fathers, but the mothers, that effectually form the heart.'

Napoleon seems to have formed what may be called a professional



estimate of women. When the demonstrative Madame de Stael

asked him--evidently expecting him to pay her a compliment--`Whom



do you think the greatest woman dead or alive?' Napoleon

replied, `Her, Madame, _WHO HAS BORNE MOST SONS_.' Nettled by



this sarcastic reply, she returned to the charge, observing, `It

is said you are not friendly to the sex.' Napoleon was her match



again; `Madame,' he exclaimed, `I am passionately" target="_blank" title="ad.多情地；热烈地">passionately fond of my

wife;' and off he walked. Assuredly it would not mend matters in



this world (or the next) if all men were Napoleons and all women

de Staels.



If we consider the question in other points of view, have

there been, proportionally, fewer celebrated women than



illustrious men? fewer great queens than truly great kings?

Compare, on all sides, the means and the circumstances; count the



reigns, and decide.

The fact is that this question has been argued only by tyrannical



or very silly men, who found it difficult to get rid of the

absurd prejudices which retain the finest half of human nature in



slavery, and condemn it to obscurity under the pretext that it is

essentially corrupted. Towards the end of the 15th century a



certain demented writer attempted to prove that women do not even

deserve the title of reasonable creatures, which in the original



sounds oddly enough, namely, _probare nititur mulieres non

homines esse_. Another, a very learned Jesuit, endeavoured to



demonstrate that women have no souls! Some say that women

surpass us in wickedness; others, that they are both worse and



better than men.

That morbid wretch, Alexander Pope, said, `Every woman is at



heart a rake;' and a recent writer in the _Times_ puts more venom

in the dictum by saying, `Every woman is (or likes) at heart a



rake.' Both these opinions may be set down as mere

claptrap, witty, but vile.



But a truce to such insults against those who beautify the earth;

_THEIR_ vices cannot excuse ours. It is we who have depraved



them by associating them with excesses which are repugnant to

their delicacy. The contagion, however, has not affected all of



them. Among our `plebeians,' and even among nobility, many women

remind us of the modesty and courage of those ancient republican



matrons, who, so to speak, founded, the manners and morals of

their country; and among all classes of the community there are



thousands who inspire their husbands with generous impulses in

the battle of life, either by cheering words of comfort, or by



that mute eloquence of duties well fulfilled, which nothing can

resist if we are worthy of the name of men. How many a gambler



has been reformed by the tender appeals of a good and devoted

wife. `Venerable women!' one of them exclaims, `in whatever rank



Heaven has placed you, receive my homage.' The gentleness of

your souls smooths down the roughness of ours and checks its



violence. Without your virtues what would we be? Without

YOU, my dear wife, what would have become of me? You



beheld the beginning and the end of the gaming fury in me, which

I now detest; and it is not to me, but to you alone, that the



victory must be ascribed.'[95]

[95] Dusaulx, _De la Passion du Jeu_.



A very pretty anecdote is told of such a wife and a gaming

husband.



In order to simplify the signs of loss and gain, so as not to be

overburdened with the weight of gold and silver, the French



players used to carry the representation of their fortunes in

small boxes, more or less elegant. A lady (who else could have



thought of such a device?), trembling for the fate of her

husband, made him a present of one of these dread boxes. This



little master-piece of conjugal and maternal affection

represented a wife in the attitude of supplication, and weeping



children, seeming to say to their father--_THINK OF US!_ . . . .

It is, therefore, only with the view of avenging good and



honourable women, that I now proceed to speak of those who have

disgraced their sex.



I have already described a remarkable gamestress--the Persian

Queen Parysatis.[96]



[96] Chapter III.

• pistol [´pistl] n.手枪 vt.用手枪射击 (初中英语单词)


• mississippi [,misi´sipi] n.密西西比(河) (初中英语单词)


• formerly [´fɔ:məli] ad.从前，以前 (初中英语单词)


• well-known [,wel´nəun] a.著名的，众所周知的 (初中英语单词)


• dispute [di´spju:t] v.&n.争论，辩论；争吵 (初中英语单词)


• thereupon [,ðeərə´pɔn] ad.因此；于是 (初中英语单词)


• extent [ik´stent] n.长度；程度；范围 (初中英语单词)


• meanwhile [´mi:n´wail] n.&ad.其间；同时 (初中英语单词)


• mexican [´meksikən] n.&a.墨西哥人(语)的 (初中英语单词)


• partner [´pɑ:tnə] n.伙伴 v.同….合作 (初中英语单词)


• immense [i´mens] a.广大的，无限的 (初中英语单词)


• amount [ə´maunt] n.总数；数量 v.合计 (初中英语单词)


• payment [´peimənt] n.支付；报酬；报偿 (初中英语单词)


• beggar [´begə] n.乞丐 (初中英语单词)


• additional [ə´diʃənəl] a.附加的，额外的 (初中英语单词)


• maintain [mein´tein] vt.维持；保持；继续 (初中英语单词)


