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
And it is no wonder, because coming home lately he said, that
somewhere as he was walking home he had lost his Watch, which he had
just as he was coming out of the Tavern. And two or three weeks before
came home without his Cloak, saying, that some wicked Rascals had
taken it from him in the streets. Moreover she rememorates, how he
related not long since, that he had been, out of jest, one evening,
with three or four others, in six of the most vile and wickedest Bawdy
houses in the City, though that he had committed nothing unhandsom
there, as he said; therefore she thinks that she hath more reason to
suspect his evil doings, then he hath of hers.
And having pondered upon all these things, this and t'other way,
imagineth that she hath a great deal of reason to suspect him. Nay,
the daily grumbling and mumbling, the lessening of the mony, his
coming home late at nights, his cool kindness, besides all the rest,
seem to be sufficient proofs. So that here the Pleasure of Marriage is
so monstrously Clouded, as if there were a great Eclipse of the Sun,
and it will be a wonder to see with what kind of colour it will appear
again. For the Husband catechizes his Wife with such a loud voice,
that it is generally heard through the whole neighbourhood; and the
Wife, to vindicate her innocency, lets fly at him again with such a
shrill note, as if she had gone to school to learn it in Drury Lane,
or Turnball street. And it is a wonder that the first Chyrurgian is
not sent for to cure this Woman of her bad tongue.
Here you ought to come, O restless Lovers, to behold your selves in
these two darlings; you, who in your wooing are also possessed with
jealousie, if you see that another obtains access to your Mistriss; or
who, perhaps as wel as you, doth but once kiss the knocker of the
dore, or cause an Aubade to be plaied under her Chamber Window: Look
sharply about you, and behold how these Aubades decline, or whether it
be worth your while to give your Rival the Challenge; or to stab,
poison, or drown'd your self, to shew, by such an untimely death, the
love you had for her; and on your Grave, bear this Epitaph, that
through damn'd jealousie you murthered your self. These married
Couple, used to do so; but see now what a sad life they live together,
because jealousie took root in them so soon, and now bringeth forth
such evill fruits.
Oh that this, now senceless, married Couple, had here, like the
Athenians, prudent Umpires! how easily might they, perhaps, be united
and pacified! For the Athenians had constituted a certain sort of
superiors, whom they intituled Pacificators of the married people;
whose Power was to appease all differences between married people; and
to constrain them that they must live in peace and unity with each
other. In like manner at Rome a Temple was built, where scolding
married people, being reunited, came to sacrifice, and to live in
better tranquility.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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