Life, Letters, and Epicurean Philosophy of Ninon de LEnclos, the Celebrated Beauty of the Seventee | Page 4

by the precepts and principles of the philosophy of
Epicurus, which today is rapidly gaining ground in our social relations

through its better understanding and appreciation.
Her life bears a great resemblance to the histories in which we read
about the most celebrated women of ancient times, who occupied a
middle station between the condition of marriage and prostitution--a
class of women whose Greek name is familiarized to our ears in
translations of Aristophanes. Ninon de l'Enclos was of the order of the
French "hetaerae," and, as by her beauty and her talents, she attained
the first rank in the social class, her name has come down to posterity
with those of Aspasia and Leontium, while the less distinguished
favorites of less celebrated men have shared the common oblivion,
which hides from the memory of men, every degree of mediocrity,
whether of virtue or vice.
A class of this kind, a status of this singular nature existing amongst
accomplished women, who inspired distinguished men with lofty ideals,
and developed the genius of men who, otherwise, would have remained
in obscurity, can never be uninteresting or uninstructive; indeed, it must
afford matter for serious study. They are prefigures, or prototypes of
the influence that aims to sway mankind at the present day in
government, politics, literature, and the fine arts.
As a distinguished example of such a class, the most prominent in the
world, in fact, apart from a throne, Ninon de l'Enclos will peculiarly
engage the attention of all who, whether for knowledge or amusement,
are observers of human nature under all its varieties and circumstances.
It would be idle to enter upon a historical digression on the state of
female manners in ancient Athens, or in Europe during the last three
centuries. The reader should discard them from his mind when he
peruses the life of Ninon de l'Enclos, and examine her character and
environments from every point of view as a type toward which is
trending modern social conditions.
At first blush, and to a narrow intellect, an individual woman of the
character of Ninon de l'Enclos would seem hopelessly lost to all virtue,
abandoned by every sense of shame, and irreclaimable to any feeling of
social or private duty. But only at first blush, and to the most

circumscribed of narrow minds, who, fortunately, do not control the
policy of mankind, although occasional disorders here and there
indicate that they are endeavouring to do so.
A large majority of mankind are of the settled opinion that every virtue
is bound up in that of chastity. Our manners and customs, our laws,
most of our various kinds of religions, our national sentiments and
feelings--all our most serious opinions, as well as our dearest and best
rooted prejudices, forbid the dissevering, in the minds of women of any
class, the ideas of virtue and female honor. That is, our public opinion
is along that line. To raise openly a doubt on this head, or to disturb, on
a point considered so vital, the settled notions of society, is equally
inconsistent with common prudence and the policy of common honesty;
and as tending to such an end, we are apt to consider all discussion on
the subject as at least officiously incurring danger, without an
opportunity of inculcating good.
But, however strongly we insist upon this opinion for such purposes,
there are others in which it is not useless to relax that severity for a
moment, and to view the question, not through the medium of
sentiment, but with an eye of philosophic impartiality. We are
gradually nearing the point, where it is conceded that in certain
conditions of society, one failing is not wholly incompatible with a
general practice of virtue--a remark to be met with in every homily
since homilies were written, notwithstanding that rigid rule already
alluded to in the previous chapter.
It is surprising that it has never occurred to any moralist of the common
order, who deals chiefly with such general reflections, to apply this
particular maxim to this particular social status. We follow the wise
precepts of honesty found in Cicero, although we know that he was, at
the time he was writing them, plundering his fellow men at every
opportunity. Our admiration for Bacon's philosophy and wisdom
reaches adulation although he was the "meanest of men," and was
guilty of the most flagrant crimes such as judicial bribery and political
corruption. We read that Aspasia had some great and many amiable
qualities; so too had Ninon de l'Enclos; and it is worthy of

consideration, how far we judge candidly or wisely in condemning
such characters in gross, and treating their virtues as Saint Austin was
wont to deal with those of his heathen adversaries, as no better than
"splendid vices," so unparalleled in their magnitude as