La differece of being woman

Research and Teaching of History

Area: Documents

A Serious Proposal to the Ladies, IIMary Astell.

Catalogue number
A Serious Proposal to the Ladies, Part II, London, 1697.
Editions
Edited with Introduction and Notes by Patricia Springborg, London, Pickering & Chatto, 1997, 179-180.
Register
The author synthesises in this fragment the meaning that the educational proposal led by women has and that is far from the socially established male model.
Transcription

The Men therefore may still enjoy their Prerogatives for us, we mean not to intrench on any of their Lawful Privileges, our only Contention shall be that they may not out-do us in promoting is Glory who is Lord both of them and us; And by all that appears the generality will not oppose us in this matter, we shall not provoke them by striving to be better Christians. They may busy their Heads with Affairs of State, and spend their Time and Strength in recommending themselves to an uncertain Master, or a more giddy Multitude, our only endeavour shall be to be absolute Monarchs in our own Bosoms. They shall still if they please dispute about Religion, let ‘em only give us leave to Understand and Practise it. And whilst they have unrival’d the Glory of speaking as many Languages as Babel afforded, we only desire to express our selves Pertinently Judiciously in One. We will not vie with them in thumbing over Authors, nor pretend to be walking Libraries, provided they‘ll but allow us a competent Knowlege of the Books of GOD, Nature I mean and the holy Scriptures: And whilst they accomplish themselves with the Knowlwgw of the World; and experiment all the Pleasures and Follies of it, we’ll aspire no further than to be intimately acquanited with our own Hearts. And sure the Complaisant and Good natur’d Sex will not deny us this; nor can they who are so well assur’d of their own Merit entertainthe least Suspicion that we shall overtop them. It is upon some other account therefore that they object against our Proposal, but what that is I shall not pretend to guess, since they do not think fit to speak out and declare it.

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Contents
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  1. 1. The love of knowledge: Mary Astell, Julia Cabaleiro Manzanedo.