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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Untitled Article
p * swj * rmMaxifa heut ^ boc to < twe ^ h ^ p ; gaij ^ and ttWt * frtWv 4 tfs naire ; th ^ t * alie wasffike Ohmtabelv ^ besktfiftil ekc ^ ediWlVj ' And the heir of fourteen ttte * wandf a ; y « ar , any thing m&re Wottra ' tfcMa work of supererogation . « t > >¦ . n But , to his astonishment , Florence neither blushed ttot * b ## fcd
before hiih . Her manner , neither shrinking nor assuming ; fcer eyes , neither downcast nor conscious ; her voice , neither timid tHIr tender , were all expressive of the purity which possessed her mind— -a purity the result of a perfect comprehension of the
geperal nature of humanity , and the principles upon which it ought to act . She had no vague ill-defined notions , the blended result of ignorance and its consequent suspiciousness , which induced shyness . Her modesty was , like Heaven ' s ether , too pure to be perceived , pot tha fatuous , often factitious habit , which invites
invasion , or at least often provokes the attempt . This purity Wn * her panoply even with a libertine like Montague . He knew the tactics of the flirt , the coquette , and the prude but he felt at fault when met by the simple , honest , intelligent selfpossession of Florence . She was ingenuous , because she cherfeh&d no thought or feeling which it was necessary to conceal ;
urtfcfobarraised , because she entertained no paltry views of emutotts vanity , no ulterior aims of mercenary or ambitious interest . She was gentle , not timid ; fraught with the spirit of knowledge ; not cumbered with its pedantry or display . Knowledge impregnated her thoughts and their expression ,, as the spices of Araby do its winds , filling- them with more or less of sweetness , which told
where and amid what they had been tarrying . It is not here that I shall seek into the causes which originated a character so singular , nor inquire whether Florence had etfcr loved ; it is enough to the purpose of this story to say that Moritague was not the one capable of touching the springs which opened the deeper sanctuaries of her heart . Yet it is essential
to the consistency of her character to acknowledge , that hdd he awakened her heart he would have known it , while her decision of character would have led her to adopt and induce the * measures which appeared most consistent with their mutual honour and happiness .
Who does not feel the sickening , let me rather say deadertiftjg , influence of conventional opinion and usage on this ' poftkti ? ' All the mast popular scenes of modern dramatists hingfc upon filite tricks and artifices of women , to give an appearance of itwwJvertenoy to the betrayal of passion , or the struggles ahd misety tif concealment . *
Oh > Shakapeare , that thou could st come back aftiorig us , and with , tome few of the bri ght spirits of the present times , make the stag * the high school of morals which it might IW ! Wh <* is offeadcML wifih thy Miranda , when she tells FettfinaWd h&' loVe ^ Or with Julie * , « ' , vfhm fttartalkft # f * iai * ing * to Rdmx > 1 - - ¦
Untitled Article
aMckM ^ oamtM ^ m ^ : tu
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), May 2, 1835, page 315, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2645/page/23/
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