The New Hampshire Gazette

To the Publisher of the New Hampshire Gazette.

SIR,

I appear at the special Instance and Request of a Number of my Sex, to wipe off the injurious Reflections cast on us by some designing Men in your late Papers; and while I make a short Reply to their flashy and imaginary Wit, I beg your Patronage, and desire your Correction of any Imperfections.-And give me Leave further to assure you that neither my Constituents, nor myself imagine, that you really countenance so much Scurrility, but we view you in the same Light as a Weapon wielded by the Hands of either Party. I think it derogatory to offer you any further Recommendation to insert this Reply,as it is for the Honour and Reputation of our Sex. against some abusive insulting Men : You may hereafter want some Favour of the Ladies, that may amply suffice for the present Trouble; but if you still expect it, you may rely upon a generous Subscription from us, upon the least Hint. I am in their Behalf, Sir, your humble Servant

AMINTA.

The surest Way to defeat a Man in his Purposes, is to make him Angry, which cannot better be done, than by ridiculing his Performance, and exposing his Folly. The Author of a Piece in your last, wrote for the direction of a Number of pious, or rather impious Youth,deserves the Lash, or to use his own Words, to be toss'd in a Blanket, as much for his real Intention, as for the many Inconsistencies in his pretended Quotation, which are so Obvious, that its impertinence of Time to point them out ; and tho' I will not pretend to correct his Errors (who perhaps thinks himself too wise to receive Instruction from a Woman) I hope some abler Pen will make him ashamed of his rude unpolish'd, and in many Places unintelligible Extract. As there is really no Merit in it, therefore it deserves to be despis'd ; for if the Author by a Blast of his stinking Breath, could undermine the Basis of a divine Institute, every other virtuous Act would meet the same Fate, and all Things be reduced to their original Chaos, every one doing what seemeth meet in his own Eyes.

I flatter myself I could Answer the whole Extract, and if I had been one of the other Sex, would certainly have attempted it if the Author had not already exhausted the English Language of its Indecency. However, I can't help taking Notice of the first Beginning,from the Word Love, to the Word Species, is nothing but jingling Sentences, without any Intelligence or Meaning. Also in another Place he says, Placing like stupid Idols a Divinity in a silly Creature, Test by the Institutes of Nature in a far inferior Class of Perfection. to that which makes it his Business to worship and adore : Consummate Nonsense ! In another Place, nor are her Daughters suffer of Foot, being unable to bear so much of our Reputation. as Religion and Custom hath injoin'd upon them: I confess I cannot confute the Positions here laid down, neither are they worthy to be regarded, but for the Illiteracy of them ; out of an Excess of good Manners this obliging Author hath bestowed on us the civil Epithet of silly Creatures ; were the Men as much neglected. and as little Care taken to cultivate and improve them, they would be so far from exceeding those they now despise, that they would sink into the greatest Stupidity, Ignorance and Brutality. The poor and preposterous Returns that most of them make to all the Care and Pains that is bestowed upon them, renders this no improbable Conjecture ; notwithstanding these Men with more Wit than Judgment, and perhaps more Malice than either, are thus pleased to burlesque us (tho' in Fact we esteem their Praise but Infamy) yet I would not have the Ladies be so far wanting to themselves, as to be uneasy ; neither God nor Nature have excluded them from being Ornaments to their Families, and useful to their Generation ; there is therefore no Reason they should be content to be Cyphers in the World.