disagreeable objects.' With many more such
sort of speeches which showed more malice than wit. This not being able
to bear, trembling, and with but just strength enough to move, I crawled
to my coach and hurried home. When I was alone, and thought on what had
happened to me in a public court, I was at first driven to the utmost
despair; but afterwards, when I came to reflect, I believe this accident
contributed more to my being cured of my passion than any other could
have done. I began to think the only method to pique the man who had
used me so barbarously, and to be revenged on my spiteful rivals, was to
recover that beauty which was then languid and had lost its luster, to
let them see I had still charms enough to engage as many lovers as
I could desire, and that I could yet rival them who had thus cruelly
insulted me. These pleasing hopes revived my sinking spirits, and worked
a more effectual cure on me than all the philosophy and advice of the
wisest men could have done. I now employed all my time and care in
adorning my person, and studying the surest means of engaging the
affections of others, while I myself continued quite indifferent; for
I resolved for the future, if ever one soft thought made its way to my
heart, to fly the object of it, and by new lovers to drive the image
from my breast. I consulted my glass every morning, and got such a
command of my countenance that I could suit it to the different tastes
of variety of lovers; and though I was young, for I was not yet
above seventeen, yet my public way of life gave me such continual
opportunities of conversing with men, and the strong desire I now had
of pleasing them led me to make such constant observations on everything
they said or did, that I soon found out the different methods of dealing
with them. I observed that most men generally liked in women what was
most opposite to their own characters; therefore to the grave solid man
of sense I endeavored to appear sprightly and full of spirit; to the
witty and gay, soft and languishing; to the amorous (for they want
no increase of their passions), cold and reserved; to the fearful and
backward, warm and full of fire; and so of all the rest. As to beaux,
and all of those sort of men, whose desires are centered in the
satisfaction of their vanity, I had learned by sad experience the
only way to deal with them was to laugh at them and let their own good
opinion of themselves be the only support of their hop