Thetradesmanischeated；——notbyme，forIamcheatedinmyturn；nor(exceptindirectly)byMrNorton，foritishiswifewhomhedefrauds。ItistheLAWthatcheatsthetradesman。Thelaw，——thatshoulddohimjustice!Helosesjustice；
helosesthesumdueasthePage90
actualdebt；andhelosestheexpensesofapplyingforthatdebtunsuccessfully。Isthat，orisitnot，aridiculousconfusionoflaws，toexistinanykingdom?
Iwilltake，now，yourMajesty\'sposition；for，——beitsaidwithallrespectandloyalty，——thiswasnocommon\"privatequarrel，\"ofwhichscarceanechocanreachthethrone:butamatterwhichitwouldbewantinginreverencetobelieve，canhavebeenindifferenttoyou。ThefirstPrimeMinisterofyourMajesty\'sreignisscurrilouslyattackedandslanderedintheEnglishnewspapers，byanEnglishmagistrate。Inalongletterpublishedbythatmagistrate(expressly，asheinformshisreaders，inhis\"publiccapacity\")，heaccusesthedeadminister，whocannotdefendhimself，notonlyoftheseductionofhiswife，butofbribery，malversation，corruption，andbasenessofeverykind。
Themagistratewhomakestheseaccusations，hasbeenstigmatisedbyeachsuccessiveperson，called(evenbyhimself)tointerfereinourquarrel，asentirelyregardlessofTRUTH。TheclergymanofWestminsterChapel，immediatelyPage91
afterourparting，wrotetome，ofMrNorton\'s\"amazingassertions，\"
andhisattempttoobtainaretractionoftheirfalsehood。LordMelbournegavehiswordofhonourthattheaccusationonwhichtheactionfordamageswasbased，wasfalse；andhebelieveditwasbroughtformoney。Mybrother(throughhissolicitor)declaredeverywordofmyhusband\'sadvertisementagainstmeinthepapersin1839tobefalse。LordWynfordin1838declaredthediscrepancytobesogreatbetweenMrNorton\'srealcase，andhispretenceofbeinganoffendedhusband，thatthepublicknowledgeofitmustbeattended\"withlossofcharacter。\"MrNorton\'sowncounsel，SirJohnBayley，published，in1853，thisdeclaration；\"nearlyeverystatementhemademe，turnedouttobeuntrue。\"SirF。Thesigersaidhispromisesseemedmade\"apparentlyfortheopportunityofbreakingthem。\"ALLaccusedhimofuntruth；
atalltimes；downtothatunpardonable(andunpardoned)dayofAugust，1853，whenhemetmeinalawcourtwithafictitiouspleaofslander，andwascontradictedonoathbythewitnesses:tothat24thAugust，whenhisletterofexplanationwasdisprovedbyme，andhisfalseaccountofhisappointmentbyLordMelbournepubliclyPage92
exposed:tothat31stofAugust，whenthesolicitorwhodrewupthecontractdeclaredofhisstatementwithreferencetothatmatter——\"theentireparagraphisuntrue；\"tothatmemorable13thofSeptember，1853，whenSirJohnBayleyfinallycontradicted，pointbypoint，everyinventionandslanderousassertionhehadputforward。Thatsuchaman，——provedtobesorecklesslyfalse，——shouldhaveanypoweratalloverthereputationofthedeadortheliving，arisesoutofthelawwhichpermitsan\"actionfordamages，\"asasortofgamblingspeculation，withoutdefenceorcontradictionbeingpossibletothewife；andthelawwhichallowsthebreachofcontractonapleaof\"non-existence\"ofthewife；foritisonthesetwolinksofopportunitythatMrNortonhasconnectedthelongchainoffalsehoodsagainstLordMelbourneandmyself。
