To The Ladies by Lady Mary Chudleigh (Grade 7-9)

Lady Mary Chudleigh (1656-1710) was an English poet and essayist who educated herself at a time when women rarely had access to formal education. Part of a circle of women writers in Dryden, Chudleigh wrote extensively on feminist subjects. Though married herself and quite religious, she was critical of the ways in which marriage subjugated women.