Conjugal Lewdness  

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"Conjugal Lewdness or, Matrimonial Whoredom" (1727) is an essay by Daniel Defoe. That was its original title though he was later asked to rename it for the sake of propriety. The modified title became "A Treatise Concerning the Use and Abuse of the Marriage Bed".

The essay dealt primarily with contraception, comparing it directly with infanticide. Defoe accomplished this through anecdotes, such as a conversation between two women in which the right-minded chides the other for asking for "recipes" that might prevent pregnancy. In the essay, he further referred to contraception as "the diabolical practice of attempting to prevent childbearing by physical preparations."

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Full text

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TREATISE

CONCERNING

The Use and Abuse

O F T H E

Marriage Bed :

SHEWING

I. The Nature of Matrimony, its Sacred Original, and the true Meaning of its Inftitution.

II. The grofs Abufe of Matrimonml Chaftity, from the wrong Notions which have pofTefled the World, degenerating even to Whoredom.

III. The Diabolical Pradice of attempting to prevent Child- bearing by Phjlical Preparations.

IV. The fatal Confequences of clandefline or forced Marriages, thro the Perfuafion, Intereft, or Influence of Parents and Rela- tions, to wed thePerfon they have no Love >, but oftentimes an Averlion to.

V. Of unequal Matches, as to the Difproportion of Age i and how luch, many ways, occs^fion a Matrimonial Whoredom.

VI. How married Perfons may hegmltyof ConmgalLeypdners,md that a Man may, in effecX make a Whore of his own Wife.

Alio, many other Particulars of Family Concern


Jjoofe thougbtsy at firft, like fubterranean Tirest Mm Vixvardt fmotheringi with unchafte Defircs 5 3Ht getting Vent, to Rage and Fury turn, Mrjt in Volcanoes, and like iEtna burni Ihe Heat increafes as the Flames afpire. And turns the folid Hills to liquid Fire. Sajenfual Flames, tvhen raging in the Soul, Tirji vitiate all the Parts, then fire the Whole • Burn up the Bright, the Beauteous, the Sublime, And turn our lavrtul Fleafures into Crime.


Z O N 2) O N',

Printed for T. W a r n e r, at the Slack Soy in ^ater-NoJfer-Ro'ZV. M.dcc.xxvii. Price ^ s.



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THE

PREFACE.

Am fo fenjihle of the Nicety of the folhnving SuljeB^ and the Ill-nature of the Agey that tho' I ha^e Introduced it ^ith all the Pro teflations of a refolvd Cautiony and of tying my felf doim to all pojfthle Modefy in the nvhole Worh ; and tho I ha^e con- cluded it mth due Explanationsy and a free Appeal to the mofi impartial Judges^ yet I cannot hut add a Word of Pre^ce.

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THE jujiriefs of the Satyr, the hud Calls nvhich the Crimes {here reproved) make for Jujlice and a dm Ccnfure, the dreadful Ruin of the Peoples Mords, and the apparent Contempt of Mode fly and D^- cencjy ^hich gt'ovjs fo "vifihly upon us hy the JJjamelefs Practice of nvhat is here re- prov'dy join all together to vindicate this, Undertakinq-y and .to JJooix) 7iot the Ufeful^^ f.efs only, but theUecejJIty of it. ^% '-^i

IT is almojl thirty Tears fince . the, \^uthor began this Piece : He has M wM Time heard, nvith a jujl Concfrny the Com^ plaints of good Men upon the hateful Sub- eU. The Gra^ve and the Sober, the Loijers of Virtue ami of Religion, ha^ve,^ nvith Grief, expr^fs'dthemfehes. upon the gr^oy- ing Scandal y and they ha've often pnefsd him to jinifi, and bring_ out this Mfproof -^ and ha've ioind, npith Ms Qmion^ of the Jujlice of it.


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HITHERTO he has been relu&ant as to the pihlijhing ity and partly ofi Aq- foimt of his. Tears, for it ^as long face faijhedy and partly in hopes of Reformation '^ hut no^y defpairing of Amendment y groirni OLDy and out of the reach of Scandal j and of all the Pretences to it 5 Sincerely aiming at the Reformation of the Guilty, and defpifing all mijujl Reproaches from a njitious Agey he clofes his Days nvith this Satyr y 'which he is fo far from feeing Caufe to he ajhamed of that he hopes he pall mty 'where he is going to. Account for it.

AT leajly he can Appeal to that Judge y nvho he is foon to co?ne before, that as he has done it ^ith an upright Intentiony for the good of Mankindy fo he has ufed his utmojl Endeavour to perform it, in a Manner the leajl liable to Re- ^e^i^n, and, in his Judgment, the moji

likely


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likly to anpwev the true End of it^ (viz.) the Reformation of the Crime. And ivith this SatisfaBiony he comfortably prays for its Succefs.



im


THE

CONTENTS.

-^ HE IntroduBzon. Pag. t

Chap. I. Of Matrimony y the Nature of ity its facred Original^ and the true Intent a-Jii Meaning of its Inftitution ^ as alfo how our No^ tio7Js of it are degenerated^ the Obligations of it iifregarded^ and the Thing itjelf as a State of Life, grojly ahiifed. p. 20

Chap. II. Of Matrimonial Chajlity, what is to be under flood by the JTord •, a Proof of its heijig required by the Laws of GOD and Nature^ and that wrong Notions of it have poffefs'd th^ Worid, Dr, Taylor's Authority quoted about it. p. 45

Chap. III. Of the End and Eeafon of A^atrifnojjy,, and that there is a needful Mo deft y and Deceit cy requijite, even between a Man and his Tf^ife, after Marriage, the Breaches of which make the firfl Branch of Matrimoyiial Whoredom, p. 57

Chap. IV. Of the abfolute Necefjity of a mutual Affe&ion before Matrimony, in order to the Happinefs of a ?narried State, and of the Scan^^ dal of marrying without it. V-9%

Chap.Y. Of Marrying, and then publicJily pro^ fejfing to d-efire they may have no Children, ani of ufing Meayis phyfical or diabolical, to prevent Conception. p, 12^

Chap. VI. Of being Over-riiVd by Perfuafon, ht^ iereft, Ivfiuence of Friends, Force, and the lihe^


^ The CONTENTS.

^to take the Perfonthey have .710 Love for, and forfake the Ferfon they really lov^d, p. 166

Chap. VII. Of Marryhig one Perfon, and at the fame time owning themfelves to he in Love with another. p. 181

Chap. Till. Of imequal, nnfiihahle and ^repojle-* rolls Marriages, and the unhappy Confeqiiences of them. Of the EjfeBs they have upon the Family-- Converfation, How they occafion a Matrimonial tFhoredo7n rnanyJVays, Alfo foynethivg of the Marriage-Covenajtt and Oath -^ artd how all the Breaches of it are a Political and Matrimonial Whoredom, if not a Literal Whoredo7n \ with fever al Ex ajHples, p. 213

Chap. IX. Of Marrying atUnfiiitahleTears p. 229

Chap. X. Of Marrying with Inequality of Blood.

p. 252

Chap. XI. Of going to Bed under folemn Promifes of Marriage, and altho' thofe Projnifes are af- terwards performed •, and of the Scandal of a Man's vialiing a JFhore of his own TFife, p. 21 7 2

Chap. XII. Of the Husband knowing his Jf^ife after Conception, or after it appears (be is with Child » Of the Reafonable7iefs a7id Lawfiihefs of it. And whether this 7nay not co77ie under thejiiftBe- 'nomination of Matrimo7nal 1Fhoredo??u p. 29^

Chap. XIII. Of indecent ayid mrtimely Marriages^ whether as to the Tears of the Perfons, marryi7ig Ltfa7tts and Cbildre7t, or rnarrying immediately after the Death of the Husband or JFife that went before, p. 3?^,

Chap. XIV. Of Claideftine, Forcible and Treach- erous Marriages, p. 3^^,

The Co7iclufo7u p. 379


Covjiigat



Conjugal Lemdnefs, &c.

T H E

Introduction.



T is certainly true, that Modefty is no natural Virtue-, what the Lativs call'd Pitdor or Shajnefaced- 7jefs, is the Effedt of Crime, and is always occafioned by a Cun- fcioufnefs of Guilt, whether it be actual Guilt, or intentional, Guilt of a Fadt al- ready committed, or Guilt of a Crime refolv'd on, 'tis much the fame.

Before Adam and Eve knew Evil as well as Good, before they were confcious of Offence, they went naked, and blufh'd not, and 'tis moft fignificantly exprefs'd, they knew vot that they were vaked-^ they knew not that Nakednefs was a Turpitude, an Indecenc3, and therefore when Ada7n gives that poor, foolifli Excufe for hiding himfelf from the Eyes of the infinite Author of Sight, and fays, becaufe he was yiaked. Gen. iii. 10, 1 1. GOD asks him, IFho told thee that thou waji naked.


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bouBTLEss before the Fall, Innocence was gi\^en to Man for a Covering, and he not only knew not that he was naked, but he really jp^s 7wt iidkedy though he was not clothed- he knew not how to blufh at being Tjaked^much lefs why.

The fame Innocence is the Protection of Vir- tue to this Day in the untaught Savages in 3i]a- ny Parts of the now known World, where Ka- kednefs is no Offence on one fide, no Snare, no Incentive on the other ^ but Cuftom being the Judge of Decency to them, takes away all Senfe of Indecency in going uncovered, whether in whole, or in Part. See Mr. Milton upon that Head:

God-like EreB^ with Amative Honour clad

In Naked Majejly

So yafsd they Naked on, nor Jfmnnd the Sight

0/ God or Angel, for they thought 710 III

Milton, Par, fol 9>.

Now the fame Cuftom in thefe Northern Parts having concurr'd with the NeceiFity of the Climate on one Hand, and the Laws of Religion on the other, to cloath and cover theBody^ the Breach of that Cuftom would be a Breach of Decency, and a Breach of the Laws both of God and Man.

Hence Modcjfy fucceeds, whether as a Virtue in it felf, or as an Appendix to Virtue, we will not difputc- but where the Rules of Decency are broken, a Senfe of Shame com.es in, with as Hiucli Force as if all the Laws of God and Man were broken at once.

It ma;/ be true, that if Man had continued in a State of unfpotted Innocence, unfhaken Vir- tue had been Part of it ^ that as his Soul


had be^n untainted with fo much as a Thought of Crime, fo no Covering had been wanted to any Part of his Body, other than the Severities of Climate might make necefiar}^^ but to ju- ftify what has been done ffnce, that 1 may take Notice of the Manner, and put you in Mind of the Authority of it too, we may obferve that as his Guilt m.ade him 7iakedy GOD him- felf covered him with his own Hand, Gev. iii. 21, it is faid pofitivel}^, that GOD clothed them with the Skins (we fuppofe) of Beafts : Uvta Adam alfo a7id to his Wife did the Lord Gob make Coats of Skills^ and clothed thoju So fooii were the Creatures dedicated to the Conveni- ence, as well as Life of Man.

HENCE,tho^Nakednefs in a ftate of Innocence had been no Offence at that time, it is other-* wife now-, and we have the Sanction of Heaven to enforce the Decency, as we have the Force of the Seafons to urge the Ncceiiity of Clo«  thing : It were to be wilh'd we had nothing to fay of the Indecency even of the Clothing, and hoxv we ftudy to go naked in our very Clothes, and that after God himfelf put them on to co- ver us too. But of that by it felf

God having then appointed, and Nature compelled Mankind to feck Covering, all the Pretences for going raked on that account are at an End ^ a meer Chimera, an Enthufiaftick Dream, feldom attempted but by a Sedt of Madmen, worfe than Lunatick, who, heated v/ith ^ religious Pbrevzy^ (the Worft of all Pof^ feilions) pretend to Naked nefs as the Effe£t of their Innocence, at the fame Tim.e making it a: Sfcreen to all Manner of Lev/dneft and Debau- chery.

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Nature and Religion having thus introduced Decency, the ftrid and religious regard paid to that Decency is become a Virtue ^ ellential Vir- tue, and is fo in all the requifite Parts of Vir- tne:^ I mean, thofe which are underftood as com* manded by the Laws of GOB^ or by the Lawx of NATURE, and this is MODESTY, as it is the Subjed: of our prefent Difcourfe.

We fay that Modefty is the guard of Virtue 5 and in fome refpeds it is fo-, and were Modefty univerfal. Virtue would need no other Defence. But as the World now ftands, fhe is fain to fly to other Succours, fuch as Laws of Men, the Command of Religion, the Power of Rcafon, and, at laft, the Protedion of Governours • fo hard is fhe purfued by Vice and the degenerate Paffions of Men.

MODESTY then, as I am to underftand it here, and to difcourfe about it, is nothing but a ftrid regard to Decency, as Decency is a ftrict regard to Virtue, and Virtue is a ftrid regard to Religion ^ indeed they feem all, in fome Senfe, to be fynonimous, and to mean the fame thing. It is true. Honour and Virtue may (fpeaking ftridly) be fa id in fome Cafes to be prefervecl, though Decency is not fo much, or equally regarded : But let all that plead the poliibility of that Diftindion hicw^ that hovr- ever poilible it may be, it is fo far from being probable fthat where Decency is given up Ho- nour fliould or can be preferved) that they will find it verjrhard to have it be believed • as they that give up their Modefty cannot be faid to preferve Decency, fo thej^ that give up Decency will be liardly believed to preferve their Vir- tue^

Hence


Hence Moiejly is become a Virtue in it felf^ and, if it be not literally and exprefsly all that is underftcod by the Word Virtue, 'tis Virtue's compleat Reprefentative, its true Image, and thty are as infeparable as the Gold and the Gliftering.

The Objed of Alodeftj refpects three Things.

1. Modeft3r in Difcourfe.

2. Modefty in Behaviour.

3. Modefty in regard to Sqx&s,

I. By Moiejly in Difcourfe I think I muft of Neceility be underftood, a Decency of ExpreC- fion^ particularly, as our Difcourfe relates toA- clions or Things (whether necefTary or acciden- tal) that are and ought to be Matters of Secrefj^ Things which are to be fpoken of with referve, and in Terms that md,j gii'-e no offence to the chafle Ears and Minds of others, and yet per- haps are of Necelfity to be fpoken to. Indeed fuch Things, with refpect to Decency, ought nex-er to be fpoken of at all, but when Necef- iity urges ^ and it were to be wiihed, that in a Chriftian and Modeft Nation, where the Laws of Decency are exprefsly admitted as Rules of Life, all immodeft Difcourfes were decry 'd by univerfal Cuftom-, and efpecially that Printing and Publiihing fuch Things as are not to be read with the like Decencj^, were effectually fupprefs'd. But as I have made that Subject a Part of this Vv^ork, I fay no more of it hepe.

2. By Modefty in Behaviour^ I underftand that which we call Decorum, Diftance and Defe- rence in Converfation, chiefljr as it refped:s the Diftindtion of Qualities in the Perfons

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Gonverfirg ^ hut that Part is not at all con- cerned in this Dilcourfe, our prefent Deliga looking quite another way.

The lafl: of thefe, (viz.) Modejly with refpeB to Sexes^ is the Subject intended in this Tra^t, efpeciall}^ as it is confined to this one Branch of it, namelj^ the Conjugal Part of Life^ the Inter- coiirfe betVv^een thcwSexes, or the freedom of con- verfing between a Man and his "VVife^ in which many think alltheRnles and Laws of Modeftj nre iinifhcd and at an end ^ a Miftakc fo grols, fo full cf fatal Mifchiefs to the Publick Vir- tue, and to the intent and incaning cf Decency in general, that it is niuch in a Nation io every way Virtuous as this, and where the Rules of Virtue are enforced by wholefome Laws, fucli a corrupt Notion Die old fpread fo far, and fo man}^ Abfurdities break out into Practice upon that Subjedl.

The Notion is, that there is no more fuch a Thing as Modejly to l:e named between a Man and his Wife ^ that as they are but oiie Flefh, and indeed but one Bod}?', there's no Nakednefs between them : That v/cre tliey alone Covering would be not only necdlefs but Nonfence, if t\\i^ Climate did not require it •, that nothing can be indecent, nothing imiproper^ that there's no Reflraint, and that no Law can be broken hj them, but every thing is Handfome, every thing Honeli, and every thing Mcdeil ^ that ■tis a full Aniwer to all Reproach in any Cafe that may be charged, tolay it was my own Wife- or it xvas none but my own Husband ^ this is made the Covering to all manner of furfeiting Indecencies and ExcefTcs:, of which I am to fpeak at large in their Qrder.

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It is high time to combat this Error of I ife, and the more, becaufe it is grown up to a heighth not onl}^ fcandaloiis, but criminal and offenfive, and, in fome things, unnatural^ and ftill the more, becaufe 'tis a Miftake that is encreafing, and 'tis fear'd may go higher, till at laft it may break out into yet greater Abo- minations.

The Difficulty before me is, to know how to reprove with Decency offences againft Decency^ how to expofe Modeitly Things which 'tis hard- ly Mcdeft fo much as to mention, and which muft require abundance of clean Linnen to wrap them up in ^ how to fpeak of naufeous and ofFenlive Things, in Terms which fhall not give offence, and fcourge immodeft Adionswith an unblameableModefty^ that is, without run- ning out into Expreiiions which ftiall offend the niodeft Ears of thofe that read them •, this, I fa}'-, is the only Difficult}^

I am infulted already oi^ this Head by the rude and felf-guilty World ^ my very Title and the bare advertifing my Book, they Jay^ is a Breach upon Modefty, and it offends their Ears even before it is publifhed. Thej^-not only tell me it will be an Obfcene and immodeft Book, but that it is impoffible it fhould be otherwife; They fay, I may pretend to as much referved- nefs and darknefs of Expreffion as I pleafe, and may skulk behind a Croud, or indeed a Cloud of Words-, but my meaning will be reach'd, and the lewd Age will make plain Evglijf) of it^ nay, that I fhall make \>Wm EvgliJI) of it my felf, before I have gone half thro' the Work.

Others, armed with the fame ill Nature, have their To igaes poiloned with another kind of Yenom, and they tell me it is an immodeft

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Subject •, that as it cannot be handled decent!)^, and cannot be difcours'd of modeftly, fo it is not intended to be fo, but that 'tis a meer Bait to the Curiofi ty of that Part of the reading World, whofe Vices are proinpted as much by a pretended reproving them as by the plaineft ExprelHons : That it forms the fame Ideas in their Minds, and they receive the Notions of Vice in as lively a form by the very Methods tak- en to expofe and condemn the Fads, as if thofe Fads were reprefented to the Opticks in all their Ihanielefs Nudities, with the moft vitious and corrupt Drefs that could be put upon them on a Stage, or in a Mafque- rade.

I Ihall anfwer thefc People befl by a Silence in my Introdudion, ancT a fpeaking Perfor- mance. It is my Bufinefs to let them fee they are miftaken, and that a truly modeft Defign may be purfued with the utmoftDecency, even in treating of a Subjed, in which all the vileft Breaches made upon Decency by a wicked and hitherto unreproved Behaviour are to be cenfured and expofed: As to a vicious Mind forming corrupt Ideas from the mofl: modeft Expreiiions, I have only this to fay 5 The Crime of that Part is whoU}?' their own, I am no way concerned in it: The healing frudifying Dews, and the gentle fweet refrelhing Showers, which are God's Bleiling upon the Earth, when they fall into the Sea are all turned Salt as the Ocean, ting'd with the grofs Particles of Salt which the Sea- Water is io full of The fame warm cherifhing Beams of the Sun which raife thofe fweet Deivs from the Earth, (hining upon the ftagnate Waters of an unwholfome Lake or Marfh, or upon a corrupted Jakes or Dunghill,

exhale


exhale noxious Vapours and Poifons, whidi infed the Air, breeding Contagion and Dil- e^fes in thofe that breathe in it. But the Fault i|4io.t in the Showers of refreihing Rain, or in the wholefome Beams of the Sun, but in the Salt, and in the Filth and Corruption of the Places where they fall. And thus it fhall be here-, Words modeftlj exprefled can give no immodeft Ideas, where the Minds of thofe that read are chafte and uncorrupted. But if a vicious Mind hears the Vice reproved, and forms pleafing Ideas of the Crime, without tak- ing notice of the juft Reproof, the fault is in the Depravity of the Mind, not in the needful and juft Reprover. I lliall therefore take no no- tice of that Suggeftion, as what I think does not deferve the leaft Regard, but go on to a juft Cenfure of the Crime, in fuch a manner, as, I hope, fhall neither leffen the Reproof, or ex- pofe the Reprover.

In order to this, I may indeed lie under fomc Reftraints, be confined to a narrow Compafs of Words, and the Story may v\^ant in fome Places the Illuftration of appofite Similies, ufeful Ar- .guments, and, above all, of flagrant Examples, to fet off and fet home the Arguments that are made ufe of-, and this, to the great Lofs of the Author, in taking away thofe Ornaments of his Difcourfe ♦, but where it cannot be otherwife the Reader muft be content to abate it.

However,! pretend to fa), you will not find it a dry, a dull, or a barren Subjed, for all thai -^ and though fomething may be loft, and much left out, to preferve the Rules of Modeft}^, which I could not reprove the Breaches of with Juftice, if the Work was Criminal it felf, yet I doubt not to find you Subjecl of Diver/ion

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erioiigh, mixed with the Gravity of the Story^ £q as, I hope, not to tire you with the Reading ^ at the fame time preferving the Chaftity of the Subjed, the Authority of a Reprover, und binding my felf down with all poll!- tie Severity to the Laws of Decency, Mo- defty and Virtue, which I v/rite in the De- fence of.

But now, while I am making thefe Provi- fo's, pray let me be underftood too with that jufl: and neceflary Liberty of Speech which fiiall render my Difcourfe intelligible. I am neither going to write in an unknown Tongue, p.or in an unintelligible Stile ^ I am to fpeak fo as to be underftood, and I will not doubt tet I Ihall be underftood ^ and thofe whofe vi- tiouis Appetites are under Government, fo as to give them leave to relifti decent Reproof for indecent Things, may underftand me without large Explications, efpecially on Occafions where they know the Cafes will not bear it.

The Scripture is the Pattern of Decency, and, (as the learned Annotator Mr. Poo/, in his Sytwp^s Criticonun^ and in his Annotations alfo obferves) fpeaks of all the Indecencies of Men v!ix\\ the utmoft Mcdefty-, yet neither does the Scripture forbear to command Virtue, gives Laws and Rules of Chaftity and mcdeft Beha^ viour, and that in very many Places, and on all needful Occaiions : Nor does the Scripture fail to reprove the Breach of thofe Laws in thQ moft vehement manner, condemning the fads, and cenfuring and judging tlie guilty Perfons with the utmoft Rigour and Severity, as I Ihall on many Occafions be led to ob.ferve as I go on. Let none tnerefore flatter them- felves that their Crimes lliall avoid the La(h

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of a juft Satyr in this "Worlc, for want of Ex- preflions fuited to the Nature of the Reproof, and the Yilenefs of the Offence. We fhall find Words to expofe them, without giving a Bicw to Decency in the Reproof^ we Ihall find Ways and Means to drefs up furfeiting Crimes in foftening Language 5 fo that none but the Guilty need to blufh, none but the Criminals be offended.

But the Crime muft be reproved^ there's a NecelFity for the Reproof as there is a Neceiiity of a Cure in a violent Diftemper. Do we reckon it a Breach of Modefty for the Body to be expofed in Anatomies, and publifhed with learned Lectures on every Part by tlie Anato- mifts > Are not the vileft and raoft unnatural of all Crimes neceflarily brought before Courts of Juftice, that the Criminals may be punifhed as they deferve ? And though it may be true, that fometimes judicial Proceedings are not m.a- naged with fuch Decency in tiiofe Cafes as others think they might, and which, however, I allow to be fometimes unavoidable •, yet not- withftanding all that can be pretended of Im- modefty in thofe Proceedings, the Punifhrnent of the Criminal, or his being fentenced muft not be omitted, for the preferving the Modeity of the Trial •, an Offender would come well off in many Offences, befides this I am treating of, if he muft not be brought to Juftice, becaufe the very mention of his Crime would put criminal Ideas into the minds of thole that hear of it.

Let it fuffice then in the Cafe before us ^ I am entring upon a juft and needful Cenfure of prepofterous and immodeft Actions-, I ihall per- form it in as decent and referved Terms as I am

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able to do, and as a Man meaning to correftj not encourage, Vice is able to do. If a lewd Fancy will entertain it felf with the meer Ideas of Crime, where it is only with the utmoft Seve- rity condemued. Be the Crime to the Criminal, I fee no reafon to be afraid of doing Juftice on that Account. A Man is to be executed for Sodomy ^ Nature and the Laws of God require it ^ Muft not the Criminal die becaufe all that fee or hear of it muft immediately form Ideas of the Crime in their Thoughts, nay, and per- haps may think criminally of it > This would give a loofe to Wickednefs indeed, and Men might Sin with moft Freedom where their Crimes were too vile to be punilhed, becaufe they were too grofs to be named.

So whejt a Cloud its hajly Shotp^rs fends iown^ The f re iJieant to fniBify and not to drown -^ And in a Torrent if a Drtinhard finTz^ ^Tis not the Flood that drowjishim but the Drijth But hwould he hard hecaufe a Sinner* sflain^ For fear of Browning we Jhould have no Raiju

Besides, itwou'd be a light efcape^ and fome of our firft Readers would triumph another way over the Author, if they could be fatisfied that they had finned in a manner fo grofs that he could not find Words to reprove them in ; I mean, fuch Words as were fit for modeft Ears to bear the hearing of. Our well known Friend

G A , with liis three Brether, (as they

call them in the North) who think themfelves beyond the reach of Reproof, as they are out of the reacli of Confcience, may find themfelves miftaken here ^ and that if they will venture

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for once to think and look in, the}'- may fee themfelves touched to the quick, and yet the Readers hardly ahle to guefs at their Crime, and not at all at their Perfons ^ which laft they ought to acknowledge is a fpecial Favour to them, whether they deferve it or no.

So kind have I been to their Fame, and fo careful to leave Room for their Amendment, which I would hope for in fpite of their folemn Vows to the contrary.

Nor {hall that eminent Brute of Quality pafs untouched here, whofe Name or Titles need no other mention than what are to be fumm'd up in this {hort Charafter :

A Life of Crime ^ with this peculiar Fajtie^ lyithoiit Sejife of Guilty and pajl Senfe of Shame,

I fay, he fhall fee his mofi: inimitable Way of Sinning ftabbed to the Heart, and damn'd with an unanfwerable and unexceptionable Reproof^ and yet without any Defcription ei- ther of his Perfon or his Offence, other than as may be Read by himfelf, and thofe that know him •, though I muft allow him to be the weak- eft and the wickedeft Thing alive 5 vain of be- ing the firft in a Crime, and the laft that will leave it ^ that blufties at nothing but the thoughts of Blulhing, and thinks a Man of Wit can be aftiamed of nothing but Repentance^ That Sins

for the fake of Crime without the pleafure of

it, and is got feven Degrees in Sin beyond the Devil^ in that he not only boafts of Sins which he never committed, but tells the World he FIBS, by boafting of Sins, which all the Town knows he cannot commit. '

//


tf fiich a Wretch on Earth ye Gods there le^ ril die if pur Sir ■ he 7wt he.

Nor let another flagrant Example of married Lewdnefs trouble himfelf, or exprefs his Con- cern, leaft he Ihould be omitted in this Work for fear of our offending the chafl: Ears of our Readers With his vile Story.

A City Shmer^ fiamelefs as his Cfhne,

Let him not doubt but he may find himfelf fuitably reproved, feeing he is fo fond of it ^ and fince he defires the Famie of being fuperla- tivelj Wicked, he may hear of it in a manner that ihall make others blufh for hiiil, though he can't blufh for himfelf.

Bu T to pafs thefe and fome more, for in this Age of prepofterous Crime we fhould never find our Way out, fliould we enter into the Labj^rinth of Charaders, and bring on Regi- ments of Examples. Our prefent Buiinefs is with the Offence not with the Offenders, with the Crimes not the Criminals ; if a juft Satyr on the wicked Part vvill not reclaim us, I doubt the Lift of the Guilty of both Sexes, though it would indeed be as nurnerous as our City train'd Bands • would be as ufelefs a Mufter as that at the Artillery Ground, and find as little Refor- mation among them.

As it is in ordinary Crimes^ that Men Sin on becaufe they fcorn and are alhamed to Repent,, fo in the Cafe before me, when they are launched into the moft flagrant of all Crimes^ things fo odious that 'tis offenfive to modefi Ears fo much as to hear of tlKm^ and difficult


t '5 1

to a mddeil Pen fo much as to write of them^' they take hold of the hellifh Advantage, and make the greatnefs, the fuperlative Blacknefsof their Offences be their Protection in the com-^ mitting them-, as if they were out of the reacli of Reproof, becaufe no modeft Pen can dip in the Dirt, or rake in the Dunghil of their Vices, without being fullied and daub'd hy them ^ that it would be fcaiidalous for any mo- deft Man fo much as to mention what they do not think it fcandalous to do. Thus the har- dened and fearlefs A C , who

defies God and Man, laughs at Reproach, and threatens every Reprover, impudently faid to his Parifh Minifter that modeftly fpoke of his Crimes, " Ton viay talk to vie here^ BoBor^ at " home, hit you dare vot /peak a Jf^ord of it in

    • tlie Fulpit ^ / a7n out of your reach there • Wby^

all the Women woitld run out of the Churchy ani theyW throw Stories at you as you go along ths " Street if you did hit inentioji it.

Hapfy Criminal! that hugs himfelf in being too Vile to be reproved, or fo much as modeft- ly mentioned-, that his Crim.es cannot be ex- pofed becaufe modeft Ears cannot bear to hear them fpoken of Let the Offender, who is fam'd for being Revengeful, and who is not fo far off as not to hear of it, refent it if he thinks fit ; I am told he will foon hear more of it, where it may be fpoken of without fear of his Anger,

This very Cafe runs parculel with what I am now engaged in ^ but the Age Ihall fee the EfFecl fhall not anfwer their End. Shall it be Criminal to reprove the Offence which the}' think it is not Criminal to commit ? Muft we Bluih to fpeak of what thev will not Blufli- to

do>


[ 16 ■]

do? And mull the moft detcftable Things go ori in practice, becaufe we dare jiot go on to cry them down ? God forbid we fhould by Silence feem to approve that "Wickednefs, while that Si- lence is occafioned only becaufe the Wickednefs is too grofs to be reproved.

Sure our Language is not fo barren of Words as that we cannot find out proper Expreflions to reprehend an impudent Generation, with- out Breach of Decency in the Didlion-, or that immodeft Adions majr not be modeftly expofed.

If corrupt Imaginations will rife up, and Men will pleafe themfelves with the Difficulty Iain put to forWords-3 if they will turn my moft referved Terms into lewd and vitious Ideas, and debauch their Thoughts while I expofe their Debaucheries, let them go on their own Way ^ let them think as wickedly as they pleafe, they fliall owe it to themfelves, not to me^ both the Fire and the Tinder are all their own. Here fliall be no Materials to work upon, no Combuftibles to kindle, but what they bring with them.

But the Work muft be done in fpite of the Difficulty. Shall they watch for a flip of my Pen, and take Advantage, if poffible, from any iTiifplaced Word, to reprove me of Indecency in the neceflary Work of reproving their fliamelefs Immodefliy ? Mufl: I be affiamed to expofe the Crime which they are not afliamed to be guiltjr of, and blufh to mention the Things they boafl: of Doing ? The Truth is, I know not why I fliould not freely name the Men, who in the open Cofl^ee-houfes, and in their common wicked Difcourfes, publickly brag of the moft immodeft and fliamelefs Be- haviour,


[17] .

iiaviour, and vilely name themfelves to be guilty of it, make fport of the Crimes, and value themfelves in being the Criminals j but. it fhall not be long before I may fpeak of it much plainer*

Ho w E V E R, as the Offence is flagrant, is grown fcandalous and notorious, and that we find the Age ripening up by^ it to the higheft and moft unnatural of all Crimes, to the Ihame of Soci- ety, and to the fcandal even of the Proteftant Profeflion*, I have undertaken to begin the War againft it as a Vice, and hope to make good the Charge, though I know I do make the At- tempt at the rifque of all that a modeft Writer has to hazard.

He that undertakes a Satyr againft an uni- verfal Cuftom, fhall be fure to raife upon him- felf an univerfal Clamour •, my Lord Rochejler is plain in that Cafe :

- " Nor Jl: all weak Truth your Reputation fave^ " The Knaves will all agree to call you Knave.

It muft be acknowledged the Age is ripened up in Crime to a dreadful heigh th, and it is not a light, a gentle Touch, that will bring them to blufh. The Learned aad Reverend Mi- nifters, the Good, the Pious, who would re- prove them, are forced to content themfelves to fit ftill, and pray for them-, and, as the Scripture fa}^^, to mourn in Secret for their Abomijtatioiis 5 they cannot foul their folemn Difcourfes with the Crimes which they have to Combat with 5 the Pulpit is facred to the venerable Office of a Preacher of G O D's Word^ and the Gravity of the Place, a decent Regard to the Worlr, and efpecially to the Affembly, forbids them pol-

C luting


luting their Months with the filthy Behaviour of thofe they fee Caufe to reprove : And this in^kes many a lewd and vitious Wretch go unexpofed, at leaft as he deferves^ and many a fcandalous Crime, as well as the rich and pow- erful Criminals, go unreproved.

The auxiliary Prefs therefore muft come in to fupply the deficiency -, they may read, I hope, what they could not hear: Nor am I afraid of the Faces of Men, that, eminent in Wickednefs, flagrant in Lewdnefs, and aborr--i nable in Tongue, as well as Pradice, the famr us

and infamous in the worft of Vices, Sir

P ^ fhall here fee himfelf marked out

for his odious Behaviour, in defiance of his Quality or Power. He who by Office and Authority punilhes every Day lefs Cnncs than he commits, who fins out of the rcii- :'ii of Reproof from the Pulpit, becaufe too vile (as well as too powerful) to be fpoken of by a mo- deft Divine, who perhaps thinks it his Duty rather to Pray for him, which he laughs at, than to Reprove him, which he would ftorm and fwear at •, I fay, he fhall find what was faid in another Cafe :

The Frefs may reach him, who the Piilpt fcorns^

And he whofe flagrant Vice the B adorns :

The fearlefs Satyr fliall to Rage give verity Afii teach him how to BhtJIj, tho' not Re^e^it,

In fhort, 'tis a ftrange World! and we are grown up to a ftrange heighth in our Notions of Things! we have brought our felves to a Con- dition very particular to the Day, and fingular

^s I may fay, to our felves ^ the Policy of our

Vices


Vices has got the better of Virtue, and tht Criminals have managed themfelves fo aftfiillry that, it feems, they may Sin with lefs hazard of Reputation, than the Innocent may reprove them: For Example,

The Crime is now lefs Scandal than Repen- tance, and, as the Proverb fays, 'tis a Ihame to Steal, but 'tis a double fhame to carry Home again «, fo 'tis a Ihame to Sin, but 'tis a double ^hftme to Repent-, nay, we go beyond all that,

  • tm no ihame to be Wicked, but to Whine and

Repent is intolerable 5 and, as the late Colonel

H • faid, in the flagrance of his Wit, that

it n'vight be a Fault to Whore, and Drink, and Swear, and fome worfe Sins of his, which he rec:/;>Tjed up^ but to Repent ! to Repent! fays he^ \ii)*:|)eating the Words) nothing of a Gentle- man can come into that ^ to be Wicked, adds he, is wicked, that's true 5 but to Repent, that's the DeviL

  • ' BluJ/j to Repent y hut iiever hliijl) to Shu

But the Rubicon's paft, it muft be put to the venture ^ and let Rage and exafperated Luff lo its worfi:, the lewd Age Ihall hear their liamelefs Behaviour as well expofed as it will tear, and that without any Ihamelefs Doings in the Reproof^ they will find no Levity here 5 no cleanling Blurs with blotted Fingers ^ they ihall have nothing to Blufh for but that they give occafion for fuch a Reproof, which being engaged with them on the occafion of their filthy Conduct, may be forced to fpeak of it iir Terms neceflaryto exprefs our deteftation of it, but not at all adapted to encourage or recom- mend it

C 2 C H A Pi


[ -o ]


C H A p. I.

of Matrimony^ the Nature of it, its facred Orighial, and the true intent and meaning of its Inflitution-^ as alfo how our Notions of it are degenerated, the Qhligations of it difregarded, and the Thing it Jeff as a State of Life, grojlj ahufed,

^^^piEING to difcourfe in a particular


^HffitSl ^"^ extraordinary Manner of the ^^ll^lj Breaches of the Matrimonial Rela- l^^^^^j tion, with the Dilorders- which are committed under the Protedicn of Matrimony-, and being to exhibit a Charge of VerjT- high Crimes and Mifdemeanors againft fome People who think themfelyes very Virtuous and Modeft, and yet give themfelves all thofe Ma- trimonial Liberties : It is highly needful to ex- plain to fuch feemingly Ignorant, what the true intent and meaning of that ill-underftood State of Life is;, what it imports^ and how Chriftiaris- ought to rate and efteem the Obligation of it in the Conduct of a regular Life.

For as I find my Judgment of Things is- like to differ from others, that what they think lawful I fhall condemn as criminal, and'cenfure what they think moderate and fober, the Pre- liminaries ought to be fettled as we go*, that we may begin upon right Principles, lea- ving


[^I ]

ving no Room to cavil at Terms, and dlfpute upon Conftruction of Words, nicety of Expret fion, double Entendres^ and fuch Trifles. I re- folve to fpeak plainly, and would be under- ftood diftindly.

Matrimony is, according to the Words in the Office appointed in our Liturgy, GOD's Or^ dhiance^ that I Ihall prove to you prefently ^ but 'tis moreover GOD^s holy 0rdhia7jce, Now if it be a holy Ordinance, the married Life has a Sanc- tion too, and ought to be preferved facred,not be debauched with criminal Exceffes of any kind 5 much lefs Ihould it be made a coverand skreen for thofe matrimonial Intemperances which I now fpeak of, and which I Ihall prove to be not on- ly fcandalous to, but unworthy of Matrimony, as a facred ftate of Life.

As it is GOD's Ordinance, and an holy Or- dinance, fo 'tis an honourable State-, the Apo- ftle fays, Marriage is hojwurable, Heb, xiii. 4. But then you are to obferve alfo, that it is immediately added, and the Bed intde filed. Now this nice Term of the Bed undefiled, requires fome Explanation, and in that perhaps we may differ. They that think the Marriage-Bed can- not be defiled but by Adultery, will greatly dif- fer from me ^ and 'tis myBulinefs to prove they are miftaken, which, if I do not, I do no- thing.

But, that I may do it with the more clear- nefs, and leave no Room for Difpute, I there- fore fet apart this firft Chapter to confider Ma- trimony in general, what it is, how we ought to underftand it, and what the End and Defigii of GOD's Appointment in it was, and ftill is; and by this, I think, I may make Way for a jnore exact Obfervation of thofe Duties which

C 2 th« 


the matrimonial Vow is Taid to bind us to, and expofe the fcandalous Miftakes of thofe who make it a Cloke to all Licentioufnels.

As foon as our Mother EVE was firft form'd, had juft found her felf in Being, and though fhe had feen nothing about her, yet had a Soul as capacious of Knowledge as the Man flie was made for. The Text fays, GOD brought her to the Man, Gen. ii. 2 2. that is, in (hort, GOD mar- Tied them. Adam himfelf exprefies it, cap. iii. 1 2. The Woman whom thou gavejl me, N,B, GOT} gave the Bride.

Hence I obferve by the way, tho' with all poflible Brevity, that they are certainly wrong who challenge the Clergy for engrolling the Office of Marrying, as if it did not belong to them, but was a meer Civil Contradl, and therefore was no Perquifite of the Church, but the Bufinefs of the Magiftrate.

I fay, hh a Mlfiake •, for as it was inftituted immediately from the divineAuthority, fo it was folemnized by him who having alone Inftituted it, had a Right to perform the Ceremony •, for this Reafoii it is called GOD's holy Ordinance ; and though I do not think it ought to be called a Sacra7Jienty yet without doubt GOD himfelf put a facred Charader upon it as he honoured it with a particular Law, the fecond Law given in Paradife, nameljr, that the Man Ihould leave his Father and his Mother a7id cleave unto his Wife, Gen. ii. 24. after which, as GOD, who was the Father of Eve, gave her in Marriage, fo the Paternal Authority preferved the Right of Marriage ever after, as they did the Prieft- hood, (for the Patriarch was the Prieft) and had it by the fame Authority^ Hence the Parent giv- ing the Bride is to ihis Day a remainder of that

Autho-


Authority. The Ceremony then being truly Religious, and an Ordinance of GOD, it goes with GOD's other Ordinances, away to the Prieft, whofe Bufinefs it is to exercife all reli- gious Offices i and this among the reft.

Also here, if you will allow me to Preach, it Ihall be againft the Plurality of Wives : From this Pattern in Paradife Poligamy feems to be utterly condemned -, and though in the Times of After-Ignorance many Things were prac- tifed, which, as the Text fays, GOD winked at, yet in the Beginning it was not fo •, and we may as well Argue for marrying two Sifters, as Ja^ coh^ and perhaps feveral others did, till it was efpecially prohibited, as for marrying many "Wives at once, which 'tis evident our Saviour forbids, and the Argument againit them are alike, as I faid above, (viz,) That in the Begiii* 7iing it was 7wt fo. ^

I know 'tis alledged, that the encreafe of Mankind, in thofe early Ages of Time, made it necefTary ^ but might it not be much more a Reafbn in AdairCs Cafe when he was alone } And why did not GOD, for the immediate Propagation of the kind, and encreafe of the World, make his Rib into half a dozen Wiv^es for Adain^ or as many as he had pleas'd.

But 'tis evident, one Wife to one Husband was thought beft by his Maker, who knew what was beft, and moft calculated for his tem- poral Felicity ^ as to the encreafe of People, 'twas evident the Race foon multiplied •, and, after the Interruption of the firft Growth, and the Difafter of Abefs Death, the long Life of the Antediluvians alfo confidered, the Numbers of People foon encreafed, and that in a prodigious manner ^ for, if you will believe the learned

C 4 Author


[ -4 ]

Author of the Theory of the Earth, 'tis proba- ble there were much greater Numbers of People alive at the Deluge than ever were in the World at any one time iince, or than are now •, tho* the World is thought to be more populous now than ever it has been fince the Deluge.

The Argument for the encreafe of People could not be greater fince, than it was in Para- dife^ and had God approved of it, or thought it reafonable, he would certainly have given Adam more Wives than one at firft. Belides, one AVife was given him as a Help meet ^ by which it is evident the Original underftands it a Help fufficient to him, intimating, that they were in every Thing fufficient to one another-, and not to enter into that Part of it which re- fped their Sexes, which my lewder Readers will perhaps look for- 'Tis evident, that a lingle landed Matrimony is many Ways adapted to the Felicity cf human Life more than a ftate of Poligamy; the Effed of a Plurality of Wives having always been Family-Strife, En- vying, and cX^arrelling, between the Women especially, no Part of which could much add to the Felicity of the Husband, and often did embark the Husband in the Breach, as in the Examples cf Sarah and Hagar, Leah and Rachel, HaytTtah and Pejimnah, and many others.

On the other hand, we fee the moft eminent of the Patriarchs had but one Wife, at leaft we read of no more -, even Abraham, except in the Cafe of Hagar, who was but a Concubine at moft, had but one Wife at a Time-, IJaac had never any but Rebecca, Jofeph, Mofes, Aarov^ and feveral others ^ the groffer Ufe of Wo- men came in with David, as the fetting up a Seraglio of Whores did with King Solomon ^

butj


[ M 1

but, to repeat our Saviour's Words again, in the Beginning it was not fo.

But I fhali fpeak of that Part again in its Courfe. "What I have now faid is but a Di- grellion made neceffary as an Obfervation on me manner of the firjft Wedding ^ the Man and the Woman, as I have faid, were fingle and fe- parate, but God made them to affociate toge- ther, fo he brought the TFovian to hivi, and gave her to be with him, that is, as above, GOD married them,

God having thus ordained Matrimonj^, and folemnized the firft Nuptials in Paradife, it cannot be denied to be, as our Office of Matri- mony declares it, G OD's holy Ordhtajwe. How our Notions of it are degenerated, the Bonds of it difregarded, and the whole Inftitution abu- fed, is the Subjed: of this whole Undertaking, but efpecially of this Chapter.

What the true intent and meaning of Ma- trimony, in its firft Inftitution, was, and what the Nature of that Contradt points at, I fhail leave in better Hands ^ the learned Fathers of the Church have, in all Ages, taken Pains to explain thofe Things to you : Nor am I going about to Preach, as a Reverend Divine lately did to the furprize of his Auditory, on Ge7u iv. ver. I. Adam knew his Wife Eve. But there are a great many Civil Views in t]\Q Inftitution of Matrimony, which the propagating of the kind has little or no Concern in, and the Ordinance of Matrimony fufters as much by our fcanda- lous Notions of it, as a State of Life, as it does in any other Part.

Nor is the fubordination any Part of the Cafe lam upon^ I am fo little a Friend to that which they call Government and Obedience

between


fcetween the Man and his "Wife, efpeciallj as Ibme People would have it be underftood, and as the common Talk is managed when fuch Things come in our way ; that the Ladies will take no Offence at me, I dare faj. I don't take the State of Matrimony to be defigned as that of Apprentices who are bound to the Family, and that the Wife is to be us'd only as the up- per Servant in the Houle. The great Duty be- tween the Man and his Wife, I take to confifi: in that of Love, in the Government of Af- feSion, and the Obedience of a complailant, kind, obliging Temper ^ the Obligation is reci- procal, 'tis drawing in an equal Yoke^ Love knows no fuperior or inferior, no imperious Command on one hand, no reluftant Subjection on the other ^ the End of both fliould be the well-ordering their Family, the good-guiding their Houfhold and Children, educating, in- Krufting mid managing them with a mutual Endeavour, and giving refpeClively good Ex- amples to them, direding others in their Duty hy doing their own well, guiding themfelves in every Relation, in order to the well guiding all that are under them ^ filling up Life with an equal Regard to thole above them, and thofe below them, fo as to be Exemplar to

all.

This is Matrimony in its juft appointed meaning, whatever Notions our fafhionable People may have of it. What Import eife can thofe Words have in them, which we find fo carefully placed, and fo openly repeated in tlie Office at the Time of Marriage, 7^ih thou lovs her^ live with her^ comfort her, honour^ keep her^ and again, to love and to cherifi, and afterward

  • tis added, that you will do all this according

tQ


to GOD^s holy Oriinance-^ which, if I may ex^ pound in very plain Words, is, according to the true intent and meaning of the firft Infti- tution, and that is in the Senfe of God him- felf, to be a Help meet to one another.

Upon the whole, the Matrimonial Duty is all reciprocal \ 'tis founded in Love, *tis per- formed in the heighth of Affedtion ^ its moft perfeft Accomplilhment conlifts not in the Union of the Sexes, but in the Union of the Souls ^ uniting their Defires, their Ends, and confequently their Endeavours, for compleating their mutual Felicity.

All the fubjedion and fubordination in the TVorld, without this mutual AfFedion, cannot give one Dram of Satisfaction or Enjoyment. How remote our Notions of Marriage in ge- neral are to thefe Things, and how little the prefent Age feems to underftand them, or at leaft to regard them, I need not enquire •, 'tis too viiible in almoft every Family : Nor indeed can it be otherwife, except by fome rare Exam- ple of Virtue and good Humour meeting on both Sides, which, as Marriages are now made, is very unlikeljr to happen ^ 'tis a Lottery of a thoufand Blanks to a Prize.

Not one in five hundred of thofe that now marry, really underftand what they marrjr for ^ I cannot give the detail of their general Ac- count, and of the Anfwers they would give to the Queftion without Bluflies, not at them^ but for them\ I do not mean Blufhing in the Senfe that I generally take the "Word in this Book, but I mean blufhing for the Folly and Igno- rance of the People.

Ask the Ladies why they marry, they tell you 'tis for a good Settlement ^ tho' they had

their


[.8]

their own Fortunes to fettle on tlienifelves be* fore. Ask the Men why they marry, it is for the Money. How few Matches have any other Motive except fuch as I muft mention here- after, and indeed will hardly bear any mention at all, for many known Reafons. How little is regarded of that one effential and abfolutely ne- ceffary Part of the Compofition, called Love, without which the matrimonial State is, I think, hardly lawful, I am fure is not rational^ and, I think, can never be happy.

Hence it follows, that we have fuch few happy and fuccefsful Matches. How much Ma- trimony, how little Love ^ how many Coupled, how few Join'd ^ in a word, how much Mar- riage, how little Friendfhip. O Friendfhip ! thou exalted Felicity of Life, thou glorious Incorporation of Souls, thou heavenly Image, thou polilher and finifher of the brighteft Part of Mankind, how much art thou talked of^ how little underftood, how much pretended to, how little endeavoured for! Where does the kind expeding Husband find a fincere Friend in his Bofom > How feldom does the tender af- fedionate Wife take a Friend into her Arms, even though fhe does take the Perfon, flie takes the Man without the Husband, and the Hus- band without the Friend ? Not Virtue, not Fidelity to the Marriage Bed, not Confcience of the Conjugal Duty, not Religion, will do it-, iw 7wt RELIGIO N ! How manjr Hus- bands and Wives will go to Heaven from the Arms of the Wives and Husbands thej^ had no Friendihip for ?

How miferably do the Pious and the Devout, the Religious and the Confciencious live toge- ther ! the Husbands here, the Wives there, by

jarring


[ -p 1

Jarring Tempers, difcording AfFedtions, and, in Ihort, meer want of Lore and Friendlhip, grow fcandals to the riiarry'd Life, and fet themfelves up for Beacons and Light-houfes, to warn the wandering World, and to bid them beware how thej marry without Love, how they join Hands and not Hearts, unite Interefts, unite Stxcs, unite Families and Relatives, and yet never • unite Hearts ?

How is Matrimony abufed in all thefe Cafes by almoft all Sorts of People, who carrjring a Face of Civility and Union in the married Life, and who, in view of the "World, pafs for fober, modeft, grave, religious, and all that Virtue and Honefty call for among Chriftians-, and yet trace them into their Houfes and Families, their Converfation is grofs, and, in a manner debauched with undecent Language, their Way of living all Luxury and Sloth, their Marriage Covenants broken by Strife and Contention ; in a w^ord, their Houfes a Bedlam^ and their Marriage Bed a Scene of Lewdnefs and ExcefTes riot to be named.

Is this living together after God's holy Or- dinance ? Is this making the Marriage Bed a Bed undefiled? Will they pretend there is no- thing defiles the Marriage Bed but Whoredom, and forfaking the Marriage Covenant. Let not that Miftake be their Protection in the Breach cf the Laws of Nature, and defpifing all the limitations of Decency and Modeft}^ • there are Laws and Limits plac'd by Nature, nay, let me fay, by the God of Nature, even to the conjugal Embraces ^ and a due regard is to be Iiad, in all Cafes, to thofe Laws and Limits. If I am fpeaking to Chriftians I need not ex- plain my felf ^ but as I am to fpeak to fome

People


C jo3

People who, though the World calls them Chriftians, can hardlj, without blulhing, call themfelves fo, I muft be forced to fpeak as plainly as the Laws of Decency will allow, in reproving their Condud, I refer to the Parti- culars in the following Trad, where they who are guilty may find Room to blufh.

It were to be wilhed, that all People that marry were to be ask'd before-hand if they re- ally underftood what Matrimony meant, and what the true intent of a married Life was, as well in its Inftitution, as in the grand Defign of Family-Felicity 5 the married Couple are young, their Blood warm •, the Youth, fir'd with the blooming Beauty of his Bride, thinks cf little all the while the Apparatus of the Wedding is in hand, nay, perhaps all the while he is {feigniTig) I 'Ihould fay making. Love to her, as we weakly call his Courting her, I think we fhould rather call it, all the while he is talking in Jeft to her 5 I fay, all this while he is thiMing of little but getting to Bed to hef. What engages her Thoughts I fay nothing to, for Reafons given already.

THUSjComing together without Thought, we are not to wonder they go on without Condudt, that they adt a thoufand weak and wild Things afterwards, fuch as they often live to bealhamed of, and to blufh at. As they allowed them- felves to think no farther than the wedding Week, fo how awkwardly do they behave when they come to the graver Part of Life ? Matri- mony is not a Branch of Life only, but 'tis a State, 'tis a fettled Eftablifhment of Life, and an Eftv^blilhment for a continuance at leaft of the Life of one of the two. How unhappy are thofe married People, who railily Coming together, as I

faid


[3- ]

TaW juft now, and perhaps with mean and un* thinking Views, I think I may fay, Views un«  worthy of the Dignity and Honour of a mar* ried State, feem furprifed and difappointed when they come to enter upon the fubfequent more weighty and folid Part of the married Life ? How often do we hear them fay. If I had known what it had been to be a Wife, if I had known what it had been to be a Husband, and to have the Care of a Family upon me, and a Houfe-full of Children to provide for, and take care of, I would never have married. Some indeed Repent upon a worfe Foot. But I am fpeaking of it now, even where the Article of a bad Husband or a bad "Wife are not con** cerned.

Marriage is an honourable State or Station of Life, but it is not a thoughtlefs, idle, un- emplojT-ed State, even where the Concerns of th^ Family are eafy, where Plenty flows, and the ' World frniles 5 jret a married Life has its Cares, its Anxieties, its Fmbaraflments, which the young Lady knew nothing of in her Father^s Houfe, where fhe liv'd without Care, without Difturbance, flept without Fear, and wak*d without Sorrows. But married, Ihe is a Miftrefs, fhe is a Mother, ihe is a Wife, every one of which Relations has its little addenda of Incum- cumbrance, and perhaps of Uneafinefs too, be her Circumftances as good otherwife as Ihe can or would fuppofe them to be.

We have an EjigUJIj faying, they that marry in hafte repent at leifure. Now though my Defign is not to run down the married State, and raife frightful Ideas in the Minds of thofe that are to enter into it, fo as to prevent their marrying 5 yet, I hope, I may hint to them,

that


that tliej fhould look before they take this Leap in the Dark, that they fhould confider all the Circumftances that are before them, that they may have no Reafon to repent when they 'Ihall be fure to have no Room for it*

Now, it is not the Matrimony, but the abufe of Matrimony, which is our prefent Subjedt ^ iior let the Ladies be offended, as if I was per- fwading Folks not to marry at all-, it is not refufing Matrimony that I perfuade to in order to prevent thofe Abufcs, but a confider ing and weighing the Circumftances of Matrimony be- fore it is confummated. I agree with the Maids Catechife, where the firft Queftion is, JFhat is the chief End of a Maid ? and the Anfwer is. To he viarried. But I am Arguing to remove the Occafion of thofe Abufes which make the Matrimony ruinous, and a Difafter both to the Man and to the Maid.

This would fecure the AfFedlion of the Par- ties before they marry ^ they would be united before they were joined, they would be mar- ried even before they were wedded, the Love would be poflefs'd before the Perfons, and they would have exchanged Hearts before they ex- changed the Words of, I, N, take thee iV^ in fhort, Matrimony without Love is the Cart be- fore the Horfe, and Love without Matrimony is the Horfe without any Cart at all.

Marrying is not fuch a frightful Thing that we Ihould be terrified at the Thoughts of it, yet it is far from being fuch a trifling Thing either that we fhould run Headlong or Blind- fold into it, without fo much as looking before us. 'Twas a prudent Saying of a young Lady, who wanted neither Wit or Fortune to recom- mend her, that marrying on the Woman's Side

wa*


Was like a Horfe rulhing into the Battle, ivlid depending upon the Hand that rules him, has no Weapon of his own, either offenlive or de- fend ve •, v/hereas, on the Man's fide, like the Soldier, he has both Armour to preferve him- felf, and Weapons to make him be fear'd by his Adverfarjr.

I know not hy what degeneracy in our Man- ners, or corruption of Principles, it is come to pals, but 'tis too general in pradice^ that Matrimony is now looked upon only as a po- litick Opportunity to gratify a vitious Appe- tite: The Form, how facred foever graver Heads may pretend it is in its Inftitution, is now become our Jeft, and not only ridiculed and bantered in our Difcourfe, for that might be born with, but 'tis become a Jeft in practice ^ all the foIemnPart is dropt out of our Thoughts^ the Money and the Maidenhead is the Sub- bed of our Meditations ^ not only the divine Inftitution is made a Stalking-horfe to the bru- tal Appetite, but indeed the beft of Women are betrayed by it into the hands of the vileft of Men, and in the grolTeft manner abus'd^ nay, which is ftill worfe, this is done with a Banter and a Jeft , all the facred Obligations, the in- difTolvable Bands of Religion and Virtue, are trampled under foot ^ the modeft and moft vir-- tuous Lady is impudently defloured, and the Night's Enjoyment boafted of the neit Day in the Arms of a Strumpet • the innocent Bride is poifoned with a Difeafe, and the deteftable Wretch is a Bridegroom, and an Adulterer, in the firft four aiid twenty Hours of his Engage- ment.

A — — — B vvas a Gentlem.an of

Figure and Fortune ^ in his Coach and four, and

D with


[?4]

With a fuitaWe Equipage : He made his Addref- fes to a wealthy Citizen, and Propofals of fuit- able Settlement, for his Confent to court his Daughter. Nothing appeared but what was faj ^ and honourable- he is accepted- the young Lady, virtuous, modcft, beautiful, finely bred, in the Bloom of her Youth, wheedled with his Tongue, and deceived with the appearance of a fine Gentleman, and a Lover, yields to the Propofals, and throws her felf into the Arms of the worft of Monfters.

The very firfl: Moments of his embraces fright her with fomething inexpreliibly nau- feous about him ^ yet Innocence and Virtue had no Power to make a Judgment of Things ^ but, like the chaft Rojn.an Lad}^, whofe Hut band had a ftinking Breath, innocently an- fwered. That fhe thought all Men were fo.

In ftiort, the Lady is ruined the firft Night 5

the V boafted among his viler Com^

panions, that he had given her fomething that would foon difpofe of her •, and it was too true 5 in lefs than a Month fhe was in a Condition not fit to be defcribed, in about two more the ableft Phyficians fhook their Heads, and voted her Incurable, in eight Months fhe was a de- plorable Objeft, and, in lefs than a Year, lodg'd in her Grave •, the Murtherer, for he can be no other, putting on Black for a fhew j but when charged home by the Friends of the ruin'd Lady, anfwered with a kind of a laugh, that he thought he had been cured.

If this unhappy Story were a Romance, a Fiaion, contrived to illuftrate the Subjed, I Ihould give it you with all its abhorred Particu- lars, as far as decency of Language would per- mit ^ that the abufe of Matrimony, which is the

Subjeft


[35]

Subjed I am now to enter upon, may be expo- fed as it defer ves.

But when Fadls, hoivever flagrant, are too near home, and the miferable Sufferers already too much opprefTed with the Injury, we muft not add to their Afflidions by too publick a ufe of the Calamity to embellilh our Story •, the murthered Lady refl:s in her Grave ^ we muft leave the Offender to the fupreme Juflice, and to the Reproaches of his Confcience.

Sad Examples of conjugal Treachery might be given of this kind^ and I might make the whole "Work a Satyr upon thofe, who, abufing the Marriage Bed, have proftituted the facred Inftitution to their Vice, and made it a cover- ing to Crime, a fnare to the Perfon drawn into it, and a cheat to devour their Fortunes, as well as Perfons.

The Lady , pardon my concealing

Names, is a Perfon of good Birth, of a Family in good Circumftances, and pafs'd with all that knew her for a Woman of Virtue. Her modeft behaviour gave fuch a Credit to her, and efla- blifhed her Charader fo well, that it would have looked like Malice, and been received in all Company with a general difguft, fo much as to have drop'd a Word that look'd like De- tra<3:ion, or in the leaft touch'd her Fame.

She is admired and courted by feveral, and, after feme time, married by a Perfon of good Fortunes, and even fuperior Birth ^ a Man of Honour and of Quality, and yety which is now very rare, a Man of Virtue ; He is pleasM with his Bride to the lafl degree^ vain of her Beauty ^ boafts of her as a Prize carry'd by his good Fortune from fo many Pretenders. But, alas I what Shagreen covers the ufual Smile that

D 2 fat


[ ?<^ ]

fat upon his ^Iwsijs pleafant Countenance 1 What Torment fweli'd his Breaft, when, within the compafs of half a Year, he finds the vir- tuous Charmer, the Miftrefs of his chaft Af- fedions, not only with Child, but not able any longer to conceal, that hy the unalterable Laws of Nature it could not be his.

He is furprized, he charges her with it, Ihe confeffes it with the utmoft Teftimonies of pe- nitence and regret for the Injury done him, and, with the force of an inimitable Condud, reingages him ^ he forgives her, but finds out the Man, fights him, wounds him, and is killed himfelf in the unequal Quarrel. Miferable EfFed of abus'd Matrimony I

But even all this is not the great Point aim'd at in this Work : Our View is the criminal ufe of the lawful Liberties of Matrimonj^, and that I fnall come to in its Place.

Among thefe however this is not the leaft, and therefore proper to this Place, vizo That we find wrong Notions of the matrimonial Vow, wrong Thoughts of the conjugal Obliga- tion have pofi^efs'd the Minds of both Men and Women, and they marry now meerly to gratify the fenfual Part, without the Views which the Nature of the Thing, called Matri- mony, ought to give them. This is what I call making a jeft of the Inftitution, that mar- ry in fport, and, like the little Children, who not knowing what they are doing, fay to one another, Come, Let m Play at Man and Wife.

They that make a jeft of marrying, gene- rail}^ live to be the Jeft both of the married and unmarried World- when they marry in jeft they come to mourn in earneft , they tie them-

felves


[ 37 ] felves in Bonds, refolving not to be bound by the Obligation^ and where is the Honcfty and Juftice of this? They that have no Senfe of the matrimonial Obligation can hai^e no Senfe of the conjugal Dut]^-, thej^ marry to lie toge- ther-, and they fatisfy the Appetite in the Plea- fures of the Marriage Bed. But when that's over, all the reft, which they had no View of before, is a Force, a Bondage^ and they as heartily hate the ftate of Life as a Slavic does his Lot in Algier or Tunis.

Let me goon a little then to furnifh the growing World with better Notions of the Thing ^ I fa}^, let me take up a little of this Work in the needful Enquiry of what Matri- mony is, and how we ought to underftand it.

The Ladies indeed run the greateft Rifque in marrying, but the Men cannot be faid to run no hazard, or to have nothing to lofe •, a little Confideration before-hand would lefTen the hazard on both Sides, and not onljr remove the Dangers but prepare the Minds of the mar- rying Couple to adt their Parts wifely and pru- dentl}, and to fuit themfelves to the particular Circumftances of the Condition which is before them.

This due preparation of the Mind for the married State, would prevent all the Abufes of it which I complain of in this Book.

When they come together afFedionately, they will live together aifedionately, at leaft they will not abandon all Affection to one ano- ther afterwards, or not fo foon ^ nor will it be fo likely that they fliould declare open War againft one another fo foon, as when they came together without any previous Kindneis, except only from the Lips outward.

P 3 WHEJf


[ 58 ]

When they come together deliberately, they will keep together deliberately • thejr will not be fb ready to curfe the ralhnefs and hurry of their Marriage, or be fo eafily difappointed in one another.

Again, and which is efpecially to the Pur- pofes mentioned hereafter in this Work, when they come together Coolly and Modejily^ they will not be fo apt, by immoderate and furious Excefles,. to dilhonour the Marriage Bed, and abufe one another, as too many do.

Matrimony is a folemn Work, 'tis pro-. pofed as a facred Inftitution, and the conjugal State is, upon all Occafions, look'd upon, by thoie that confider and underftand it, as a kind of Civil Eftablifhment in life ^ to engage in it Ralhly, and without Confideration, is perfectly inconfiftent with the Nature of the Thing, and with all that is propofedin it, or expeded from it, at leaft by wife and fober People.

I cannot enter here upon a Defcription of all the feveral Incidents which render a married Life happy or miferable ^ they are innumera- ble, and too long to meddle with in a Work fo Ihort as this- But as I am moving all thofe (young People efpecially) who defign to marry, to confider fedately and calmly, and weigh well the Circumftances, and all the Particulars of what they are going to engage in, as well of Perfons as Things- fo I muft add, that let the Circum- ftances of the marriec} Couple be what they will, I believe it will be univerfally true, that thofe Matches fucceed beft which are entered into with the moft ferious and thorough Delibera- tion ^ duly debating all the Particulars of the Perfons ^ ferioufiy engaging the AfFedions on both Sides, by mutual reciprocal Endearments,

and


[ 3P ]

and unfeigned fincere Love, founded on real Merit, Suitability and Virtue. Thefe confirm the Felicity, if thej may not be faid really to conftitute it : Nor, in a word, is there one Match in fifty happy and fuccefsful without it.

Now, to come to the laft Claufe in the Title of this Chapter ^ it is for want of thefe calm deliberate Proceedings in the Apparatus of Matrimony, for want of weighing Circumftan- ces, and fuiting Perlbns to one another, that Matrimony is fo often abufed ^ fuitability of Perfons is one of the r.reateft and moft impor* tant Difficulties that lie before the marrj^-ing Couple for their Confideration. The Temper of the Perfon is not eafily difcovered, nor does it require a little Judgment and Difcretion to dive into the Difpofition of the Perfon ^ look- ing too narrowly for Defeats (fince all Tempers may have Failings) maj^- be injurious on one hand • as covering the Infirmities which dif- cover themfelves too evidently, may be inju- rious on another.

I knew a certain Lady in the critical Time of Courtfhip, mightjr inquifitive about the Qualifications, the Temper, and the Merit of the Gentleman •, and it was thought fhe ihewed abundance of Prudence and Caution in her Ob- fervation of his Condud, and her Enquiries into his Character. It happened, one particu- lar Perfon, who was very intimate in the Fa- mily of the Gentleman, and knew him more particularly than moit did, had fo much Inte- grity as to inform the Lady's Friend who ihe fent to enquire about him, that he was a hard Drinker, and that particularly he was very ill- humoured and quarrelfbme when in drink ; tho*

D 4 *(was


[4o]

'twas allowed that he was very well tempered v/hen fobcr, and, in general, had the Charafter of a good-humoured Man.

It feems no Body elfe was fo kind, or fo jufl: to her, or fo well acquainted with his Humour, as to acquaint her of this Part, but that one Perfon ^ and the Ladj^ either liking the Man, or having particularly a mind to be married, or what elfe over-ruled her, I know not, butfhetook this Account, which was the only faithful and Jincere one that fhe had given her, to be mali- cious and falfe^ fo fhe went on with her Affair, as before, giving no heed to what fhe had been fo kindh^- inform'd of.

But a little while after, as if Providence had direded it for her more effectual Informati- on, and particularly that fhe might have no excufe, and none to blamxc but her felf • I fay, a little after this, he happens to be very Drunk, and, in his drink, he not only takes care to give the Lady a Yiiit, but goes from her to the Houfe of one of her neareft Relations, and fhows himfelf there too.

The Lady furprifed, not at his Vifit, but at feeing him in that Condition, as foon as fhe could decently difmifs him, went big with her difcovery, and greatly exafperated as well as difappointed, to make her Complaint, and give her Paliions vent at her Relations, who I mentioned above. But if fhe was vexed and difappointed before, fhe was both angry and alhamed now, to find he had fo little Difcretion in his "Wine, as to go and fhow and expofe him- felf there, fo that when fhe faw it, fhe could not forbear reproaching him with it, and that in the bittereft Terms imaginable.

Th^


. [4x ]

The Gentleman flood pretty patiently a good while, and bore it all, better than they that knew him expected he Ihould, considering he was very drunk, till the Lady giving her Paffions a full vent, fell upon him in a down- right fcold, and ended it with a forbidding him to wait upon her any more, that is to fa}^, bad him give himfelf no farther trouble about her, for {he had enough of him, and the like.

Thus far, Ifay^ he held it very well, con- iidering his Condition : But vrhen Ihe came to that Part, he looked fteadily at her, and with a fmiling pleafant Countenance, contrary to his ufual Cuftcm when he had been drinking, he turns to her. Ha Madam 1 fays he, are you fo hot and in fuch a rage! Pray^ have you been drhth- hig too ^ That put her quite mad ^ and fhe re- viled him, told him Ihe fcorn'd him, and his Queftion too, that fhe would have him be in- form.ed fhe was no fuch Perfon, and a great deal more. No Madam ! fays he, are you not in drink, and yet can be in fuch a Rage? Are you io PalFionate as this when you are fo- lder ? whereas, you fee, I can be fuch a patient Dog when I am drunk ^ why then. Madam, fays he, in good Faith, Til take you at your word, for you are not fit to make a Wife for me. So he takes a Glafs of Wine, and drinks to her better Fortune, bad her good buy, and immediately, paying his Refpedls to the Gen- tleman of the Houfe, he walks out, and goes a- way.

If fhe was angry before, fhe was calm, per- fectly calm, and furprized to the laft degree, to fee her felf treated fo foberly by a Man that was hardly himfelf • and that fhe was rejeded in earnefl:, whereas flie had rejected him but in

a kind


[40

a kind of a Paflion, and did not intend to te taken at her word.

However, notwithftanding all this, and notwithftanding Ihe faw him in drink feveral times after that, and fometimes when he did not preferve his Temper, as he did then,yet this Lady rnarried him after it all ^ Arti what followed ^ As flie had reafon to exped, fo it prov'd -, flie was as compleatlj miferable in a Husband as a married Life could well make any Woman be ^ for he proved not only drunken, but a paliionate outragious Wretch in his drink, and that to her in particular.

It is true, he was very obliging and good- tempered out of his ExcefTes- but then, as he grew older, the Vice encreafed upon him • till at laft, fo little made him drunk, and he was fo feldom fober, that Ihe had the moft Vexations, and the leaft Intervals of Quiet that ever Lady had-, and all this for want of obeying not only the intelligence of her faithful Friend, but even the kind difcovery which Providence made to her, as it were, on purpofe, and paft her being able to doubt the truth of it-, fo that in- deed fhe had no Bod)?- to blame.

But to return to the Cafe, and not to infift upon the drunkennefs of a particular Perfon,^ here or there, which may be faid to be an Ac-, cident to the Temper • but without this, the difcording Tempers of the Party is as great,^ and as efteftual a Caufe of the abufe o{ the ma- trimonial Peace, as any thing elfe can be.

I have mentioned the fad Confequences of difcording Conftitutions, in a Chapter by it felf, and which often occalions a great abufe of the matrimonial Duty, and particularly of the Marriage Bed-, but that is not the Point I

am


[45 ]

am upon here-, the difference of Tempers is yet a thoufand tiines worfe, for this makes a conti^ nued Breach in everything they do or fay, ru- ins the whole Family-Peace, deftroys the Com-, fort of Life, expels Religion and every good things for, as the Scripture fays, where there is Strife and Co7itentio7i, there is every evil Worh

Tis the horror of Matrimony when two contrary Tempers come together, when Fire and Tinder meet, they certainly blaze toge- ther •, when the Spark and the Gunpowder touch, the whole Houfe is blown up • 'tis great pity to fee in fome Families a patient Wife and a fu- rious Husband, or a patient fober Husband, and a termagant fiery Scold ^ becaufe there is the ut- moft OppreiRon on one fide, and the utmoft Rage and Violence on the other.

But to have two Devils together in one Houfe, what can be expedled but Ruin and Confufion to the whole Family ? and at laft either feparation or deftrudion.

It ismeerly forwant of a fuitability of Tem- per, that the Peace of fi) many Families is loft and deftroyed, and Matrimony abufed, and that fo many, once happy People, are made mife- rable. But I fliall fay more of this ftill.

M A T R m o N Y is a ftate of Union, 'tis the neareft union that the Sexes can be placed in. This Union is appointed in order to the mutual felicity of the Parties ^ 'tis then a ftate that both Parties ftiould be particularly careful of, and of their Condud in, that they may make it anfwer the End for which it was fo ap- pointed, namely to preferve, and indeed to procure, the mutual Happinefs to the Parties, ^nd make that Union effeftuaL

How


[ 44 ]

How impofTible do we malce this to our felves, when we invert the great End and De- lign even of God himfelf, who inftituted and appointed it^ and when we make the facred Or- dinance a retreat for Crime, a cover for our ExcelTes, and a protection to the moft abomi- nable Pradices.

This is what I call abufing the ftate of Matrin^onjr as well as diilionouring the Con- trad:. Matrimony is not a lingle Ad, but it is a Condition of Life, and therefore when People are new-married, they are faid to have altered their Condition ^ it is a Series of Unity contradled b}^, and fhould be made up of agreeing Habits ^ where the Harmon}'- is broken, the ftate of Life is abufed^ when the Parties ceafe to be united, and to be united too in that which is right, the Life is no more matrimonial ^ 'tis a Jargon of Speech, a Word without fignifica- tion, to call it a matrimonial Life.

In the Contrad the Parties bind themfelves to live in this Harmony and ftate of Union •, what elfe is underftood by living accordivg to GO D's holy Ordinance, How do they live according to a holy Ordinance, whofe Conver- fation even towards one another, and with one another, pollutes and defiles the ftate of Life, and would the very Ordinance too, if that were poffible ?

How the Converfation between a Man and his Wife m.ay and does pollute and de- file the matrimonial State, (however ftrange fuch a thing may be) is the Subjed: of the following Chapters, where the Affirmative wiD^ I doubt not, be clearljr made out,

CHAE


[45 ]


CHAP. 11.

of Matrimonial Chastity, "what is to he underjlood hy the Word-^ a Proof of its being required hy the Laius of G OD and Nature, and that nvrong Notiofis of it haue poffef/d the World. Dr. TaylorV Authority quoted about it.

Am jQt fettling Preliminaries ^ the Work I am upon will have fo manjr Oppofers, fuch Cavillings and Quarrellings, as well at the Subject, as at the Manner of of handling it, that I am obliged to provide mj Defences in time againft all the Batteries of the Enemy.

I have this to boaft of for Encouragement, {vix.) that I know mj Argument to be invul- nerable •, all the Arts of Hell cannot evade the force of it *, if there is the leaft Defect, it muft be in the weaknefs of the Performance. Good Weapons may be rendred ufelefs or infufficient in an unskilful Hand •, but as no Man elfe has ever undertaken it, I muft venture. Til manage it as well as I can.

In the former Chapter I have explained the matrimonial Obligation, what I mean hj

the



C 40

the word Matrimony, how it fliould be under- ftood, and in what fenfe I underftand it in the following "Work. I repeat nothing.

I am now to explain another Term equally lignificant, tho' little taken notice of among us, a Word thought to be difficult, but is not diffi- cult-, abfolutely neceflary to be underftood to- wards the right reading this Book, and parti- cularly ufeful to its explanation, I mean Ma- trimonial Chastity ^ 'tis the Breach of this Chaftity that is the Subjed of the whole "Work, and 'tis therefore, I fay, abfolutely ne- ceflary to underftand what it is.

The exercife of lawful Enjoyments is one of the greateft Snares of Life 5 where Men feem to be left to their own Latitudes, 'tis too natural to think they are not obliged to any Re- ftraint ^ but 'tis a great Miftake : Chriftian Li- mitation is the true meafure of human Liberty 5 where Heaven has had the goodnefs to leave us without a limitation, he expects we fliould li- mit our felves with the more exadtnefs^ and perhaps 'tis the intent and meaning of that feeming unlimited Liberty (for 'tis no more) that our Virtue m,ay have a fair Field for its trial, and that we ma]^ more eminently fliew our Chriftian Temperance, in ufing thofe Li- berties with the fame Moderation where we have no pofitive Reftraints impofed, as we would others, where we are under a dired and abfolute Command.