IthinkitisintheDucdeSt。Simon\'sMemoirs，thatapassageoccurs，whichherMajesty，theQueenofHolland，firstpointedouttome；where，speakingofthedeathofonedeartothethrone，theauthorsaysthatthekinglamented，——\"maisunpeualaRoyale，\"——implying(asmanyhistoricalandevenScripturalphrasesimply)，thatthefriendsofkingsandprincesaresoonerforgotten，andlessgrievedfor，thanfriendsPage93
ofequaldegree。Certainlytherecanbenoentirefriendship，wherethereisnorealequality；buttheremaybememoryofserviceandanearnestregard；andIwillnotbelieve(forhewouldnothavebelievedit)thattheabuseofLordMelbournewasindifferenttoyourMajesty。
Leaningonthehandofthatloyalandtruefriendandservant，yourMajestyascendedthethroneofyourancestors；andtheQueenofthreekingdomssaidtoherminister，\"Helpme，\"——assheplacedherfootonthesteps。
SoonafteryourMajesty\'saccession，hereadtoyou(inthatmagnificentandmelodiousvoicewhichmanystillremember)，thoseversesfromtheThirdBookofKings，wheretheyouthfulSolomon，beingaskedbyGodinadream，whatgifthewilldesireatthebeginningofhisinexperiencedreign；asks，not\"longlife，norriches，northelivesofhisenemies，\"——but\"anunderstandingheart；tojudgethepeople，anddiscernbetweengoodandevil。\"LordMelbourneheldthen，apositionwhichhasscarcelyaparallelinEnglishhistory；——theextremeyouthandsexofhisSovereign，minglingwithhisdutiesascounsellorsomethingofthecharacterofaguardian。Thathefulfilledthoseanxiousduties，whilehelived，withdevotedPage94
zeal，andwasworthytofulfilthem，noonehaseverdoubted。
When，afterhisdeath，rumoursandaspersionsrespectingtheinterferenceofPrinceAlbertwithpublicaffairs，foundtheirwayfromconversationalgossipintoprint，andweremadeasubjectofdiscussionbyvariousorgansofthepress，LordAberdeenintheHouseofLords，andLordJohnRussellintheCommons，readaloud，toeagerandattentivemembers，abrieffranknote，writtenbyLordMelbournetoyourMajesty，expressiveofhisfavorableopinionofthediscretion，ability，andexcellenceofthePrinceConsort。Andthisministerwassotrustedforwisdomandforhonesty，washeldtobesuchanauthorityinmattersofthedeepestmomenttoEngland\'swelfare，thatthosefewlineswerereceivedwithaburstofcordialcheering，suchasmanyalongandeloquentorationhasfailedtoproduce。
Hewillread，counsel，instruct，andservenomore。Norisitinhumannaturethathismemoryamongthosewhoknewhimshouldnotfade。ButIwillnotbelievethathehaslamentedsomuch\"alaRoyale，\"——thatheheldsobriefaleaseinhisSovereign\'sregard，——thatevenPage95
whilehisletterwasquoted，hehimselfwasforgotten!
Forhissake，——ifnotforthegreatsakeofjustice，whichallrulersmustreverence，——I
feeladeepconvictionitwasfarotherwisewithyourMajesty；andthatwhenyoufoundoneofthemagistratesofyourCityofLondon(amagistratebyLordMelbourne\'sownappointment)suddenlyfillingtheprincipaljournalsofthatcitywithbase，false，andrancorousabuseofyourMajesty\'sdeadfriendandservant，itwaspainful——notindifferent——totheRoyalmind。
Whatthen?Whythis:
thatthethronewasthenmocked——asjusticewasmocked，——asthedecencyofsocialorderwasmocked，——bythisimpunityofatrociouslibelonaministerwhosecharacterstoodsoadmittedlyhigh，thatevenoneofhisposthumousnoteswasdeemedofsufficientauthoritytodefinetheposition，andtodeclarethecharacter，oftheConsortoftheSovereign!Andthisimpunityofabuse，——bythisminister\'sownnominee，——noteventheQueenofEnglandcouldpreventorpunish，becausethereexistsinherrealmnolegaltribunalwhichcouldhavetakencognisanceofthisquarrelfromthefirst，——andhaveendeditsdisputes，andsilenceditsever-recurringscandal，Page96
seventeenyearsago，byatimelydecisionbetweentheirresponsiblehusbandandthe\"non-existent\"wife。
Astomyownposition，——ifotherswereaswearyofreading，asIamofwriting，thesubjectmustindeedbetedious:butitisnecessarytomysummingup。Iam，asregardsmyhusband，inaworsepositionthanifIhadbeendivorced。Inthatcase，Englishmenaresogenerous，thatsomechivalrous-heartedmanmightperhapshavemarriedandtrustedme，inspiteoftheunjustcloudonmyname。Iamnotdivorced，andIcannotdivorcemyhusband；yetIcanestablishnolegalclaimuponhim，noruponanylivinghumanbeing!Myreputation，myproperty，myhappiness，areirrevocablyinthepowerofthisslandereronfalsegrounds；
thisrapaciousdefenderofhisrighttoevadewrittenbonds。Icannotreleasemyself。IexistandIsuffer；butthelawdeniesmyexistence。
Ihavetwosons。Onealreadylaunchedinlife，employedinyourMajesty\'sserviceamongjuniordiplomates:
andonewhoisnotyetinanyprofession。
Page97
Heisnotinanyprofession，becauseattheverymomentwhenIhadpromisedandarrangedsotodisposeofhim，MrNortonmadeitimpossible，bybreakingthecontractwhichsecuredmyallowance；andtookawaymymeansofdoingso。
MrNortonstandsonthelegalground，thatnotonlymymother\'swill(whichhedesiresmytradesmento\"inspectatDoctors\'Commons\")，andotherresources，wouldreleasehimfromthenecessityofsupportingme，——butthatIamsoablewithmypen，Imightearn#500ayearifIworkedhardenough!WouldtheDukeofBedfordandLordWestminster(two，Ibelieve，ofyourMajesty\'swealthiestsubjects)acceptfromMrNorton，insteadofmoneyduetothem，theassurancethatheconsideredthemquitesufficientlywelloffwithoutit?Andifitweretruethatmyliteraryearningscouldbepermanentandconstant，onwhatconceivableprincipleofjusticeamItotoil，inordertohandovermyallowanceasMrNorton\'swife，tobespentonhismistressordividedamongstseveralmistresses，——insteadofpreventingmyyoungersonfromwastinghistalentsandenergieswithoutacareer；oraffordingfurtherassistancetotheeldest——thewisest，kindest，andbestsonwhoPage98
everstruggledtododifficultdutybetweentheparentsofadividedhome?
IowetothelawwhichenablesMrNortontoevadehiscontract，twolostyearsinmyyoungerson\'slife，——(attheverymomentofyouthwhenemploymentisofmostparamountimportance)；
togetherwiththebreachofallmywrittenengagementsinhisbehalf。Mischievousandabsurd，notonlywithreferencetome，buttothosedearesttome，isthisquibbleof\"non-existence\"bywhichallmynaturalrightsreverttothehusband，——onwhomIhavenoclaim，——andwhoyetdrawsportionsofhisincomefromthedeadmanhepubliclylibelsasmylover，andthedeadfather，whosedaughterheseekspubliclytobrandasawanton!
