with.  But she had a great strength of mind, and command of thought, being able to write in the midst of company, and yet have the share of the conversation:  which I saw her do in writing Oroonoko, and other parts of her works, in every part of which you’ll find an easy stile and a peculiar happiness of thinking.  The passions, that of love especially, she was mistress of, and gave us such nice and tender touches of them, that without her name we might discover the author.’  To this character of Mrs. Behn may be very properly added, that given of her by the authoress of her life and memoirs, in these words.

’She was of a generous humane disposition, something passionate, very serviceable to her friends in all that was in her power, and could sooner forgive an injury than do one.  She had wit, humour, good-nature and judgment.  She was mistress of all the pleasing arts of conversation:  She was a woman of sense, and consequently a lover of pleasure.  For my part I knew her intimately, and never saw ought unbecoming the just modesty of our sex; though more gay and free, than the folly of the precise will allow.’

The authors of the Biographia Brittanica say, that her poetry is none of the best; and that her comedies, tho’ not without humour, are full of the most indecent scenes and expressions.  As to the first, with submission to the authority of these writers, the charge is ill-founded, which will appear from the specimen upon which Dryden himself makes her a compliment; as to the latter, I’m afraid it cannot be so well defended; but let those who are ready to blame her, consider, that her’s was the sad alternative to write or starve; the taste of the times was corrupt; and it is a true observation, that they who live to please, must please to live.

Mrs. Behn perhaps, as much as any one, condemned loose scenes, and too warm descriptions; but something must be allowed to human frailty.  She herself was of an amorous complexion, she felt the passions intimately which she describes, and this circumstance added to necessity, might be the occasion of her plays being of that cast.

  The stage how loosely does Astrea tread,
  Who fairly puts, all characters to bed.

Are lines of Mr. Pope: 

And another modern speaking of, the vicissitudes to which the stage is subjected, has the following,

  Perhaps if skill could distant times explore,
  New Behn’s, new Durfey’s, yet remain in store,
  Perhaps, for who can guess th’ effects of chance,
  Here Hunt[4] may box, and Mahomet[5] may dance.

This author cannot be well acquainted with Mrs. Behn’s works, who makes a comparison between them and the productions of Durfey.  There are marks of a fine understanding in the most unfinished piece of Mrs. Behn, and the very worst of this lady’s compositions are preferable to Durfey’s bell.  It is unpleasing to have the merit of any of the Fair Sex lessened.  Mrs. Behn suffered enough at the hands of supercilious prudes, who had the barbarity to construe her sprightliness into lewdness; and because she had wit and beauty, she must likewise be charged with prostitution and irreligion.