Being therefore about to reprehend the Breaches of this Moderation, and, in a word, to combat the Exorbitances of unlimited Life, 'tis abfolutely neceflary to know what they are ^ and to lay down, with the utmoft plainnefs

that


[ 47 ]

that decency will permit, what it is I am td engage againft, and for what Reafons,

Chastity is a Virtue much talked of, little prad:ifed ^ a great Noife is made with the word Chafiity, and, on many Occafions, where little true regard is had to the thing, and per- haps where 'tis little underftood^ 'tis taken among us for a meer Regulation of Manners, and a kind of Government of Life. But the definition is infinitely fhort of the thing it felf, which is of a high and fuperior kind ^ it is a redlitude of Nature, an inherent Bright- nefs of the Soul, Til give you a better defcrip- tion of it prefently, and a better defcriber alfo, for I muft fpeak with Authoritjr, if pot fible, where I have ib much to fay, and which jon will like fo little.

If Chajihy in general be fo little under- ftood, the Chajiity I fpeak of is infinitely more out of the way of your ordinary thinking : Ma- tri7nomal Chajiity I 'tis a new ft range Term, faid one of my critical Obfervers before I publilhed this Work ^ you mufl be fure to tell us what 3rou mean by it, or it will not be intelligible : What, fays he^ are you going to lay down Rules and Laws for the Marriage Bed! Are you going to enclofe what Heaven has left free, and pre- tending to fhew us the deficiency of God's Laws, fupply that deficiency with fome wifer Rules of your own ? 'Tis againfl Nature, as well as againft Heaven. But this Reproof is mif- placed, and the Reprover miflaken. I am far •from adding to the Reftraints that Nature, and the God of Nature have laid upon us, but am for fhewing you what Reftraints they are^ and |?articularly to let you fee, there are fome Re- ftraints


[ 48 ]

ftraints where you fuggeft, and perhaps htlkve^ there are really none.

You acknowledge^, that Chajiity in general is a Virtue, and a Chriftian Duty ^ and I affirm there is a particular Chajiity^ that is to fay, a limited Liberty, which is to be oLferved and ftridly fubmitted to in the conjugal State ^ This I call Matrimomal Chajiity^ and the Breach of this I call, as in my Title, matrimonial Whoredom ^ let others call it what they will, I can give it no other Name than what I think it deferves.

' Tho^ they're called Mlffes which lewd Men adore^

  • I cannot guild their Crimes, a Whore's a Whore.

Having thus entered upon the difficuk Task of reproving thofe criminal Practices of Men, which are adted under the Ihelter of fup- pofed lawful Liberty, I muft ftate the due Bounds and Extent of that Liberty, that we ma/ the better ground our future Cenfures, and be able to juftify the Reproof from the Rules efta-^ blifhed in the Foundation.

Now, that I may do this with the better Authority. I begin with quoting the late Pious and Reverend Dr. Taylor-^ in his Book of Hoi;) Livings he has a whole Chapter upon this very Subjed, I mean of Chajiity^ and I cannot take my Arguments from a better Beginning.

" Chaftity, fays the Dodor, is the Circumci- " iion of the Heart, the fuppreiTmg all irregu- " lar Defires in the Matter of carnal and fen- " fual Pleafures.

Here the Dodor has made a Provifion to en- counter the merry Difputants of this Age, as pungent and as natural, as if he had been now

alive.


f 49 ]

alive, and knew the highth to which the corrupt Imaginations ofMen have carried thofe irregular Defires: What do you pretend to call Irregular, faid a cavilling favourer of Vice to me once, alfo before this Book was thought of? What can be Irregular between a Slan and his Wife >

I fhall have more to fay to that Queftion in the next Chapters, and doubt not to fpeak to the Gonvidlion of reafonable Creatures : As to human Brutes I am not looking towards them, much lefs talking to them in a Difcourfe of Chajiity ^ let them alone to their inrgiilar De- jires^ and let the fuccefs of thofe gratify'd De- lires be their reprover ^ they generally end in Repentance, or, which is worfe, Self-re- proaches. But I come back to Dr. Taylor,

" I call all thofe Defires irregular, faj^s the

  • ' Reverend Doctor.

" I. That are not within the holy Ltjii- ^* tirtzo??, or within the Protection of Mar-^ " rtage,

  • ' 2. That are not within the Order of Na-

" ture.

" 9. That are not within the Moderation " of Chriftian Modefty.

In this laft Head he includes (to ufe his own Words) all immoderate vfe of permitted Beds, which is exadlly to the purpofe that I am fpeaking of, and upon which Subjed the fecond Chapter of this Book is chiefly employ'd.

" Concerning which, fays the fame worthy " Author^ Judgment is to be made as concern-

  • ' ing Meats and Drinks, there being no certain

" degree of frequency or intention prefcribed to

E *'any


[ 50 ]

'" any Perfon, but it is to be ruled as the other " Adions of Man's Life are ruled, viz,

" I. By the Proportion to the End. " 2. By the Dignity of the Perfon as a " Chriftian.'

" 9. By the other Particulars, of which he fpeaks afterwards.


cc


" Chastity (fays he) is the Grace which " forbids and reftrains all thefe, keeping both " the Body and the Soul pure, in the ftateGoD

  • ' has placed it, whether of a fingle or married

Life, I T/;#iv. 9,4.5.

And now having quoted fo eminent an Author as Dr. Taylor^ whofe Works are fo well known, let me put all my good Friends, who watch fo?' 77iy haltivg^ in mind, that the Doctor having this verj^ Article upon his Hands, and being refolved to fpeak critically, and yet fully, to it, he takes all due caution in the doing it, ^"uft as I have done, Firjl^ He cautions the EuCader againfi: unjnft Cenfure and Reproach. ( '1.) He then fortifies himfelf againft the Fears of it : And, Lajlly^ fpeaks boldl} and plainly where Duty calls upon him to do fo„ Juft in this manner you may exped me to a<5t, in that critical Article of Liberty which is before me.

The Doftor, it appears, knew Iiow the World was vitiated, and the Minds of Men corrupted, even in his Day, and that it was a moft dangerous thing to fpcak of fuch things as thefe in the Ears of a lewd Set of People, which the World was then full of^ That they would cor- rupt the moft fanctified Advice, and infult the Advifer^ and therefore as I have done here, ^o

the


flie devout Doctor gives caution, and enters his Protell: againft mifconffruction and mifunder- ftanding of what he was to far •, this he does vv^ith infinite Modefty and Referve, but ventures for all that upon the Reproof as a necefiary Work •, his Exaniple is highlj ufeful to me in this equally necelTary Work, of lay- ing, open the Crimes of the prefent Age • which, it muft be acknowledged, is much far- ther advanced in Wickednefs than the Times the Dodtor lived in. His Words are thefe :

Dr, Taylor*^ Preamble to his Chapter iipoyi the SiihjeB 0/ C H A S T I T Y .

  • ^ Reader, Hay, /«y? k, and read not the

" Advices of the following Sedion, unlefs that " thou haft a chaft Spirit ^ ami ift another Place " he fays ^ unlefs thou haft a chaft Spirit, and

  • ' unlefs thou art defirous of being chaft, or at
  • ^" leaft art apt to confiderwhether thou oughteft
  • ' or not. For there are fome Spirits fo AtbeiJIi-

" cal^ and fome fo wholly poffefs'd with the " Spirit of uncleannefs, that they turn the moft prudent and chaft Difcourfes into

  • ' dirty and filthy Apprehenfions ^ like cho-
  • ' lerick Stomachs, changing their very Cor-
  • ^ dials and Medicines into bitternefs, and, iii

" a literal fenfe, tiirmvg the Grace of God into " Wantonnefsl

" These Men ffudy Cafes of Confcience in " the Matter of carnal Sins, not to avoid them, " but to learn Vv^aj'^s how to offend Go d, and pol- " lute their own Spirits- fearching theirHoufes

  • ' with a Sun-beam, that they may be inform'd
    • of all the Corners of Naftinefsc

E 2 til


[ 5^ ]

" I have iifed all the care I cou'd in the (oh ^^ lowing Periods, that I might neither be " wanting to alhft thofe that need it, nor yet

  • ' minifter any Occafion of fancy or vainer

" Thoughts to thofe that need them not. If " any Man will fna^ch the pure Taper from my " hand, and hold it to the Devil, he will only burn " his own Fingers, but Ihall not rob me of the " reward of my Care and good Intention, fince I " have taken heed how to exprefs the following " Duties, and given him caution how to read " them.

Thus far Dr. Taylor, He had but one Chap- ter, or Sedion, as be calls it^ upon the Subjed: of Chaftity, and yet you fee how wary he was, ieafl: the ill digefture of the Times fhould turn that which he defigned for the wholefome Nou- riihment of the Mind, to a corrupt and unclean purpofe. How much more have I jufl ground to warn the Reader of this "Work, that he may for- bear reading it withaDefign to gratify or pleafe a tainted and vitiated Imagination ? Let him rather prepare to read a juft Reproof of the vi- left Adtions, with the fame deteftation and ab- horrence that I write it with, and with fuch clean Thoughts as becomes a Mind feafoned with Virtue, awed by Religion, and prepared by a due Reverence to the divine Command.

To the pure all things are pjire, to the iniclean all things are iincleayt-^ they that are difpofed to ridicule and make a jeft of the juft Satj^r here pointed at Crime, will but make a jeft of them- felves- fince nothing can be more evident than the Offence, nothing can be more juft than the Reproof. If Men will defile themfelves, as the Scoti fay, 710 Man can dight them, 'Tis very

ftrange.


[ 53 ] ftrange a Man Ihould be afraid to expofe a Crime for fear of encreafing it, as if the very- Shame Ihould excite to the Sin.

But I muft keep to the Point, and to which I refolve to confine my felf. Chajlity is no po- pular Subjed, 'tis fo broken into upon all Hands, and with fuch a Guft of general defire, that to rake into the Filth muft be difagreeable to the generality of People ^ and tho' I do not let it alone for that Reafon, being not at all reluctant to an attack upon a Crime, becaufe grown fla- grant and univerfal, yet at prefent 1 am upon another Subjed^ I am attacking a Crime equally odious, but which is not equally ac- knowledged to be a Crime, a Wickednefs which even fome that pretend to Purity of Life will not allow to be wicked.

So much more is the Danger, when Men walk among Barrels of Gunpowder, and know it not to be Gunpowder, who fhall be cautious of his Candle ? It is not fo hard to perfuade fuch Men to fhun the Evil, as to convince them that it is an Evil; they cavil at the very Title of this Chapter Matrhnojual Chaftity^ 'tis Non- fence, they fay, in the Nature of XhQ thing • Virgin Chaftity indeed, andChaftity of a fingle Perion, is fomething, and would bear to be exhorted to ^ but married Chaftity is what thejr will by no means underftand, or i3ear a Reproof about.

But becaufe I have, as I faid above, a whole Chapter upon this very Subjed:, and only men- tion it here with refped to Opinions of good Men about it, give me leave to quote the Re- verend Perfon juft now nam'd upon the fame Subjed, and refer you afterward to my o\^i Opinion in the following Difcourfe,

E 3 Dr.


[ 54]

Dr. Taylor^ in his Difcourfe of Chcijlity ine% tioned aboi'e, after having fpokeii of Virgin Chaftitj and Vidual Chaftity, ccmes of courfe to mention the ver3r Thing I am now upon, and in the verj fame Terms, viz.

MATRIMONIAL CHASTITY.

And I choofe to give it 37-ou in his own Words, becaufe, before I remembered that the Dodor had mentioned this Cafe, I had finifhed the next Chapters, 7;zz. of the Bounds and Limita- tions which Modefty and Decency had placed to the Liberties of the Marriage Bed, and which the Doctor's Opinion fo far confirms, that I could not but fubjoin his Thoughts after my own was gone to the Prefs. The Doftor's Rules for mar- ried Perfons are thus exprefs'd :

  • ■ Concerning married Perfons, befides
  • the keeping their mutual Faith and Contract
  • with each other, thefe Particulars are ufeful
  • to be obferved.
  • T. Although their mutual Endearm.ents

^ are fafe within the Protection of Marriage,

  • yet the}'- that have Wives or Husbands, miift

' be as tho* they had them not •, that is, they

  • muft have an Afledtion greater to each other
  • than they have to any Perfon in the World,

' but not greater than they have to God : but

  • that they be read}^ to part with all Intereft in
  • each other's Perfon, rather than fin againfl

' God.

  • In their Permiilion and Licence, the}^ muft
  • be fure to obferve the Order cf Nature, and
  • the Ends of God. He is a7t ill Hitshavd^ that

" vfes his Wife as a Man treats a Harlot^ having ^ no other End but Pleafure. Concerning ' " ' which


[ 55 1

whick our beft Rule is, that although in this, as in eating and drinking^ there is an Appe- tite to be fatisfied, which cannot be done without pleafing that defire ^ yet iince that defire and fatisfaction was intended bv Nature for other Ends, they Ihould never be feparate from thofeEnds, but always be joined with all or one cf thofe Ends, with a dejire of Children^ or to avoid Forvicatioit^ or to lighten and eajo the cares and fadnejfes of HouJI)old-afair, or to endear each other ^ but never with a purpofe, either in ad or defire to feparate the lenfua- lit} from thefe Ends which hallow^ it. Onan did feparate his Ad from its proper End, and fo ordered his Embraces that his Wife fhould not conceive, and God punifhed him. ' 3. Married Perfons m.uft keep fuch mo- defty and decencjof treating each other, that thej never force themfelves into high and violent Lufts, with arts and misbecoming de- vices : alv\^ays remembring that thofe Mix- tures are moft innocent which are viof pnple and 7nofi natural^ mofi orderly and moft f of e,

  • 4, It is a dut} of matrimonial Chaftity to

be reftrained and temperate in the ufe of their lawful Pleafures : Concerning which, although no univerfal Rule can antecedently be siven to all Perfons, any more than to all Bodies one proportion of Meat and Drink ; yet married Perfons are to eftimate the degree of their Licence according to the following Proportions, i. That it be moderate, fo as to conlift with Health. 2. That it be fo ordered as not to be too extenfive of Time, that pre- cious opportunity of working out our Sal- vation. 3. That when Duty is demanded it be alwaj^s paj^ed (fo far as in our Powers and

E 4 [ Eledion)


[50

^ Eledion) according to the foregoing Meafures, ' 4. That it be with a temperate Affedtion,

  • without violent tranfporting Defires, or too
  • fenfual Applications. Concerning which a
  • Man is to make Judgment by proportion to
  • other Adlions, and the Severities of his Reli-

^ gion, and the Sentences of fober and wife

  • Perfons^ always remembring, that Marriage
  • is a Provifion for fupply of the natural Ne-
  • cefTities of the Body, not for the artificial and
  • procured Appetites of the Mind. And it is
  • a fad truth, that many married Perfons think-
  • ing that the Flood-gates of Liberty are fet
  • wide open without Meafures or Reftraints (fo
  • they fail in that Channel) have felt the final
  • Rewards of their Intemperance and Luft, by
  • their unlawful ufing of lawful Permiliions.

'Only therefore let each of them be temperate,

  • and both of them be m.odeft.

Thus far the Reverend Do6tor, aManwhofe Charader gave him an undoubted Right to the Title of a true fpiritual Guide, thorowlj'- qua- lified in his time for a Teacher of Holy Living.

I add nothing, only that here is a Confirma- tion indeed unexpedted of all the Principles which I have advanced in this Work.

Here is a full Concellion to the real occafion and even neceffity of my prefent Undertaking- the Dodicr grants, that married Perfons even at that time thought thePlood-gatesof Liberty were let open to them, and that (as I faid) Modefty and Decency was at an End after Marriage, and there was no more Reftraint between a Man and his Wife.

But you will find the Do6tor quite of another Opinion,aslalfoam^ and lam verjrgladto have fo unqueftioned an Authority for my Opinion.

CHAP.


[ 57]


CHAP. III.

of the End andReafon of Matrimonv, and that there is a needful Modejly and Decency requiftte e^ven het'ween a Man and his Wife after Marriage, the Breaches of "which make thefrjt Branch of Matrimonial Whoredom.

H E Ends and Reafon of Matrimo- ny are afligned by our Church ia the Office, or Introdudion to the Office for marrying fuch Perfons as may be lawfully join'd together ^ if I repeat them, I hope no Reproof can lie againft me there ^ the moft modeft Virgin fubmits to be told, that the Reafon of joining her felf to a Man, is principally for the Procrea- tion of Children ^ 'tis t\\& Law of Generation given both to the Man and totheWom.anatfirft^ 'tis twifted with their very Natures, and placed among the firft Principles of Life ^ and 'tis alfo the Law of God, given to Man imperative- ly at the fame time that he joined to it his Bleffing, Gen, i.28. And GOD blejfed the7n, and GOD fald liJito them, be fruitful^ and myltiply, and 7'ejple7njl) the Earth,

In



[ 58 ].

In this great Law of Matrimon}?' is founded the utmoft Intercourfe and familiarity of the Sexes, bj which all that Shjniefs, that modefb liefer ve and Reftraint, all that which is called Ihamefacednefs and blaihing, even in the moft rnodeft and chaft Virgin, is taken away ^ that is to fay, fo far onl}^, and no farther, as refpects her immediate Intimac3r and Converfation with her own Husband •, Ihe freely ftrips off her cloths in the Room with him ^' and where- as ihe would not have fhew'd him her Foot be- fore, without her Shoe and Stocking on, Ihe now, without the leaft Breach of Modefty, goes into what we call the naked Bed to him, and with him •, lies in hi§ Arms, and in his Bofom, and fleeps fafely, and with feciirity to her Virtue with him, all the Night : And this is her Place, her Property, her Privilege, exclufive of all others, for he is her own, and {he is his •, he is the covering of the Eyes to her^ and Ihe is called, in the facred Text, the Wife of his Bofom :, (he has the only rjght to lodge there^ it is her Re- treat, the Repolitory of her Cares, as well as of her Delight, and of her AfFeftion.

And if it is not thu^ with both or either of them, nay, if it was not thus before they mar- ried, let them flatter themfclves as the}^ pleafe with the formal Marriage, or the formality of Matrimony, I infill they have violated the Laws of God and Man, in their coming toge- ther- violated their folemn Oath and Covenant to one another after coming together ^ and whatever they are in the Senfe of the^ Law, they are really no Man and Wife at all in the Senfe which I am giving of Things : Whether I am in the right or no, I refer to the Judg- ment of t'le impartial Part of fober Mankind.

Having


[ S9 ]

Having faid thus much tj way of ad- - vance, I think 'tis neceflary to take notice here how juft it is, and indifpenfibly, nay, abfolute- I7 neceflar}^ to theHappinefs of a married Life, that the Perfons marrying Ihould have not only an Acquainiance with one another before Mar- riage, but that they fliould be engaged to each other by a folid and durable Affedion, profeC- fing to love, and not only profelfing but fin- cerely loving one another, above all other Perfons •, choofing and being the real choice of each other: This' is not a fmall and trifling thing, it is the chief Article of Matrimony, tho' not included and alTerted in the Contrad, 'tis a thing of the utmoft Confequence to tht future Happinefs of t'aQ Parties. However, as I pur- pofe to fpeak to it again fulljr and at large, in a Part by it felf, I only leave it here as a Memorandum proper to the Place, and referve the reft to what fhall come after. I return now to the Cafe of Matrimonial Liberty.

Having advanced thus much in favour of the utmoft Freedoms between Man and Wife, and which I niight enlarge upon, but that I believe there is really no Occaiion ^ I think I grant as much in it as I need to do, in Conde- fcenfion to the Proportion mentioned in the Introduction, namely, that there can be no Of- fence between a Man and his Wife, that Mo- defty is at an End, that 'tis cancelled by the very nature of the Thing, that all Things are Decent, all Things modeft, all Things lawful between a Man and his Wife ^ all which, in a few Words, I deny, and infift, that there are fe- veral Things jQt remaining, which ftand as Boundaries and Limits to the Freedoms and In- timacies that are otherwifeto be allowed between a Man and his Wife.

And


[ ^o ]

And Srft, I infift that thefe limitations of the conjugal Liberties are placed in the open View of both the Man and his Wife, by the Laws of Nature ^ fo that both of them are fur- nifhed with Principles of Relu(5lance and Aver- iion, fufficient, if duly liften'd to, and if the Laws of Nature are obeyed, to arm them againft any Breaches of thofe Laws. It is evident in many Cafes, too many, had it not pleafed God to fufFer it to be fo, that the Laws of Na- ture have a much ftronger Influence upon us than the Laws of our Maker ^ and this is efpe- cially remarkable in thofe Cafes, where the Laws of Nature feem to give fome Latitudes which the Laws of God, and Inltitutions of his Providence, have thought fit to limit and reftrain. For example ^

The Laws of Nature dictate the propagation of Kind hj the intercourfe of Sexes-, the 1 aws of God fubfequent to thofe of Nature, limit and reftrain the Particulars of this Propagation, namely, that the Man (by Man there is to be imderftood Man or Woman) Ihould be allowed but one Woman at a time, that they be bound together by the facred Bonds of Matrimony in- diffolvable, after once engaged in, and there- fore facred, and to be inviolably adhered to, and preferved by both Parties.

It is true, that there is a corrupt Prin- ciple inbred and indwelling, taking a kind of PofTeffion, too much in Man's Nature, degene- rated as it is hy the Fall •, this corrupt Prin- ciple didtates the Propagation of the Kind, that is, as a Lav/ of Nature, but does it without regard to the limitations impofed by Heaven upon the Branches- that is to fay, without entring into the Engagements of Matrimony^

and


[ ^x ]

and this makes thofe Adlions criminal, whicli otherwife would have been lawful-, makes the Man commit a Crime in that very Adion, which done under due Regulations and Limitations, that is to faj, in Wedlock, would not only be lawful, but his commanded Dutjr, ^

It is the fame afterwards ^ for example^ when thofe Limitations are obeyed and fub- mitted to, I mean, the Limitations of Matri- mony, there are (as I have obferved) yet farther Limitations, which the Laws of Nature concur with the Laws of God in, and which the Man is obliged to obferve, tho' this corrupt Principle would fain evade and avoid them 5 thefe are fuch as I hinted to be contained in the Words Decency and Modejly : Now tho' much of the Obligation is taken off by the allowed Intimacies between a Man and his Wife, and a full and free Intercourfe of Sexes is ^ranted^ yet I muft be pardoned the liberty of faying, there are Bounds and Limitations of Decency, Mo- defty and Moderation, which Hand as a Pale about even their matrimonial Liberties, and fay to them both, in the midft of their greateft Endearments, Hitherto (hall you go, a7id no farther.

As I am fpeaking to the married Perfons only, in this Part, I need explain my felf no farther than to fa)'-, there are Bounds and Mea- fures, Times and Seafons, which Nature and Decency always will dictate to them, and will regulate too, and teach them to regulate be- tween themfelves their moft intimate conju- gal Delights and Embraces : Thefe nothing but an Appetite criminally immoderate, and under no Government, no not of Reafon, Religion^

Philo-


t <^- 1

Philofophy, or common Senfe, will trefpafs qI treak through.

I hope I have hitherto kept the Bounds of Decency, and given no Offence, though I am reproving pne of the mofl: notorious, Breaches of conjugal Modefty-, a thing e\^en Nature her felf abhors, tho' Nature vitiated may be faid to be the Occalion of it • I fay, Nature, under any juffi Regulation of Senfe, Nature, abftradted from criminal Habits, abhors it •, and, which is more. Nature fpeaks plainer in her Reproofs of that Crime than I dare do, while the Product of thofe impure and unlawful, hoiVever matri- monial Liberties, carry the indelible Marks of their Parents unhappy ExcelTes and Intempe-^ ranees in their F^ces, and on the blotch'd and bladdred Skin of their Pofterity for many Years, nay, to their dying Days. As if Nature had declared to them, that fhe was able to ftiew her Refentment for the Breach of her tacit and fecret Inhibitions^ and that though they broke in upon her in fecret by the power of an inflamed and vitiated Appetite, and thought themfelves out of the reach of Punifhment, yet that fhe was able to do her felf Juff ice upon them, in a manner that they could not efcapey and which .(hould fix a lafting Infamy upon both the Offence and the Offender, by a Pu- nifhment which they fhould neither be able to' avoid or to conceal.

I need explain my felf no farther. Nature does it for me- and I have, b}^ her Indulgence, a fall liberty to touch this tender Part with the ftrideft Obfervation of my own Rules, iince' Ihe has fpoken it aloud, and has made the Crime of the Parent flagrant in the very Pic- tures of their Pofterity.

How


[ <^? ]

How do fuch Children call upon their Pa*' rents to blufti, everjr time they fee the fcrophu- ious Humours break out, in Scabs and Blifters upon the poor innocent Lamb's Faces > making them bear the unhappy Reproach of their Fathers and Mothers Conjugal Lewd^ Ttefs ?

I need fay no more to this, but to remind thofe that are guilty, that the more modefl: Brutes of the Foreft, who obey the Laws of Senfe, and follow the Didates of meer Nature, do not ad thus : The Wild Afs, which the Scripture reprefents as the moft vitiated ungo- verned of all the Foreft, jct the Teit fays, in her Months you fiall fiyid her -, fhe has her Sea- fons, and fo have all the reft of the beaftly Creatures, and they all obferve them ftridly and fuitably to the Reafons of Nature, Man and Woman only excepted.

This I call, and I think juftly too, as it re- fpecls one Part onl}, a Branch of Matrimonial Whoredojn, and thus I keep clofe to m}^ Title.

I could load this Part with a throng of Ex- amples, a cloud of felf-condemned "VVitnefles, and fome whofe Stories I can the lefs bear to relate without blufhing, becaufe they are ar- rived to fuch a Pitch of AVickednefs as to make it publick themfelves without (liame. But, as I faid above, Nature has printed upon the tainted poifoned Faces of their Pofterities, fuch indelible Spots, has branded them with fuch Marks of Infamy, that I may fay of them as was faid in another Cafe, irhat need any farther

Witnejfes ^ Let L D of St. A 's,

the beautiful Lady . of ^ the

modeft and better taught Air , and

more I could name, go hom.e and fee what ha-

voclc


1^4]

vock this conjugal Lewdnefs has made among their otherwife pretty Families^ I fpare Names, becaufe I defire the Reproof ma/ be Matter of Refledlion to themfelves, rather than Scan- dal.

As to fbme others, who I could mention too both Chriftian and Sirname, and who richly de- ferve it •, who are fo far from Shame, that they make it every Day the boafts of their Coffee- houfe-chat, their Table-talk, and ordinarjr Con- verfation •, I leave them to the difmal Time of Reproach, when thofe unhappy Children which they now are not afhamed to fliow one another as the Examples of their Wickednefs, fhall again remind them of it, and curfe them to their Faces.

The Cafe indeed will not bear entering far- ther into Particulars ^ nor will it fo much as al- low the neceflary Expoftulations which I Ihould otherwife make here with thofe married Chri- ftians, (for fuch I am talking to) who I would perfuade to refled upon it^ 'tis hard, that nei- ther the Cafe itfelf will bear an enquiring into, nor the Perfons guilty bear to be talked to. How can any Perfons who are really guilty of this conjugal Uncleannefs, reproach an Author for the Sin of naming what they are not afhamed of doing ? I look upon the Crime with Abhorrence, and I could refer you to the Scripture, where it is branded with a Title that deferves it ^ as I fay, I look on the Crime with Abhorrence, fo I add, that I look on the Per- fons with fomething beyond it, and can only add this of them, that as they were not to be touch'd under the Law, fo they are not to be named under the Gofpel. God would not take them for Jews till they were walh'd, and I

ihall


[ ^5 ] . fJiall never take them for Chriftians till they reform ^ let them read their Reproof at large in Levit. XV, to which I refer.

I cannot quit this Part without making fome Reflections upon parallel Cafes. I have heard fome ferious and learned Divines fay, that it is a worfe Crime, and deferves a feverer Cenlare from Man, (obferve they did not fpeak of what either of them merited above) for a 2vlan and Woman under Promifes of Marriage to lie to- gether before the Marriage is compleated, than a: limple or iingle Fornication betweeji two who have no ddign of Matrimony, that is in Ihort, bet\^een what we ordinarily call a Whore and a Rogue ^ and I confefs, though at firft I hefitated a little at it, I am full}'- fatisfied it is fo-,'and the Reafons the faid ferious Divines gave me confirm me in that Opinion. . FoRaManto comrnit a fingle Fornication, /jj' theyy he Sins, againft God, and his own Soul, there is no Room to deny that •, the Scripture is clear, and the Laws of God and Man concur in the Cenfure, as they do in the Prohibition : Bnt for a Man to make a Whore of the verjr Woman who he intends and really defigns to make his Wife, or, in plain EngliJJ}^ to make a Whore of his Wife ^ he defiles his own Bed, pollutes his ovv^n Seed, fpreads Baftardy in his own Race, and fhews a moft wicked vitiated Appetite, that could not with-hoid himfelf from her ?neerly as.aWomaii^tiW the Performance of a lawful Marriage might make it ^t::ihi-\' able, as w^ll as^ lawful^ fuch a Man fatisfies the fcrutal Part at the expence of hi^ Wife's Fame, his Child's Legitimacy, and to the fcandal and offence of all good People^- that fliall hear it,

F and


[ <^^ ]

and who cannot name it without pity, or at- horrence, on account of the Circumftances.

This is the Cafe indeed, where a Man adls fuch a wicked and fcandalous Part ♦, he appa- rently expofes and difhonours his Wife, as well as himfelf 5 nor is it fufficient to fay, that the Woman dilhonours her felf too, or that there is much more of the Blame lies on him than on her ^ for as Ihe fufficiently bears her Share of the Reproach, fo fhe bears more of the Scandal, than the Man •, nay, flie expofes her felf, not to the World only, but to her Husband afterward- and much might be faid to that : Nor is it out of the queftion, for it is indeed a Matrimonial Whoredomi in the literal Senfe.

But as fuch I (hall fpeak of it again. I am now naming it as it is a parallel Cafe to that 1 had been fuft now fpeaking of, wherein there is a juft equality, and a proportion of Particu- lars very appoiite to one another -, for here is a horrid Complication of the like Crimes, the Man defiles his own Bed, expofes his own Wife, contaminates and corrupts his own Blood, fpreads Diftempers and Poifon upon his own Race, and all this from one of the groffeft Pieces of Immodeft}^, and worft cf Brutality, that can be exprefs'd in Words ^ an infamous kind of eagernefs or appetite, ungovernable by his Rea- fon, being unable (or pretending to be fo at leaft) to with-hold himfelf from her till other Particulars might take off the little Reftraints^ and leave him at liberty.

Let fuch Men go not to the Foreft and the Beafts onl)% for they ad from a much better Motion, but to the more rational, more mode- rate and better governed Savages of the hdies^ Ma} or WeJ}^ to the Negroes of Africa^ the


[ ^7 ]

Potigmras of Brajile, najr, to the very Hhttei^ tots of Mo7io?notapa^ and the Cape of Good Hope:, they will find Reafon and Nature too pre- vails among them to aft quite otherwife, and that while Reafon and Nature concur in arm- ing them againft it, fo they more punctually obey the command of both, and have this hor- rid Pradice in the greateft deteftation. But here, let us blulh, and fay no more, for no mo- deft Language can fully exprefs it.

I return to the Principle, which is the Pro- pofition in this Chapter, That there is a need- ful Modefty and Decency requilite even be-, tween a Man and his Wife after Marriage, and not deftroj^ed by their Matrimony. Certainly People do not by Matrimony ceafe to be Men and Women, nor do the Man and Woman ceafe to be rational Creatures, much lefs dothejr ceafe to fee Chriftians : let every marry'd Couple re-^ member thofe three Things, and I am fully af- fured thejr will take care not to deferve the Re- proof of this Chapter.

This is then that Circumftance in the mar- ried State, where, I fay, a Referve is placed be- tween the Sexes, even between the Man and his Wife ^ where that which we call Modefty remains as an indelible Bond upon them both, even after Marriage: They that fay there is no Modefty to be named after Matrimony, but that there is a perfed: unlimited and unbounded Li-* berty on both Sides, either do not know, or do not rightly confider the Laws of Nature, the Conftitution Bonds, which, as Matrimony does not remove from the Sexes, fo neither does it remove the Obligation from either Sex to regard them. One would think indeed the Power of Na- ture fliould be fueh,and theSenfe of thefe things

F 2 be


be fo plainlj ftampt in the Minds of reafona- ble Creatures, that there ihould be no need, or indeed room for the Caution. But as the Breach of this Law, however fcandalous, is fo vifible among us, it merits to ftand foremoft among the conjugal Crimes I am now to re- prove.

I forefee what jfbme of my merry Reader^ will think they are to hear of next, viz. that I fhall preach Ledures of matrimonial Modera- tioi\ or Satyxize fome of their boafted Excefles , but they will be unhappiljr difappointed, my Care of avoiding to reprove in Jfords at lengthy what fome of them are not alhamed to boaft of in Vords at lengthy will perhaps leave fome People to go more unreproved than they de- ferve.

Yet let J — A — take a modeft Hint upon the grofleft Indecency of that kind, which this Part of the Town has ever fliown, and which he acted in light and hearing of more of his Friends than approved the fcandalous Prac- tice ^ v/hen, with the grofleft Immodefty, he gave the detail of his Marriage Night's Per- formances, to a grave and eminent Magiftrate of the City upon the open Exchange y and was handfomely reproved and expofed for it, as he defer ved. When Men glory in their Shame, they make Indecencies of that which might otherwife not be fuch, and they break the Rules of Modefty without Doors, when perhaps they did not within. But this Part of the Sa- tyr goes no farther than the Fad, I return to the Subjea it felf.

Every wife Man would a6l the Part of a wife Man, were there no Law to reftrain him, l^rudence diftates to Men of Prudence, and

Modefty


[^9 ]

Modefty to Men of Modefl:}^^ the great Lair of Matrimony is a ftrict Union of the Peiions • this Union extends to many other Things, as v/ell as to the Union of Sexes, and, among the reft, there is, or fhould be, a Union of Kiiidnefs moving to a gentle and tender ufing one ano- ther in Matters of Civilit}^ and Courtefy, as well as in Matters of Modeftj. Certainljr the Rules of Civility are not abolifhed bj Matri- mony j Should not the Man and his V/ife be civil and juft to one another, becaufe they may be free ? That's a ftrange Freedom that obliges us to be rude and difobliging.

Now thefe Rules of Decency which, I fay, are not deftroyed by Matrimony, extend to many things even between a Man and his Wife, which I have not j^t mentioned, and which I have with regret obferved to be broken into by fome who had been better taught, and who ought to have known hy tht Laws of good Manners how to have acted after another fort ^ the Branches I point at now may be touched more clofelj^ and will admit of fpeak- ing plainer EiigliJ/j than thofe I have jaft now mentioned 4 and though the Immodefty may in many Things be as great, and that it comes from, the fame corrupt, vicious Original, either in the Man or the Woman, yet they are not exprefs'd in fo open and fo fcandalous and of- fenfive Terms.

The frjl Cafe is^ when either the Man or Woman make injurious Reproaches upon one another for natural or accidental Infirmities, incapacitating them to anfwer and iatisfy mu- tual Expectation ^ that is to fay, to anfv/er coi> jugal Duties •, and this more efpecially when thofe Infirmities have not been Ante-matrimo-

F 3 niaL


'■[7o]

nial, not before Marriage, but occaiioned by Diftemper or Difafter afterward, and thofe Di- fternpers or Difafters fuch as are truly cafual, and to be honeftly accounted for. There muft certainly be a great defed of Modefty in the Man or the Woman, who can reproach the Wife or the Husband in fuch a Cafe as this.

A Lady, whofeNamel relied: onwithdifdain, but conceal it in Charit}^ after having had five fine Children by her Husband, having, tho* with Civility too, been deny'd fomething which Hie defired, and which he thought a little too ex- penfive for his Circumjftances, aftel- fome warm Words, but lefs criminal, turned from him with fcorn, and told him, he might let it alone fince he was grown fb faving fhe would not ac- cept of it now, he might keep it for his 7iext Child.

The Gentleman had about two Years before had a Fit of Siclcnefs, v/hich had brought him very low, and by which he was grown a little Paralitica, how it afFeded his natural Poxvers, could not perhaps be underftood fo well by any Body as by his Wife : But fuppoC- ing the worft, it v/as not without the utmofl Breach of Decency and Modefty, fuppofing lione to have been prefent but themfelves, that flie could reproach him with that Part of it in fuch a manner ^ but it was infinitely more fo, and (he was inezcufably guilty, that Ihe did it in the hearing of others, and with fome Icind of Additions of Banter and Raillery too, which fajt very all upon her Tongue at that time. . /It is true, the Folly of it retorted exceeding- ly upon her Fame, and foon got into the Mouths of fome of her fatyrical Neighbours, jvho failed, not to make herv cry argr}^, I had

rather


[ 71 ] rather I could have faid afhamed, upon hearing of it again : But it had no Effed upon her as to her Condud to hina, nor could Ihe refrain doubling her Reproaches between themfelyes, which her Husband, being a Man of Spirit, refented to the higheft Degree: This put an end to all conjugal Kindnefs between thein, and ruined their Family-Peace, till ftie at length made him her Jeft, and that in Company too ^ yet ihe got nothing by him this Way neither ^ for he taking the Jeft with a fmile of Contempt, as indeed it deferved, frequently anfwered, that he would hire her a Journeyman, fince fhe took fuch Care to let every Body know Ihe had Occa- lion for one, that if one was not enough for her, as he thought it would not, he would provide her two or three, that, if it were pollible, Ihe might be fatisfied, though he very much doubt- ed it. This was very bitter upon her, 'tis true, but Ihe extorted it from him-, indeed till he took this Courfe with her, he could by no Per- fuafions, by no Arguments, nor by any AVays that he could ufe, prevail with her to hold her Tongue, nor indeed did thofe Reproaches, how- ever fever e, put an End to it, but they went on continually bantering and m.aking a Jeft of one another, and fuch like uudecent and un- kind Things as thefe pafs'd fo openl}^, and fo often between them, that at length it occa- lioned a Separation for a time, and the Husband being too hard for her, it ruined her Charadter and Reputation, and though it did not her Virtue, as thofe believed who had Charity for the Lady, and I, among the reft, yet fhe re- tained the Blot of it almoft as much as if ftie had had the guilty and that as long as fhe lived*

F 4 The^e


l7^]

These are fome of the Things which Mo- defty and Decency forbids hetv/een a Man and his Wife ^ the contrary is a Debt to conjugal AfFedion on one hand, and to Laws of Decency and good Manners on the other, both which no matrimonial Familiarities or Intimacies can deftroy.

And here give me leave to obferve, though not with the fame Reflection, and without any Satyr upon the Thing as Criminal and Immo- deft^ that, however the matrimonial Intimacies between a Man and his Wife, may difcharge them of m.uch of the Bondage of Ceremony in their Converfation, yet I can by no means agree, that becaufe a Woman has given her felf up to him without any referve, all ten7 dernefs and regard to her as a Woman, and all diftindion in Company fhould be taken away^ that Ihe Ihould have no refpect fiiown to her in whatever Circumftances fhe is confidered,but,on the contrary, that therefore her Husband Ihould treat her with Rudenefs and Indecency, want of Manners, and even of Refpeds ever after. There are fome remains certainly of the firft Civilities due to the Wife after Marriage, which were paid to her in her diftant Circumftances, as a Maid, before, and in the time of Courtihip^ and unlefs tht Wife her felf forfeit them by any brutiih difobliging Things on her Side, they are not entirely obliterated by Matrimonjr, no not to the lafl:.

On this Account, though I cannot fay that a Life of Ceremony between Man and Wife Ihould be recommended, yet certainly a Life of Civility fhould^ they fay that Cerem.ony de- ftroys AfFedion, and, in fome refpeds, I don't know but it may, and when we Tee a Ma^i and

his


[73]

Ms Wife, however great, always bowing and fcraping and linking to one another, we are 'apt to fay there's more Manners than AfFedion between them.

But on the other hand, when the Husband and Wife are fo far from treating one another with Ceremony, that they cannot keep up common Civility, but that they treat one ano- ther with Difdain and Contempt, there's a cer- tain lofs both of Affedtion and good Manners too.

For this Reafon I would advife all the good Husbands and Wives that will accept that Ad- vice, never to mingle their Difcourfes, efpe- cially before Company, with Raillery and Jeft upon one another- when a Woman once comes to make a Jeft of her Husband, fhe is loft, ilie js gone •, and when the Man makes a Jeft of his Wife he is a goi^ig^ at leaft in my Opinion : I Ihall explain the Words goyie and gohig prefent- ly • when a Man makes a Jeft 'of his Wife every Body believes he hates her ^ when the Woman makes a Jeft of her Husband, they believe Ihe cuckolds him.

At leaft 'tis a fatal Sign that all conjugal Affection is dead and buried from between

them. I frequently vifited my Friend M- ,

when his Wife and he had been married about two Years, but I was moft irkfomel}^ enter- tained every time with his Banters and Turns of Wit, his Sarcafms, Jefts, and indeed Buf- foonry, all upon his Wife-, I obferved at iirft Ihe took it well enough, and now and then gave him a fmart return, which was not to his Advantage • for ihe had a World of Wit, but her Modefty and Senfe convinced her, without any Bodies reproof, that it was no Part for a

Wife


[ 74] Wife to afl: •, that her Husband ivas wrong in it, and fometimes that would fetch feme Tears from her: But Ihe would not imitate that in Pradice which flie thought fo ill became her Husband, fo Ihe bore it all as an Afflic- tion.

I had in Friendfhip feveral times gently

hinted to Mr. M , that I thought he

was too hard upon his Lady, that he knew ihe was a Woman of good Breeding, and had ai> uncommon fhare both of Wit and good Hu- mour ; but he might eafily fee fhe was not plea- fed with it, and that he feemed really to opprefs her with it.

However, he went on, and putting one time very hard upon fomething in her Beha- viour, which he pretended not to like, though really without Caufe^ fhe coloured at his Words, which fliew'd fhe refented them, and was mov'd^ but fhe immediately recovered her felf, and keeping back all her Refentment, fhe, with an inexprefTible Goodnefs in her Face, and a Smile, faid to him, My Dear, you would like it in avy Body but your Wife.

I was indeed furprized at it, but her Husband xnuch more •, and after the Converfation was over, he came to me eager to fpeak : Well, fays he, you heard what a Blow my Wife gave me -, I acknowledge fhe has conquered me ^ I fhould have really liked it if it had been any one elfe, and I was entirely wrong ^ but Til take your Advice, a Man fhould never make a com-^ mon Jeft of his Wife, and I'll do it no more I afTure you.

I was mightily pleafed to fee the Effed it had npon him^ for this Humour of jefting with his Wife, or rather making her the conflant Sub-.


[ 75 1

Je6t of Ridicule and Jeft, came up to this at laftjthat flie could do nothing that would pleafe him- but, in Ihort, every thing that his "Wife did was to be laught at, becaufe his Wife was to be laught at.

This is the familiarity which the Proverb fays breed Contempt, and it does fo z, for Men prefently jeft away their Refped for their Wives, and after that their Affedion -, though Ceremony between Man and Wife lefTens Af- fedion, or rather fhews it was wanting before, 3^et AfFeftion does by no means lefTen Civility, Ceremony may leflen AfFedion, but Difre- fped murthers it, ftrangles it. A Man can never pretend to love his Wife and have no Refped for her at the fame time'-, that would be to love her, and not to love her altogether, which is incongruous in its Nature.

Mirth between a Husband and Wife is ihQ heighth of AfFedion, but that's no Mirth that is always running down, bantering and playing the Buffoon with his Wife^ a chearful Affedion is the Beauty of a conjugal State -, but whatChearfulnefs is there in making a Ban- ter and Jeft of one another, what Mirth when they make game, not with one another only, but at one another.

It is really an odd kind of Converfation be- tween a Man and his Wife, when they come into publick Company, to have them turn their Drollery one upon another, and run out in Banters againft themfelves- the World will not fail to make a Jeft of thofe who iirft make a Jeft of themfelves, and to take all the Jokes., Turns and Returns which they pafs upon one another, to be founded upon Fad, and that eyery Jeft fo rais'd is a true Jeft^ in Ihort, 'tis a

moil


[ 7^ ] niofi: prepofterous Piece of Folly, and deferres more Satyr than I have Room to beftoiv

iipon it here ^ I may fpeak of it again in its

Place.

I knew a Couple of married Wits who fre- quently jelled thus with one another till they quarrelled, and indeed, it generally ended in a Quarrel^ when it v/as come up to its highth, they went to their fepar ate Apartments, and perhaps did not fee one another for feverai Veelcs, one living at one End of the Houfe, and the other at t'other End^ half a dozen times a Day, or more, they would fend Letters to one another, filled with bantering bitter Sarcafms and Satj^-rs, fometimes in Verfe, in Song and in Diftichs, other times in Proft, with fcandalous JReproaches, filled with immo- deft Expreffions of the vileft Sort, and not fit to be repeated, unlefs I Ihould break the Rules I have prefcribed both to my felf and others.

In this manner they would fornetinnfes live for a Month of tv/o together, never fparing to give the utmoft Provocation, and to re- ceive it with the extreameft Indignation, till they run one another out of Breath with their ill Ufage-, and then, as Storms, when they have fpent their Strength, and their Fury is abated, it would gradually wear pff, the Fire and Brim^ ftone being exhaufted, they would begin to cool again, and fo come with as little Cere- mony to an Accommodation, as they had with little Decency fallen out.

What need is there of abundance of Dif cretion as well as Affedion between a Man and Wife, to prefirve 'the Rules of Decency, and to keep up the Bounds of Modefty in their

Family


.[ 77 ] Family-Converfation ? This is a Reafon why it is fo eflential to Matrimonj, that the Per- fons Ihould be Lovers as well as Relatives, that there fhould be an engaged alTured Affec- tion before there be a Political Union between them : Without this 'tis very difficult to ren- der the married State a Scene of happy Cir- cumftances, and a Condition truly calculated for hun^ane Society ^ but of that alfo in its Order, for I muft give you a whole Chapter upon that Head.

Ju s T I c E is another of the Particulars which Decency ftill requires between a Man and his "Wife 5 he is far from acting decently with a "Wife that will not on all Occafions do her Jus- tice: To be injurious to a Wife deftroys all Fa- mily-Peace between them •, and whether this Injuftice be occafioned by and relating to Mat- ters of Propertjr, or Matters of Duty, 'tis all the fame ^ there is no Decency can be preferved xvhere Juftice is not done-, if the Wife be op- preffed, if her Right and Allowances exprelly capitulated for are unjuftly detained from her, or if fhe be any way ftript, either of her Orna- ments, or of her Settlements, thefe are inju- rious things which deftroy Affection, and the deftroying of Affedion ruins the Peace of the Family.

But I am a little gone beyond my Subjed, which relates only to perfonal Virtue, and the Referves which Modefty flill makes necellary between a Man and his Wife ^ and there are fome Things even of that kind which ftill re- main. It is true, fome of them are fuch as cannot bear the mentioning without Breach of the Modefty which I am fpeaking to proted, and breaking into thole Bounds which I re~

folvc


[ 7? ]

Iblve not to offend againft : Other Things majf be fo explained as to be underftood by thofe^ efpecially to whom they belong, for the guilty will fee the Arrow fliot at them which others cannot perceive.

The Indecencies and Immodefties of the Tongue delerve a Place here, and I infift that, even between a Man and his Wife, there are due Bounds to be obferved in both thefe, elpeci- ally when they fpeak not only to, but of one another in the hearing of others.

There is a Modeity of the Tongue which never forfakes a Woman of Virtue, no not in her moft intimate converfing with her own Husband, but much more at other times ^ all Breaches of this kind touch even her Virtue it felfj, and are Branches of that which I call conjugal Lewdnefs, which is to be carefully avoided among Chriftians.

Nor is the Man exempted from this Modefty of the Tongue, not only with his Wife, but elpecially when of or to his Wife before Com- pany : Nothing is more unworthy a modeft and ChriftianMan than to talk lewdly of, or to his Wife before Company ^ a Man ought never to force Blufhes from his Wife on account of their own Privacies and Intimacies- this is to make thofe Things criminal which in them- felves are lawful. I know not any one Thing that fits worfe upon a Man's Tongue than to laugh at, jeer, and flout his Wife with what had pafs*d between them in their retired Con- verfations, and this before other People ♦, ^tis the moft odious, hateful, and, to a modeft Ear, naufeous, of all Difcourfe, and yet nothing is more frequent, and even among People of Fi- gure toOj, which, I muft confefs, I have often

wondered


[ 75) 1

wondered at, confidering the Pretences we now, make to polite Converfation.

Besides, 'tis a Breach of Decency as it re- fpedis his Wife of the vileft and moft fcanda- lous kind, and if fhe is a modeft and virtuous Woman, as well as a good Wife, is fufficient to make her abhor his Society, and to refufe to appear in Company with him, even in his own Houfe, nay, and if continued, will not fail in time to make her hate him, which is the worft Condition an honeft Man can ever wifh to be in with a Wife.

I T muft be confefTed 'tis a wife Man's Bu- linefs after Matrimony, by all means pofli- ble to preferve the AfFedlion of his Wife en- tire, to engrofs her to him, and to make and keep himfelf the fingle and entire Objed of her beft Thoughts. If Ihe is once brought to hate him, to have an averfion to him, to loath and abhor him, fhe muft have an uncom- mon Stock of Virtue, and be more a Chriftian than he ought to expeft of her, if Ihe does not fingle out feme other Objed: of her Affection ; and can a Man think his Wife, who is thus every Day difobliged, in the grofTeft manner ill ufed, and, in fpite of her Refentments, expofed to be laught at by him, will long pre- ferve an inviolable AfFedion to him •, but I may touch this again.

I return to the Subjed. There are yet greater Offences againft Modefty than thefe^ As I faid above, that giving unjuft Retorts, and making unkind and indecent Reproaches in cafe of cafual or accidental Weaknefs and Impotence, are fcandalous Breaches of Mode- ^y between a Man and his Wife. So be- lides this, there are yet a numberlefs Variety

of


[ 8o ]

  • df Violences, as I msLj call them, committed'

likes Rapes upon Nature, in which nothing is more frequent than for a Husband to prefs a Wife to fuch and fuch Things as Morality and Modeftj forbids.

This is highly injurious to the conjugal Af- fedion, and expofes the Perfon guiltjr to a juft Genfure, nay, even to the Cenfure. mentioned of Matrijnonial Whoredom,: Whether thefe Ex- ceffes or Violences eonfift in Negatives, or in Affirmatives, they are in their kind equally cri- minal.

It muft be confeffed that Language is want- ing here, and Words cannot fully ex'prefs the meaning, fo as to preferve the Decrency I pro«  fefs ^ and I may be asked what I mean when: I cannot explain it, not for vvant of knowing my own meaning, but for want of Words to exprefs it-, and therefore, as above, I choofe to be filent, 1*11 come as near the Cafe as I can without giv- ing offence, and what cannot be faid with De- cency muft be omitted ^ I had laid, that perfo- nal WeaknelTes and Infirmities on either Side ought not to be retorted between a. Man and his Wife, much lefs expofed, fo I now fay, they much lefs ought to be opprefs'd on that Account. N. B, I am fj^eaking now, not of natural and original Impotencies, which, being beforig Mar- riage, ought to have been discovered, and which our Law makes fufficient to difTolve the Con- tradt, and feparate the Perfons. .

There has been foul Work enough made with thefe Things in print by particular, lewd, and obfcene Publications, which modefl Ears are fick of, and the Nation mourns for the Of- fence of it ^ but my Difcourfe looks quite ano- ther Way.

Be-


[ ^^ ]

Besides, our Office of Matrimony fo- lemnly charges and adjures the Perfons who come to be joined together, that if they know any fuch Impediments they Ihould declare them at that time^ and, in a manner, protefts againft the Validity of the Marriage in Cafe of a failure, and therefore and from that very Proteft, fuch Marriages are afterwards fre-- quently made void by Parliament.

But as the Subjed: of my Obfervation is more nice, fo it is alfo more modeft, and may with more decency be coniidered of. The In- firmities on either Side which human Body is fubjed to are many^ I diftinguifli them not here, only that I profefs to mean fuch Infirmities as regard the Sexes only, Phylicians, Acouchers or Surgeons, and Anatomifts underftand, and can defcribe them ; 'tis none of my Bufinefs, much lefs m)^' Defign.

It frequently does, or at leaft may happen, that when a young Couple come together their Conftitutions may, as too often their Tempers may and do, differ from one another, with re- fped to thefe Things, to the greateft Extreme • one is weak, faint, the Spirits low, Nature un- able to anfwer what is expected ^ another per-^ haps is reduced by Child-bearing, too thick and and too long together, by Accidents in often hard and difficult Travels, Injuries received by unskilful Hands, or many other Incidents and Circumftances not to be named •, by thefe, I fay, the Perfon is reduced, debillitated, and rcnder'd unfit to give the Satisfaction which has formerly been found : On the other hand, the Man is reduced by a tedious, lingring de«  Ga], which Phylicians call a Confumption •, or by other acute Diftempers, which he can, as is

G faid


[ 8z ]

laid before, account for without Scandal ^ and to which Men are as frequentljr fubjed, and as much difabled by them, as Women are in the Cafes mentioned juft now-, fuch as Stone, Gout, Palfies, Epilepfies^ Rheumaticks, Dropfies, and fuch like.

If either or any of thefe Circumftances in Man or Woman happens, where thej are joined refpedtively to another that is ftrong, ro«  bull, in perfect vigour, the Spirits high, the Blood hot, and perhaps boiling ^ Nature for- ward, and craving Defire unfatisfied •, I need go no farther to explain it ^ What wretched Work does this caufe between the ill-match'd Couple ? I can openly fay I know a beautiful 37^oung Lady after bringing her Husband feveral Children, yet actually deftroyed, I might have faid murthered, by thefe conjugal Yiolences, to fay no worfe of them •, and I make no dif- ference 'tis the fame on the other Side ^ ma- ny a Man finks under the Weight of his own Deficiencies • he is ailiamed to decline the Duty of the Marriage-bed, difdains to be thought unable to fatisf)^, &c>

I can go no farther, and the Reader will ex- cufe the Interruption. I refer you to a ftated and acknowledged Declaration in the Cafe, and which is direct to my purpofe ^ and tho' it is among the Tiirh^ yet the reafon of the Prac- tice is not the lefs or the more. The Titrks think this very Cafe, whether of the Man's Side or the Woman's, to be fo weighty, as that it deferves the interpofition of Authority ^ The Grand Yifier in Perfon, where he can be apx^lied to, and in more extraordinary Cafes hears the Caufes himfelf^ in other Cafes ihe graver Kadekfchers, and Judges determine

it.


[ 83 ]

itj where both the Man and Wife are fully exa- mined, and Judgment given as the Circum- fiances require. I am affured alfo, that Judgment is given in thofe Cafes, not in a ludicrous manner with game and fporr, and a Court, or rather Croud, ftanding round, to laugh and make a jeft either of one Side or other ^ but with a folemn Gravity, fuitable at leaft to the Dignity of the Judge who palTes the Sentence, and to the Re- verence which both Sides pay to the Laws themfelves.

Nor is the Method v/holly Twr^f/;, and to be objeded againft as a Piece of Mahometa?i Original ^ but 'tis founded upon the antient ufage of all the Eaftern Countries, in whofe Cuftoms it is to be found, though v/ith fome Variation, even as far back as the Phemcian and Carthagiynan Empires, and as the Egyptian and Perfian Government and Monarchies. Hence the Phrafe made ufe of in the Scripture by the Apoftle Faiil^ called Due Benevolence^ on one hand is commanded^ while on the other hand Cbamherivg and IFantonnefs^ which is fuppos'd to relate to the pretended lawful Intimacies between a Man and his Wife are forbidden.

It may be expected I fnould explain my felf upon thofe Scripture Expreliions, and there is fufficient room for it, and that with decenc}^ too • but I refolve not to com.e to the brink of the Offence, nor {hall the Reader be able to fay, I go all the length I might go.

The Scripture Expreliionfi are expounded by the Reverend and Learned Annotators, and t0 them i refer ^ and as to the Courts of Juftice imder tlie Grand Seignior^ deciding fuch Cafes as thefe, where Complaints are made by either Sex, I could give large Accounts of them, but

G 2 they


[ 84 ]

they would break in upon ine in the grand Difficulty, and offend the Reader-, except a Sort who I am not at this time about to joleafe. Here therefore you muft allow me to omit a large and, in its kind, ufeful Part of the De- iign it felf, namely, the Reproof of fcandalous Violences on both Sides even in the Marriage Intimacies, which cannot be fpoken of with Decency, and therefore muft go imreproved. One would hope it is a fufficient Reproof to thofe who underftand what I mean.

Wfe are but too forward to fay, that no one ought to prohibit what God has not prohibited- that what is lawful ma}^ lawfully be done, where Nature didates, fay they^ and Heaven has not forbid, what can be pretended, that the Rule of Modefty is exprefs'd by Mr. Bryden thus :

" By Nature prompted^ by 710 Law de?ty'dy

That all things within that Compafs are to be allowed, and to reftrain farther, is to bind heax^y Burthens, which we will not bear our felves.

But my anfwer is fhort, where*ever an unreftrained Liberty feems to be given, yet we ought to remember that God gave his Laws to us as to reafonable Creatures, not as to Brutes ^ that we are to act in no Cafes out of the Bounds of Reafon and Juftice, no nor of Modefty and Decency-, if the Circumftances of

it feem to be left to our Difcretion, that Dis-

cretion ftiould be limited by our reafoning Powers 5 if the Man or Woman, for I fpeak of, and to both, will tell me, that in the Extafies of their Paffion, or AfFedion, or Appetite, or call it what you will^, they are at liberty to-

1-ay


[ h ]

lay afide the ufe of Rcafon, and acl unlike a Man, or a Chriftian, or even a Brute ^ that he is to be a Fury, outrageous, unfatisfied, and entirely out even of his own Govennnent-, That he or fhe is to lay afide all Confideratior.s for the fie or he they are concerned withal^ all companion for Circumftances, Infirmities, Weak- nefs, &c\ of whatfoever kind, or proceeding from v/hatfoeverCaufe^ that they are at liberty thus to be furious, and to adt meerl}^ in gratifi- cation of their own Pleafures, without any other or better Conlideration, and to do what- ever they think fit in the purfuit of their pre- fent guft of Appetite, even to the ruin and deftruftion of the Husband or Wife ^ I fa}^, if fhis can be made appear to be jufl:, then I am anfwered.

But if not, then Pvcafon, and Modeftj'-, and Virtue ought to be liftened to^ and the cravings of Nature, if they are extravagant, fhould be governed ty the Rules which Nature is fub- jeded to. The thing is a Difeafe and a Dif- temper in it felf ^ and though it may be called Conftitution and Nature, 'tis a miftake ^ 'tis not Conftitution, but a Plague in the Conftitu- tion i, 'tis a kind of Fev^er or Calenture in the Blood- 'tis, in a word, to carry it no farther, a Frenzy in the Creature^ whether in the Head or elfewhere, is not to the purpofe, but fuch it is, and they ought to apply to Art, I mean Phyfick, to -abate the Acrimonjr of their Blood, reftrain the Excefles of high feeding, hard drinking, and luxurious living ; reducing themfelves at leaft fo, as to bring under the Fiefh^ bring Nature under the Government of lleafon, and, in Ihort, bring the Body under the

G 3 com-


[ 8^ ]

command of the Soul, for that is the whole Cafe.

I might give fome Examples of this Mode- ration as it has been happily pradifed among Chriftiansin our Age, and that even among Men of the higheft Rank, and above theReftraint of Laws. Take one particular Relation which I had from an unqueftionable Author, that is to fay, from a grave Minifter who had been con- verfant in the very Houlhold, and the Truth of whofe Relation I cannot doubt. *"' There " was a certain reigning Prince not long ago " alive in the World-, I do not fay there are " nmnj fuch left, who after having had five ^^ Sons, and moft of them Men of Fame as " well as high Birth, and ftill living, had this " particular Circumftance attending his Mar- " riage-bed ♦, his Princefs was reduced to fuch '* Weaknefs,' by frequent Ghild-bearing, that " {he was not able to receive the Embraces of " her Lord without the utmoft Extremity of ^ Pain and Diforder • and it went fo far, that " ihe was at lajl obliged to difcover it to him, " but did it with fo much Modefty and Goodnefs, " that ihe offered him to confent to his tak«  " ing any other Lady, which he might approve " of to fupply her Place,

" She mfifted upon the reafonablenefs of " it, and that fhe believed her confenting to it, '^ and from fuch evident neceffity, might make

  • ^ it lawful ^ nay, fhe prefs'd the Prince to it

'^ very earneftly, offering her felf to find out " an agreeable Perfon for him, and to bring '^ her to him.

"The generous Prince received her firft De-% "^ claration, intimating her own W'eaknefs and ^ " ^^Infir« 


[87] ^ Infirmitj^ with a concern of Pity and Af- " fedion as becaine a tender Husband, which " he always had been to her, and afiured her ^' he would not opprefs her, or offer any thing " to injure or diforder her. He fmiled at her " Propofal, but told her, No ^ fince Providence " had thought fit to deny him the fatisfa6tion " he ufed to have in the Embraces cf his own " Wife, he hoped he was fo much of a Chri- " ftian as not to break God's Laws to gratify " natural Defires^ and that he had fo much

  • ' the Government of himfelf aifo as not to

" let his Appetite get the Maflrery of his Rea-

  • ' fon ^ and with this noble Refolution declined

" the Offer his Wife made him of another " Lady, and kept himfelf fingle, as it may'lc ^* called^ to the laft.

I give this, among m^nj Examples, wherein conjugal Modefty^ has been preferved, and ti^e Example is m.oving. The Prince I mention was in tliQ highth of his Strength, the prime of his Age, between the Age of thirty and forty-, ftrong, vigorous, full of Fire in t\-\Q Field, and, in proportion, elfewhere ^ the Thing was an Accident, and to Nature was doubtlefs a Difappointment • but the Chriftiaii prevailed above the Youth ^ Reafbn conquered Nature, and that Reafon had the Government of all his Inclinations.

Certainly we are to ad according to our Reafon and our Underftanding in all Cafes, where the Laws either of God oi* Man leave us at liberty-, nay, thofe Laws feeming to leave us at full liberty, give the ftronger Force to the Government of our Reafon ^ They feem not to fay you are in this left to what your own Will diredts, but the Language of the

G 4 Law


[ 88 ]

Law of Nature it felf, and of the fubfequent Laws cf God in the fame Cafe is. Here you are left to iiCi as Reafon and Religion fhall di- fecl, and as the Circumftances that may hap- pen (hall make reafonable.

The Ezceiies and Extremes of our Pailions are in aim oft all Cafes the fcandal of the rational Life, the principal Caiife of which is, becaufe lleafon is given to Man as a guard to him againft all the Exorbitances of Nature. Reafon is the Rule of Life to a Man, as Religi- on is to Chriftians ^ he that is not guided by the laft is an Infidel, as he that is not governed by the firfl: is a Brute. 'Tis a fhame to a Man that wears about him a Soul, to fay, that he is not guided by his Reafon*, as 'tis a fhame to a Chn^ftian to fay, he is not guided by the Prin- ciples and Didates of Religion. , As Reafon therefore is our guide in Matters fubjecled to its Laws, ih in this more particularly, namely, in governing and direding our Affec- tions, our Appetites, our Paffions, and our Delires : Take it in more indifferent and ordinary Cafes, we are allowed to Eat and Drink, God gave the Bleflings andEncrcafe of the Field to Man*, He is, under his Maker, the Lord of the World, and he is left at full libertj^ not only to fupply his NecelHtjT'^ his Hunger and Thirff, but he is at libert} to folace himfelf with his Food, and eat or drink what is mofb agreeable to his Palate : But as Reafon is the guide of his Appetite, fo far as to diredl him hew much to eat or drink upon all Occafions, fo he that gorges himfelf beyond what is reafonablc, ex- pofes himfelf to the juft Cenfure of a brutal Appetite*, thus, in all other Cafes ^ a Man out

pf


[ sp ]

of the government of his Reafon is, in a word, a Monfter rather than a Man.

Methinks the modeft Reader may take this as it is intended, viz. to extend to the Exercife of a brutal ungoverned Appetite, in any other Cafe, to which this of eating and drinking is appofite, and may apply it fuitablj, though Decency forbids me to do it.

We Ihould all blufh to be told, in other Cafes; that we had no Government of our felves-, that we were infatiably Covetous, or unboundedly Ambitious, or Yain, and much more fhould we have reafon to blulh, as being infatiable in any other Appetite.

Decency alfo puts another Difficulty upon me here, viz. it obliges me to fpeak of this Article, as if the Man was the only guilty Per* fon, and that the Modefty of the Woman was a fafficient reftraint to her upon all Occallons: Nor will I make fo much as an attempt in Pre- judice of that Charity ^ if it happen otherwife on any Occafion 'tis fo much the worfe, be- caufe, I think, of the two, the Extream on that Side is the moft fatal, as well as Ihame- ful.

There isaPart of this Circumftance, which, as it is necelTary to be mentioned, fo it may be mentioned without Offence, tho' it regards even the niceft Branch of the Argument *, and that is, How fatal this Exorbitance is, when it meets, not as it were in a kind of Conjundion, as where neither the Man or the Woman have the Government of themfelves^ but where the Extream^ is on one Side onlj'-, with a coldnefs and indifferencjr equally extream on the other ^ J fay, this may be mentioned without offence, becaufe it muft not be deny'd but there is an

Error


[ S>o ]

Error both ways, of v/iiich Reafbn as well as Duty and Afredtion, are to be the Diredors and Guides : It is, no doubt, a Duty on both Sides to yield, to pleale, and oblige one another, where no juft Objedions are to be made-, and thofe Husbands or Wives who de- cline one another criminally, ought to confider the matrimonial Yow and Duty in all its Par- ticulars^ but efpecially upon the ill Confe- quences which fuch a Coldnefs may produce 5 which, though not juftifiable at all in the Per- fon that msij fo Hy out, yet 'tis what we ought to avoid, as we are not to lead one another into Temptations-, and this is one of the Things which, as I faid, thofe Courts of particular Juft tice take cognifance of among the Turks, But of this more at large in its Order. I am now chiefly talking of the Extreams of the firft kind, and of an unreflrained Brutality.

I bury all the hateful Particulars which thefe Reproofs are pointed at, in the refpect I pre- ferve for decency of Expreffion ^ and conclude with faying, that thofe Branches of conjugal Diforder are the fcandal of the Marriage Bed i; every Chriftian, as well as every prudent and wife Man, will be afiiamed, to think he ihould want a hint to reftrain himfelf As to the brutal "World- Men and Women who give a loofe to their Defires, of whatever kind, and hate all Mortifications - who defpife Reftraint and Rules -, that fcorn to think they want Ad- vice, and are above Reproof ^ I have one Hint more for fuch, and that is this, let them go on and a£t with a full Guft ^ let them ftrain Nature to the utmoft ^ and let them fee whether if the Laws of God or Man do not reftrain them or punifli them. Nature her felf will not complain, openly

expofe


.expofe them, and make them confefs the Crimo when it is to be read in their Punifhment.

Whence "come Palfies and Epileplies, Fal- ling-Sicknefs, trembling of the Joints, pale dejeded Afpe6ls, Leannefs, and at laft Rotten- nefs, and other filthy and loathfome Diftem- pers, but from the criminal Exceffes of their younger times ? 'Tis not enough to fay that it was lawful, and they made ufe of none but their own Wives-, the natural Courfe of things go on their own way ^ Nature^s Streams flow all in the fame Channels^ if the Fountain is drawn dry, if the Vitals are exhaufted, the Engines of Nature worked with unreafonable Violence, the Parts feel the fame unreafonable Force, and the Con- fequences will be the fame, whether the Fads were juftifiable, and lawful in themfelves or not.

Thus, as above, 'tis lawful to eat and drink^ and the Kinds and Quantities of Food which we are to eat are perfectly left to our own Dif- cretion ^ nay, we are left, as I have faid, even to regale and divert our felves both with Eat- ing and Drinking, But the Epicure, who gives himfelf all manner of Liberties, that gives a loofe to the guft of his Appetite, that gorges his Stomiach with rich Sauces and furfeiting Dainties, that rather devours than feeds upon what is before him, and knows no Bounds to his eating but the meer mathematical Dimen- lions of his Bowels : What comes of him ? He (wells up with Fat, is over-run with Rheums, Catarrhs, and all fcorbutick Diftempers, and at laft finks under the Weight of his own Bulk^ is choaked with the very Food he eats, and dies in the middle of his dainty Meats : and the Drunkard, gorged v/ith Wine, does the fame.

Thus


[ 5>Z ]

Thus they deftroythemfelves in the ufe of lawful Things, or, if you pleafe, in the abufe of them ; and while they pleafe themfelves with having been doing nothing but what it was lawful to do, they perilh in the Excefles of it, and murther themfelves by the unlawful doing of lawful Aftions.

In the fame manner, thofe Men who pretend there are no limitations of Modefty between a Man and his "Wife, that, their Reafon is rot needful to be called in to the (jovermTaent of their Appetite, but that they are at liberty to ad in all Things as ar.eer ungoverned Na- ture, however vitiated, fliall direft. What Ef- fe61s do thej ordinarily find of it, and where does it end ? How do we find them loaded wdth Difeafes, contraft early Infirmities ? How does exhaufted Nature feel the fecret Defefts, and how hard do they find it to recover the Vigour and Strength which they have pufh'd to the ut- jnoft, in a thoughtlefs Excefs ?

Nay, How often does the boiling Blood fer- jnent into Fevers, Ulcers, and the moft incura- ble Difeafes ? How do the vital Parts feel the "Wound, till the Dart ftrike through the Liver^ as Solomo7t moft excellently defcribes it^ and the difmal Confequences feldom End but in the Grave ? Nor is that all, but the tottering Head, the Rheums, Catarrhs, the Fluxes, Infiamma- tions, and all the fatal Confequences of m un- governed vitiated Youth, how often and generally do they appear fo openly, that 'tis eafy,efpecially to Men of Judgment, to read the Caufe in the Confequences, the Sin in the Punifhments? nay, fome will tell you, that even the foul DiP- eafe it felf, has been the EfFeQ: of immoderate Heats and Surfeitings of the Blood, without

wha,i:


[ 5>3 ]

^hat we call Contamination or Infection from others, and where none other has been con- cerned but the Man and his Wife lingly and alone.

If I were at liberty to explain myfelf upon this naufeous Subjed, I coiiid, from clear and rational Confequences, convince the ungoverned Criminal, how he lays the Foundation of the ruin of his Conftitution^ how he poifons his Blood, and fpreads the corrupt Seeds of Difeafe into the vety Veins of his Pofterity^ but the Occafion is too foul for my Pen : Let it fuffice to admonifti Chriftians, and Men of Senfe, that they Ihould remember they are fo ^ that they have reafoning Pow- ers to aiiift them in fubduing their inordinate Heats-, that they fhould fummon Virtue and Modefty, Reafon and Chriftianitjr to their aid, and a6l in all Things agreeable to reafonable Beings, not like enraged Lunaticks, though they are not under the reftraint of Laws.

They are greatly miftaken likewife who expect I fhould give Rules here, and prefcribe to them what 1 mean by Modei'ty and Moderation in fach Things as thefe • in Ihort, fuch would pleafe themfelves if they could bring me to enter into Particulars of any kind, on one Side or other, for they love to dwell upon the Storjr, But Verb, Sap, Sat. 'Tis enough •, I have pointed out the Crime as far as Decency will permit, the Bounds are eafily prefcribed, fo as a common Underftanding may reach them - Reafon will tell you where the Limits are to be placed between lawful and unlawful^ as follows^ namely.

No Violences upon Nature on one Side or another- no puihing the Conftitution to Extre- mities, no earneftlmportunities, no immodeit

Prompt-


[ 5>4 ]

promptings-, let all that Nature dilates be free, fpontaneous, voluntary and temperate^ fo Yigour is prefer ved, AfFedion encreafed, and Abilities too, for it was a figniiicant Ex- preifion of the Duke of Buckingham's, in a Poem of his call'd The Enjoymejit^

  • ^ Love makes Men able as their Hearts are kind*

'Tis certain, all Intemperance, all outrage- ous ExceiTes, debilitate and exhauft the Spirits - w^eaken Nature, and render the Perfon unfit for many of the Offices of Life, befides the fame Article^ whereas a moderate ufe of Nature's Liberties have quite contrary EfFedts.



CHAP.


[^5 1


CHAP. iV.

of the abfohte Necejfity of a mutual Af- feBion before Matrimony, in order to the Happinefs of a married State, and of the Scandal of marrying nvith- out it.



AR.RIAGE is a ftate of Union,^ and the ftria^ft of its Kind that can not only be found, but that can be conceived of among Men. Ada77t emphatically exprefles it, when God brought the Woman to him t, This is 7iow Bone of viy Borte^ and Flejh of viy FleJI), Gen. xi. 23. and again, verle 24. and they jlmU he one FleJIu

So folemn the Inftitution, fo llmple the Conftrudlion, fo faft the Bond, fo loofe the Perfons bound 1 It would be much too ferious for the reading of thefe Times to enter into a Dif- fertation upon the folemn Engagement, and upon the Weight and Significance of the Obli- gation on both Sides, how firm the Bond, how indiffolvible the mutual Ties, and how impor- tant to the Felicitjr of Life it is that they fhould be religioully obferved.

I know too well who I am talking to, and at what Time of Day ^ how the Subordina- tion


tion of one Sex is laughed at and bantered, and the Dominion of the other abufed and turned into Tyranny and Oppreilion-, how the. Wo- men, inftead of Submiiiion, reign ^ and the Men, inftead of a Government in Love, and a fupe- riority of AfFedion, in which that Government Ihould chiefly confift, infult and opprefs their Wives ^ how the Obligation of forfaking all other, is ridiculed and made a Jeft of, and that of keeping your felf only unto her, declared to be a meer Church Impofition, a Piece of Prieflcraft, and unreafonable.

Do you think, fays bluftiing G— =^ — ^ to his poor fubjeded but modefl: Wife, Do you think that ever I intended to meddle with no more than one Woman ? No, no, I never promis'd any fuch Thing-, if I did I never intended to Iceep to it^ then he turns and lings a fcandalous Song out of Rochejler^ too grofs to repeat :

But to live with her all a Mav*s Life^

Till Jlje grows . ■■ —

Good faith, Mr. Parfon, J thavk you for that^

I thank ye for that:

And whence comes this Contempt ? I fay^^ it does not proceed fo much from the Wicked- nefs, as from the Ignorance of the Age -, Ig- norance of the real Felicity of their very Kind- how all that can be called happy in the Life of Man, is fumm*d up in the ftate of Marriage 5 that it is the Center to which all the lefler De- lights of Life tend, as a Point in the Circle - that, in iliort, all the extraordinary Enjoy- ments of Life are temporary and trifling, and conlift chiefly in the ftrange and uncouth Plea-

fure


Jure v/hich, fome Men fay, they find in dom^ what they ought not to do^ which, atbeft, lafts but till they are wife, and learn to know what it is to repent. But the Pleafure of a married State coniills wholly in theBeauty of the Union^ the Iharing Comforts, the douBing all Enjoy- ments-, 'tis the -Settlement of Life-, the Ship i5 always in a Storm till it finds this fafe Road, and here it comes to an Anchor: 'Tis the want of a tafte of Life makes Men defpile that Part of it which Heaven at firft conftituted to compleat the Happinefs of his Creatures.

To argue againft Marriage, becaufe fo manj Matches are unhappy, and fo few exemplify the Cafeasit ought to be,isonly arguing the Ignorance and Corruption of Mankind, which as it is the Caufe, fo it is fully difcovered by this unhapp;^ Confequence. Did Men exped Happinefs in a married Condition, they would Begin and End it after another manner, prepare for it before^ hand v/ith more nicety, and take much great° er Thought about it before they engaged in it. ■ ^ .. .^ ^ -

Politick Matches are Weddings for Prin- ces, ^nd for Perfons of high Birth, where the meer Interefts of the Families are the Confide;- ration of the Alliance, and where it is not eC- fential to the Match, whethef the Perfons love one another or no, at leafi: not fo effential as i?i Perfons of a meaner degree.