Thenaturalpositionofwomanisinferioritytoman。Amen!ThatisathingofGod\'sappointing，notofman\'sdevising。Ibelieveitsincerely，asapartofmyreligion:
andIacceptitasamatterprovedtomyreason。Ineverpretendedtothewildandridiculousdoctrineofequality。Iwillevenholdthat(asonecomingunderthegeneralrulethatthewifemustbeinferiortothehusband)，Ioccupythatposition。UxorfulgetradiisMariti；IamMrNorton\'sinferior；Iamthecloudedmoonofthatsun。Page99
Putmethen——(myambitionextendsnofurther)——inthesamepositionasallhisotherinferiors!Inthatofhishousekeeper，whomhecouldnotlibelwithimpunity，andwithoutpossibledefence；ofanapprenticewhomhecouldnotmaltreatlawlessly，eveniftheboy\"condoned\"originalill-usage；
ofascullion，whosewageshecouldnotrefuseonthepleathatsheislegally\"non-existent\"；oftheday-labourer，withwhomhewouldnotarguethathissignaturetoacontractis\"worthless。\"Putmeundersomelawofprotection；anddonotleavemetothemercyofonewhohasnevershewnmemercy。Forwantofsuchalawofprotection，allotherprotectionhasbeenvain!Ihavehadtheupholding(andIsetitfirst，becauseithasbeenofgreatercomfortandvaluetomethananyother)，ofasgenerousandaffectionateafamilyasevercombinedtoshieldoneofitsmembersfromundeserveddisgrace。Sisters，ofspotlessreputation，whostoodbyme\"throughevilreportandgoodreport，\"tenderlyandsteadilyforyears。
Brothersandbrothers-in-law，amongthebestgentlemenofEngland。Relationsandintimatefriendshipsamongthenoblestandpurestofitswomen。
IhavesonswhomIloveandamproudof，Page100
andwho(thankGod!)，loveandareproudofme，inspiteofpastmisery。IhadtheverdictoftwelveEnglishgentlemen，sworntoaverdictoftruth；andthesolemnword，——livinganddying，——ofthefriendwhowasaccusedwithmeofsin。Iwasaidedinmyfirstbattleagainstfortune，bypersonsofgreatrankandinfluence。BynonemorekindlythanbyyourMajesty\'suncle，theKingoftheBelgians:hewholearned，perhaps，tofeelmore，havingsufferedmore，thanothers；andwhorememberedmeinmyearlygirlhood，andinmymother\'shome:hewhoonceheldinEnglandtheplacePrinceAlbertnowfills:whowashusbandandfathertotheheirsoftheEnglishcrown；andwho，intheprimeandprideofhisownyouth，sawthesunsetoneDecembernightonthattriumphantlyhappyposition，andsawitrise——achildlesswidower!
Ihavehadsympathyandassistancefromobscurerfriends；notnobleinname，thoughnobleinnature:
andIhavehadwithme，publicopinion，andthegoodwishesofgoodhearts。
Towhatend?Vain，thoughnotvalueless，hasbeenthisaccumulationofkindness，fromfriends，relativesandstrangers，forwantofsuchlawsofprotection!Theycouldpity，——buttheycouldPage101
nothelp。Theycouldpreventnothingthathasbeeninflictedonme:redressnothing:norblotanythingout。
Inthecourseofmylife，Ihaveseenbutonemoreresoluteattemptatannullingtheeffectofthelawonawoman\'sdestiny；andIconceiveeventhattohavefailed。Itwastriedunderthemostfavourablecircumstances。Not，asinmycase，inthereignofaQueen，——where，thoughnoSaliquelawrulesthesuccession，thegeneralspiritofthelawsandofopinionisagainsttheimportanceofwomen:aQueenmarriedtoaforeignprince，oflessrankthantheformerQueen\'sconsortsinEngland，——prudentlyandunremittinglyoccupied，eversincehereachedourshores，inconciliatingtheToryparty；amongwhom(andespeciallyamongthoseemployedatCourt)，stoodLordMelbourne\'sbitterestfoes。Notunderthesedisadvantages，butinthestrongreignofaKing:——withourmodernMarlborough，——ouroneGeneral，——thelateDukeofWellington，——forthelady\'sunflinchingfriend，——theexperimentofsupportwastried，andfailed。Apensionof#380ayearontheIrishCivilListPage102
