The Ten Pleasures of Marriage: and the Second Part, The Confession of the New Married CoupleMarsh, A.
General
The Ten Pleasures of Marriage: and the Second Part, The Confession of the New Married Couple
Marsh, A.
Marriage
Formerly, your good wife used, by reason of her youth, and want of
knowledge, to walk very stately, hand in hand with you, along the
streets, finically trickt up with powdered locks, and a laced Gorget
and Gown, and had commonly need of, at the least, three hours time,
before she, with the help of two serviceable assistants, could be put
to her mind in her dress; and then again all her discourse was of
walking or riding abroad, and of junketting and merriment; whereas now
on the contrary, seeing the small gain, she is sparing of all things,
and ordring it to the best advantage for the family; without so much
as setting one foot out of her House or Counter unnecessarily. Never
thinking more of gadding abroad, to take pleasure; but finds all her
delight by being busie in her houskeeping, amongst her children and
servants. Here you may behold her driving the maid forwards, and
setting her a spinning, to keep the sleep out of her eys; and with
this intent also that she may have the delight to get yarn enough
ready towards Winter, to let a brave Web of Linnen be woven for the
service of the Family. Yea, and here she shews you, that though before
she was but a Bartholomew Baby, that she is now grown to be a brave
houswife. And that, if need requires, she can put a hand to the plough
stoutly.
O happy man, who in such a sad and troublesom time, can find out so
many Pleasures of Marriage, and who art already so well instructed in
that most illustrious School!
'Tis true, you will meet with some jeering prattle-arses, that will
say, is this that brave couple, that there was such a noise made of
when they were married! Is this the Gentlewoman that used to go so
costly in her Gorgets and Gowns! Goes she now with a plain wastcoat!
alas and welladay! doth her feathers begin to hang thus! Well, is this
the Gentlewoman that used alwaies to keep two maids! Can she now make
a shift with a little wench that earns her wages with spinning, and
her diet with doing the house work? it must certainly ly very nastily
and sluttishly at her house.
'Tis very true, this might happen to you, and it would seem to eclipse
the Sun of your Pleasures of Marriage very much; if you had not now, O
well matcht Couple, through the instruction of the winged Time, gotten
such prudent eys that you can easily see through such vain and simple
Clouds.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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