But as the Perfons of a lov/er Station ar^-, generally fpeaking, much more happy in their Marrriages, than Princes and Perfons of Diftin- ftion •, fo 1 take much of. it, if not all of it, to ccnfift in the Advantage they have to choofe jfndrefufe.


[92]

Marriages of Princes and Perfons o£ Rank, are rather Leagues and Treaties of Al- liance and Confederacy than Weddings, and they are tranfaded accordingly^ the Lady is courted at a Diftance, viewed in Effigy by her Pidure fet with Diamonds, contradted by En- voys Extraordinary, married by Proxy, and then travels a thoufand Miles perhaps, or fomething lefs, to find out her Husband,

Thus ludittd Abraham fent the Steward of his Houfhold to fetch his Son tfaac ^ Wife, a^ bout three or four hundred Miles ofFy and ihe came with the Meflenger : But the Cafe was plain there ^ Rebecca faw the vifible Finger of God in it, and the Words of Laba7t her Bro- ther, though himfelf an Idolater, confelTed it, Geiu xxiv. 50. the7i Laban and Bethitel ayifwered^ mtd faid, the thivg proceedeth from the Lord, we camwt fpeak unto thee bad or good ^ and upon this Foundation the Lady ventured to go with the Meflenger.

But yet even Rebeccah herfelf, when fh^ adted the like Part for her Son, and defired to take a Wife for J^acob from the fame Country - fhe fent no Servant of the Errand, but m^de him go in Perfon, and choofe for himfelf, ind he did fo, and pitched upon his well-favoured beautiful Rachel^ had not Laban cheated him, and laid a blear-eyed Leah in her Place.

As Marriage is a ftate of Life in which fo much of humane Felicity is really placed, and in which Men may be fo compleatly happy or miferable, it feems to me the moft rational thing in the World, that the Parties themfelves, and them alone, fliould give the laft Strokes to its Conclufion^ that they only Ihould be left to determine it, and that with all poliible Freedom,.

that


that the}- might be able to^ fay to one another^ and that with the utmoft Sincerity, at reciting the OiTice of Matrimony, not / take thee^ but f choofe thee-^ thou art my Choice •, that the Man may be able to fay, not only Ihe is the Wife oiF my Youth, but Ihe is the V/ife of my AfFedtion , and the Woman the fame.

How little is this which is the eifential Part iinderftood in the World, how little of Love is there to be found in Matrimony, as 'tis now managed -5 and what is the Confequence but un- faithful pel forming the Marriage Covenants ^ difloyalty, breach of Faith and Honour, and the worft Sort of Perjury on both Sides ? for as the Marriage Covenant is a folemn Oath, and perhaps the moft folemn of all Engagements upon Earth, fo breaking it is the worft of Per-= jur}^, and ought indeed to be punilhed as fa ch.

Where there is no Pre-engagement of the Affedion before Marriage, what can be er- peered after it ? And what do we find comes after it, but at beft continued Jars, Quarrel^ lings. Scolding, and perhaps Fighting? never to be abated, never to be altered, no not by length of Time, not forty Years wedlock has been fufhcient to tire out the jangling, ill- matched Tempers ^ but the Evil takes Root with Time, till the Hatred grows riveted, and becomes natural, they even die with the per«  petual Difguft upon them, and carry their Feuds, as it were, along with them to the Grave, as if they refolved to renew the Strife in the next World.

It was a miferable Example of this which a near Relation of mine was an Eye-witnefs to iri the Town of Sherhorn in DorfetJInre^ or verjr

H 2 fiear


[ lOO ]

near it; A Man and his Wife had lived ^k wretched, continued Life of Contention for almoft fify Years •, at length the Woman fell iick and died •, while fhie lay on her Death-hed her Husband came up into the Chamber to fee Iier, as a good Husband ought ^ the Woman fretful, though ficlc, found fault with him upon fome Occalion of no great moment, and grew angry. Pray, my Dear, fays the Man, don't quarrel to your laft Moment. The Woman flew into a Failion that he ihould fuggeft it was her laft Moment, which, ftie faid, he dtd vet hww. This put the Man into a Pailion too, and lie faid, raJJdy enough^ that if it was not her laft Moment he wallied it was, or it would be happy for him if it was, or to that purpofe. What 1 lays flie^ do you Infult me with that, depend upon it yon Ihall be at no Quiet on that Account, for if ever the Dead can come to the Quick, ril be with thee again.

WHETHER ftie kept her Word with him or no, I know not • but 'tis certain fhe died in two or three Days after, nor did the Man ven- ture to go up to vilit her any more. This wa^ indeed carrying on what we may call an eternal Feud-, it vv^as a mortal Breach indeed, for no- thing ever cur'd it, and yet the Couple were not fo exafperated againft one another, but that the}^ lived together, were People of good Sub- fiance, and fome Senfe, and even too much Wit ^ but married, it feems, without the grand conftituting Article called mutual AfFedtion, which is indeed, in my Opinion, the effential Part of the Contract ^ the Woman profefs'd Ihe never loved him, and yet ftie married him •, the Man declared he never asked her to love him; ©r cared one Farthing whether Ihe did or no^

fo


[ lO, ]

fo 'he had but her Money, which was, it feems, what he took her for. Now, was this Matrimony? No, no, it might be Marriage, but I deny that it was Matrimony^ here was nothing of GQITs holy 0?'^iita7ice^ or taking one another according to that Ordinance^ it was all a contradiction of the main Defign ^ in fliort, it was a fomething that wants a Name ^ and what can be faid to contradict me if I ihould call it a Mjtrimomal Whoredom ?

"U^ELL might this Couple anfwer or faj^ after the Parfon, I N, take thee N. But they could never have been married if the Office had run, I N. choofe thee N, out of mj finccre Afte6(:ion to thee, and for that Reafon take thee,^c. What would have become of us all if this had been the folemn Part or Oath of tho, Marriage Co- venant, and that it had been taken upon Pain of Perjury ? How few are there that would dare to be married upon that Foot ?

Some are of the Opinion, prudential Match- es, as they call them, are beft. They tell us, 'tis the Parents bufinefs to choofe Wives for their Sons, and Husbands for their Daughters 9 that let them be tied together firil:, they will to}^ together till they love afterwards^ that Pro- perty begets Affedion, and that if all other Things hit, they may run the rifque of the Love with lefs inconvenience.

But Imufl enter my Proteft here : I think they that make a Toy of the Affedion, will make a Toy of the Matrimony- they feem to know little of the Mifery of thofe Matches who think they are to be toyed into Love after Con- fummation: how often are they cloyed with one another's Compan}^- before the Affedion eomes in> HowlittleForce hasthefport of Mar-

H 3 riage.


[ loz ] riage, (fo a wife Favourer of tliofe prudential Matches was pleafed to call it) in it to contrad: Affcaion ? I have feen enough of it, to make nie venture faying, there is not One in Ten of thofe Kinds of Marriages that fucceeds.

Nor is the Surface-Love, which takes fo jnuch in the "World at this time, any part of the pure, the folid, the rivetted A^edion, which, I infill, is fo efTential to the Felicity of a married Life. Where is the Union of the whole Deiire, or even of the Soul of Defire, that which Mr. Milton fo very nobly expatiates upon from Adams Words, They fiall be oiie FleJI}^ <pen. xi. 24.

^^ Ani they Jlmll he ove FleJIj^ one Hearty one Soul.

Is this to be obtained after Marriage, and that Marriage made perhaps by the choice and at the imperious arbitrarjr Command cf Superiors ? If not, as indeed I think it not rational to imagine, is it fo flight a Matter, and of fo little Confequence, as that Matrimony Ihould fce ventured on without a dueProvifion for fuch a Union ? Certainl}'-, if any Adion of Life is of Confequence, 'tis that which determines the Man for Happinefs or Mifery : And fuch is this of Matrimony ^ for I think I may affirm. Marriage without Love, is the compleateft Mifery in Life, Befides, I muft fay, it is to jne utterly unlawful, and entails a Curfe upon the Perfons, as being wilfully perjured, invok- ing the Name of God to a Falihood, which is one of the moft provoking Crimes that Mankind can commit. He or flie v/ho, with that flight and luperficialAfFedion, ventures into the ma-- trimonial Vow^ are to me little more than legal ';- ' ' Profti-


[ '05 ] Proftitutes: Political Views may make a Mar- riage, but, in the Senfe of God and Nature, 'tis my Opinion they make no Matrimon}.

Nor does all this outfide, skin-deep Affec- tion, v/hich fuch Matches at firft appear v/ith, protect them againft the Deficiencies of their own Tempers, and the Eruptions of their Paf- fion ^ it fortifies none againft Family-Breach- es, fupplies no Forces againft the Attacks of the Paliions, and the UnkindnefTes which in- numerable Circumftances introduce in the fab- fequent Condud of both Parties.

These Matches indeed generally produce a great fhow of AfFedion, and the Fondnefs of the Honey-Moon hangs about them a great while, on fome more, fome lefs. This 1 call the Pageantry of Matrimony, and the Caval- cade of Love. But the Strife breaks out infen- libly •, the Contention, the Contradidion, and all the little Thwartings and WafpifhnelTes, which lay the Foundation of eternal Difcord j thefe all, like Weeds, grow and fpread under the decaying Plant called Love, till at laft they check and fmother it entirely, and leave the Family a kind of Hell in Miniature.

A late Poet exprefles himfelf upon this Sub- jed with great Elegancy and Affluence of Wit ^ whether he fpake feelingly or npt^ I cannot fay :

Thus a feemlng happy Pair^

IFho Hymen'i early Fetters wear ^ In Fublick fond as Turtles are.

The inmed with Eyivy their Careffes vien?,

BiityOh! what would the amaz'd Beholders do? Jf as they fee their open Loves , their private Feuds they knew,

H 4 And


[ *°4 ]

A^D whence proceeds all this, and ten |houfand times more than Heart can conceive, or Pen fet down, but from the want of a fin- cere rivetted Affection between them before Matrimony ? The Man that marries without it muft be a Knave •, the Woman that marriesi without it muft be a Fool •, and let me not give hard Words neither, without a fufficient Au- thority for it t, but I'll make it out iijamedi- atel3r.

. I fay, that Man muft be a Knave : No honeft Man will promife and engage, naj, fwear to ^o a Thing, which he is fully refolved not to do •, or which he is not fure he is able to per^ form, and does not fincerely intend to per- nor m.

. In the Terms of the Marriage Tow, the Mi- nifter asks the Man thefe conciie Qucftions :

JFilt thou have tliis Woman to be thy wedded jrf/^ ^^ He anfwers, J W^i//. . - If lit thou love her ? / iVilL

Wilt thou live wi^^^a her > I Will

The Interrogation ?rf/t thou^ is underftood as snuch as if the Miriifter repeated it every time ^ and though, he anfwers with but one J7/'f//, 'tis, ^s effectually underftood to mean a particular Anfwer to every Interrogation, as if it was ^'epeated to them all, and the meaning is the ianle •, the Man can by no means come off of it^ no, nor the Woman either, for her Engage- qient is equally firm and binding, ,. This IWitl is not only a Proniife obligator}^ a folemn Engagement and Vow, but 'tis done ander the Sandion of Religion, and cf an Or- s^inance of God ^ it js a facred Oath^ ^[is what i]:ie /Scripture calls the O.^i^ q/' God, and the iiiarricdMan njay 311ft Iv fay^ the Qath cf Gon>


[ 1^5 ] IS upon him ^ in fhort,^ every time he fays, f Jfill, 'tis the fame thing, pardon the Expref- Hon, as to fay, BY GOD I WILL. He that takes this folemn Oath, without being fure he can fincerel}?" love the Woman, and fo perform the Oath, m.uft be a Knave, he cannot be an honeft Man •, And how can he be certain, if he did not really arid fincerely love her before > J. think the Cafe is plain, and anfwers for it felf

. Again, take the Woman's Obligation^ her Anfwers are the fame to Queftions not much differing^ and when the Queftions are fumm*d up, (I need not repeat them here) fhe anfwers^, and fays, or, if you will, flie anfv/ers and fwears, as above,

unii

You will ! What will you do, Madam? Will you live with a Man, and lie with a Man you don't love ? As I faid before, that fuch a Ladv miift be a Fool^ I fay now 'tis worfe -, 'tis but a. kind of legal Proftitutiou, in the plain EiigUth cf it, too grofs and wicked to exprefs. W^e muft not fa}'^ fhe is a If^hore^ becaufe the Law makes it a literal Contrad and Marriage. But God forbid I ihould ever fay 'twill pafs for Matrimonj in Heaven-, the j/oungLady, in fhort, is willing, or has a mind, or defires, (call it what you pleafe) to lie with a Man •, and fhe takes a Fellow that is juft in the fame Condition, under the In- fluence of fome lewd Appetite, and he dehres to lie with a Woman. They are both willing to gratify their vitious Part in the formality of a legal Appointment, and to they agree to marry in form, and they are called Man and Wife ; as fuch fhe throws off the Mask of Mod? ftyy goes into- the naked Bed to him, or

> ' flifters


[ ^o*^ ] fuffers him to come to Bed to her^ and as they came together upon the meer Principles of De- iire, as above, fo they ad the feveral ExcefTes, and all the conjugal Madnefles, Chamberings and Wantonneffes, mentioned or pointed at above, and all this while not one Ounce of Af- fection, not a Grain of original, chaft, and ri- vetted Love, the Glory of a Chriftian Matri- Tnon}^ and the effential Happinefs of Life, is to be found between them.

Is this Matrimony! Is this a Marriage made in Heaven ! Is this being joined together ac- cording to God's holy Ordinance ! Forbid it^, O Heaven ! that I ihould call it by that honou- rable and religious Title: On the contrar}^ it merits, if I may be allowed to give my Judg- ment, nothing lefs or more than the Title of a Matrimonial Whoredom, or, at leaft, of a Ma- trimonial Proftitution.

It would make a Story too long for the pre«  fent Work, and a little too grofs for my refol- ved Way of writing -, if I fhould enter into k Defcription of the conjugal Converfation of two Perfons, coming together upon this Foot ^ that is to fay, of meer Nature, and the promptings of the Sexes, without any previous and perfonal AfFedion •, I fay, to defcribe the manner of their Converfation after the firft Principles of their Conjundtion are evaporated or exhaled, after the Fire is out, and the com«  buftible Matter that kindled it is confumed -^ when the Vapour is exhaled, the airy Part fpent and evaporated, and the humid Part ful- ly condenfed ^ how coldly they meet ? How they look at one another, as a furfeited, cloj^-ed Stomach reliihes a full-fpread Table > How they naufeate one another as a lick Body that is

gorged


[ ^07 ] gorged with Phyfick, or a confumptive Perfon lick of his Cordials.

How their very Mirth is dull and infipid, and they are fo far from diverting one another, that their Happinefs conJfifts very unhappily in being as much abfent from one another as they can. Unwarily talking once to a Gentle- woman of my particular Acquaintance, whofe Circumftances in Matrimony, tho' very good, have yet a Defeat of this kind at the Bottomo Madam, faid J, you are very happj^ in fo kind a Husband, fo tender, fo obliging- pray let us have his Company ^ the Gentleman was but in the next Room-, and I was for calling him ino Let him alone^ fays fhe very coldly, let hhii alovCj you han't fo much of his Coynpany as I have •, I had rather be without him ^ he would have made any Woman in Ergland a good Huf» band but me»

Why Madam, faid I, does not he make you a good Husband ? We are all of Opinion he is an extraordinary good Husband. I don't know, fays fie, it may be I an't fo good a Wife as I ihould be. O Madam, faid I, don't fay fo -, I believe you are a very good Wife. Indeed, fays (he, I an't fo good a Wife as I Ihould be^ we married young, and the main Ingredient was wanting : We did as we were bid, but we were never troubled m.uch with the Thing called LOVE •, and I find, by fad Experience, Wed- lock is a miferable Thing without it.

Why, Madam, faj^s 1, 3rour Circumftances are good, and you live ver}^ eafy on both Sides.

That's true, faid Ihe^^but I tell you, the main Ingredient is wanting. I never lov'd him-, and I alwaj^s thought he never could love me ♦, for indeed^ I never did go about to.

oblige


[ io8 ]

qblige him, becaufe I had never any real Value for him.

That's a very unhappy Cafe indeed. Ma- dam, faid I.

So unhappy, fays fhe, that I would never advife any Body to marry without they know on both Sides, how things ftand as to Love ^ for 'tis all nothing but a Banter to talk of Hap- pinefs without it- they that don't love before they marry, will never be happy when they are married.

But, Madam, 3rou have been long married, faid I ^ methinks kind and good Ufage on both Sides (hould have made Love by this time. ' I don't know how it may do in other Folks,

faysfie^ but 'tis not fo with m.e^ Mr. 7^ . is

^s kind and tender of me as I can defire, and yet I don't know what ails me, I never did, and I never can love him ^ it won't do ^ I ^jTould advife no Body to marry before they Love ^ let them depend upon it, if they don't Love before-hand they will never love after- ward ', it is not to be done ♦, I have found it by fad Experience.

"VVhy, Madam, fays I, the World thinks you are a mighty happy Couple.

"Why then we have cheated the World, fays fhe, as we did one another^ for, I can allure you, as I fpeak to you in Confidence, we are a ver} unhappy Couple.

Why, Madam, you don't Quarrel, fays L

1^[ o, fays fhe, never ^ good Manners, and good Breeding keep us from that : But what are all thofe Negatives to make a Couple happy ? there's no Happinefs without Love, and that on both Sides. Oh ! fays fhe with a Sigh, and fo concluded the Difcourfe, let no Body ma^ry ^nd come together' without Love ^ 'tis nothing /'..:■• but


[ ^05) ]

tut what Is not fit to name without it ^ *tis all fcandalous and {hameful ♦, and fo we called up other Difcourfe ^ for I had enough of it, and the Lady fell into Tears, and yet fhe confefs'd all the Fault was her own too.

And what generally fpeaking is the End of fuch prepofterous Conjunctions as this was^ but a Birth of Monfters ? Pardon me, I don't mean that the Children born between them Ihall be Monfters in fhape, imperfed:, unfi- nifh'd, wanting their Limbs, or with more Limbs than Nature diredls, as in many mon- ftrous Births is the Cafe •, though I could fay fome pertinent Things upon that Subjed too, if the Age could bear it : But my meaning is, thefe Conjunftions generally break out in monftrous Confequences ^ Family Confu- lions, violent Contentiolis, unfuiFerable PaC- lions, raging at one another in vile Lan- guage, Quarrels, Feuds, Fightings, or at leaft Infultings of one another- in all which they ad: Furious, as in their original Gufts of another kind, reproaching themfelves with that very criminal Part which brought them toge- ther, upbraiding one another with the very Things which threw them precipitantly into one another's Arms, from whence proceeded the Ruin they bear. Thefe, and a thoufand mon- ftrous PafTions, ungoverned like the Fire of their early, blind and hafty Defires, are the tffeds of that prepofterous Matrimony that is contracted upon fuch Foundations as thefe.

How is it polFible an^r thing but this, or fuch as this, can be the IfTae, iince when the firft Defires are gratified, Diflikes and Aver- fions, hateful Regret and Repentings, as na- furally fucceed fuch Corrupt and half-borri

Love ^-


[ ^lo ]

i,ove», as Hatred fucceeded the fame l:ind of AffedtioJi in Anwiov^ when he had ravilhed his Sifter, and which made him, as it were, kick her down Stairs.

A true Affedion can never be the Product of a vitious Inclination, any more than an evil Tree can bring forth good Fruit, 'tis contrarjr to the Nature of the Work •, a chaft, affedtionate Embrace is quite another Things the one is from Heaven formed iii the Soul for the good of Mankind, by the glorious Hand of a bene- ficent Power, and direded for the Propagation of a chaft and virtuous Breed, fitted with in- jured original Modefty and Principles of Virtue, as it were, conveyed by Blood to the Honour of the very Ordinance of Matrimony it felf, and of the primitive Inftitution of it in Paradife : Shall we conftitute a vitious or vitiated Defire in the room of Love, and a corrupt Combina- tion of two enflamed Pieces of Pollution under the ihelter of legal Forms, and call this Matri- hiony ? It can produce nothing but Mifchief and Confufion, the Nature of the Thing dic- tates no other.

To fay Love is not eflential to the Form of a Marriage, is true ^ but to fay it is not eflen- tial to the Felicity of a married State, and con- fequently to that which I call Matrimony, is not true^ and you may as truly fay, that Peace is not eflential to the good of a Family •, as that the Harmony and Conjundion of Souls are not eflential to the Happinefs of the Perfons joyn'd together.

If the Man or Woman that is to marry do not value whether they are Happy or no, or whether they live with the Perfon they are to marry in a ftate of War or Peace, always Jar- ring,


[in]

ring, Fighting and, Contending, or always Agreeing, Uniting and Joyning in their De- fires and Defigns : If it is indifferent whether they are as Doves always brooding under one another's Wings, or Ser^ejits hilling at and Hinging one another^ fuch may marry Blindfold^ and exped the Confequences ^ fuch a "VVomaa may take a Man as the Sow takes the Boar iii her Seafon, meerly to raife a Litter, meerly toi gratify her brutal Part ^ and when that is gra- tify'd, and he or fiie perhaps furfeited with the Perfon, may run away to an adulterous Bar- gain with another, for the meer guft of Vari- ety, as is often the Cafe ^ In {hort, what is Marrying, and what is the meeting of the Sexes, where Love and an original Aifedion is not concerned? 'tis too wicked to mention, too vile to name -, to defcribe it would run me into the worft Sort of Levity •, and! muft talk as vi- tioufly as they adt that do fo.

Conceive of it then in the groffeft Term^ you can, in Terms fuited to the beaftly Part, in Terms fitted to give your Thoughts the greateft Difgufb, and to fill jou. with Detefta- tion ^ for, in a word, there is nothing of De- cency or Modefty, nothing Chaft or Virtuous, can be faid about it. It is true, every Body that does marry in this manner does not con- fult the Reafon of the thing, and do not per- haps confider what they are doing.

They do not look into the Scandal of it, or weigh the Confequences^ t}\Qj deiire a Man ; that is indeed the Fact ^ 'tis in the Nature of the Thing, and cannot be denied : But the Lady does not confider v\^hat Confequences at- tend its being defired in fuch a manner ^ (he takes the Thing as it appears ^ the Man oflers

to


f


I I 2


tb her upon honourable Terms, as thej are cofr riiptly calle.], that is, he will marry her-, Ihe neither enquires of her felf whether he is the Man of her Choice, whether Ihe loves him, and upon what Reafon and Foundation the Love fubfifts, whether upon his Perfon as a Man, or his Merit as a Man of Virtue and Senfe. But fhe ignorantl/ pafTes over theft Things, and does not fee that fhe lies open to all the Cenfure, which, I faj, is juftly due to fu ch a kind of Matrimonj^

This is faying as much in her Favour as the Cafe will admit, as much as indeed it is poifible to fay for her : But let her ftrip the Cafe naked of all the falfe GIofTes which 'tis perhaps covered with, and then look upon it ^ or let her look into it after a Year or two, worn out in the odd, uncouth, retrograde "Wed- lock that fhe is engaged in, and then fhe will fee with other Eyes ^ then fhe'll fee flie wed- ded a worthlefs, fenfelefs, vain and emptjr fha- dow of a Man, in gratification of the Humour which fhe was at that time in for a Bedfellow ; that ilie has the Man, and no more, and that now all the reft is wanting ^ that fhe has the Man but not the Husband, not the Compani- on, not the obliging, affedionate Relative that Ihe ought to have looked for, and to have fixed her Choice upon •, and what bitter Reproaches does ihe load her felf with when fhe fees hef ielf in the Arms of a Fool inftead of a Man of Senfe ; of a Brute and a Boar inftead of i Man of Breeding and Behavour- of a Churl and a Fury inftead of a Man of Humour and Temper ; and all this occafioned by her fol- lowing blindly and raftily that young wanton Inclination, which ihe knew not how to govern.

This


[ 'M 1

Tiiis is treating the Crime with tendernefl^ and the Criminal with pity, that muft be con- fefs'd, and I am very willing to do fo in Com- paiilon to human Infirmity. But when all that is done, I muft be allowed to fay, the Fad: de- ferves the fevereft Reflexion, let the Ignorance or Rafhnefs, or whatever other Infirmity of the Perfons, be pleaded in their Excufe. , ^

It may be farther fuggefted, that fomfetimeS thefe unhappy Confequences do not follow, or, if you pleafe, it is not always fo bad. But this argues nothing in favour of the falfe Step taken, or the grofs Condudt fpoken of ^ Provi-^ dence may, in Compailion to the Infirmities of his Creatures, deal with them better than they deferve, and may mercifull} fpare the Punifh- inents which they ought to expefit ♦, but this Mercy is far from a Reafon why they ftioul4 ofi^end ^ on the contrary, it is the Reafon why, they fhould not. , ..

(Dn the other hand: Now view but the Fell- icity of a married Couple, engaged before Mar- riage, b}^ a mutual, a fincere, and well-ground=> ed Affection •, who Love, and know why they do fo •, love upon the folid Foundation of real Merit^ perfonal Virtue, fimilitude of Tempers, mu- tual Delights •, that fee good Senfe, good Hu- mour, Wit, and agreeable Temper in one ano- ther, and know it when they fee it, and how to judge of it ^ that make each the Objedt of a reciprocal Choice, and fix all the View of their future Felicity in the Pofreifion of the Perfon fo loved-, whofe Affection is founded in Ho-- nonr and Virtue, their Intentions modeft^ their Defires chaft. and tlieir Defigns equally Sncere,


[»I4]

When thele come together, there's Matri-^ monj in its Perfedlion^ if the)^, marry, they can anfwer the Minifter, when he asks them, Will jrou love him ? Will you love her ? The Man can fay, I will, becaufe I do ^ I will, and Ihe is aflured I will^ I will, for Ihe highly merits all my AfFedion.

It would call for a Volume, not a Page, to '^efcribe the Happinefs of this Couple. Poffef- fion does not lefTen, but highten their Enjoy- ments •, the Flame does not exhauft it felf by burning, but encreafes by its continuance ^ 'tis 3^oung in its remoteft Age •, Time makes no Abatement^ the} are never furfeited, never fatiated •, they enjoy all the Delights of Love without the criminal ExcefTes • Modeftj^ and Decenc}^ guide their Actions, and fet Bounds^ not only to their Motions, but to their De- iires^ and, as Mr. Miltoji emphatically expref- fes it :

« Shall to his Wife adhere^

" Aiid they pall be ojie FleJI)^ om Heart yOiieSoith Milt. Par, lib. 8. fol. 214.

Nothing criminal can creep in between, or among the Pleafures they enjoy ^ their De- lights are full, yet they are chaft, temperate, conftant, and, in a word, durable.

Their Children are like their Parents, as Streams are from Fountains, formed in the Mould of Virtue and Modefty •, not Furies and little Devils, that partake of the Rage they v/ere form'd in, with their Blood boiling before it comes to the confiflency of its due Vigour ^ but they hand down Virtue to their Pofterity by the due Courfe of Nature^ and the Confe-

quence


[ »I5 ]

(juence of due Calmnefs and Serenity in theU' own Spirits ^ for it is certain, that Humour and( Temper defcend in the Line of Families as well as Difeafes and Diftemper ^ 'tis a juft Encouragem.ent to Virtue, that % is fo, and 'tis jiift to let fuch knov/ it for the Encou- ragement of their good Condud:., . How bleft is the Houfe where fuch a Couple inhabit ? and all this Difference Hows meerljr from this one Branch, viz. Love before Marri» age ^ Love is the conftituting Quality of their Matrimon}'-, the Reafon of it, the Foundation on which it was built, and the Support of it after it was built. Such Families are nappy by the meer natural Confequence of Life ^. their Tempers have nothing in them to form any Difcord or Strife from ^ they cannot Differ, Contend, Rage, Quarrel, Reflect, Reproach-, Provoke, it is not in them ^ Nature has no fuch thwart Lines drav/n over their Conftitution ^ they are united in Good, and can never bs united in Evil too-, thefe Contraries v/ould not illuftrate, but deftroy one another'^ in a wovd^ they are all Love, and becaufe they are all Love, therefore their Behaviour is all Peace ^ the Calm is in the Soul, and v/hen it is fo, there can never be a Storm in the Mind ^ Love is Bot in them a Pailion but a Q.Liality •, 'tis rooted and riveted in their very Beings, they have a Difpofition to it in their very Nature.

This being a fettled Principle in them, both natural and habitual, it comes pf courfe to exert it felf in the Article of Matrimonj^ i. They ref jive not to marry but where they are fure, and fully fatisfy'd they Can Love, that is to fay, that as they refolve it to bs a Duty, fo they refolve to practice it. 2, In order to this,

I 2 Prudence


[ '"^ ]

prudence direfts them to re jed everj?" Offer where Love does not concur with the other Circum- fiances, and make the Perfon perfedly not a» greeable onty, but the Objed: of their linC:ere and complel!^ Affe61:ion, and that upon good Foundations too.

"When thefe Things happen, then they mar- ry ^ if the Perfon thus marry'd meets with a Disappointment, as how often is the fincereft AffedHon abufed, be it that the Lndy marries a bad Husband, is miftaken in the Objed, fixes her Mind upon an unworthy Fellow that feign- ed Love, and Honour, and Vertue, in his Ad- dreffes, and proves a Hypocrite in them all^ what is the Coniequence ? She is made mifera- ble indeed, and wretchedly fo •, But we do not fee the Houfe made a Bedlam ^ it is not Fire on one Side and Tinder on the other ^ it is not Sulphur and Nitre, which meeting makes Thunder ^ the Brute behaves as Brutes will t, but the poor Lady mourns, fees her felf made miferable by the Man ihe loves ^ bears it as Chriftians bear remedilefs Sorrows, perhaps pines under it and dies, as is the fate of many a faithful, tender, affectionate "Wife : And 'tis the fame thing in the Man, he takes a Lady, in appearance good ^ fhe is to him the Wife of his Youth, of his AiFection, of his firft and pu- reft Love, whom he made his Choice before Marriage, and places his Delight in afterward; BMt as none can fee the Infide and Soul of the Object, fhe proves a Piece of Froth and Va- nity^ is idle, luxurious, expenfive, thoughtlefs in her Affairs, cold and indifferent in her Affe- ction, and, at laft, loofe and light ^ and, in a word, any thing, or every thing, that is fooliili and wicked.

It


[ ^^7 ]

It is not eafy to defcribe the anguifh of his Soul at the difappointmeiit : He had fixed his Love with a firm and riveted Force as a wife Man would and ought, long before he married her, nay, perhaps before he courted her ^ he had chofen her from the beautiful, the wealthy, the virtuous, and the good-humoured, among \vhom his Circumftances being good, he had room to chooft.

As he loyed before Marriage, he refolved to love her afterwards, becaufe' he was fure he Ihould ^ and thus he refolved to make her hap- py, and make himfelf happy, in having her. But how is he difappointed when be finds a Tr litor in his Bofom, a Fury in his Bed, a Serpent in his Arms, that neither loves, values or regards him ? That, after a few Years, or per- haps Days, forgets all her Matrimonial Vows, the ftrongeftTies of the folemneft Oath ^ thinks of nothing but Pleafure and Folly, defpifes the Entreaties of her Husband, and at laft himfelf, as a Husband •, and, it may be, clofes all with running away from him, or with ruining him, breaking both his Heart and his Fortunes to- gether.

These are fome of the Difafters where the Love is on one Side without the other. What muft then be the Confequences where it is of neither Side ? How miferable, how diftradted a Family does^ it make I And in what wretched Doings does it frequently End? To marry with- out Affection ! It feems to be like two Bulls chained together, that being tied fo clofe as that they cannot gore and kill one another, yet are always ftriving to do it, wiQiing to do it ^ and, if they break the Bonds, never fail to bring it to pafs .

I 3 I


[m8]

I cannot think, and have fo many Reafbns for my Opinion, I believe I fhall never alter it •, Iia}^ I cannot think the Marriage can be lawful where there was not a refolved fettled Affedion, fincerely embraced before the Matri- mony was contraded. I will not f How Mr. Milton^ and carrjr it up to this, that it may be diiTolyed again upon that lingle Account : No, 110, I lb all open no Doors to the vitiated Wifhes ©f the Times -, where Men M^ould have Mar- riage be a ftated Contract ^ where as the Parties iigreementmade the Bargain, fo the fam.e mu- tual Agreement might diffolve it-, where as in- jfincere Love joined them, a fincere and perfed: JIatred ihould part them again. This would £11 the World with Confufion, would pollute ihe Ordinance of Matrimony inftead of keep- ing it facred as God's holy Ordinance •, 'twould Hiake Marriage a Stale, a Convenience, to gratify the fenfual Part, and to be made uf^ of as a thing not to be named ^ and when that Worft Part of the Affedions was fatiated, the Parties be left to pleafe and gratify their wicki- j^d Appetite with Variety. 'This is not talking like Chriftians, or like Men of Virtue, no, not like Men guided hy human Prudence, or by civil Polity, much lefs Reafon •, for this would corrupt the Blood of Families, level Mankind with one another, confound Order, and, in a word, would fill the .World with Whoredom.

ISIo, no ^ if you will rufh like the Horfe in- to the Battle ^ if you will be mad, and follow raihly, and without Confideration, the raging h^at of corrupt Inclination only, and go hood- winked and blinded, you muft take the Confe? &ences to your felves •, if you will wed with- r. ^ • out


ejLtt AfFeflion, you muft be content to live without Affedion ^ if you come madlj together, you muft expedto live madly together •, as King Charles faid to his Brother, the Duke of Tork^ when he had married the Lord Chancellor's Daughter in private, and would haye difowned jier in publick, you muft Brhk as you Brew ^ in ihort, the Bond is too facred to be brpken at pleafure :, the Chain too ftrong for the two Bulls to break • as you are once bound you m.ufi: remain in Bonds ^ once in Algier, and ever a Slave •, nothing releafes you but a Re- demption by Deathj on one Side or other.

How fooliih then, as well as wicked and un* lawful, i5 it to marry before you love ? To ruili into a ftate of irrecoverable Life without! the only Article that can make it tolerable ? The}^- that marry without Affedion go to Sea without a Rudder^ launch into the moft dange- rous Ocean without a Pilot, and without a Compafs : Love is the only Pilot of a married State ^ without it there is nothing but Danger in the Attempt, nothing but Ruin in theConfe- quence.

The dirty Part of it I have mentioned- and I ftill infift upon it, that it is not a Matrimony of a right kind -, to me it is no Matrimony at all, but a corrupt, rafti, hot-headed (and worfe) Bargain, made to gratify the worft Part of the Man or Woman, to pleafe the grolTeft Part of his Conftitution, and for nothing elfe. Let a modeft Woman, if fuch fie can he^ ftand forth, and anfwer this one ftiort Queftion :

Pray, Madam, what do you marry thisGen^ tleman for ? '

She cannot fay, ftie marries him to take care of her Affairs, as is generally the Flea of

I 4 " ^ th« 


tlie young forward Widows, for flie is a maiden Lady, and has no Affairs.

She cannot fay, fhe marries for Mainte- nance, for fhe is rich, and has a plentiful Eflate.

She cannot fay, fhe marries for Affefiion, for me declares fhe don't love him. ' She cannot fay, 'tis to have Children, for ftie fays fomething elfe to that, of which our fiext Chapter fhall fpeak more fullyo

Pray then, what do you marry this Man for? Her Anfwer, if fhe will fpeak Truths niufi: be this : Truly, becaufe I want to lie with a Man» Horrid Plea I Is this a juft Reafon for Matrimony ! And can it be honeftly called Ma- trimony •, whatever it may be called in the Senfe of legal Forms, can it be called fo in the Senfe of Confcience and of Honour ? Is it not tnuch more proper to fay, 'tis a Matrimonial ^Whoredom?,

' I fee but one Anfwer that can be given to this Argument, or be made a Plea for this kind of Matrimony, and this is a coarfe one for either Party, I confefs ; but much more fo for the Ladies, viz. That Marriage is faid to be appointed to prevent Fornication •, and that 'tis k Scripture diredion to marry, rather than to turn. Let them that marry upon this Founda- tion acknowledge it then, and tell one another ^o before-hand, and fee how the Tale v/ill fit upon th^ Tongue of a young Gentleman, when Jie courts a Ladj^, and begins to addrefs her thus ;

' Madam, I have a great defire to marry 3rou.

Pray Sir, fays fie^ what do- you defire me for ? You don*t love me, I hear,


[ »^^ 1

Why, no truly, fays he, I can't fay I have

rnuch love for you, or for any Bocy elfe.

"Why then do you marry, pray ? Jays fie,

Why, Madam, to tell 3'^ou the tnithy fays he, I want a Woman, and I am loth to go to a Whore 5 fo I will fupply my felf in a lawful wa}.

This would be very Impudent, you'll lay, it may be-, but I muft add, 'tis honeft, and muchhonejB:er, than to fwear he loves her above all the Woijd, damns himfelf over and over if he don't ^ tells her a thoufand Lies to draw her in, and when he is married, tells her the Trutli in a Brutifh and infolent manner, that he never cared one Farthing for her • that he wanted a Woman, and took her for his Convenience ^ and that now he has had his fill of her, ihe would greatly oblige him if fhe v/ould difD.fe of her felf out of his way, offering her one of lus Garters for the Occaiion.

It would . lead me into the grand Error of Language, w'ach I have profefs'd id avoid, if I Ihould pretend to gii^e this v/icked vile Part, a full Delineation ^ 'tis difficult to expreis fuch a dirty Subject in clean Words ; and tlierefure I avoid giving the Ladies the Anatomy of a Cou» pie come together without a previous Affection 5 or the Difcourfes that pafs between them when perhaps, one Side or other are difappoiiited iii the grand Expectation. It would furfeir tne Reaoer to hear a certain Tradefman's Lady call

her Husband •- ■ Dog, and ask him what he

thinks ilie married him for ? Nor fhould I men- tion fo foul a Story, did not Mrs give

all her Neighbours leave to hear her fay a tnou- fand Things, in plainer FjtgUfi, to him every Day, of a erofTer kind.

If


If the Ladies will fpeak, the Boys and Girls in the Street will never hold their Tongues. When the Secrets of the Bed-Chamber become jio longer Secrets, and the Wife Ihall publifh her own Shame, who can fhe think will conceal it? When Ihe ceafes to Blufli, who will Bluih for her?

But 'tis enough •, let us touch this vile Part with as light a Stroke as poliible, and you muft

be content to go without the modeft Lady *S

B- — 's Story •, as alfo the diverting Complaint of Madam Arab. - — with that of the new-married

Alderman ~'s Lady, and feveral more of

the difcontented Part of this modeft Town, un- lefs you pleafe to get an Account of them from their own Mouths, which they are moft ready to do on all Occafions, as publick as you pleafe, Men, Boys and Midwives, being prefent.

This is the EfFed of marrying without Af- fection, without a ferious, preingaged Soul^ without mutual and unfeigned Complaifance and Delight one in another -^ in a word, this i$ what I call Matrimonial injoredo7n -, if I mifcal it, let me be convinced by the better Behaviour of the Perfons, that I (lander the ftate of Life thus entered into, and then I fhall acknowledge my Error ^ and it cannot be reafonably expedt-^ ed of me before.


^h <h ^


CHAP.


[ ^-5 ]



CHAP. V.

of Marrymgy and then puhlickly profef- fing to dejire they may ha^ve no Chil- dren, and of ufaig Means phyjtcal or dialolicaly to present Conception.

HAT Matrimoii} was inftituted for the regular Propagation of Kind, I have noted already, and need repeat no Part of it ^ I only add, that the prefent vitiated Humour of the Times has brought up our modern Wits to cavil at the Words regular Fropagation. They will allow it to be proper for the Regularity • but not efTential to the Propa- gation, and fo they would have Matrimony be only taken for civil Regulation of Govern- ment, appointed meerlyby humane Polity, and the Contrivance of Statefmen, to keep the People in a kind of formal Subjection to Conftitutions and Government, and to make the Law3^ers Work, to order Inheritances and Suc- celFions, as they think fit.

For, fay they, in the Beginning it was not fo 5 and then they bring us the Story of Abra- ham and his Maid Hagar, Jacob marrying two ^ifters^ and then lying with both their Maids, and the like. Thefc Examples, t}]ey fty, prove that

Pro-


Propagation, being a general Work, ought not to be brought into Bondage, and under the Sub- jedtion of thefe Conftitution-Regularities, but that Succeflions and Inheritances fhould be wholly Patriarchal, the Father dividing his Subftance among his Children, as he thinks fit ^ and then they add Mr. Dryden, sl leud Poet, up- on that Subjed :

" jrhen Ma7t on tnany fnidtiply^d his Kind^ " 'Ere one to one was ciirfedly confined.

If I was upon the Subjed of PoUga?ny in this Chapter, I fliould, perhaps feafonably too, an- fwer this corrupt Way of Reafoning here ^ but it may come in its Place- at prefent my Thoughts and Applications are another Way.

The Laws of our Country, and the acknow- ledged Principles of the Chriftian Religion which we profefs, have united their Force to lay us under Subjection to this Part of Confti- tut ion-Government, as thofe Men call it ^ and be it right or wrong in its own Nature, be it better or worfe in it felf, and in its Circum- fiances, we are under this Regulation, born in the reach of it, the Laws of God and of our Country bind us to it, and there is no room to rnake that a Pretence ^ the Cavil can have no force among us in this Nation.

Let me explain a'little upon this Subject, and if it be too grave, I fhall be the fliorter, but it is abfolutely necelTary to be underftood : It is plain, Vv^hatever Silence we may pretend the Scripture has (hewn, our Laws have determined it to be fixed fall upon us ; no Man may have two Wives at a time here.


[ ^M 1

1, Because the Laws of the Land forbid it, and make it criminal.

2. Because both the Man and the "Woman bind themfelves againft it by mutual Agree- ment, and marry politively upon that Con- dition,

Firjl^ The Laws of the Land. Ei'-ery Law is, as I ma}^ fay, of our own making : Every Man is bound by the Laws of his Country, he is bound to the Obligation, that is, to obey and fubjed himfelf to them^ and he confents in the making o fabmit to the Punifhm.ent in Cafe of a l^rcach of thefe Lav/c : V - ^?.rlia- ment is a true Reprefcivtativf of the whole Country ^ ever^y Subject is prefent at the mak- ing everjr Lav/ that paiTes, though not perfo- nally, yet he is prefent reprefentatively in his Reprefentative, and actually makes every Law that paffes ^ he confents to it, and fubm.its, or promifes to fubmit to it ^ and this makes his Punifhment juft and rational too, if he breaks the Law, becaufe he firft jaelded to be go- verned b}^ it.

Now the Laws of our Country are of two Kinds in this Cafe ^ the Common or Statute Law, and the Divine Law, which we call Con- fcience^ the firfi: makes what we call Confti- tution, and is founded upon what our Le- giflature fuppofed to be the meaning and de- lign of the Laws of God • for the legiflative Authority of our Countrjr never are intended to contradict either the Law of Nature or the Divine Law.

As then the Laws of our Country enjoin if.

A^.


[ li^ ]

As thefe Laws of our Country are; confo- nant to, or at leaft are fuppofed *to be found- ed upon the Laws of God, and the Laws of Nature.

- And as we are all bound, as Members of the Conftitution, to fubmit to, and be governed by the Laws of our Countr^y.

And, laftly, we are bound by the Laws of God, to obey the lawful Authority of that Go- vernment and Country we live under.

So by all thefe Obligations we 
are obliged

againft Poligamy, and it would be a finful Ex- curiion for us to come into it.

SecoTidly, Becaufe both the Man and the Wo- man bind themfelves againft it by mutual A- greement, and marry pofitively upon that Con^ dition.

What we are m.utually engaged by Contradl to perform, and w^hich it is lawful to perform, it is unlawful for us not to perform. It is a Vulgar, but well-founded Proverb or proverbial Saying, Every honeft Man is as good as his "Word. Certainly a mutual Compact is mutu- ally obliging^ nor can it be pretended, that there is any Force in it, for the Man knows he marries upon that Condition^ if not, let him but tell his Wife he will, notwithftanding. his Agreement, marry another while Ihe is living ^ and let him fee who will take him upon thofe Terms ^ if the Lady confents to it, that's ano- ther Cafe. I ftiall then fay this only, (viz.) that he does not offend her^ he commits no Breach, no Trefpafs upon her • as to his difr obeying and breaking the Laws of God and of his Country- let him. anfwer for that where thofe Things are to be anfv/cred for ; But as to

hi3


his Wife, he does her no "Wrong, if he talces teri Wives together, becaufe ihe confented to it, and took him under the exprefs Condition,

This, I think, is a true ftate of the Cafe, and confirms this Point ^ that let us pretend to what Excufe we will for Pol igariiy, from the pretended Silence of the Scripture, yet we are efFedually prohibited and fore-clofed by the Lav/s of the Land, and, by our voluntary Con- fent, exprelTed in the folemneft of all Oath, the Marriage Contract.

Being then under the Obligation of fingle* handed Matrimony, let us talk of it as it lies, and go back to where we left off : This Matri- mony is at leaft the onl}'-, lawful, eftablifhed and regular Means, of Propagation of the Spe- cies. All Births out of this Circle are, as it was in the old y^T^z//; Conftitution, out of God's Congregation, for a Baftard was excluded to the fourth Generation^ and all our Births extra Ma- trimonial, or, as the Scots call it, on the wrong Side of the Blankets^ are fpurious, illegitimate, and- given up to the Reproach of Baftardy, ef^eemed Corrupt in Blood, and carry the Blot or Blend in the Efcutcheon to the End of Time, fo that the Brand is indelible • no Time, no Merit of Perfons, no Purchafe of Honours or Titles, can wipe out tlie remembrance of it.

This^ then being the Cafe, I need not tell the Ladies tliat this is the only Way by which they are allowed, with Honour and Reputation, to bring forth Children ^ 'tis the only Proteftion to their Characters when they are with Child, viz. That they have a Father Yor it-, that it was born in Wedlock ^ fach a young Lady is big i^ith Child, there Scandal begins to open its Mouth: Well, what then, Ihe is married!

there's


[ 118 ]

There's an immediate Anfvver that flops every body's Mouth •, and the Virtue of the Lady is no r^ re ftruck at, nor can be •, for 'tis the Koad of [Nature, joined with the diredion and limitation of the Law, and that as well the Laws of Gor> and Man-, of which at large in its Place,

But how then comes it to pafs that People marry that would have no Offspring ? And froiT! what Principles do thefe People adt who marry, and tell us, they hope they fliall have no Children > This is to me one of the moft unwarrantable and prepofterous Things that I can think of in all the Articles of Matrimony -, nor can I make out ^ if I were to fet up to de- fend it, I fay, I could not for my Life make it out, that there is the leaft pretence in it to Hoiieft}, or to Modefty, na}^, I would not un* dertake to juftify the Morality of it.

But ]et us firft fee if it can be reconciled to Modefty • for that is the particular Point I am tipon, and whether it does not come juftly under the Reproach of the Matrimonial Whoredom that I am fpeaking of.

If you Ihould come to a Lady of the great- eft Modefty and Virtue in the World, and put it clofe to her upon any weighty Part of the Subjed, as about Settlements, inheriting E- ftates, and the like, fhe would not fcruple, tho' perhaps with fome little Reludance, at that Kind of the Queftion, that ftie expedis to have Children when the Gentlemen and ftie comes together : Modeftv obliges the Lady to fhun and avoid t}\e Difconrfe as much as ftie can • but ftie tacitly owns ftie is to be underftood fo in the very Nature of the Thing-, and if ftie is talked to am.ong her own Sex, where ftie could be free, and they were fo weak as to ask her fach a

Qiiefl:ionj


r 12-^ ]

Queflion, which I think few "Women would cio, as, whether ilie expected to have any Chil- dren ? She would fay, Yes, to be fure ^ what do 3^ou think I marry for elfe ?

Now take a married Life, with all its y^^* ^e7ida of Famil}^ Cares, the trouble of looking after a Houfhold, the hazard of being fubjedt to the Hum.ours and PalFions of a cirarlii'h Man, and particularly of being difappointed, and matching with a Tyrant, and a Familjr-Brute 5 with Itill the more apparent hazard of being ruined in Fortune by his Difafters if a Tradef- man, b}^- his Immoralities if a Gentleman, and by his Vices if a Rake : I fay, what Woman in her Senfes would tie her felf up in the Fetters of Matrimony, if it were not that fliedefirestobea Mother of Children, to multiply her Kind, and, in Ihoit, have a Family ?

If fhe did not, fhe would beneit toLunatick to marry, to give up her Liberty, take a Man to call Mailer, and promife when fhe takes him to Hortour and Obey him. "What ! give her felf away for nothing i Mortgage the Mirth, the Freedom, the Liberty, and all the Pleafures of her Yirgin-ftate, the Honour and Authority of being her own, and at her own difpofe, and all this to be a Barren Doe^ a Wife without Chil- dren • a Difhonour to her Husband, and a Re- proach to her felf I Can any Woman in her Wits do thus? It is not indeed conliftent v/ith common Senfe.

Take it then on the Man's Side, 'tis the fame Thing. I have known indeed a Man pre- tend to profefs fuch an Averfion to Children in the Houfe, and to the Noife and Imperti- nences of them, as he called it, that he could not bear the Thoughts of them. But then this

K Man


[ M^ ] Man did not pretend to marry ^ and fo far he was in the right-, his Condiid was con- gruous, and confiftent with it felf, and he was all of a Piece,

N. B. Bu T then pray note, hy the way, this Man married afterwards, and then he was ready- to hang himfelf that he had no Children ^ that he was not like other Families •, that he look'd like a Houfe that Heaven had blafted -, that others had Children enough, and fome more than they could keep, but he that had a plen- tiful Fortune, a beautiful Woman to his Wife^ and both of them in Health, and Years fuitable, fhould be barren.

After fome time, that, as if to punifh his unjuft Averfions, his Wife was with-held Chil- bearing, fhe brought him two Sons at a Birth •, the Man was over-joj^-ed and thankful for them, and the fondeft Father in the World ; Thus he flood reproved for his former Error, and was a living Witnefs againft himfelf

The firftPartof his Conduct was fcandaloufly wrong, as I have faid^ the averlion to Chil- dren was unnatural •, but then he acted the ra- tional Part fo far, that he did not marry. But for a Man or Woman to marry, and then fay, they defire to have no Children, that is a Piece of prepofterous Nonfence, next to Lunacy.

If A, G. a grave Jefter at Matrimonj^, who tells us, 'tis the only Reafon he does not mar* ry, that boafts the Ladies are every Day dying for him, and that he would marry but that he hates Children -, I fay, if he will pleafe to have one of thofe modern witted Ladies that defires to marry, but would have no Children, they may certainly marry, and yet refolve upon the wholefome Negative between them for a cer- tain


[ ^3^ ]

lain Space of Time, vix. to Number fifty, or thereabouts., and 'tis great odds but they may obtain the feeming Anfvver to their Requeft, and go barren to the Grave.

But if any doubt the Sincerity of the La- dies who make thofe Pretences, let the Gentle- men who has a mind to try them effedtually, and who profefTes to love a pretty Lady's Con- verfation, but hates this foolifti thing called Coition, as Religio Medici calls it • I lay, let him put (Origiyi) upon himfelf, and then Court one of thofe chaft \Vou'd-be-barren La- dies^ and fee if any One of them will take him. My "Word for them, and no venture neither, not one of them would care to be feen in his Company.

Sir Roger VEJlrange in his ^/op, in the Moral of one of his Fables, has this ftiort Story very well to my Purpofe : Well ! I am un-

  • ' done, fays a certain grate Jfidow Lady, to

" another Lady of her Intimacy ^ I am un- " done, I fay, for want of a good honefb under- " {landing fober Man, to look after my Af- " fairs. Every Body cheats me, no Body will

" pay me ^ Mr. . has left me in good

  • ' Circumftances, but 'tis all abroad in Debts

" and Accounts- and I am but a Woman, and

  • ' every Body impofes upon me •, What ihall I
  • ' do ? I think verily, if I could but find fuch a
  • ' Perfon as I really want, I fhould be alnioft

tempted to Matrimony, But then that ugly naufeous Bufinefs of a Husband and a Bed- fellow, and the reft of it. I profefs my Sto-

  • ^ mach turns at the Thoughts of it ^ the very
  • ' mention of it makes me Sick ^ it puts me
  • ' quite off all my Thoughts again, fo that, in

" Ihorr, I fhall be ruin'd, I know not what to do.

K 2 Well I


[ mo

Vell I however, as Ihe had told her Mind fo the other Lad}^, and bid her think of it, and find out fuch a Man for her, if Ihe met with any thing fuitable to her Circu in fiances, the Lady comes to her one Day fall of Joy, and big with the Difcoverjr,

" Oh Child, faj'^s Ihe, I have thought of " what you told me the other Day about your " Circumftances, I have found a Man that will " fit you every way to a tittle •, fo grave, fo

  • ' fober, fo honeft, you can never put your felf
  • ' into better Hands ^ he is a Mafter of Bull-
  • ' nefs, and Bred to it •, he underftands Ac-

" compts, making Leafes, letting Farms, knows

  • ^ every Thing, and, in fhor^, 3^ou can never
  • ' have fiich an Opportunity while you live ^

" for he will fuit your other Propofal too, about

  • ' that ufual Affair of Matrimony ♦, you under-

" ftand me, Madam-, I can affure you, he will

  • ' never difturb you that "Way, he has no
  • ' Thoughts of that Kind, nor is he in a Condi-

" tion for it.

The Lady heard her with Smiles till flie comes to the very laft "Words, when flie turns up her Nofe with a fnuff. Away ! away! fays Ihe, I thought you had known better than that too ^ / love the Virtue^ as I told you, bvt I hate the tvifirmity.

Now when I fhall fee any one of thofe Ladies who are for marrying, but fay, they hope they fhall have no Children ^ I faj, when I fhall fee them marry an right ^ or fuch a Man as this Lady recommended to her Friend, and, knomvg him to he fuch ^ then I fhall no longer doubt their Sincerit}^

Or when one of thofe Ladies, profeffing an Averfion to Children, fhall alfb maintain an

Aver-


[ '33 ]

Averfion to Matrimony becaufe of it, and fhall rejed all the beft Offers, the handfomeft Gen- tlemen, fiiitable Settlements, agreeable Fi- gures, and tlie like, and refolve the Celibacy of her Life, purely becaufe fhe would have no Children •, this indeed, however it may refled upon her Senfe, and her Wifdom, will yet re- fled nothing upon her Virtue, or upon her Sin- cerit}^, becaufe fhe ads according to herprofefs'd Sentiments-, and all her Condud is of a Piece.

But to pretend to all this Averfion for Children, to naufeate the Nurfing, the Watch- ing, the Squaling, the fatigue of bringing up Children, which, as they call it, makes a Wo- man a Slave and a Drudge all her Days •, to be perpetually exclaiming againft this, and then MARRY, what muft we call this >

For a young, handfome and agreeable Lady,' with all the Blufhes and Modefty of her Vir- gin Years about her, and under the beft of E- ducation, to marry, go naked to Bed, and re- ceiv^e the Man, as it were, in her Arms, and then fay, fhe hopes fhe fhall have no Children, and fhe defires to have no Children, this is a Language I cannot underftand ^ it will bear no modeft Conftrudion in my Thoughts, and, in a word, is neither more or lefs than acknow- ledging that fhe would have the Pleafure cf lying with a Man, but would not have the leaft Interruption from her ufual Companjr keepings the Jollitry andMirth of her younger Years ^ that fne would not abate her Pleafarcs, fhe would not be confined at home, or loaded with the Cares of being a Mother.

In a "word, fhe would have the Ufe of the

Man, but fhe would not ad the Part of the

Woman ^ fhe would have him be the Huf^

K 3 b'dxxi


[M4]

land, but flie would not be a Wife, and, if you bear the blunt Stile that fome People put it into, Ihe would only keep a St n.

There is indeed no diilembling the Matter,

  • tis neither better or worfe^ Ihe would pleafe

her Appetite with the bare brutal Part, but would be freed from that which Ihe calls the trouble of Matrimony Child-bearhig ^ which, by the way, the moft virtuous, modeft, chaft , and valuable Ladies in the World, haye, in all Ages, efteemed to be the Blelhng of a mar- ried Life.

I remember there was an Example of a Lady in a certain neighbouring Country, who mar- ried a Perfon of Qiiality, but conditioned with him not to cohabit for a certain Time, I think it was for a Year or two^ and the Reafon flie gave for it was, that flie would not fpoil her Shape •, but then, as above, flie conditioned not to cohabit, and yet when flie did cohabit, her Lord did not find her fo chaft, or that her Vir- tue was of fo much value to her as her Beauty • and flie ventured, if Fame lies not, the fpoil- ing her Shapes, in an extraordinary manner^ when flie declined the Enjoyment of her own Husband, and ran the rifque of her fmall Wafl:e in the ordinary way. But that Part is not to the prefent Cafe.

In all the Examples I have met with, where the Conduct of the Perfon has been juftifiable^ they have joined to their Averfions for Child- bearing the proper Remedies, namely, abfti- nence from the Men • if the Lady that defires to be no Breeder, keeps her felf iingle and jchafl:-, if flie preferves her Virtue, and remains unmarried, I have no more to fay, let it be to hcv as flie defires r no doubt flie will not be


3

trou*


.[ '35 ]

troubled with Children if fhe kn(m>s mi a Man •, if {he with-holds the Means, Nature will cer- tainly with-hold the End, and if ftie dies Vir- tuous, I warrant her fhe dies Barren.

But here is a farther, and yet more fatal Mifchief attending, and which, if the Wifh is real, as I am to fuppofe it is, I fee no room to forbear fuggefting, that fhe will certainly ufe fome Means to prevent it. The Truth is, there is not much Senfe in the Difcourfe without it, as there is no Honefly with it : For what can a Woman fay to her felf that lies with a Man every Night, and yet really wifhes and defires to have no Children? *Tis mofl natural to fay, why I muft either take fome Method or other with, my felf, or I fhall certainly be with Child.

A certain Lady, not a hundred Miles from

St. Ann's , and who was one of the merry

Club, called. The Affemhly of Barren Does^ had an unpleafant Dialogue with a Friend of hers, who flie thought to be a Privy-Councellor of Hell, but proved not quite wicked enough for her, upon this very Subjed ^ another Lady be- ing prefent, who protefted againft the Propo- fals, though Ihe was not averfe to the Thing, for which they were propofed,

Lady. O Coufin, fays the firft Lady that was newly married, I am glad to fee you, for I want fadly to talk with you a little.

Coitjin. Well, Child, what is the Matter, are you with Child yet ?

Lady, No, thank God, I an't, but I am ready to die with the Thoughts of it.

Con. Why fo frighted, Child 5 what's the Matter > -

K 4 Lady,


[ mo

LaSiy. 1 I would not be with Child for all the World.

Coil. Not with Child, and not for all the ^World. What do you mean ?

Lady, I mean as I fay ^ if lam with Child, I am undone.

Coit» Why, what are yoM afraid of > I war- rant, you have a Notion that you Ihall die with the firft Child, han't you ? Why all the young married Women fancy fo.

Lady. No, no, I don't trouble mj felf with that, I might do as well as other Women for that •, but 'tis an odious,, hateful Thing, I abhor the Thoughts of it.

Coil I never heard the like. Why, what did you marry for ?

La^^y. Nay, that's true*, but every Woman that marries an't with Child prefently.

Coll. No not prefently, no more are you* Why, you have been this half Year almoft ?

Lady. Yes, feven Months.

Coil. And not with Child ! Why, what have you been doing all this while? Why, it may be, you will never have any ?

Lady, Oh ! if that could but happen,. I Ihould be happy then.

Coil, What do you mean ? Are you in earneft ?

Lady, Yes, I am in earneft ^ I would give five hundred Pounds if I could be fure never to have any.

Coil. I could have given you an infallible Method to have prevented it a little while ago.

Lady. What was it, Coufin? Law! you would oblige me infinitely^ It is not too late yet, is it?

Coil, My Method was this, Child, not to have ^een married.

Lady,


[ M7 ]

Laiy, Phoo, that's faying nothings befides, you know I had a mind to marry.

Coil. Ay, Coufin, I know yon had, and to be with Child too, as well as other Women. Why not ?

Lady, No, I vow and fwear to you, I always had an Averfion to the very Thoughts of Chil- dren.

Coil, Nay, then you^fhould never have mar- ried.

Lady. Well ; but I could not help that : I tell you, I had a mind to have a Huf- band.

Coil, I don't know what to fay to you, Cou- lin. Wh3r, if you had a mind to lie with a Man, you might be fure you would be with Child ? Prithee don't talk fo fimply •, why j^ou make a Child of your felf, as if you under- ftood nothing.

Lady. But, Coufin, is there no way'^^'d pre- vent it now ?

Con. To prevent it now ! Let me fee, you fay you are fure you are not with Child yet.

Lady. Yes, I am fure I an't.

Con. Why then, I'll tell you how you fhall prevent it.

Lady. Oh how, Coufin ! Do, teil me that va- luable Secret.

Con. Why don't let Mr. come to you

any more, Child.

Lady. Pfhaw, that that won't do. How

can I help it ?

Com. Why can't you pretend Indifpofition, and lie away from him.

Lady. Ay, that's true, but that is not the Thing, I can't abide that neither ^ tPiat would


[ M8 ]

be parting Beds : No, I can't think of that neither •, I can't abide to lie awaj from him.

Cou. You are a pretty Gentlewoman indeed . you would not be with Child, and yet jon would lie with a Man every Night Is not that the Cafe now ?

Lady. "Why, truly, I can't fay but it is a lit- tle of the Cafe. But what can I do >

Coil, Na}^, I don't know ♦, you muft e'en run the Venture, as, I fuppofe, you do, and as other Women do.

Lady, Then I Ihall certainl}^ be with Child : And what will become of me then >

Coil, Become of you. Why, you will be brought to Bed, ^lave a fine Boy, and half a dozen more after that, and do bravely, as your Neighbours do, and as your Mother did before jou^ Child.

Lady. Law — - ! Coulin, you diftrefs my x^ery Soul •, I cannot bear the Thoughts of it.

Coif, There's no help for it. Child.

Lady. Sure there is, Coufin -, fomething may be done : I heard of one Mrs. Pleaf . . . t that did.

Cou. V/hy, you little Devil, you would not take Phyfick to kill the Child, would you, as, they fay, fhe did ?

Lady. No •, but there may be Things to pre- vent Conception ^ an*t there ?

Coji, Why, look you, let me fee, I don't know ^.


  • Here Jhe wufes, as if to conftder of it, and that fie inevf

of fome Meafures that might bs tajcen to anfwer.

Lady*


[ I35> ] Lady. Do, Goufin, if it be pofTible. Coil, Nay, lince you are fo much in earneft. Lady, Indeed, I am in earneft. Cow. Why, there are Things to be taken

to

Lady. What ! to make Folks mifcarry. Oh I I would not do that neither ^ I dare not do tha*.

Cou. "What I you mean to prevent your being with Child, I fuppofe.

Lady. Ay, ay, I do mean that ^ but I wou*d not take Things to deftroy the Child, that wou'd be murther. I wou'd not do that by no means, Coufin.

Coit, Why look ye. Child, I would not de- ceive you, 'tis the fame Thing.

Lady, What do you mean ?

Coil, Why, I mean as I fay •, I tell you, 'tis the fame Thing, Child.

Lady. What ! the fame Thing to prevent a Conception as to deftroy the Child after it is conceived : Is that the fame Thing ?

Cou. Yes, I fay, 'tis the fame Thing.

Lady. Explain your felf, Coufin, for I don't underftand you, indeed^ it does not feem the fame Thing to me.

Con. Why, in the firft place, you would pre- vent 3^our having any Children, though you married according to God's holy Ordinance -, which Ordinance, as the OfficQ of* Matrimony tells you, was appointed for that very End ^ to take Medicines therefore to prevent, or to deftroy that Conception, are equally wicked in their Intention, and it is the End of every thing, that makes it Good or Evil ^ the reft dif- fers only in the degree.

Lady,


[ MO ]

Lady. I cannot underftand your Niceties ^ I would not be with Child, that's all ^ there's no harm in that, I hope.

Coit. That is not all the Cafe, Child ^ though I do net grant that there is no hann. Now jou have, as I faid, married a Man, and he, no doubt, defires and expefts Children by you.

Lady, Yes, Mr. C is mighty dellrous

to have Children.

Coiu And what do ye think he would fay to^ or think of 3ou, if he knew you would be taking PhyJfick, to prevent your being with Child.

Lady, He would be very angry, I believe in- deed, very angry.

Coil. Ay, and have very ill Thoughts of you, I venture to fay that to you, Child •, therefore be cautious, and ad very warily in what you do.

Lady. Well, Coufin, and fo I will, but that is not the Cafe, I don't fear his knowing it 5 but as to what you were faying before.

Colt. Why, as I faid before, I fay again, your taking Phyfick before-hand to prevent your be- ing with Child is wilful Murther, as eflentially and as effectually, as your deftroying the Child after it was formed in your Womb.

Lady. How can that be ? wlien there is no- thing to deftroy, I can deftroy nothing.

Coil. The Dilference, as I fiid before, lies on- ly in the degree •, for Example.

Lady. Ay, pray let me have an Example ^ for I do not reach it indeed.

Cou. IFby thus •, you was with Mr. ^ j^our

Husband lail Night ^ I'll fuppofe then, that if you do nothing to injure it, and though you

were


t MI ]

were never to lie with him more, you would

be with Child.

Lady. Oh ! you hurt me but with fuppofing it.

Coil I underftand you. Child, but don't in- terrupt me.

Lady. W'^ell, I won't ^ tho* you wound ^ me deep every Word you fay ^ but pray go on,

Cou. I muft fuppofe, as before then, that you conceived as lately as you can imagine ^ whenever fuch a Thing happens, it muft take its Beginning fome where or other.

Lady. Well, what then?

Con. Why then, if you take a Medicine to prevent it after 'tis done, is not that deftroying it?

Lady^ You fright me, Coufin..

Cou. I can't help that, I had rather fright you than deceive 3'ou ^ the Difference is only here, that by this Medicine you deilroy a younger Conception than you would do in the other Cafe •, but it is no lefs a real and an effedual Child in Embrio, than the other.

Lady. And is not that a Difference ?

Con. What Difference in Murther, whether the Perfon killed be a Man grown, or a little Boy?

Lady. What muft I do then ? Coufin.

Con. What muft you do ? Why, be quiet and eafy. Child, and take your Lot in the World, as other Women do.


  • ^ Here Jhs cries y fearing Jhe is with Cbildy and drsad^

in^ to bear that it is not laioful to deflroy it.


Lady,


[ '4x ]

Lacly. Oh ! I can't bear the Thoughts of Chil- dren.

Cow. Then you Ihould not have married, Child, Why, did ever any Woman marry, and not wilh for Children ?

Lady, Yes, yes- I know feveral that mar- ried, and refolved to have none, if they could help it.

Coil. Why then you know feveral Monfters of Women ? why 'tis prepofterous.

Lady, Well, I know two in particular, and they took Things to prevent it, as I would fain do.

Coil. Then they fhould have taken' them be- fore Marriage, and honeftly told the Man to^ and fee if any honeftMan would have meddled with them.

Lady. But,^ dear Coufin, go on with your Dif- courfe: Why may I not take fomething to pre- vent my being with Child now, when, as I tell you, I am fure I am not with Child, except for a Night only ? And why ftiould I be with Child juft now more than all this while ?

Here the Difcourfe ftopt a-while • and the Coufin, though Ihe had faid it was againft her Confcience and Judgment, was prevailed with to tell her of a Medicine, and a deviliih one it was, if fhe had fet down all the Particulars. iV". B, You arc to note, that it was a Medicine indeed for the wicked Purpofe ^ but the other Lady that gave it her kept out the main and moft dangerous Ingredients, and gave her, as appeared afterwards, nothing but what, if fhe had been with Child, flie might have taken with the greateft Safety in the World. How- ever, the other having believed Ihe had taken

other


[ 143 ] other Things, her Imagination made it work other Effedts than it would have done.

When ihe had taken the Medicine it made her very fick, and, in a word, fet her a Vomit- ing and Purging moft violently, and that threw her into a high Fever.

In her Fever Ihe was exceedingly ftruck in her Confcience with the Fact ♦, and I could give a very pleaiing Account from her own Mouth, of her after Refledtions upon the criminal Part, which Ihe was then convinced of, and began to be penitent for. But that Part is too ferious for tliis Time of Day, and few of the Readers of our Times may be grave enough to relifh it

But the Story turns upon another Part, be- ing extremely afflicted at v/hat ihe had done, and having no Body to give vent to her Mind about it, her Coufin, who had unhappily given her the Diredion, being gone into the Coun- try • I fay, the want of her to vent her Thoughts, and eafe her Mind to, joined to the Fever, made her delirious or light-headed •, and in one of her Fits of Talking fhe knev\^ not what, fhe unhappily betrayed the Secret, told what fhe had done to the Nurfe that tended her, and fhe had Difcretion little enough to tell it to her Husband's Mother, and fhe to her Son, the Lady's Husband.

It moved him with a variety of Pafiions, as, in particular, an Indignation at the horrid Fact, Anger at his Wife, who, though he loved to an Extreme, and had never fnewn the leaft Unkindnefs to her before, yet he could not re- frain, Jick as J!?e was.y and even at Death's Door, to reproach her with it, and that in thebittereit Terms, which put her into a violent Agony,

fo


[ 144 ]

fo that every one about her thought he had killed her • and then he was as Angry with himfelf at the impatience of his Temper.

However, to make out the Ihort Hiftory in a few Words, the Ladj recovered, the Fever went off, and Ihe was reftored to health, hut that was not all, Ihe was reftored to her Senfes in the Point in which ihe had trefpafTed, as I faid, upon her Modeftj. But (he fuffered fome Afflidion in that verj Article, that Ihe had been blamed for •, fhe lived near two Years more with her Husband, and never was with Child ^ and all the while fhe was under the greateft Afflidion for not being with Child, much more than fhe was before for fear of it, and indeed with much more Foundation.

Her Apprehenfions now were, that herHuP' band ihould fuppofe either that fhe ftill ufed Art with her felf to prevent her being with Child, or to deftroj a Conception after it had taken place, or that flie had injured her felf fome "Way or other, by what fne had formerly done in fuch a manner, that now it was pro- bable fhe might never be with Child at all •, and thefe Thoughts, efpecially the laft, did really make fuch an ImprelFion upon her Huf- band, before flie could eafily perceive a great alteration in his Condut5l and Carriage to her, that he was colder, and, as (lie thought, very much changed in his AfFedion to her, carried it with indifference and flight, looked upon him- felf as greatly injured and ab ufed by her^ fre- quently talked as if he thought the Ends of Matrimony being really unjuftly deftroyed by her with defign, and wilfully, their Marriage was void in Law, and ought to be difTolved in form, and once or twice, if not oftner, inti- mated


r M5 ]

inatecl to her, that lie thought of brir-glng it into Parliainent, in order to obtain a diiiolu- tion of their Marriage.

This terrified her to the lad Degree •, fiie behaved her felf to him with great fubiniiiion, and indeed, more than he defired ^ frequently, and on all Occafions, protefted to him with all poJiible folemnitv, that Ihe had not taken the leaft Step, or entertained a Thought of doing fo, towards any thing of that kind, fince her late Fever •, affured him of her ])eing fully fa- tisfied that it was unlawful, and that fhe had committed a great Crime in what flie had done before •, that it was a Sin againfb her Huf^ band •, that ibiQ had injured him in it, dilTio- noured her felf, and offended againft the Laws both of God and Man. Kc could not fay more to her than flie did to load her felf, and managed fo well, fo humble, upon the main Subject, and fo obliging to hmi, that flie con- vinced him of her Sincerity, and he became fully fatisfied of that Part, as indeed he had great Reafon to be upon many Accounts. . But for what was pafsVl, there was no An- fwer to be given to it •, fhe hardly knew v/hat Ihe had done, and what llie had not done •, llie did not know what fhe had taken, except the Names of fome of the Drugs, what EfFe«5t they might have had, flie was as ill able to knovv% as any Body elfe was to tell her ; flie might have fpoiled her felf for ought Ihe knew^ nor was ilie able to give him any AlTurance that it was not i^o.

This left him very uneafy, and, as I faid above, he did not fail to let her know it, which extremely affliil:ed her-, for though, as above, he was a very kind Husband jqc it

L was


[ »4<? ]

was a Thing fo very difobligiiig, and (hewed fech a Contempt of him, when he wasbj all poilible means endearing himfelf to her, fo that he re- fented it exceedingly.

Under this diftrefTed Circumftance of her Affairs, and dreading the being ejpofed, as a- bove, by her Husband's bringing it before the Parliament, though he was loon fatisfied the Houfe would not have engaged in it one Way or other, unlefs it had been to vote it fcan- dalous, which would have done him no fer- vice at all ^ I ^ay, in this Diftrefs her Coufiii came to Town, and {he no fooner heard of it, but fhe flies to her ^ and their firft Meeting produced the following Difcourfe :

Lady. Oh ! Coufin, now I am undone indeed 5 I am compleatly miserable ^.

Coil What is the Matter, Child, what is it ^ pray tell me. Are you with Child ?

Lady, Oh! miferable to the laft Degree j I can't defcribe it to you ^.

Coil. What is it, Coufin ? I entreat you com- pofe your felf.

Lady. Oh ! that curfed Dofe of Phyfick you gave me.

Coil. Na}^, Child, don't fay I gave it you.

Lady. No, you did not give it me -, nor I did not follow your Diredions in it.

Con. Why ? Did )^ou take it when you were with Child>

Lady. I don't know, I am afraid I did.


  • she couJdfay no more for Crying^ nor could Jbe /peak a

good while,

f Crhs again vehemently*

Colt.


[ X47 ]

Coih Nay, then you iriv^de mad Work with your felf indeed ^ I am fure I diredted you jull the contrary. But to tell you the Truth, if you took nothing but my Diredions, it was a very innocent thing -, it would have done you neither good nor harm.

Lady, Ay, but it purged and vomited my Life away almoft, and threw me into a t vio- lent Fever.

Coit. Why, you were certainly with Child then, and the fright put you into that Con^ dition.

Lady, I believe it did- for I had no foon* er fwallowed it down, but I was in the greatefl: Agony imaginable, at the Thoughts of what I had done •, I was ftruck as if an Arrow had been Ihot thro' me ^ I was all horror and diforder. Soul and Body,

Cou, Ay, you frighted your felf Sick : I am fure what I gave you Diredtions to take would have done you no hurt, if you had been with Child. ^

Lady, Are you fure of it ?

Cou. Don't you remem.ber how earneflly I perfuaded you againft the Thing it felf.

Lady. Yes, very well.

Colt, And how I argued with you, that it wa* as much Murther as if the Child had been grown to its maturity in your Womb.

Lady, Yes, yes, I remember it particularly.

Cou, Well, Coufin ^ And do you think then I would have given you a Dofe to kill the Child


I Here Jhe tells bcr tbs whole Story as it happened, and «j related above*


L 2 within


[ 148 ]

within you, when you know how I urged 3rou againft it fo earnefll}^ and told you 'twas wilful Murther ?

Lady, Well, but you did give me the Di- rections.

Con. Ay, ay, let any Phyfician fee it ^ I'll appeal to the Left of them •, I gave it yon to put a Stop to your doing w^orfe, and for no- thing elfe.

Lady, And could it do me no harm ?

Coil. No, ril anfwer for it, if you took no- thing but what I directed.

Lady. Na}^, I neither added or diminifhed, I can affure you.

Con, Then let any Ecdy fhew the Receipt to the Dodor, and Til iland by it, that as I gave it you to be rid of j^our importunate wicked Delign, fo I gave it 3^ou to prevent your taking fomething worfe of feme Body elfe.