wasgrantedtothemalignedwife。ShewasafterwardsmadeextraLadyinWaitingtoQueenAdelaide:andallthatgreatfriends，greatinfluence，andcourtfavourcoulddoforher，wasdone；thehusbandvainlyattackingtheDukeofWellington，inapublishedpamphlet，forhisinterferenceinhisdomesticaffairs；andvainlydeprecatingwhatwasdone，asdoneindefianceofhimself，thelordandrulerofthatbrokenhome。
Butsetthatwoman\'sdestinytorights，theCourtcouldnot:norbreakhermarriage:noroverrulewhatwasdeterminedbyherhusbandastohermoreintimatedestiny，——thedeartieofchildren，orattacksonherreputation。Thethronecouldcompensate，butnotredress:couldcompensateinthisoneinstance，butcouldnotpreventsuchinstancesfromrecurring:couldgivethatwomanherplaceamongcourtpageants，butcouldnotpreventherheartachingbeneathherdiamonds:norcreate，byanynumberofroyalsmiles，arecurringdawnforthatlight，which，whenawoman\'shome-destinyiswrecked，goesoutintoutterdarkness。
ItisagloriousthingthattheLawshouldbestrongerthantheThrone。ItisoneofdearboastfulEngland\'sproudestblindboasts。ButPage103
itisnotagloriousthingthat，beingstrongerthanthethrone，itshouldbeweakerthanthesubject:andthatthatwhichevenakingcanonlydowithinacertainlimit，——(oppressoruphold)，——maybedonewithboundlessirresponsiblepower，intheonesinglerelationofhusbandandwife。
Ihaveseen，——percontrâ；，——oneinstanceofanEnglishgentlemancrushed，denounced，andsociallydisgraced，aswellaslegallycondemned。Itwasforanaccusationofunfairplayatcards。Amorbiddesiretowin，——withouteventhemotiveoftheneedysharper-poverty，——upsetthecalculationsofhisplaymates，andrenderedtheirgameofskillagameofchance。Oh!whataturmoilthisdiscoverycreated!Nothingelsewasthoughtof:thestillpondofpolitesociety，withitsquietsurfaceofduck-weedandornamentallilies，turnedsuddenlyintoafoamingwhirlpool:theliliesweretossedlikesea-weedinastorm。
TheideaofWHIST-PLAYINGbeingdisturbed；thepleasuresofclub-loungersinfringeduponbysuchdreadfuluncertainties；thegoodold-fashionedgamesthatwiledawayPage104
theirunoccupiedevenings，turnedintotrapsfortheirpurses——thesacredcardsscoredwithprivatemethodsofidentification——thisindeedwasanoutrageonsociallife，law，andorder!Thiscouldnot，——wouldnot，——mustnotbeborneforonedayafteritbecameknown!
Accordingly，themostvigorousmeasuresweretaken——lawproceedingswereinstituted:everybodywasshockedbeyondmeasure:examinationsweregonethrough:oldcompanionsweresummonedtogiveevidenceagainsthim，andgaveit；somewithtearsintheireyesandsomewithout。Thethunderofpublicreprobationrolledroundhishead；thelightningofalegalcondemnationreachedandstruckhim；and，whenthestormwasover，——whenthecalmofpolitelifewasrestored，——whentheliliesandtheslackduck-weedsettleddownoncemoreonthesurfaceoftheirmuch-disturbedpond，itswatershadclosedforeveroverthewreckeddestinyofthatpopularandaccomplishedman!
Sincethen，Ihaveseeneveryspeciesofcheating，unfairness，tyranny，andoppression，asregardswomen，bornewiththemostcomfortablePage105
indifference。Theliliesandtheduckweedliesmilingandsleeping；
andtheythinkitvulgar，andverytroublesome，ifwrongsthatdonotwrongtheirpleasures，andstrugglestoamendlawsthatarealreadyquiteperfectenoughtoprotectthosepleasures，——areforcedontheirunwillingnotice!
