You glory over us on account of your wisdom; but
we do not glory over you on account of ours; and yet ours is eminently
distinguished above yours, because it enters your inclinations and
affections, and sees, perceives, and is sensible of them. You know
nothing at all of the inclinations and affections of your own love; and
yet these are the principles from and according to which your
understanding thinks, consequently from and according to which you are
wise; and yet wives are so well acquainted with those principles in
their husbands, that they see them in their faces, and hear them from
the tone of their voices in conversation, yea, they feel them on their
breasts, arms, and cheeks: but we, from the zeal of our love for your
happiness, and at the same time for our own, pretend not to know them;
and yet we govern them so prudently, that wherever the fancy, good
pleasure, and will of our husbands lead, we follow by permitting and
suffering it; only bending its direction when it is possible, but in no
case forcing it." I asked, "Whence have you this wisdom?" They replied,
"It is implanted in us from creation and consequently from birth.
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