Honours from his Prince; but Virtue is the only true Nobility. The other is nothing but borrow'd Grandeur, and appearing gallant in the King's Livery: which is none of his own, and may be taken from him upon Occafion, like the fine Feathers of the Fowl in the Fable. But he can never be depriv'd of his Virtue, unless with his Life. 'Tis that makes him truly noble and honourable, without the Help of Heraldry. That procures him the moft lafting Veneration, living; and eternizes his Memory, when dead, without any fulfome Apotheofis, or pompous Epitaph. Virtue never dies. Socrates will ftill remain immortal in this Senfe. Happy Socrates! Happy Zeno! Happy Philofophers! with your unalterable Virtues of Integrity, Patience and Resignation in the worst of Times; under the most afflicting Circumftances of Life and Death, never difmay'd, never difcompos'd: in Croffes, chearful; in Troubles, victorious; in Loffes, triumphant! Juft fo appears the wife King's Courage, Conftancy and Confolation established by Philofophy; never unmann'd under the worst of Fortunes, infuperably glorious in his Conduct. His Adverfity is only an Addition to his Virtue. His Difappointments do but exercife his Prudence, and crofs Adventures augment his Fortitude. Felicity, as an ingenious Author fays, does not lie in the Veins of the Earth, where we dig for Gold; nor in the Bottom of the Sea, where we fifh for Pearl; but in a pure and virtuous Mind. The Heart of a virtuous Perfon is a Paradife, into which the Serpent never enters; but receives a fudden Repulfe. In Navigation, we ought to be guided by the Pilot; in the Course of Life, by the Virtuous. Otherwife, we fhall L be be fo far from being able to refift the Force of ill Examples, which break-in upon us in vaft Numbers, with a Kind of Authority and Credit; that we fhall be apt to herd with the Multitude, or run over to the stronger Side for moft Men either live by Imitation, or are catch'd by mimicking, mocking or doing of Mifchief. Vicious Companions will always be aping one another; and playing of Tricks with their Betters, like Monkeys, coft what it will in the Event. AS to the virtuous Woman in the Text, Happy is the Man that finds her! Happy is the King that marries her! But the Question is, Who can find her? Who can be fo happy? It seems by this facred Quare, that it will be a very hard Matter to fearch out fuch a Paragon of invincible Virtue, as well as almost invinfible Beauty, or to meet with fuch a confummate Model of Perfection. There's no Doubt but virtuous Women are very scarce in this degenerate Age, of growing worse and worse every Day; when fo many of both Sexes are agreed, and both alike guilty, or equally prone to Vice. But the Rarity of the Jewel makes it the more valuable ftill, when it is once obtain'd. And without any Question, there are not a few fuch unblemish'd Ladies to be found in the World. However, he must almoft be as wife as Solomon, that can diftinguish the Virtuous from the Vicious, among the fairest Hypocrites, in the Search. It will be a difficult Thing to difcover her now-adays, either by Afpect, Converfe or Character, at this Time of Diffimulation and Counterfeit. It would require almoft an Age of Experience, to confirm a Man in the Belief of her her Recommendation under that Mask. There is no knowing of Thought or Inclination; but by Over-Acts of Virtue, manifeft Proofs of Chastity, and conftant Practices of a modeft Continency. How many rash People have marry'd in Hafte, and repented at Leifure? Some have mistaken their Market by it, as well as their Choice. However, a Woman indu'd with impregnable Virtue, captivates all Mankind with her Charms; not excepting the greatest Kings, Princes, Noblemen or Conquerors, and generally makes them either a Sort of Idola ters, Votaries or Admirers of her Glory. They do not only admire, but are often ready to adore her excellent Qualities, and fuperlative Endowments of Mind. She always boldly vanquifhes, and difarms the most vicious Hero of the Sword, by the powerful Efforts of her Goodness and Innocence. No Stratagems, how attful or