Lady. Oh! Couiin, if that could be made out,

I wifh Mr. — knew it, for he is difob-

liged fo by it, that I believe he will never be reconciled to me y I believe he will expofe me for it, and we fhali feparate about it '^.

Coil. It is a lamiCntable Stor}^ indeed, Coufin, and Things have been very ill managed among you.

Lady. But, dear Coufin, what fliall I do ? Are you fo fure of what you fay, that I may depend upon it I have received no Da- mage ?

Cou. I will go to any Phyfician with you, and convince you.


. * Herejhe tells the whole Story 'of htr Deliriums ^ and of ksr Huihand's bsin^ told of ;f, as before.


[ 145? ]

Lady. Nay, if you did cheat me, then it was

a kind of a happ}^ Fraud. Shall I let Mr

knoxv ir, if there is any Occafion ?

Coil "With all my Heart •, Til juftify every Word of it, and fatisfy anj^ reafonable Man.

Lady. I don't know whether any thing will

fatisf}^ Mr. . now, for 'tis hard to remove

a Fancy of fuch a Nature when once it has taken Root in th^ Mind : Nor do I believe all the Arguments in the Yforld would be of any Weight with him.

Coil Well, however, I defire one Thing of you for 3^our own fatisfaclion, and mine too.

Lady. AVhat is that ?

Con. Wh}^, let jow and I go to fome en i- nent Phj^iician, and fliow him the Recipe, and tell him the plain Matter of Fact ^ and let us hear his Opinion.

Lady. We will go to Dr. then.

Coil With all mj Heart.

According to this Agreement they went to the Doctor, and he read the Particulars : He affured her, that he who gave her the Medicine to caufe. Abortion, or prevent Conception, or to do a breeding Woman the leafl: harm, de- ceived her • for that there v/as nothing in it but what a Woman with Child might freely take without the leafl: Danger, and that no- thing in the Medicine could do her the leaft Injury. 'This gai'e the Lady her felf full fatif- fa6lion, and made her very eafy : But Ihe did not fee any room to bring this Part about with

Mr her Husband," for that his Refent-

ments were run high, and he grew warm at but the mention of the Thing • but Ihe thought to

L 3 tell


[ MO 1 tell him all this Story would but lay the Weight heavy upon her fclf, fo (he refolved to let it reft where it was, and wait the Illue. And thus ihe wore out, as I faid, above two Years, tho' with many hard Struggles and frequent Rer proaches from her Husband, who wasextreamly foured in his Temper by it, and did not ftick to ufe ]}er hardly enough about it upon all Oc- calions.

At laft, to her particular fatisfadion, and his too, Ihe proved with Child indeed, and that put an End to it all, for it removed the grand fufpicion, that fhe had poifoned or vitiated her Womb, fo that {he could never conceive, and file ftill wiihed to have no Children, which in- deed was the reverfe of her Cafe now^ for fne earnefiiy deflred to be with Child, to put an End to all thefe Diffatisfadicns, And thus ended this melanchol}?- Affair.

From the whole Story, ufeful Obfervations ma3 be made very appoiite to the Cafe before us. The wretched Hum.our of defiring not to be with Child, appears here in its proper light. Hew diredt a Crime it is in its felf, is proved from the Office of Matrimony, which is God's holy Ordinance, appointed and inftituted by hrnfelf for the regular Propagation of the Spe- cies.

The Argument againft taking Medicines to prevent or deftroy Conception, which is the fam.e thing, is very juft^ fince, in the Nature of the Crime, it is as much a real Murther to deftroy the one as the other, as it is as much a real Murther to kill a little Boy as a full grown Mam

Vhat


What then are thofe People doing who talk of Phyfick to prevent their being with Child? It is, in fliort, neither more or lefs than a ftated, premeditated Murther ^ and let thofe that act fo confider of it, and come off of the Charge of Murtherers, if the} can.

I could ilhifirate this by feveral other Stories or Relations of Matters of Fadt, bat I have not room to fpare on that Head. A certain Ladj of noted Fame, is, I hear, making her felf more than ordinarily remarkable upon this very Principle, and afTures the World, that Die not only thinks it lawful to wifh Ihe fhould have no Children, but to ufe all poiiible Means to prevent it ^ nay, fhe declares, as I am told, that ihe not only thinks it no Injury to any Body •, but that it is far from being a Crime to deftro}^ the Birth or Embrio conceived within her, and that fhe has frequently done it.

Here fhe learnedly enlarges inher Difcourfe, (for {he is open enough upon that Subjed:) and difputes upon the Queftion, Whether it is a Sin to kill any Thing which has not a Soul ? And when fhe thinks fhe has conquered the Difficulty, and has proved that every Creature may be deftroyed by Man, that has not in it a human Soul, fhe brings it down to the Cafe in hand: She fays, that it is no Offence to God or Man, to deftroya Cat, or Dog, or any other fuch Creature, tho' it be not for Food, and tho' it be done arbitrarily, without any provocation given or hurt done by the Creature, but even if it were in fport.

Then, I fay, bringing it down to the pre- fent Affair of a Child conceived in a Womb, Ihe begins a new Enquiry, which the learned Anatomifts, and the moft skilled in the Pro-

L 4 duftions


[ M^ 1

cliiclions and Operations of Nature, have not yet been able to determine, nanie]3r. When, and after what particular Time, and in what Manner the Embrio or Body of a Child con- ceived in a "Woman, receives the addition of a Soul ? How the Union is made ? And when the Infallon of Soul is appointed.

This flie determines to be at a certain Time, and defcants critically upon it, in order to efta- biifn the curfed Hypothefis of her own Inven- tion, VIZ. that all the while the Foetus is form- ing, and the Embrio or Conception is proceed- ing, even to the Moment that the Soul is infu- fed, fo long it is abfolutely not in her Power only, but in her Right, to kill or keep alive, fave, or deftroy theThing flie goes with, (lie won't call it Child ^ and that therefore till then flie refolves to ufe all manner of Art •, nay, flie does not confine her felf to human Art, to the help of Drugs and Phyficians, whether Aftringents, Diureticks, Emeticks, or of whatever kind, nay, even to Purgations, Potions, Poifons, or any thing that Apothecaries or Druggifts can fupply : But fhe goes farther, and joins with the Poet, nay, Ihe has the Words at her Tongue's End from that famed Author, tho' in another Cafe,

Acherovta Moveho.

In Erglifl) fhe tells them plainly, if Drugs nnd Medicine fail her, flie will call to the De- vil for help, and if Spells, Filtres, Charms, Witchcraft, or all the Powers of Hell would bring it about for her, flie would not fcruple to make ufe of them for her refolved Pur- pofe •, highly approving of that known SpamJJ) Proverb, fuited to the ordinary Gccafions only

of


[ 155 1

of ufing dangerous Aledicines from Quacks* and unpraclifed, unacquainted Hands ^ I fay, tliQ SiianiJI) Proverb, {vi%)

Let the Cure he wrought^ though the Devil he the Do&or.

Now this is an Example flagrant, and, as I faid, notorious, her Pradice comes up to the hcighth of it, or elfe fhe is lefs a Devil than fhe pretends to be, and boafts of being much wickeder than fhe really is- in which Cafe, I raufl; own my felf to be of the Opinion .of the learned and witty Dr. Fuller, viz. that he that openly profefles to be wickeder than he really is in fact, is really and effentially, whether in fad or no, as wicked as he pro- feiTes to beJ

But, not todifpute with this She-murtherer, for it is not my Bufinefs here to decide either of her Queftions, Either when the Soul is infufed into the Embrio in the Womb of her that is with Child, or whether it is lefs criminal to deftroy one than the other ^ I fay, not to dis- pute with a Murtherer, I am to go on with the Relation, viz. that fhe profefies the lawfulnefs, and owns fhe pradifes it, though not the laft fo freel}'- as the firft. Let us enter a little into the Circumftances and Charader of a "Woman that does thus-, that the Pidure being fet in a fair View, thofe whofe Blood is lefs niflamed with the Rage of Hell, may look a little before them, and coniider, before they ad the inhu- man Part with themfelves, what they are do- ing or going to do, and Vv'hat they may rea- fonably luppofe to be the Confequence.

First,


[ ^54 ]

First, Thefe defperate Medicines which are ufually taken for fuch Purpofes, what arq they, and of what Kind ? Have they an effe£t only upon that particular Part which they are pointed at ? Are they able to confine the Opera- tion of the Phyficic to the very mathematical Point of Situation? And fhall the Poifons ex- tend no farther > Are they fare they Ihall af- fedt no Part but the Conception > Shall the Phyfick, like a Meffenger fent upon a particular Bufinefs, knock at no Doors in his Journey going or coming? Shall it affect no other Part ? Shall the murthering Dart kill juft the Part, ftrike a mortal AVound juft there, and no where elfe, and innocently paffing by every other Place, do no more than juft the Errand

  • tis fent about.

"What if you ftiould miftake, and the Ap- plication being mifplaced, the Arrow Ihould mifs the Child, and kill the Mother ? I have heard of a certain Quack in this Town, and knew him too, who profefs'd to prefcribe in this very Cafe •, the Villain, for he muft be 110 other, l^ad his Preparations of the feveral following particular Kinds, are for the feveral following Operations, and accordingly, gave the Diredions to Jiis Patients, as follows :

  • N'^. I. If the Party or V/oman be young with
  • Child, not above three Months gone, and would
  • mifcarry without Noife, and without Danger,
  • take the Bolus herewith fent in the Evening
  • an Hour before fhe goes to Bed, and thirty
  • drops of theTindure in the Bottle, juft when
  • fhe goes to Bed, repeating the Drops in the
  • Morning before ftie eats ^ take the Drops in

' Rhemf? Wine, right Mofelle.


[ ^55 ]

  • N^. 2. If flie is quick with Child, and de-
  • fires to mifcarry, take two Papers of the Pow-
  • der here enclofed. Night and Morning, infufed

^ in the Draught contained in the Bottle — 5

  • taking it twice, fhall bring away the Concep-

^ tion.

  • N°. 3. If the Party be a Man, and he would
  • have the Child the Woman goes with preferved
  • againft her Will, let her take the Decodioii
  • here direded every Morning for three Weeks^
  • and one of the Pills every Night •, but whtn
  • her Travail approaches, leave off the De-
  • codion, and let her take three of the Pills, the
  • Child Ihall certainly be brought into the
  • World alive, though it may be fome danger to

' the Mother.

That was, in (hort, he would kill the Wo- man, and fave the Child.

There were likewife Recipe% with thefe Directions : If the Part}/- only fears fhe is with Child, but is not certain, take thefe Powders Night and Morning, as diredled, her Fears fliall be over in four times taking.

If the Party is not with Child, and would not conceive, take one Paper of the Powders in a Glafs of warm Ale, every Morning after the Man has been with her, and Ihe fhall be out of danger.

I need give no Touchers for this Account 5 there are People ftill living, who fent feveral poor Servants to him, pretending this or that Part to be their Cafe, and craving his learned Advice, and fo have had his hellifli Prepara- tions, and given him his Fee or Rate for them

and


and fo Lrouglit them away, in order to have him profecuted and punifhed.

But Heave the Mountebank, mjBufinefs is with the unhappy Ladies, who venture upon thefe dark Doings, in purfuit of the wicked De- iignagainfi: Child-bearings thejrrun great rifques in taking fuch Medicines ^ and 'tis great odds but that, firft or laft, they Ruin themfelves by it. This Wretch of a Quack could, it feems, kill the Child or the Mother, which he pleafed •, and you may, by a wrong Application, do both, kill the Child and the Mother both at once,, and fo be a Self-murther, and a murtherer of your own Offspring both together-, at leaft, 'tis an Article worth a little of the Lady's Thought when flie goes about fuch a doubtful Piece of "Work as this is •, and if flie fhould come to a Mifchance, flie would perhaps fupport the Re- proach of it but very hardly ^ I mean, if fhe has any referves of Confcience and Re- flexion about her.

Again: If it does not reach her Life, it goes another length without Remedy ^ ihe poi- fons her Bodjr, fhe locks up Nature, fhe damns her felf to a certain and eternal Earrennefs for the Time to come ; and as boldly, as fhe fays, fhe defires it to be fo, does not value it, and the like. She might confider, that it may fo hap- pen that flie m.ay alter her Mind- nay, fhe may come to the Extream the other Waj^, and I have more than once, naj^, very often, known it to be fo.

Nor is it improbable but that her Mind may be the moft likely to alter, when fhe knows fhe is brought to an impoflibility of altering it. Nothing is more frequent than for a Woman to rejedl what fhe may have, when fhe may

havQ


[ ^57 ] have It, and long and wifli for it when it can be no more obtained •, the defires (of that Kind efpccialljO are generally very impetuous ^ the Stream runs rapid and furiou3 ^ and if ihe fhould come to be as defirous of Children as Ihe jnay be now to deftroy them, 'tis odds but the violence of that Defire turns a Diftemper, and that to fuch a degree, as may be very trou- blefom.e as well as dangerous, and often proves mortal.

Solomon fays of the Grave and the Barren Womb, that they are 7iever fatisfied ^ they never fay, it is enough : And what an Objed will fuch a Woman be, and, under fuch Refledions, either by her felf, or by others, that torments her felf, and perhaps fome Body elfe, to be with Child, after fhe has alreadjr dried up the Juices, ftagnated the Blood, and fettered Na- ture, foas that no fuch Powers are left by which the Operation can be performed.

The Lady I mention indeed, laughs at all thefe Things, and bids defiance even to God and Nature, contemns Confequences, and fcorns the fuppofition of a change of Mind, and a re- turn of Defires ^ from whence I infer only this, viz. That fhe knows little what Nature means ^ what the various Extreams are Nature is fub- fect to • and in that abundant Ignorance flie muft go on till fhe comes to be her own Punifh- ment, her own Tormentor, and to expofe her felf as much in one Extream as fhe does now in another ^ and if that ihould never happen, it will be only faid of her as it has been of many a Criminal of a worfe kind, viz, that Ihe died impenitent.

But to go back from the Perfon to the Thing, for Examples import nothing, but a$

they


c ^n

they confirm the fubjeci:, the Story may pleafe," but 'tis the improvement of the Story, that fixes the Truth of the Argument, which it is brought to fupport : This horrid Pradice, I mean, of applying to extraordinarjr Means to deftroy the Conception, has yet many Things to be faid to it.

As it poifons the Bodjr, and, as I have faid, locks up Nature ^ fo let me remind the Ladies whofe Vanity prompts them to the Pradice, efpecially too if they have any fuch thing as Religion about them, that *tis a kind of curfing their own Bodies, 'tis Blafting them- felves ^ and as they take upon them to do it themfelves, how juft would it be, if Heaven,'- taking them at their 'V^^ords, lays it home far- ther than they would wifh or intend it ? And that feeing they defire to bear no Fruit, Heaven fhould fay, in the Words of our Saviour to the Fig-Tree, No Fruit grow on thee hencefor- ward for ever.

It muft be a Temper unufually hardened^ that could bear fuch a Blaft from above with- out fome Horror : Let any Ladjr, I mean Chri- ftian Lady, for I dired my Speech now to fuch^ though they may be ignorantly or ralhly pufh.ed on by the Folly of their Circumftances ^ I fay, let any Chriftian Lady tell me, if Ihe Ihould hear thofe Words really and audibly pronounced from Heaven to her, could (he look up with fatisfadion, take it for a Blefling, and fay, Amen ? I cannot but hope we have very few of the moft audacious Atheifts among us, could go the length.

And now I have accidentally named that Word look up, that is to fay, look up to Hea- ver^ for fo I underftand it, however^ that Lan- guage


[ ^59 1

guage is pretty much unknown among us, I could almoft venture to put in a grave \Vord to the Ladies that marry, and would have no Children •, thofe prepotterous, not unthinking but ill-thinking Ladies, I fay, that will marry- but would have no Children ^ as 'tis moft cer- tain that they expofe their Modefty in it, fo they likewife expofe their Chriftianity •, and let me ask them but this fliort Queftion ^ Pray, Ma- dam, what Religion are you of ?

By asking after the Lady's Religion, I do not mean whether Proteltant or Papift, Church of England, or Treshyterian^ but whether Chri^ Jiian or Vagan^ a worlhipper of God^ or of the Devil ^ of one God or a thoufand Gods, nominal Gods ^ in a word, have you. Madam, any fuch Thing as Religion about you > It is indeed a Qiieftion, which, in a Chriftian Nation, Ihould pafs for an Affront •, but when People a6fc counter to Principle, and counter to Profeffion, they open the Door to the Queftion, nay, they, make it rational and neceffary.

But I will fuppofe the Lady {hall anfwer, I am a Chriftian, and aProteftant.

Well, Madam, then you will allow me to fay, that fometimes you pray to God, or, to give it you in the Language of the Moderns, you fay your Prayers.

Yes I do, fays the Lady ^ and what then?

Why then, Madam, you fuppofe, or grant,' that God can hear you, when you fay your Prayers ?

Yes, I know he can, fays fie -^ what then ?

Why then. Madam, you believe he will an* fwer your Prayers too, and grant your Requefts alfo, becaufe he has promifed he ivill, if what we ask be agreeable to his Will, i jfoh7i v. I4-.


[ i^o


1 J

Well •— 1 And what do you gather from all this ? fays the Lady,

Gather, Madam-, why, I gather this, that as )ou are a married Woman, and would fain be Barren, and have no Children, never give your felf any trouble about Phyfick, and tak- ing Drugs to prevent Conception ^ but kneel down, and very humbly and fincereljr pray to' God to curfe you with Barrennefs : Tell him, that you are one of his Creatures who He, at His firft Bleffing Mankind, had allowed to en- creafe and multiply, but that you deiire no Ihare in that Blefling^ and fo beg, that he would be graciouily pleafed to blaft the Child you gj with, if you are with Child, and iliut up jouv Womb, if you are not^ for that you defire none of his Bleilings of that Kind.

If the Lady I have been fpeaking to above, is, as Ihe faj^s, a Chriftian, and prays to God at anytime: if ihe knows and believes that God knows her Thoughts, can hear her Pray- ers, and will grant her Requeft, if it be acco^d- hig to his inih^ let her, I fay, if fhe can do thus without trembling at the Thoughts of it, go to her Ktiees, and pray devoutl}^ that fue may have no more Children, or no Children.

If God is fo merciful to her, as to deny the vile, wicked Reqneft, flie ought to be ver}^- thankful that her Prayers are not heard •, but if it fhould be granted, fhe muft and ought, with the fame humilit}^ to acknowledge 'tis righteous and juit, and that the Judgment, for fuch it mufl: be, is of her own procuring.

This would be putting the Matter to a fliort IfTue-, and we fliould fee whether the Ladies are ferious enough to carry :their Folly to fuch a hiffhth, or no.

But


[ X^I ]

BtTT there is another Length that fome of thefe Ladies go, and this indeed carries Things beyond all the fuggeftions of my Title ^ inftead of Matrimonial Whoredom it Ihould be cal- led Matrimonial Witchcraft ; the Truth is, I dare not enter into Examples here, no not where I maj have fome Reafon to fufped, nay, to believe-, nay, where I have been informed it has been fo, becaufe I would not point out any One as Criminal to fuch a degree, unlefs the Fad was as plain, as admitted a Convidion in the way of Juftice.

Nay, when my Friend M R aC-

fured me, that his next Neighbour Mrs. G— .

jf'^ . boafted in Publick, that Ihe intended

to do fo and fo, nay, though I heard her own ihe had done it •, 37'et, as the Witches in New Evglavd went fo far in acknowledging their own Guilt, and their familiarity with the Devil, that at laft they could not obtain to be Hanged, no not upon their own Evidence, or be believed upon their own Confeiiion^ fo I cannot perfuade my felf to tell j^ou, that I be- lieve Aladam //^ — r- really guilty of fo much Wiclcednefs as fhe pretends to, or that fhe de- ferves the Gallows fo eminently as fhe boafts ihe does.

To go to the Devil to prevent God's Blef^ ling 1 I muft confefs 'tis very audacious •, and if Providence takes no particular Notice of fuch, and gives no publick Teftimony of Refentment, it would feem veryftrange to me-, I ihould only fay, there is the more behind, the Wretches have the more to expect ^ let 'em think of it,

Some will tell us, there is nothing in it* that really the Devil has no Povv^er to do any thing in ity one way or other, and that all the Ko-

M tioss


[ I^^ ]

tions of Charm, Spell, Filtres, A'Tagiclc Knots, &c\ are Jugglers Tricks, and have nothing in them ^ they reach the Fancy indeed, and af- fed the Imaginations of weak, vapourifh Peo- ple 1 but that realljr thefe Things are out of the Devil's way, and that he knows nothing of the Matter, andean do nothing to help or hinder- that the Devil has no skill in Midwifry, and can neither tell a Woman when fhe is with Child, or when Ihe is not •, he can no more make her Mifcarry, unlefs it is by frighting her, than he can make her Conceive- that 'tis all a Cheat, contrived by a Gang of artful Knaves to get Money, pick Pockets, and de- ceive the ignorant Women.

How far this may be true or not, I leave to thofe that are well enough acquainted with the Devil^ to know how, and to what De- gree, he can or does ad in thefe Cafes. But the Crime of thofe People that go to him for his help, is the fame, whether he can ailift them or not^ with the addition of Fool, if he cannot.

I might ask here, whether this Praflice is coniiftent with Honeftj^? As for Religion, Mo- defty and Reputation, that I think I have men- tioned to fatisfaclion -, but as to the Honefty of it, there is fomething more to be faid : Firjl^ ss I faid above ^ to a Husband it cannct be honeft by any means : We'll fiippofe the Man to be an honeft, fober and religious Husband -, he married, no doubt, as Men of honeft Prin- ciples, and of the utmoft Modeft}^ do, that is, in view of railing up a Family as well to inhe- rit his Fftate, fiippofing that Part to be fuffi- cient, as to preferve a Name and a Pofterity, |S other Gentlemen do.

FlND^


[ 1^3 ]

Pi N D I N G his Wife barren, at firfi: he prays heartily, as he may do lawfully, that he may be fruitful^ and have Children. Mark the Harmony ^. he prays for having Children, and fhe prays againft any ^ he looks up to Heaven to entreat he may be blefs'd and encreas'd^ fhe goes to the Devil for help, that his Prayers may be fru- ftrated ^ he marries in expedation of Children j Ihe marries him^ but endeavours by all the hel^ lifh, diabolick Arts and Tricks fhe caii to pre- vent it, and difappoint him. And where is the Honefty of all this, pray ? At leaft, how is Ihe juft to her Husband > ^

If fhe had told him of it before Marriage; it had altered the Cafe-, or if fhe had acquainted him with it when fhe did thus, and he had con- fentcd, it had been another Thing ^ at leaft, as it regarded him, there had been no Injuflice ia it, becaufe of his voluntary afTent to it : But then it is foolilli to fuggeft, for no Man in his Senfes would ever agree to fuch a ridiculous Propofal, and therefore 'tis highly difhoneft and unjufl to her Husband.

It is likewife an immoral Adion in it felf, as it is inconfiftent with theRealbn and Nature of Things, and clafhes with feveral ftated Rules of Life, which are of divine Inflitution. But that is not, as I faid before, the proper View of this Difcourfe.

As it is not honefl or moral, fo, on the other^ hand, it feems not to confift with the Charadtep of a modefi and virtuous Woman : If a Whore aded thus, I fhould not wonder at all ^ for het Buiinefs is to conceal her immodefl, criminal Converfation, and, if poffible, to hide her Shame •, for her to apply to- Phyflcians ani Apothecaries, take Drops and Draughts, and

M z mf^


[ 1^4 1

PhyHclc her felf from Day to Day, 1 fhould make no Wonder at it -, *tis what her Circum* ftances make not rational only but necet fary.

But for an honeft "Woman! openly and law^ fully married ! whofe Husband is publickly lcnown-5 who lives with, and acknowledges her to be his Wife, and Beds with her, as we call it, every Nighty for this Woman to defire to be Barren, much more to endeavour to prevent, or, which is the fame Thing, to deftroy the Conception, blaft the Fruit of her own Body, poifon her Blood, and ruin her Conftitution, that fhe may have no Children ! This can have nothing in it but Witchcraft and the Devil 5 'tis fcandalous to the laft Degree •, 'tis feeking the Man meerly as fuch, meerly for the frailer Vart, as my Lord Rochejler calls it, and that brings it down tomySubjed:,(T;fz.)theLewdnefs d£ it, which entitles it, in my Opinion, to that I call Matrimonial Whoredom.

They may gild it over with what Pretences they will •, they may ufe their Female Rheto- tick to fet it off, and to cover it ^ fuch as fear of the Dangers and Pains of a hard Travail, weak- nefs of Conftitution, hereditary Mifcarriages, and fuch like. But thofe Things are all anfwer- ed with a Queftion, Why then. Madam, did you marry ? Seeing all this was known before, they were as folid Reafons for not marrying, as they can be now for not breeding. But the Lady, as abo\^e, would venture all to have the ule of the Man 5 and as for her Reafons why fhe would have no Children, Ihe muft account for them another Way.

Had the La'dy been with Child, and had a l2^gerous Travail ^ had Ihe been fr e<juently

witif


I ^^5 1

with Child, but always fubjeft to Abortions, or conftant and dangerous Mifcarriages^ had flue; received any hurt in the Delivery of her former Children, which threatned Dangers if {he came again ^ or had feveral other Circumftances a^ tended her, lefs proper to mention than thofe ^ had fhe been abufed by Midwives, or weakened l)y Diftempers or Difafters, this would alter tha Cafe.

But the Circumftance I infifi: upon is, when the Woman marries, takes a Man to Bed to her, with all the Circumftances that are to be under* ftood, without obliging us to exprefs them ^ lives with him, and lies with him every Night, and yet profefTes to defire flie may have no Chil- dren: Thefe are the Circumftances I infift upon, the Aggravations of which admit no abate- ment, and for which I do not know one modeft Word of Excufe can be faid. This is what I call Covjiigal Lewdnefs, nor can I fee any thing elfe in it-, 'twas the plain End of her marrying^

  • tis in vain to call it by other Names, and cover

it with other Ei'cufes-, 'tis nothing but Whoring under the ftielter or cover of the Law, we may- paint it outj and drefs it up as we will


M%tt


U^ CHAP,


[ I^^ 1


CHAP. VL

of heivg Onjer-ml'd hy Perfwafion, In-^ tereft, Influence of Friends^ Force, and the like, to take the Perfon they ha^ve no Lo^e for, and forfake the Perfon they really lovd.

H E Subjed of this Chapter is very particular, and the Eftects of it fometimes \^ery difmal-, one would think it was hardl}^- to be named among Chriflians, that in a Country where we pretend fo much to perfonal, as well as national Libert}, any fuch Violences could be offered, or at leait be fuffered.

As Matrimony fhould be the Effed of a free and previous Choice in the Perfons marrying, fo the breaking in by Violence upon the Choice and Affedion of the Parties, I take to be the worfl: kind of Rape ^ whether the Violence be the Vio- lence of Perfwafion or of Authority^ I mean, fuch as that of Paternal Authority, or other wife •, for as to legal Authority, there is nothing of that can interpofe in it ^ the Laws leave it where it ought to be left, and the Laws of Matri- inony, in x)articular, leave it all upon the

Choice



I X^7 ]

Choice of the Perfon, and in the Power of their "Will ^ and therefore, as by the Office of Matri- mony appears, it does not fay to the Perfon, Thou {halt take this Man, or thou Ihalt take this AVoman, but Wilt thou take this Man, and init thou take this Woman? and unlefs the Per- fon fays, I jriLL, which is a Declaration of free Confent, and indeed ftrongly implies a free Choice, there can be no Matrimony.

Hence I might enter into a long Difcourfe of the Juftice of young People on either Side, refifting the Perfwafions, nay, indeed the Com- mands of thofe who otherwife they ought to ohey, in a Cafe of this moment. I fhould be very loth to fay any thing here to encourage Breach of Duty in Children to Parents-, but as in this Cafe the Command feems exorbitant, fo the Obedience fe^ms to be more limited than in any oth^r, and therefore I miay go farther here than I would do in any of the Points of Subor- dination in other Cafes.

It is a Maxim in Law as well as in Heafon, there is no Duty in Obeying where there is ho Authority to Command • or, if you will, thus : There is no Obligation to Obey where there is no Right to Command-, the Parent has^ no queftion, a right to Command, nay, to govern and over-rule the Child in all lawful Things : But if the Parent commands the Child to do an unlawful Adtion, the Child may decline it ^ for a Thing cannot be lawful and unlaw Fil at the fame time.

It is evident in the Cafe before me, if the Parent commands his Child to marry fuch or fuch a Perfon, and the Child either cannot love the Perfon, or at the fame time declares he or Ihe is engaged in AfFedion to another, the

M 4 Com:


[ i<f8 ]

Command of the Parent cannot be lawfully obeyed, becaufe it is unlawful for the Child to marry any Perfon he or {he cannot love ^ nay, the very doing it is deftrudive of Matrimony, and they muft either lie one way or other, or elfe they cannot obey it, for they canmpt be mar- ried : For example,

A Father fays to his Son, I would have you marry fuch a young Lady.

Oh ! Sir, fays the Son, I beg of you don't defire of it me, Ihe is a Woman that of all the Women in the World, I would not marry upon any Account whatever.

DiDN'T tell me you will not marry her, fays the Father, I have good Reafons for your hav- ing her.

But, Sir, faj'^s the Son, I hope you won't infift upon it- for I can't do it.

What do you mean > You can't do it, fays the F?^' her angrily.

Why, Sir, fays the Son^ I can't love her,

O, well ; you mull venture that, fays the Father, marry her firft, and you'll love her af*- terwards.

Indeed, I can't marry upon that Foot Sir, Jays the Sotj^ but refpedfully, it would be a Slii to marry a Woman I can't love.

I tell you, fays the Father^ I have fingled her out for you, and I expedt you fliould have her.

I am forry. Sir, you Ihould choofe a Wife for me, fays the Sor^ and never let me know

it

I think 'tis your Duty to fubmit, fays the Father^ as long as 1 think flie is a fuitable Match for you, and for the Family.


[ l<^5? ]

But, Sit ^ fays the Sov^ 'tis impofTiHe : lean never be married to her ^ no Clergjnian dares niarry me to her.

"What d'jre mean by that ? fays his Father.

'Why, Sir, fays the S071, either I muftLie and be Forfworn, or he can't marry me, and I hope you would not defire me either to Lie, or to be Perjured.

Don't tell me of Lying and Perjury, faj^s the palHonate Father, I don't enquire into j^our impertinent Cavils, I tell you, (he will make a very good Wife for you, and, I fay, jrou fhall have her.

Well, Sir, Tays the Son, if you can make any Minifter marry me to her.

What is it you mean, fays the Father, to offer fuch Stuff to me ? If you don't take her, it fhall be worfe for you ^ I tell you, you. ihail have her.

Why, Sir, fays the Son, when he asks me, if I will tak€ her > I may anfwer, / JHU: But when he comes to fay, JrUt thou love her ? 1 muft fa3r, I Win mt:, I muft lie, if I fhould fay, I Will '^ and if he can marry me fo, let Jiim.

I don't make a Jefl of it Son, fays the Fa- ther^ 1 exped you go and wait upon her, far I will have you marry her, I tell you.

Thus the Father laid it upon him hard • he put it off with this a great while, that he could not love her ; but the Father infifted up- on it, and threatened to difinherit him • and fo he wickedly complied, married the Woman he hated, and forfook a young Lady that loved him, and that he was in love with • and he was unhappy, and curfed his Marriage to his dying Day ^ and fo was the Woman he married

alfo.


[ 170 ] alfo. Indeed, he did not go Fo far as the Son did in the Example I gave j^^ou before 5 he did not marry them Loth, but he was very un- happy.

The Limits of a Parent's Authority, in this Cafe of Matrimony, either with Son or Daugh- ter, I think, Hands thus : The Negative, I think, is theirs, efpeciall}'^ with a Daughter ^ but, I think, thePofltive is the Childrens.

If the Child looks Retrograde, and would throw her felf a waj^ upon a Scoundrel, upon her Father's Coachman, or Book-keeper, or upon any thing unworthy of the Family and For^ tune of the Lady, much more if the Perfon ilie inclines to marry is fcandalous, a Man of Vice, a Man of an ill Character, a Drunkard, a Gamefter, a Rake, or what elfe is to be callec fcandalous, the Father, or Mother, or next Parent or Guardian may, I believe with Juftice, interpofe their Authority^ and may command her not to take fuch or fuch a Perfon, the Fa- ther may put the Negative upon her ^ nor is it fufficient for her to fay, fhe loves the Man, or is in love v/ith the Man.

But when the fame Father or Parent comes and direds her the faid Daughter, and fays poli- tively, you fhall marr}^ fuch or fuch a Man whe- ther you love him or not-, there,! think, the Cafe differs extreamly ^ and the young Lady telling them, ihe does not like the Man, that fne can- not love him, and won't marry him for that R-eafon, is a juftifiable Reafon, and ihe ought not to be forced : Or, if fhe fays, that fhe is in love with another, and that other is not yet difcovered, 'tis neverthelefs a fufficient Reafbn, and ihe ought, .„aot to be forced •, nor can the Command of a Father or Mother, bind her to

marry


[ ^7x ]

marry the Man fhe cannot love, becaufe it would be an unlawful Action, unjuft and inju- rious both to the Man and to her felf • and no Command of a Parent can be obliging upon ^her, to do an unlawful or unjuft Adion.

The Parent therefore ma}^ command her not to marry this or that Perfon, .but may not command her to marry any particular Perfon, who fhe declares her felf not to love ^ for this would be to command her to lie, and be for- fworn, in the exprefs Terms of the Marriage Contra£r.

Again ^ it were to be wifhed, that every one that marries before they fix their AfFedion fincerely unon the Perfon they are to have, \v^ould connder what I juft mentioned above, (viz,) the "U^rong they do to the Perfon they take • fuppofe it be the Woman, who, at the Book, they promife upon Oath to love, and yet afterwards perhaps, tell them to their Faces, they never loved them at all : This is an irre- trievable Injury to the Perfon, who perhaps was, as it were, fnatched out of the Arms of thofe that did love her, and of another that would have loved her, and who perhaps fhe loved alfo, and, perfuaded or over-ruled by Pa* rents, to take one who pretended as m.uch to love as any one, but only took her for her Money, and venturing upon thofe Pretenfions, flie or he is now deceived and difappointed, the Wrong is irreparable •, the Lad}^ that might, if he had let her alone, been miade happy, is a- bufed, is made naiferable, is injured in the groffeft manner, and he had much better have ravifhed her, and been hanged, as he deferved-, I mean better for her ^ then fhe liad--feeen free again^ and though flie had been abufed, the In- jury


jury had teen at an End ^ but here fheis abufej' daily, the Crime is renewed, and fhe is made unhappy to the End of her Life.

This naarrying without Affedion, or con«  trary to Inclination, has a variety of compli-^ cated Mifchiefs attending it, and efpecially con- lidering that, upon the leaft difagreeablenefs between the Perfoxis married, former ObjeftSj> and former Thoughts, revive in the Mind -^ thev are alwaj^s comparing their Condition with what it might have been, with what others are, and with what, at leaft, they fancy others are^ ever repining at what is, ever wilh- ing what can never be. Every thing they have is difagreeable and unpleafant ^ they look on their Life as a Slave at Algler looks upon his Chains, they fancy themielves as Perfons only bought and fold, as Perfons committed by Warrant, and made Prifoners for Life.

The State they are in is imbittered by every Circumftance, and every Circumftance imbit- tered by the want of AfFedion, the Thing is bad in it felf, and want of AfFedion m^kes every Part of it worfe.

Nor is it probable that fuch a Marriage fhould ifTue otherwife ^ I had almoft faid it is ^lot polfible : But the Nature of the thing di- rects it, and the difagreeablenefs can hardly fail to happen, becaufe there is not only no Fund of AfFedlion to build upon, but a kind of a pre-ingaged Averfion, which is certain to aifift and to render every thing worfe, rather than better.

I could give a long Hiftory of a Family, within the compafs of my own Obfervation, where both the Man and the Woman were thus ftated '5 that is to fay, brought together by th(?

Allure-


[ »75 ]

Allurement of good Circumftances, and the over-ruling Directions of their immediate Go- vernors and Friends ♦, when, on both Sides, their Choice and Affedions were guided, at leaft a- gainft the refpedive Objedt, if not to other Objeds 5 and though perhaps thofe other Ob- jeds were not indeed fo fuitable as to Birth and^Fortune, for this Breach happened in a Fa- mily of fome Figure, and among that we call Quality, yet the Choice they had made for them- felves had certainly been more fuitable to them as Man and Woman, and had tended infinitely more to their fatisfadlion.

It feems they had had frequently Rufflings and Rencounters, as they might be called, upon theSubjed beforehand as they went upon an old Mob Rule, That few Words among Fneiids were* heft^ and thofe very f pit efuh^ fo if they did fall put, it was fhort, but bitter, and this Battle, which I happened to have the following Ac- count of, and which was one of the worfl: they ever had, may pafs for a Specimen :

It happened to be at Supper, and the Gen- tleman had drank to his Lady with a kind of a fnear and a bow, and My Service to your Lady- finp (for fhe was a Lady). Ay^ ay^ fays ihe, Ser*^ vice I Service! repeating the Word two or three times •, it's well where there is no Love there can be a little good Manners 5 and fo the Bat- tle was begun.

Knight, Love I Love ! nay, the D. .'. 1 take yc ur Ladylhip, you know 1 never lov'd you in my life.

Lady. I#a7, Iwas pretty even with SirTho7;:.ai^ for I hated }T)a heartily from the firft Hour I faw you.

i. mght*


kmght. Equally yoked ! Madam, that^s tm€^ equally yoked ! ^

Lady. Ay, ay 1 a Yoke indeed, and two Beafts to draw in it.

Kvjght, Good Words, Madam, why didn't you fay Whore and Rogue ?

Lady, And if I had, it had been but plain E}igUn),

kvi^ht And plain Truth, you mean, I fup- pofe.

Lady. Naj^, what was Sir Thomas^ to marry a Woman that he could fwear he never loved in his life?

Kvight. And pray, what was 7?iy Lady^ to go to Bed to a Man fhe hated moft heartily ?

Lady. The more innocent of the two, for I was never married.

Knight. Not married! Why, what have you been doing then all this while ? What's the EvgUjl) of that. Madam ?

Lady. The Evglifi of what ? I could make it fpeak EvgUfi if I ivould-, but good Manners, rather than regard to the Perfon, ftops my Mouth.

Kvight. Nay, let it come out. Madam ^ there can be no lofs of good Language between you and I : I have lain with a Woman I did not love, and you have lain with a Man thefe four Years, and were never married. What will my Lady call her felf next ?

Lady. Not a Whore for all that-, fo I have the better of Sir Thomar, ililL'

Kjught. What can it be then > No Magick, I doubt,' will bring your L^.djrihip off.


■^


  • To that he aided a}i Oath or two.


[ »75 ]

Laiy. Tes^ yes-^ I fhall bring my felf off fair- ly • I fay, 'twas no Marriage, 'twas all Force, a Rape upon Innocence and Virtue.

Knight. A Rape ! Didn't you go to Church and repeat the Words, and fa}^, I Will ^

Lady. Go to Churchy, No, no; jou m2ij fay indeed, I was dragged to Church, I did not go •, 1 tell j'-Qu, 'twas no Matrimony, tho' 'twas a Marriage • I was ravifhed, and nothing elfe.

Knight, But who forced you, and who drag- ged you to Church ^ I'm fure I went to Church •with as ill a Will as you.

Lady, I don't know what you did ^ but I went like a Bear haul'd to a Stake, I know.

Kviight, And I think you have been a Bear ever fince •, I fuppofe that m^de you fo.

Lady. Whether I have been a Bear or no, I have been baited like a Bear-, that's true; enough.

Knight. Well, your Ladj^fnip's ei'en with me there indeed, you give me the Dog for the Bear.

Lady. You muft drink as you brew, Sir Tho- viaa •, you know that 'twas 3'ou began it.

Knight. It is juft upon me indeed-, I broke my Faith and Honour with the Angel I lov'd; for the curs'd Thirfl: of Money : My Father knew not what he did, when he perfwaded me to it: But I muft marry a Fortune !

Lady. Yes, and I muft be tickled witli a Feather, and wheedled up with being a Lady. If I had taken tlie Man I loved, I had had that whicli few Ladies enjoy ^ I Iiad had the Man tliat loved me, and he had had the Woman that loved him, and both been happy ^ and ncu^, here's the Baronet and the Lady, .as wretched as a Fcot Soldier and his Tru.l.

Kj:idt.


Knight I faw nothing in you at firft to make ^ Man happy.

Lady, And I defired no Happinefs fo itliich, when I went to Church, as to have been deli* vered from you.

Kmght. I was bewitched with the Money in- deed, but never with the Lady, I alTure you.

Lady. And my Mother was fond of the Kitighthood indeed •, I'm fure I was never fond of the Knight,

Knight, I might have had as much Mone]^, it may be, fomewhere elfe.

Lady, And I might have made the Man I loved a Knight with my Money, whenever I pleasM ^ but my Mother had her Failings.

Knight, If I 'had had lefs Money, I might have had a better Wife.

Lady, And I could never have had a v/orfe Husband.

Knight. A\"ell, HI find fome Way to put an End to it, I'll warrant you : At worft a Piftol and half an Ounce of Lead, will deliver me at once« 

Lady, The fxoner the better, Sir ThomaK Heaven keepycu in the mind.

In fliorr, the Lady had the better of him, j-nd put him in a Rage, and then he left her, and went out of the Room •, but about the iifual time of going to Bed, they came a little to themfelves again, and were preparing to go to Bed, v/hen a fev/ Words riiing the Wind, it blev/ up into another Storm, and the)r fell out more furioully than before.

She told him, ihe had had but two Children, and ihe thanked God they were both dead.


[^77] - He told her, he defired no more of the Breed.

She replied, fhe defired all the World to take notice, that if ever fhe was with Child again, it would be a Baftard, and none of his. . He turned round from her, and bad her turn her back to him.

She faid, with all her Heart, and did fo.

Now curfe your felf, faid he, if ever you turn your Face to me again.

She faid, Ihe knew a better "Way for it than that^ fo Ihe called her Maid, took her leave of him, and went to Bed by her felf.

The next Day Ihe took her Coach, and went to a Relation's Houfe, took fome Jewels with her, and fent for her Cloaths. And thus ended a Mother-Made Match on one hand, and a Mo7iey'Made match on the other hand -, On both hands without Affection, and where they had been mutually pre-ingaged to other Objeds: And what was all this, pray, but a Matrimonial Whore domJ

It would take up too much of this Work, to give the Ihort Hiflory of the remaining Life of thefe two paiFionate married Enemies, for fuch they were. As they were People of good Faihion and Figure, they might have quarrelled with fome referve to good Manners ^ but, on the contrary, fhe purfued him with all the fpite and rage of her Tongue that it was pof^ fible for a Woman to invent^ faid all the Bitter and difdainful Things of him that Ill-nature could infpire her v/ith ^ fcorned all the Motions of Friends towards a Reconciliation to him, which at firft he was not averfe to- and, at lafl, gave out, that he kept a Whore, and that fhe intend- ed to fue him to a Divorce.

N In


[ '78 ]

In return, after he found her obftinate, he put all the Contempt upon her he was able, and in all Company where he could poffibly come at her •, made Ballads and Songs of her ^ and, in a word, they took all poflible Ways on both Sides to make it impolHble they fhould ever come to- gether again.

After fome Time, he went abroad into Trance^ when he did the fpitefuUeft Thing that it was poffible for him to do, or that, I think, a Man could ever do by a Wife: Being, (as he had given out) at Paris^ he caus'd a Rumour to be rais'd that he was Very Sick, and a little after that he was Dead. This he carried fo far^ that his Servants and Dependents, who he left at his Houfe, were all put into Mourning, and the Lady was firmly convinced that he was Dead •, nay, he employed a fubtle, managing Fellow, to come to the Houfe where the Lady lodged, to give an Account of his Death, and that he was at the Funeral. .

In a word. Things were carried fb far, that the Lady was courted by another Gentleman^ and, at length, confented to be married ^ but ail things being prepared for the Weddings Stt^ tlements made, the very Day come, and her Friends about her, he fends a MefTenger to tell her, that he was coming to the Church to fee her married, that he would have remained in his Grave a little longer, but that he was refolved Ihe Ihould not have fo much Pleafure as that of one Day*s Delufion ^ and that he would not do the Gentleman the Injury, of let- ting him ignorantly marry a She-Devil, as he had done.

This was managed fo wickedljr, and with fuch a keennefe and fqverity of Spight, that it

a;lmoi|


, [ X75> ]

^imoft coft the Lady her Life • and it might have gone farther, for the Gentleman was af- fronted fo, that he demanded Satisfaction of him, and it went up to a Challenge •, but fome friends interpofed, fo that they did not iight.

TAe enraged Lady fell fick with Difdain ^ and the Fury that this Piece of Management put her in was fuch, that fhe continued Unguilhing near tvv^o Years, but then recovered. A great 'many Friends interpofed, if poflible, to reconcile them •, but there was no room for that^ it was gone too far« 

At length they brought it to ^ Truce, tho* 'they could not bring it to a Peace-, the;^ brought them to an Agreeiiient of Civility, viz. not to Infult or Affront one another any more-, and this was all they could eVer be brought to • nor Was it eafy to bring them to that, fo exafperated were they on both Sides, fo irreconcileably pro- voked, efpecially the Woman.

This is one Example of a Marriage by force of Friends, and hy motives of Avarice and iPride, where the Parties were pre-ingaged by their AfFedion to other Objects. I could give many Inftances in their degree equally unhap- jpy, though perhaps not carried on to fuch an extravagant Length, but all ferve to convince us, how fatal it is for Men or Women to engage their Perfons one Way, and their Affections another.

Certainly thofe People who have the leaft value for their own Eafe, that expert any Felicity in a married Life, ihould think before they take this Leap in the Dark ^ I fay, they Ihould think a little, how, in the Nature of the thing, they can expe(3: Happinefs in a Woman they do not love j and in a Woman who they

N 2 Ihall


[ i8o ]

fhall be tied to live with while thejr Love ano- ther, and fhall be Night and Day wifhing their beloved. Rachel were in their Arms inftead of the blear-eyed Leah^ which they have taken in her Place.

But thus it is, and that too frequently to wonder at, that Men love the Perfon they do not marry, and marry the Perfon they cannot love*

TeU me, ye [acred Towers, which Rule on high. If Lovers a Heaven-horn Pajion, Tell me why. Do Mortals love, and Heaven fo oft de7fy ?

Uithappy Man I by Laws unequal tye. Bound to pojfefs tJ}€ OhjeB he would fly ; Arid left to Love what he cannot enjoy.



CHAR


[ i8i ]


CHAP. vir.

of Marrying one Perfony and at the fame time onvning themfelves to he in Loue "vjith another.



O Love and not to Marry, is Na- ture's Averfion ^ to Marry and not to Love, is Nature's Corruption •, the iirft is Hateful, the laft is re- ally Criminal •, and, as has been faid in its Place, it is, in feme Re- fpecls, both Murther and Robbery • it makes a Man Felo ds fe^ with refpe£l to all the Comfi^rts of his Life ^ and it makes him a Robber to his Wife, if fhe be a Woman that has the misfor- tune to Love him. And this I have fpoken to at large in the laffc Chapter.

But to marry one Woman and love another, to marry one Man and be in love with another, this is yet worfe, tenfold worfe, if that be pof- iible ! 'tis, in its kind, a meer Piece of V/itch- craft ^ it is a kind of civil, legal Adultery^ nay, it makes the Man or Woman be committing Adul- tery in their Hearts every Day of their lives- and can I be wrong therefore to fay, that it may be very well called a Matrimonial Whoredom > if I may judge, it is one of the worft Kinds of it too.


N :^


H


It is (firft) a plain downright Criflie in the. beginning of it ^ if both the Man and the 'W'o- man are in it, they indeed che'at one another j firft the Man thinks the Woman has the worft of it, and that he only cheats her •, llie fancies he has the worft of it, and that (he cheats hirn ^ but, in fliort, 'tis a mutual Fraud, wherein l)OthareCheatsand both Cheated, both Deceivers^ and both Deceived.

When they come to the Book to marrjr^ they mutually engage what was engaged before, like a Knave that borrows Money upon an Eftate which he Jiad mortgaged already. Mark what a Complication of Crimes meet togetlier in the Church -, when they come up to the Altat,^ the Man plights her/his Troth or Truth, that he' will love her ^ when he knows he cannot do it, for that he loves another already before her.

The ^yoman plights him her Troth, that l]he will love him, when, as the Lady juft now mentioned, told Sir Thomas , Ihe heartily,

hated him from the firft time Ihe ever faw him. Here is mutual x)ledging the Troth to a Fait hood, which is, in fhort, a premeditated Lye 5 like a cold Blood murther, *tis intended to be done long before it is done. Here's alfo a ftated, calm, intended Perjury ^ a fwearing to do what they own they not only did not intend to do, but knew beforehand they could not do.

How many kinds of Difhonefty are here mixt together > Take it in the very firft Words of the Minifter, being as an Introdudtion to the Office of Matrimony^ the Minifter adjures them, as they will anfwer it at the great and dreadful Day, &^. when the Secrets of all Pearts ihall be revealed, that if they know

. any


[ »83 ]

any lawful Hindrance or Impediment why they Ihould not be lawfully joyned together, they ITiould then declare it, protefting againft even the Validity of the Marriage, in cafe they fail

T Require and charge you both^ (as ye will anfwer at the dreadful Day of Judgment, when the Secrets of all Hearts fiali be difclofed) that if either of you know any Impediment^ why ye may not be lawfully joyned together in Matrimony, ye do now confefs it. For be ye well afured, that fo vjany as are coupled together otherwise than God's JTord doth allow, are not joyned together by God, wither is their Matriinony lawful.

Hereupon the Minifter giving them time to anfwer, they are Silent ^ that is to fay,^ they declare no Impediment, which is a tacit de- daring that they know of none ^ and ytt, at the fame time, they know that in Confcience they have fettled their Love and AfFedtion upon another Perfon •, and the Man or Woman they now marry they cannot love, and ought not on that Account to marry, becaufe they Promife what they know they ihall not perform.

How many times alfo does the Secret come out afterwards, either unawares by themfelves, or in delirious Fits, extremities of Diftempers, Dreams, talking in the Sleep, and fuch other Ways, which prove however fatal to the Peace of the Family, yet unavoidable ?

SucHPerfons have great Reafon to be fare that they do not talk in their Sleepy for what the Mind bears fuch a Weight of upon it, which indeed it is not equal to, and is not poffible to be fupported, though by a vigilant guarding the ^^ ' ^ •'n4 Tongue


[•i84 ]

Tongue in the Da7-tiiT!e it fliall be Icept in,^ yet how often will it break out in a Dream, and the Tongue betray it felf in its ileep I

How miferable is the Lady, frequentl}^ wifhing fce was in the Arms of the Man {he loves inftead of his Arms, who ilie is unhap- pily tyed to ? Thofe ardent "VViflies prompting herDelires, fhe falls into aSlum.ber, and dreams that it is really fo^ as fhe wiflied it might

In the tranf]:or(s of her Imagination her waking Soul commands her Tongue, tho' the whole Organick Body be laid afleep -, I fay, commands the Tongue to tell the dangerous Truth-, {he cries out, as in an Extafy, difcovers the Affedion, and unhappily names the Man:

The fair :. -, the Toaft of the Town, the

Beauty of the Beauties, had Admirers enough, was beloved to Madnefs and Diftradion by a throng of Admirers -, at laft, for the fake of a Settlement, a little more than ordinary large,

fhe quits the generous Gx , the Lord of her

Affections, the only Man in the World that had found the Way into her Heart, and to whom {he had made innumerable Yows of Fidelity ^ 1 fay, quits him with the utmoft- Rudenefs, and throws her felf at the Importunities and Com- mands of her avaritious Parents^ I fay, throws her felf into the Arms of a mean, a courfe, an nnbred, half-taught Citizen, the Son of a rich overgrown Tradefman, himfelf a Clown, only that he was a Boor of Fortune, can keep her fine, and caufe her to ride in a Coadi : And what then ?

She marries this Lump of unpoliflied, Sim- ple Stuff, and thev live Tolerably well for a Time, v/heii one Nighty in a Dream^ Ihe fan- cied


[ »85 ]

tied her felf in the Arms of her former Lover : pleas'd to a Rapture with what llie had fo long E-cafon tq know fhe could never enjoy • {he flics out even in her Dream to talking aloud ^ and not only to talk aloud, tho' faft afleep, but gives her Tongue a loofe into all the moft dangerous Expreiiions, that Love to the real Maiittr of her Heart, and the utmoft Contempt of her Jaylor, as fhe call'd him, m.eaning her Husband, could infpire her with : Nor was this all^ fcr where will Misfortunes End! but in the h-ighth of her Extafies and with a wicked, tho' but fancied Liberty, Ihe calls her former Lover by his Name, and fo betraj^s her felf to her Husband, who hears himfelf accufed of the worft of Crimes, treated with the worft Con- tempt, and the greateft of Indignity put upon him, in Words at length, that can be thought of.

Her Husband was not at firft wdl awake, and fo, perhaps, was not let into the firft Part of it ^ nor was he prefentl^ capable of nnder- ftanding what it all meant : But when he heard himfelf abufed in fo grofs a manner, it put him into a Paifion, and he replied rafhly ta her, not thinking fhe had been aOeep.

This repljnng to her, unhappily w^aked her, or, at leaft fo nVuch, as to put a ft'op to. her talking aloud. Her Husband was prefently aware that his V/ife was not awake, and vexed that he waked her^ he lies ftill a little, till Sleep overcoming her, and the pleailng Ideas of her paft Loves fet her to talking again ^ when her Husband fubtill}^ managing himfelf, fpoke foftly at her Ear feveral "VVords agreeable to what flic had faid, and* brought her by that means ('as is not impracticable) to anfwcr fe- veral


reral Queftions, and that in fuch a manner, aa his Patience would bear it no longer.

This want of Temper was perhaps her Feli- city fo far, as that Ihe difcovered no more to him, though flie had difcovered fo much already^ as made an irreconcileable Breach between them : And firft, as he was exafperated to the higheft Degree by what he had heard; and waked her in a kind of a Palfion ^ he asked her, what Ihe had been dreaming of?

She was not prefently come to her felf e- nough to recoiled that it was all a Dream, fo that file made him no Anfwer for a while ^ but he repeating the Queftion, it foon came into her Thoughts, that Ihe had dreamed fomething not fit to tell him of -, fo ftie anfwered, fhe had dreamed of nothing ^ but he preliing her with the Queftion, fhe faid. Did flie Dream ? why, if fhe did, flie could not remember k. But what Confufion was flie in, when flie heard him tell her all the Particulars of her Dream, as fairly (almofl-) as if flie had told them her felf?

However, flie infifted that fhe knew no- thing of it •, that if flie did dream, nothing was inore frequent than for People to dream, nnd forget what they dreamt of, and fo might {he ^ for that flie knew nothing of it, at the fame time little thinking, naj, not fufpeding what had happened, (7;zz.) that flie had been talking in her Sleep to her former Lover, with all poflible. Endearments, and had fpoken to him of her Huf- band with the utmoft Contempt ^ and flie was confounded again to have her Husband repeat the very Words which flie knew flie had dreamed of.

But her Husband, whofe Paflion drove him heyond all Bounds, was not fatisfied with up- braiding


[ ^87]

traiding her with the Particulars, tut told her, that fhe had revealed them all her felf in her Sleep, and that Ihe had faid fo and fo to him, upon his making little fhort Anfwers to her •, and offering fome Queftions, and that, in Ihort, Ihe had betrayed her own Intrigues^ from whence, he charged her openly with being Dif- honeft,and with thatPerfcn alfo, and that before her Marriage to him as well as after, alledging that it appeared from her own Mouth. Nor was he prudent enough to conceal the Thing, and to let it lie as a private Feud between themfelves^ but he told it openly and pub- lickly among the Neighbours, and in almolt all Company, But he had the worft of the Quarrel, though he h^d the better of the Faft, and that by his want of Conduft too.

The "Women's Wit, they tay, never fails them at a Pinch ^ 'tis eafy to imagine, that his Wife was in the utmoft Confufion at the difco- very of the Thing as it was, and efpecially while Ihe was at a lofs to know which way he came by his Information -, for though fhe might eafily have fuppofed that fhe muft have fpoke aloud in her Sleep, yet as Ihe had never known her felf to do fo before, Ihe did not think of it at firft, but thought he had dealt with the De- vil, and that he muft have been with fome Conjurer, who, as flie had been told, could, by the help of the Devil, firft make People dream of what they thought fit to injeft into their Thoughts, and then tell of it to whom they thought fit.

This filled her with Indignation at her HuC-. band, for having, as Ihe affirmed, bewitched her, and employed the Devil to betray her inta Mifchief, and then betray that Mifchief ♦, and

Ihe


[ i88 ]

Ihe refolded to give him a home Charge upon the Subjed, and threaten to bring him upon the publick Stage for Inchantmcnt and Sor- cery.

But he put a better Invention into her Head 5 for unwarily he threw it out, that he heard her talk in her Sleep, and that he aslc'd her fuch and fuch Queftions, bv whifpering in her Ear, and that fhe anfwered fo and fo.

It immediately occurred to her, that if this was all he had for it, he was but one Affirma- tive, and noWitnefs in his own Cafe, and that her Negative might go as far as his Affirm^ative^ that Ihe had no more to do but to deny the Fafl:-, that as to the Story of whifpering Queftions, and her anfwering them, the Pretence was a No- velty-, and fo ftrange, that tho' it might be true, no Body would believe it, efpecially if Ihe firmly denied it.

Upon this fhe began with him ^ told him, {he had perceived a good while his jealous and uneaf/ Humour, and that he had laid a great many Plots and Defigns to attack her Reputation, and all to find an Excufe to juftify his illUfage of her ^ but that her Condu6l was fuch before the whole World, that no Body would believe him-, and that now he had drefs'd up a Story between the Devil and him, to fix fomiCthing upon her, if poflible •, but that it was an evi- dent Forgery of his own, with the help of his "Witchcraft : And as the Story was it kli impro- bable, and next to impoiiible, fo fhe declared it was a Lie, and fhe defied the Devil and him, they might both do their worft. • She gave him this fo Roundly, and with llich Affurance, and told it alfo fo publickly, (as he did his Story) that the Man began to find Ihe

had


[i85>]

had the tetter of him ^ that People began to think her ill ufed ^ that he was only jealous of her, and that he had made this Story to blafb her Character, and to juftify his own Jealoufies*, then as to the v/hifpering Story, every Body faid it looked like a Forgery indeed, and no Body believed a Word of it, for it feemed impro- bable-, fo that the Husband began to talk lefs of the Matter than before, and was feiiiible that fhe was too hard for him.

But the more he began to give out, the more furioufiy ihe followed her Blow • for fhe not only told her Tale, as above, ^ but ihe em- ployed two or three Emiflaries to hand it about among the Ladies at the Tea Table, and a- mong the Goffips •, and the Man, in a word, got fuch an ill Name, that he was the Contempt of all his Neighbours.

Nor did Ihe End here ^ but (he added her former Defign to the latter : And, firft, fhe fe- parated from him at home, or, as 'tis ufually exprefs'd, they i)arted Beds •, in Ihorr, flie told him, that it v/as reported there were Magicians and Fellows that dealt with the Devil, v/ho, they faid, by the help of Evil Spirits, could caufe People to dream what and when they pleafed, and to talk in their Sheep, and that Ihe underilood her Husband had been converfing with fome of thofe cunning Men, as they call'd them,' in order to make the Experiment upon her, by whifpering Things in her Ear while Ihe was afleep, and fo making her Dream fo and fo, and then report, that jDhe talked of thofe Things in her fleep, in order to expofe her.

That therefore llie would lie by her felf, for Ihe would not lie in Bed with one that would bring the Devil into th^ Room, to ex-


t i5)o ]

pofe and betray her ^ that Ihe would have her Maid lie with her every Night, that Ihe might have good Witnefs of her Condud: 5 but that Ihe would not truft her felf any more to fleep with one that would betray her to the Devil> land then to all the tVdrld.

This Ihe not only told her t^usband, but told it to all her Friends and Tea Table Emif- faries^ and the Story was fo plaufible in its kind, and was told fo much to her Advantage, that every Body jiiftify'd her Condud, faid Ihe was in the right, that Ihe coiild do no lefs, and that no Woman in her Senfes would fleep in Bed with a Man who was able to do fuch Things asthdfe-, ahd that, in fhort> it was all bne'as to fleep with the Devil.,

The Man had no Remedy but to deny th^ Charge, and to fay he never had aiiy thing td do with the Devil, or with any fuch People afe, Conjurers, Mas^icians, or any fuch Sort of Folks, in his life. But all that went but a little Way, for who would not deny it if they were the moft guilty of any in the World ^ but the Woman vouched that fo and fo he had faid, and fuch and fuch Things he had pretended ^ that h« could not do fo without the help of the Devil y and that therefore it was not fafe for her, by any means, to truft her felf with himi

Thus the guilty Wife got the Vidory over the innocent Husband, by the meer dexterity of her Wit, and the Condud of her Allies, not forgetting the alFiftance of a Publick Clamour 5 the Man himfelf, at the fame time, was not famed for overmuch Senfe or Condud in this^ or other Things, and therefore was the cafier managed by a ieen wit ted Wife. But the Infe- rence from the whole Difcourfe comesin perfedly

adapteci


adapted to the Argument which it is brought to confirm, (viz.) that to love one Perfon, be it Man or Woman, and then marry another, is neither honeft to the Perfbn quitted, or to the Perfon married, but efpecially not to the laft, and more efpecially not honeft to the Perfon herfelf or himfelf ^ in a word, it is not an ho- neft Marriage •, for the engaged AfFedtion is a juft Impediment, and ought to have been de- clared and difcovered at the Book, upon the De- claration appointed to be made by the Minifter, as above, or before they came fo far.

As for the Succefs of fuch Marriages, the Bleiling attending them, and what Happinefs is to be expeded from them, it feems to be laid ©pen in Part, in the little Hiftory juft recited ^ but 'tis really vifible to common Experience in almoft every Age and Place in the World, I mean our EvgliJI) World.

What Delight, what Complaifance can there be in that Matrimony, where the Heart did not go with the Hand ? where the Marriage may be faid to be made from the Teeth out- Ward, and no more? where the Love is fixed in one Place, and the Bed made in another > What is this but a fraudulent Contrad, a Protefta- tion, with a defign to deceive, which, by the Way, is the very Effence of a Lye, and one of the worft Kind too ?

What Complaifance or Pleafure in their Enjoyments of any kind, between the unhappy Couple, and how can it be called a fair Mar- riage ? Two fwear to love, and at the fame time both know they neither do or can ^ that they neither defire it or intend it, and they come to the Book, two Carcaffes without Souls, without ftPr^nt or confer) t, but in meer fubjedion to

Circumi*


[ ]9^ ]

•Circiiin (lances enter into a horrid Slavery ^ the Womaii dragged hj her old Grandmother, or her thundering and threatning Parent, becaafe the Mifer can give her a Portion, or not give it her, as he pleales-, can make her a Fortune or a Chamber-maid, a Lady or a Shoemaker's "Wife. Under thefe Terrors and Obligations, Ihe does as fhe's bid, and marries an}^- Body they pleafe, let him have Wit, Senfe and Man- ners, or neither Wit, Senfe or Manners : As fhe is pre-engaged, and her AfFeftions look quite another Waj; the thoughts of this Marriage are hef Abhorrence, her Averfion, and 3^et Ihe marries him. What muft we call this ? Is it Matrimony ? No, no^ it has nothing of Matri- nionj in it but the Form ^ 'tis all a Cheat •, they lie to one another when the]^ repeat the

  • Words-, and they both know they do fo, nay, they

intend to do fo ^ as to the Confequence,you have it before, between Sir Thomas, and my .Lady

But as to the Fadl, 'tis horrid in its

Nature •, thev are but two Vidtims, I cannot indeed, in one Ser-fe, call them Proftitutes •, but they are proftituted by the governir.g Re- lations, brought together by the arbitrary Au- thority of thofe that have the Influence over them: Here, fays the old Father with a lordly Air to his Son, take this lading Wom.an to Church, and marry her -, perhaps the Debate has been between them before about loving her or not loving her, and t\\e young Man ha'S told him pofitively, lie hates her, or that he can't love her. Buu'ris all one, the old Man likes the Settlement, and tells him in fo many- Words, that if he won't take her, his Brother fliall, and fliall have his Efrate too.


i could namefb many Examples of this kind, ^nd give you an Account of fo many Families ruined by it, that it would tire you in the reading. But give me leave to lingle out one for your Remark, which, though the Cafe was nearer home, you muft allow me to place at fome Diftance, that the particular Families may not be marked out and expofed. Suppofe then the Scene in Frayice^ not far from a great City, not the greateft but the greateft City but one in the Kingdom : A certain rich Merchant had two Sons, and though he had a very great Eftate, it was of his own Purchafing, fo that there was no Entail upon it, and he was there- fore at liberty to give it to which of his Sons he pleafed.

His eldefl: Son v/as a young Gentleman of good Senfe, and a verv agreeable Perfon, and his Father had beftov/ed fome Charge upon his Education, had given him learning and good Breeding, to qualify him, as he faid, for the Life of a Gentleman, and, as he ufuall/ ex- prefled it, to make him know how to live agree- able to the Fortune he was able to give him j but withal, the Father kept him pretty much in Subjedion^ and the more, by making him always fenfible how much it was in his Power to make him a Gentleman or a Beggar, that is to fay, to give him an Eftate, and make him live like a Gentleman, or turn him loofe in the World to feek his Fortune.

Particularly, theFatherwas often re- peating to his Son, how he expedted that he Ihould conform himfelf to his Meafures in tak- ing a Wife, and that if he did not, he would ab- f^lutely diiinherit him, and give his Eftate to his younger Brother.

O Wh£-


[ 194 ]

Whether this abfolute Declaration of the Father, did not, in fome manner, influence the Son, fo as to create, with the averfion to the Tyranny of it, a kind of diflike to every thing the Father could propofe, I cannot fay •, per- haps there might be fomething of that kind in it too, for Nature abhors Violence in Love.

But however it was, this is certain, that when his Father propofed a Match to him, he did it with an Air of Authority- told him, he had pitched upon fuch a Family, where he knew there was afuitable Fortune 5 that it was a very advantagious Alliance, and that he had already difcourfed with the Lady's Father, and he found Things were very well, and that every Thing would be to his mind, 'and therefore he would have him think of marrying her.

But, Sir, fays theSov, you will pleafe to let me fee the Lady, I hope.

"Why, fays the Father^ what if you Ihould not fee her till afterwards, there's no great Matter in that ? I fuppofe you know it is in fuch a Province, and flie will be fent to Paris, {Lo7idojt) after the Contrad is figned, and there you. ma.y marry her.

So7u What, muft I marry her unfight, un- feen.

Father. Why, didn't the King marry the

Queen fo ? Did not the Prince of marry

the Lady fo > Sure, you are not above

fuch People.

So7u But, Sir, they did not love them the better for that.

Father. What's that to the purpofc > Do they not live glorioufly together ?

Son,


[ t5>5 ]

Son. I cannot think, Sir, of marrjdng by Iproxy.

Father. You are willing, I find, to give me more trouble than you need. "What, muft I bring the Lady up to Town on purpole for you to fee her, and fee whether you like her > What Occafion is there for that ? I affure you, like her, or not like her, you are like to take her, or you and I ftiall differ upon an Article that will be very difagreeable to you. "

Son. No^ Sir, Til not give you or the Lady that trouble ♦, I'll go down into the Country, if you pleafe, and fee her there.

Father. And what then ?

Son. Then, Sir, I'll give you my Anfwer.

Father. Anfwer ^ what d'ye mean by that > 1 affure you, I fhall not come into your Notions, {vi%) of giving you a negative Voice ^ The Set- tlements are agreed on, and are fufficient to make you both happy, and to make j^ou live like a Gentleman all your Days. Do you think thefe are not infinitely of more Confequence than what you call pleafing your loofe Fancy } 1 hope my eldeft Son won't be a Fool.

Son. Nay, Sir, if you will not give me a negative Voice.

Father. If I will not, what then ? Why, I will not, for I cannot ^ 'tis ridiculous for you to pretend to diflike, where fuch a Fortune is fet- tled on t you.

\ Here the Father began to be angry ^ and added foms Tbreatnings to himy and particularly that his fecond Bro.

ther jhoidd have hcr^ and all his EflatCy fo the young Gen- ihman corf7p}ied.

O 2 Son,


[ 1C,(J ]

So)i, Nay, Sir, I cannot tell what to fay * if you will have it be fo, it muft be fo -, then I need not go indeed.

Upon this, the young Man yielded, and the Contrafts being finifhed, they were married by Proxy, as great Men are ; but the Confequence was, that he went to another Lady whom he loved, and had been in love with for fome Years, and letting her know the Diftrefs he was in, they confulted together what to do •, and the refult was this, they went together, and were privately married, and the Marriage fairly confummated, at leaft a Month before the other, and confirmed by good and fubftantial Wit- iiefTes.

Bu T concealing it entirely from his Father, he wickedl}?- went and married the other Lady too, in publick •, by which indeed, he obtained an irreverlible Settlement of his Father's Eftate ^ fo that when it came to a difcovery, his Father could not take it away again, or difinherit him, the Eftate being fully and fairly fet- tled.

The Lady was indeed grofly injured and abufed, for tliough fhe was fairly married, yet he was not •, and upon a long, and to him, Ihameful Hearing, in a Court of Juftice, the firft Woman was declared his lawful Wife, only the other being left to take her Remedy againit him at Law, which yet fhe would not do.

But the Confequence did not End here-, for the Gentleman carried it fo obligingly to her who he had not loved, and managed fo dex- troufl)r, with her who he had both loved and married, tliat he brought them to confent to Poligamy, and they both lived with him, and

that


[ I5>7 ]

that In one Houfe too ^ he kept them indeed feparate Apartments, and different Servants, but they carried it very well to one another, and lived eafy, there being a plentiful Fortune among them.

But even in this beft Side of the Story, what a Complication of Mifchiefs was here > Here was Matrimonial Whoredom in the very Letter of it, and all introduced hy a force upon Aifedion, (i J By the Father unjuftly forcing his Son to marry a Woman he did not love. (2.) By the Son wickedly cheating his Father in a feeming fcandalous Compliance to get the Eftate. (9.) By the Son again, bafely andinjuri- oufly marrying a virtuous Lady, impofinghim- felf upon her as a fingle Man, when he was already married to another Woman. And,laftly, by living in open Adulterjr, and keeping them both.

I could, as I have faid, load you with Sto- ries of this kind, I mean, of the forcing young People to marry againft Inclination, and con- trary to fecret Obligation, and efpecially con- trary to pre-ingaged Affections : But I muft give 3ou this Obfervation upon them, which, in effed, is equal to the repeating them, (viz.) that they would be almoft every one of them tragical ♦, efpecially if you will allow to have the deftroying all the Comforts of Life, and all the Enjoyment that could be expelled in the State of Marriage, be reckoned tragical j which indeed I do allow, and every whit as tragical as cutting of Throats.

To crofs the Affedions of young People in Marriage, efpecially where the propofed Objeft is not fcandalous or extreamly de- fpicable, is, I think, a little fynonimous to

O 3 Murtheri


[ I5>8 1

Murther^ it is a wilful Violence upon the Mind, and that, I think, equal or fuperior to a Violence upon the Body ^ it is a formal Ra-^ vilhment upon Virtue, and that in fo much the worfe a manner, as it is done under the Form of Juftice and Law, and is ftiil made worfe, in that it is without a Remedy.

If Violence is offered to the Chaftity of a Woman, Ihe has her recourfe to the Law, and Ihe will be redrefs'd as far as redrefs can be ob^ tained. Where the Fact is irretrievable, the Man Ihould be punifhed, and the Woman is. proteded by the Law from any farther Force upon her for the future. But here the Woman is put to Bed to the Man by a kind of forced Authority of Friends ^ 'tis a Rape upon the Mind •, her Soul, her brightcft Faculties, her Will, her Affections are ravilhed, and flie is left without redrefs, fhe is left in the Pof- feffion of the Ravifher, or of him, who, by their Order, flie was delivered up to, and fhe is bound in the Chains of the fame Violence for her whole life.

Horrid abufe ! Here is a facred Inftitution violated, and, as I may lay, prophaned ^ an un~ jufl Violence oflered to Chaflity and Modefty on one hand, and to Honeftjr on the other ; who marries by the importuning Authority of the Parent, contrary to folemn and fecret En- gagements pafs'd to another, contrary to Incli- nation, and contrary to pre-ingaged Affedtions, and, at laft, contrary to Law.

Is not here a Matrimonial Whoredom ? I think, if it allows any alteration in the Word, it is for the worfe, and it Ihould rather be called a Matrimonial Adultery. Nor is it very unu- fual for thefe Sorts of Matches to be pleaded as

Excufes


[ 199 ]

Excufes for all the wicked Excurllons which are made after Marriage, either by one *Side or other •. The Man hangs about the Woman he loved before, follows her even after he is mar- ried to another ^ tells her, Ihe is the jrife of his Affe^iov^ the other is only his Wife in Law^ and by Form^ that he is ftill faithful, and has re- ferved his Heart for her, though he has given his Hand to the other, who he is cruelly bound to call Wife.

It is not long fince we had a publiclc Ex- ample of this, and that in the higheft Clafs of Dignity, and where the Lady infifted upon her being as lawful a Wife, and as ftridly Virtuous as the fairly and openly married PoiTellbr ^ and even in the very Article of Death, refufed to acknowledge it a Crime. But I would not, I fay, bring Examples too near home, where they are publickly known, nor revive the Miftakes, which fhould rather be buried in the Grave with the Perfbns miftaken!

Forcing to marry, is, in the plain Con fe- quences, not only a forcing to Crime, but fur- nifhing an Excufe to Crime ^ I do not fay, 'tis a juft Excufe, for nothing can be a juft Excufe for an unjuft Adion •, but 'tis furniihing a plauiible Pretence, to fuch Perfons efpeciallj^, who were but indifferently furnifhed with Vir- tue before, to juftify the Excurfions of their Vice : Now as a Man who is forced by any undue Reftraint to enter into Obligations of Debt, give Bonds, Judgments, and fuch like Acknow- ledgments, meerly to obtain his Liberty, fhall plead that Force in Bar of any Profecution up- on thofe Obligations ^ and the Law will allow the Plea, efpecially where the Debt alfo is juft •, fo thefe Men plead the Breach made up-

O 4 oE


[ ^°° ]

on their Inclinations to juftify the Breaches they make upon the lawful Reftraints both of Human or Divine Laws, but with not the like Jp.ftice in the Plea.

It was a verj unhappy Dialogue between a young Gentleman, and a neighbouring Clergy- man, which I lately came to the knowledge of upon this ver}^ Subjedt, and which being much to the fame Purpofe as my prefent Argument points out, may not be improper here.

The 3^oung Gentleman had been dragged into fuch a Marriage, as Ihave jiijl jww mentioned^ by the pofitive Command and Authority of a rich Uvcle^ who had a great Eftate to give, and who had fixed upon his Nephew as his next Heir, being his Brother's onl}^- Son •, it feems this Uncle had declared, he would make the J^oung Man his Heir, if he married to his Mind.

The young Gentleman was too wife not to oblige his Uncle in every thing he could-, but in this of Love he was very unkindly crofs'd by the old Man, and indeed very unjuftly too. The Cafe, as I received the Account, was as follows :

There was a young Lady in the Neighbour- hood, who the old Man had propofed to his Nephew to marr}'^^ and her Friends being con- tent to treat about it, the Terms of Eftate and Settlements were agreed between them, and the Writings were ordered to be drawn ^ for that Lady had no inconfiderable Fortune neither ^ in the mean time, the Gentleman was admitted to wait upon the young Lady, (and, which does not often fall out indeed, where the Choice is made firft by Grandfathers and Uncles, as was the Cafe here) they agreed •, liked one another mighty weH, and it went on even tp loving one

another.


