No Man of common Sense will value a Woman the less for not giving up herself
at the first Attack, or for not accepting his Proposal without enquiring into
his Person or Character; on the contrary, he must think her the weakest of all
Creatures, as the Rate of Men now goes: In short, he must have a very
contemptible Opinion of her Capacities, that having but one Cast for her Life,
shall cast that Life away at once, and make Matrimony like Death, be a Leap in
the Dark.
    I would fain have the Conduct of my Sex a little regulated in this
Particular, which is the same thing in which of all the Parts of Life, I think
at this time we suffer most in: 'Tis nothing but lack of Courage, the fear of
not being married at all, and of that frightful State of Life, call'd an old
Maid. This, I say, is the Woman's Snare; but would the Ladies once but get above
that Fear, and manage rightly, they would more certainly avoid it by standing
their Ground, in a Case so absolutely necessary to their Felicity, than by
exposing themselves as they do; and if they did not marry so soon, they would
make themselves amends by marrying safer; she is always married too soon, who
gets a bad Husband, and she is never married too late, who gets a good one: In a
Word, there is no Woman, Deformity, or lost Reputation excepted, but if she
manages well, may be married safely one time or other; but if she precipitates
herself, it is ten Thousand to one but she is undone.
    But I come now to my own Case, in which there was at this time no little
Nicety. The Circumstances I was in, made the Offer of a good Husband, the most
necessary thing in the World to me; but I found soon that to be made Cheap and
Easy, was not the way: It soon began to be found that the Widow had no Fortune,
and to say this, was to say all that was Ill of me: Being well Bred, Handsome,
Witty, Modest, and Agreeable; all which I had allow'd to my Character, whether
justly, or no, is not to the Purpose: I say, all these would not do without the
Dross. In short, the Widow they said had no Money!
    I resolv'd therefore that it was necessary to change my Station, and make a
new Appearance in some other Place, and even to pass by another