• engagement [in´geidʒmənt] n.婚约；雇用；受聘 (初中英语单词)


• instantly [´instəntli] ad.立即，立刻 (初中英语单词)


• delightful [di´laitful] a.讨人喜欢的 (初中英语单词)


• evidently [´evidəntli] ad.明显地 (初中英语单词)


• charge [tʃɑ:dʒ] v.收费；冲锋 n.费用 (初中英语单词)


• celebrated [´selibreitid] a.著名的 (初中英语单词)


• retain [ri´tein] vt.保持；保留；留住 (初中英语单词)


• condemn [kən´dem] vt.谴责；定罪，判处 (初中英语单词)


• writer [´raitə] n.作者；作家 (初中英语单词)


• reasonable [´rizənəbəl] a.合理的；有理智的 (初中英语单词)


• inspire [in´spaiə] v.鼓舞；使感悟；吸入 (初中英语单词)


• generous [´dʒenərəs] a.慷慨的；丰盛的 (初中英语单词)


• worthy [´wə:ði] a.有价值的；值得的 (初中英语单词)


• whatever [wɔt´evə] pron.&a.无论什么 (初中英语单词)


• beginning [bi´giniŋ] n.开始，开端；起源 (初中英语单词)


• passion [´pæʃən] n.激情；激怒；恋爱 (初中英语单词)


• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)


• remarkable [ri´mɑ:kəbl] a.值得注意的；显著的 (初中英语单词)


• opponent [ə´pəunənt] a.对立的 n.对手 (高中英语单词)


• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)


• invariably [in´veəriəbli] ad.不变地；永恒地 (高中英语单词)


• whilst [wailst] conj.当…时候；虽然 (高中英语单词)


• affectionate [ə´fekʃənit] a.亲爱的 (高中英语单词)


• inferior [in´fiəriə] n.下级的 n.下级；晚辈 (高中英语单词)


• napoleon [nə´pəuljən] n.拿破仑 (高中英语单词)


• namely [´neimli] ad.即，也就是 (高中英语单词)


• learned [´lə:nid] a.有学问的，博学的 (高中英语单词)


• delicacy [´delikəsi] n.精美；娇弱，微妙 (高中英语单词)


• nobility [nəu´biliti, nə-] n.高贵；贵金属性 (高中英语单词)


• community [kə´mju:niti] n.团体；社区；公众 (高中英语单词)


• representation [,reprizen´teiʃən] n.描写；表现(法) (高中英语单词)


• elegant [´eligənt] a.文雅的；优美的 (高中英语单词)


• adversary [´ædvəsəri] n.敌手，对手 (英语四级单词)


• muzzle [´mʌzəl] n.枪口，炮口 (英语四级单词)


• breeches [´britʃiz] n.裤子；马裤 (英语四级单词)


• touching [´tʌtʃiŋ] a.动人的 prep.提到 (英语四级单词)


• planter [´plɑ:ntə] n.种植者；殖民者；花盆 (英语四级单词)


• unlucky [ʌn´lʌki] a.倒霉的，不幸的 (英语四级单词)


• console [kən´səul] vt.安慰；慰问 (英语四级单词)


• calamity [kə´læmiti] n.灾害，大灾难 (英语四级单词)


• resolved [ri´zɔlvd] a.决心的；坚定的 (英语四级单词)


• delighted [di´laitid] a.高兴的；喜欢的 (英语四级单词)


• energetic [,enə´dʒetik] a.精力旺盛的；有力的 (英语四级单词)


• whereupon [,weərə´pɔn] ad.在什么上面；因此 (英语四级单词)


• passionately [´pæʃənitli] ad.多情地；热烈地 (英语四级单词)


• assuredly [ə´ʃuəridli] ad.确实地；确信地 (英语四级单词)


• obscurity [əb´skjuəriti] n.暗(淡)；朦胧；含糊 (英语四级单词)


• wretch [retʃ] n.不幸的人；卑鄙的人 (英语四级单词)


• modesty [´mɔdisti] n.谨慎；端庄；羞怯 (英语四级单词)


• eloquence [´eləkwəns] n.雄辩；口才 (英语四级单词)


• gentleness [´dʒentlnis] n.温和，温柔 (英语四级单词)


• detest [di´test] vt.痛恨，憎恶 (英语四级单词)


• anecdote [´ænikdəut] n.轶事；趣闻 (英语四级单词)


• maternal [mə´tə:nl] a.母亲的；母性(系)的 (英语四级单词)


• seeming [´si:miŋ] a.表面上的 n.外观 (英语四级单词)


• iniquity [i´nikwiti] n.不公正；邪恶 (英语六级单词)


• veritable [´veritəbəl] a.真正的；确实的 (英语六级单词)


• effectually [i´fektjuəli] ad.有效地 (英语六级单词)


• beautify [´bju:tifai] v.美化，变美 (英语六级单词)


• affected [ə´fektid] a.做作的；假装的 (英语六级单词)


• simplify [´simplifai] vt.简单化；精简 (英语六级单词)