[ 2.01 ]

another, and that violently. In the mean time fomething prefented it felf with more Fortune, and the tJncle takes upon him to change his Mind, impofing the change too upon his Ne- phew, and fo breaks off the Match •, obliging him to go and wait upon a new Miftrefs, and this without fo much as a Pretence of an}'- other Objedion, than that of a larger Portion offer- ing in another. The young Gentleman was exceedingly difgufted at the Propofal, and ufed all poffible Arguments with his Uncle, and em- ployed all his Friends to perfuade him to let the firft Match go forward, as it had been car- ried on fuch a length, that he could not go off with Honour or Satisfadlion to himfelf, the young Lady and he being mutually engaged in Affections as well as Interefts.

But the old Man was inflexible and arbi- trar}^ would not hear of any Reafons, but would be obeyed ^ and as for Affedtions, and fuch trifles as thefe, he flighted them to the laffc Degree, as things of no Confequence at all in the Cafe : Well, the young Gentleman had no Remedy-, he was obliged, though with infinite Reluftance, to abandon his Miftrefs, a Lady of Merit and Beauty, Fortune and good Breed- ing, and every thing agreeable to him •, and turn his Eyes where his Uncle diredted, with- out any regard to all thefe, or to his own Incli- nation. But he did not do this without ac- quainting the Lady with the Force that was put upon him, and letting her know his un- happy Circumftances ^ offering to relinquifh all the hopes of his Uncle's Fortune and Fa- vour, and take her at all Hazards. But her Friends would not agree to that *, nor would ihe confent without her Father, for then they

might


[ ^02. ]

miglit have been both Beggars. This being the Cafe, they parted, but with mutual Affurances however of AfFedion, and of a farther Union, if the Uncle could be brought to any com- pliance.

But this was not all, for now the Uncle propofes the new Match to him, and fends him to wait upon the Lady. He had, with great difficulty, complied with the old Gentleman in the quitting the firft Lady, who was Miftrefs of a thoufand good Qualities, as well as of a good Fortune. But when he came to this new propofed Creature, his Stomach turned at the very Sight of her : She was not deformed in- deed, but far from handfome^ flie had neither Wit or Manners, good Humour or good Breed- ing, beauty of Body or beauty of Mind ^ in a word, {he was every way difagreeable, only that Ihe had a vaft Fortune,

However, the Uncle, that was as Arbi- trary in the Negative before, was as Tyrannick in the Affirmative now ^ and without troubling 3rou with the many Difputes between the Un- cle and the Nephew upon that Head -, his En- treaties, his humble Petitions againft the Match, declaring (^as he himfelf faid) to his Uncle, that he had much rather be hang'd •, ytt he obliged him to take her, and take her he did, being loth to lofe an Eftate of near Two thou- fand Pounds a Year, befides Money, and, which was worfe, having no other Dependence in the World.

After he was married, that is to fay, cou- pled, for he often declared 'twas no lawful Mar- riage, but a Violence upon him •, he made as bad a Husband as any Woman that knows fhe has nothing to be beloved for, and knows the

Mail


[ ^^3 ] Man hates her when he takes her, could ex^ pe6t: For being thus tyed to the four Apple Tree, married to his Averficai, and feparated from the Cbjed of his Affection, he abandoned himfelf to Comjpan}^ to Wine, to Play, and at laft to Wom.en, and all kinds of Excefs.

A Pious and Reverend Minifter, not of his Parifh, but of a neighbouring Parifn, and of which the Gentleman was Patron, frequently took Opportunities to talk feriouflj to him upon the fad Subjed of his extravagant Life, and with aChrifl:ianplainnefs,tho' with decency and refped too, efpecially as he was his Patron, he often prefs'd him to take up, to reform, and, at leaft, to regulate his Morals.

The Gentleman took all his Admonitions in good Part ^ but told him in fo many- Words, 'twas his gUncle had ruined him. Soul and Body •, that he had a fober Education, and was as promifing a young Fellow as any in the Country, till his Uncle ruined him, by forcing him to marry againft his Will- Forcing him to abandon a Lady that he loved, and whofe very Example added to the Influence Ihe would have had upon his AfFedions, was enough to have kept him within Bounds all his Days^ and then he related all the Circumftances of his Match, as I have related them above.

In vain the good Minifter urged the Chri- ftian Arguments of Duty, the Command of God, the Scandal to his Perfon, the Ruin of his Fortunes, and all the other Arguments which Religion and Reafon furnifh fo fully on fuch Occafions. His Anfwer was. What can I do^ I have no Retreat, mj^ Family is a Bedlajn-^ I have no Body there to receive me but a She- Devil^ always raving, and always quarrelling ^

that


[ ^^4 ] that is neither quiet with Mailer or Servants, or even with her felf ^ that has not one good Feature to render her agreeable, or one good Humour to render her tolerable? To be at home, fays he, is odious to me, but to dwell there is intolerable •, the Famil/ is to me an Hofpital to look into, but would be a Jayl to be confined to. Had I married the Woman I loved, faid he, I had been as fobey as I had been happy.

But, Sir, fays the good Maff^ Religion is not to depend upon relative Circumftances, and we are not to ferve God, as we have, or have not a comfortable Family.

That's true, fays th GeyjtUjnan. But who can be religious in Hell? Who can think of God, or any thing that is good, when he is bound to Converfe with every thing that's bad ? ^

Such things are very afflifting indeed, fay$ the grave Divine ^ but Afflidions fhould rather guide us to Heaven, than drive us from it. I have heard it fpoken of in jeft, That a bad Wife will lead a Man to Heaven.

And I fpeak of it in earneft, fays the Gentle^ Ttian^ that mine will drive me to the Devil.

O, Sir, fays theMimJler, hehig greatly troubled to hear hhn talk at that rate, do not fay fo, I be- feech you ^ you ought rather to coniider it as an Afflidion, and humble your Mind under it. But running out into Crime is heaping up Mi- fery, and making bad worle.

Why, what can I do. Sir ? fays he. Who can tye himl^lf down to his mortal Averfion ?

There are manyChriftian Methods, fays the Minifer^ which you may apply your felf to^

Si?,


[ 205 ]

Sir, to make the Burthen lighter to you than it feems to be now.

What are they, fays the Gentleman:, I don't fee into it ^ 'tis impolhble to help me, unlefs fome Miracle would intervene to deliver me.

Yes, yes, fays the heavenly Coiinfellor^ there are Ways : Pray to God, as you do at Church for your Enemies, that he would turn her Heart.

Turn her! fays the Gentlemen. Pray to God to give me Courage to turn her out of Doors, and tak^ in that bleffed Creature I lov'd.

That can't be now. Sir, f aid the Mhnjler^ you muft not pray to God to allow you to Sin againft him.

Why then, fays he, laughing, fhall I pray to God to fend \.\\q Devil for her.

The good Man could hardly forbear fmil- ing at the Eiprefiion, but recovered him- felf, and faid, Your fmile tells me, Sir, j^ou are fpeaking in Jeft-, fo, I fuppofe, yow don't ex- pect I fliould anfwer that Queftion.

I know not what to fay, it's half in Jeflr, half in Earneft. If it Ihould be fo, I don't know how I fhould be Hypocrite enough to cry for her.

Sir, fays the Mhnfler, I beg of you let us talk of nothing Prophane •, you know we are to pray for our worft Enemies.

Nay, fhe's my worft Enemy, that's true, fays he-, but I can't promife to pra}^ for her, and I'm fure I can never forgive her.

Why fo, Sir, fays the Divine, you are ftridlly commanded to forgive.

But


[ io,J ]

But not to forgive her, fays he^ becaufe fhe never fays, Irepe7it, as the Scripture fays, my Brother muft do, or elfe I am not bound to for- give him.

But, Sky fays the Divhte, you miftalce the Text ^ you are bound to forgive your Enemies upon the Penalty of not being forgiven, and in the Command the Condition of his Repent- ance is not included.

I don't know, fays the Genthman^ your Doc- trine may be good, but I can't promife that I can obferve the Rule •, 'tis not in the Power of Nature to bear the Weight •, it is unfufFer- able.

But, Sir, fays the Mimjler, there is no need to run out toExcefTes and Immoralities, becaufe of a difagreeable Wife.

Si Ry fays the Gentleman^ there's- need to go abroad, when a Man can't ftay at home.

I beg, Sir, fays the good Reprover^ you'll C|)n-= fider whether reforming your felf would not re- form your Wife.

I don't know as to that, fays the Gentleman ^ but what if it fhould, I {hould be perhaps a little more quiet, but not at all more happy.

How do you mean? Sir, fays the Minijler^ I dont underftaiid that.

Why, what fignifies reforming her , fays the Ge%tle77ian •, I hate her. If fhe v/as as religious as a Nun, and as holy as an Angel, it would be the fame thing ^ fhe is my Averlion.

Now you have difcovered the Matter, fays the Minijler, and the Truth is out ^ you muft then change your Work, and inftead of praying for your Wife, pray for j^our felf

What can I pray for, fays the Gentleman.

Says


[ ^07 ]

Says the good BlreBo?\ pray to God to turn your Averfions into a jult Affection to your Wife.

"What, /^J5 the Gentleman, muft I pray to God to make me love the Devil.

No, Sir, but to make you love your Wife -^ and if you lov'd her as you do her you loft, you would not fee half fo many Faults in her as you do now.

It is not to be done, fays the Gentlernan^ 'tis againft Nature. Was ever any Gentleman in love with a Monfter ? I might pray to God, indeed, to metamorphofe her, to turn the Devil into an Angel, Deformity into Beauty, Black into White ^ but I have no Rule fet me to au- thorize fuch a Petition.

You are fadly exafperated. Sir, againft your W^ife, fays the good Man with a melancholy Air. Why I I have feen your Lady ^ flie is no Monfter, no deformed Perfon, no Blackmoor -, 'tis very fad to hear you talk thus.

No, no ^ though Ihe's far from a Beauty, fays the Gentleman, yet {he's no Monfter, I don't mean fo ^ but {he's a Monfter in her Condition ^ {he has a deformed Mind, a black Soul ^ there's no- thing in her but what would oblige a Man to hate her.

You don't love her, fays the Miinjler, that's the greateft Misforuune of it all.

No, no, that's true, I don't love her to be fure, fays the Gentleman^ who could >

It is a dreadful thing, fays the ferlous good Man, you {hould marry a Lady of Fortune, and have fuch an Averfion to her. You muft of neceffity. Sir, repent of it, and reform it, or it majr Ruin you for ever.

Nay,


[ 2-08 ]

Nay, Sir, fays the Qcntleman^ I have repeilt^ ed enough, if that will help me ^ I have re-^ pented from the firft Moment. But as to re- forming, I don't know what to faj^ to that.

Why then, fays the Mimjler^ you have ru- ined your felf i, God help you, and aflift you to change your Thoughts.

No, no. Sir, replies he, 'twas my Uncle ruined me -, he knows it by this time ^ he mur- thered me ^ he fufFers for it, I doubt not, be- fore now. I am undone indeed, but I had no hand in it my felf.

But, Sir, fays the Mimjier, be j^leafed to confider the manner of Life you lead now. Thefe Things are fad, and I lament your Con- dition heartily. But a bad Wife is no excufe for a bad Life.

I tell jou^ fays the Gevtle?nafj^ there's no liv- ing a good Life with her, fo I ihould be damn'd if I flayed at home ♦, for I muft be always fight- ing and raging-, I muft live as fome Drunkards do, with their Heads always hot. Who can ftay at home with the Devil ?^

But, Sir, fays the Mhiifier^ even living a- broad, as you call it, 3ou need not live an im- moral Life •, there are Gentlemen who have difagreeable Families, that do not i)refently run out into Excefles of Vice and Immora- lity.

WnKTy fays the Gejitlemaii^ about Women, you mean, I fuppofe that's all.

But that is Adultery, Sir, fays the Mhnfi€7\ which is a dreadful thing to be thought of.

Why as to that,/^^^ the Gentlonav^ myL^ncle muft anfwer for it^ he made me coiiimit Adul- tery, I could not help it.


[ ^^^ ]

^ ; I don't underftand how that can be, Sir, fap

the good Mimjkr^ . Why, 'twas all Adultery-, the very Mar*

riage was but a civil Whoring^ 'twas all Adul-

tery from the beginning ^ I was a married Man

before.

Ay, Sir, fays the Mlmpr\ there mull be

more in that then by a great deal than evet I

underftood before.

No, nothing more than you kneW tdo -^ I fay, 'twas a Civil Adultery, a Matrimonial Whoredom, to marrjr this Woman •, for I be- longed to another Woman, our Souls were mar- ried ^ we were united by the ftridteft Bonds of Faith and Honour 5 'twas all breaking into the Rules of Juftice, and the ftrideft Obligations that it was pollible to lay upon one another ; 'twas all Perjury and Adulter}^ of the worft Sort. That old Wretch, my tJncle, made me an Adulterer, and 'tis but the fame Sin conti* nued in.

, You really fright me. Sir, fays the Mlnijlero Why, this is a terrible Cafe : How could your Uncle force you? And why did not you declare at the Book, as you ought to have done, that you knew a lawful Impediment why yoii "Oiould not be joined together, for that you were iirmly engaged to another, and the other td you •, I dare fay no Divine of our Church would have married you.

O, Sir, there was a Reafon for that too, fayt the Ge}itlema7ty a Reafon that no Body could withftand^ a Reafon enforced with an Eftate of two thoufand Pounds a Year -, and the Reafon all in the Power of a Tyrant, deaf to alt Rea- fonings but that of Monej^ ^ in ihort, there's the Reafon that has undone me, and ;thkt made


[ no ]

ail Adulterer of me. "What fignifies it what I ^d now?

'Tis a difmal Cafe, Sir, fays the Mimfler i but I befeech you to confider the Crime is not to be continued in and encreafed^ and if yoU Jinned in Marrying, you have the lefs need to jfin after Marriage. All evil Courfes are to be repented of, and broken off.

Here the Minifter, went on ferious, like himfelf, and made very earneft Applications to him to change his Courfe of Life. But as that Ipart is remote from our prefent Purpofe, I omit the repetition. Thus far is fuited to the Cafe before me, 7iameJy, th^ miferableConfequence^of Marriages entered into contrary to pre-ingaged Affections ^ forced Matches made by Rela- tions, for the meer fake of Money, without re- gard to the Obligations that mv^y be fubfifting Ut the fame time, and without regard to the Affedion and Inclination of the Parties con^ cerned*. Who can call fuch Matches lawful Marriages? And what is the fubmitting to them lefs than a Matrimonial Whoredom ?

As to the Matrimony that paffes among Princes, Kings, Emperors, and fuch like, as I fa id at firft, they feem to me to be rather Alii* ances and Political Agreements than Marri- ages, in which the Conjugal AfFedion is not confidered as a material, or not as the moft ma- terial Part. The Love of Princes is managed in a higher and fuperior Way ^ it feems to be a Confequence of that Marriage, not a Caufe or Reafon of it •, and, for ought I know, as it is not often fo extraordinary as in private Perfons, fo it is not fo very often quite wanting •, the Dig- nity and Qualit}^ of the Perfon has a great In- flu^ice upon their Behaviour, and, if they re- " ally.


[ i" i

^lly liave not abundance of Love, they oReil carry it as if they had an Excefs of good Hu- mour and Complailance, which makes up a fome- thing almoft equivalent to Love- and they are not 10 miferahle in the deficiency as meaner People are;

However, they have their Unhappinelles too, and as they are not without their Uneafi- HefTes, when the want of a mutual Aftectioii breaks out^ and gets the maftery of tlieir Civi- lities 'j fo, on the other hand, where an entire agreeing AfFedion meets in Perfons of that high Rank, how fuperior is their Felicity to that of other People 1 How glorious is their Peace 1 How beautiful the conjugal Figure ! How happy is the Life of fuch a Pair ! So great an Addition is a mutual AfFeftion to the happinefs of Life, even in Perfons of the higheft Rank^ it adds a Luftre to their Glory^ and is, notwithilanding all other good Circum- ftances, the brightett Beam in all their illuftri- ous Enjoyments. Such was the Life of two glorious Sifters, the late Queen Mary, and Queen Ajtne, of whom it is faid, and I never heard it contradided, that they were entire Miftrefles of their Royal Conforts Affedions, Queens of their Hearts, enjoyed a compleat conjugal Felicity, and furniihed back the lame Joy, making full Returns ifi kind. Nor is it the leaft Part of their Fame. But then it may be added to both thofe happy Couples, and which yet confirms what I am arguing upon, that they faw and loved before they m.arried. They neither courted by Pictures, or married by Proxy ^ their Princes came over hither to view, chufe, and approve, and then married the Per- fons they chofe^ they courted in Perfon, and lb,

P 2 X


[ ^^- ]

I think, all Ihould do that expefl to enjoy in Perfon.

How happy is it, and how good has Provi«  dence been, in directing human Affairs, that Matrimonial Love is a common Bleffing ! that the moft perfed Enjoj^-ment, and that which alone compleats all Enjoyments, and finiflies the Happinefs of Life, is an Enclofure laid open by the merciful Difpofition of Heaven, for all his Creatures to fhare of ^ and the meaneft ho- aieft Man, who is not prefs'd with Poverty, is oftentimes as compleatly happy, and always as capable of being fo, as the greateft Prince, I mean, as to his conjugal Happinefsi

Suitable Society is a heavenly Life. TaJce a view of Family Diforders ^ Houihold Strife and Contention, and join but to thefe the Ma- trimonial Vices I fpeak of, and yoii make the Houfe a Hell, where Rage and Crime conftitute the Place, and where the Flame burns without confuming, though not without encreafing; and where the Offences encreafe the Puniftiment^ and thePunilhment encreafes the Ofl^ence. But V[Q muft proceed*



CHA?2


[ ^^3 I


CHAP. YIII.

of unequal^ unftiitahky and prepojierous Marriages, and the unhappy Confe^ quences of them. Of the EffeBs they ha've upon the Family Con^verfation. HoTu they occafion a Matrimonial Whore- dom many Ways. Alfo fomething of the Marriaze Co'venant and Oath : and hoiv all the Breaches of it are a Poli- tical and Matrimonial Whoredom y if not a Literal Whoredom y nvith fe'urraf Examples.

H E Contraci: between a Man and Woman, which we call the Mar- riage Covenant, is mutual and re- ciprocal, the Obligations on either Side are equal, and the Weight they carry with them is equally obligatory. What Inequalities there are in the coming together, ought to be confidered be- fore-hand^ and the want of confidering thofe Inequalities before-hand, is that of which I complain : Thefe Inequalities^ in fome mea»

P 5 fure*



[ -14]

fure, deftroy the End of Matrimony ^ and if they do not malce it void, yet they rob the Par? ties of the focial Comfort of a married Life ^ and fome indeed entirely deftroy thofe Comforts themfelves.

If any Man Ihall tell me, thofe Inequalities iray be made up by prudent Conduct on both Side^^ that no Man jnuft expeda Life of per- fect fuitability *, that Tempers, Opinions, Paf* iions, Deflres, Averfions, Ends and Aims, Ihould all agree •, and, above all, that even where they clalhanddifagree, yet there is no abfolute necef- lity that they ihould interrupt the felicity of Life, make Matrimony a kind of Damnation, the Houfe a Bedlajn^ and the Converfation a Hell, a State of Strife, Rage, Fury, and eternal Con- tention. All this I grant.

But if they fhall add, that therefore thefe things are Trifles, are of no Moment •, that they are not worth interrupting the other Views of Matrimony, and that the}^ are to be referred to after Difcretion on both Sides. He that Ihall talk thus ferioufly, all I can fay to him is, I am forry for his Head. It is true, that Pru- dence will go a great Way towards reconciling nnfuitable Things ^ and Chriftians will learn by the Chriftian^Law to abate oil both Sides,, forhearlvg oiw another in love.

NAY,"ril go farther : Continual Jarrings in Families fometimes find a Time of Truce, and the Elusband and Wife, like two Combatants, wearied with Blows, lie flill and take Breath. But alas, what is this! 'tis but to recover Strength for a more furious Rencounter •, the lucid Intervals being over, the Fire rekindles *, the PalTions break out and burn with the more Force^ the Rage is redoubled ^ and we may fay

of


\ ^^3 1

f>f rucli, as the Scripture fays in another Cafe, The laft Evd of thofe Families is worfe than ths

BegiytvzTig,

The Inequalities then, and unfuitable Things from whence thefe Feuds take life, and are kindled up to a Flame, are far from Trifles -, the Fire of houfliold Strife burns to the low eft Hell V 'tis an unquenchable Flame •, 'tis kindled in Trifles^ that may be, and is often true. But thofe Trifles fet the Fire, and nothing but a Wifdom, more than is generally to be found in human Nature, can extinguifli it. ^

These unfuitable Things then, ought with the utmoft Precaution, to be guarded agaml^ fearch'd for, fliunned and avoided, m our flrfl: Thoughts about Matrimony -, efpecially if we have any Views of Felicity in a married State. For here all future Unhappinefles of married Mortals begin. . . .

Take it Matrimonially-, take it as it is a Partnerfliip, for Matrimony it felf is but a Partnerftiip^ though 'tis not a Partnerfliip m Trade, 'tis what' is ten thoufand times more folemn, 'tis a Partnerfliip in Life ^ a Part^ nerfliip of Souls, they are embarked in the fame Ship, they go the fame Voyage, and, give m© leave to fay, they fwim, they fink, tiiey are happy, they are miferable, they are poor, they are rich, jufl: as they agree, or not agree ^ Lovs or Hate, are united or not united ^ they go oil hand in hand, and have but one Fate- they nie and fall, are blefl: or curs'd, nay, I believe I might add, (with but few Exceptions) tney are faved or damned together.

Nor let this be cenfured for fucn an extra- vagant Exprellion as it may feem at firft Sigatj for if it be a neceflary Confequence of Family

P 4 Pifoxderj^-


[ li6 ]

  • i)iforders, that the Paiiions are in a general

JDiforder on both Sides, by mutual Provocati- ons. (And how is it poilible to be otherwife.) How then can it be, but that they inuft Sin to- gether, muft provoke one another to all thofe Offences which naturalljr attend an enraged Mind, an envenom'd Spirit, and a Soul imbit- ter'd b}^ outrageous Ufage.

Hence proceed vile and provoking Words, bitter and cutting Reproaches, undue and in- decent Refiedions, horrid Wifhes, Imprecati- ons, Railing and Curfing^ till, in ihort, they, pufh one another on to the Gates of Hell, and need no Devil but their own ungoverned Rage, to thruft them in.

All this, and more, if more can be thought of, is the Produ6t of Inequalities in Matrimo- ny, unfuitable Matches, a joyning Things to- gether that will not^ and cannoF jojn -, as I faid, they may be t3^ed together, but cannot be joyned, joyned but cannot be united. Such Marriages are to me little lefs than a Sentencq of Condemnation to a perpetual State of Mi^ fery. The Man or "Woman thus married ,fs fentenced as the Romajis fentenced Nero to die. More Mcyjormn, that was, to have his Head put into a Collar of Iron, or kind of Pillory, and to be fcourged to Death ^ they are condemned to be tyed together, and to be worry'd to Death.

To marry two Perfons together that are of contrary Difpofitions, unfuitable Tempers, difproportioned Years, and the like, is like the Way of punifhing Makfaclors in Perjt\ viz» tying the living Body to a deadCorpfe, till the rotting Carcafs^poifoned the living, and then they rotted together.

Let


[ 117 ]

Let thofe then that efteem thofe Inequalfr, ties to be Trifles, and that think the hazard nothing but what may be ventured upon ^ let them, I fay, ruih on like the Horie into the Battle : But let them remember 'tis with So- lo?no7t^s Fool, Tajiqiiam Boves^ like an Ox to the Slaughter, and knows not that it is for his Life.

HousHOLD Strife is a terreftrial Hel]^ at leaft, 'tis an Emblem of real Hell • 'tis a Life of Torment, and without Redemption. Ma-r trimony is an irreverfible Decree • 'tis a Grave from whence there is no return • nothing but the King of Terrors can open the Jayl •, and ^ris then but ^n even laj^ between the Man and his Wife, who goes out firft ^ and if when the

Jaylor comes, the Devil comes v/ith him, 'tis ut one to one who he calls for, nay, if they have lived the Life I fpeak of, as is very pro- bable, they m.ay even do what thej^ never did, that is to fay, ^^grce for a Mom.ent, and go to-> gether.

What then c?ai the Man or Woman be faid to be^doing, that ventures upon Matrimony with- out ftudioufiy considering and confulting the Suitabilities that offer in the Cafe, without fit- ting down and judging fedately, at leaft from what is apparent, what may probably be the Cafe afterwards > If they are fenfible of their own Lifirmities, let them calculate for them- felves, as doubtlefs any Man or Woman might do, what will be their Cafe : As every one that looks into his own Confcience maj^ if he will be impartial to himfelf, make a Judgment of his eternal State, fo every one that will look into their own Tem.per, and impartially compare it with the Circumftances and Difpofition of

the


[ ^is ]

the Perfon they are to be married tOy may mate a tolerable Judgment of what their Condition will be after Marriage ^ and accordingly they may and ought to venture, or not to ven-. ture : A venture it is at beft, becaufe after you have done your utraoft, you may be miftaken, may be deceived, and, after the utmoft Cau- tion, fome unfuitable Things muft be expedt- ed : You muft exped Difficulties, and to have many Things to ftruggle with, an Exercife for all your Virtue, all your Selfrdenial, all your Temper ^ as long as Flefh and Blood is a Com- pofition of Contraries and inconliftent Hu- mours, there will be fomething always left to try your Patience, to try your Chriftianity, ^nd which, being confidered, makes it the more needful to ufe the utmoft Precaution in. the Choice.

lam not going to give Diredlions here how to fearch into thefe unfuitable Things, how to. judge of them, and how to diftinguifli Tem- pers •, that would be a Work too voluminous for this Place ; But one general Caution may^ for ought I know, if well followed, be as good as a hundred Sheets of Paper filled with "Words of lefs Signification. The Caution is fliort, and eafy to be underftood ^ whether it be ^^fy to. be put in Pradice or no, that you muft judge from your felves. It is, in few Words, this i Study well your owyi Temper fr ft.

How Ihall any Man or Woman know whe- ther the Temper of the Woman or Man they are about to marry be fuitable to them, and may concur to their future Felicity, if they do not firft know their own? I remember a Gen*, tleman of Quality and Fortune who courted a L^dy a long while, and their Fortunes and

all


[-15,]

all other Circumftances agreeing, they were at laft married ^ while the Matrimony was de- pending, he happened to be talking with ano- ther Gentleman, who was his Intimate, and who knew the Lady- and he was congratulat- ing himfelf, if I may be allowed fuch an Ex- preffion, upon the good Profped: of his Affairs^ and the Felicity which he promifed himfelf in his Match ^ the Fortune, the Wit, the Beauty, the good Humour of the Lady he was Court- ing •, to all which the other Gentleman gave the Affent of his own Opinion, from a long Acquaintance in the Lady's Family, and with her Perfon.

But, after all, fays the Gentleman who courted this Lady, there's one main Thing re- mains which I cannot come at^ and upon which almoft all the reft depends.

What can that be, fays the other Gentleman-, I think there's nothing in the Lady but what jnay make any Gentleman happy.

Why, fays the firji Gentleman^ I cannot learn any thing of her Temper.

O, fays the other, Ihe is of a very good Tem- per,

-A^Y, fays the frfi, when fhe is Pleas'd, fo^ they fay, is fomebody elfe •, but I want to fee her Angry. Pray, did you ever fee her Angry ?

Yes, I have feen her Angry too, fays his Friend,

Well, and how wa5 fhe then. Jays he. Is fhe a furious little Devil when ibe's pro- x^oked ?

Nay, fays his Friend, that's according as the Provocation is. Every Body is fubjeft to Pro- vocation, and all People have Paflions.

Ay,


[ 2Z0 ]

Ay, fays the coitrthig Gentleman^ but is fh©' xiot apt to be angry, foon provoked, a little Pot foon hot.

"Why, fays his Friend, if fhe were, fhe is fooii cold again, that I can alTure you, and the good Humour returns again immediately.

Well, fays the frjl, with a Sigh, pray God fhe be not a pallionate Creature, for if ihe is, we fhall be the unhappieft Couple that ever came together.

Why fo, fays his Friend,

"WnY^fays the fir ft Gentleman ^ becaufe I know my own Temper too.

Your own Temper, fays his Friend-, why, what is your own Temper ? I fee nothing in your Temper but what the Lady may be very happy in.

It may be you don't, fays the Gentleman, but 1 do •, I tell you, I am a pallionate fiery Dog, and I can't help it ^ a Word awry, the leafi: un- kind or provoking fets me all in a Flame im- mediately, like the Lineftock to the Cannon ^ I fire off as foon as I am touch'd, and make a Pevilifh noife.

You jeft with your felf, fays his Friend • but I don't t^ke yon to be fo bad as you reprefent your felf.

T PI A t's becaufe you don't know me £b well as I know my felf, Jays the Gentleman,

AVell, well. Jays his Friend, if you are hot together, you will cool together.

That's fmall fatisfaction to me, fays the Gentleman, becaufe I can't promife it of my Side.

But I'll promife you on her Side, fays his. Frieyidy that one kind Word will cool her

agaia


[ ^2,1 ]

ligaiii immediately, and then flie's all Good^ nefs and Sweetnefs in a Moment.

Ay, fo a Word or two will cool me, fays the Geyitleman, But who will yield to give the cool- ing Word firft, there's the Difficulty.

Why you muQ:, fays his Frierid^ 'tis your Place •, 'tis the Man's Place you know, always to fubmit to his Wife,

I can't anfwer for my felf, fays he, I know I am apt to be very hot.

And what will you do then > fays his Friend-^ you fhould have confidered this before.

^ AY, fays he, I muft venture now, 'tis too late to go back.

So, upon the whole, they did venture •, and two Pieces of Wild-fire they were -, and, in a very few Months after their Marriage, the Ef- feds of it appeared in a manner hardly fit to be repeated ^ and all this only, becaufe when it was confulted and difcourfed about, it was too late to go back, ib that, in a word,^ the Gentle- man had as good not have conlidered it at •all • for confidering after 'tis done, is no confi- •dering.

It is remarkable, however, in the Difcourfe above, that the Gentleman's Concern about the Temper of the Lady he was going ^ to marry, was occafioned chiefly from a confcious Know- ledge of his own •, and this was the Reafon of my telling his Story. For if we would make a right Judgment of our ownDifpofition firfl:, we Ihould the fooner fee whether we fhould be fuitably match'd to the Perfon propos'd •, it is not indeed the eafieft thing in the World to -know the Humour and Difpofltion of one ano- ther, efpecially not in a Month or two, of a courting Converfation ^ yet as all Judgment of

that


f Hi ]

that Icind fhould take its Rife from the Know^ ledge of our own Difpofition firft, it becomes every one to ftiidy well their own Temper, and to learn to judge impartially of themfelves^ which, by the Way, is not the eafieft Thing in the World to do.

You may know whether you are of a com^ plying, yielding, abating Temper or no •, whe- ther you can bear Provocations, and make no return till the Heat is over, and then admonifh Calml}^*, or whether you are full of Refent- ment. Furious, apt to take Fire, and long a quenching •, whether you are Rough or Smooth^ Tender or Harfh ^ in a word, whether your Temper is fit for anothef to bear, or able to bear with another as unfit to be born with a^ your own : From our own Tempers thus im- partially judged of, we might very often, I do not fay always, determine and choofe for our felves with Succefs.

But now, to bring this down to the Cafe be- fore me. What mull we fay of that Matri- mony, which is concluded in fpite of all the Knowledge and Difcovery, either of the other Perfons Temper, or of our own ? That is carried on by Appetite, by the Guft of Inclination, by a View of the Outfide only, without confult- ing any thing but the Face^ without inquiring into the Qualifications, the Temper, the Hu- mour, the Capacities, or any of the Decora- tions of the Mind. What is all this but a meer vitiated Defire, a Corruption, and, I may fay, a depravity of the Judgment, without Senfe of Virtue, or value for the Accomplilhments of the Soul •, in a word, what is it but a Matri- monial Whoredom ?

And


t ^^5 1

And what are the Confequences > And how do thefeConfeqiicnces prove the thing? namely, that when the corrupted Guft is fatiated, when the firft Heats are over, and Souls begin to converfe together, then they begin to Repent and Repine, they fee an End of their Happinefs juft where other People find the Beginning of theirs. In a word, the Man and the Woman remains, but the HusbandandWifeareloft^ theConjundtionholds^ but the Union is loft^ the Marriage is fixed and faft, but the Matrimony is gone -, in a word^ there's the Whoredom without the Matrimony, the vitious Part without the virtuous, thehumid without the fublime ^ there's the married Cou- ple without their Souls •, their AiFedions are iio more united than the Poles, and like the living and the dead Body I mentioned juft now, they are only Bound to one another, that at laft they may Rot together.

Horrid Matrimony ! horrid difcording Tem^pers, raging Palllons, outrageous Words, hot fiery Breakings out of ill-natured, bitter and fcandalous Refledions • thefe fum up the Family Converfation between them: Thefe form the Felicity that they have to expect ; Thefe are the Productions of hot-headed, unfuit- able Wedlock-, of marrying without Thought, taking a Woman purely for a Woman, or a Man meerly to have a Man ^ in a word, fuch marrying is, in my Senfe, no better or worf^ than a Matrimonial Whoredom,

Now, as I faid in the Beginning of this Chapter, the Obligations of the Marriage Co- venant or Vow are mutual and reciprocal-, the Band is equal, the Burthen is equally divided ; And this is it that makes the difcording Tem- pers, the unfuitable CkcLunllaxi^e.« of which I

airf


C -^4 1

sm now fentring upon theParticnlars of, {b fatal.; Marriage is a Yoke, fo it is very well repre- fented, in which the Creatures I'-oked are to draw together. If they are unequally 3^oked^ what is the Confequence ? the Plough goes not forward, the weak Horfe draws all the Load, and is opprefs'd, and, at length, both fink to-, gether^ the Family is confufed •, the Affairs of it are at a Stand •, the Familjr-Peace is deftroj^- ed^ the Intereft of it negleded v and, in a word, all goes wrong, till at laft Ruin breaks in, and both the unhapp}'" Creatures are loft and delbroyed together, . ,

This being the Cafe, the Inequalities and Unfuitables of Matrimony are far from being- Trifles, that are to be difregarded and ventured on, unlefs by fuch People to whom it is in- different, whether they lite happy or no, and that can be as happy with an unfiiitable Match as with a fuitable one. I know there are fuch Kinds of People in the World, whofe very Souls are indolent and afleep^ who receive no' ImpreiFions of Grief or Joy, Pain or Pleafurey and whofe Minds are, as it were, perfectly pal^" live in Life; unconcerned in whatever happens to them, that neither look before them or be- hind them, one Way or t'other, but rife in the Morning to go to Bed at Night, rife up on pur- pofe to fit down again, and fit down only to rife up. Thefe are indeed fit to marry in this manner ; they are the Family of the Eafy Ones, and to them 'tis all one to be happy or unhappy, blefs'd or unblefs'd, quiet or unquiet 5 Frowns'are all one to them as Smiles, and bad Words as good ^ the}^ neither Tafte the four or the fweet-, the Mufick of the Viol, or the Scrapii?g of a Kettle, is alike to theniy and

thej


ihey diftinguifh not between Good and E'/iL All I can fay to fuch, is only this, that at pre- lent I am not talking of them, or to them ^ I am rather dire6ting my Speech to the rational Part of Mankind, who aim at a Happinefs in this Life, and underftand what it means •, who defire to live like Men, and like Chriftians, and know how to do fo •, and, for this very Reafon would match themfelves with fuch, and fuch only, as hai'-e the like juft Notions, and underftand v/hat a Life of Enjoyment means, as well as themfelves.

To thefe, I fajr again, that all Inequalities in a ftate of Marriage, are as fo many Wounds in the Body, which, if left to Nature, will fefter and inflame, and, at length, mortify, and be fatal ^ at beft they require a great deal of Surgery, Plaiiiering, and, perhaps, Open^ ing and Incifion, to cure and reftore theiri *, but are abundantly better and eafier prevented than cured, be the Skill ever fo great : In ffiort, all Inequalities are Difeafes in Marriage, and all Difeafes are beft cured by Anticipation ^ for, as the Learned fay. Errors in the firft Con- codion are not remedied in the fecond ^ but the ill Digefture affeds all the natural Opera- tions, till at laft it reaches the Blood and animal Spirits, and there contradts Capital Dif- eafes.

To conclude : Let all thofe "that expedt Feli- city in the married Life, that have the leaft Vic'vv beyond the fenfuality of the Brutes, and look on an}'- thing in Marriage beyond the bridal Bed •, I fay, let them ftudy to Match with proper and equal Circumftances^ with Perfons, as near as pollible, fuitable to them- felves, and that in all the Particulars, of which


[ 11(^ ]

1 Ihall give the detail in the next Chapter, "Whether my Advice be of "Weight or not, I refer to what follows.

I am told, in the very Moment of writing this Head, that to talk of Inequalities and Un- fuitable Things in marrjnng, is too general ♦, that 'tis an Amufement only, and gives no light into my Meaning. A young Man mar- ries a Wife, his Thoughts are to be fure upon having a fuitable Bedfellow, a pleafant, agree- able, handfome "Woman, to divert himfelf, and to fport with. What do we tell him of Ine- qualities and Unfuitablenefs ? he knows no- thing of it ^ I muft explain my felf.

In obedience to the Ignorance of the Ob- jedor, and fuppofing it the Senfe of the Times, I Ihall explain my felf accordingly: And firft, I grant, that j'-oung Gentlemen now ad juft as the Objedion is ftated •, they marrjr, get a Fortune and a Bedfellow, and that is all the}^ trouble themfelves about. The Cafe is excel- iently well exprefs'd by my Lord Rochejle?" :

^ IFhh an EJhite^ tio TFit, mid a young ft^ife^ " The folid Comforts of a Coxco?nb's Life,

Koch. Art. to Clo.

I grant, I fay, that this is much of the Cafe before me-, and this is that makes fo much Ma- trimonial Whoredom in the World : This is the verj'-ElienceoftheCrimelam reproving,namely, that the married People look to the Coxcomb's Cc7nforts,r\ot to the real Comforts of a marriedLife, to the Enjoyments of the Night, not the Enjo}^- ments of the Day ^ to what's prefent, not what's to come ; and while they do {^o^ no wonder we have fach dreadful Familj^-Doings as we have

in


C ^-? 1

Jil the WorlJ. Such Strife, fuch Breaches; fuch Family- Wickednefs ! While the End for Which they marry, and that kind of vitious Love which brought them together lafts, they run out in their wicked Midnight ExcelTes one Way ; and when that Love is cool'd, the viti- ous Flame quenched, the Fire extinguifhed, there being no folid AfFedion founded upon Virtue and true Merit • they run out into their Day-light Excefles another Way- I mean, jar- ring, fcandalous Contention and Difcord. Thus the firft Part of Life is Alatrimonial Whoredom^ and the laft Part Matrimonial Madnefs.

By all this, I think, 'tis apparent that, next to Virtue and Religion, Suitability is the only folid Foundation on which the Conjugal Felicitjr is grounded ♦, and unfuitable Matches ought to be avoided with our utmoft Care. And that I may explain my felf at large, and becaufe thefe unfuitable Things are too many, and have too great Obftructions attending them to be contained in a general Defini- tion, and more than at firft Sight feems pro- bable, take them in the following Particulars, all of them really inconfiftent with the Feli- city of Marriage,

1. Unfuitable Years.

2. Unfuitable in Qjiality.

3. Unfuitable Eftates.

4. Unfuitable Tempers.

5. Unfuitable Principles of Religion.

Of all thefe I fiiould fpcak diftindlly, and employ diftant Chapters upon fomeof them^ nor would it be remote to the Delign of this Work to

a 2 do


[ ^^8 ]

do lb upon all of them^ but I ftudy brevity^ and I am very far from having a barren Subjed be- fore me i I have rather more Matter than can be brought into the Compafs I have prefcribed to my felf ^ yet Things muft be explained as I go, and efpecially becaufe they all tend to make the married Life unhappy, though they may not be all equally fatal. Til run them over therefore, in a fummary Way, for the prefent, the Perfons guilty will have room enough to enlarge in their own Refledtions feparatel}^, and as it fuits their Cafe •, for the fcandalous Ine- qualities of fuch Alarriages as I aim at, are too many ^ no Man will fay, there is a want of Examples.

Nor are the Inequalities of Matching, as they are now managed, efpecially by the Ladies^ of fo light a Confequence, and fo infignificant as fome would make them ^ and let but the La- dies reiled a little upon the melancholy Cir- cumftances of fome of their Sex, who warm'd thus by the fecret Heats of Nature, which they have afterwards been feniible of, they have thrown themfelvesawaj^in the fcandalous man- ner I have mentioned, with what Self-Reproaches have they loaded themfelves, when they have feen themfelves in the Arms of Scoundrels and Brutes, who, at other times, they would have loathed the Thoughts of, and who they live to abhor with as corapleat an Averiion, after thefe unhappy Heats are cool'd, as ever they did be- fore, But of this in its Place.


CHAP.


[ ^Z5> ]



CHAP. IX.

of Marrying at Unfuitahle Tears.


T is tr ae,that the Laws of Matrimony

^^ have not prefcribed us to Years, ex-

-^ cept intheCafeof Infancy and Child- hood, and the Reafons for that are obvious^ but, as is mentioned before, where the Laws are Silent, there the general Rules of Reafon and Religion take Place, and are Laws to Chriftians and to Men of Reafon, as is the Cafe of our Limitations in Meats and Drinks. We are not limited or directed to what, when, or how much we fhall eat or drink 5 but all ExcefTes in either are finful^ and fo all fcandalous and indecent Things among Chriftians are finfal and unlawful^ and the Rules of Decency and Sobriety have certainly the Force of Laws to thofe who profefs them- felves Chriftians, as much as if they were ex- prefsly mentioned in the Decalogue it felf.

Now to judge of Decency with refpect to the difparity of Years in Perfons marrying, I think we need go no farther than to bring it down to the original "Word, Modefty, of which I took notice in the Introduction ^ and, I think, this may pafs for a Maxim, that what can't be Mod eft is not Decent^ or, if you will, tranl^ pofe the Particles h and can^ and read it thus ;

Ci 3 Thai


[ ^JO ]

That what is not Modeft cannot be Decent If then Chriftians are to do Things of good Report, certainl}^- Things not Decent and not Modeft, are forbidden them. How the Pradice of our modern Chriftians in this particular Ar- ticle are either Modeft, Decent, or of good Re- port, enquire within, and jou ftiall know far- ther.

It is the Opinion of fome, that after there is no more room to expert Children, it is not lawful to marry. Nor are the People who are of this Opinion, the loofer or weaker Part of Mankind ^ but the ferious, folid and religious; as alfo Perfbns of Judgment and Learning, and they ground it upon this very Text, Phil, iv, 8. of good Report ^ and upon comparing this with what is exprefsly mentioned in the Office of Matrimony, namely, that the principal En i of Matrimony, as an Ordinance or Inftitution of God, is for the lawful Procreation of Chil- dren. Now to what End then, fay they, is Matrimony, when the Perfon, that is, the Wo- man in particular, is paft Child-bearing ? All the reft can be nothing but what is not fit to name. The Office of Matrimony indeeds adds, that another Reafon of Matrimony is to pre- vent Fornication, Remech Anions,

Now if the married Couple are paft Chil- dren, one would think too, it ihould be time for them to quit the other Plea ^ and then let them tell us, if they can without Bluihes, whether the}^ have any Plea for Matrimony, that does not come within my Title, viz. Conjugal Lewd- Ttefs^ or Matrimonial "Whoredom ? There are many fcandalous Things might be faid upon this Subjedt, but I turn it all another Way, and had rather mention it hy Way of Qiieftion ^

let


[ ^3^ ]

Jet the Parties anfwer it, if they can, with- out Breach of Decenc}^ I dare fay they will find it difficult ^ and yet there may be more Modefly in the Anfwer, than there is in the Thing it felf too.

Suppose the Ladj to be about Five and fifty •, and the Queftion is firft put to her. Whe- ther {he has any room to exped Children, or whether fhe thinks it poilible, in the ordinary Ufage or Courfe of Nature, that fhe fliould have any Children? And thisLad}^ marries, whether a younger Perfon than her felf, or not, tho' that is ordinarily the Cafe^ but fuppofe,for the prefent, not a young Man, becaufe I fhall fpeak of that Part by it felf Now what can be a lawful or modeft Reafon for this Matrimonjr ? or if we ihould fay to this Ladj^, Pray, Madam, why did you marry ? what could fhe fay.

To fay flie married in hopes of Children, that could not be ^ 'tis foreclofed in the Begin- ning of the Queftion.

To fay fhe married for one to look after her "'AfFairs, that could not be ^ that's foreclofed too, hy fuppofing her to be in good Circumflances, and to have her Eflate all fettled and firm.

To fay fhe does it to avoid Fornication, Mo- defi:}^ if fhe is Miflrefs of any, will forbid her talking in that manner.

She has, indeed, nothing to fay, but to Blufh and look down •, to acknowledge that fhe did it to gratify (as the Poet expreffes it mo- deftly) a frailer Fart ; in fhort, fhe ought to fay, that fhe married meerly to lie with a MAN. And is not this Matrimonial Whore- dom? If not, what then mufl it be called, andb3^ what Words, that will not be Criminal in them- felves, can we exprefs it ?

0.4 Sup^


■[ IJl ]

Suppose the Lady to have no Occafion to Letter her Fortune, her Circumilances being very good, and indeed, in fuch Cafes they fel- dom better their Fortunes, but worft them.

Suppose her to have no want of a Steward or Manager, her Eftate being a Jointure or Fee- Farm Rent, paid her Quaterly, or Interefts of Stocks, or any other Certainty that takes thofe Excufes from her.

Suppose her to have no Occafion for ad- vancing her Equipages or Retinue, or her fplen- did Way of Living •, for thefe, and fuch as thefe, are ufually made Excufes for all thofe fcandalous Things, and much dirt}^ Pains are taken by the guilty Ladies, to cover the Adion from the juft Reflexions which the World cafls upon them. But when they are examined to the Bottom, 'tis evident, that, as the Prophet Ifaiah fays, the Covering is too jwrrow^ and the Naliedyiefs will appear.

But to come clofer to the Cafe. Here is a Lady of fifty or iixty Years of Age, fhe has had Children in her younger Years, but has left Bearing for ten or twenty Years, and is pafl not the Probability only, but even the Poflibilty, according to Nature, of Bearing any more. But this Woman calling her vi- tiated Eyes upon a young Fellow of twenty- Jive or thirty Years old, perhaps her Ser- vant, her Book-keeper, or her late Husband's Steward, or fome m.eaner Perfon, Ihe prefently takes Care to let him know, that he may be ad- mitted, if he will pufh at it. The young Fel- low takes the Occafion, and, making his eafjr Intereft, fhe marries him.

If any Man is difpleafed at my calling this hy the Name of Matrimonial Whoredom, let

him


[M3 t^


him find a better Name for it, if he can, and tell me, what I ihall call it,, that Is fuitable to the Thing it felf. If it is not lewd.and fcan- dalous, nay, open declared Lewdnefs, what elfe muft it be ? what elfe can it be ? I remember the Excufe a certain antient Lady gave for fuch a Marriage, had more Craft in it, tho' per-, haps more Truth too, confidering it Allegori- cally, than moft of the lame Extenuations I generally meet with.

Dear Madam, fays a neighbouring Gentle- woman, her Relation, to her, I hear your Lady- Ihip is refolved to marry • I cannot fay I be«  lieved it, for indeed I did not.

Why, Coufin, fays the Lady^ for fuch fhe was, why Ihould you not believe it?

Nay, Madam, fays fie ^^ becaufe for your own fake. I would not have it be true.

"Why, Coufin, fays the Lady^ why would joM not have it be true ?

O, Madam, /fliji the Coiifyi^ you live fo purely- to be fo eafy, fo happy, fo free, as you are, me- thinks you cannot think of coming into Fet- ters again.

But, Coufin, fays the Lady, I am not fo eafy as you think I am.

Dear Madam, fays the Coiifn, what can be more happy? why, you have nothing to trouble jrou, and no Body to controul jon.

Well, Coufin, fays the Lady, no more I won't, if I marry ^ for I am refolved to take a young Man, that has his Depende;ice upon me, and I am fure to preferve my Authority with him.

O, Madam, fays the Coiijin^ pray God you don't find your felf mifraTcen.

How


[ ^54 ]

How can I be miftalcen, Coufin} fays the- Lady ^ why, 1 take him with nothing 3 I fhall make a Gentleman of him.

Ay, Madam, though you do, fays theCoiifiv^ I have known i^o many underling Fellows turn Tyrants, and domineer and infult their Bene- fadirelTes, that I can never think of any thing, tut of being betrayed and ill treated, when I hear of fuch Matches.

What, fays the Lady^ when one raifes them from a Beggar, Coufin.

'Tis all one, Madam, /^j5 the Coufm, when once they get to Bed to their MiftrefTes, they never know themfelves after it , they know no Benefadors.

Well, I muft venture it, I think-, why, I can't live thus, fays the Lady,

Live thus! Mdiddim, Jays the Coufin-^ why, don't you live as happy as a Queen?

Alas, Coufin, you don't know my Cafe, fays the Lady • I am frighted to Death.

Frighted, Madam, with w\\z,t> fays the Coil Jin,

I don't know what, fays the Lady, 'tis the Devil, I think •, ever fince Sir William died al- moft, I have been difturbed in my Sleep, either with Apparitions or Dreams, I know not which. They haunt me to Death almoft.

Why, Madam, fays the Coiifin, I hope Sir WiUlam don't Walk.

No, I think not: But, I think, I fee him every now and then, fays the Lady, and fome- times another Shape •, 'tis Sir IFiUiam, I think, in another Drefs.

What does he fay to your Ladylhip ? Doev*5 he offer to fpeak ? fays the Coiijin.

No,


[ 2^35 ]

No, fays the Lady, Sir Jfilllain did not, "but the other Appearance fpoke to me, and frighted me to Death : Why, he asked me, to let him come to Bed to me-, and, I thought, he offered to open the Bed, which v/aked me, and I was e'en dead with the Fright.

O, Madam, Jays the Coujht, then it was but a Dream, it feems • it was not the Devil.

No, it v\^as a Dream ; but it was the Devil, to be fure, fays the Lady, for all that.

Well, but Madam, fays the Coiijiv^ if it was the Devil, what will a Husband fignify ?

Why, fays the Lady, I can't bear to be alone in the Night, and be thus terrified.

Why, Madam, fays the Coiifm, will a Huf^ band, and fuch a one as you propofe, be able to drive the Devil away ? I fuppofe your Wo- man lies with you -, fhe is as able as he for fuch a Thing -, that is to fay, fhe will be with you, and call for help, if need be •, and he can do 110 more.

I do not know what to do, Coufin, not I, fays the Lady, but, I think, I muft have him 5 my Mind is fo diftradted I fhall never be eafy.

Nay, Madam, fays the CouJi7i, then 'tis that makes you Dream fo, it may be.

No, no, Coufin, fays the Lady, don't have fuch Thoughts on me, pra].

Upon the whole, her Coufin found what De- vil it was haunted her Ladyihip -, fo fhe confeiled, at laft, that the Ladjr had good Reafons for mar- rying ', but then Ihe argued u^armly againft her taking the young Fellow •, and after reckoning up a great many Gentlemen in the Neighbour- Jiood, Ihe prefs'd her earneftly not to marry be- low her feif.

Why,


Why, Madam, fays the Coujin, a Gentleman will always be a Gentleman, and will treat yon as you deferve, like a Lady, and like a Perfon of Diftindion ^ but a Scoundrel knows not how to ufe a Lady well, when he has her.

AVell, butCoufin/ who would lay you out for me then ? fays the Lady,

Why, Madam,. /^js the Coiifin^ there's your Neighbour, Sir Adam

Fie, Coufin, fays the Lady^ how can you talk fo > Wh}'-, he's an old Man ^ Til never take a Man older than my felf.

Why, Madam, /^)I5 the Coiijin^ when we are young, we always fay, the Man thould be at leaft, ten Years older than the Woman.

Ay, then ^ The7i was Theji^ but Nona's Now^ Coufin. Why, fure, you don't think «  What fhould I do with an old Man almoft feventy ?

Nay, Madam, /^j5 the Coitjin, I don't know what your Ladyfhip fhould take any Man, old or young, for ^ I think you are perfectly happy as you are ^ but if you don't like him, there's Sir Johri , he is younger than your Lady- fhip by ten Years.

I wonder at you, Coufin, fays the Lady, why, he is a fickly, decaying Gentleman ^ he is troubled with I know not how many Diftem- pers.

No Diftemper, Madam, fays the Coufin^ but the Gout.

Well, the Gont^ fays the Lady, that's e- aioughj I have no mind to be a Nurfe, I aflure you.

Well, Madam, and will your Ladyfhip have this young Fellow then ? I profefs, 'tis fcanda- lous.

Why^


[ ^57 ]

^Vhy, I think I muft, Coufin: He is a hand* fome, jolly, brisk Fellow' fays my Lady -^ I can- not fay but I like him.

Nay, if you want a brisk young Fellow, fays the Coiifin,

I don't fa}^, I want him for that. But what would you have me take, a Skeleton ?

There is a long Part of the Dialogue ftill behind, in which the old Lady coqfefs'd fome Things, in Confidence to her Coufin, which^ though extraordinary well to my Purpofe, will not fo well bear reading ♦, and therefore I omit them. But, in a word, the Lady took this young Fellow, and Ihe was as Unhappy with him as could be imagined ♦, Ihe fettled Two hundred Pounds a Year upon him for his Life ♦, and, in a word, he broke her Hearty and he lived upon it afterward, till he anticipated the Income of it, fold his Life in it, fpent the Money, and died in Jail ^ all which he richly deferved, for he v/as a Brute to her, however brutal her mar- rying of him. was. ^'\

Now what was all this but Matrimonial Whoredom > fhe married him for nothing more or lefs but the meer Thing called a Bedfellow •, and he took her to be her Servant, to give it na -worfe a Name, and to have a Settlement of Two hundred Pounds a Year for his Pains.

But we have groffer Examples than this, and that near our own Daj^s, and within our own Knowledge. A certain Lady, and of a great Fortune too, at the Age of fixty-four, not many Days ago, took into her Service, as I may very juftiy call it, a young Clergyman of four and twenty, a handfom, joll_y Gentleman^ who might have had Wives enough, and fuir-

able


nh\e to himfclf, and fuch as might have made him happy, having a tolerable Benefice, which he lived comfortably upon.

But Avarice,and the View of enjoying feven hundred Pounds a Year, a Coach and four, with ?.ll the Addenda that a Man of Senfe knew well how to Comfort himfelf with, prevailed with him to tye himfelf down to the four Ap- ple Tree, and he fubmitsto the fervile Drudgery, and marries her.

And here the Confequence fell hard on the Man's Side. Firft, fhe grew unfufferably Cove- tous, and fo Narrow, that, keeping her Revenue in her own Hands, ilie hardly allowed him Ex- pences for his dail}^ Subfiftence : In the next Place, file was jealous of him to a kind of Mad- iiefs and Diftradion ^ and, in a word, he was forced to threaten to leave her, and turn her ofF again, before he could obtain anj^ tolerable Ufage.

N o w what did this Lady marry for > "What pretence could Ihe poiiiblj make for it, but this Matrimonial Whoredom that I fpeak of? It is hardly poiiible to ailign any other Reafon, at leaft, that will fupport it felf, or that any one can defend. She lived perfectly eafy, had her Friends about her, the Eftate was in her own hand, and flie wanted no help to look after her Rents * for it's apparent, after her Marricigc^ Ihe did it without him.

In ihort, 'tis evident the End of that fcan- dalous Match was vifible to the World ^ there could not be one modeft Word faid for it-, at leaf}:, that could carry any Weight in it ^ and the Town have ufed her accordingly-, for ihe is the Reproach of all Company, the Scorn and Scandal of her Sex, the Talk of all the

Tea-


[ 2.3P ]

Tea-Tables and Aflemblies round about ^ the poor Drudge, w,ho fhe has taken into pay, is pitied by ever}'- Body • and the Town where he lives, it is doubted, will make a Bonfire, when Ihe is pleafed to walk offj and congratulate him by all the Methods fuitable to the Senfe of. his De- liverance.

When an old Man of feventy or eighty marries a young Girl of twenty, we have ge- nerally fome Game among the common People about it. But here there may not be fo much room for Scandal, becaufe it has often happen* ed, that Men have had Children at a very ^reat Age-5 and there may be extraordinary Rea- fons for them to defire Children ^ as particu- larly for the enjoying Eftates, to which they have no Heirs. But be the Reafons what they will, the Thing is unqueftioned becaufe lawful, and the having Children is poflible •, fo that the great End and Reafon of Matrimony is not deftroyed.

But what fhall we fay when two antient People, the Woman paft Children, and the Man alfo : What do thefe join together for ? And which of the Ends of Matrimony are to be anfwered in their Conjundions? I obferve, the World are generally reconciled to thofe Matches becaufe of the Paritjr of Circumftances^ and they ordinariljr expreis themfelves thus; Well, let them matry, there's no great difproportion in their Age ^ aj^, ay, why fliould they not marry? they are very well match'd, the Man's almoft Threefcore, and the Womian is not much lefs, they'll do very well together •, fo there's little or no Scandal rais'd here, I mean, in the Mouths of the common Ceafureis of fuciV Things.

i5UT


[ Z4^ ]

But I differ from the common Opinion lieM exceedingly ^ and I muft faj, that, in my Opi- nion, this is as much or more, a Matrimonial Whoredom than the other. The Reafon is the fame •, the Occafion of Matrimony is the fame, with this difference notwithftanding, and to the Difadvantage of the latter Cafe ^ fjr that, in the firft Cafe, the lewd Part lay wholly upon the Woman, here it lies upon them both : where the old Lady married the young Man, the Matrimonial Whoredom could l3re only on her Side ^ but here the equality of Years makes an equality of Guilt •, there was a fingle Shame, here a double ^ and I am much miftaken, if two being guilty makes the Offence lefs than one.

What can two People at thofe Years fay for marr3^ing, feeing they know they can have no Children? It muft be for the frailer Part, which it is not my Bufinefs to name •, and 'tis only contrived, in a manner, lefs espofed to the common Scandal of the Times ^^ the Woman has her wanton Ends anfwered, without the Re-^ proach of taking a young Fellow to Bed to her, on the Account mentioned before, and only ist content to ileep with an older Bedfellow, to avoid the Scandal.

But there is a worfe Cafe in this fcandalous Matrimony yet behind, and this is on the Man's Part ^ a flagrant Example of which take

as follows : A B , a grave Citizen,

and in the flouriihing Part of his Years, though not in his Prime, not a Youth, being about Fort}^, buries his AVife ^ he has three or four Children by his former Lady, and cares not to have the Charge of any more, or, to ufe his Words, would not wrong his Children, but has

a kind


[ Mt ]

n Icincl of an Occafion, which fliall be namelefs, and he muft m^rry.

To anfwer both thefe Ends, and to join the "Wife and the Wicked together, he will, in the ' abundance of his Prudentials, take a Wife that fhall be fure to be pafsM Children j, fo gratify- ing the Beaft and the Chriftian both at once. Upon this, he lingles out a grave motherly Wi- dow, who he took to be about Five and fifty, and indeed, by her Face, flie feemed to be no lefs. The Lady had as much Occafion for a Huf^

band as Mr. B had for a Wife^ whether

it was upon the fame Motive, Hiftory is filent in that Part, and fo aml^ but, it feems, flie had been given to underftand what Foot it was

Mr. ^ . * married upon •, and not being

willing to difappoint him^ or rather, not wil- ling to lofe liim, fhe call'd her felf an old \Voman, and her Beauty concurring, admitted what few Widows are pleas'd to ftoop to, (viz.) that fhe was, as above, near Five and fifty.

Being thus happilj^ married, and Mr.^ ^~

wrapt up in his Enjoym.ents, lo, to his great difappointment, the Lady proxies with Child, and, in the due Courfe of Time, brings him Twins, a fine Boy and Girl ^ and after all this, as I fay, in the due Courfe of Time, three more.

This unlooFd-for, undefired Fruitfulnei>, moves him to enquire a little farther ^ and, fearching theRegifter at the Birth of his Twins, he finds, to his furprize, that truly Fame, and a courfe Countenance, had wronged his Wife about ten Years, and that, inftead of being Five and fifty, fhe was not much above Four and forty.

R Under


[ l4i ]

Under this Dirappointment, his Conti- nence betrayed the Occafion of his Marriage ^ for, as above, he had no lefs than five Children by her, which, her Fortune being not extra- ordinary, ruined the Fortunes of his firft Chil- dren, who he pretended to have fo much Con- cern for. This was the End of Matrimonial

Whoring with Mr. jB And now he is

alhamed to talk publickly of his own Shame, as well the Reafons of his Marriage, gs the Ma- nagement of it, in v/hich he has indeed this Advantage of the Satyr, that his Difcoveries are too grofs to be defcribed, as his Language is to be repeated •, fo he muft pafs unreproved for the Reafons given in Page 9.

I meet with fo m.any of thefe Sorts of lewd Marriages, that I can hardly refrain giving a Lift of them, faving, that they come fo near Jhome, and the Perfons will fo necellarily be pointed out by the Defcriptions, that I am loth to draw Pictures that every Body muft 'know. But fomething muft be faid to Ihew the Vari- ety.

There lived an eminent City Gentleman,

if that Language may be allowed to be good in

Heraldry, not a Mile from St. Mary A ,

who having loft a good Wife, went a Fortune- hunting for another-, but openly declared, he muft have an additional Qualification too^ vi%. Ihe muft be pafs'd Children.

iV, JB. He had a Houfe full of Children al- ready, and but a moderate Fortune •, fo he pre- tended to marry again, to better the Fortunes of his Children,

An intimate grave Friend of his, and a real Friend to his Fame, as well as to his Family, took; the freedom to expoftulat^ upou this Sub-

jedt


[ -4? ]

jed with him very freely, and it occafioned the following Ihort Dilcourfe, according to the old EitgliJ/) Cuftom, which Foreigners laugh at us for, and which we have little to fay; for their Salutes were Jack and To??i^ though Men in Years, and Men of Figure, one almoft an Alderman.

Says Tom, his grave Friend, to yacl, Pr*/- thee, jfack, what's all this I hear of you ? Why, you make all your Friends blulh for you.

jfack Blufli for me! What do you mean? 1 don't blulh for my felf, what need they blufh for me ?

Tom* Why, you run to every Hole and Cor- ner, to every Church and Meeting-houfe, Ball, and AlTembljr, a Wife-hunting, and, as they fay, a Fortune-hunting too •, that's worfe.

7^cL Nay, that's falfe too^ I have indeed talk'd of raarrjT-ing, but not like that neither.

Tow. But, what need you talk fo much of it ? There are Women enough 5 'tis but Ask and Have, Pick and Choofe \ the Market's on our Side •, you know the Ladies have the worft of it. You may have a Wife any where*

yack I don't find it fo, I afiiire you*

To7?u Why fo it fliould feem*, but how cari that be, Jack ? A Man in your Circumftances can't want a Wife.

Jack Not fuch good Circumftances neither. Han't I got a Houfe full of Children >

Tow. Well, and what then ? And an*t you reckoned a Ten thoufand Pound Man, an Al'der- man's Fellow }

R 2 yacL


[ 2-44 ]

yach Ay, but I am, perhaps, a little t6Q nice in choofing too : I'm not io eafily pleafed, it may be, as you imagine.

Toffi, What, you want another young "Wife, ss pretty and as pleafant as that you loft. One would think you fhould be paft that, yacL "Why, you are turn'd of Forty.

Jack. Only that you happen to be quite mi* ftaken ^ and that I look juft the contrary Way.

Tom. W^hat do you mean by that ? Explain your felf, what is it you drive at ?

Jack. Why, to be plain with jou^ the Cafe is this : Money I would have, that's the firft thing ^ but then I have Children enough.

Tom. What ! grown Mifer already. What, would you marrjr an old ugly overgrown Wi* dow of Seventy, only for her Money ? Han't you Money enough ?

Jack !No, no. Look ye, Toin^ I an't the ^an the World takes me for^ I am well enough, but I am far from rich •, and I have feven Chil- dren, you know ^ and that's enough to make a rich Man die poor.

To?;/. Don't Halt before you're Lame •, you 5iTe worth Ten thoufand Pounds, at leaft^ every Body knows that ♦, and a thriving Man too.

Jack No, no, I an't fo rich ^ but if I was, what's that to be divided into feven Parts? And w^hat muft th^ eldeft Son do ? Muft he have nothing more than the jroungeil Sifter ? You Icnow I'm a Freeman.

Tom, Well, fo you want a Wife with a For- tune, that her Money may go to your Children, What old Fool muft that be ?

Jack Well, that is the Fool I want > how- €V€r, Tgrn, ycu know I am a Father.

Tom*


[ M5 ]

Tom, But, what if fhe fhould have more Chil- dren of her own, Jack ? What then ?

Jack No, no, v^are Hawk-^ that's mj Bufi- nefs ? I'll take care of that.

Tom, What, you will have a Wife pafs'd Children then. Is that it >

Jack. Yes, yes, that's it indeed. But I would not have a verj Old one, neither.

Tom. I don't think that's a lawful Marriage, yach

Jack. Why fo > pray.

To7n, Why, where do you read, that any of the Ends and Reafons of Matrimony is to pick out a Wife, only for her Money > that is not taking a Wife, fack^ 'tis Matrimonial Plunder, 'tis robbing a Woman, only within the Pale of the Church.

Jack. Well, but to tell you the Truth, Tow, I care not a Farthing whether I have much Money with her, or no, if I like the Wo- man.

Tow. Well, now you fpeak Bravely and Gallantly ; I like that. But, hark ye, Jack^ what's come of the Story of the feven poor Children > And where's the Father you talk'd of>

Jack, Why, yes, I'm the Father ftill ; for I flick by the Pomt. I am refolved to have no more Children.

To7n, So you'll have the old Hag, without the Moneys nay, that's worfe than" all the reft. What ! an old Woman, and no Money ! that's the Devil, Jack You won't 'be fuch a Fool, I'm fure.

Jack Why, you talk madly. I think I may have a Woman paft Child-bearingj and not have an old H^g, I hope.

R 3 Tom^


[ 2.4<? ]

Tern. Pr*ythee, tell me, what will pleafe yoB | and then a Body may look out for you.

Jack, Why, a good jolly handfome well-bred ^Woman, about Forty-eight to Fifty.

To7n. A Widow, I fuppofe ^ there's no ven- turing upon a Maid under Fifty, not in your Cafe.

Jack, No, I would have her bea Widow that has Children, but has done Childing for feven or eight Years.

To?fi, And ihe mufi: be jolly and Handfome, you fay.

Jack I would not have her Old and TJgly too. Tow, that's too hard.

Tom, Well, I believe I know what you want, and what you mean. But, pr'ythee, Jack, be honeft ^ methinks you are all wrong : What Jhould you marry for ?

Jack, Why not > pray.

To7W. ril tell you why not, if j^ou are willing to be ferious. You had a fine charming Lady, ^Imoft twenty Years -^ Ihe brought you a good Fortune, and has left you feven fine charming Children ^ 3'^our two eldeft Daughters are fine beautiful young Ladies, and Marriageable ^

  • t would look vQvy hard to bring a Mother- in^

law among them alL It will make a fad Houfe, Jack ; it will ruin your Children.

Jach Not at all. My two eldeft Sons are in Bufinefs. One I have placed out to an Italian Merchant •, and one's in my own Counting- houfe : And my two Daughters will go to their Aunt, their Mother's Sifter, who will be glad to have them.

Tom. And what muft the three young Ones ^o\ ■

Jack


[ M7 1

Jack. O, they'll do well enough till they grow up.

Tom, But, Where's the Father, now ? Jack. "What's come of the Father you talked of >

jach Why, what's the Matter >

Tom, Why, take home a Mother-in-law, dif- perfe your Family, and turn your Children out of Doors, as they grow up •, and all this for a new Wife. Is this like a Father ? Jach

Jach No, no-, I won*t turn them out of Doors for her, neither.

ToTtn That's a Jeft, you know better^ you muft turn them out of Doors, or they'll turn her out of Doors, that you may depend upon -, and the laft would be hard too. ^

Jach But what NeceHity is there for either

of them ? ^ 1^7-

Tom, The beft Anfwer to that. Jack, is ; what Neceffity can you have to marry at

all ? ^ .

Jach I don't know •, I have no Necellity in- fleed-, but I am alone, without a Wife : I want One to guide my Houfe, and govern the Fa- mily.

Tom, How can that be? when you have two young Ladies, Women grown, that are perfedly fit for it, and fliew you, that they very well underftand it. , > *

Ja9h That's very true ^ but -they won t be always with me-, they'll marry. One of them is befpoke already.

Tom, Well, 'tis time enough then : And, be- fides, perhaps, before they are both gone, your two youngeft may be grown up.

Jach That's true. But 'tis not like the go- rernment of a Wife in a Family y there's no

Authority, _

R 4 Tb;w.


[ M8 ]

Tom. How d'ye mean? You would not grve the Authorit}^ over your Children to aAVife^ and jou muft do that, or turn them out of Doors, or, as I faid above, j^ou mult give the Children Authority over your Wife ^ and that will never do •, fo, in Ihort, your Houfe will be a Bedlajn, and you will be undone : For if once the Family-Peace is gone, the Man's undone ♦, that I take for granted.

Jacl, Well, I muft venture it, I think •, for I muft have a Wife to direct Things ^ there muft be Converfation and Confidence, and a- bundance of Things which a Family requires, that make a Wife abfolutely necelTarjr,

To7n. Come, Couiin, JcKk^ don't mince the Matter. You don't want a Wife, but you want a Jfoma'ij.

Jach You are quite out, Tom •, you miftake the Matter.

Toi?u Well, well, you may call it what you will *, but you'll never make the World under- ftand 3'ou any otherwife.

Jach I can't help that 5 I am io underftand for my felf I don't value the World. ^ I tell you, that Part is not fo much as in my Head.

Tom. Well, if it is not in your Head, 'tis fomewhere elfe then, I tell you ^ no Body can, nor ought to take it any otherwife ^ 'tis a pre- pofterous Thjng ^ 'tis againft the Laws of God and Nature,

Jach What do you mean by that ? What Law is it againft ? pray.

Tom. Why, you force me to be ferious with you, v/hether I will or no. I tell jrou, the Mar- riage you propofe, though it is not againft thq cxprefs Letter of the Law, *tis againft the in- tent


[ 2-4i> ]

tent and meaning of it-, 'tis all Vice and Wick- ednefs, and, I am fare, that is againft the meaning of all Law or Rule that a Chrijftian ought to walk by.

Jach You furprize me. Fray, explain your felf.

Tom. Why, the Thing explains it felf; To marry a Wife on purpofe to have no Children! Why,an3^Bodyknows the meaning of that. lam plain, and I explain my felf thus : As to marry her, to give joux Children her Money, was a Matrimonial Plunder •, fo to marry her, to have no Children at all, is a Matrhnomal Lewdnefs ^

  • tis onljT- a kind of legal Whoring, Jack^ jou,

may call it what you. will ^ I tell you, it's Vice, under the Protedion of the Church, as I faid, t'other was Robbery.

Jach You are very plain with me, that's true. But, I tell you, there is no fuch Thing in my Thoughts.

Tom, And, I tell 3^ou, whatever you may perfiiade me to, you will never make any Man elfe believe it. The Notion of direding j^our Houfe, governing your Family, Converfing, Confidence, and fuch Stuff as that ^ all theie are Pretences, and no m.ore ^ the Thing is a JFomaUy a iromayi^ I tell you, and nothing. elfe.

Jach Na3% if you will make it be fo whe- ther I will or no, I can't help that.

Tom, Whjr then take a Wife in the ordinary Way of fuitable Years, like a Chriftian.

Jach What, and fill the Houfe again with a new Family ? No, that won't do at all.

Tojn. Why, if you won't marry like a Chri- ftian, then live unmarried like a Chriftian. Pr'ythee be a Chriftian one Way or t other.

But


[ 150 ] But to marry, and yet refolve to make it impoifible to have Children ^ there's nothing of the Chriftian in that ^ any more than you may call your felf a Chriftian, and live like a Heathen.

?ach You are very fevere, Tom •, very rigid. om, I love plain Dealing ^ I am for your doing honeftly, either one "Way or t'other. If you are in a ftreight for a Woman, take one in the Name of God, and in the "Way which God has appointed. But to pretend a thoufand Things, and then marry with Views contrary, and inconfiftent with the Ordinance it felf, that's all Grimace ^ the vifible Occafion is Lewdnefs ^ fcandalous Lewdnefs, and you can- not carry it off, let your Pretences be what they Will.

This Difcourfe ended foon after this. But the Citizen was not fo convinced of the Juftice of his Friend's Reafoning, as to guide him to the wifer Medium, and not to marry at all : But, on the contrary, he purfued the brutal Part, took the "Woman, gratified his grofler Appetite, in fpite of Argument. In a word, he committed the Matrimonial Abomination I am fo juftly expofing. And he felt the Confe- quences of it many Ways : As, (i.^ He deftroy^ ed his Conftitution, ruin'd his Health. (2.) He was Blafted, as it were, from Heaven^ for he got a Woman of an unquiet furious Temper, that harafs'd him with her Tongue, made a Bedlam of his Houfe, and broke the Peace of his Jramily. (3.J Endeavouring to oblige One that knew not how to be obliged, he difobliged all hisChildren-, proved an unkind Father, and that ^rcve them from him, fome one Way, fome

another^


[ MI ]

another ; siiid, in a v/ord, he ruined the whole Comfort of his Life :^ and fuch is the Fruit of Matrimonial Whoredom.

To conclude. This is frequently the Occafion of great Mifchiefs in Families where it happens ^ it creates conftant Feuds, and, above all things, Jealoufy, indeed it has a dired tendency to It ^ 'tis as natural for an old Man to be jealous of a young Wife, and an old Woman to be jealous of a young Husband, as it is for People to be afraid of Fire or Thieves, where there is no Body left at home to look after the Houfe. Kor are fuch People at all beholden to the World's Good-will. Nothing is morq frequent than for the People, by their common Dif- courfe. Flouts, Jeers, and Gibing, to promote thofe Jealoufies, and (if the married Couple have po more Wit) to raife and encreafe them.



PHAP.


[ M- ]



CHAP. X.

of manying ivkh Inequality of Blood.

