thing
but nonsense and impertinence; particularly among her own sex, whose
loose conduct she had long been entirely ashamed of.

The beauteous spirit, perceiving her question gave offense, pursued it
no farther. She had indeed all the sweetness and good-humor which are
so extremely amiable (when found) in that sex which tenderness most
exquisitely becomes. Her countenance displayed all the cheerfulness, the
good-nature, and the modesty, which diffuse such brightness round the
beauty of Seraphina, [5] awing every beholder with respect, and, at the
same time, ravishing him with admiration. Had it not been indeed for
our conversation on the small-pox, I should have imagined we had been
honored with her identical presence. This opinion might have been
heightened by the good sense she uttered whenever she spoke, by the
delicacy of her sentiments, and the complacence of her behavior,
together with a certain dignity which attended every look, word, and
gesture; qualities which could not fail making an impression on a heart
[6] so capable of receiving it as mine, nor was she long in raising in
me a very violent degree of seraphic love. I do not intend by this, that
sort of love which men are very properly said to make to women in the
lower world, and which seldom lasts any longer than while it is
making. I mean by seraphic love an extreme delicacy and tenderness of
friendship, of which, my worthy reader, if thou hast no conception, as
it is probable thou mayest not, my endeavor to instruct thee would be as
fruitless as it would be to explain the most difficult problems of Sir
Isaac Newton to one ignorant of vulgar arithmetic.

To return therefore to matters comprehensible by all understandings:
the discourse now turned on the vanity, folly, and misery of the lower
world, from which every passenger in the coach expressed the highest
satisfaction in being delivered; though it was very remarkable that,
notwithstanding the joy we declared at our death, there was not one of
us who did not mention the accident which occasioned it as a thing we
would have avoided if we could. Nay, the very grave lady herself, who
was the forwardest in testifying her delight, confessed inadvertently
that she left a physician by her bedside; and the gentleman who died
of honor very liberally cursed both his folly and his fencing. While
we were entertaining ourselves with these matters, on a sudden a most
offensive smell began to invade our nostrils. Th