The man, let me tell thee, who is as wicked as he can be, is a worse man than I am.  Let me ask any rake in England, if, resolving to carry his point, he would have been so long about it? or have had so much compunction as I have had?

Were every rake, nay, were every man, to sit down, as I do, and write all that enters into his head, or into his heart, and to accuse himself with equal freedom and truth, what an army of miscreants should I have to keep me in countenance!

It is a maxim with some, that if they are left alone with a woman, and make not an attempt upon her, she will think herself affronted—­Are not such men as these worse than I am?  What an opinion must they have of the whole sex!

Let me defend the sex I so dearly love.  If these elder brethren of ours think they have general reason for their assertion, they must have kept very bad company, or must judge of women’s hearts by their own.  She must be an abandoned woman, who will not shrink as a snail into its shell at a gross and sudden attempt.  A modest woman must be naturally cold, reserved, and shy.  She cannot be so much and so soon affected as libertines are apt to imagine.  She must, at least, have some confidence in the honour and silence of a man, before desire can possibly put forth in her, to encourage and meet his flame.  For my own part, I have been always decent in the company of women, till I was sure of them.  Nor have I ever offered a great offence, till I have found little ones passed over; and that they shunned me not, when they knew my character.

My divine Clarissa has puzzled me, and beat me out of my play:  at one time, I hope to overcome by intimidating her; at another, by love; by the amorous see-saw, as I have called it.* And I have only now to join surprise to the other two, and see what can be done by all three.

* See Vol.  III.  Letter XVI.

And whose property, I pray thee, shall I invade, if I pursue my schemes of love and vengeance?  Have not those who have a right to her renounced that right?  Have they not wilfully exposed her to dangers?  Yet must know, that such a woman would be considered as lawful prize by as many as could have the opportunity to attempt her?—­And had they not thus cruelly exposed her, is she not a single woman?  And need I tell thee, Jack, that men of our cast, the best of them [the worst stick at nothing] think it a great grace and favour done to the married men, if they leave them their wives to themselves; and compound for their sisters, daughters, wards and nieces?  Shocking as these principles must be to a reflecting mind, yet such thou knowest are the principles of thousands (who would not act so generously as I have acted by almost all of the sex, over whom I have obtained a power); and as often carried into practice, as their opportunities or courage will permit.—­Such therefore have no right to blame me.