who, hearing love constantly spoken of, and surrounded by its seductions and examples, conceal not their sentiments, and if it may be so expressed, give even, to gallantry a character of innocence; besides, they have no ridicule to dread from that society in which they live.  Some of them are so ignorant that they cannot write; this they publicly avow, and answer a billet by means of their agent (il paglietto) in a formal style on official paper.  But to make amends for this, among those who are well educated, you will find academy professors who give public lessons in a black scarf; and should this excite a smile, you would be answered, ’Is there any harm in knowing Greek?  Is there any harm in earning one’s living by one’s own exertions?  Why should so simple a matter provoke your mirth?’

“But now my lord, allow me to touch upon a more delicate subject; allow me to enquire the cause why our men display so little military ardour.  They expose their lives freely when impelled by love and hatred; and a stab from a stiletto given or received in such a cause, excites neither astonishment nor dread.  They fear not death when natural passions bid them brave its terrors; but often, it must be owned, they prefer life to political interests, which seldom affect them because they possess no national independence.  Often too, that notion of honour which descends to us from the age of chivalry, has little power in a nation where opinion, and society by which opinion is formed, do not exist; it is a natural consequence of this disorganisation of every public authority, that women should attain that ascendancy which they here possess over the men, perhaps in too high a degree to respect and admire them.  Nevertheless, the conduct of men towards women is full of delicacy and attention.  The domestic virtues in England constitute female glory and happiness; but if there are countries where love exists outside the sacred ties of marriage; that one among these countries where female happiness excites the greatest attention and care, is Italy.  Here men have invented moral duties for relations outside the bounds of morality itself; but at least in the division of these duties, they have been both just and generous:  they considered themselves more guilty than women, when they broke the ties of love; because the latter had made the greater sacrifice and lost more.  They conceive that before the tribunal of the heart, he is the most guilty who does the most injury.  Men do wrong for want of feeling; but women through weakness of character.  Society, which is at once rigorous and depraved—­that is to say, without pity for errors when they entail misfortunes,—­must be very severe upon women; but in a country which has no society, natural goodness of heart has freer exercise.