In ancient and modern history, we are frequently presented with accounts
of women, who, preferring death to slavery or prostitution, sacrificed
their lives with the most undaunted courage to avoid them. Apollodorus
tells us, that Hercules having taken the city of Troy, prior to the
famous siege of it celebrated by Homer, carried away captive the
daughters of Laomedon then king. One of these, named Euthira, being left
with several other Trojan captives on board the Grecian fleet, while the
sailors went on shore to take in fresh provisions, had the resolution to
propose, and the power to persuade her companions, to set the ships on
fire, and to perish themselves amid the devouring flames. The women of
Phoenicia met together before an engagement which was to decide the fate
of their city, and having agreed to bury themselves in the flames, if
their husbands and relations were defeated, in the enthusiasm of their
courage and resolution, they crowned her with flowers who first made the
proposal. Many instances occur in the history of the Romans of the Gauls
and Germans, and of other nations in subsequent periods; where women
being driven to despair by their enemies, have bravely defended their
walls, or waded through fields of blood to assist their countrymen, and
free themselves from slavery or from ravishment. Such heroic efforts are
beauties, even in the character of the softer sex, when they proceed
from necessity: when from choice, they are blemishes of the most
unnatural kind, indicating a heart of cruelty, lodged in a form which
has the appearance of gentleness and peace.
It has been alleged by some of the writers on human nature, that to the
fair sex the loss of beauty is more alarming and insupportable than the
loss of life; but even this loss, however opposite to the feelings of
their nature, they have voluntarily consented to sustain, that they
might not be the objects of temptation to the lawless ravisher. The nuns
of a convent in France, fearing they should be violated by a ruffian
army, which had taken by storm the town in which their convent was
situated, at the recommendation of their abbess, mutually agreed to cut
off all their noses, that they might save their chastity by becoming
objects of disgust instead of desire. Were we to descend to particulars,
we could give innumerable instances of women, who from Semiramis down to
the present time, have distinguished themselves by their courage. Such
was Penthesilea, who, if we may credit ancient story, led her army of
viragoes to the assistance of Priam, king of Troy; Thomyris, who
encountered Cyrus, king of Persia; and Thalestris, famous for her
fighting, as well as for her amours with Alexander the Great. Such was
the brave but ill-fated Boadicea, queen of the Britons, who led on that
people to revenge the wrongs done to herself and her country by the
Romans. And in later periods, such were the Maid of Orleans, and
Margaret of Anjou; which last, according to several historians,
commanded at no less than twelve pitched battles. But we do not choose
to multiply instances of this nature, as we have already said enough to
shew, that the sex are not destitute of courage when that virtue becomes
necessary; and were they possessed of it, when unnecessary, it would
divest them of one of the principal qualities for which we love, and for
which we value them. No woman was ever held up as a pattern to her sex,
because she was intrepid and brave; no woman ever conciliated the
affections of the men, by rivalling them in what they reckon the
peculiar excellencies of their own character.