NEauALiTY of Blood : This is an

Article in Matrimony which they,

who would be thought to expert

any Felicity in a married Life,

ought very carefully to avoid, efpe-

cially if it relates to Families alfo. How fcan-

daloufljr have I known a Lady treated in a

Family, though her Fortune has been the very

raifing, or at leaft, reftoring the Circumftances

of .the Perfon who has taken her, only be-

-caufe file has been beneath them in Degree >

That fhe has not been of noble Blood, or of

what they call an antient Family- that Ihe has

not been what they call a Gentlewoman, and

yet they have not found any Defed either in

her Education or Behaviour > How has fhe been

Icorned by the Relations, and the Title been

hardly granted her, which the Lord of Neceihty

gives her? And all becaufe of what they call Me-

chanick Original. Again, SirG— — 7)^ has

married a Lady out of a noble Family. Sir G is

Mafter of a vaft Fortune, has about r^vcn thou- fand Pounds a Year Eftate, and Cafh enough in ready Money to purchafe as much more. But, alas I he is of no ^Family 5 his Father was a Citizen, and purchafed a Coat of Arms with hi» Mqu^, but Ijardl}^ can tell who his Grandfather

wasr


[ M3 }

was ; and the Lady is taught to defplfe him at that Vate, that it is hardly reconcileable to her Senfe, that rne Ihould ever entertain him in the Qiiaiitjr of a Husband. It is true, that fne had but a mean Fortune, viz. five thoufand Pounds. What then ? fhe had much rather have married a Scotch Nobleman, as fhe could

have done, the Earl of , though he had

Hot above a thoufand Pounds a Year. But then fne had had a Man of Quality, and fhe had had a Coronet upon her Coach ^ fhe had match'd like her felf, and mingled with noble Blood, as fhe ought to have done. But now fhe is De- bafed and Difhonoured, fhe is levelled with the Canail •, the old Gountefs, her Ladj^'-Mother,

confidered nothing but the Monej^ ^ and d 1

it, fhe had rather have been King Ch 's

"VVhore, and then fhe might have beenaDuchefs, and her Children had been Dukes of courfe, and had had noble Blood in their Veins by the ioweft degree, and royal Blood on the other Side ^ whereas now, in fhort, ffie looks upon her felf to be little better than Proflituted, and that meerly for an Eftate.

With this Elevation of Pride, concerning Blood and Famil}^, fhe treats her Husband with the utmofl Difdain : She will have her Equi- page by her felf ^ flie will not fo much as give his Liveries, but the Livery of her own Family ^ fhe won't have his Coat of Arms painted upon her Coach, or engraven upon her Plate • much lefs will fhe fuffer^ her Coat of Arms to be quartered with his, if fhe could help it, on any Occafion ^ and 'tis a great Mortification to he^, that her eldeft Son, attached to his Father, and honouring his Perfon, learns not to copy sifter her ^ and is not aftiamed of the Blood of

his


[


^54 J


his Paternal Line, hy whom he inherits fo fair an Eftate.

My Lady carries on her Refentment fo far^ that {he won't vifit her Husband's Sifter, tho' fhe has married an Earl, becaufe Ihe difdains to rank below her ^ and as to all the reft of Sit

Q 's Relations, they are looked upon as

not worth making a Bow to them^ other than fhe would do to a Country Farmer^ that comes to her Ladyfhip to pay his Rent.

Among her Litimates, Ihe laments her Mis- fortune that Ihe fhould be fo difhonoured in her Match ^, Wonders at her felf, how fhe fub* mitted to let fuch a Fellow come to Bed to her, and is horridly provoked that fhe has had any Children -, for the prefent fhe has parted Beds with himi a great while*, fo long, that fhe thanks God fhe has forgot him in that relation », fhe made a Political Quarrel with him three Years before, and fhe fwore to him, he lliould have no more to do with her that Way, fhe would as foon lie with her Coachman •, and fhe has kept her Vow moft facred ; And was it not for fome Conveniences of her Way of Living, Equi- pages, the Manfion Houfe, which is new and fine, and coft fifty thoufand "Pounds building, and the like, fhe would feign another Quarrel, and ftep out of his Houfe too, and then fhe

fhould be my Lord -'s Daughter again,

not my Lady , the Wife of a City Knight,

which is much at one to her, as if fhe had been

Mrs. , the Shop-keeper's Wife at JFiyi-s

chejier, or Mrs. Any- Body •, or efpecially it had been much more honourable to the Family, to have been Lady Mayorefs •, then, at leaft, fhe had been Quality for a Year ^ and her good

Man


[ M5 1

Man had been once a Lord, though his Father had been the Lord kjwws who.

When Ihe talks to his Servants, that is to fay, thofe that are his Servant-s too, Ihe taunts them with fuch an Air of Haughtinefs, as if they were Dogs, not Servants ^ while flie treats her own Servants with a difference, as if tliey were as much fuperior to his, as Ihe thinks flie is to their Mailer.

The honeft Gentleman her Husband, is a Man of Senfe and Breeding, and particularly of abundance of Good-humour ; He thought at firft he Ihould have been very happy in a Wife, and he chofe her for v/hat he thought Ihe had, (but Ihe had it not) namely, good Tem- per, Senfe and Sincerity. He could have bet- tered his Fortune in a Wife, by thirty or forty thoufand Pounds, whenever he had pleafed; fo that he neither married her for her Family, or her Fortune. Tho' he was not a Lord, he was able to buy a Lord when he pleafed •, and ^as much defpifed a Title, unlefs it had been by Blood, or obtained by fpecial Merit, as fhe a- dored it, only for the meer Equipage of it. His 'difappointment in her Temper was a great Af- flidtion to him ^ and he did not fail to expoftu- late it with her, tho' with the utmoft Civility. But Pride had gotten the afcendant fo much over her Temper, that ihe was refolved to ruin her Family-Peace, as it were, in meer revenge, for her falfe Step, as fhe called it, in marrying beneath her Quality ^ tho' fhe really revenged it only upon her felf.

Again •, her Pride was attended with fuch unhappy Circumflances, that it expofed her very much, and made her the common Jefl of all the Families of Gentry, and even .Nobility

alfo.


alfo, of which there are a great many in the Country where ihe lives : As I have faid, that

Sir G was a Well-bred Gentleman, and a

Man of Senfe, he iv^as acceptable to every Body • kept the beft Compan}'", and was very well received in all Places ; nor, however thd Lady aded, did the Nobility, even of the firft Rank, think it below them, both to Converfe with him, and even to Vifit him • which re- lilhed fo ill with her Ladylhip, that (he could hardly refrain her little Sarcafms, even before them-, reflecting onPerfons of Qiiality keeping Company below themfelves, as fhe call'd it^ and of the antient Nobility debaling their Blood, by mingling with Mechanicks-, that their Anceflors fcorned to intermarry with the Com.monaltj^, and kept the Honour of their Families entire and untainted*

She was roundly anfwered once, at her own Table, by a certain noble Lord of an antient Famil}'", who told her :

Madam, fays he^ yourLadyfhip very much miftakes the Cafe. In former Days, the Nobi- lity pofTefs'd great Eftates, and had powerful Dependencies ♦, the Landed Int^reft was theirs, and almoft all the Pofleiiion was their own •, the Commons held under them either in Yaf- falage or Villainage, either asVaffals, Tenants, Cottagers, or Servants ♦, and then it was in- deed beneath a Man of Quality to match a- mong the Vaffals.

But then tvv'O Things are to be obferved, which have happened in Evglajid fince that Time,

I. The Commons have grown rich h^j In* duftry and Commerce.

2. The


. t -57 ]

2. The Nobility are become poor, or at leaft poorer^ be it by Sloth and Luxui}^, I do not determine.

The Confequence is this, that the Nobility fell their Eftates, and the Commons buy them t And ^0 the Landed Iiitereft is feparated-, and the Commons poflefs, I believe, ten Parts of twelve, hardly leaving the other two Parts of twelve to the better guided Nobility.

Then, Maciam, of thefe whom we ftill call the Commons, great Numbers of them are of noble Families^ for the Gentry bringing their Sons up to Induftry and Trade, they have found the Sweets of Commerce in fuch a manner, that they have raifed innumerable Families out of nothing ', by which means it now is come to pafs, that many of our beft Gentry are embarked in Trade ^ and there are feme as good Families among the Tradefmen, as moflr, out of that Clafs •, we often go into the City to get Fortunes for our Sons • and many noble Families, funk by the Folly and Luxury of their PredecefTors, are reftored, by marrying into the Families of thofe that you call Ale^ rhanicks • and, Madam, ("added his Lordfhip) the Children of thofe Families, thus raifed by th^ir Merit, are not eafily diftinguifhed from fome of the beft Houfes in the Kingdom.

Here his Lordihip thought he had pleafed the Lady, becaufe fhe had three Sons, very fine

yotmg Gentlemen, by Sir G But, far

from being pleafed with his Difcourfe, fhe could not forbear being almoft rude to his Lordihip, and told him, Ihe thought the No- bility could not Match fo among the Com- mons, v/ithout corrupting their Blood-, and that thofe that had done fo ought to be no more e-

b fteemsi


[ M8 1 •

fteemed Gentlemen, or to rank among the an- tient Families.

His Lordfhip fmiled. "Well, Madam, fays his Lordlhip, then you mull let the Tradefmen keep their Money too, as well as keep their Daughters ^ and we fhall continue to decline and become poor, by our riotous and extrava- gant Living ^ and fo, in a few Ages more, the Wealth of the Nation may be almoft all in the Hands of the trading Part of the People ^ and the decayed Nobility may be as Defpicable as they may be Poor. Pray, added he^ what would all our noble Blood do for us without our Eftates ? And prajr, Madam, fays he, be pleafed to look into Things, and fee how many noble Families are, at this tim.e, the Offspring of Trade ^ we do not find, that their Pofterity are lefs va- lued among the Nobility, or lefs deferve it. Two Dukes, adds his Lordfhip, are, at this time, the Grandfons, and one Nobleman, the Son of Sir Jojiah Child, who was but a Tradef- man -, and the noble Families of Excejier, of OvjloWy of Ar-^ — , of many more, are married to the Daughters of Tradefmen ^ and, on the other hand, the Sons of Sir James Bateman, Sir Thomas Scaweit, and feveral others, are married to the Daughters of our Nobility.

His Lordfhip was going on-, but Ihe begg'd him to fay no more of that, fearing he would have brought it down to her felf at laft ^ and fo the Difcourfe went off^ But the Lady was handfomely reproved.

These are feme of the Fruits of unequal Marriages, and in which much of this Matri- monial Whoredom may be committed- and I call it fo, becaufe the fubmitting to lie with a Man, only on the Account cf a Settlement or

Fortune 5


[ -59 ]

Fortune ^ at the fame time defpiiing, and, in the vileft manner, contemning the Man-, is a meer felling the Perfon for a Slave, or, though the Words are fomething harlh, proftitating the Perfon for the fake of the Money. And what is that miore or lefs, at:cording to my Notion, than Matrimonial "Whoredom }

The next Article is that of UytfidtaUe Eftates. This is of the fame Kind with the laft, and, in its Degree, is equally deftrudtive •, and there- fore I join them together in the fame Chapter -, the only Difference is, that the firft refpedts a Perfon of Quality marrying a Mechanick, a Patrician, or one of the Blood of the Fatnciiy marrying a Plebeian: But this latter looks a Stage lower, and refpects only the Difference of Eftates, where the Blood may be the fam.e ^ which Difference, however, is carried on by fome to greater Refentmicnts than among the Kobility. This happens frequently among Tradefmen, and is diftinguilhed by many people, very much to their Difadvantage. Sir

M. G was a City Baronet, that is, the

Son of a Money Baronet ^ he married a Lad}^, the Daughter of a rich Citizen, not in the Bloom of her Youth, far from Beautiful ^ but then he had a vaft Fortune with her • all this was well of his Side. But, what is fhe ? W^hy, in the firft Place, bringing her to a level with himfelf, fhe has a great deal of Monej'-, that rstrue, and he has little or Nothing-, he has a great deal of good Manners, and good Hu- mour, fhe very little of either-, he is Hand- fome, fhe next Door to Frightful: She infults him upon the Inequality of her Fortune. What does he fay to her in return ? Has he nothing to anfvver on his Side > Truly, no, not at firft. ^ S 2' Bus


[ 1.60 ]

But being a Man of Breeding, as I faid abovej he took it qiiietljr, and was eafy ^ gave her all manner of Liberties, made no reply, gave her not one ill Word ^ till, at length, being pro- voked bejond all poliible Degrees of human Patience, he refolved to mak^ her a terrible Return ♦, and, indeed, he v\ras forely provoked, that he was. He iirfl begg'd of her to be eafy and quiet, and to ufe him better, and manage her felf better. She provoked him fo much with her vile Reproaches and Refledlions, up- on his being a Beggar, as llie call'd it, and mak- ing a Figure with her Monejr, that one Day it broke out into a Flame that could not be quenched* But it was his particular good For- tune to have feveral of her own Friends to be Witnefles of the Provocation, and fo far to juftify him, as, at leaft, to witnefs in his Be- half, that her Language was unfufferable.

Nor is it to be wondered at, that when he did break out, he did it with fuch a Fury that conquered all herRefiftance, and that put a full check to her Clamour ^ for it touch'd her in the moft fenfible Part, namely, her Charader as to Modefty.

He gave her this, even the very firft time, in a full broad Side, as the Sailors call it, and when, as I fay, her own Relations were prefent. But he did not do it, till fhe had long and very often provoked him, by reproaching him with her Fortune, and his want of a Fortune, and that with fo much Bitternefs, that even fome of thofe Relations of her's begg'd her to forbear, and have done with it^ and he, per- ceiving that Relation inclined to fpeak, with- drew, to give her an Opportunity, which flie improved, and earneftly entreated her to for- bear ^


[ i^I ]

bear ^ told her, it was now too late to refieft upon thofe Things^ that they had Money e- nough to make them both happy ^ and that, let it be whofe it would before, it was a Stock in common now, and fhe Ihould never make their Lives unhappy now about the foolifli Queftion, v/ho brought it ? She told her, {he might eafily fee her Husband was exceedingly moved with what ihe had faid already ^ and that fne would certainly provoke him by fuch outrageous U- fage, to make her fome bitter return ^ that fhe ought to confider (he was a Wife, and tiiat it is always in a Husband's Power to make a Woman's Life uneafy to her, efpecially when he has Juftice on his Side.

She was fo far from being prevailed upon by this calm and cool Reafoning, that fhe ilew out into a Paffion againft her Husband, though he was not in the Room •, reviled him over and over with his living gay upon her Fortune, while he was but a Beggar himfelf, and the like^ fo that the poor Lady, who had talked fo calm- ly to her, had not room to put in a Word.

In the highth of this Feud the Husband came in again, and calmly defired her, to have done, and be quiet, and, at leaft, to talk no more of it then, when Ihe feemed to be in a Paffion. But 'twas all one ^ Ihe run on till, in a word, {he was out of Breath, and began to have done, meerljr for want of Strength, not Rage. To proceed :

Well, Madam, fays he, now, I hope, 'tis foy turn to fpeak a little 5 then, turning his Speech to the Lady that had fpoken in his Ab- fence, and to her other Relations, he gave them a brief Account how long {he had treated him in this Manner ^ how little Occaiion he had

S 5 given


[ ^G^ ]

given her for it *, and with what Patience he ]iad born it : Hov/ juft it was for him to fay, that he could bear it no longer, and that he was refolved to ufe her as Ihe deferved. Then, turning to his"Vrife,whoilill upbraided him with marrjT-ing her for her Money : He faid, 'tis very true, Madam, I did fo^ and who the Devil would have married you for any thing elfe ? He added, that if Ihe would find any 0\\^ to take his Bargain off of his Hands, he would return all the Money again, to be rid of her : And if fhe could not, fince ihe had taken him, and he was unhappily bound toftand to the Agreement, heiniifted, flie Ihould ad: the Part of a Wife, not of a Term.agant ^ of a Gentlewoman, not a B2U27ify^ate ^ and that, fince Ihe had taken him, let her Fortune be what it will, he ei- peded to be ufed as well, as if he had taken her upon an equal Foot, other wife he is fold to her for a Slave, which he did not underftand to be in the Contracl.

She revil'd him upon this,with his taking her Money with defign toAbufe her- he reproaches her with giving him her Money and her Perfon too, upon a ivorfe Occafion ♦, he tells her, he could have lived without her Money better than fhe could live without a Man-, that he onl}^ hired himfelf out to her to be her Ser- . vant, (he called it by a harder Name) and that he had earned all her Money by lying with her, which a Porter would hardly have done cheaper.

It is true, this was Bitter : But there were two Misfortunes, on her Side, attending it.

I » That ihe extorted it from him. And,

2. That


[ l^Tj ]

2. That it was true 5 both thefe joined to cxcufe the Knight, who otherwife, and as I faid, till by long and unfuiferable Taunts and ill XJfage, he was put a little out of himfelf, was a Perfon of all pollible Temper and Man- ners.

This alfo brings it home to my Point, iiameljr, that thefe lewd ill-principled Matches are often as Miferable as thej are Scandalous, as Unhappy as they are Unfeemljr • and as they begin in Wickednefs, they end in Weak- nefs ^ for Crime and Shame follow one ano- ther.

I fhall, perhaps, be asked here, What this Unfuitable and Unequal marrying relates to my Title, and to the Subject I am upon, (viz.) of Matrimonial "Whoredom ? And why I ram- ble from my Text ? But I fhall make it out, that I am not gone from my Subjed at all •, be- caufe almoft ail thofe Inequalities and Unfuit- able Things, which I complain of as the Bane of Matrimony, are generally the Confequences of thofe Marriages, which are guided by the Tail rather than the Head ^ forced on by the In- clination rather than the Underftanding, pufhed by the Impetuofi ty of the corrupt Parr, not guided by the fteddy Refults of Reafon ^ the Fruit of Defire not Judgment, and with a View to fenfual Pleafure, not folid Enjoy- ments.

These are the great Moving- Wheels in the Machines of rafh and unguided Love •, the Paffion of Love, not the Quality, is theAVeight that makes them move-, it is the Fuel of Love, not the Flame •, the Flame would be pure, were the Materials that feed it pure : But

S 4 when


[ ^^^4 ] when the Comhiiftiblcs are naufeous, the Burn^ ing fcatters noxious%'apours^ like the Stink-^ Pots, which the Tnrh ufed to throw into Ships when they Boarded them, which would poifon the poor Men out of their clofe Quarters, and make them run out, though they were lure to be killed.

Secret, lewd and un governed Defires^ niake thefe open and fcandaious Doings fo fre- quent^ were it all done in a criminal Way, I iliould take notice of it in Lump, as a Breach of the Laws of God and Man ^ and, as the Text fpeaks, aii Iniquity to be piimfied by the Judge J Job xxii. 28. But it is quite otherwife here •, the Fire is covered, the Stench is con-^ cealed, and we have all t]\c criminal filthy Part aded under the difguife of Virtue, and the Protedion of Law. This is the Offence, this is the Grievance complained of ^ and this. the Reafon v^hy I give it the new and, perhaps, a little Ihocking Title of Matrimonial Whore- dom.

The meaning is plain •, 'tis a Breach of Law under the Protedion of tlie Law : 'tis a Crime, thro' the Policy of Hell, plac'd out of the reach of Juftice •, 'tis a Sin againft the meaning of Ma- trimony, but within the Letter of it •, 'tis a Wickcdnefs couch'd under the Name of Virtue ^

  • tis, in fliort, a Devil in Mafquerade, whoring

in the Vizor of Matrimony^ a Sinner drefs'd up for a Saint, a foul Difeafe under the Term of a Decay ^ 'tis Idolatry under the Cover of true Worihip, and, as I faid above, Lewdnefs under the Protection of tht Church.

What Excnfe can it be to fay, that the Law cannot reach it? Are there not manj^- Sins which the Commands of God prohibits and forbids,

whic]^


[ ^^5 1

which, notwithftanding no Law can punilh > And are they lefs Criminal for that, or the more? The Laws of the Land puniih no Man for Avarice, yet Covetoufnefs is exprefsly for- bid in the Scripture-, and the Love of Monej is called the Root of all Evil The Laws of the Land take no notice of our Anger, Pailion, Fighting, Glutton}/-, Excefs of Drink, and fe- veral other Things, except Murther, Breach of the Peace, Drunkennefs, &c, are the Confe- quences. You may eat till you gorge your Stornach, and deftroy j^our Life •, you may Sip, and Whet, and doze Nature, till it expires in a Lethargick Sotifme-, you may Rage, Storm, and make your Houfe a Hell, and the Law takes no Cognifance of you. But no Man will fay, they are not all deteftahle and abhorred Crimes for all this-, unbecoming a Man of Senfe, and inconliftent with a Man of Reli- gion.

Thus, in the Cafe before us, the Law is fi- lent, and the Sinner fafe, provided you do but marry. Let the Foundation of it be what it will, let the Reafon of it be all as grofs and corrupt as Hell ^ the Motive all Sulphur and Salt, the Views as vitious and filthy as Words can exprefs • that's all to be anfwered for fome- where elfe, and you take it upon your felves, fo jou do but marry ^ the Lav/, like Qall'io^ the Deputy of Achaia^ cares for none of thefe Thhgs^ Ads xviii. 17.

But, are they the lefs Criminal ? Is the lewd Part lefs ofFenfive ? Is the Soul lefs cor- rupted > Is the Man lefs debauched? Not at all ^ but rather the more : Nay, the Devil, I make no queftion, as he has infinitely more Advan^ tage to prompt, fails not to make ufe of the

Advan-


[ ^66 ]

Advantage, for he's no Fool: Til anfwer for Sdtan fo far, he can hardly be ever charg'd with miffing his Opportunities, or not feeing his Times and Seafons ^ he never fails to break in at every weak Place, and always knows where thofe w^eak Places are.

We cannot doubt but the Devil, if you will grant there is fuch a Thing, takes all the Advan- tage that can be of this Part^ he fhews the Law proteding^ and perfuades you, that 'tis therefore juftifying the Fad, a Fallacy as black as himfelf ; he prompts the vitious Appetite, and then fliews you how 'tis lawful to gratify it ^ he quotes Dryden upon you, and ihews the Cafe of King Davidy and the Polygamifts, for a Parallel.

"What can be more fpecious, what more eafily gilded over ? Inclination calls for it, and the Law allows it. Under this Pretence, all the criminal Things which the Marriage-Bed is capable of, are juftified.

But was the true intent and meaning of the Laws of God or Man impartially judged of, or enquired into, the Cafe would be quite otherwife. God forbid, we fhould dare to fajr, that the Inftitution of Matrimonj^ which was Pure, as the Inftitutor was Holy, could be defigned for a Pandor to our impure and corrupt Inclinations! or that God's holy Ordinance can be made a Plea for any of our unholy and vi- tious Practices ^ and, above all, that they Ihould be made a Cover and Protection for thern.

All the Heats and Fires, rais'd within us by the Acrimony of the Blood, by the Inflamation cf the Spirits and Animal Salts, are kindled from Hell, fet on Fire by the Devil, and made to rage and boil up in the Veins, by the in- flaming


flaming vitiated Thoughts and Imagination, that Imagination which God himfelf fays is Evil, and only Evil, and that continually ^ and whatever the juftand feriousReafoningsare which we fhould ufe upon this, and the Confe- quences we fhould draw^ furely they are not that we fliould apply our felves to quench this Fire in the Lakes of Sodom ^ (I do not mean literally as to Sodom) that we fhould fiudy "U'ays to fatiate and gratify thofe impure Defires ^ and then finding fome artful Method, give a loofe to our Appetite under the Cover of a legal Protection, fheltering our Wickednefs under the Letter of the Law.

On the other hand •, if I was to enter into the Affirmative or Pofitive Part, and tell yoa what you ought to do, I fhould fa}?", thefe are the Deeds of the Body, which you fhould mor- tify, if you will expect to live, Rom, viii. 4* the Thorns in the FleJI)^ which you fhould pray againft, 2 Cor. xii. 7. the Enemies you fhould ftruggle with-, and this is what the Scripture means, when it fpeaks of our crucifying the Flejl), with its AffeBions and LiiJIs, Gal. v. 24. But I muft not Preach. To talk Scripture to a Man when he has a Woman in his Head, is talking Gofpel to a Kettle Drum -, the Noife is too great-, the Clamour of his Vices is too loud-, and he will anfwer coldly, as the Wife Men of Athens anfwered St. P^w/, Jf^e will hear thee again of this Matter^ Ads xxvii. 92. or to put it into a kind of a Paraphrafe ^ We will hear thee again, fome time or other, when we have nothing elfe to do.

I come therefore to fearch the Crime, and fully to expofe it. Your own Reafon, and, if you have any, your Religion, will inftrud you

to


{ 1^8 ]

to reform it Thefe unfuitable Matches are generally derived from thefe corrupt and de- praved Principles^ and thefe vile Appetites are the Things that carry us on to break into all Rules, Religious and Moral, in the purfuit of "VV'omen.

When the Appetite governs the Man, he breaks all the Fences, and leaps over all the Bars that Reafon and Religion have fixed in his Way •, and if he can but juftify himfelf, by pretence of keeping within the Bounds of the Law, tho' it be only the Letter of it, he trou- bles not himfelf with the intent and meaning of it.

Hence all the Matrimonial Inequalities, the marrying at unfuitable Years, with unfait- able Fortunes, and all the indecent and ridi- culous, not inceftuous, Matches, which we fee daily among us • fo that to fpeak of unfuitable Matches, is far from being out of the AVay of my Bulinefs, or remote from my Subjed •, they are, generally fpeaking, from the lame impure and corrupt Originals, impure Streams, from the fame poifoned and corrupted Fountain.

The Man is eager, urged by the Importu- nities of his vitiated Appetite^ his Head is full of it •, he runs from Place to Place to find an Objedh To fay his Eyes are blinded with the Fumes and Vapours of his fermented Blood, is to fpeak according to Nature, it cannot be otherwife ^ as we fay Love is blind, and fees no Faults, fo 'tis undoubted, thePaffion is blind, the Rage of the Appetite blinds the Eyes, and he is not capable of feeing even the Defeds of Nature, much lefs to diftinguifh the unfuitable- nefs of Objeds, and the inequalities of Cir=p cumfiances ^ he is ftill farther off from feeing

th,^^


[ ^^9 }

the Defefts of the Mind, the UnruitaLlenefs of the fuperiour Parts •, 'tis all out of his

Way.

As 'tis in the more vitious Part Men often ahandon handfome and beautiful Ladies, their lawful Wives, and take up with the fouleft, iiglieft, and moft difagreeable Creatures, to make their Whores ^ fo in this Humour of marrying, meerly to quench Defire, the Vapour darkens the Eyes, the Vice clouds the Sight, the Man or Woman' takes what Offers, making no Judgment, no Diftindion of worthy or unworthy, fuitahle or unfuitable, young or old 5 'tis the Sexes that are only concerned ^

  • 'tis the Fire that is to be quench'd ^ neither

Reafon, Religion or Reputation, are hardly allowed to give a Vote in the Cafe, nay, fome- times common Senfe: And, in this Heat, I fay, moft of the unequal unfuitable Marriages are made ^ and, what is it all ? what can it be called ? Is this Matrimony I Is this being join'd together according to God's holy Ordinance, or is it AVhoring under the Mask of the holy- Ordinance ! Is this a chafte and honourable Marriage ! Is this the Bed undefiled^ or is it ra- ther a meer Matrimonial Whoredom !

I might include in this fame Chapter, the unfuitable Tempers which often come toge- ther on fuch Occafion •, but as it is true, that this is a thing not alvv^aj^s to be avoided, and is what too frequently happens in Marriages made with the utmoft Conlideration ^ fo I Ihall con- vince the Reader that I am careful not to ruai from the Subjedt in hand, by paffmg it^ over as a thing out of mj Way at prefent. It is not always polFible fully to difcover the Tempers .^nd Difpofitions of one another before Marri-




[ 170 ] ^

age -, and they that make the faireft and niofl diligent Inquiry, fliould iirft be fure they know, and regulate their own Tempers, that the Fault be not at home while they lay it upon their Relatives. But this would require a long Difcourfe 3 I have not room for it here.

Unsuitable Principles in Religion would alfo come in here. But, I think, the People I am defcribing 'need not .quarrel much about that 5 for all Principles, all Religion, feems to be burnt up in the impure Flame, and there- fore all Care and Concern about them dies with it : How fhould that Man be fuppofed to think of Religion, who, in fpight of Reafoning, and in a perfed negledt of a Family of feven Children, could plead Neceiiity of having a Wife • make a thoufand Shifts to turn off the fcandalous Part, and 3^et infift upon having fuch a Wife as lliould bring him no Children ^ that he might fatiate his Guft of Senfuality without the incumbrance of Procreation -, con- trail Marriage with a Bar only to the original Reafon of Marriage, and enjoy his corrupt Pleafures under the difguife of God*s holy Or- dinance. Could this Man be fuppofed to confi- der the Unfuitablenefs or Inequality of any thing, much lefs the Temper or the Principles of the Woman he married.

And the Confequence made it appear ^ for happening to marry a Woman that had neither good Temper, or good Principles, he ruined the peace of his Family, difpefled and difobliged his Children, thruft them out of his immediate Care, and left their Education and Inftrudion to other Relations i in a word, he robb'd him-

felf


[ ^71 ]

felf of the Comfort of his Children^, and his Children of the Comfort of a Father.

And where was the Religion of all this? In Ihort, what of Matrimony was in it all > what was it but, as I faid before, a poifoned Stream from a corrupted Fountain, a difhoneft Flame quenched in a difhoneft Manner ? And it can be no otherwife, where the Soul is go- verned by the Body, where the fpiritual Part is over-ruled by the fieflily, where the fenfual diredts the rational, as is the Cafe here ex- actly ^ I fay, it can be no otherwife. The Order of Things is inverted ^ Nature is fet v/ith her Bottom upward^ Heaven is out of the Mind, and Hell feems to have taken Pof- feffion.

Nature inverted-^ the Infernal Fires Burn htward^ raging in corrupt Defres : Such as thefidjph'rous Lake from whejice they came. Alike the Fnel^ and alike the Flame.



CHAP.


[-70


C H A P. XI.

of going to Bed under folemn Promifes of Marriage, and although thofe Pro-^ fnifes are after-ivards performed ; and of the Scandal of a Mans making a Whore of his ouon Wife.



Have dwelt upon the Inequalities of Matrimony iho, longer, btcaufe of their Varietj^ I come now to fingle Cafes again, and I fhall difpatch them in fingle Sedions as I go. I have now before iiie a very particular Cafe, in which Marriage is made a healing or protedion to a fcandalous Crime. Promife of Marriage is Marriage in the Abftrad, fay our Advocates for Lewd^ nefs ^ and therefore for the Parties to lie toge* ther is no Sin, provided th^j fincerely intend to marry afterwards, and faithfully perform it.

This is, in ihort, a fcandalous Defence of a fcandalous Offence • 'tis the weakeft Way of arguing that any Point of fuch Moment was ever fupported by. It is fo far from covering the Offence againft God, that it does not re- compence the Pcrfonal Injury done to Man. I

have


[V3]

iiare hinted at it already in th^ Chapter^

and given you there the Opinion of the beft of Men, and particularly the Cenfure of the Proteftant Churches upon it, in which, as I faid, they are more ftrid, and punifh with more Severitj, than in Cafes of fimple Forni- cation,

It may be true, that Promife of Marriage is Marriage, but it is not marr3ring ^ it may be called Marriage, or rather a Species of Mar- riage i and therefore our Law will oblige fuch Perfons to marry afterwards, as well in Cafes where they have not confummated the Agree- ment, as where they have •, and will give Da- mages, and that very confiderable, in propor- tion to the Circumftances of the Parties, where thefe Promifes are broken ^ efpecially where the Perfon makes the Breach, by marrying another purely in Contravention of thofe Promifes. . And this is all the Remedy the in«  jured Perfon can obtain.

Also fuch a Promife, efpecially if made before Witnefs, will be, and frequehtly is ad-» .mitted as a lawful Obftacle or Impediment, why a Perfon under fuch an Obligation fliould not be allowed to marry an)'- otlier ^ nay far- ther, the Perfon claiming by Virtue of fuch a Promife, may forbid the Bans^ as Vve call it ^ or may ftarid forth, and fliev\^ it as a Caufe, even at the very Book, why the two Perfons coming to the Book may not be lawfully joined toge- ther ♦, and the Minifter cannot proceed, if fuch a Caufe is declared, till the Matter is decided before the proper Judges of fuch C^fes.

But all this does net reach the Cafe pro- ipos'd at all •, for were Promifes of Marriage thus allowed, and lyins; together upon fuch Promifes

X lawful.


[ 2-74 ] lawfiil, you would have no more Occafion of a fair and formal Efpoufal, and we fhould have very little open Marrying among us. And what Confufion would this make in the World ? How would the facred Obligations of Marriage be enforced, Claim of Inheritances fecur'd. Legitimacy of Children clear'd up, and Obligation of Maintenance be preferv'd > How and wfhere would thefe Promifes be recorded, when denied and revoked ? How would they be brought into Evidence, and the Offender againft them be convicted > In a word, what Confufion would fuch loofe coming together make in Families, and in Succeffions, in divi- ding the Patrimonies and EfFedls of Inteftate P:'!4-ents-, and on maily other Occafions.

Our Laws have therefore carefull}^ provided, that Marriages fhould not be efteemed fair an* legal, if not performed in a fair and open Man- ner, by a Perfon legally qualified to perform the Ceremony, and appointed to it by Office ^ and the Government is always concerned and careful to puniih any Defeft, in the Peform- ance even of thofe qualified Perfons, when the_7 connive at any Breach upon thelnftitution in the Office of Matrimony ^ fuch as marrying People clandeftinel}^, in improper Places, at un- feafonable Times, and without the apparent Confent of Parties • and though the Law is very tender with refped to making fuch Mar- riages void, yet they are much the more fevere in fixing a Punifhment upon the Perfon that officiates •, in order, if pollible, to prevent all clandeftine and unlawful Matches.

The Law then requiring an open and formal coming together, as a juft Recognition and Ex- ecution of all previous and private Engage- ments,


[ -75 1

ments, and refufing to legitimate thofe En- gagements, however folemn, and however at- tefted, fo as to admit them to pafs for a real and legal Marriage •, at the fame time forbid- ding all Confummation of fuch Agreements, till the open and appointed Form of Marriage, fettled by the Legiflature, is fubmitted to, and mutually ]}erformed. All coming together of the Man and Woman, upon the Foot of fuch private Engagements, Promifes or Contracts, is thereby declared unlawful, and is certainly finful ^ 'tis no Marriage-, the Children are Eaflards ^ the Man and Woman are guilty of Fornication ^ the Woman, let her Quality be what it will,

is no better or other than a W , and the

Man a . ^ what you pleafe to call hi?n.

But now, notwithftanding all this, we have an Excufe ready, which is, it feems, growing Popular^ at leaft, it is calculated for abate- ment of the Cenfure, and alleviating the Crime or the Guilt, and confequently it is calculated to legitimate the Pradlice alfo ^ that is to fay, they allow it is not ftrictly legal •, 'tis not a full Compliance with the Laws of the Land, and therefore they comply with that Part, and marry afterwards.

It may be fuppofed, the Advocates for this Practice have ranged over all the Proteftant or even Chriftian Nations of Europe, to find out fome Allowance for this Wickednefs in the Practice of any other Country ^ and I have traced them in fne Enquiry, and can teftify, that they have but one little Corner of Europe to fix it in, and l^hat is, our little diminutive would-be-Kingdom, called. The IJle of Maih And here Mr. Camhdeji teth. lis, it is a Cuftom, or rather -^^s a Cuftom, that if a Woman be

T 2 with.


[ 2-7<J ]


With Child, and the proper Father of the Child marries the Woman within two Years after its Birth, the Child fhall be legitimate.

No W fuppoling this to be fo ^ 'tis to be ob- ferved,

1. That this was nothing but a Cuftom, in favour of the poor innocent Child, whofe Hard- ftiip was great, in fufFering the Reproach of a Crime it was no Way concern'd in.

2. That this was only a Cuftom in that barbarous Corner, and before the People there had received the Chriftian Religion^ or were ci- vilized under a regular Government.

3. That it is not allowed fo at this time, Unce the Chriftian Religion is received, and have been reformed, no not in that Country.

The Advocates for it are therefore beateii from all their Defences •, and they can find the Practice no where juftified, no where continued. All the}^ have left for it now is, that they will not have it be Criminal in the Sight of Hea- ven, no Breach upon Confcience ^ in a word, no Sin : And if this can be obtained, the Prac- tice has but one Obftrudlion more to remove, in order to make it general, and that is, the rifque the Woman runs, from the Weaknefs of the Obligation of Honour, and from the Men's making light of the Promife, after they have obtained the favour on her Side.

Hence it feems the ftrongeft tye upon Modern Virtue, is the regard to Safety ^ and the Women pay a greater Homage to that Se- carit} than to the Duty ^ to their Intereft than to'their Virtue ^ to their Alimony than to their Confcience ^ and to their Ptofperity than to

their


[ ^77 J

their Pofterlty. Let us ftate this Cafe a little clearer than it feems to ftand in yonv prefent View, and fee if we can bring the World ta have a right Notion of it^ for at prefent, I think, the generality of Mankind are greatly- miftaken about it,

1. The Obligation we are all under to the Laws of God, is a Foundation-Principle, every Chriftian mull: allow it ^ and that we ought not to commit any Crime againft Heaven, that is, not to do any thing which he has forbidden. He that denies Principles is not to be difputed with; and therefore I lay this down as a Fun- damental, a Maxim, wiich, without begging the Queftion, I may take for granted, while I live among Chriftians, and am talking to fuch.

2. The Obligation we are under to the Laws of the Country, under whofe Government and Protection we live, is a rational Deduction from, and is commanded by the Laws of God, viz. to befiihjectto the higher Fowers^^ni in all Things lawful to fabmit to Govfernours.

9. The Obligation we are under to our awn Character, and the regard to Reputation, are undifputed ^ and we ought to do what is of good Report^ feeing a good Name is better than Life.

All thefe three eftablilh the Rules of Mar- riage to be not only lav/fully impofed, but abfo- lutely neceflary-, and that they ought to be ex- actly complied with : And all of them make it Criminal for any Perfons, that is to fay, Man and Woman, to lie together before] they are legally married.

T 3 H^viNti


[ ^7S ]

Having laid this down as a fettled and ftated Preliminary •, it then follows, that no pre-exifting Engagement or Promife between the Man and Woman, no, nor any fuLfequent Performance of the Promife, can be fubftituted in the room of Marriage, or make the coming together (which is fo, as above, forbidden) be lawful or juftifiable.

KoR can any fabfequent Performance, I fay, take oft' the Crime or Scandal of what is pa'ft. It is true, a fubfequent Marriage makes it lawful for them to come together afterward, be- caufe it is not indeed unlawful for fuch to marry. It is not unlawful for a Man to make his Whore his AVife, however foolifh^ but it is unlawful for any Man to make his "Wife his Whore, however feeminely and intentionally Honeft.

But the Promife, fay they, makes the Wo- man his Wife. I grant it does fo indeed, in Point of Right, but the Form alone gives the legal PofTeiiion, Signing a Writing, and depc- iiting an Earneli:, or part of the Mone)% gives a Man a Right to the Eftate he has thus pur- chafed, and he may fairlj^be faid to have bought the Eftate •, but he muft have the Deeds fairly executed, fign'd,feard and delivered, and Livery and Seifin given in Form, before he can receive the Rents, and before he can take PoffelFion of the Land, or the Tenants own him for their Landlord.

Under the old Jemfi Inftitution, which, it muft be allowed, was critically juft in every Part, being inftituted imimediateljr from Hea- ven, a Woman betrothed or efpoufed to a Man, was called Iiis Wife, yet he never knew her till

ihe


[ ^75> ]

fhe was openly and lawfully married ^ that is, till he took her in Form.

The Virgin Mary was efpoufed to Jofeph^ but fhe was not married, or, as the "W'ord is, there ufed, he had not takeit her to him • yet fhe is called his Wife, and he is called her Husband,

Matth, i. 1 5:. his Mother Mary was efpoufed

But before they cauie together Jl^e was found

with Child in the next Verfe jfofeph is^ calPd

her Husband, ver. 19. Jofeph her Husbaud be- ing ajujl Man

Again, ver. 20. The Angel of the Lord appeared to Jofeph in a Dreaju, faying^ Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy IFjfe : And again, ver. 24. He did a$ the Angel of the Lord had hidden hivi^ and took unto hhn hh Wife.

Thus the Efpoufal made the Woman a Wife. But they were not allowed to come to- gether, until the publick Ceremony of taking her to hiin ^ which publick Ceremonies alfo are to be feen at large in the Rites and Ceremonies of the JewiJI) Church, Vid, Dr. Godwin,

In like manner, a Man and a Woman en- gaged by Promifc, are Man and Wife, in foro Confcientid: ^ but they are not legally Man and Wife, till they are legally and publickly mar- ried in due Form, as the Law requires.

All this Preliminary is made needful by the wicked Pretence of being Man and Wife, as the3r call it, in the Sight of God, which is^ a Miftake : They really are, not Man and Wife in the Sight of God, any other than as e-r fpoufed • fb indeed they are and cannot be law- fully feparated, much lefs joined to any other Peribn, but they are not efFedual Man and "Wife in the Sight of God, till they are fo alfo in the Sight of Man^ till the Publick Marriage,

T 4 f^V^c^


[ i8o ]

which h a Part of the Ordinance it f elf, is per^ formed, wliereby the Efpoufals are recognized, and the Law fatisfieci.

And what is this Promife they generally fpeak of in fuch Cafes > Is it not exprefsly fo madejand do thej not call it, a Promife of Mar- riage ^ Is not the Woman's Excufe or Plea de- livered alwajrs in thofe verj Words, He pro- viifed to marry 7ne ^ at leaft thefe are the Pro- mifes we mean, and that I am now fpeaking ,of. As to thofe wicked Promifes between two, fo to take one another, and to live as Man and Wife without the Ceremony, it ma}^ be called an Agreement, bat it is not a Promife of Mar- riage, and fo does not relate to our prefent Dit courfe.

But now, to bring it down to the Cafe in hand. Suppofe here are two young People, a Man and W'oman, they treat of Marriage, the Woman agrees, and the Man folemnly pro- mifes to marry her : But, in the mean time, the Fellow (Hell prompting, and his own Wickednefs tempting) preiTes this Woman to let him lie with her. HisArgumentsare fmooth and fubtle •, Why fioM you refiife ? fays he : Jfe are fairly Man arid Wife already by Agreement, (and, in the Sight of God, the Intention is the fame thing as the Adion) there is nothing jjiore to be done hutjiift a few Words of the Parfon, and the formality of repeating it in the Churchy and that we will do too as foon as I can get the Licence down, (^fuppofe it to be in the Country) or as foon as the Asking in the Church is over ^ and you may take my Word, for I allure you again, J will he very honeft to you, (and then perhaps he Hvears to it) and How can you refufe yne ? Ayid then he kiffes ber^ and continues urging a^dl,

teazinff


teazing her, and wheadling her to it, and perhaps fhe as much mclined to it as he, only more for waiting till Alarriage than he-, fo that the Devil takes hold of Inclination on both Sides,^ to bring about the Wickednefs.

Upon thefe Preffings and Importunings, at laft he prevails, and fhe complies. And what is this to be called > The Woman will not a^llow her felf to be a Whore^ no, by no means :• The Man declares *tis no "Whoredom, he fcorns the Thoughts of it ^ he abhors it. He promifed to marry her, and he performed it, and they were married afterwards^ He did lie with her indeed, and (he was with Child firft. But what then ? thejr were married before the Child was boru ^ fo that the Child was born in Wedlock ^ fo that there's no harm done in all that.

But all this is wrong ^ 'tis all vile and abo-r minable: 'Tis not only Whoring, but 'tis worfe than Whoring, or, if you pleafe, the worft kind of Whoring, and that many Ways.

I. On the Man's Part^ here is a publick Con- fellion, that you had a wicked filthy ungo- vernable Inclination, that could not contain your felf from a Woman for a few Days, but mufl: gratify your Appetite at the expence of Modefty, Honefty, Juftice to your Wife, Juftfce to your own Reputation, Juftice to the Child to be born, and befides ail, a Breach of the Laws both of God and Man, How fcandalous a Piece of Condudt is it > How Brutilh, unlike a Man, and unlike a Chriftran ? And all this under a Circumftance fo eafily complied with, under an apparent Agreement for Marriage, and even while the Preparations are making perhaps oi> both Sides.

2. On


[ i8i ]

2. On the Woman's Part ^ to lay nothing of the vitious and Beaftlj Part, and her want of Modefty, in refped only to her Sex -, yet be- iides all that, here is a Teftimony of moft egre«  gioiis Folly ^ a perfedl negled of her own Vir- tue, and of her Reputation : Abandoning thefirft to gratify the Man, and rifquing the laft on a bare verbal Promife, which it is not only poflible he may break, and probable he will break, but highly improbable that he fliould not 5 nay, according to the Cuftom of Men^ according to the profefs'd Notion, and the com- mon Language of the Town, fhe ought never to exped the performance of fuch a Promife* He's a Rogue, fay they, that gets a "Woman with Child before Marriage ^ and he's a Fool that marries her afterwards : He's a Knave that promifes to marry her ^ but he's a Fool that performs it.

q. To return to the Man's Part. How abfurd a Thing is it to make a Whore of his own Wife; to expofe her for a Whore, who he propofes to embrace as an honeft Woman ever after ; to draw her in to be expofed, to be flouted at, to be jefted with, and infulted all her Days, to he the fcorn of her Neighbours, flighted and ihunned by modeft Women, and laughed at by every Body . and all this to gratify a prefent Guft of vitious Defire, which, in a few Days, would be fatisfied without the hazard of Repu- tation, without Reproach, and without Re- proof? How ridiculous does it make the Man, and how afhamed is he afterwards to think of it, even as long as he lives? And it may be, that very Child born, the Produd of this Matrix monial injoredom^ Ihall live to upbraid his own

Father


[ ^S5 ]

Father with it, or perhaps do the fame, and juftifj it by his Father's Example.

4. Again, to fpeak of it as to the Woman's Part, How rafh, howinconfiderate? To expofe her felf to the Reproach of being a Whorc^ wiiereas, in a few Daj^s, Ihe might have gratify'd both her felf, and her Husband too, without any Scandal -to her Charader. Now fhe expofes her felf, not only to the Reproach of all her Neigh- bours, but to the Contempt of the Virtuous, and to the Jeft of the Mob ^ and, which is more than all the reft, 'tis ten to one but her Husband him- felf comes to upbraid her with it, and, perhaps, hate her for it • at leaft he will be always telling her, how honeft he was to perform fuch a Pro- mife, which no Body but himfelf would have made good, and no Body but a Fool, that is iXy fay, no Body but her, would have trufted to •, and indeed, though 'tis ungenerous and unjufl: in him to treat h^r in that Manner, yet 'tis what ihe has a great deal of Reafon to cxped:, and what Ihe really deferves by her Con- dud.

R H — .— , is a North Countrjr Laird,

which is a Title there not beneath a Man of Quality •, the Lady had, it feems, made a Slip in his favour before Marriage, of what kind you may guefs -. However, he healed up the fore, and married her afterwards •, fo his Charader, as an honeft Man, was faved alfo. But how far'd it with the Lady ?

In the firft Place, as he carried it but very in- differently to her as toKindnefs, fo he never failed to upbraid her with his extraordinary Ho nefty in taking he^^ how juft he was, and how infinitely obliged Ihe ought to think Ihe was to him •

that


[ ^H ]

that it was what no Body but he would hav^ done : And if he took any thing ill from her, though it was twenty Years after, he would not fail to tell her, fhe was hgrate-^ that fhe ow'd liim a Debt fhe could never pay ; and fo run tack the whole Story upon her ^ and how, if he had not been honefter than Ihe was, he had never taken her, and then {he had bjsen un- done.

2. To make the poor Lady compleatly un- happy, he is Jealous of her to the laft degree, and treats her very hardly on that Account ^ and when fhe expoflulates with him upon that Head,^ and j^ppeals to him for her Conduct ever iince Marriage, v^hich has, indeed been blame- lefs, the Brute runs it all back to, the firft and only falfe Step of her Life, and, with a flout upon all her Integrity and exadnefs of Living, tells her, with an old S(;ots Ballad at the End of it I

Jhty, Tatty, Kitty, Katty, Falfe to ea Man, falfe to an Men,

It feems, 'tis a proverbial Saying for a Man who has married a Whore, intimating, that as fhe was aWhore to him, fo fhe would be aWhore to any Body elfe, oi: to every Man.

Thus fhe is all her Life fubjedt to the Re- proach ^ not forty Years Wedlock, and an un- blameable Life, will make it up •, the Debt is never paid, and yet always a paying ; and all this for a fhameful yielding her felf up a few Days before the Form would have fandiified the Action.

Nor is it fufficient to plead, no not to himfelf, that he importuned her, ox furprized

her.


[ ^85 ]

h6r, or drew her in ^ thofe Things are all for- got •, or, if remember'd, amount to no Excufe. The Breach in the Woman's Virtue being once rnade, he muft be a Man of uncommon Temper, and of a great deal of good Humour, that does npt one time or other throw it in her Face, and load her with the Reproach of it.

In the next Place, the hazard on the Wo- man's Part is unequal, extremely unequal ^ for fhe runs the hazard of Mortality. Suppofe the Man would be juft to her, and marry her • but then, as I once knew to be the Cafe, fuppofe he falls fick and dies ^ the Woman is undone^ flie is left with Child ^ fhe cannot claim the Man, nor the Child inherit from him as a Fa- ther^, Ihe has not only no right to any Thing he has left, but, for want of a Power to make fuch a Claim, fhe difcovers that fhe is not a legal Wife, but was his Whore ^ and this in fpight of ten thoufand Promifes of Marriage 5^ ay, though there were ten thoufand WitnefTes of thofe Promifes. So certain is h, that no Promifes of Matrimony make a Marriage, and that a Woman cannot expofe her felf with greater Difadvantage, than to take Matrimony upon triift- that all the AfTurance that it is pof- lible for a Man to give her, cannot be an equi- valent to the facrifice of her Virtue, befides the rifque of Mortality, as above^ in which Cafe fhe is inevitably ruin'd.

And after all, what Pretence is there for the thing, iince Matrimony is the Matter treated of? Why is not the Treaty finifhed ? and if the Treaty is finifhed, why in fuch hafte for the Confummation ? or why the Confutnmatioa without the Ceremony, or before it? Horrid un- reftrained Appetite I Why muft th^ brutal Part

be


[ ^s^ ]

be gratified at the Woman's Expence, and that at an Expence fo yerjr great, that nothing can make amends for it >

I knew a Difafter happen on the VQty fame Cafe as this, when Mortality^ interpos'd ♦, Death fnatch'd away the Man, in the very critical Moment.

The Cafe was thus: A young Man courted a neighbouring Maid ^ the Girl had a very good Character, was not a Servant, liv'd with her Mother, and liv'd tolerably well •, but his Circumftances were the better of the two ^ fo that it was thought to be a very good Match for her.

Their Marriage was agreed on^ and the young Woman , at his Requefl: , took a Lodging in the Town where he liv'd •, feveral Things for a time prevented their marrying, and i:>articularl7 the want of a Licence ^ but he being, after fome time, obliged to go to Lon* dov, on fome particular Occaiion, he promised hisMiftrefs to bring a Licence down with him to marry her.

However, in this Interval it unhappily ap- peared that he had prevailed with her to let him Lie with her, and the Girl proved with Child. He was fo jaft to her, that when he came back from Lojdov, where he had ftaid fome tfme, he brought th^ Licence with him, and twice they w^ent together to a neighbour- ing Minifter to be married •, but ftill one Thing or other intervened ^ as once the}^ came too late, the Canonical Hour being paft, the fcru- pulous Gentleman refufed, and would not •, and the next time the Minifter was really verj ill, and could not, but appointed them to come the next TJnirJday^ that being Tiiefday^ and

he


[ ^87 ]

lie would not fail, God willing, to marr]^ them.

On the Evening of the Wehiefday^ the young Man was taken fick, which proved to be the Small-Pox, and, in a few Days, he died. He declared upon his Death-bed, that flie was, as he called it, his betrothed Wife ; own'd the Child to be his, obliged his Mother to take Care of the young Woman, and of the Child, which was as much as Providence allowed him time to do.

But this took Wind 5 the 37'oung Woman was known to be with Child, and known to be unmarried •, and fome maliciouflj^ informed the Parifli Officers of it, and they the Juftices of the Peace, on pretence of fecuring the Parifh. But the young Man's Mother anfwered pre- fently to the fatisfadtion of the Parifh ^ and the Minifter teftify'd for both the young Man and the young Woman alfo, that they were twice with him to be married ^ fo that the ho- nefty of Intention was on both Sides ai^parent •, yet the young Woman was expofed by it to the laft degree.

What Folly, as well as Wickednefs, was here ? A young well-meaning Woman prevaii'd with, on the weak Pretence of being effentially though not formally married 5 I fay, prevailed with, to gratify the Man at the hazard, and, as it proved, at the coft or price of her Virtue and of her Reputation • forced to acknowledge her felf a Whore, and to bring a Baftard into the World •, when, upon only waiting a few Days, all the Scandal, all the Re- proach, and, which is more, the Crime alfo had been avoided*

Here


C iS8 ]

Here was Whoredom undet the Proteftionj.' or in the Colour and Difguife of Matrimony 1 He told her, they were married in the Sight of Heaven ^ he called her his Wife, and 'twas too evident he us'd her as fuch ^ and Heaven, in Juftice,. brought her to Shanxe for it. What was this but a Matrimonial, Whoredom ? and that of a fatal Kind 5 a Kind that has fo many weak and vile Pretences for it, but yet fo fair and fpecious, that many (till then) innocent Women, have been impofed upon by them, and ruined.

Bu T that which is ftill unaccountable in it, Is^ that the Hazard is fo great, and the Benefit^ the Gratification, or what other ugly thing we may call it, is fo very fmall : 'Tis like a Man and Woman on Horfeback, venturing to ford, or rather fwim, a deep and rapid River^ when the Ferry-boat is juft ready on the other Side, and m^y be called to them in a few Mi- nutes, to carry them over fafe. There is no common Senfe, no rational Argument, in their favour. But the Brutal Part prevails ^ the Woman, abufed with fine Promifes, profti- tutes her Honour, her Virtue, her Religion, and her Pofterity, on the lightefb and moffc fcandalous Pretences that can be imagined^ and when Ihe has done, has nothing to fay but old Jive's Plea, The Serpevt beguiled vie,

I know' nothing that can be faid for the Man- nothing but what is too vile for me to rtcntion-, too grofs for my Pen ^ and, as I faid in another Place, the Crime mud go without It^ jlUI Cenfure, only becaufe it is too grofs to be named. The Motives to it are fo wicked, the Pretences for it i-) foul, and there is fo little to be faid in Defence of it, that, in Ihort,

the


[ z85> 3

the beft Thing I can add, is to faj?-, 'tis the worft Piece of Matrimonial ^^^ickednefs that can be pradifed y I call it Matrimonial, becaufe committed underthe Shelter of that facredCover* ing •, the holy Ordinance is made the difguifa^ for it, theWomanis beguiled, under theMafque^ and on the Pretence of its being no Crime.

The Man is the Deceiver •, he ads the De-* yil's Part every Way, he is the Tempter, and is a Party to the Crime : As for himfelf, his Keafon muft be fubjeded, or he could never fubmit to fo fordid an Adion •, he muft be degenerated into fomething below a Man-, his Appetite muft be all brutal and raging, per-* fedtly out of the government of his IJnder- ftanding-, in a word, he muft be out of him- felf ^ the thing is fo contrary to Reafbn, that it is indeed contrary to Nature, and to common Senfe, for a Man to defile his own Bed, corrupt his own Race, make a Whore of his own Wife ^ nothing can be more inconfiftent with Nature, and, as I fay, with common Senfe ^ not to fay a Word about Religion, or the Laws of God ^ Thefe, to the People I am fpealcing of, are not to be mentioned, or, in the leaft, fuppofed to have been thought of.

What muft the Man or the Woman think of themfelves, when, after Marriage, they come to reflea upon this Part > What Re- proaches will they caft upon one another ? What Comfort, as the Scripture fays, can they have in thofe Thhigs whereof they are 7wjp a- JJmmed ? Granting for once what, however, \'ery feldom happens, that they do not come to Reproach one another, and Revile one ano- ther • fuppofe the Man good-humour'd enough not to abufe his Wife for her eafy complying,

U or


[ 15>0 1

or to be jealous of her doing the fame fo^ others, according to the Scots Song mentioned above : On the other hand, fuppofe the Wo- man does not upbraid the Man with delud- ing her, making a thoufand fcurrilous Re- iledions upon him for drawing her in by his fair Promifes, his horrid Oaths and folemn Proteftations, and now to upbraid her with yielding. Suppofe, I fay, the Man and ^le Woman both, not fo ill-humour'd as to Re- proach one another with the Crime ^ yet they will deeply Reproach themfelves, for laying themfelves fo open to publick Scandal, for the fatisfying a meer Guft ♦, and tht prevailing importunities of their corrupted Appetite, when fo fmall a Time of forbearance would have made all fafe on both Sides.

In the mean time, let the Self-Reproaches on either Side be ever fo fevere •, let the Repen- tance be as fincere and as publick as 3ou pleafe to imagine it, the Fad is the fame- and lean- not call the Thing it felf any thing more or lefs than, according to my Title, a Matrimonial Whoredom, and that in the courfeft Degree.

Perhaps fome ma3r think my Cenfure too hard on the other Side-, I mean,! as to the Man's marrying the Woman afterwards ^ and that while I exclaim fo loudljT- againft the Of- fence of Ij^ing together, though under facred Promifes of Matrimony, I encourage the Men to break thofe Promifes, pretending, that the Of-, fence being already fo great, they can be no worfe • for lince it does not lefTen the Crime, fay they, what fhouldthey marry the Woman for? If Ihe muft be counted a Whore all her Days, and he a Criminal, though he is fo honeft as to marry her, what fignifies the Honefty ? He can be

no


[ .5>r ]

no worfe if he lets it alone ^ And thus any Reproof, they fay, will do more hurt than good.

To this I anfv\^er : Let the "Woman then pro- vide againft that ^ for I fhall never think Pity due to any AVoman after this, who, being thus warn'd, will let a Man lie with her up- on Promifes of After-Marriage ♦, there can be no wrong done to the Woman, feeing (he may avoid the Danger by avoiding the Crime •, and yet the Man is greatly miftaken too, who pretends, that to break his Engage- ment with the Womon does not encreafe the Offence. If this were true, and that by per- forming the Promife the Perfon was not the lefs Criminal, the Offender would always take care not to perform the Obligation ^ and fo we fliould have a continual Complaint. But, I fay, let it be fo-, nay, let the Woman take it for granted, I am Jure fie ought to do fo, that whenever flie yields on fuch Terms, llie will be left in the lurch, and expofed •, and this, if any thing, would ftiut the Door againft her complying.

Nay, I muft needs lay, the common 17- fage is fo much againft her, that one would wonder any Woman ihould be fo weak to yield upon thofe Conditions ^ and, to me, it argues neceffarily one of thefe two


Things.


T. Great negled of the Confequences of Things 5 great Indifference not only as to her being with Child or not with Child, taken or refufcd, married or not married ^ and' fo alfo alfo with refpedt to her Fame and Charader, whether Honeft or a Whore. But,

V 2 2, It


2. It argues lilcewife a per fe(Si: Indifference as to the Crime ^ and as to its being an Offence, againft God or Man- and fuch a Woman ought not to be fuppofed to value the Sin of be- ing a Whore, any more than the Scandal of it.

Indeed •, to be utterly thoughtlefs of the Confequence, and every W ay as wicked as the Man, feems to be juft the Character of the Wo- man in this particular Cafe : And I muft leave it upon her, that fhe who thus complies, declaresher felf, by the very Fad, to be utterly uncon- cerned about her Charader, whether as a Wo- man of Virtue, or as a Chriftian ^ and if ever fhe is brought to her Senfes again, Ihe muft be convinced, that Ihe deferves to be fo un- derftood.



CHAR


[ -5>3 ]


CHAP. XIL

of a Husband knowing his Wife after Con- cepliony or after fie is knoivn to he nvith child. Of the Reafonahlenefs and of the Laivfulnefs of it. And whether this may not come under the jujl Deno- mination of MatpxIUO^ia^i^ Whore- dom.



S the Procreation of Children is the only, or at kail the chief Reafon of Matrimony •, fo when the Woman has once conceived,it is the Opinion of the learned and modeft World/ her Husband ought to know her 7to more till (he has brought forth, and is delivered of her Bur- then.

Some will have this be called a rigid Law^ that there is nothing in the Laws of God to direct fuch a Reftraint, and that therefore 'tis what the Text calls binding heavy Biirthevs ^ like the Pharifees impofing Severities on others, which they would not be bound hj themfelves j and, as the fame Text hints, would not touch them with one of their Fivgers, that is to fay, would notobferve.orb eunder the Obligation of

U I thoft


[ ^5^4 1

thofe Laws which they preached up the NeceiTity and Duty of to the People.

The Q_ueftion before me, at prefent, is not who does, or does not obey and obferve the Rules of Modefty, which we lay open to be their Duty^ but whether thofe Rules are juft, and fuch as ought to be obferved, yea or no > If they who dictate Laws do not obey the fame Laws, be that double Guilt to themfelves, and be theirs the Repentance ^ the Debt is no lefs a Debt for its not being paid, but 'tis doubly a Debt upon thofe that inftruct others to pay it. However, that's a Subjed to be entered upon hy it felf, our prefent Bufinefs is to fpeak of the Thing as it lies before us.

The Article I have now mentioned, is not fo much a Rule of Decency, as it is a Law of Nature^ and the Obligation to it is there- fore baclc'd with a fuperior Authority : It is not founded in Cuftom and Habit •, it is not the Efl-e6t of theCurfe, or brought in as Modefty is, as the Fruit of the Fall. Shame and Bluflii^ig may be the Confequence of Sin ^ but the Sea- fons, and the Laws of Generation, are the OfP- fpring of Nature *, the great Parent of Life is the diredor and guide of Life, and has ap- pointed the Laws of it as a general Head of Conftitutions, by which all the Creatures are direded, and generally fpeaking, all the Creatures are willingly, becaufe naturally fa- tisfied with thofe Conftitutions, and freely obey them.

The Brutes obey the Laws of Nature ^ 'tis not a fubmifTion, not a fubjedion, but a meer Confequence of their Life •, and 'tis the man- ner in which their natural Powers are di- redted ^ 'tis the Channel in which they flow ^

they


[ -^5 ]

they know their Seafons, and thejr follow as Nature leads ^ chafte and referved whtn the Stre^fns of Nature abate, hot and furious when the Animal Spirits return^ in a word, they come when Nature calls, and not before.

But Man', ungoverned Alan! neither in- fluenced by the Laws of God, or of Nature, gives himfelf a loofe to his corrupted Defires, and fubjeds Nature, Reafon, and even Reli- gion it lelf, to his Appetite-, in Ihort, to a cor- rupted and depraved Appetite, a furious out- rageous Guft-, his Will governs his Under Hand- ing, and his Vice governs his Will • the brutal Part tyrannizes over the Man, and his Reafon is over-ruled by his Senfe.

It is obferved of the Deer, that whereas it is a mild, quiet, gentle Creature • tame, even by its own Difpoiition, pleafant and inoffen- five, and this through almoft all the Seafons of the Year-, yet, in its Seafon, that is what they call its Rutting-time, they are the moft furious of all Creatures ^ and though they do not, like the ravenous and voracous Kinds, fuch as the Lyon or Bear, fall upon other Creatures for their Food, and to fatisfy their Hunger, which, as is obferved, is a Reafon for their being fo dangerous : Yet, on the other hand, the Stag, or the Buck, at that particular time, flies upon Man or Beaft, and will kill and trample under its Feet whatever comes near him, or, at leaft, offers to come near its Female.

No Park-Keepers, Rangers of Forefts, or others, how bold and daring, or however fami- liar among them, will dare to come near them in their Rutting-time, unlefs very well armed and attended^ that is, with Dogs and Guns j

U 4 eveii


[ ^9<^ ]

even the Dogs themfelves, though they are their Terror at another time, except it be the whole Pack together, will not meddle with them if they can help it.

Naturalists tell ns, that the Blood of the Creature at that time, is boiling hot •, and though it be not in a Fever ^ which, they fajr, in a Dog is Madnefs^ or in Cats, and fome other Creatures, becaufe it does not lie in the Head, as it does in Dogs, and fuch other Crea- tures as are fubjed to Madnefs, j^et that the Spirits are in as high a ferm.ent in thefe, as thole are.

Be that as it will, 'tis certain this is the Work of Nature, not a Difeafe upon Nature •, and when the End, which is Generation and Pro- pagation of the Kind, is anfwered ^ when the Seafon is over, the Creature returns to its na- tural calm and quiet ^ to aDifpofition familiar and domeftick ^ will come up to the Keeper, feed out of his hand, and be as tame again as before.

This fury of the Blood, however raging in the Buck, I fay abates with the Seafon, and he returns to be the fame gentle pleafant Crea- ture he was before. But it is not fo v/ith the Man ^ when the fury of his Appetite, prompt- ed by the youth of his Spirit, rifes to a highth a little more than common, it continues there ^ 'tis not flacked by the Evacuations natural to the Cafe, but he continues a Madman ftill, and knows no Bounds.

In vain is Reafon given him, and intended by the Giver to be the guide and the govern- er of his Life *, to be his Diredor, and to com- mand his Paffions and Affections ^ his Appetite getting once the government, like a hard-

mouth'd


[ 2-5>7 ] snouth'd Horfe, he feels no Curb, knows no Reftraint, and is guided by no Reins but thofe of his enraged AViil.

I can defcribe the Article I am upon hy no Mediunr.s but thofe of Simil} and Allegorjr. Decency forbids me fpeaking plainer than this. The Man is a Fury, and knows no limits to the Rage of his Inclination- but, pufhed on by the Heat of ungoverned Nature, and fuppo- ling an unlimited Liberty is given him by the Marriage-Licence, which, by the waj^, is a miftake, he ads all the immodeft Things ima- ginable with a fuggefted hnpunit3^

Hence Sodomy it felf has been not only adled, but even juilify'd in the Marriage-Bed ; and indeed, one may be expeded as well as the other- for why m.ay we not look for one unnatural Excefs, as well as another.

The Turks, 'tis a little hard I muft be forced to leave the Practice of Chriftiaiis, and go look among the Turks and Infidels for Examples of Modefty and Decency, but fo it is -, the Turh^ I fay^ have brought this very Offence which I complain of, under the Governm.ent of their Laws ^ and, as I fiiid before, it is rem^arkable, and a Pattern for Chriftians, tliat they try thofe Caufes in a manner much m.ore av/ful and grave than we do.

Nor is the Wom.an under that Refirrainf, which the}^ are here, v/here, tho' fhe is perhaps grofly injured, Ihe cannot do her felf Juftice, becaufe Modeftjr forbids her Tongue expreliing the Particulars, and defcribing the Fad. But there, if any unlawful Violence is offered to a Woman by her Husband, under the Liberties of the Marriage-Bed, and fhe finds her felf fo

aggrieved


[ 288 ]

aggrieved, as that Ihe is obliged to feek redref^ ftie proceeds thus :

1. She goes to the i:)roper Officer, and de- mands a Summons for her Husband to appear before the Grand Vizier, to anfwer to her Com- plaint.

2. "When he appears, and fhe is call'd in to juftify her Charge, Ihe fays not a Word ^ nor is her Face, unveiled till fhe comes to what we call taking her Oath : But then, unveiling her Face, Ihe ftoops down, takes off her Slipper in the Face of the Court, and holds it up to the Judge (the Grand Vizier) turning it the wrong Side upward.

This is enough to the Court, whounderftand her diftindly, namely, that Ihe fwears upon the Alchoran that her Husband offers unnatural Violences to her, and that jQie cannot live with him upon that Account. She needs fay no more •, but upon this Procefs fhe obtains a Di- vorce againft him, unlefs he can do one or both of the following Things ;

1. Clear himfelf of the Charge ^ or,

2. Give fufficient Security for not offering the like to her again.

There is no need to demand a farther Ex* planation of thefe Things, or to ask me, what is meant by offering unnatural Violences to a "Wife ? Thofe Queftions aim evidently at what I have from the Beginning protefled againft 5 and any juft and modeft Reader will underftand what I mean by that.

It


[ 2.5?^ 1

It is enough to tell you, that the very Thing I complain of in the Head of this Chapter is one of them ; It is enough, that the Woman has conceived, and is with Child. What can be defired of her more, is, in the Language of Maho7netan Modefty, a Violence, nay, an unnatural Violence •, and the Woman complains of it as highly injurious.

The Woman has indeed a ftrong and unan- fwerable Argument againft the Man in cafe of this Complaint, which, 'tis true, we cannot plead here • namely, that fhe holds up two, or three Sticks, which are given her by the Offi- cers, intimating, that her Husband can plead BO Necellity for his ufing her in that manner, for that he has one, two or three Wives be- iides her, according to the Number of Sticks which fhe expofes, or holds up, and that there- fore he ought to let her alone to go on in her Pregnancy, that fhe ma}^ bring forth a Man Child without danger of Mifcarriage, which, 'tis fuggefted, might otherwife happen to her by that Violence.

I very much doubt this will be called a new Dodlrine here^ and I have been told already (by a Man of Modefty too) upon reading it in the Manufcript, that I fhall never perfuade Chriftians to believe it Criminal, whatever the Turks may do. But why fhould I fufpedl: this, where, as I faid before, it is not the Law of Matrimony, or the Law of Tiirh and Pagans that I am mentioning, but the Law of Nature-, though Cuftom may be argued to be a Law, or as a Law, and that in many Things. Cuftom is a Tyrant ^ Nature is a juft and limited Go- vernment. Cuftom is Anarchy and Confufion ;

Nature


[ 300 ]

Nature is a regulated Monarchy, and a well* eftabliflied Conftitution.

But, to go farther -, the Law I am fpeaking of, is Nature, fupported byReafon-, or, if you pleafe, Reafon fupported by Nature. Reafon thinks it jaft to follow where Nature leads, and where there is no juft and rational Ob- jection againft her Dictates, becaufe Nature is certainly judge of her own Conftitutions, and beft knows her own Adlings •, her Influences run in fecret Channels, which no Force ought to obftrud, and, when they do not fwell be- yond Bounds, ought not to be checked and ftop'd up.

There are many Arguments in Philofophy, ?.s well as in Medicine or Phyfick, why the Courfe of Nature fhould not be obftruflied and interrupted ^ and except where her Exorbi- tances feem to break out into Offence, Ihe ought not to be reftrained, and even there but gently and with good Reafon, and in its proper Time.

But Cuftom pretends to govern Nature with a kind of abfolute Dominion, and to tyran- nize over all the Laws of Reafon and of Na- ture too.

" Citjloyn, which all Ma7il.hd to Slavry hrhigs^ That dull Excufe for doing filly Things,

NoXv if Cuftom has fet up a vitions Practice, in contradiction to Nature and Reafon too, ftiall this be a received Lav/ among us, who pretend to know and pradtife fowell? Befides,as the Devil faid to the Sons of Sceva, Nature we know, Reafon we know, but who are you ? You, Cuilom, you are an Invader and an Ufur-

per i


[ 30I ]

per •, an Invader of Nature, and an Ufurper of the Throne of Reafon, that fets up for a Judge of Convenience, and a Judge of Right and Wrong, to which j'-qu have no more Claim than you have to judge of Truth and Reli- gion.

In all fuch Cafes, it is but a juft Enquiry to make here, What is this Cuftom derived from > And I am fure, in this Cafe, it muft be an- fwered, this Cuftom is begun in Crime •, it is derived from an Offence •, and, as is the Tree, fuch is the Fruit, oiFenfive • for this Evil Tree cannot bring forth good Fruit •, it derives from vitiated and corrupt Affections, heated Blood, and debauch'd fupprefs'd Reafon.

Do Men gather Grapes of thefe Thorns? Can good come out of this Evil ? Corrupt Ap- petite, unreftrained Will, break out in corrupt Actions, and continued in, grow up to corrupt Habits, and this we call Cuftom ^ when it is grown up to that Name, Cuftom, it immedi- ately begins to Tyrannize, and make it felf an Excufe for its own Errors. In a word. Men go on in a Cuftom, becaufe it is a Cuftom • fo it gets Years on its Side, and then 'tis called an old Cuftom, an antient Cuftom, which adds Veneration to it, and, at laft, an immemorial Cuftom, or, as we vulgarly exprefs it, a Ciijloin, Time out of jnind-^ which is fufEcient to make a Law of it.

This Corruption ufurped upon Nature, and, turned into Cuftom, is the Thing we have to combat with in the Article before us, in which we have this lawful Plea to bring againft it ^ {viz) That Cuftom in Crime is juft as much a Defence for it, as Antiquity, in Error, and is indeed the fame thing -, and fo, in the Cafe

tefore


[ 3^^ ] tefore me 5 for a Man to fay, I have always done fo,you ftartle me a little/tis true, Ididnot examine into the thing, but I never made any helitation about it • 'tis a Cuftom, and, I be- lieve, every Body does it as well as we^ and therefore I cannot think 'tis a Crime 5 you muft preach it down in general^ when it comes to be chang'd by other People, Til think of it, but, I believe, every Body does fo, as well as I.

These are really dangerous, as well as unjuft Arguings, and the more fo, becaufe they are too true, and too real. But what is then to be done ? Muft Cuftom, founded up- on the moft fcandalous Miftake, take Place ? It was, in its very original, an Encroachment upon Nature, upon Modefty, and upon Tem- perance, and fliall we plead its Antiquity, which is fo far from an Excufe, that it is an addition to its Crime-, this is as if a con- vidted Highwa3rmen ftiould plead for Mercy, becaufe he had been forty Years in the Trade, an old Offender, and long prad:is*d in the Crime.

If the Cuftom is wicked •, if it is, in its original, a Treafon againft Virtue, and an En- croachment upon Nature •, will any Man plead for the Praftice, becaufe their Anceftors were guilty of it before them.

T H E R E is indeed a happy Article in this Argu- ment, (^iz.) that there is not one Word of Excufe for it ^ but this fooliih Plea of its being a Cuftom^ all other Arguments are againft it j 'tis evidently a Pollution in Nature, a Scandal to its Purit}^, to its Virtue, to its Moderation, and to all that can be called Prudent and "Wife.

PrO"


[ 303 ]

Procreation of the Species, and the Ge- neration of Mankind, is the juft End of Ma- trimony-, 'tis exprefs'd fo in the Office of Matri- mony, and in the facred Text, in many Places^ Now when the Woman is with Child, the End of Matrimony is anfwered •, the Demand is at an End till fhe is light again (as the Women call it). Some would fain plead a progreflive Conception, and that there is a Supply wanting to compleat the Fo-rmation of the F(£tiis^ and a great deal more of that Kind.

But this is evidently a Miftake, and the contrary is manif . ft • the Work of Conception is hit off at once :, the Materials being furnifh- ed. Nature being fet on Work, all the forming Parts are engaged together ^ they may, indeed, be hindered and interrupted in their Opera- tion by future Agreiiions, and by the very Offence which I complain of-, but that any addition can be made to the Work of Nature, efpecially in the manner, and at the diftance of Time that we fpeak of, is grofly abfurd, and contrar}'- to Nature.

The limitation of Time when, as I fay, the Man fhould know his Wife no more, is plac'd at fo convenient a diftance, as that of her be- ing known to be with Child. If there were any fuch Thing as a fecond Conception, or ad- ditions to the Work of Conception, auxiliar to Nature j I fay, if there were any fuch thing, as I can by no means grant, tho' I do not difpute here ^ yet 'tis evident it muft be at or about the Beginning of the Conception, not at four or five Months diftance of Time, for then a Woman might go with two or more Children at once, and bring them forth four or five Months after one another j nay, a Woman might be

always


_ [ 304 ]

^ilways Conceiving, alwaj^^s Breeding, and al- ways Bearing or Bringing forth.

Whether muft tiiele grofs Ideas lead us? And into what Abfurdities muil we run in our Thoughts of them > Let thofe that can con- ceive thus of fuch Matters^ enter into a Deci- cifion of the Controverfy; I tliink, our prefent Subjed is no farther concerned to anfwer them, than only to appeal to Rea.fon and Experience, and to all the learned Anatoraifts and Accouch- ers, to judge of it.

