There Is Always A But In This

Well, But You Affirm That Virtue Is Only Elicited By Temptation; - And You Think That A Woman Cannot Be Too Little Exposed To Temptation, Or Too Little Acquainted With Vice, Or Anything Connected Therewith - It Must Be, Either, That You Think She Is Essentially So Vicious, Or So Feeble-minded That She Cannot Withstand Temptation, - And Though She May Be Pure And Innocent As Long As She Is Kept In Ignorance And Restraint, Yet, Being Destitute Of Real Virtue, To Teach Her How To Sin Is At Once To Make Her A Sinner.

Because I Imagine There Must Be Only A Very, Very Few Men In The World, That I Should Like To Marry; And Of Those Few, It Is Ten To One I May Never Be Acquainted With One; Or If I Should, It Is Twenty To One He May Not Happen To Be Single, Or To Take A Fancy To Me.

I Will Give My Whole Heart And Soul To My Maker If I Can,' I Answered, 'and Not One Atom More Of It To You Than He Allows. What Are You, Sir, That You Should Set Yourself Up As A God, And Presume To Dispute Possession Of My Heart With Him To Whom I Owe All I Have And All I Am, Every Blessing I Ever Did Or Ever Can Enjoy - And Yourself Among The Rest - If You Are A Blessing, Which I Am Half Inclined To Doubt.

I May Be Permitted, Like The Doctors, To Cure A Greater Evil By A Less, For I Shall Not Fall Seriously In Love With The Young Widow, I Think, Nor She With Me - That's Certain - But If I Find A Little Pleasure In Her Society I May Surely Be Allowed To Seek It; And If The Star Of Her Divinity Be Bright Enough To Dim The Lustre Of Eliza's, So Much The Better, But I Scarcely Can Think It

My Cup Of Sweets Is Not Unmingled: It Is Dashed With A Bitterness That I Cannot Hide From Myself, Disguise It As I Will.