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 — John Shaqi
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
Wedding: But one Thing I had almost forgot, Hast thou got any Money? Not
one Penny, replied the Spark; Well thought on, says his Uncle, Courtship
is chargeable, here is Half a Crown, pray make good Use of it. The young
Gentleman, thus equipped, looked like one of Queen _Elisabeth_'s
Courtiers come from the Dead, or, like Snow on the Grass and Trees about
_Midsummer_; but what would one not undergo for a good Wife or Husband?
The young Man gets up early the next Morning, and having resumed his
former Accoutrements, and mounting on the Outside of his Uncle's best
Palfrey, away he trots in Pursuit of his Lady; you may be sure the
People gazed, and the Dogs barked sufficiently on the Road at this human
Scarecrow on Horseback; but the Worst of it was, as he came within
Bow-shot of his Mistress's Tabernacle, the young Lady was looking out at
the Window, and espying such a Figure, she called her other two Sisters,
and told them that Merry _Andrew_ was coming, which put them into a
great Fit of Laughter, till, approaching nearer, one of them cries out,
It is Mr. ----'s Nephew, and, knowing his Business, they sent a Man to
take his Horse, and their Father and Mother received him very genteelly
at the Door, and ushered him into the House.
But, as if Fate had ordained that the poor Spark should be exposed in
his antiquated Habiliments, it so happened that Day there was an
Invitation of Gentlemen and Ladies to Dinner at the House; when Dinner
was ready and set on the Table, the young Spark was conducted from
another Room to the rest of the Guests; no sooner had he set his Foot on
the Threshold, but the Eyes of the whole Company were upon him; one
sneared, another tittered, a third laughed outright, no Body knowing the
Meaning of this odd Dress; so that indeed he was the Scaramouch of the
Company, but by that Time they had feasted their Eyes on him, and filled
their Stomachs with the Victuals, they found the Spark was very modest
and ingenious, and that his good Humour and Eloquence was more agreeable
to their Ears and Minds, than his Habit to their Eyes; and, by his
Ogling one of the Ladies more than the rest, they guessed at his Design;
and being unwilling to cramp Love in its Embryo, after Dinner they all
withdrew, and left that Lady and the Spark together.
The Spark immediately takes the Opportunity to apologise for his Garb,
and told her how necessary it was for him to please his Uncle's Humour
in the Thing, which, though it made him ridiculous to the Company, he
hoped would not lessen her Esteem of his Person: The young Lady (who
knew she was to marry the Man, and not the Cloaths) told him, it was not
the Garb she looked at, but she had more Respect to his other
Accomplishments; and at this Rate they went on in Discourse of Love and
Matrimony for about two Hours.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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