I obferve, when I hint tlie Mddefty of Ma- hometan Nations, and other People, who, as I have faid, abftain from their Wives as foon as they have Conceived, or, to put it right, as foon as they know they are with Child ^ I am anfwered with a Jcind of eagernefs, that it is eafy to them, becaufe hav\ing Plurality of Women, or being allowed as many Wives as they will, they can lay by one, and take another as they pleafe -, fo that they are never without a Wife-, but as foon as one is withChild^ fhe withdraivs to her Apartm.ent, and he knows her no more. But then he calls another" to his Bed^ and as ihe may continue four or five Months before he can be fure {he is with Child, hj that time the firft is fure to be delivered, and be ready for his Bed again •, and fo c^f all the Wives in their Turn. And thus the .Man is never without a Womian for his Conve- nience.

If this be fo, all that can be faid for it is, that this is a kind of Argument in fsivouv of Poligamy, that is to fay, that we make life of it as fuch. But the Turks are very far from giving this as a Reafon for their Poligamy : The Reafon of that Pradice is taken from the

Cuftor.E


[ 505 ]

Cuftom of the Patriarchs, and is inade a Part of MahoyneVs Law ^ and if the}^ were not fo allowed the ufe of many Women promifcuoufl}, it is certain they would ftill abftain from their "Wives daring the time of their beins with Child.

It is looked upon as a prepofterous Thing,, a Pollution and Impurity 5 nay, they take it to be naufeous and unnatural •, the fober Men among them fpeak of it with deteftation, and upbraid the Chriftians with it as ading more than Bcaftial, for that very few of the brute Creatures pradife it ^ and, if you confider it with exadnefs, you will not find any of the Brutes that will admit, much lefs feek the Con- jundion of their Sexes after Conception : However eager when Nature prompted, and however loud the Female calls the Alale, jqX^ after the Pire of Nature is quenched, fhe fights him, and flies at him if he attacks her.

It would be an unpleafant Task, and un- fuitable to the juft Reftraint which I have put upon my felf in the firft Undertaking of this difficult Work, if I Ihould pretend to enter here into a Philofophical or Anatomical De- fcription of the Reafon and Nature of the brutal Appetites ^ their Seafons, their Condu(!± in th€m, and their pundual obferving the Laws of Nature in the various Circumftances of thofe Seafons ^ their Conception ^ their bringing forth their young -, their fuckling and nourilhing them afterwards-, how regular, how exadl:, and how pundual the Creatures are to thofe Seafons ^ and how modeft and uncon- cerned with one another when thofe Seafons are paft, or in the due Intervals of them.

X I %^


[ 30^ ]

I fay, it would be an improper Search under the Limitations which I am otherwife bound hy ^ the Enquiry would be very improving, critical and curious^ and fuch a Thing maj not be unprofitable in Surgery and Anatomj^ : But, . at prefent, our Subject points another Way •, and I am rather difcourfing theMorality, as well as the Modefty of it, the rational, not phyfical Foundation of it •, and fearching into the Rea- fbu why we give our felves fuch Liberties which the Savages, and undireded Part of Mankind, do not take.

As to the weak Excufe, that the Mahometan and Paga7i Nations have a Plurality of Women, fo that the}'- fupply Nature's demands another Way, 'tis a moil fcandalous Confelfion, that the vitious Part of the Man is the only occafion of the Pradice •, and that this is done, not that it is fuppoled to be right, but becaufe the Power of the Vice prevails, and the Appetite rules the Man, the Reafon, and Nature is fubjeded to Defire, and the pure Flame is overborn by the impure eruption of Salt and Sulphur.

And where's the Chriftian all this while? Where are the neceflary Mortifications of a holy Life ? Where do fuch mortify the Deeds of the Body? Rom, viii. 15. How have they cruel fei the FUJI) with its AjfeBio7is and Lujls ? Gal. V. 24.

Shall Chriftians, that pretend to walk hj the pure Pattern of their Saviour and his Apo- ftles, and by the perfed Rule of the Scripture, at the fame time plead a neceiiity of Polluting themfelves, and that in a filthy and loathfome manner^ a manner which they cannot fpeak of withoutBluihes^fhallthefepleadafupplyof the

Demands


I


[ 307 1

Demands of Nature, and a necefllty for want of a Pluralit}'- of Women ?

How ought fuch rather to remember, that they are Chriftians, and that the double Obli- gation lies upon them to abftain from fuch Things, hj how much thejr pretend to a great* er Aiiiftance in their Mortifications from fupe- rior and invifible Helps of Religion? How d-) we fee the Clergy of the Roman Church devote themfelves to a perpetual Celibacy, and enter into folemn Vows of Chaftity, and per- form them too ^ for tho' fome may offend, we cannot, with common Juftice, charge it upon the whole Body of the Clergy, and of the Re- ligious People ?

And fliall Proteflants only pretend to a neceffity of Crime, and that they cannot re- ftrain themfelves from fecret Lewdnefs, .or keep themfelves from Ihameful Pollutions, but that they muft allow themfelves to a£t againft Nature, and againft Virtue, and even" againft the Stomach? This is the grofTeft Piece of confefs'd Frailt}^ that one can meet with any where, and nothing that I know in Storj can come up to it.

As to the Abftinence of thofe who, in fome Countries, are allowed a Plurality of Wives, we are affured that fome, yea, many of thern, after having had the Knowledge of one of their Women, the} knew her no more, till they have an AfTurance that fhe has not conceived, and that fhe is not with Child, The Grand Seig- nior, 'tis certain, ads thus among the Ladies of the Seraglio-^ and, if we may believe fome who pretend to know, lives a much more temperate Life, and aa:s with a great deal more Modera- tion among three or fonr hundred Ladies, all at

X 2 his


■ [ 5o8 ]

his Command, than the Gentlemen I am fpcalc- ing of do, with one Wife, and no more.

In a word ^ among thofe People, for a Man to know a Tvoman after flie was already with Child, would be deteftable, it would be an abo- mination to them^ the Woman would refufe it with as much Refolution as fhe would a Ra- vifher, and the Man muft be abandoned to all that was counted brutifh and unclean, that Ihould offer it.

Whether it be fo among us, or how it is received and pradtifed among us Chriftians, I leave to the general Opinion, and to private Experience, not meddling with that Part, as too grofs for me ^ though I might give Examples too notorious, from the Mouths of our flagrant

Friends of the unbluihing Club at Tovy's ■ ,

and from the Teilimony and Confeilion of a-

bundance of the modefl Society at 's, be-

lides feme of the Ladies who have intermed- dled fo lately, I do not fay fo decently, in the Affair, as to be partly the occafion of this very Chapter, and of all the Parts of it ^ of whom my wonderful Concern for their Fame, gives me leave to fa} no more. It were to be wilhed, that they would, for the future, be as careful cf their own Characters, as I am.

I am forrjr, after all I have faid upon this filthy Subjed, to obferve, that here are yet no want of Advocates to defend the Prac- tice ; though I muft add, that there is a per- fed fterility of Argument, or, at leaft, rea- fonable Arguments, to fupport their Defence of it.

What they fay amounts to fo little, and that little is fo fcanditlous in its Kature, and

iitg


9

[ 309 ] fits fo ill upon the Tongaes of Men of Virtue and Moderation, much lefs Men of Chriltia- iiitj and Religion, that I blulh for them, and conceal it. Nothing requires a more juft and fevere Cenfure, except it be the Adtion they would defend by it.

To fay they cannot refrain, is to confefs a frailty which Papifts and Popiih Votaries de- fpife, and pretend to make flight of, nay, which Pagans and Mahometaits overcome by the Power of their Religion. The Nu7is dedicated to Chrifl, and to fuch and fuch Saints, undertake to preferve an entire Chaftity •, and the Reli- gious Orders of Monks and Friars do the fame • the Clergy univerfall}^ make no Diffi- culty of it, and this for the length of their whole Lives. And fhall Proteftants not be a-

fhamed to fay they cannot for fo little

a Time, and fo jull: an Occ^fion ? 'Tis a moft Ihameful Neceility they are under- if the Fad be true, they ought, as I faid in another Cafe, take Phyfick, ufe Medicine, and ftrive by juftifiable Methods, to abate the Acri- mony of their Blodd., bringing themfeives into a Rule or Regimen of Diet, that they may re- move the Caufe, and enable them to command their raging Defires. by weakening the Defire it felf.

Nothing is more certain, than that luxu- rious living, eating and drinking, what we call rich Diet, high Sauces, ftrong Wines, and other Incentives, are great Occafions of Vice ^ are Provocatives, andRaifers of other and more fcandalous Appetites ^ the Blood is heated and fired, and the Spirits are inflamed ^ Nature is elevated and prompted, and then we Plead and Argue what we ought to be alhamed fo much

X 3 «f


[ 3IO ]

to name, and would Bluih to do it it another time.

This Luxury is not only a Sin in its own Nature, but it is a ftrong Motive to other Sins-, 'tis the Devil at the Elbow, prompting and ex- citing, and we ought to avoid the Caufe as we would obey the Scripture, which fays, Flee youthful Liifts •, the Reafon is given in the very fame Yerfe, for they War agaivft the Soul • they raife a Tumult in the Man, they arm his Vices againft his Reafon, and procure him Ene- mies, even from within, that are too hard for •him ^ in fhort, they raife the Devil, which he cannot lay.

It is an undeniable Maxim, that a luxu- rious Appetite in eating and drinking raifes an ungoverned Appetite in other Pleafures •, Na- ture obeys its own Laws : Great takings in muft have great goings out ^ grofs feeding, and ftrong rich taking in of Dief, muft have Eva- cuations in proportion •, if there is an Acrimony in the Blood, there is a phylical Application iiecefTary in its Courfe^ great Digeftures muft have ftrong Emeticks •, there muft be Evacua- tions of one Sort or other.

Now a vitiated Appetite of one kind is the Effe(5l of a vitiated gorging the Appetite on the other •, and the grofs feeding occaiions grofs Defires ^ on the other hand, to reftrain and limit the Appetite in eating and drinking, is the only Way to get a compleat Victory over our own Corruption.

A mortified Mind therefore, a Soul refolv*d not to be overcome, or be drawn a fide of its own Liifis^ and enticedy but refolved to mortify the Flefti, with its Affedions and Lufts, would reftrain it felf voluntarily, and fubdue all the Oc-

calioi:^'


[ 311 ]

f^afions of the Crime. Certainly high feeding is the Original of high Vices, and brings the worfl: Inconve^iiences of this kind upon the Man. Hence Failings were introduced in the primi- tive Churches, and Mortifications, in order to bring under the Bodj, and bring the Fklh into Subjedion^ and they are pradis'd among the moft devout of the Popifli Reclufes to this time, in order to enable them to reftrain natu- ral Inclination, and they do find them ef- fedual ^ the abating the quantity of Animal Food, the pungent Particles of which fharpen the Blood, prefs upon the Nerves, and give an ungoverned Vigour to the Spirits, is certainly the Way, and an efFedual Way to reduce the Corruptions to the Government both of Reafon and Religion.

If this Devil cannot be calt out but hy Prayer and FaJUng^ then Prayer and pjjlhig muft be pradtis'd •, for the Evil Spirit mutt hi caftout, and the ftrong Man muft be difpoflefs'd.

Nor is it neceflary upon a religious Account only, and to reduce us to the Rank of Chri- ftians I but indeed, 'tis neceiTary in the Cafe before us, to bring us to a due Exercife of our Reafon, and to ad like Men, that we may not live like human Beafts, Vv^ithout all Govern- ment, and without any Slibjedion to the Domi- nion of our Reafon.

This then is the true Way to take off that pitious Plea, (viz.) That they cannot reftrain themfelves. To ad reafonably would be to re- ftrain our felves ♦, and thofe that really can- not fo reftrain themfelves, grant, that they hav© not the exercife of their Reafon. If due Mor- tifications were pradifed, the difficulty of re- ftraining themfelves would be taken away ^ ia

X 4 th»


[ 512. ] •

the particular Cafe I am f]:)ealcing dF, and the Inclination would not be able to conquer the Averfion ^ for there mufl certainly be fome- thing fhocking to Nature in the Thing it felf • and there wants nothing but a decay of the Ferment in the Blood to make the Vidory eafy, and to bring the Enemy to be fubdued.

And to add to this Phyfical Refolution the Methods of Diet, why Ihould not both Men and Women tie themfelves by folemn Vows, Promifes and religious Refolutions, to keep themfelves within^Bounds ? Perhaps then they would afllil one another in the Performance. "VVhy do not Proteftavts^ as well as PapiJIs^ enter into Vows of Continence ? No doubt if they would be afilftant to one another to break thofe Charms of Hell, thofe Filtres and Bewitchings, which are certainly the Attacks of the Devil, the}^ m.ight break them.

Did thejr do this, they would fortify one another in the Ways of Virtue^ and it would not be fo eafy to be drawn into Crime • a three- fold Cord is not eafily broken, and here is a threefold Help: As, (r.j A Conviction that you ought to perform it. (2.) A folemn Vow to engage the Performance. And, f 5.) Mutual Aiiiftance both in the Vow and in the Refolu- tion, to pay it.

I would hope, that this vile Pra6lice is car- ried on among us, rather for want of knowing how offeniive it is, than for want of Power to tefolve a Performance, and to engage the Mind in it. Cuftom has made the Vice, however odious in it felf, fo natural to us, that there are thoufands of People among us at this time, who, if you fhould ask about it, would

readily


[ 3^3 ]

readily anfwer with a furprizc, Iprofefs I never thought it had been an Offeree,

Men go into it eager, without Confidera- tion. Nature gives faint checks to the Mind ^ for even Nature, left entirely to it felf, would jet have fome Relu6tance, and would a little recoil at the unnatural Adion. But the Men are us'd to it • there is no exprefs Law againft it ♦, they fee no notice taken of it in the Scrip- ture, or in any fubfequent Inftitutions • they are under no Reftraints of that kind ^ and where Ihould they then be reftrained, and by what ?

Ignorance then of the nature of the Of- fence, renders the Man in danger of commit- ting it. The Cuftom of the Country he lives in is a terrible Plea, and he is too apt to cleai^e to it, and venture upon the Cuftom • he knows no Law againft it, and therefore fees no Crime, no Breach of any Law in the com-, Biitting it.

How weak is corrupted Nature not to fee the Scandal of fo really odious and filthy a Practice ? And how far is this Ignorance from being an Excufe > It is indeed a Sin of Igno- rance, but then it is a criminal Ignorance too, and fo it makes no excufe for, but aggravates the Charge, as Murther committed in Drunken- nefs is an aggravated Murther.

To be ignorant of a thing that Nature dic- tates, is ftiutting the Eyes againft natural Light •, refifting the moft powerful Motive that can be found oppofing it. ^Vhj do not fuch People open their Eyes > Nature alFifts them to do it •, but the debauched Inclination will fully clofe them ^ fo that the Ignorance is really as criminal as the A(5tion.

Saint


Saint Francis^ if you will believe theWriters of his Hiftorj, was ^ particularly perfecuted with wicked and raging Inclinations to Wo- men ^ and the Devil, who, by the way, knows how to prompt us in that particular Article^ where Nature is weakeft and moft inclined to yield, often laid Snares for him, and would appear to him in the Ihape of a beautiful Lady, or in the appearance of lewd and indecent Geftures. But to refift him, and keep down the rebelling Vice in his Blood, he would fall upon his Body, with the Scourge and the Dif- cipline. Ha ! Brother Afs, fays he, that was the lejl Title he could give his Carkafs^ do you want Corredtion > Is your Blood fo hot ftill? Then he would faft forty Hours, and all the while whip and tear himfelf with a Wire Scourge, till he made the Blood come.

Be the Hiftory true or not, the Moral is good. The unmortified pampered Carkafs is the real Fund of all thcfe raging, tyrannizing Inclinations, which we make our fimple Ex- cufes for doing fordid Things-, and though I do not prefcribe i3ifciplines and Failings, by way of meritorious Mortification in this Cafe, as the Papifts do^ yet I muft tell my guilty Rea- der, they are abfolutely neceflary in the Cafe, to reduce the (Carkafs) Body into a due Sub- jection to (the Soul) Reafon • and he that can- not otherwife conquer an outrageous Appetite, ought, and muft ufe the proper Methods to re- duce it •, the Caufe muft be taken away that the Effed may ceafe.

A Man who not only has a rational Soul, But has the Powers and Faculties of it, (viz.) His Underftanding and Will in their due Ex- "ercife, fliould be a&amed to fay, he cannot re- ft rain.


[ ?^5 ]

ftrain this or that corrupt AfFedion -^ the Af- fections are certainly regimented in a fubor- dinate Station in the Soul, and are placed in fubjedtion to the Underftanding. He that gives them leave to advance beyond their Appointment, fuffers his Soul to be hun'y'd down the Stream of the Affedtions, is fo far divefted of himfelf, and out of his own Go«  vernraent, and ought to ufe rational Means to recover the Exercife of his Reafon, and to give thofe upftart tumultuous Things, called the Af- fections, a due and fevere Check.

This Doctrine of Difcipline and Mortiff- cation, how much foever it may look like Popery, is notwithftanding a moft abfoluteiy iieceffary thing in the Life of a Man of Senfe^ and tho' I am not talking of it here as a religious Exercife, at leall: not in the Man- ner and on the Principle of Merit, as the Pa- pifts pra6tife it •, yet I muft own, 'tis the mofb effectual Means to anfwer the End in fuch Cafes as thefe.

If it be true, that the Affections, which are the grofleft Part of the Man, are up in Arms • if this Mob is rais'd in his Soul, for fuch it is, the Militia muft be rais'd to fupprefs them • Violence muft be fapprefs'd by Violence ^ ths Torrent muft be check'd, and the Man be re- duced to the Government of himfelf, and brought into good Order by proper Powers •, for as it is (in fhort) a Tumult in his Soul, and a Rebellion againft the juft Dominion of his Reafon, fo he muft ufe the means Nature has put into his hand to quaih and fuppreft the Rebellion, and chain them down like Galley- Slaves to the Oar, to hum^ble and mortify them,

Th£


The Allegory is good ^ it is the highth of the Animal Spirits which Occafions all the Exor- bitances in the Affections, and thofe Heats are to be abated by Aufterities and Difcipline. Kature calls for it, whether Religion calls foi: it or no ^ it is a Political, as well as a Phyfical Method^ Prudence will direcl:-, and any Phy- iician, if you were honeftlj to tell him your Cafe, would take it as a Difeafe in the Blood, an Inflammation and Fever in the Head, or elfewhere, and would prefcribe you juft fuch Phyfick, fuch Abftinence, and fuch Mortifi- cations as I mention, as the beft Medicine for it as a Diftemper.

I am the longer upon this Subject of Abfti- nence and Mortification in this Place, becaufe the Pretence in this Article is, the Strength of Inclination is too great •, and that we cannot compleat it, tho* it ought rather to be faid, WILL NOT. Now were it really true, that they could not reduce and conquer the Incli^ nation by the force of ordinary Refolution, then the reducing the Principle of it is the next fure and effectual Method. AVater may, if the Quantity be fufficient, conquer and put out a Fire^ but removing the Com.bufl:ibles, taking awa}^ the Fewel, is a never-failing Me^ thod^ the^ iirfl: may do it, but the laft muft do it. No Fire burns upon it felf • that which we call Burning, is nothing but penetrating and dividing the Particles of Matter f if the Mat- ter be removed, there is nothing *t6 feparate, nothing to operate upon, and the Fire goes out of courfe.

The like Plea for Mortifications holds good in moii of the other Cafes I have mentionec^ in this Work ^ for Ihould we trace all the raging

Excefles


[317 1 ExcefTes 'which I have touch'd at in the former Part of this Work to their true Original, we fliould find much of it owing to the Extravagan-r ces of our Living in England ^ I mean, as to eating and drinking. What is the Reafon we have fo many People die of Fevers here more than in any other Part of the World > and that, ever}'- Year or two, we have what we call a new Diftemper, which carries oif fo many, that at thofe Seafons the Weekly Bills in Lon- don rife up to fix hundred or feven hundred a Week ? Why is the Small-Pox fo fatal, and par- ticularly among the Gentry and Perfons of Diftinftion, but becaufe of the ExcelTes of eat- ing and drinking, in which, as well as in ihQ Nature of what we eat and drink, we go beyond the reft of Mankind ?

The fame Reafon is to be given for other Things •, the fame ExcefTes ferment the Blood, raife the Spirits, and produce all the immo- derate fcandalous Things which I have been complaining of, and which there is fo much Reafon to complain of among us •, in which the Turks and Savaged appear to act more like Men of Reafon than we do.

Their Way of Living is not fo high • their Blood does not boil with the fame in- temperate Heats, confequently their Abflinence is not fo much a Virtue ^ but I muft add too that our Incontinence is the more a Vice- 'tis a Crime occafioned by a Crime 5 and we ought to ufe Temperance firft in our Diet, and theii we Ihall, with the more eafe, practice Temper- ance in other Things.

The Crime of Sodoyn^ however unnatural the Vices are which they pradtifed, is laid all upon aCaufe, which was of the fame Kind with


ours.


cur 3, Pride and Idlenefs, and Fulnefs of Bread. By which I underftand, that their laf- civious Widcednefs proceeded from their luxu- rious Diet ^ Sloth and Gluttony enraged their Blood ♦, and they fat upon the high Places to- do Evil.

Our fulnefs of Bread muft be acknowledg'd to be a great Ailiftant to our immoderate Appe- tite another Way •, for this high Feeding gives high Spirits, and thefe prompt to all exorbitant Crimes. Excefs of the Animal Spirits fill and fire the Blood, and when thofe heats rage, then the Head contrives Wickednefs. I need not fpeak it plainer, the Cafe is eafily underftood. No- thing can bring us to a Life of Moderation in our Pleafures, like a Life of Temperance and Moderation in eating and drinking.

But I come from the Caufe to the Crime ^ and m.uft fay a "Word or two more to that.

Among all the brutifh Circumftances of it, this is one, that 'tis an Adion ftript of all mo- deil Pretences, all tolerable Excufes -^ as it is a rneer Act of Pollution, fo there is not one AVotd to be faid to extenuate it-, the Man can onl}'- fay, that he does it as an Excurfion of meer fenfuality, or a gratification to the Flefh. There can be no End in it, or Reafon for it, that c?.n be fo much as named without Blulh- ing. The "Woman is with Child, that's fuppo- fed. It is known, and fhe acknowledges it. What then can be faid on that Side ? The End of ,the conjugal A6t is already anfwered ^ Wherefore d-;es he come near her? 'Tis only to fatisf}^ the cravings of his Vice, only ^to gra- tify his fraileft Part, to pleafe himfelf, or, as thi Scripture fays, to fulfil the Lulls of the Flefh.

This


[ MP 1

This ib an End fo bafe, fo mean, fo abfurd, that no Chriftian Man can plead it in Excufe ^ and yet, at the fame time, 'tis impoliible to fmd any other Excufe for it : In Ihcrt, it is a iTieer fhamelefs ufe cf a Woman, to abate the heat of his Spirits, and cool his Bloody 'tis making a Necejfary-Houfc of his Wife, and no- thing mere or lefs ^ and that indeed is a fordid Thing, fo much as in the fuggeftion cf it ^ 'tis adding Scandal to the Crime, covering it with- out a Cover ♦, there's no Excufe can be made for it, no tolerable Name be given to it (that I can find at leaft) but this of Matrimonial Whoredom, according to my Title.

Let us then think of reforming this fcan- dalous Pradice ^ let us look at it in a due Per- fpedtive, in a clear open Light. If any one thing can with Modefty be faid in Defence of it, let us hear it ^ if not, if it is to be only confefs'd as a Crime, let it be forfaken as a Crime. What cannot be defended, ought to be reformed : What every one is afhamed to fpeak for, none (hould be afhamed to forfake.

I could offer fome Examples upon this Sub- jed, but they are of fuch a courfe kind, that it is too foul to mention ^ there's no entring into the Particulars- it would offend the Ears of all thofe that have the leaft Pretence to Modefty. Some of our worthy Neighbours will indeed, on this very Score, pafs unreproved, and the filthy Circumflances not be animad- verted upon, becaufe they cannot be mentioned; but it is fo, it cannot be helped, fo they muft efcape.

I have the Honour to converfe with fome Gentlemen fo abflcnious, that they are able to clear themfelves of this Charge^ and 'tis to

their


[ ^lo ]

their Honour that I mention it; though, but in

general, Sir TF^ . G , and his Ladj, have

treated one another always with fuch Juftice, and with fuch Referve in this Cafe, that as foon as ever the Lady has found her felf with Child, ihe always lodged in Apartments by her felf, till ihe was delivered, and the like at'other Sea- fons ; that no Occafion might offer, where there was fo m.uch Love, to have any excefs.

Nor has this modeft Cuftom been fo much a Stranger to our Anceftors, as it feems to have been to us -^ a Truth not at all to our Advan- tage •, this was, withour doubt, the Original of that good Cuftom among Perfons of Qua- lity, and of any tolerable Fortunes, to have feparate Apartments, the Gentleman's Lodg- ings and the Lady's being feparate, ^o that, when Decency required, they v/ent from one another for a while, till proper Times return- ed, and made Lodging together reafonable again.

It is true, middling Families have not this Convenience, and cannot Iceep feparate Lodg- ings fiirniflied for one another ^ it may be faid of fuch indeed, that ih^j have the greater ex- ercife for their Virtue, becaufe they are obliged always to lodge together. But how great fo- ever the Exercife is, and how difficult foever to be put in Practice, ftill, as it is a Virtue, it ought to be ftridly obferved ^ nor, in my Opinion, can any Man be faid to live a Life of Virtue that negkds it.

The reft is all Proliitution ^ nay, 'tis worle, ^tis unnatural, 'tis a kind of l^ff^v Sodomy -^ for, I doubt not, bat Sodojuh Sins, the Foundation f f which was laid, as I have obferved, in high f^-eding, emphatically exprefs'd in the facred

Text


[ ?2-l ]

Text by Fiihefs of Bread, fo the Confequences brake out in divers other ExcefTes, befides that, one deteftable Crime, which bears the Name and Reproach of the Place to this Day. Their gor- ged Stomachs difcovered themfelves, no doubt, in all the ExcefTes of a provoked Appetite, and an inflamed Blood ^ and it is fo, in like Cafes, to this Day.

We have a Teftimony of this in all Places, and, I may fay, in all Ages of the World : The high Feeders are the high Livers^ excels of Wine is defcribed in Scripture to produce excefs of Vice, and the Fire of Nature burns in pro- portion to the Fewel. Hence the Italians, a Nation who revel in all the Varieties of Lux- ury, fuch as rich Wines, lufcious Fruits, high Sauces, Pickles, Prefer ves, Sweet-meats, and Perfumes, to an Excefs. How do the hellilh Fires rage in them ? How do they run out to all the Extremes of criminal Riot, even to that Fury of Love, called Jealoufy, and this often ending in Blood > How do they dwell in Wan- tonnefs and Lafcivioufnefs, and carry it on to all the mofl unnatural Extremes of the dead Lake it felf, and this not only now, but in the Romans Time alfo it was the like.

At the fame time the more moderate feed- ing Nations round them, are in proportion,, lefs outrageous in their Vice, and whether it be from any Principle of Virtue or no, they are fo by the meer Confequence of Things^ they live more fparingly, and their Blood is kept lower, not always inflamed (as is the Cafe ia Italy, and other Parts of the World)-, theyare forbid Wine, which to thefe Northern Climates is the Fewel of outrageous Adtions, and leads to innumerable Crimes,

Y How


[ 3^^ ]

How eafily then is this fcandaloiis Excefs to be cured? They have very little regard to Mo- defty, to the demands of their Reafon or of Religion, who will not reduce themfelves to a moderate Degree of Heat, in order to mortify fuch criminal Defires as thefe ^ if a little abatement of "Wine, or of ftrong nourifhing and rich Diets, and feeding more fparingly, would do it, they muft have no defire to live within Bounds, like Chriftians, and like Men, who will not abate a little at the Trencher, that they may be able to abate in another Place.

Gluttony and Drunkennefs are too near a-kin to the Debaucheries of Love, as they may well be ftiled, not to be called the Parents of the Vice. If you reftrain the Original, you cut off the fequent Crime •, if the Springs are cut off, the Streams will foon fail ^ if the Foun- tains are ftopt, the Rivers will foon be drjr. and they that will not fufFer fo fmall a Morti- fication as the denying themfelves a little in the excefles of the Table and the Bottle, in order to abate fome of the more criminal Ex- cefTes in the other Place, loudly tells us, they are in love with the Crime, that they are pleas'd with the Vice ^ and that it is not that they cannot reftrain themfelves, but that, de- lighting in the vile Part, they don't defire to reftrain themfelves, or to be reftrained- that they will not remove the Fewel, left the Fire fhould abate : Thus oneExcefs follows another 5 a Debauchery of one kind follov/s the Debauch- ery of another • the Matrimonial Whoredom follows the Drunkennefs and the Gluttony, by the fame Neceffity, and as naturally as the Confequence follows the Caufe-, the Influx oc- cafiojis the Efflux, and the Man is but the

fame 5


[ ^2.3 ] ^

fame-, he is a Yoluntier in both, a willing Ser^- Vant to the Devil, and defires not to be deliver- ed from the pleafing neceliitjr.

I am the longer upon it here, as I faid be* fore, hecstnfe indeed 'tis the fame thing in all the other wicked things I have mentioned in this "Work. Whence comes all the indecent law-^ ful Things we have been talking of, but from this Sin of Sodom, ( viz. ) Fnhwfs of Bread ? while the Stomach is gorged with animal Food, of which no Nation in the World feeds like us ^ while the Blood is filled with thefe pungent Particles, and the Veins fwelled with animal Spirits, no wonder the feminal Yeffels are over full, and fummon the Man to a Difmiiiion or Evacuation, even at the Price of his Virtue, of his Confcienccj and of his Reafon.

Let them that are truly defirous to prevent this unhapp}^ eruption of Confequences, begin in the right Place- abate the firftMifchief ^ let them rem.ove the cauiing Evil, and the confe- quent Evil will die of courfe.

A Mortification of the Palate would be an effectual Reformation upon the Life •, hy a due Regimen of Diet we might bring our felves to be a reformed regular Nation *, and I fee no other Way ever to bring it to pafs.

We are ruined in our Morals hy laivful Things ^ the Exceffes in our lawful Enjo}— ments make them criminal • even our needful Supplies of Life are the ruin of Life, We not only dig our Graves with our Teeth, ty mingling our Difeafes with our Food, nou- riihing Diftemper and Life together, but we even eat our Vv^ay into Eternity, and damn our Souls with our Teeth ^ gnawing our Way through the Doors of the Devil's Caftle

Y 2 with


I 3M 1

with bur Teeth. In a word, the Drunkard may be well faid to drink himlelf to the Devil ^ the nice eating Glutton feeds and fattens himfelf up for the Devil's Slaughter-houfe ^ becaufe one Vice feeds another till they are made ripe for Hell, by the dijftraded Ufeof lawful and lau- dable Things •, making lawful and even necef- fary Things criminal, and fowing the Seeds of Vice in the ordinary Ploughings of meer Nature.

How ufefuUy might we apply this to our particular Friends, of whom fo many will

ftrive to Blufh, when they read it. A

L • FAq-^ had never been a IVhore-mafter if

he had not din'd fo often at Puntack's •, nor had

good and grave Sir X--- IF , vifited Tabby

R , by Moon-light, if he had not dwelt

fo many dark Evenings at Brown's •, fo he goes from the Bottle to the Bawdy-houfe ♦, in which the Man may be faid only to a6t Nature, and purfue, as all the World does, the direct Courfe of Caufe and Confequence.

If G W will ceafe to make his Houfe

a Stews, his Marriage-Bed a Pollution, and bring his modeft Wife to a neceility of turn- ing her Slipper the wrong Side upward at him, if he will be able to give a better Excufe for his Matrimonial Whoredom, than that he can't help it -, let him ceafe to eat three Hours together at Breakfaft •, let him not gorge at Noon till he falls alleep at the Table, or drink at Night till he lies under it -, let him read Cornaro of Venice.^ and live upon two Ounces and five Drams a' Day, and half a Pint of Wine in three Days ^ Til anfwer for it, his Wife Ihall rot lock her felf up for fear of coming to Bed to a Fury, nor fwear the Peace againft him to

get


[ 3M ]

get him "bound to the Behaviour of a Chriftian, for fear of being murthered in the lawful Me- thod of Man and Tv'ife.

Madmen by Day will be Madmen hj , Night ', they that have no government of themfelves one War, how fliould they have it another Way ? I exped it will be objeded here, that the Nations which I have named, fuch as the Jwh and Aloors^ though they drink no Wine, and do not feed, as we do, upon Flelh, yet are as wicked and vitious as other Peo- ple.

That thofe Nations are vitious^ may be true •, and having no Laws of Confcience cr Religion to reftrain them, thejr are, no doubt, much the worfe. But yet I deny one Part, (viz.) that they are fo privately wicked, fo (lan^fiilly Lewd) as I call it, as we are ^ they have their many Wives, as they will, but not fo much conjugal Lewdneisas, I believe, we have^ and I have many Reafons to think fo.

The Subject of this Chapter is indeed one, but have I not given twenty Inftances of Ma- trimonial Whoredom in the com.pafs of this Work ? Is not the common ordinary Courfe of our married looJeOries, a Series of moft fcanda- lous Doings ^ Inch and of fuch a Kind, as the Mahometayis and Savages^ who have no guide but Nature, no check but the averfions of common Senfe, would abhor?

Of the fame Nature with this. Is that of a Man coming to his Wife afcer Child-bearing, and before her Body be fufficiently cleanfed from its natural Impurities ^ before the Seafons fet apart for her proper^Purgations are finilhed. This is an Article to be lightly touch'd too, becaufe (for- iboth) vv^ewill not bear to be fpoken plainly to, of

y 9 ' ths


[ 3i<J ]

theThings, which we yet are openly and fhame- leily guilty of.

This is one of the Breaches Mankind make in their ordinary Pradlice, not upon the Laws of Decency only, but upon the Law of Kature^ for the Separation is evidently diredled by the Lav/ of Nature ^ 'tis dictated from the firft Principles of that Knowledge which the moft Ignorant are furnilhed with of them- felves.

The Women indeed ought to be the Con- fervators of this Law^ and as they feem to have a kind of abfolute Power over themfelves during their ordinarj^^ Separations, they feem to be the moft chargeable with the Breach of it ^ becaufe the}^ are not altogether fo PalFive at this time as at another.

If there is a Breach of Modefty here, 'tis on her Side chiefly, and therefore the Reproof is to her, and ought to be fo taken * for it is as notorious a Charge upon her, as that of admitting a Man, upon Promife of Matrimony, before it was formed into a Marriage ^ which indeed, tho' the aggreiling was chargeable upon the 3Vian, yet the jaelding or confenting which was wholly upon the "Woman's Side, and in her Power, plainly makes her chargeable with the Offence, makes it all her own Ad and Deed -, fo it is here • and therefore it is true, that the Crime is her*s, and the Reproof is upon her, and upon her onlj'-.

The Law of God, in the publick Inftitu- tion of the JewiJI) OEconomy, ftates this Cafe with refped to the Woman's Separation after Child-bearing in ifuch a manner, as that tho* the Jewjfi Conftitutions, being abolifhed, do not feem to be binding to us, yet they are cer»

tainly


[ 3-7 ] tainly a juft Rule for us to ftate a Chrlftlan Regimen or Goi^ernmeiit from ^ they are a good Standard to meafure Decencj and the Laws of good Order by : They were certainly formed upon the mofi: perfecl Model of JuiHce and- Equity, perfectly fuited to the Nature of the Thing, and are binding in Decency, if they are not absolutely fo in Confcience, and under the ufual Penalties, as the reft of God's Law at that time was.

Most of the facred Conftitutions of the JewiJIj State were enjoyn'd upon the fevereft Penaltjr, generally of Death •, being cut off from the Congregation of the Lord, &c. and amongft thofe Things to which thofe Severities were annexed, thofe which refpedled Unclean- nefs, and natural or accidental Pollutions, were fome of the chief ^ fuch as having the Difeafe of the Leprofy, liTues of Blood, nay, even eating leavened Bread in the iltvQn Days of the PafTover •, counterfeiting the facred Oil and the facred Perfume, were punifhed with Death, that Soul was to he cut off. Sec. the Reafon was, becaufe it was a defpifing the Legiflator. But when he comes to enjoyn the needful Purifi- cations, and the particular Uncleannefles which were to be purg'd by wafhings and repa- rations, as alfo for the eating of Blood, -the Reafons are given in plain Words ^ God fpeaks them himfelf, I have feparated you from other People that ye Jlwiild he vmie, aytd yc JljaU he holy V7tto me ^ as in Exodus, chap. xii. and Leviticus^ chap. XV. and xvii. and feveral other Places.

Now if thefe legal Purifications were ap- pointed only that the People might be a more exadtly clean and fandiiied People, than the other Nations about them, the Reafon holds,

Y 4 tbo'


tho' tlie Sandlon of that particular Conftltution is ceas'd, as in other Cafes •, for example, the Law for the Man vv^ho had trefpafs'd uppn his KeighboLir, cheated or deceived him, was made to appoint a Sacrifice to attone for the Crime, and reftitution for the Trefpafs ^ the Crime is ftill the fame, though the manner of making an atonement for it is ceafed.

The Uncleannefs is the fame, whether the Law be in force or no. B} the Mofaick Inftitu- tion, the "Woman was to perform her Separa- tion, or, what was then called a Purification, a certain time •, upon her bringing forth a Male Child, ihe performed an exad: §jiarevthw^ viz. three and thirty Days, and feven Days-, and for a Female Child fhe was obliged to perform a double ^uarerdhw, namel}^, fixty and fix Da37's, and fourteen Days ^ during which time the Man was not to be fuffered to come near her, or fo much as to touch her, upon the fever eft Penalties, as above.

Now, not to infill upon the legal Purificati- ons of that ftricl Law, enjoyned from above, and which had fuch folid Reafons given for it •, yet the Law of Nature, upon which all that Part is originally founded, is the lame. You m.ay fa}, the negleft of it is not a mortal Sin, or that deferves Death. But yon camiot fay it is not a Piidor^ a fhameful, an immodeft Thing, or that it is not loathfome and odious, even in its own Nature ^ for the Regulation of clean and unclean, like right and wrong, is ftill the fame, fettled and unalterable, as Things eftabliflied in the Law of Nature, which are not altered by Cuftoms and Habits, whether good or evil.

It is true, that our L^fage has reduced thefe Separations and Purgations of the Sex to a

Month


Month or thirty Days, which the Law of God had fixed at Jix Weeks ^ and has made no dif- ference in' the time of the Separation between the Circumftances of a Male or Female Birth ^ for all which we give phyfical Re^^f^ns.^ fuch as generally fatisfy our Scruples in thole Aifairs ^ nor is it my Buflnefs to difpute here the Reafon .and Nature of the Alteration, and whether it is fufficiently grounded. Our Phj^ficians and Anatomiils are befl: able to anfvver for that Part, and, I fuppofe, can do it.

But even, with all the abatement of Days, and I doubt not 'tis reduced as low as it can be, jet^ I fay, with that abaten".cnt we fnd it is not obferved • our Libertine Age bre.-^ks thro' it all, and, if it were a Fortnight, wcold per- haps do the fame •, and this is the Thing 1 rr m- plain of^ and for want of which Decencj". or Duty rather, Feox')le of this Age may be julrly faid to deferve the Cenfure whi^h a Wile and good Man put latelj^- upon them, namely, ^hat we have not lefs Holinefs than our Anceitots, nor lefs Honeft}^, but much more •, omj t/;at he thought the Holinefs and the Honeity of the Da3s differed, and that fome Things would pafs now for Holinefs n-id for Honefty with us, which would not pafs fur fuch with our Anceftors.

This indeed may alter the Cafe verjr much, and theAges^may differ in the Species when they do not differ in the Name of the Thin^^s • the Standard of Virtue may alter as the Stand- ard of our Coins frequently do • but th^ real thing, the Silver, and its intrinfick Rate or Va- lue alters not, 'tis always the fame, and ever will be.


To


[330]

To Lring it down to the Cafe in hand. Virtue and Modcftjr were Things our Anceftors had to value thernfelves upon in a j^articular manner • and indeed they had a great Share of them, fuch as they might juftly value thern- felves upon. Now we may boaft,! hope, of Vir- tue and Honeftjr, in Quantitj^, as much as they, and, I believe, we do talk as loudly of it as ever they did ^ but whether our Virtue and our Honefty are of as fine a Standard or not, I dare not enter upon a nice enquirj^ into that Part, for fundry good Reafons, not Vj fit perhaps to mention, as we might wifn they were.

Sometimes I am afraid there is a bafer Alloy among us, and that the Species is a little altered (in thefe Ages of Mirth and good Feed- ing) ^ I won't venture to fay it is not fo. But even in the Particular before me, I have been told, our Forefathers were ftrider in their adhering to the Laws of Nature than we think our felves obliged to be ^ that they abhorred the Pollutions that I complain of, and that they left us their Pofterity, much a founder and healthier Gene- ration for that very thing, perhaps, than we may leave thofe that are to come after us.

It is a very unhappy Cafe, that thefe Prac- tices Ihould affed Pofterity fo much as they fa)f they do, becaufe v/hether we confider it fo much as we might do or not -, I cannot doubt but our Children will be touch'd in their Health and Conftitution a little, if it be but a little, by the corrupt Practices of this lewd Age. What we bring upon our felves is no- thing but to our felves, and we might be apt to fay, we alone fhould fufFer for it ^ and it were well if it v/ere no otherwife.

Eur


[ 33^ 1

But to forfeit for our Pofterity, to entail Difeafes upon the Blood of our Succeffors, to fend them into the "World with aching Heads, rheumatick Joints, entailed Difeafes, inflamed Blood, and affected Nerves, and caufe them, as we may fay ^ to come Weeping into the World, and go Groaning out of it •, this would give a confidering Mind a Pang of Remorfe, and make us anticipate our Children's Sorrows a little, by lighing for them fometimes before they are born.

Life at beft brings Sorrows enough with it, and we need not feem to be concerned left our Children fhould not have their ihare of them ^ the} will bring Evils of that kind enough (and fail enough too) upon themfelves ^ we have no need to fend them into time with an Inheritance of crippled Joints, and aching Bones, and take care to give them caufe to curfe their Fathers and Mothers, as many do every Day.

I make no doubt but the Intemperance and Exceffes I have fpoken of in this Chapter, have fometimes defcended from Line to Line to the third and fourth Generation ^ and that many of the Miferies of Life are owing to the in- feded Blood of thofe that went before them : And let fuch People refled: ferioufly upon the Number of Children born into the World in this luxurious, intemperate vltious Age, and in this City in particular, who die in the very Infancy of their Life, who coming into the World loaded with Diftempers, the efredt of their Parents Intemperance and unnatu- ral Exce/Tes, ftruggle a few Days with the un- equal Burthen of Life, and expire under the Weight of it.

It


It is but within a few Days that I have feeii Examples of this kind, in Families within the reach of a little enquiry. One has four Chil- dren left out of twenty-four y another two out of eighteen ^ another three out of twenty-two^

and fo of many more ^ whereas T C , a

Man of Virtue and Temperance, within the reach of my own Acquaintance, has had thir- teen Children, and never buried one •, but at ninety Years of Age fees them all grown Men and Women, healthy, ftrong, fruitful, and full of Children of their own.

G . D — -, another antient, grave, and re- ligious Gentleman, had but four Children, his Wife dying young, and himfelf living fingle afterwards to a great Age, faw thofe four, be- ing all Daughters, bring forth juft eighty Chil- dren, and had at one time One hundred and thirteen of his Children, Grand-Children and Great Grand-Children, dining with him at his Table.

These are fome of the Examples of Tempe- rance and Modeft}^, which allift to a ftrong Conftitution, whofe Vigour extended in the Courfe of Nature, multiplies much more than the Heats of an outrageous Flame, and leaves a Tincture of Health and vigorous Spirits upon their Pofterity •, whereas a tainted Soul, cor- rupting the Mafs of Blood with Vice and Lewdnefs, brings a Generation of difeafed and diftempered Animals, fit to be fent to an Ho& pital. Cradle and all ^ and calling for Phj'^fici- ans, and the help of Art, even before they can be fairly faid to live.

It is true, I do not place this all to the Ac- count of the two particular Branches of Intem- perance and Excefs only, which are mentioned

in


t 33? 1

5n this Chapter, but to the whole practice of immodeft and indecent Adions, the product of extravagant DeJfires, mentioned in the Chapters foregoing-, for being now at the clofe of the Account, fand 'tis time I were, for it is a black Account indeed) the Application refers to the whole, Ci'2%.) the general Immodefly of the Day, as praclifed among married People, and pleaded for, vindicated aiid defended, under the cover and protection of the facred Office, and under the x^retence of being lawful, becaufe within the Bounds of Matrimony.

Nor do I pretend that I have i^et gone through all the Branches of this dirty Pradice • the Wickednefs is difperfed among a vaft vari- ety of Caufes and Circum.ftances, as it is a- mong abundance of People ^ not a Back-door, but the corrupt Blood, the Offspring of a cor- rupt Race fally out at, and which 'Way foever you look, yon may fee daily new Indecencies, not only adted but contrived, ftudied and found out, in order to gratify the Vice, and lay us open to the Scourge of the Satyr.

It is time to combat an Ei^il that is thus growing upon us, and that encroaches under the Protedion of fo many fpecious and plaufible Outlides : One pleads Nature, another Law, another Neceifity, all of them Things that have their additional Pretences as hard to an- fwer as the Offenders pretend they are to re- lift. It is not eafie to perfuade them that they offend-, and if they feem to be convinced that they do, 'tis yet with fuch Extenuations, fuch Excufes, and fuch apparent Inclinations to continue the Pradice, that there is fcarc^ room to hope for any Ainendment.


[334]

Cou'd we but conquer the avow'd open de^ fending thefe Pradices, it would be a great Point gain'd ^ Men would ceafe to infiit upon the Juffcification of it, or to boaft in the Facts: Could we but perfuade them not to pub- liih their own Shame, but to ceafe x-aluing themfelves upon what they ought to bluih at, this would give fome room to hope for a Refor-* mation of the Pradice ^ v/e might promife our felves, that what they were once afliamed of they might perhaps, in time, think of reform- ing ^ at leail, it wou'd be a Step towards it.-

But how fhall we fuppofe L Q^—.^^ of

. 'Jlnrey Efq-, or his eminent Neighbour the

J ce, fhould quit the Crimes which they

meet without fail twice a "Week to contem- plate of, committing them over again in Imagination, leaft they Ihould not be guilty enough, and forming an accumulated Guilt in their Souls, a Guilt which few People are wicked enough to underftand, (viz.) once in the Fad, and again in the Refledion ^ in- ftead of Repentance, committing the Crime again in the Mind, by thinking it over with Delight.

These are Proficients in the Art of Sin- ning, that knowing how to offend in the moil exquifite manner, are fo far from Repentance, that, if they have any regret at all, it is that they know not how to be wickeder than they are, but rejoyce over the Opportunities they have, and wiih for more.

Rather than not be wicked, they will run lawful Things up to a criminal Excefs, and make themfelves Offenders when they need not.

Thij


[335]

This isfuchakindof pleafureinCrinnc, fuch a fondnefs of doing Evil, that I am perfuaded the Devil does not come up to-, the Devil does not commit Sin as a pleafure, but with other and farther Views, fuch as afiiontingGo d hisfupreme Governor, and who he hates on innumerable Ac- counts^ ruining Man, the fnbjed of his Envy-, lefTening the Authority of Heaven, and counter- afting divine Providence , and fuch other hei- lifli Ends and Reafons, for which he exerts himfelf in Crime to the utmoft ^ and the Plea- fure the Devil takes in Crime is no otherwife, but m.ore or lefs, as it anfwers fome of thefe helliih Defigns, and aims at more.

But my accurate Friend the 'Squire ^

pleafes himfelf in the meer Crime, laughs in the Satisfaction he finds in the very Enjoyment of Vice • like a Man tliat would Blow up a Houfe, and the whole Family in it, for the meer Satisfadion of hearing the Bounce-, and pleafe himfelf with it afterward, wpon the ineer Pleafure of feeing the innocent Wife and Children fly up in the Air, and be dafh'd in pieces with the Fall.

The Fa6l is not fo bloody and cruel indeed^ but the Principle is the fame -, he that can lock back upon a hundred Adulteries, and ad them all over again in his Imagination, with the fame Pleafure as before, wifhing for Occafions to commit a hundred more. I appeal to the learned Divines, who knov/ what the meaning of that Text is, has coTiwiittei Adultery with her already in his Heart^Ma.tth. v. 28. whether fuch a Man is not really, tho' not adually, guilty of three hundred Adulteries, putting them all together.

It is a particular Snare to thefe Men, in the Cafe I am ypon, that they fay the Crime

they


they are thus daily coinmittiiig is no Crime, much lefs Adultery, and that it has a Cover fox it, which they make their Refuge, and under the Protection of which, they run out into all thefe Extravagancies with a kind of quietnefs and fatisfaCtion upon their Soul, that is not eafily to be defcribed ^ this Covering is the Article of Marriage, the very Thing I am upon, and 'tis upon this very Account that this whole Book is written.

It is under the Cover of Marriage, that thefe ExcefTes and Immodefties are committed. But under what Protedion are they committed over again with the Tongue, boafting and talking lewdly of the Extravagancies thej^ have com.- mitted ? Of which I have this double Charge to lay againft them, (viz.) In the firft they iinn'd with their Wives ^ in the fecond without their Wivcs^ na}'-, to carry it farther, in the firft they finn'd againft Eleaven, in the fecond a- gainft the facred Ordinance of Marriage, and a- gainft the Wife alio.

An d not to leave them room to Cavil at the FxprelUon, I explain and inilft upon it, that a decent concealing the conjugal Freedoms be- tween a Man and his Wife, is a Debt due to Modcfty as a Virtue, and to the Wife as Ihe is a Woman. He that expofes thofe Things de- ferves no more the Name of a rational Creature, much lefs of a Man of Modelty,^ nay, hardly of a Man. In a word, he Sins againft his Wife, and expofes himf.df, and the laft moft abomi- nably.

Nor v/ill his Marriage cover either of thefe Crimes, but rather aggravate them, for, as I faid, he Sins againft tlie very Marriage it felf: Marriage is a Contraft of Liberty to lawful

Things


[337]

Things •, but Marriage is no Prote£i:ioii £ot Crime ^ Marriage covers the Bed undefiled, and makes it pure and honourable. But the Man may j^ollute even his Marriage-Bed, and when he does fo, he makes that criminal which would otherwife be lawful

Thus unnatural Crimes may be aded in the Marriage-Bed-, and will any Man fay, it is no Sin becaufe it is under the Cover of Marriage •, the Woman may be ravilh'd in the Marriage- Bed, and the Alan deferve the Gallows for Crimes ofFer'd to his own Wife. Let fuch con- iider of it, left the Woman turn the Slipper up agahft thejiiy and leaft they be expofed as they deferve.

As Matrimony is no Protection for unnatu- ral Vices, fo neither ]\s it for indecent Exceffes and Immodefties^ and as for the Pleafure they take in the contemplation of v/hat was crimi- nal in the committing, as it is doubling the Offence, fo it is with the addition of fomething unnatural in it alfo. In a word, talking Lewd- ly, according to a known Author, is infamous, but talking lewdly of conjugal Actions is un- natural and odious-, 'tis a kind of a Sodo?ny of the Tongue -, 'tis a Crime that wants a Name^ but 'tis great pity it fliouldwant aPunilhment.


mm E


CHAU,


t 338 ]


CHAP. XIII.

of ivdecent and untimely MarriageSy <whe'> ther as to the Tears of the Perfons y marrying Infants and Children^ or mar^ vying immediately after the Death of the Hushand or Wife -that ivent before.

HOUGH every Indecencjr is not equalljT' criminal, yet everjr. Thing fcandalous and oiFenfive is really Criminal, as that which i|j exceeds it in Degree-, and there- fore the Article I am now upon, though it may not be fo odious finglj'-, and in it felf feparately, though it is not fo much a Ma- trimonial "Whoredom as the paft Heads I have mentioned, 3^et it is Part of the Crime, and in the Intent and Meaning, the Perfons are as re- ally guilty as in any of the other.

Every jthing comes within the Compafs of what I call Matrimonial Whoredom, wherein the Marriage is made the meer Cover for a wicked, ungoverned fenfual Defire. Marriage is the Refult of a pure Flame ^ 'tis entring into a facred Relation with the Ends and Views which conform to the immediate End and Keafon of the Inftitution it felf.

As



[ 3 3^ ]

As it is an Ordinance of God, its original is Divine, the reafon of it good, . the nature of it facred ^ and it ought to be preferred in its Parity, not debauched hj the corrupt Inclina- tions of Men, and made a Tool to a vitious ungoverned Appetite*

This is the Cafe when any Excurfions are made out of the ordinary Road of thofe two obligatory Articles, which I mentioned at firft, (viz.) Decency and Modefty.

To rudi into Matrimony as a Horfe ruflies into the Battle, intimates a Fury, not a ratio- nal fober Chriftian Proceeding ^ in a word, it detects the Perfon of the Crime I have men- ' tioned fe often, (viz.) a raging inflamed Appe- tite ^ let it lie ever fo deep, covered with what- foever Pretences, guilded over however fmooth and fhining, let the outfide be as fpecious as you will, the Poifon is lodg'd within, the Ve- nom of it works in a fecret manner, till it breaks out in Scandal and Crime.

Take it in which Sex you will, the Offence is the fame ^ nor do I always yield that it is worfe in the Woman than in the Man ^ the Crime is the fame, and the Obligation to De- cency is equal ^ we may load the Woman the harder, becaufe we pretend Modefty is ever peculiar, at leaft ought to be fo, but I do not grant it at all. Men indeed make the boldeft Sallies^ and the Men have brought themfelves to a kind of allowing themfelves in Crime by the Authority of Cuftom^ but I deny that in the Original it ought to be fo.

A Man ought no more to fwear and be drunk, quarrel and commit murther in his Rage than a Woman\ and the Offence is as great when he does it Cuflom only has given Crime

Z 2 a


_[ 340 ]

a more odious Title, where the "Woman is the guilty PerfoD, becaufe it is not expedted from her fo much. But is there any Law that fliows us, the Man has more indecent Liberties al- lowed ]iim than the Woman? Not at all^ the Obligation is the fame, and the Offence the lame.

All indecent Matrimonjr is mutual, and the Crime is mutual, the Scandal afFefts both ^ the "Woman is as guilt} as the Man, and the Man as the Woman. Suppofe, for example, a Man having buried his Wife, goes the next Week, or next Month, or next Day (for 'tis much alikej to court another Woman. This is not unlawful, that's true, but 'tis highly inde- cent ^ and where lies the Crime ? In the Man, fays Cuftom., becaufe he is the Aggreilor : But 1 clen}^ that there is the leafl: Difference in that Part, for the Woman knows it, and Ihe know^ 'tis fcandalous • W^hy then does fiie come into it ? The Crime is hers as much as his. Naj^ if a Breach of Modeily is greater in the Wo- man than in the Man, as Ibme pretend, then ihe is the greateft Offender here too, for the Indecenc} on her Side is utterly inexcufl^ble.

But a Queftion or two returns upon us here : What is the Indecency that you fhould bring it into the Rank of Matrimonial Whore- dom, or that the Woman fliiould be charged with it ? The Indecency is a want of refped: to the Memory of the Dead, and pray what is the Vv^oman concerned in that ? Perhaps ihe did not fo much as know her, or bad ever feen her -in her Life ^ v/hat then is the Memory of her to her that comes after ?

The next Qiieftion is this. Breach of De- cency is an invaiion of Cuftom only, and this

Cuftpm


[ 341 ] Cuftom IS a meer Thing of Notliing, an Origin aial of no Authority. Matrimony as an Ordi- nance of God, and as a facred Inftitution, Cu- ftom can have nothing to do with that ^ it is not binding at all in Law, neither the Laws of Go d or Man, and what have we to do with that? The Manisfingle, and the Woman is dead • Ihe is as really dead as if ihe had been in her Grave fe- ven Years ^ nor is there the leafb Injurjr or In- juftice done to her •, all the reft is a meer Ho- mage paid to Cuftom, and which is not at all its due.

I give this the greater Length becaufe 'tis a popular Argument, and often brought to de- fend thefefudden, haft}^ and indecent Marriages Ifpeakof^ and likewife to let you fee, that though I Ihould grant everj^ Word of it, jct my Objedion againft the Practice of fuch haft/ Marriages ftands good, and the Reproach is the fame.

For, I. My Objedion is not fo much a- gainft the Breach of a Cuftom, as it is againft a Breach of Modefty ^ and if Cuftom only has made it fo, for Cuftom or Crime made Modefty. a Virtue at firft, yet fince it is fo we are bound by it fo far, as we are to do every thing which is of good Report, to avoid every thing that gives offence, and is an occafion of Re- proacji, though it may in it felf be literally lawful.

2. But my Objedion lies chiefly another "VVay, and points at another thing _^ the hafty and untimel}^, or unfeafjnable Marriages which 1 complain of, and which, I fay, are fcandalous -f.nd criminal, are fo, as they difcover them- felves to be the Effect of a raging, ungo- verned Appetite, a furious immodeft Guft of


[ 34^ ] Senfualit}^, a Flair^e of immoderate De- Hres.

As thefe are Things which fhoiild be morti- fied and reitraiued, not indulged and gratified, fo every indecent untimely Step taken in pur- fuit of this corrupt and vitiated Flame, is a Crime ^ and therefore I think a Marriage found- ed upon this Foot is neither more or lefs than a Matrimonial Whoredom, or at lead a Degree of it. 'Tis a criminal Guft, giving Beginning to a fcandalous and indecent Action, which by that means becomes criminal too, though otherwife literally lawful-, that is, it becomes Matter of Scandal, and gives oiience to others, which is v/hat, by the Scripture Rule, Chiiftians ought induftrionfi} to avoid.

Now when a Woman, witliin a Month or two after her Flusband's Death, fhall receive the Addrertes of anotlier, or a Man within fuch, or icmetimes a inorter Time, fnall applj^ him.-, felf to a Woman for Matrimon}^ • can this be iiippofsd to be from a modeil: Foundation, or within the compafs of religious Regards ? It cannot be.

Matrimony, though it is not fo regarded, is really a reiigipus, facred and divine Inftitu- tion-, It ought to be taken as fuch, and never undertaken without Regard to its religious Foundation : So far as it is made a ftalidng Horfe to a corrupt and bafer Defire, fo far as it is made ufe of as a Pretence to cover the vitia- ted Appetite, give it what fine Words 3^ou will, and guild it over with as many fair Out- lides as you will, 'tis fo far turned into a Ma~. trimonial AVhoredom : The Vice is at the Bot- tom, the A'latrimony is enter'd upon meerly to -•^ratify it, and to prleafe the Appetite under

the


[ 345 ] the Cover of Libert}^ and under the Plea of Law.

I N a AVord, all fach Marriages, or fuch ivTo- tions to Marriage, where the fenlual Part is the ellential Part, are fo far liable to this Charge^ when the Vice, I fay, is the moving Caule, and the Ceremony is the Tool to introduce and colour it^ that's what I call legal Wickednefs- when the Law of Matrimon}^ is made a Key to the Union of the Bodies more than of the Souls, opening the Door to the infatiate Appetite, and covering the Fire of Vice under the legal Inftitution. This I call Matrimonial Whore- dom, and, I think, it merits the Name ver}'- well.

Matrimony is a chaft and modeft Schem^e - of Living-, 'tis a State, not a Circumftance of Life^ the End and Meaning of it is the raif- ing Families, procreating Children, to be brought up religioufl}^ ^ 'tis an Eftablifliment contracted, or at leafi: ought to be £0, as an Appointment of Heaven ^ and for folid and fubilantial Enjoyments ^ it is durable as Life, and bounded only by the Duration of Life. If it be enter'd into upon other Foundations, and fo far as it is fo engaged in, fo far 'tis abufed ^ fuch are joined together indeed, but not ac- cording to God's holy Oi'dhuwce-^ 'tis debauch- ing the Ordinance, corrupting the propofed End-, 'tis a good Means made ufe for a bad End-, and as 'tis purfued with wicked Defigns, •'tis fo far a wicked Engagement: Such do not come together like Man and Wife, but like W and R -, in ihort, they come toge- ther to take their Fill of Crime, and that, made a Crime b}^ the Manner of it, tho' not in the Lettgr of it,

Z 4 A4


[ 344 ]

Ab when a Set of Gentlemen mate an Ap^ pointment for what they call a Drinking-bout^ they make their Agreement to meet at fuch a Tavern on purpofe: 'Tis certainly and literally lawful for them to meet. Society, and even Society for div^rflon, is lawful and good •, but this is a Meeting meerly to be drunk, meerly to fatisfy the Appetite or Thirft of Wine, and with an Intention, nay, with a refolved Pur- pofe of being Drunk ^ and what is to be faid then of the Meeting it felf ? It was a AVicked- liefs in it felf-, 'twas a purpofe to gratify a vitious Appetite* and fo far the very Meeting it felf was a Crime ^ 'twas an Ad of Debauch- cry^ 'twas founded on a thirft of AVine, and a Thirft not to be quenched but bj^ Excefs and Intemperance.

The Parallel is exactly juft, the Matrimony contradted in the manner I fpeak of is juft the fame^ 'tis founded in Crime, the fenfual Part is the Foundation and Original of it ^ and the Matrimon}'- is only the help, the conveni- ence to bring it to pafs lawfully, as two re- folving to go over a River to commit a Thefr -, the palling the River, and the Robbery, is tlie Intent-, the Ferrj^-Boat is only the lawful Af^ ilftant to an nnlav/ful Purpofe.

But neither is this all, for it is criminal to abufe the Ordinance, to turn the facred Ap- pointment of Heaven to a corrupt and vile Ufe, making it the aiiiftant to Senfuality, and to gratifying the Fleih, to quenching a difho- jiourable Flame, which was very far from the meaning or deiign of the Inftitution. That was all pure and upright, fingly and fimply, ]ioneft and clean in every Part and Branch of itj, and cannot without a Grime be

turned.


[ 345 1

turned, and applied to gratify unchaft De«  fires.

It is greatly wanted that our Governours and conftituted Powers Ihould take notice of fuch Things, and, as far as lies in them, pre- vent the turning and inverting the End of thefe nice Inftitutions, that they may not te apply'd to wrong Purpofes, or debauched by Men of vitious Inclinations, to fuch Ends as are fcandalous to Religion, and to humane So- ciety.

Tis tnie, it would be hard to make a Re- gulation which Iho'jld fuit to every Cir- cumilance which might happen, and to the nature of the Thing too ^ yet fomething might be done ^ for Example, I think there might be a Law made which fhould limit the Rule of Decency in the Cafe of fecond Marriages, bind- ing the Parties furviving to a certain Time, in which it fhould not be lawful for the Man or the Woman to marrjr after the Death of the Wife or Husband that went before^ and if any did marry within that Time, it fnould be e- fteemed not only unlawful but fliameful and odious, done in meer fenfuality, and to gratify the worft Part, not the Chriftian Part • it fliould, in fhort, be a Brand of Infamy on the Perfon, whether Man or Woman, either to marry, or even to treat of, or about Marriage, within that Time.

Such a Law would, at leaft, diftinguifh People one from another ; they would be known and mark'd out ^ and if that Law was duly and exactly executed, the Offence would, in time, grow out of ufe, be really fcandalous, no Body would be guilty of it that had

any


[ 54<J ]

'^ny Value for their own Charader, becaufe it vv^ould expofe the Criine, as well avS the Fact.

I grant, that the Refped: to the Dead is not the thing that makes the Crime, but that Re- fpecl being a Debt of Decency, why is it not paid ? Let the Reafon be enquired into, the Anfwer muft be natural, becaufe the Party has a fecret Inclination to gratify, and which is to be obliged in fpight of that Pretence. Now all Matrimony that is meerly enter'd into to gra- tify the Inclination, that is undertaken meer- ly for the fenfual Part, is, in my Senfe, a debauched Matrim.ony, becaufe Senfuality is not the true End and Delign of the Ordinance of Matrimon}^, but a Corruption cf it, and an Ab'ife.

It is for the Honour of Matrimon}^, and to digniff the Ordina- ce in a due Manner, that thofe Things fhould be avoided which bring Scandal upon it, tho' it be but in the Circum- ftances, not the ellential Part; To fee a Couple come together meerly and openly to gratifjr the vitious and Brutal Part, and fatisf^ their Senfualit}^, and then take the facred Name of God in their Mouths, and tell us, they do come tos^cther accordhig to God'^ holy Ordi- navce. This is making, not a Jeft of Religion only, but 'tis Prophanenefs, 'tis turning facred Things to debauched Purpofes, 'tis giving reli- gious Titles to corrupt Undertakings, and fan- dtifying Crimes by the Mask of Innocence.

Let Proteftants and Chriftians, or thofe who would be efteemed {^uch^ look back upon the Purity which they profefs, and no longer fludy to cover and conceal Crime under the Appear- ance of Religion, but honeftly explode the vi- tious Part, and diftinguilh rightly between

Things.


[ 347 ] Things lincere, and Things fhameful and hj- pocritical.

Where Matrimony is pretended, let it be as it ought to be, according to its Inftitution, ac^ vordhg to God'5 holy Ordinavce-^ and as after joining Chriltians are ftill bound b} the Laws of DecencA and Modeftj, let their coming to- gether be fo too-, let it be without the Reproach of Crime, without the Brand of Indecent and Immodeft, which are the Offspring of a moft infamous Principle. They that fix the Blame upon themfelves thus at firfl", m^ay depend that the Brand of it, like burning in the Hand, wdll be htdeUble, the Blot never wears out- what- ever their Characters are afterward, the Hiflory is told with this Hefitation, But He or But She did/o or/o, married in a moft fcandalous Way, immediately after the Death of tlie former Wife or Husband • and with this Reproach they muft be content to go on to their Graves.

How eafil}?- may People avoid thefe Re- proaches? And how much is it every Chriftian Man's Duty to avoid them, if pofi.ble? A little mortifying of the Flelh, with its Affeclions arid Ljijis', would do it, efpeciallj^ as to the reli- gious Part • a little Prudence in reftraining their. Inclination^ a little Government of the corrupt Flame ^ a little Concern for Reputa- tion, for Charadter, and for the Honour of Pofterity, would fmooth the Way ^ that's the civil Part.

But wretched Condud I How are all thefe Things laugh'd at? How are all the Obligations of Decency and Mcdefty forgot? When the Vice prompts, when the fenfual Part ftirs, the Voice of Reafon is drown'd and ftill'd by tJie

Clamour


[ 348 ]

Clamour of the Senfes^ Nature rebels agalnll Principle, Vice gets the better of Virtue, and the wicked Appetite finks all the Refolutions of Ahftinence and Moderation.

And what is all this Scandal heap'd up for ? How mean, how fordid a Thing, if it be con- lider'd, abftracted from that fpecious Pretence > And what is the Difference betwixt this and "Whoring, if there was not this Refuge of a, fcandalous Marriage? "Would fuch Men fcruple quenching the Flame a more irregular Way ? Hnw long w^ould Virtue reftrain them, if Mo- defty and Decency will not > How long will the}^ be afraid of Crime, that are not afraid Scandal ?

The Man, outrageous in his Appetite, muft have a Relief, his fenfual Part teazes and importunes him : How long would he hold out againft it, if there was not this Relief under the Colour of Lavv^ ? As if the Letter of the Law would defend him, where the ElTence, the intent and meaning of the La\v is againft him.

I can never hope for fuch a Man, that he would reftrain himfelf for fear of the Sin, who will not for fear of the Scandal •, efpecially where the Scandal brings Crime along with it too: 'Tis a Crime upon himfelf 5 'tis a Sin a- gainft himfelf, againft his Fame, and againft his Family and Pofterity •, it lays an indelible Blot upon them, and he Brands himfelf with fuch a Mark of Infam}^ that not only his Chil- dren after him ftiall bear a Share of, but fuch as his Children themfelves fnall reproach him with in their Turn, and when 'twill be too late for him to Blufti, if it ftiould not be too late for him to Repent of it.

No-


[ 34P ]

Nothing that I know of, at leaft nothing of the Kind, can be a worfe Blot upon the Charafter of a Chriftian, than this of an un- bounded, ungoverned Senfuality, and of doing fcandaious Things from fuch a vile Principle. The Man himfelf, or the Woman either, will be as much afhamed of it, and as much re- proach themfelves afterwards as an}^ Bod}^ elfe, unlefs the Crime it felf hardens them againft Shame.

Captain H , was a poted Offender

of this kind, he was a Commander of a good Ship, and his Name is now a {landing Prece- dent, both of the Crime I am fpeaking of, and the Penitence ^ he buried a virtuous, fober, beautiful Wife, -and with a Face of uncon- cerned Levity, looks immediately round him for another, even before his firft Wife was bu- ried. As the Thought was furprizing and im- pudent, fo he could not eipedt any Woman of Modefty would talk with him upon that Sub- jed^ and as he found he was abhorr'd and fcorn'd upon the very mention of it, he feeks out where he thought he ihould not be refufed^ and that Way he anfwered his wicked Defignr immediately •, for lie married in two Days after his Wife was buried.

In an ill Hour, purfuing his vitious Appe- tite, he fingles out a Woman, Fool as I was^ (faid he afterwards). What need I have ask'd her to marry ? If it had been t'other Queftion, i need not have fear'd a Denial.

In a. word, he m.arry'd her, lov'd her, lay

with her, and hated her, and all within the

compafs of a Fortnight 5 in another Fortnight

he went to Sea and left her, and, in twoMonths,

,fiiore, \v?is caft away, drown'd^ and faw her no

more i


[ 350 ]

more •, and the Woinan marry'd again the nttt Day after (he heard of it.

The Man was always (before this Step) lov'd and efbeem'd among his Friends ^ he pafs'd till that time for a Man of Virtue and Sobriety • and, had he thought fit to have fubdued his vitious Appetite but one Year, or perhaps half a Year, he had prefert^ed that Character, and might have had his Choice of a Wife among the Ladies in his Neighbourhood ^ very few would have refus'd him. And this he acknow- ledged in the hearing of the Perfon from whom

1 had the Relation.

But ovcrjoy'd with the Libert}'- he had up- on the change of his Circumftances^ quitting a iick Companion, and left to range the World for another, he facrificed his Fame to his Sen- fuality, and could not prevail with himfelf to fta}^ no not a Week ♦, whith Precipitation made him the fcorn of all about him 5 and, as

2 faid, in lefs than a Month he could have hang'd himfelf with the fame fatisfadion, compar'd to what he had in the prepofterous Step he had taken : But it was too late to look back ^ he could never retrieve it. He was indeed a Peni- tent, as to the Folly of it •, and own'd to me perfonally, that it was nothing but meer Ma- trimonial Whoredom. I nfe his own Words ^ and it was the very firft Cafe that put the Pur- iro^Q of reproving it in this manner, into my Thoughts.

The Tragedy of this poor Gentleman was enough to fill any Man's Mind with a juft In- dignation at the Practice •, and though we fee it often done, where perhaps theConfequence is not fo fatal, vet the particular Scandal of it is not at all lelfeu'd : Had he not found that fa- vourable


YDurable PafTage out of Life, whether in Judg- ment or in Merc}^, God alone knows, I know not what might have been his Fate ^ for it was fuch a mortification to him to fee himfelf fo univerfally defpis'd upon this fcandalous Occa- lion, and/ as he himfelf faid, to deferve it too^ whereas he was, on the contrary, fo generally be- loved before, that it was more than all the Phi- lofophy he was Mailer of could fupport.

He was indeed a Memento to his Friends, and a Warning againft Matrimonial Whore- dom to all that kiiew him. I fay nothing of the Creature he took ^ Ihe is below our Confi- deration in the Cafe, becaufe fhe had no Cha- racter, no Virtue to expofe.

All the Argument this unfortunate Perfon had to excufe himfelf was, that he was loth to go to a Whore -, but he was horribly afham'd to mention it •, nor did he fpeak fo but to his very intimate Friends, of whom I was one. But he repented heartily of that Caution, and own'd to us, that he believ'd his Sin was as great, and efpecially, as he faid, the Scandal was greater. Nor did he think himfelf lefs guilty of Whore- dom for the formality of the Marriage ^ and I am to acknowledge that it w^as from this Man, and from his Penitentials, that, as above, I had the very Words which I make the Title of this Work, and which I have on fo many Occafions repeated, (vi%) Matrimonial Whoredom.

From this fad Hiftorj^ in a Man, whom I e-" fteemed as a Man of Worth, and for that Rea- fon eftfeemed his Story as confiderable, I might proceed to give flagrant Examples of the like fcandalous Matches, and from the like unjutli- fiable Principle, but without the like penitent

Acknow-


{ ?5- 1

Acknowledgment^ fuch is the famous jB « 

B , of wanton Fame, who married five

Husbands in lefs than four Years •, and impu- dently declares, ihe refolves never to ftay above a Fortnight unmarry'd at a time. But thefe Examples are too mean for our mention •, the telling a fcandalous Storj^ of a fcandalous Per- fon is no Novelty, there's no Inftrucl:ion in it, nothing elfe is to be expeded. But the prac- tice of fuch things where Men pretend to un- derftand themfelves, to have a Senfe of Repu- tation, of Virtue, Prudence, and, above all, of Religion •, this indeed has fomething wonder- ful in it, and is worth recording.

Another fcandalous Piece of Matrimonial Whoredom, and which I call untimel}?- Marri- ages, is that of marrying Infants and Perfons not of Ages fit for Marriage, or, as we fay, not marriageable. This has fomething extreamly fhocking and furfeiting in it, and, indeed, will lefs bear a repetition, than any thing we have fpoken of yet ^ and I am harder put to it to exprefs the juft Deteftation of it, efpecially in the Cafes which reprefent themfelves on the Particular before me, becaufe the Particulars, and the Motives of them, can hardly be mo* deftly mentioned.

y ill-—, liv'd not twenty Miles off of

Highgate, he had two young Ladies in his Houfe, and who were bred up by him, or under Jiim, his own Daughter, and a little Coufin hi4 Child's Play-fellow^ his Wife died, that was the iirft opening to his Wickednefs-, they were both young, his Daughter about eleven Yeara old, the Coufia between eleven and twelve^ from his little Coufins, being his Daughter'^ play-fellow, h<; wants to make her his own.


Sand, in aLout two Years, made himfelf fo fami^ iiar with her, (to defcriJDe it no nearer) that he divtfted her of all Modefty alfo^ but that he might not make it a Piece of Debauchery, as he called it, he gets a profligate Parfon, and marries the Girl, himfelf upwards of Forty^ and the Child a little above Thirteen, which he alledged was a marriageable Age, and before Ihe was Fourteen fhe was with Cliild by him-«  "VV^hether ihe died in Child-bed or no, I do not remember •, but this I have heard for Truth^ that a few Years after he was under Profecu- tion, or at laft fled the Country for a more criminal Converfation with the t'other Child*, (7.7'z.) his own Daughter, when, to palliate the Matter, he would have marry*d her too ^ but the Defign was happily prevented. I hope no Body would deny, but that whatever the firft was, the lafl: was not Matrimonial Whoredom only, but Matrimonial Inceft.

It is true, the lafl: is a fuperlatiVe in Wiclc- ednefs, and is needful to our Cafe ^ but the firfl: I take to merit very juftly the Title of Matrimonial Whoredom, and to come within the reach of my Text.

I could give a Counter-example to this in a Wom.an upwards of Fort}'-, who, having bred up a Youth almofl: in Charity in her Family^ and being her felf left a Widow, married the little Boy, fo I call him, and did it with Cir- cumftances fcandalous enought The Particulars indeed I have not at large, but at his Thir- teenth Year flie married him, and before he was Fifteen Years old, had a Child by him, and after that three more*

I cannot enter into the Detail of her Storr^ no not fo much as I have had an Account of^

A a 'tis


[ H4 ] 'tis too foul ^ I have indeed no Words for itt^ the ErtgliJI) Language is not able to cover fuch dirty AVork, fo 1 muft leave it, as I am forced to do feveral others •, but you inay depend up- on it, if there is fuch a thing in Nature as that I call Matrimonial Whoredoni *, it was here in its higheft Extent, and in the extreme of Inde- cency and Immodefty.