Letwhist-playing，notwomen，beprotected:theonesignifies，theotherdon\'t。Theclub-loungerssmileinscorn。\"Whatisallthisdisturbanceabout?Woman\'srightsandwoman\'swrongs?——pooh，pooh；nonsense；Bloomerism；
Americanism!wecan\'thavethatsortofthinginEngland。Womenmustsubmit；
thosewhodon\'t，arebadwomen——dependuponit:allbadwomen。Therearenobadmen。Whoeverheardofabadman?or，atleast，ofhisconductbeingcondemnedbytheworldatlarge，inmatterslikethese?\"\"Butthisreallyisamonstrouscase。\"\"Well，yes，it\'sallverywrong——veryshabby——veryunprincipled——certainly；butwecan\'tmeddle；allthelawsrespectingwomenareinahopelessstateofconfusion；anditismuchbetteroneortwowomenshouldsufferunjustly，thanthattheauthorityofhusbandsshouldbedoubted。Astoahusband\'ssin，andallthat，itcan\'tsignifysomuchasthewoman\'ssin；Page106
becauseyouknow，thewoman\'ssinmaygiveherhusbandaspuriouschildtoinherithisproperty。\"
Nowwhereisthelogicofthisreasoning?Whyisitbetteroneortwo(oroneortwohundred)womenshouldsuffer?Itisnotbetterthatoneortwoapprenticesshouldbestarvedormaltreated，ratherthaninterferewiththeauthorityoftheirmasters；
noroneortwofactorychildren，ratherthaninterferewithmanufacturers:
womenarenotappealingforanexceptionallawintheirfavour；
onthecontrary，theyareappealingnottobemadeanexceptionfromthegeneralprotectionofthelaws。Astothecomparativeharmlessnessofthehusband\'ssin，whatdoesthatmean?Itmeansmerelythatinhisownhomehissinhasnoresult；butintheotherhome，wherehesins?Howdoyouguaranteethathissinshallharmnoone?Whyishetohavethelibertytowrongothers，——byawrongthatinhisowncasewouldbesointolerableandunpardonable，——whenthesamereasoningmaybeappliedtothewronghedoes，astothewronghesuffers?Maynothe，also，bethefatherofaspuriouschild?——oneborninafriend\'shome?——oneborn，perhapsofsomepoorvictimtemptedtocastitintothatcoldPage107
greyriver，whichrunspasttheSenate-housewherethesehardlawsaresofalselyargued，andpasttheTemplewheretheyaresocarelesslystudied!
ThisisthesameEnglandwheresuchanoutcrywasraisedagainstGeneralHaynau，thathewasafterwardsassaultedinthepublicstreets!AustriansmightwellretortuponEnglishmenthefaultfindinginwhichtheythenindulged。Thereisnotoneofthataristocracyofgentlemen，whowouldnotsmileinscornattheEnglishman\'saffectationofabetterlawforwomeninhisowncountry。Istherenopainanddegradationexceptphysicalpainanddegradation?Istherenoindecencybutinideasofnudity?——nobarbaritybutinstripesandblows?
Istherenobrutalityinthecross-examinationindivorcecases，fromwhicheventhefemaleservantsshrink，angryandwounded，atbeingsoquestioned?
IstherenoindecencyinthetrialsbeforetheHouseofLords，whichLordBeaumonttermed\"disgustinganddemoralizing?\"Istherenopaininthehuntingdownforfeverishyears，withtormentandlibel，awomanwhocanescapefromneither?
AndyettheseEnglishheartsarenoble。Fromamongthese\"club-loungers\"wehavesentthePage108
bravestmenthateverperishedpatiently，orwithgloriouscourage，onadisastrousbattle-field。Amongthemthereisnotonewhowouldnotguardthewomanofhisownfamilyfrominsultwithhislife；withasmuchchivalryasthoseknightsofromancewhoinlesscivilizeddaysfoughtahand-to-handbattle，forthefameortherightsoftheweakersex。Onlytheycannotbebroughttobelievethattheycaninterfereinarevisionofthelaw，ortoconsiderthenecessityofsuchrevision。Theyloveandrevereparticularnamesamongwomen。TheirheartsglowatthedevotionofthepoorgirlGraceDarling，whoseimpulsiveheroismsavedwreckedsailor\'slives:atthegentleprison-visitingsofMrsFry:attheCrimeanpilgrimageofmercyandsicktendance，undertakenbyMissNightingaleandhercompanions。
Theywereallforerectinga\"MonumenttoGraceDarling；\"thenewspapersatthetimewerefilledwithsuchschemes。