little unreasonable
in his Opinion, are you sure that the learned Woman would preserve her Duty to
her Husband, and submit?«
    »But why,« cries Mrs. Atkinson, »must we necessarily suppose that a learned
Man would be unreasonable?«
    »Nay, Madam,« said the Doctor, »I am not your Husband; and you shall not
hinder me from supposing what I please. Surely it is not such a Paradox to
conceive that a Man of Learning should be unreasonable. Are there no
unreasonable Opinions in very learned Authors, even among the Critics
themselves? For Instance, What can be a more strange, and indeed unreasonable
Opinion, than to prefer the Metamorphoses of Ovid to the Æneid of Virgil?«
    »It would be indeed so strange,« cries the Lady, »that you shall not
persuade me it was ever the Opinion of any Man.«
    »Perhaps not,« cries the Doctor; »and I believe you and I should not differ
in our Judgments of any Person who maintained such an Opinion - What a Taste
must he have?
