"Therefore I must insist, that every woman, whether of equal prudence with Clarissa, or not, whether the man proposed be quite as odious as Solmes, or not, whether she have an absolute aversion to him, or only be indifferent, or rather averse to him, whether she be in love with some other, or not, and whether that other be a proper match for her, or not, every woman, I say, has a right to a negative; and is guilty of no sinful disobedience in refusing to marry the man her parents propose, provided she do not marry herself without their consent; since the giving away her person, her fortune, and even her affections, is an action in which her free will is essentially concerned; and, as a rational creature, she must have a right to refuse to shackle her conscience with a vow, if she does not chuse it."
Letter to Mr. Richardson (January 3, 1750-1)
See volume IV of <u>The Works of Mrs. Chapone: Now First Collected</u> (London: John Murray, 1807). &lt;<a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=WeU0AAAAMAAJ">Link to Google Books</a>&gt;