A farther

Azora.

trades, they agreed and fwore to spend their lives with me here, and be as ferviceable as poffible, without admitting any men to live among us. They are fo in the highest degree: they are all useful and pious as I could wish them, and under the heavens there is not a happier fociety of mortals. We have the best of every thing: all we want, and in reafon could wish for.

Here Azora ended her relation, and I account of wondered greatly at what I heard; nor did my admiration leffen when I faw how fhe governed this community, and they employed their time. Her great understanding enlightened and directed them, in the execution of every thing ferviceable and ingenious; and the lived before their eyes an example of the greatest industry, and the moft exalted piety. They, on the other hand, were as useful and religious as poffible, and fo heartily and faithfully discharged focial duties, in every inftance, that they seemed as one great capacity and power at work, to promote every convenience and good. Some of them, as I have faid, were at work in the gardens: others in the fields: various trades and occupations were going on within doors and without, and all were employed in ways that best subserved the general welfare. In their behaviour, there was nothing wild, infolent, or arch, to be feen: no fwellings of vanity and pride: no paffion to disoblige; no

intention to offend: but, every one, discreet and calm; good-humoured, and very civil; worthily fuftaining their various relations, and each attentive to her own incumbent duty. Their labours were but a diverfion to them, and they lived in tranquillity and plenty. Their cloathing was coarse, but very good, clean, and handsome. There was not one ragged or dirty perfon among them; them; nor any with bad fhoes and ftockings. In all refpects, they feemed a moft happy community. Azora ftudied, to the utmoft degree, the advantage and happiness of these people and they, in return, made their duty a vigorous and chearful fervice. Moft of the conveniences and comforts of life they had within their own little territory; flesh and fifh, mutton, kid, and venison; corn for bread, every vegetable; malt-drink, meath, and cyder; all in great plenty, and moft excellent; wool and flax for clothing; good candles; and wood enough for firing. What things they wanted two of them rid for to the nearest town, and not only purchased fuch goods with the money they got by fale of feveral commodities; especially knit thread stockings and gloves; but always at fuch times brought in fome cash to their mistress, and fhe gave part of it among the people, to buy them little things they fanfied.

As

Ten ex

country

girls.

As to the ten young women I mentioned,

traordinary who walked after Azora when firft I faw her, they were the daughters of fome widows in this little republic, and by her chofen, not only to be her attendants and upper fervants, and to look after her dairy, her bees, her poultry; and her aviary; (which was the finest I have ever feen, for the variety of birds, and as it was turfed, to avoid the appearance of foulness on the floor, and fo large as to give the birds fome freedom of flight); but, on account of their good understanding, in which they far excelled their fellows. These girls were carefully inftructed by Azora and Antonia, and befide being taught the fine works of the needle, learned mufick, and the elements of the mathematicks from the ladies. The eldest of these girls was but twenty, and the youngest eighteen, and they all furprized me very greatly with their quickness in answering very hard arithmetical queftions. They could not only add, subtract, multiply, divide, find a fourth proportional, and extract roots of every kind, with exactness and readiness, and apply them upon all common occafions; but, were perfect in fractions vulgar and decimal. They had even gone as far in algebra as the refolution of fimple equations.

Finding

Finding them one morning at figures, I asked the youngest of them, What was the number, that of it with 4 over, amounted to the fame as of it with 9 over? She immediately tranflated the queftion from common language into algebra +4 +9: and quickly discovered the unknown quantity x to be x=60: Then fhe took it in finthetically, of 60 = 40 +4=44 of 60 = 35 +9 = 44. (Sinthetically is tracing property from number: -Analetically is tracing number from property.) This made me wonder very greatly. I afked another of them, if she bought 20 loaves for =16 16 pence, all of them two-penny, penny, and farthing ones how many would fhe have of each? She answered 5 two-penny loaves, 3 penny ones, and 12 farthing loaves; for the equations were x+y+z = 20 and 8x+4y=z = 64. From whence by fubtraction, 7x+3y 44, and of confequence, y=44214—

2-X

; 3

447x

pay

2x+ I asked a third, how many ways many ways fhe could 201. in pistoles, guineas, and moidores, at 17s. 21 s, and 27 s. the piftole, the guinea, and the moidore? She replied in a very

little time, 9 ways, to wit, 11 piftoles, 5 guineas, and 4 moidores ——— 8 piftoles, 1 guinea, 9 moidores 8 pistoles, 10 guineas, 2 moidores 17 piftoles, 4 guineas, 1 moidore - 2 piftoles, 2 guineas, 12 moidores - 2 pistoles, II gui

5 pistoles, 6 guineas,

--

7 moidores -5, 15, and 14 piftoles, o guineas, 6 moidores. tion.

This was a hard opera

I asked another of these young women, if her lady gave her 297 guineas and 339 pistoles, to pay 6 men a hundred pounds a-piece in guineas and pistoles only, as was agreed, how could she contrive to pay them, and dispatch the thing? I will tell you, fir, (she answered) very foon. reprefents my guineas, and y my piftoles, and 21 x + 17y = 2000, of confequence, x = and quickly discovered, that the first man should have 92 guineas and 4 piftoles:

2000—17y

21

=95+

5173

21

; etc.

the fecond the third, the fourth, 41 the fifth, 24 gui

man, 75 guineas and 25 piftoles: 58 guineas, 46 pistoles guineas and 67 pistoles neas and 88 pistoles: and the fixth man, 7 guineas and 109 piftoles. This was admirable. But is there no other way I faid of paying 1001. in guineas and piftoles, befides the fix ways you have mentioned? There is no other way (the fine girl answered). If a feventh man was to be paid 100l. in thefe two kinds of money, he must be paid in one of these fix methods. This was true. I was charmed

with what I had heard.