e Mrs. Philips was in Ireland, she was happy in carrying on her
former intimacy with the famous Jeremy Taylor, the bishop of Down and
Connor, who had some time before done her much honour by writing, and
publishing a Discourse on the Nature, Offices, and Measures of
Friendship, with Rules for conducting it, in a letter addressed to
her. It is probable that this prelate's acquaintance with so
accomplished a lady as Mrs. Philips, might be one reason of his
entertaining so high an opinion of the fair sex in general; it is
certain he was a great admirer of them, by which the good sense, as
well as piety, of that great man is demonstrated; for whoever has
studied life, examined the various motives of human actions, compared
characters, and, in a word, scrutinized the heart, will find that more
real virtue, more genuine and unaffected goodness exist amongst the
female sex, than the other, and were their minds cultivated with equal
care, and did they move in the bustle of life, they would not fall
short of the men in the acute excellences; but the softness of their
natures exempts them from action, and the blushes of beauty are not to
be effaced by the rough storms of adversity: that man is happy who
enjoys in the conjugal state, the endearments of love and innocence,
and if his wife is less acquainted with the world than he, she makes a
large amends, by the artless blandishments of a delicate affection.

We are persuaded our fair readers will not be displeased if we insert
a paragraph from the discourse already mentioned by this worthy
churchman; it appearing to be so sincere a tribute to their merit.
'But by the way, madam, you may see how I differ from the majority of
those cynics, who would not admit your sex into the community of a
noble friendship. I believe some wives have been the best friends in
the world; and few stories can outdo the nobleness and piety of that
lady, that sucked the poisonous purulent matter from the wounds of the
brave Prince in the holy land, when an assassin had pierced him with a
venomed arrow: and if it be told that women cannot retain council, and
therefore can be no brave friends, I can best confute them by the
story of Porcia, who being fearful of the weakness of her sex, stabbed
herself in the thigh to try how she could bear pain; and finding
herself constant enough to that sufferance, gently chid her Brutus for
not trusting her, since now she perceived, that no torment could wrest
that sec