defperate foever, can prevail against her virtuous Fortifications, nor diveft her of her infuperable Honour. Her Virtue and her Life go together, and Death it felf cannot terrify her into any dishonourable Capitulation, Compliance, or Surrender. She will yield to nothing; no inveigling Intrigues, or alluring Promifes, but lawful Matrimony or folemn Wedlock: and it is his unfpeakable Happiness, who ever marries fo rich a Fortune, fo rare a Jewel, fo great a Glory. She muft needs be deem'd worth her Weight in Gold, every Day told over, to confummate the immenfe Treafure of her indearing Spouse. She is far above any imaginary Value. Her real Price excels all the Rubies and Wealth of the World. Her Virtue must be wonderfully magnetick alfo in the highest Degree; much above the Loadstone for the Attraction of Love: fo that to com pare this living One to that dead Lump of Earth, would only leffen her Character, fully her Beauty, and turn the Hyperbole the wrong Way, to a Diminution of her Glory. But however, what happy Man foever fteers his Course of Life by this fteady and unerring Compass, always fafely pointing to the fortunate Islands or the richest Indies, will never be in any Danger of Shipwrack by Sea, nor of Ruine by Land. In fine, this is the Lady, that inriches the very Clothes and the Jewels fhe wears; and brightens all the Hemisphere about her, like the dazling Sun in its full Meridian. Her internal Beauties fhine through, her Apparel, be it never fo plain, fine or furbelo'd; and illuftrate the external Ornaments or Decencies of her modest Dress to Admiration. In a Word, this rare, virtuous and uncommon Woman, whether Queen, Princefs or Peafant, ought to be the Darling of all People, and the Delight of Mankind, as well as the Joy of their inamour'd Hearts, and the Love of their ra vish'd Souls for her excellent Example, in fetting fuch a noble Pattern of Piety to her oblig'd Sex. So precious a Lady, that fhe almoft filences her prefent Panegyrift; and requires a fublimer Pen! LO then a faint Defcription only of her illuftrious Excellencies, both Religious and Moral! She is not only a perfect Moralift, but alfo a good Chriftian in all Refpects. She baffles and abandons all brutal Lufts, carnal Appetites, and irregular Paffions, upon their first Rifing or Approach. She quashes the very Thought of Bafenefs; fmothers it in the Temp tation, and ftands in Awe of nothing but her felf felf and the all-knowing Searcher of her Heart. She knows no Extreams, and commits no Extravagancies in Word or Deed. She has not her Religion to choose, like fome other thoughtless Ladies. The Bible, the Prayer book, the Whole Duty of Man, and the Lady's Calling, are her daily Companions. Her Faith is great; her Hope is well-grounded; and her Charity univerfal: So that I can neither intirely confine her to the Church of England, nor abfolutely exclude her from it. Her conftant Practice of Piety towards God, is devoutly perform'd without any foppifh Superftitions on the one Hand, or flovenly Indecencies on the other. She is no Schifmatick, Enthufiaft, nor Fanatick in her Heart. She can never be faid to be a Singularift or a Diffenter, but in Refpect of Vice. She loves her Saviour's Coat fhould be feamlefs, and not made-up of patch'd Work. She's as great an Enemy to the Parting, as to the cafting Lots for his facred Garment. She hates all Divifions and Differences in Religion, only for the fake of Superiority or local Intereft; Profit or Honour; Revenue, Dignity, or the Spirit of Contradiction. She puts all Atheism, Herefy, or Schifm, to the Blush, as well as Impiety out of Countenance, by the Orthodoxy of her Principles. She defies the Libertine, the Arian, the Socinian, the Deift and the Devil, in any Difpute or Design of Delufion. She abominates, as well as defpifes, the fly fallacious Arguments, and fubtle Quirks of Our Proteftant Diffenters in all Controverfies of good Faith or Doctrine, calculated only for fome canting Deception. She diffents from nothing but Viciousness and vile Designs. In fhort, The winds up all controverfial Divinity into pra L 3 |