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
From Church they went Home to her Father's House, where, having dined,
he tells his Wife she must put up such Things as she designed to carry
Home with her, for he would quickly be going Homewards: The Relations
begged of him to stay all Night, and bed his Wife at her Father's House,
it being the usual Custom so to do; he told them, he would lie no where
but at his own House, and that he would be going presently. The
Relations finding no Arguments would prevail upon him to tarry, they got
Mrs. _Bride_ ready; and the Parson, coming to the Door, espied several
Horses ready saddled and bridled; he asked, what the Meaning of those
Horses Was? They told him, for some of his Wife's Relations, to
accompany him Home; he said, no Body should go along with him but his
Wife; and so they were forced to stable their Horses, and let the
married Couple go Home by themselves.
When they came Home, he conducted her into the House, and saluted her,
which was the first Time; and, after he had bid her Welcome, and they
had sat about Half an Hour, the Parson calls the old Maid, and bids her
bring the Spinning wheel, and told his Wife, he did not doubt but she
was a good Housewife, and knew how to make Use of that Instrument: She
told him, Yes; then he tells her, he did expect she would work while he
was at Work, and no longer; so away goes he to his Study, and Mrs.
_Bride_ to Working with the Whirling-engine; about an Hour after he
comes down and tells her, now she must leave Work, and bids the old Maid
get Supper ready. After they had supped, he goes into his Study, and she
to her Spinning-wheel; when he returns again from his Study, he tells
her, now she must leave Work; after a short Discourse, he went to
Prayers with the Family, and then orders the old Maid to light her
Mistress up Stairs, and put her to Bed.
Away goes Madam _Bride_ to Bed, without any Ceremony of eating
Sack-posset, or throwing the Stocking; and, as soon as she was in Bed,
in comes the Parson, and to Bed goes he; but, sitting up in it, he bids
the Maid bring him the little Table, a great Candle, and such a Book
from the Study, which she did, and the Parson went to his Reading; upon
which, the Bride calls to the Maid: The Parson asked her, what she
wanted? She told him, Something: The Maid coming, he bid her speak to
her Mistress, who bids her bring up the Spinning-wheel, and a great
Candle in the long Candlestick, which the Maid having done, Mrs. _Bride_
went to Whirling it about as hard as ever she could drive; at which the
Parson could hardly forbear Bursting out into Laughter, and, finding
that Spinning and Reading did not agree well together, he put out his
Candle, and laid him down in Bed like a good Husband.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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