The Levellers: A Dialogue Between Two Young Ladies, Concerning Matrimony, Proposing an Act for Enforcing Marriage, for the Equality of Matches, and Taxing Single PersonsAnonymous
General
The Levellers: A Dialogue Between Two Young Ladies, Concerning Matrimony, Proposing an Act for Enforcing Marriage, for the Equality of Matches, and Taxing Single Persons
Anonymous
Marriage
When they came to the House the Doctor receives her with abundance of
Ceremony; the Countryman also made some rustick Bows and Compliments,
and tells her, it was a great Favour in her Ladiship to come in a Visit
to her poor old Servants, and humbly intreats the Favour of her to sit
down; for, though the Gentleman present was a Stranger to her Ladiship,
he was a Person of Quality, a learned and rich Doctor of the Church,
who, in Humility, peculiar to the Clergy, had vouchsafed to give so poor
a Man as he a Visit. With much Coyness Madam _Anne_ sits down, and,
having made a Bow from her Seat to the Doctor, she asked her old
Servants, how they did. The Doctor being smitten with the visible Part
of Mrs. _Anne_'s Portion, and ruminating on the invisible; the old Man
thought it was Time to retire, which he did, by leaving a Scrape or two
on the earthen Floor with his Foot.
The Doctor had now what he came for, and to Work he goes; he had forgot
_Thomas Aquinas_, _Dunce Scotus_, and other unintelligible cramp
Authors. Philosophy signifies nothing in an Amour, and Logick of itself
is enough to curdle a Virgin's Milk; therefore the Doctor accosted her
with all the soft Expressions he could remember in _Ovid de Arte
Amandi_, which, the Learned say, is the only Way to know how to resolve
the difficult Questions in _Aristotle_'s Problems; and, the Girl having
Heat of Beauty enough at that Age to warm a _Stoick_, by the vehement
Attraction thereof the Doctor joined Countenances; but never did a poor
young Lady receive Kisses after a more modest and coy Manner; and well
might she blush at such an Exercise; for the poor Creature never smelt
Man before, and it was the first Time that ever she saw the Doctor.
After the Doctor and Mrs. _Anne_ had been above an Hour together, in
steps the old Man; the Girl she modestly retires, as well for
Instruction as to give an Account of how Things went; in the mean Time,
the old Man asks the Doctor how he liked the Lady, and what
Encouragement she gave him? The Doctor, being ravished with the visible
and invisible Qualifications of Mrs. _Anne_, expressed abundance of
Satisfaction, and how happy a Man he should be if he could obtain his
Prize. Says the old Man, At her again, Mr. Doctor, she is a brave
good-humoured Lady, and I told her sufficiently what you are: Says the
Doctor, Prithee canst not thou get us something good to eat and drink;
here's Money, if thou canst. Away goes the old Man, but first got Mrs.
_Anne_ into the Room with the Doctor, which was done with many
Intreaties, and performed with a wonderful Modesty.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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