It is true, thefe ought to have belonged to the Chapter of Marriages in iinfiiitahle Tears -^ but I rather place them here, becaufe I treat thefe particular Articles as really criminal in themfelves, and in tlie Nature of them ^ the other might be unhappy, occafioned by the unfuitable Circumftanccs ^ but thefe were, as I fay, criminal^ as Job fays, they ought to have been punifhed by the Judge, they ftink in the Noftrils of all mcdeft People, and are hateful and odious in the Sight both of God and Man.

To bring it to the Cafe in hand : Here was the Effence of Matrimonial Whoredom ^ the meer incentive to this Marriage muft be the wicked Part, the fatisfying the brutal fenfual Appetite. What can it be lefs ? The Office cf Matrimony was made but the Introdudtion, I had almoft faid the Ufher, to the Whoredom ^ only that indeed the Matrimony is a paiiive Circumftance, not a vcluntarj^ Ad^ in a word. Matrimony is abufcd, and brought into it un- juftly-, and therefore, I tliink, they are right in foreign Countries, where, in fuch Cafes, the Perfons are liable to Puniihment, not for the vitious Part only, v/hich it is hard to come at there, as well as here-, but the^^ are liable, I fay, to Puniihment, for abufing the holy Sacranient, fo they call Matrimony, and making it to be a Tool to hand them on to commit the Crime \

this


[ ^55 ] .

this they call Infiilting the Church, and, in^ deed, fo I think it is ^ and they have their Ecclefiaftick Conftitutions, by which it is pu- 3ii{hable, and thePrieli is punilhed alio that of^ ficiates iw fuch a Marriage.

But to quit this naufeous Part as foon as we can ^ untimely Marriages are certainly fcandalous in their Nature, efpecially where the Age is unequal, where one, being j^oung, and fcarce Ripe, by the ordinary Courfc of Nature, for the Marriage Bed, the other is of full Age^ 'tis not a Matrimonial Whoredom only- 'tis, in my Opinion, a kind of a Matri- monial Rape, becaufe it has fomething of Vio- lence offered to Nature in it on one hide, and fomething odioufly and criminally Immodeft, on the other.

It is true, and 'tis obje£led againft me here, that in other .Countries it is ordinary for the Children, efpecially of great Families, to come together young, and they have a ufual Sayings that like Fruit gathered green, and laid up^ they will ripen together • upon this Foot they frequently marry very early, the Ladies at eleven to twelve, and the Gentlemen at thir* teen or fourteen *, and, as it is the pradice of the Country, there's no Scandal in it.

I have little to fay to this Practice abroad | I know it is fo in kSpain, Portugal^ and fome other Places in the World ^ and there may be natural Reafons to be given in juflification of the Practice ^ fome taken from the Conftitution of the People, fome from the Climate, fome from one Caufe, fome from another. Natura- lifts can fay more to it than is needful here* Man and Woman have a Vegetative, as well as a fenJitive and rational Life ^ and there may

A a 2 be


[ 5 5^ ].

he a phyfical Reafcn given why Nature m^y be riper in one Part of tl:e AVorld than in another, and in fome People fooner than in others ^ as it is evident the Seafon for the pro- dudion of the fame Frtiits differ in one Place, and in one Country from anotjier, the Vintage and the Corn-harveft, differ in one Country from another ^ here they gather in Aiigiijf^ there in O^o/'^r •, and it may be the like in other Things, and in Men and Women, as well as in other Creatures, for, as I fa'td^ the vege- tative Life obeys the Law of Nature in them, as well as in Plants and Trees.

But *tis enough that this is not the Cufiom in our Country^ neither, perhaps, has Nature prepared Things to have it be lb • and though fometimes we may fee Exceptions here too, and Contracts may be made fooner, yet at fooneft the Lady ihould be fourteen to fifteen, and the Gentleman fixteen to feventeen, and even this would be thought vtxj foon too.

I know, as above, it raa)^ be otherwife fome- times ^ but it is not looked upon as Modefb or Decent. I hear of an Inftance at this time of a young Lady that is big with Child, at a little above thirteen. But^'tis ill thought on •, 'tis made a Jeft of-, 'tis call'd a Child with Child •, the Mother of the Girl is look'd awry upon, andfpoken ill cf, for fuffering it ^ the young Thing, is looked at as People look at a Sight or Show, and as fomething monftrous.

But what is this to the Cafe in hand, where the Couple is equal, the Matter is the lefs^ and if there be a Fault any where, it feems to lie upon the Parents, or the Guardians, or whoever had the Condud of the young People. But this does not relate to the Cafe that I am up- on 5


[557]

on ^ the two wretched Examples I have given, and which were both within the narrow Com- pafs of my own Knowledge, are not at all jufti- fied hy the pradice of other Nations ^ we are, as Chriftians, to be bound by the Laws of De- cencjr and Modefty, and, as Subjeds of a juft Government, hy the Laws pradis'd and received in our own Country. It is the Cuftom in fome Nations to go naked, and in others thej^ cloath fo light, that it is, as vv^e fay, next Door to go- ing naked', their Cloaths being fo thin and light, that all the Parts of the Body are, as it were, defcribed to the Eye, by the Garments letting fo clofe to them^ as in Ttaly^ inTurkey and Bar- bary^ and other hot Countries : But fuch a Prac- tice, though 'tis thought nothing of there, lyould be thought immodeft here to the laft Degree, ?xnd indeed fcandalous ^ and Chriftians are to cleave fo far to the Cuftom of the Place, as to do all Things that are of good Report.

But I return to the Cafe of untimely Mar- riages, and I ftiall clofe it with a Story which I have very good Autliority for the Truth of, where, though I cannot fay there was any thing of Immodefty in the Defgn orLitention, nor any thing Immodeft pradis'd, or intended to be practised, yet Heaven feem'd to make it an Unhappinefsto the Party, at leaft it was ai furprizing Difappointment.

A certain antient Widow, having a tolerable good Eftate, but no Children, and being up- wards of fixty Years of Age, had fixed her Thoughts upon two young Women, which were her Relations (Nieces I think) to leave what E^ ftate ftie had to, and which, divided between the two, would have made them tolerable good For- tunes, A a B - As


[ 358 ]

As Hie intended them this good Luclc, fo 'ti$ likely flie gave them fome tolerable Additions while flie was alive, as to their Education, and perhaps to their Equipage.

However, the fooliih young Girls, fuppor ling their Aunt had no Body elie to give her Eftate to, and not perhaps fenfible of the Kind^ iiefs fhew'd them, at leaft not fo fenfible of it as they ought to have been, carry'd it but very indifferently to the old Lady^ not only flighting her, and neglcdling her on many Oc- calions, but fometimes took upon them to be faucy to her ^ and, in a word, at length they too plainljT- difcovered that they looked upon the Eftate to be, as it were, their right, and as if the old Lady lived too long for them ^ they would be, fLxquently talking to one ano- ther, or to others, what the}^ would do, and how they would live when the}^ camiC to the Eftate^ if the old "Wom.an was but out of the Way.

Either fome officious People, perhaps Ser- %antf?, had fpite enough to report this to the old Lady, or the Nieces had the Indifcretion to let her hear fome of it •, the latter not very unlikeljT- -, or (he gathered from the whole Te-? Tiour of their Conduct, that they flighted her ^ that they onl}^ waited the good Hour, that what little Refj^ed: they fhew'd her, was evi- dently for what they were to get by her^ and no otherwife, and that the}'^ waited with impatience when fne v/ould be pleafed to w^alk oW\ a'd w^hich was indeed true in Fad.

AfTER the old Lady had thus taken notice of their Conduct fome time, fhe once took Occafion more particularlj^ to let them Iciiow it ' Sh^. told them what fh? had obferved,

how


I 35i> ]

how unkindly thej^^ treated her, how perfedly at liberty Ihe was to giv^e her Eftate to whom Ihe pleafed, and that Ihe was not fo old, and come to doat fo much, as to give what Hie had to thofe that did not think it worth their while to deferve it, or that could not afford to be Civil to her- that fhe found they only gap'd for her Death, and that fnc Ihould take care, if they did not alter their Condud, they ihould have little enough to exped from her.

This alarmed them a little •, and if they had been any thing but thoughtlefs Girls, they would have chang'd their Methods a little. But it wore off in a little time, and they went on juft as they did before.

At length the old Lady, thoroughly provok- ed by their ill Ufage, and her Refentment be- ing quickened by fome particular extraordinary Carriage, takes a fuddf n Refolution to change her wa}^ of living, leave off Houfe-keeping, and retire into the Country, to end her Days, as fne called it, in Peace, and do good with what ihe had.

Her Nieces foon found they had loft them- felves fo much with her, that they had not Intereft enough to alter her Refolutions, though they hung about her then with Tears and Entreaties, fo they employ'^d other Rela- tions to intercede with her. But fne foon ftopt their Mouths, with letting them know how her Nieces had treated her, and what fair Warning ihe had given them, adding fome par- licular UnkindneiJes v/hich ihe had m.et with from them, and fome Speeches which they had been weak enough to let her overhear- upon which, in ihort, ihe was unalterably refolved ei- ther to give away her Eitate to charitable Ufes, or

A a 4 other-


[ ?^o ]

etherwifeto difpofe of it, fo that they fhoukl never be at all the better for it •, and that it was too late now to perfuade her, for fhe was fixed in her Meafiires ^ and the Reafons being fuch as could not be anfwered, her Neices had nothing to do but to confider of fome other Ways to maintain themfelves, for Ihe had no more to fay to them.

This was difmal News to the two Girls ^ but they had no Remedjr, fo they fhifted as they could ^ we have no more to fay about them.

The old Lady, according to her Refolution, as above, put off her Houfe, and went into the Countrjr where her Eftate lay, and dwelt with one of her Tenants in the Country-, here fhe liv'd perfedly retir'd, and attended only with one Servant ^ and by this Time fhe was about lixty-five Years old, but of a found, hail Con-^ ftitution, a chearful, eafy Difpofition, calm Temper, and all the happy Tokens of long Life,

It happened one Day, talking ferioufly with' her Tenant, a good honeft plain Man, but a Man of Senfe, and particularlj?^ of abundance of religious Knowledge, fhe made her Com- plaint to him, how unkindly ihe had been treated by her Nieces, and how fhe had refented it, and was refolved, as above, that none of them fhould be the better for her,

The good Aian exhorted and perfuaded her to forgive the young Women, to conlider they were young and gay, and wanted Difcretion, and that, no doubt, they would carry it other- wife to her now, if fhe would receive them a- gain I he added the Command of our Saviour, io f orgivc E7iemies^ and our offending Brother \ gnrt fb pleaded often with her for the two poor

Cafl.ofF


[ 3^^^ ]

Caft-ofF Girls. But he found the old Lady in^ flexible •, ihe had taken Things fo ill that Ih^ could not go back ^ (he would forgive them, Ihe faid, and pray for them, i3Ut fhe would never give her Eftate to them-, that ihe faid fhe was not bound to do upon any Account whatever. In a word, the good Man found there was no room to fay any thing farther upon that Sub- ject, unlefs he would utterly difoblige her, which it was not his Bufinefs to do ^ fo he jneddled no more with it.

After fome time, the old Lady tells her Tenant, ihe wanted to fpeak with him, and his Wife and Daughter together • the Daughter was, it feems, a young married Woman, but a fober, grave and religious Body, like her Fa- ther •, and alfo of a Judgment above her Years ^ and this, it feems, made the old Lady take her into the Comicil ^ the Tenant had alfo a Son, but he was but a little Boy of about nine or ten Years old.

At this Meeting the old Lady tells them, that as fhe was now in Years, and could not expect to live much longer, flie thought it was time to fettle her Affairs in the World, and to difpofe of what Eflate fhe had to leave behind her • that they all know how fhe had been treated by thofe to whom fhe had been fo kind, and to whom fhe had purpofed to be flill fo much kinder ^ That they likewife knew what her Refolutions were with refpect to that •, that at his Importunity howex^er, fhe had fo far forgiven them, as to refolve to give each of them a Legacy of One hundred Pounds to help to fupport them, and to teftify her Charity, notwithftanding the ill Ufage they

had


[ 3<>^ ]

had been pleafed to give her *, hut that now it was time for her to fettle the reft.

After this Difcourfe, fhe told them, that Ihe had been ftudjring all pollible Ways how Ihe might difpofe of her Eftate moft to her fatisfadion •, and that, upon the v/hole, fhe was refolved to marry. The Tenant, a grave, and, as I fa id, good Man, feem'd to be greatly diftafted at that kind of Propofal for fettling her Eftate, and the Tenant's Wife and Daugh- ter, both be^an to difcover their furprize at it, and a kind of naufeating the Propofal.

But hold, fays ftie, hear ivhat I have far- ther to fa}^ before you give your Opinion. My Propofal of marrjang Ihall have no Scandal in it, ril promife you ^ I ihall leave no room for Reproach^ and you will fay fo, when you hear who I have pitched upon for mj Husband. In fhort, there is a little Boy in your Town whom I have chofen for a Husband, and upon whom I will fettle my Eftate • and he is fo J^oung, that no Body can raife any Objedion ?igainft it ^ for, to be fure^ I ftiall be in my Grave be- fore he will be grown up to Man's Eftate • and, giving them no time to anfwer, ilie added, -this little Bo}^ is your Son. I think, fays ihe, jrou fay he is not above nine or ten Years old, and I am almoft feventy ; and, if you give your Confent, I'll put him to School ^ and after that, if I ftiould live fo long, I'll put him to 'Prentice at London to a good Trade, and give One hun- dred Pounds with him, and, to be fure, I fliall be dead before he will be out of his Time • and then, felling Part of the Eftate, he will have a good Stock ^to fet up with, and the remiainder will make a good Jointure for a Wife.

The


t 3^3 ]

^The Tenant wasftrangely furprized witlx the Propofal, and indeed was embarafs'd with it. As for the Women, the)^ were quite lilencM. But the good Man told her, that ir^deed the Propofal ihe had made of marrying a Child, would take away all the Scandal which he was before concerned' about on her Account-, hut that it would be a fad Blow to her own Rela- tions ^ and tho' he knew not what to fay as to his Child, whom he would be ver}'- tender of hurting, feeing fhe had fuch kind Thoughts a- bout him, as to Defign him her Eftate, yet he could not ftill but beg of her to confider verjr well before fhe Difinherited her two Nieces, and, at leafi:, to do fomething more for them. But, in fliort, flie was immoveable as to that Part y and, after fome other Difficulties which the old Tenant ftarted, for he did not feem to come ver}^ willingly into it, no not to the lafi:, it was however agreed on, and fhe was miarried to the Boy.

According to her Propofal, fhe put him to School, and had him made a very good Scholar •, and fhe livVl not only to fee him come home from the School, but to be big e- nough to go 'Prentice, and alfo to fee him come out of his Time -, by which time he was about twenty-two Years of Age.

BuTj as I faid, even this unfuitable Match did not prove fo fatisfadory as might have been expected^ for it pleafed God this Woman liv'd to fuch a prodigious Age, that the little Boy was feventy-two Years of Age when he follow'd her to the Church to hnry her, and ihe was One hundred twentjr-feven Years old.

This Stor3r I had attefled to me hy a Perfon cf an unqueftion'd Veracity, who told me, he

was


[ 5<^4 J

w^s himfelf at her Funeral : She \ras fixty-five when fhe marrjr'd him, and liv'd fixtjMwo Years with him •, Ihe indeed made him fome Amends for the difparity of Years by this, that fhe was a moft excellent Perfon, of an ini- mitable Difpoiition, preferv'd the Youth of her Temper, and the Strength of her Underftand- ing. Memory and Eye-fight to the laft ^ and, which was particularly remarkable, fhe bred a whole new Set of Teeth, as white as Ivory, and as even as a Youth, after flie was ninety Years old.

Here was a Difparity, *tis true •, but here was none of the corrupt Part, which I have made the Mark of my Reproof, and fo juftly too. Here was no Vice, no fenfual Part, to be fo much as thought of ^ and yet, I fay, it could iiot but be adifappointment to the j^oung Man- kind fhe would often complain to him of the injury Ihe did him in liv^ing fo long. But I did not hear that it gave him any Uneaiinefs ^ iier extraordinar^T- good Temper making him fo much amends for it.

There is a Cuftom of marrying Children one to another by theCom.pad of their Parents, while the faid Children are very youngs as has teen the Pradtice abroad, and as we had lately ^n Example of in the Fremh and SpamfiCoiuts^ tho' not ver}^ encouraging neither by its Suc- cefs, or fitted much for an Example.

This has its Inconveniencies in it on rnan}^ Accounts •, but as they do not come within the reach of the criminal Part, I do not fay they are concerned in the Reproof of this Satyr , nor am I fpeaking of fuch.

But fince I am taking notice of the various Sorts of untimely Marriages, and I Iiave men- tioned


tioned this ^ I Ihould do Juftice to the Pra£lice of our own Country in thofe Cafes, namely, that in fuch Compads of Parents they are ge-^ nerally made thus, upon* Condition that the 3^oung People like one another when they are grown up, and fit to come together.^

This has both Reafon and Religion in it, and feems to be founded upon the great Prin- ciple of Liberty, both Civil and Ecclefiafticlc, which this Nation are happy in the Enjoyment

of.

Indeed, it feems a kind of Tyrann}^- over our Children, which we have no Power to ex- ercife, to anticipate their Affedions, and oblige them in their Infancy to take up with an Ob- ject they have no liking to, and bind them down here or there before-hand. I will not fay, but it may indeed be a kind of befpeaking their Diflike from the natural Averfion which Men commonly have to every Thing which is im- pofed upon them, and to that irkfome Thing caird, Behg hnpofed iipo7u



GHAE


[ 3^^ ]



C H A P. XIV.

of CJanieJlmey Forcihle and TreacheroMS Marriages.

T is with a great deal of Reafoii ' and Jullice, that our Laws have made ftealing of Ladies criminal • I mean a Capital Criminal. It feemed a little hard, that a Gentle- man might have the fatisfadion of hanging a Thief that ftole an old Horfe from him, but could have no Juftice againft a Rogue for fteal- ing his Daughter.

The Arts andTricks made ufe of toTrapan, and, as it were, Kidnap young Women away into the Hands of Brutes and Sharpers, were %^ery fcandalous, and it became almoft dange- rous for any one to leave a Fortune to the dii- pofal of the Perfon that was to enjo}'- it, and where it was fo left, the joung Lady went al- •w^ys in Danger of her Lif^, ihe was watcli'd, laid in wait for, and, as it were, beiieged by a continual Gang of Rogues, Cheats, Game- fters, and fuch like ftarving Crew, fo that ihe was obliged to confine her felf like a Prifoner to her Chamber, be lockM, and barr'd, and bolted in, and have her Eyes every Momient upon the Door, as if ilie was afraid of Bayliffs and Officers to arreft her -, or elfe fhe was vlhatch'd up, feized upon, hurrj'^'d up into -a

Coach


[ 5^7 1 Coach and fir, a Fellow drefs'd up in a Clergy* Inan s Habit to perform the Ceremony, and a Piftol clapt to her Breaft to make her confent to be marry'd: And thus the Work was done. She was then carry'd to the private Lodging, put to Bed under the fame awe of Swords and Piftols- a Fellow that fhe never faw in herLif?, and knows nothing of, comes to Bed to her, deflowers her, or, as may be well faid, ravifhes her, and the next Day fhe is called a Wife, and the Fortune feized upon in the Name of the Husband-, and perhaps, in a few Days more, playM all away at the Box and the Dice, and the Lady fent home again naked, and a Beg- gar,

This was the Cafe within the Times of our Memory, till the JParlianient thought fit to anake it Felony, and that without Benefit of Clergy, and till fome of thefe Fortune Raviih- ers have fince that paid for their Succefs at the Gallows. And now, indeed, the Ladies are a little fafer, andmuft be attempted with a little more Art, not taken by Storm, Sword in hand, as Men take fortified Towns ^, but they muft be brought to give a formal Afient by the cun- ning of Female Agents, wheedling and delu- ding them, and playing the Game another Way, till they are decoy'd into Wedlock ^ the Man pretending himfelf Qualitj, and aPerfon equal in Eftate •, by which Craft a certain KetitiJIj Lady of Fortuife, was moft exquifitely drawn in at once to marry a City Chimney-fweeper ^ and was forc'd to ftand by it too, after (he came to an underftanding of the Bargain fhe had made^ and another Weft ComiXvj Lady, a Highwayman, and the like.

Thess


[ ?<^8 ]

These Matches, however, come within the reach of our Complaint, and are but with too much Juftice branded with the Charge cf Ma- trimonial Whoredom. It is true, in thefe Cafes it is the Money more then the Senfualit}^, the Fortune more than the Woman ^ and fo it might be called Matrimonial Avarice. But as the knowing of the Woman is the effential fi- nifhing Part of the Work, and the Title or Claim to the Eftate is fix'd upon a full Poiref- Jion, which they call a Confummation of the Marriage •, the Word Whoredom is not foreign to the Charge, at leaft on the Man's Side, be- caufe he lies with the AVoman, not as a wedded Wife, according to God's holy Ordinance, but meerly to entitle him to her Eftate, which, in fhort, is perfeding the End of Matrimon}^ %, and no Man can faj^, it is a legal Marriage in the Sight of Him whofe appointment only can inake Matrimony lawful.

Marrying Women by force, can never be called marrying according to God's holy Or- dinance •, for all Violence is iinjuft, and all injuftice is inconfiftent with Holinefs. For an impure and righteous Defign can never be comprehended in a holy and pure Inftitution s^ It is determined by almoft all the Laws of Ma- trimony in the World, that Marriage ought to be the Ad and Deed of both the Parties, the Ad and Deed not of their meier Compliance, and fubmiihon by Neceility,' but the Ad of their Minds, their free and unconftrained Choice-, and if it be not fo, it is not really a lawful Marriage. Marriage by conftraint is like a Bond given in Prifon, the Part}^ is not bound to the Payment : To be marry'd by force is not to be Married, but to be taken Captive


[ 5^9 ]

and ravifhed, as the Turks talce SkveSj and tlien chufing them for their Beauty, iingle them out for the Seraglio, to be lain with by the Ernperor, or bj the Baflia or Grand Yizier^ whofe Serail they are enclofed in, whenever he pleafes to demand them.

In a word, a forc'd Marriage is a Contra^ didion in Speech, the Terms are inconfiftent ^ 'tis no Marriage at all, or, if you will call it a Marriage, 'tis no Matrimony. How are the ^^omen lb us'd, faid to take fuch a Man to ht their wedded Husband? The very meaning of the "U^ord Matrimony, in feveral Languages^ iignifies chufing : Can a Woman be laid to chufe the Man, when Ihe is dragged to his Bed as a Malefa6lor is dragg'd to Execution, or,, as we exprefs it, as a Bear to the Stake > that h ^ofay, to the iPlace where he is to be Baited with l)ogs, and which he knows is to be his Cafe, and therefore hangs back till he is hauPd along hy the Ring in his Nofe, and cannot re^ lift it.

Bring this back to our former Teft i Every Marriage where the pure and fimple End of the Matrimony is not fuch as agrees with the religiousEnd of the Inftitution, is, in mySenfe^ a Matrimonial Whoredom, and no other, and^ among all the reft, this of forcing a "Woman to be marry'd, is one of the worft.

I mpft be allowed here to except iPolitical State lyrarriages, made for the Intereft of Na^ tions, forming Alliances and Friendlliips, bind«  ing or engaging Confederacies and Leagues^ between Princes and I^eople. .. Also Family-Marriages for the preferving Eftates in the Lines and Blood of Houfes, kieep* jng up the Narnes and Relations, and the like

h b pru-


_[ 370 ]

prudent Ends^ in which Cafe, though Vio«  lence i's not ufed, yet 'tis general!}/" expefted the Women Ihould comply, and they do com- ply, I may fay they do always comply indeed. I fcarce remember an Inftance in Hiftory of any that have refufed.

If there is anything in thefe Matches to the diflike of the Parties, they muft take it as an Accident to the Dignity of their Birth, and go through it as well as they can ♦, they have generally the State and Honoar of their Birth and Families, and the Titles they poffefs, to make up the Deficiencies, and to be Equiva- lents for the lofs of their perfonal Endearments- fo we have nothing to fay to thofe ThingSc, If Princes and great Perfons are content to marry on thofe Conditions, they muft do aS they pleafe, the Confequence is to themfelves,- We are not fpeaking here of People under the Influence of Politick Government, and who move this Way or that^ by Reafons of State ^ but of People within the Circle of Equality with our felves, and under the Government of Lav/s both of Juftice and Reafon, and alfo of the Conftitution •, and to fuch, I think, what I have obferved, is juft. Matrimony is a Law* of Decency, binding to Chriftians, and to Peo- ple who pretend to live and act as Chriftians do, or ftiould do^ and thofe who do not proceed in it with a due regard to Decency and Chri- ftianity too, fhould lay afide the Name of Chri^ ftian, and pretend to it no more.

It is true, there are various Sorts of forced Marriages. Thofe which I have named, i7%. tak- ing a Woman away by Strength, and terrifying, herafterward into Compliance, our Laws, as I

have


[ 371 ]

iiave fai':], have declared againft ^ fo that lueed fay nothing more to them'c

There is alfo a violence of Importunity, and a violence of Authority ^ botJijttiefe alfo I have fpoken to at length, as well as the Vio- lence occafioned by the Perfon having it in his or her Power to give or with-hold the For* tunes ^nd Portions of the Perfons.

But there is yet a violence of Treachery^ and this is alfo a Crime which indeed ought to be puniflied by the Judge. This is generally J)raclisd upon the Ladies indeed, but fome* times both Sides are engaged, and it is done with the utmoft Cunning and Artifice : FirJ}^ a Spy.or fecretAgent is plac'd in the Family^ (or as near it as may be^^ where the Perfon lives, and who infinuating into the Acquaintance of the Lady, and perhaps into her Confidence and Favour, fails not to encroach graduall)^" fo far, as to bring the Perfon who defires her AfEft- ance, or employs her for that Purpofe, into ihQ Lady's Company ^ recommends him, gives ,his Character, fets other People to give his Cha- rafter^ and thus, in a word, theLady is SET, as a Rook fets a Cully, for a Sharper, that is to fay •, for, &c.

Perhaps my Readers maybe too fober to underfland the Newgate Language, that is fuit-^ mble to this wicked Work ^ namely, that the Cully is an innocent or ignorant Perfon, whoa Sharper, that is a Gam.efter, wants to draw in to Play.

TnE Rooh is a third Peifm, who fets him, as they call it, that is, gets into his Company, infinuates into his Society, fcrapes Acquaint- ance with him, and fo gets him to an Alehoufe or Tavern, where the Gamelter i-s fure to lie

B b :a ready,


[ 370 ready, and fo draw the poor ignorant Man in to play, and cheat him of his Money.

In like manner the Sharper here employs the Rooh too, and who, in thefe Cafes, is al- wa)7's a Woman. She is fure to get acquainted with the Lady ^ and, after fome time, and get- ting into her Confidence, takes care to let the Lady know, that fhe underftands that a cer- tain Gentleman, who lodges in fuch a Place, is in Love with her-, that Ihe came to underftand it by a very odd Accident -, and then Ihe tells her a formal Storj^-, that being at fuch a Place a vifiting, and fome Company coming in that were S-trangers, they all fat down to drink Tea 5 that there was a young Gentleman, a pretty modeft kind of Gentleman among them, which the Lady of the Houfe call'd Coufin, and that accidentally rifiiig up to make Room for more Company, the Gentleman, fays the Spy, hap- pened to be plac'd to fit next to me ^ upon which, fays fhe, I pufli'd my Chair back to fit farther off.

But what do you mean, fays the Lady^ (perhaps willing enough to hear of the Thing) of being in Love with me, when he was a Stranger to you ?

Law, 7Jiy Dear^ fays flie, I never faw the Gentleman before in my Life. But—

But what — What makes you talk fuch Stuff? fays the Lady : ftill nettled with what fhe had faid fubtiily and flil}^ before.

Well, he*s a clever handfome Gentleman^ that I muft needs fay •, and fo fhe paffes it off, and talks of fomething elfe to fee how the Lady would take it.

As fhe thought, fo it was •, the Lady was touch'dwiththefirfl: Piece of the Tale, and ftiU

kept


[373]

kept her original Speech in her Thoughts, that the Gentleman was in Love with her ^ but be- ing refolved to put her to the Necellity of ask- ing her again, Ihe kept back a great while ; at laft the Ladj'- brought it about again, and ask'd, Who this Gentleman was?

She anfwered niinblj^, fhe did not know him ^ but, it feems, iie was one of iier Ad- mirers.

What do jou mean hy that y fays fie, I don't know him.

Tis no matter for that, /jjj/;^^ he knows jcu.

How do you know that? fays the Lady, when JOU fay you don't know the Man.

O, Madam, fays fie, I know it for all that. And thus fhe led her on Artful!}^, till fhe found the had railed her Expectation a little 5 and then fhe told her Story thus :

Why, Madam, fays fie, as I told you, I thruft m}^ Chair back to lit farther of^ the Gen- tleman being like to fit next me -, but Madam

, meaning the Lady at whofe Houfe they

were, came, aiid thrufting the Gentleman's Chair next to mine ^ Come, Sir, fays fhe to him, pray fit next to this Gentlewoman, fhe lodges in the fame Houfe where the Lady lives that is your^particular Favourite.

Say you fo, fays the Qentleman, with all my Heart -, I honour every Thing tjiat is but

known to Madam -, meaning your felf ^

and fo he fat down.

Who can that be > fays the Lady. , Nay, indeed, fays fi)e, I don't know that-, but he is a ver)'- fine Gentleman, I allure yon •, fb fine a Carriage, fo modeft, and talks fo fine,

B b q Thln


[


574 J


Then you taik'd with hiiH; it feems, /^ji-, the Lady,

The Company were verj merry, fays fie, and every Body talk'd. But he has a V/orld of IVit, that's certain. Na y ,1 know you are a good Judge,/c?}'.y theLady,

No, Madsim, fays fie, that don't follow^ but all the Company faid fo, as well as I.

Not to his Face, I hope.

No, Madam-, but he went away. My Losd I fetch'd him away in his Coach and iix.

This touch'd her again j^ and the cunning Manager could perceive it plain enough. So ihe dropp'^d theDifcourfe again, and run on up- on other Things ^ but upon fcveral Turns the Lady brought it about again ; At laft, fhe was iimple enough to ask her. If Ihe thought there \¥as any Thing in it ? Which was all the Crea-^ ture wanted.

She anfweredjjres, indeed, fhe believed there was, for fne could perceive the Gentleman was mightily pleafed when any Body did but fpeak of her.

But who^ fays the Lady^ could pretend to name me to Iiim.

O, Madam, /^y? /;'j, I doubt not he had given Occ^ilon enough for that before.

I hope j^ou took no notice that you knew itie, fays the Lady.

Nay, Madam, how could I help that, fays fie, when they all told him I lodged in the fame Houfc. /

Why, that's true indeed, fays the Lady^ I didn't think of that.

Well, Madam, jow need not be concern' d,^ faysfije, I faid nothing to your Difadvantage, I (g/flire yoy,

TUEM


[ 375 ] ^

Then fiie began to enquire into the Dif- courfe-, and the fubtil Creature took care to tell her a thoufand fine Things of him, which he never faid ^ how he toafted her Health, and what fine Things he faid of her, when, perhaps, not a Word was ever mentioned. But fhe faw it v\^or]vM as fhe would have it, till, in ihort, ihe brought her to be in Love with the Gentle- man too, and that before (he had reen him.

Time brought Things about-, and the young Lady was weak enough to go and vifit the Lady at the Houfe where this Gentleman had been feen, and which, it feem.s, was but a few Doors ofF^ and the Spy had fo much Knowledge of it, as to give the Gentleman notice, who found Ways to get into the Company, and to make his Acquaintance with her. And thus it began.

From this Beginning, the Manager carry'd on all the reft, The Gentleman was reprefent- ed as an Heir to a great Eftate, but not quite of Age, and that if {he had him ihe might depend upon a thoufand a Year Jointure •, and, in a word, Ihe drew the unwary Lady into a pri- vate Marriage, and fo to throw herfelf away upon a young Fellow, without a Shilling in his Pocket, and a good-for-nothing empty- headed Fellov/ to boot. As good hap was,^ he was not a Pvake, and fo fhe was lefs ruined than ihe v/ould otherwife have been ^ but ftill ihe was fo fir undone, as to be able to make noProvifion f)r her felf bat what he pleafed to do in good Nature, which was about One hun» dred Pounds a Year^ and was all ihe could fave out of about Thirteen thoufand Pounds.

I could fill up this Account v/ith fuch Matri- monial Frauds as this, and feme much more Kagical -^ but there is no Room for it : Tins

B b 4 maj


[ 37^ ] may fuffice to (hew the Meaning of the things, 'tis not fo remote from the Defign as may be fuggefted. Trapanning of Women is not much better than Whoring. It is true, the Womau ^s innocent, the Whoredom is on the Man*s Side onlj, but on. his Side it is evidently fo, and no otherwife ^ 'tis a Complication of Crime ^ 'tis a double Robbery, for they plunder the in-, l^iocent Lady of her Honour and of feer Eftate, "both at once ^ not only her Money is feiz'd Qii, and immediately wafted, fquander'd, per-«  haps g^m'd away, or \yorfe, but {he is expofed to the utmoft Contempt and D^fgrace.

First, expeding that fhe is received intp the Arms of a Gentleman, and that fhe takes into her Embraces and to her AfFedion, a Maa of Honour and Fortune, Ihe is proftituted to a Scoundrel, a Mechanick, or, which is infinite- ly worfe, a Rake, a debauch'd infeded Carkafe, who at once defpoils her of her felf, fo we miay juftly call it, and communicates to her the worft of all Contagion, a Poifon in her Blood, an impure and loathfome Plague, fo that fhe i3 ruin*d at once in Life and Eftate,

This is worfe than Matrimonial Whore- flom, for it^ is Matrimonial Murther, and the poor Lady is undone-, fhe is BeggarM on one hand, andruin'd on the other, and is foon tranf- pos'd from a finefarniflicdHoufe to an Hofpital, and from thence to the Grave, and perhaps ftarv'^l too, to make her Miferies more compleat.

This is a Mifchief we yet want a Law for-, and, indeed, 'tis wonderful to me that wefhould do fo. It feems to me, that a Man in fuch Cir- cumftances merits as much the Gallows for an attempt of that Nature, as it is poihbie for him to do by any other Crime he can commit. I

woulci


[577] would humbly recommend it to the LegiHature to think of proper Remedies for fo dreadful a Mifchief.

It is not for me to dictate Meafures in fwch Cafes ^ 'tis enough that I reprefent the Crime^ that I endeavour to drefs it up in fuch Cloaths as are proper to fet it forth in. All th^t is due to a Robber, a Raviiher, and a Murtherer, feems to be due tothePerfon that is thus guilty^ for he manifeftly commits all thefe Crimes, and that in the moft intenfe Degree, i. He is a Robber, for he vefts himfelf with a legal Claim to the Lady's Eftate, by a fraudulent, furreptitious and deceitful Attack, a Feint and Difguife, making himfelf appear to be what he is not, and taking PolTeliion a$ a Robber ^ being quite another Perfon than him he was fuppofed to be.

2. He is a Ravifherof the worftKind, becaufe he pofTefTes the Perfon and Honour of the Lady by Fraud, and in a Circuraftance, which if (he was acquainted with,fhe would never fubmit to, but by the utmoft Violence, and perhaps would much rather chufe to be murthered than to be fo ufed.

3. To conclude: He is a Murtherer, and that in the moft horrid Method of Murther that can be imagined. I need go no farther to defcribe the Cafe, than is done in an Example given in thi? \'ery "Work, Page 177. where the Tragedj^ was lamentable indeed.

What now can be efteemed a Punifliment equal to this Crime? And why might it not be called a righteous Law to punilh with Deatli ^ Man, that, deceiving a Woman in Marriage, fhould brin^ to her a Body infedled with th,? foul Difeafe, and give it his Wife, it being

known


[ 378 ]

known that he contraded the Diftemper before Marriage.

Nor would it be fo hard to prove the Fadl as fome may imagine •, I mean, that it would 3iot be difficult to ftate in the Terms of fuch a Law, certain and publiclcClaufes, by which the Fad fhould be both enquired into, and admit $, fair Proof •, for fuch is the Nature of the Con- tagion, that it is not eafily concealed, and the Evidences may be made very clear ^ as parti- cularly the Perfon's having been under Cure before his Marriage ^ fuch a Man ought never to dare to marry, except with the Whore who infected him ^ and there indeed he ought to go, that they may Rot together.

But for fuch a Man to apply to a Woman of Virtue and Modefty^ found in Body, and and upright in her Intention, come to her with a Contagion in his Vitals, and abufe her in fuch a vile, odious and abominable Kind ! As the Crime is not to be nanied without Abhor- rence and Execration, fo the Criminal merits to be turn'd out of humane Society, that he may ^bufe no more, and may be a Terror to others.

C^^RTAiNLY this deferves Death as much as faveral Crimes, which are at this time punifhcd with it, and particularly as much as Highway- Kobbery, for the Plunder is attended with infi- nitely worfe Circumftances, and has many woffe Aggravations attending it,

I add no m.ore. I cannot doubt but the fatal Confequences, and the frequency of this hor- rible Crime, fand that in thefe Days, I believe, fnore than ever) will at length awaken Juiiice • and we fhall, one time or other, have a fiiitable JL^w to punifh it •, and this, I believe, would 1)0 th-e only W^y- to prevent it for the future.

THE


[ 375 ]




THE

CONCLUSION.



am now come to the Coiicliifion of this Work : I had Thoughts to have given a longer Preface to it, intimating the trueEnd andDefign of it : But I think 'tis better in the Form of a Conclufion : For when can a Work be better explain'd than after it is done >

I can find but two Objeclions that can lie a- gainft this Undertaking, or the PerforiTianceof it ^ after the ftrideft Inquiry into ever)?- Part of it, and, as Author, I think my felf pretty clear in them Both. Of which the impartial Reader is to be the Judge.

J. Whether the Satyr be Juil.

2. Whether the Manner be Juftifiable.

If indeed the Satyr is not juflr, the Author has done nothing, and can have nothing to faj^ why he ihould not lie under the worft of Cen^. fure-, but he is under no Care upon that Sub-^ jedl: Even the^moft Innocent will hardly enter upon the Point with me, ox venture to fa}^^

that


[ 5^0 J that tho' they may be clear of it themfelves,that therefore no Body is guiltj^ ^ and as for the reft, tho' thejr are harden'd againft Blulhing at it, I don't find anj^ of them harden'd enough to deny it.

We are come to an Age, wherein 'tis not the Mode to acknowledge and reform a Miftake, but to add a Front to the Fad, and Triumph in the Crimes, which they fliould be afhamed of: It feems below them to vindicate their Chara- cter, they'll rather illuftrate it with the Fault they fliould wipe off^ and count the Shame of it their Glory.

This happ}?- Cuftom is the Author's Yindi- f:ation in this Work ^ for now fcorning to deny the Charge, or enter into an Enquirjr in form, whether guilty or not gmlty^ they are for giving the Matter of Faft in Evidence, and infifting that there is no Crime in it, And thus we join IlTue upon the Merit of the Caufe.

If it be io •, if there is no fuch thing as Inir modeft}^ after Matrimony, and that nothing can be indecent or unlawful betvv^e^n a Man and his Wife ^ if Matrimonial Liberties are without Bounds, and there are no Limitations to that conjugal Freedom, neither by the Laws of God or of Nature.

If the Man cannot fin againft his Wife, or the Wife againft her Husband-, if no ExcefTes can be complained of, and nothing can be ei- ther out of Meafure, or ^ut of Seafon •, if no unnatural Violences can ut offered, and the Woman can have no reafon to tiiryi her Slipper the wrong Side upward agalnjl her Huahand,

If the Laws of Matrimony cannot be broken, the Ends of Matrimony not defeated, the Rea-^ fon *of Matrimon}'- not be niiftaken, and a Marriage cannot be made aMafque to a Crime.

In


[ 38i ]

In a word, if all the Complaints of this kind are caufelefs and needlefs, and there are neither the Crimes or the Criminals to he found^ or to be heard of among us, then indeed the Satyr cannot be juft, and the Author defervcs the Cenfure of a falfe Accufer. Let him be tr3d by God, and his Country ^ and let the abufed Perfons who are without the Sin, throw the firft Stone at him.

But if the Fact is to be prov'd, if the Guilt is notorious, if he not only has pointed out the Crime, but is ready, if called upon in a lawful wa}^ to point out tJie Criminals too, and to convift them upon their own Evidence, and out of their own Mouths • if they not onh^ daily commit thofe Things, but daily boaft of them ^ if the CofFee-houfes are witneifes on one Side, and the Tea-Tables bluih on the otiier, and lewd Dialogues on that V/icked Subjed cir«  culate from one to t'other ^ if the differing Sexes are united in the guilt, tho' in a differing wajr, and the odious Fad:s are become flagrant, 'tis then high tim.e to combate the Vice, and en- deavour by any polhble Ways to bring the "World to blufli for them, fince they are paft blufliing for themfelves.

As the Guilt thus legitimates the Satyr, Vo the Circurnftances of it, and the unhappy flate of Things juftifies the Author in the Method of attacking it. The Law cannot reacli it ^ the Fad is not cognifable in a way of Jiiflice^ no. criminal Procefs can lie in the Cafe, 'tis one of the Offences that are too vile to be hid, and yet too fecret, and too much hid, to be laid hold of. They feem to be fenced and protcded by thofe very Laws that fliould cenfure and ex- pofe them ^ and tho' they frequently fally cut,

and


[ 3^0

and make criminal Excurfions, yet when they are attacked, they retreat behind the Fences and Fortifications of the conjugal Laws, and the Letter of Matrimony is turn'd againjft the Meaning of it, as the Cannon of a Baftion^ when the Work is taken, are turn'd againft the Town which they were mounted to defend.

Satyr can fcourge where the Lafli of the Law cannot-, the Teeth and Talons of the Pen will bite and tear- and the Satj^r has a Sting which is made for the Corredion of fuch Of- fences and fuch Offenders as bully Juftice, and think themfelves out of the reach of Prifons and Puniihments -, as fmall Arms are of ufe in Battle where the Cannon and Mortars cannot pla}'^, and the Point of the Lance can wound where the Balls cannot fly.

If Men are fenc'd againfl one Thing, they may not be fenc'd againft another^ and the fenfe of Shame may reftrain where even a fenfe of Punilhment will not. There are Crimes which a lafh of the Pen reach'd when a lafli at the Cart's- tail would not ^ and a time when Men that have laugh'd at the Law, and ridi- culed all its Powers, have yet been laugh'd out of their Crimes bj^ a juftSat3rr, and brought to the neceliity of hanging themfelves for Shame, or reforming to prevent it.

If then the Crime be evident, and yet the Law impotent, who will contend that the Satyr is not juft ? 'Tis the only unexceptiona- ble Cafe, in Vv^hich not the Juftice only, but the Keceiiity of a Satj^r, is to be inliftedom

Some will fay, and in this particular Cafe I think they are right, that there is no fuch thing as an unjuli: Satyr ^ that a Satyr is never wrong, ttor can be fo i tor that,

J. If'


[ 3^3 ]

1. If tlie Fact he not true, *tis no inore a Satyr bat a Slander •, 'tis a LIE, and merits the Corredion of the Law.

2. If the Fad he true, hut is in it felf no Crime, the Satj^r has no Teeth, no ClawSj it can neither Bite or Sting ^ and then again "tis no more a Satyr- it has only a kind of clofe par'd Nails with which it can feral ch its own Face, and can hurt no Body elfe -, fo that 'tis no more a Satj^r, nor will it bear to be call'd by that Name. But this is out of the "Way here.

We infift upon the Juftice of the Fatyr, as well from the Nature of the Charge it brings, as from the certainty of the Fad proved by the ConfeiFion of the guilty OiFenders, and the general Teftimon}^ of the Times, as above.

It remains then to fpealc of the Manner of the Performance, and enter upon the Vindica- tion of it, a thing much more properly under- taken, now 'tis finifli'd, than it cou'd be before it was begun.

The only Objedions which can lie againil: the manner, I think, come into thefe two. (i.) The neceflity of fpeaking a Language that is unpleafant to hear, and which, at leaft, feems to tread on the brink of the fame Indecency ivhich it reproves ^ And which alfo the Author has fufficiently exprefs'd his dread of Or, (2.) The deficiency of the Reproof from an over- reftraint, and declining to exprefs Things fully on that very Account, for fear of offending one "VVa)^, ofiending too much the other.

I have, with the utmofl: Care, avoided the firft of thefe • I have fl-udied to ftiun all Inde- cency of Expreffion, or faying any thing that

might


[ 384 ]

n-iiglit oiTend the chaftefi: Mind, and the moll i^iodefl Ear, allowing but juft room to mention the Crime that is reproved, and hardly that ill fomx Places fufficient to have it underftood.

If I have given the leaftCaufe of Complaint^ i profefs it to be unfeen and undefigned • nor upon revifiiig the whole Work, do I yet fee any Realbn for altering or wiping out any thing on that Account.

The Scripture it felf, the facred Pattern of Modefty in Espreilion, and which I have all along kept in my Eye as a Director in that particular Point, has, in many Places, been ob- liged to fpeak plainer than I have done in the like Cafes.

BtJT when the Cenfure is to be pafs'd, there mufi: be fo much faid at leaft^ as may let the Header underftand what it is we reprove, or cKc wc fpeak of nothing, and to no purpofe* yet I have ftudied with the utmoft Care to do it, fo as to leave no room for Reproach. None can find Occafion to blufll here but thofe that are guilty^ let them blulh and reform, then the End of the Satyr is anfwered.

As to the fecond Cafe ^ I cannot but lament the neceility I have been under to omit feveral flagrant Stories, with Names and Sirnames too attending them, good Evidence of Fad: readj^, which yet I have not been able to find "Words to exprefs with Decency enough to bear read- ing, or to prefer ve the Purity of the Defign^ and the Dignity of a juft Satyr.

What vile and perhaps unheard-of Pradices could I have cxpofed, could I have found Words to drcfs up the Relation in ? And what inimi^ table Examples have I ready to produce to fup-

forj


f^ort the Truth of the Fads, would the Stories but bear telling.

I confefs/tis fomething hard that Men fhou'd fin on, onlj becaufe thej^ cannot be modeftly reproved^ that they fhouM go on in fiiperlative Wickednefs, with an Iinpunity only owing to the horrid exorbitance of their Crime, too dirty to be fpoken of, too naufeous to be mentioned. Why has not our fruitful Inventions added fome Signals, fome Figures, to ferve inftead of Speech, (as I have obferved the Turks do, hy turning up the Slipper) by which Signals or Figures the filthj^ Part might be expreffed, without fouling the Mouth, or affronting the Ears of others.

But it is not to be done, and therefore, as above, I have chofen to leave out many long Hiftories of inexprellible Lewdnefs, parti- cularly under the Matrimonial Cover, and which would have given a keener Edge to the Satj^r, and have confirmed the Neceilitj of the Reproof in this Cafe, more than all that has been exprefs'd. But, I fa}^, it is not to be done.

Where I have been neceifitated to come to the very Brink of the Fad, and to go as far as Language would fufFer me ^ certainly I hope for fo much Charity in the Reader, as to ac«  knowledge the Juftice and Keceffity of going fo far, at the fame time giving the true Reafon of my going no farther.

'Tis a hardfhip an Author is feldom put to," to be obliged to break off in the middle of his Evidence-, to omit and drop all the 111 uftrat ions of his Story, and fcarce give you enough of the Generals to guefs at the Particulars by •, but this is my Cafe, and all in obedience to that

Q c Modeft-


Modefty, the trefpalTing upon whicli is the ground of the whole Complaint. If thefe Men could be talked to in their own Language ^ if the odious Exprellions they ufe in their ordi- nary Difcourle could be thrown in their Faces, and they could be daub'd with their own Dirt, it would defcribe them in a more ef- fectual manner, they would be painted in the moft fuitable Colours, and drefs^d up in the Robes that would beft become them ^ and, in one refped, it ought to be fo, that every Crime might be fhown as it really is.

It was a Practice in fome of the Nations in the Eaftern Countries, that if a Woman was convicted of Adultery, Ihe was ftript ftark naked, and led about the City, that {he might be expofed in the fame Nakednefs in which Ihe had voluntariljr expofed her felf, and fo be puniihed in the very kind of her Offence.

Bht this would not do in a Chriftian Coun- try-, it would be it felf an Offence againft De- cency, and a Breach of the vexy Modefty which it was intended to punifn, and therefore it cannot be done- in like manner the Crime I am reproving, cannot be expos'd in the lively manner that other Offences are expos'd in 5 be- caufe, as I may fay, we cannot fpeak the Lan- gua-ge: The Dialed thefe People talk is a great part of the Crime 5 and as it is not to be made ufecf for their Reproof, fo weareftraiten'd exceedingljr in Reproving 5 and they triumph over me in this vqtj Part, that I talk in the dark, and reprove by Allegorjr and Metaphor^ that People may. know, or not know what I mean, juft as it may happen.^

This may, in fome Senfe, indeed be true, as I have faid above^ but the Hardfliip rifes

from


[ ^§7 ]

from the black Circunifi:anbes attending the Crimes they commit ♦ and, of all People, the j Ihould be the laft to boaft of that Advantage^ feeing they muft own at the fame tim.e, 'tis be- canfe their Behaviour is fo iniich too vile to be reproved, that it cannot be nientioned ^^ the Language of it is fo foul, that it will not read.^ modeft Tongues cannot fpeak it 5 modeft Ear^ cannot hear it; like fome particular Trials in our Courts of Juftice, when they are obliged to defire of the Women to withdraw, becaufe they inay be obliged to ufe fuch Exprellions as it is iiot decent to mention before them, or modeft in them to be in the hearing of; and jQt^ without v/hich \Vords fpoken in the groffeft and plaineft manner, theCaufe cannot be triedj the Evidence be taken, or the Offender con- Vicled.

This is exadll}^ thie Cafe ; and under thi§ Difficulty the whole "Work labours in almoft fever}'- Part. But I have taken the Part that; I think. Religion and Decency diredls 5 that is^ to go as far as I can, and leave Confcience to \vork the reft its own way. I have painted out the Crime as fairljr as juftifiable Language will, allow-, and where it will not, I content my felf with leaving the Guilty to judge themfelves by the general Hints given them. The lilent Needle in the Compafs points to the Pofe, but fays no more; yet the Pilot, which knows its meaning, fteers by that Diredion, and brings the Ship fafe into Port.

The Facts are indeed notorious, and the lefi

plain EvgU/l) will ferve-. the Things I reprove

are not fo very abftrufe; there are few married

People but will underftand me ; and all the

guilty, I am fure^ will read their Crimes plain

C c 3 enough^


[ 388 ]

enough, they will need no Elplanations -, if they pretend to it, they will be too ealily con- futed, by referring them to their own Prac-- ticco

It is true, there are ftill fome ill Ufages a- mong thefe People, fome Matrimonial Whore- doms which are wholly omitted, which it is im- pollible to mention, no not at the greateft diftance, jio not by Simily, Allegory,, or any other Re- prefentation. They are too wicked to admit the leaft Suggeftion about them, or fo much as to guide the Reader to guefs at them. Nor are they a few Things which I am thus obliged to overlook. But there is no doing, it ^ they muft be buried in Silence if they cannot be reprov'd, becaufe they cannot be mentioned. Let the Offenders, the guilty Perfons, conlider. Heaven can find out "Ways to punilh them, tho' we can-^ not find out Words to reprove them.

That JufticCy that brings to light the hid- den Works of Darknefs, can make the Crime publick in the Punifhment ^ and there it may be read with Terror by every one that looks on it, when their Ears will not be offended \vith the Defcription. Nor is it an unufual Method 5 Providence often thinks fit to do fo. Drunken- nefs, tho' in fecret, is made publick by Solo- man's Signals, Who has rediwfs of eyes^ who hath woinids without caitfe ^ they that tarry lojig at th^ F77/^, &c. Prov. xxiii. 29.

Thus it may be faid again, who hath lean- nefs of Countenance, who hath rottennefs of Bones, who hath loathfome Difeafes ? Are they not the People I fpeak of ? Let them take heed 5

  • tis not the W^horemafter and the Strumpet a-

lone that contract Filthinefs and Diftempers • ^nd 'twill be a dreadful Rebuke for a pretender

ta


[ 3SP ]

t\D lawful Things, and no more, to fee himfelf brought to the fame Diftrefs by his Excefles, that others are reduc'd by their Y^ces and open "VVickednefTes, and loaded with thofe Difeafes, \\rhich fo ftrongly intimate another kind of Guilt, that no Body will believe him Innocent, tho- he really be fo.

I leave it to Phyfieians to explain what I fa}^, and to tell vv^hether there are not many fcandalous Difeafes which People bring upon themfelres by their Intemperances and Ex- ceffes, which are fo near the main Contagion, that no People will believe they are Innocent that have them, and that yet miay befal thofe who have never been guilty out of the Mar- riage Bed.

Let fuch People reCed upon the Grief it will be to them, to be univerfally condemn'd where they are not guilty ^ and to bear the reproach of a Crime they have not committed for the Crime which none imagine, and which they have dwelt unreprov'd in fo many Years, till the}^' come to be a Reproof to themfelves, and a Reproach to all about them.

I could give Examples of feveral who have fatally fuftered in this Manner, under the Weight of their own immoderate Pradices, to fay no worfe of them •, and I could, I believe, find fome Inftances of thofe who have perifhed under the Mifery, rather than difcover the Grief they lay under, leafl: they fhould be fup- pofed guilty of what they abhorred fo much as to think of.

But how juft is divine Vengeance thus to reprove thofe Intemperances in his own Way, which were otherwife out of the reach of hu- man Laws, and indeed of human Eyes > And

C c 3 ho\y


[ 3 50 ]

how ihould the People I fpeak of, whofe Coiit dud I cannot reprove, becaufe too foul to be mentioned, reflecl:, that Heaven can find out "Ways to inake them a Puniihraent to them- felves, and join their Sin and their Shame to- gether?

I could have alfo given fome living Examples^ pf the Intemperances which I have mentioned, which have liv'd to be extreamlyexpofed, even tho- they have not been fpoken of in print ♦, in whom the diftemper'd Bodies, aching Heads, tot«  tering Joints, beiides the many namelefs, £U thy and unclean Difeafes that have hung upon them, have been their lafting Reproof, and they have carried the reproach of their Follies about with them where-ever they went, till no Body has car'd to come into their Company, and they have been a Shame even to themfelves.

These Things have been the Fruit of thcfe Doings, which the}^ call lawful ^ their conjugal £xceffes, thofe Liberties which they have all ^long pretended Heaven allowed them; Liberties Nature didated, Love prompted, and Matri- rnony made lawful ^ as if Heaven, Nature ^nd the Matrimonial Law, which is founded on the Laws both of God and Nature, had direded them to an immoderate Ufe of the Liberties they allowVl ; which is no more true, than that becaufe God gai^e the Wine (a noble Plant) and the Juice of its Fruit, for ourComifort, and for the fupport and fuppl} of the Spirits, had allowed us to drink, and to drink it with Plea- fure-, and that Nature, conforming to the Bounty pf Heaven, had given us a guft or love to the Liquor it felf^ that therefore God and Nature ^llowcd us to be drunk to dr^nk to Excefs^


[ Ji'I ]

to drink away our Senfe, our Underftanding gnd our Li'^e, as many daily do.

I would conclude this v/ith an earnefl; and fe- rious Monition to all the conildering, rational Part of Mankind, who call themfelves Chri- ftians, and would be called ib, who are willing to a6t as fuch, and to anfwer to themfelves, not fuppofing they had any other Account to give for alltheirBehaviour^ I fay, I would move them to enter fo far into the Government of themfelves, as becomes Men of Senfe and of Virtue, to put a due Reftraint upon themfelves in the ufe of lawful Liberties, and to ad, not like Madmen and Furies, but like Men of Underilandi ng, to aa in fuch a Manner, as they may not re- proach themfelves hereafter with wafting their Youth and Strength, and bringing Age and "U'eaknefs upon themselves before their Time»

Certainly, God Almighty, who form'd the Man, and who committed him, m a great Meafure, to the Government of himfelf, did not do fo with a general leave to live how he pleafed- did not leave him to the guft of his Appetite, without giving the leaft Limits to himfelf by his Reafon, but as he gave him fuperior Faculties, fo he gave thofe Faculties, and placed them in a fuperiority one to another, that they might be a Check to the feparate Motions and Operations, and keep the whol^ Machine in order. .

If the Man breaks this Order ^ if he invert! Nature ^ if he gives himfelf Liberties that God and Nature intended him not, and fuch 5S are inconfiftent with the good Order of the Machine, he will put the whole Fabrick out oi Tune •, nor can he expeft the reft of the Moti-*, ons can perform as they would otherwife do.

C c ^^ U


[ ^9^ ] If the Spring of a Watch be over- ft rained, it will ceafe to Draw •, if the Ballance be over- loaded, the Motion ftops. It is the like in all other natural Motions, and 'tis fo in this of the Man. He that will put Nature out of her proper Courfc, and upon Extreams which fhe has not equal Powers to perform, u^illruin thofe Powers which fhe has, and, in a word, ruin the whole Fabrick.

If the Man is himfelf^ if he is Mafter of his Reafon, and found Argument can make any due Imprelfion upon him,"he will confider this Part for his own lake ^ abftradted from its being an Offence againft his Superior, theGovernor of his Life, to whom he muft Account •, if, I fay, he would only confider himfelf,adl like a ratio- nal Creature, and ftudj his own Intereft, it muft move him to b'^have himfelf prudently.

I know nothing, no not one Inftance in Life, wherein Virtue may be more truly faid to be its own Reward, than in this Particular: Take the Cafe inverted, v/ho has length of Days, who found Confliitution ? who has ftrength of Body, agilit}'" of Limbs, who enjoj'-s an unin- terrupted Health, but the Temperate, the Mo- derate, and the Virtuous ? Their Vitals are not exhaufted ^ Nature is not opprefs'd ^ the Vi- gour of the Spirits expended, and the Marrow cf their Bones wafted : Their Youth has not robbed their old Age ^^ or their untimely Vice diverted the Channels of Nature, and turn'd the Water from the Mill.

The Modefi:,^ the Chaft, the temperate Youth, is the hail, the chearful, and the healthy old Man: He that lives too faft, goes to his Gra"\^e too foon ^ 'tis a courfe, but fignificant Ex- pfeiliGn. He that lives a G^Z/op^goes to the Devils

TroU


[ 35)3 ] Trot. The meaning is plain ^ excefs in Youth- anticipates old Age^ they that will tear them-, felves in Pieces, who can patch them cp? 'Tis in vain to fly to Art-, Phyficic may cleanfe the Blood, corred the noxious Humour, clear the Stomach, and help the Digefture ^ but Phjfick cannot make' the Body anew • Phy- lick cannot give a new Fund of Life, and form Mature upon a new Foundation. Phyfick can- not reftore when the Liver is wafted, vv^hen the Lungs are fpit out of the Mouth by early Catarrhs, when the Jrhecl is broken at theCiJlern: when, as Job fays, the Rehis are covfumed within vs, what can Phyfick do for us ? Art may at lift Nature^ but Art cannot give Youth, nor reftore that Vigour which Vice has exhaufted, "When the Dart is Jlruck through the Liver^ when the Heart ceafes to beat Timie to the pendulum, 'tis in vain to talk to Phyficians : As vou have put your felves in the Devil's ftead to deftroy, Phyficians cannot put them.- felves in God's Head to Create : Who fhall fup- ply in Age what the Spendthrift, the Extra- vagant has wafted inYouth? A frugal Ufe of an Eftate preferves it for the Heirs ^ whereas he that cuts the Timber down young, fliall have no large highTrees to leave behind him^ and he that, without manuring and good Husbandry, leaves the Land to be beggared, and ploughed out of Heart, Ihall be fure n^ to keep up the Rent-, but the Eftate will decay, and the Heir be re- duc'd.

In a Word, Temperance and Moderation keeps Nature in a due ftate of Health, and lays in an early Provifion for Time, a Stock for old Age to live upon, hands on Vigour with the Years, and makes Age triumph in the goodnefs

of


[ 35>4 ] of the Conftitution : Whereas Vice leaves- Youth groaning and mourning under Aches, Rheumaticks and Hjdrophicks before its Time, the Joints trembling cannot fupport the Body, the Nerves are innervated, the Sinews fhrunk -^ pi a Word, the Blood is poifon'd, the Spirit ex- haufted, and the whole Mafs corrupted-, thus the^ Fabrick finks like a Noble opulent City fwtl-^ low'd up in an Earthquake, there it ftands a fad Monument of the devouring Teeth of Crime^ and a Sacrifice to Debauchery.

Whence is it, that the Number of Phyfi- cians. Apothecaries and Surgeons, are fo en- creas'd among us, and efpecially the latter, be- fides the innumerable Throng of Quacks, Pre- tenders and Dealers in Plaiflers and Dofes ? If Difeafes were not multiply'd, the Remedies would not crowd in upon us as they do-, 'tis the Stench pf Carcafes that brings the Vultures about us and our Families: As the Groans and Cries of (dying and decaying Bodies are loud among us^ fo Ph3'fick is grown noifjr and clamorous.

How many Dcdors and Surgeons, nay Apo-^ thecaries, ride about in their Coaches > Perhaps, as one cunningly alledg'd, not for the Vanity of the Equipage, but for Expedition, and that he might be able to make more Vifits in a Day '^ othervvife he could not difpatch his Bufinefs,. or fee all his Patients fo often as they defird him.

As our Yearly Bills^are encreafed, the Phy- Jicians grown Rich, their Number more than doubled, and their Equipages advanced in fuch a Manner, Whence is it all ? It cannot be all xneerly by the Encreafe of People about us -, tho* that I know is alledged ; there mufl be fome- thing elfe- and the Reafon is evident, our Lux- ury is encreafed •, and with our Luxury, our

Vices^


[ 35)5 ]

Vices, and other Extravagances, our Lafciviout jiefs, Senfualit)r, and, in a "Word, our Impu- dence, and with all thefe our Diflempers: Thefe enrich the Dodors, thefe call the Sur- geons and Apothecaries about us, like the Crows about the Carcafe^ and they Bombard us with the Gallipots and GlafTcs, as the Alge- rines afiault a Ship with Carcafes and Stink- ing Pots.

If the Numbers of People are encreas'd a- hont Lo7idov, that may be fomething,^ though ^is begging the Queftion moft egregiouflj to faj fo, as we do hj Lump, that this is the only encreafe of the Mortality. Some fuggeft fuch an Encreafe as amounts to a third Part of the whole ^ and others will go fo far as to tell us they are doubled ^ and this they gather (as they fay) not from the exceifive Numbers of Build-', ings only, but from the Throngs of People which are to be feen in the Streets upon all publick bccafions. ' I will readily grant both thefe, par- ticularly, that there are great Numbers of new- Buildings, Streets and Squares added to the Town, and in all the extreme Parts of it, in- deed an innumerable Number, fuch as no City in the World can Ihow the like, as at St. Qileis, Tybuni'Road, Ormovd- Street, Hockley, Finsbury, Spittle-Fields, Wapfmg, Rotherhith, See. Nor is this all, but I allow that there is alfo a prodigious Encreafe in the Tillages adjacent to Lovdov, which, as they fajr, and in that indeed they fay true, are not only doubled, but fome of them encreafed to feveral Times as many Peo- ple as formerly, fuch as at the new Docks near Deptford, and at the Town of Deptford ^ alfo at Greevwich, Clapharv, Carnherwell, Chelfea, Koi- fi^gtov, Hampjlead, Neivington, Totteiihaw, Ed- f)ionto7fy Fndjieldy Bromley^ Stratford, Weft Ham^

Wanftead.^


[ 55><^ ]

Ifcinfiead^ IFaWjamftow^ Low-Laytov, and ahun'? dance more, all whofe Parimes are out of the Bills of Mortality •, and were their Num- bers added to the laft yearly Bill, would make up the Mortalities at leafl: to Five and thirty thoufand.

Nov/ tho' all this were true, and more, yet it does not at all account for the Grievance in our Morals, which I have complained of ^ or for the Depredations made upon Nature, and upon Health, by our intemperate and luxurious Living, our immoderate and fcandalous Ex- cefTes in otherwife lawful and allowed Plea- fures. But let thofe that queftion it, look back into the Book of Nature^ and let them tell me, whether the Numbers of the Sick too are not encreafed in proportion, and indeed more than in proportion, to the Number of the Dead > And if thejr will not take my Opinion, let them know the late famous Dr. Radchfe^ end feveral other Phyficians, gave the fame Judgment. And I am very willing to appeal to the Learned, \vhether thefe Exceffes I have aiow mentioned, have not contributed at leaft to making the Age lefs found in Life, if not iliorter liv'd than their Anceftors.

I will not attempt to abridge the Sovereignty of Providence in its Government of the Earthy or to fay, that Heaven has not appointed and" limited the Time of Life to all his Creatures : Yet I am not fo much a Predeftinarian nei- ther, as to pretend that Men cannot fhorteii their Days by Luxury and Intemperance, Glut- tony, Drunkennefs, and other worfe and mora , criminal ExcefTes -, why fhould we not think that fuch Crimes as thefe entail Heaven's Curfe upon us, and blaft our Breath, and Ihorten our Time as well as Difobedience to Parents? I

will


[ 3^7 ]

'Will not prefume to fay, in the Words of the Command, be Temperate, be Virtuous, be iHo- derate, that thy Days 7nay he long in the Landi I acknowledge, that I have no direct Aiitho-^ ritv to add a Promife to the Exhortation • but I may take more freedom, I believe, in the alter- native, and fay, be not Intemperate, be not Vi- cious, Luxurious, Immoderate and Brutal, and add, with the "Wife Man, IFhy fioM'Ji thou dys before thy Time ? Ecclef vii. 17.

Without queflion, Life may be fliortned by our Wickednefs. How many do we fee, in almoft every weekly Bill, dead of excelfive Drinking, others Duelling and Fightings fome by one vile Excefs, fome by another ? Shall any Man dare tofay,thefe did not fliorten their own Lives ! Shall we fay, they lived out half their Days! Pfal. Iv. 2^. I think it would be affronting the Juftice of Providence, to fay, they were not flain by their own Crime, cut off by untimely Vice, or that, with David's wicked Men^ they do not live out half their Days.

But, not to enter into Difputes of Things remote to the Cafe-, if Life is or is not, can or cannot be fhorten'd by our Intemperance and Vice, the Comfort of Lifs may be leffen'd. Life may be made a Burthen, loathfome and uncomfortable, by loading it with Difeafes and Sorrows, and by bringing complicated Miferies upon our felves in the Room of Health and Vigour, which would otherwife be the Lot.

A bright Countenance, a fprightly and brisk Eye, a conftant Smile, a nimble agile Body, a clear Head, a ftrong Memory, and clean Limbs, thefe are Nature's Furniture to a Man of an. untainted Race. But how often are all thefe

original


[ ?P8 ]

original Beauties, the native Attendants upon Youth aiid a good Coiiftitution, made to droop and flag, while Palenefs and Leannefs come into the Face, Heavinefs into the Heart, and Dulnefs into the Head ? How is the Ihining fparkling of the Eye eclipfed, the TJnderftand- ing loft, the Memory decay'd, and the Genius partaking of the Contagion, entirely al- tered ?

The Glory of a young Man is hh Strevgih^ fays Solomon^ Prov. xx. 29. and one of his firft Advices after that Expreffion, is, give Jiot thj Strength unto TFoinen-^ it is true, Solojnon there means to a ftrange Woman, that is to fajr, a Whore, But with fome abatement for thePerfon bnl}^, and for t\\e Circumftances fpoken to here^ the Thing is (otherwife) the fame, and the Ex* celTes are in their Degree, tho' ^perhaps not every way as fatal.

It was a late learned Phyficlan who faid^ that the "Women wearing Hoops would make the next Age all Cripples •, that drinking Tea would make them Rheumatick •, that taking SnufF would make themLunatick: To which it was faid, by way of Repartee, theDodlor being a little of a Libertine, that the Levity of the prefent Times will make the next AgeAtheiftsj the Cavilling at iScripture, (which is now the grand Mode) make them Hereticks v and the talking Nonfenfe make them all Fools: And now, I think, I may with equal Propriety add, that the Vice of this Age will make the next Age rotten.

Crime has an unhappy propagating (Qua- lity •, 'tis always in progrellion. If one Age talks Herefjr, the next Age talks Blafphemy.? If one Age talks Faction, the next Age talks

Jreafon^


[ 35^5> ]

Treafon •. If one Age talks FooHfh, the nest Age talks Mad. So, in the Cafe before me, if one Generation are Immoderate, the next are Extravagant. If one Age runs to ex- refs in Things lawful, the next purfues the like exceflcs in Things unlawful, or make thofe lawful Things Crimes, by thofe exceffes : If one Age are Bealts, the next Age are Devils: To- day Matrimonial Whoredom, To-morrow Un- bounded Whoredom. As Vice leads. Fools fol- low •, and where muft it end but in Deftru- aion >

It is the like in the Contamination of Bloody the fatal Progrellion (hows it felf there, as well as in other Parts. Exceffes weaken the Body, link Nature, darken the Countenance, ftupify the Brain •, To-day they reach the Body, To-mor- row the Soul, and, in the next Age, the Race.

The lawful Things of this Age will make the next Age lawlefs ^ their Fathers conveyed Blood, and they convey Poyfon-, our Parents handed on Health, and we Difeafes •, our Chil- dren are born in Palaces, and are like to die irs Hofpitals. Debauchery is the Parent of Di- ftemper •, Fire in the Blood makes a Froft in the Brain •, and be the Pleafures lawful or un- lawful, the efFed of Folly is to leave a Gene- ration of Fools.

It would be happy, if after having faid thus much in general, and after having enter'd fo ferioufly into all the Particulars b}^ which a lewd Generation defile and pollute the Mar- riage Bed, and ruin both themfelves and their Pofterity, I could propofe fome efFeftual Me- ^ thod for the fapprellmg the wicked Pradices^-

and


t 400 ]

and bring Mankind to live^ at leafi: like reafonable Creatures, if not as Chriftians.

The Anfwer to this would be direct, if Laws and Government were concerned in it. But as we complain of an Evil which the fenfe of God's Laws, nor the force of human Laws, will not reach^ nothing of Force, no- thing of putting Statutes in execution, no- thing of the Hand of the Magiftrate can be thought of ufe, or, if it be, will be equally lauglVd at. Indeed, how Ihould they that can Argue theinfelves out of all the Re- ftraints of Virtue and Religion-, be expected to be under anj Reftraints, except thofe of Power ?

And this makes me have recourfe to Sa^ tyr, and the Reproofs and Lafhes of the Pen. Thefe are the proper Weapons to combat this Adverfary : Where the Laws of God or Man have no EiFedt, the Ssityr has been fometimes known to reach the Affedions and Paflions of Men y as they run in feveral Channels, fo they are to be come at by fe- veral Methods •, Ways and Means for one Thing will not be always Ways and Means for another 5 as Men are wrought upon, iome by one Thing, fome by another, ac- cording to the feveral Tempers and Difpofi- tions wl^ich govern them, and in which they a£t*, fo, in general, they are mov'd, fome in one Way, fome in another.

National Miftakes, vulgar Errors, and even a general Practice, have been reform'd by a juft Satyr. None of our Countrymen have been known to boaft of being Thte-^ Born Ev^glijl^-Mev^ or fo m^uch as to ufe ih^ . Word as a Title or Appellation ever lince a late

Satyr


[ 401 ]

Satyr tipon that National Folly was pub* lifh'd, tho' aim oft Fortj Years ago. Nothing was more frequent in our Mouths before that, nothing fo univerfally BluOi'd for and laugh'd at [ince. The Time, I believe, is yet to come, that any Autlior printed it, or that any Man of Senfe fpoke it in earneft^ whereas, before you had it in the beft Writers, and in the moft florid Speeches, before the moft auguft Af- ■femblies, upon the moft foiemn Occafions.

Could the Practice complained of in this Work, tQw thoufand times more fcandalous, grown up to be odious and ftiamelefs ^ to wife Men hateful, and to good Men horrid, I mean that of talking lewdlj?-, be hifs'd out of the World by a juft Satyr •, could it be lafti'd off the Stage of Life by the Pen, happy would the Author be that could boaft of fuch Succefs.

Could all the Third Chapter, and the Fourth Chapter^ and the Fifths and Sevevth, and JVinth^ and Eleventh Chapter-Crimes, be met with in the fame Manner, and with the fame Succefs, I ftiould think this, however difficult, the beft and happieft Undertaking that ever came into, or went out of my Hands.

I cannot defire a greater Scope in any Sub- jed, that calls for Cenfure among Men; I think I may fa_7, I muft have all the Wife, the Religious, the modeft Part of Mankind with me, in the Reproof The Crimes I at- tack are not only Offences againft Heaven, but^ againft all good Men, againft Society, againft Humanity, againft Virtue, againft Reafon, and, in fome Things, againft Na- ture- Crimes that modeft Words cannot (with- QUti: great difficulty) explain, modeft Tongues

D d ezprefs.


[ 4o^ ]

exprefs, nor modeft Ears, without blufhing> iiear mentioned.

As no fober Mind can receive the Ideas of them, without entertaining the utmoft Aver- fion to the Fads •, fo none that ever I met with, that had any common fhare of Breed- ing and Manners, could bear the mention of them, efpecially in the common Dialed of thofe I call the Criminals.

None but a Set of People with Faces of 8tee], who can triumph in their Vidlory over Religion, Gonfcience, and the Thoughts of Eternity, that have got the Better both of Edu- cation, and of all Manner of Principles. Thefe may Glory indeed in their Shame ^ and thefe are the People our Satyr defires to fExpofe.

As to their Perfons, nothing but univerfal Contempt of them can have any Effedt -, no- thing can affift them to Blufti but a gene- ral Hifs from Mankind, and being thruft off the Stage by the very worft of Men. I have heard it was the Foundation of a very fcandaious vicious Perfon's Reformation, when another more notorious Fellow than himfelf, reproved him in this Manner : Fie, Jack, why thou art worfe thait Iain.

There are fo many Lives of Crime, which yet come Ihort of thefe lawful Sinners, that a Thief, a Drunkard, a Swearer, a Profligate,

may come to a Man talking -, as I

have mentioned, and fay. Fie, Mr. G ,

Fie, Mr. H ^.■. -, Fie, Mr. L : , JThy,

you are worfe than lajth

' Why may we not hope to fee the Time,

^hen the worft of common Offenders fhal} ftopi

" " ' their


[403 ]

their Ears at the Wickednefs of thefe, and when the very Scandals of the Times fhall Bluih for, and reprove them. This univerfal Contempt of them f, this general Averlion, if any Thing on Earth can work upon them., will have fbme Eifed ^ there are few guilty Men har- den'd againft the Battery of general Clamour ^ it feems to be an AfTault to be refifted only by Innocence-, Crime mufi: certainly fall under it -, Innocence may hold up the Head in fuch a Storm •, but Guilt will cer- tainly and foon founder, and fufFer Ship- wreck.

Indeed, there feems to be fome affinity in Crime, between the People who We are now Cenfuring, and another horrid modern Genera- tion too vile to name, and yet who feems to be feeking Protection under thefe. There may be indeed an elfential Difference ^ but in what fmall and minute Articles does it exift ? But as the Particulars will not admit a nearer Enquiry, I think the better Way is to rejedl: both with Contempt, with an Abhorrence fuit- able to the vilenefs of the Fadls, and caft them out together.

This will aid the modeft Part of the World in their juft Oppofition to all Indecency •,^. and if we did nothing elfe, our Work would recommend itfelf to that 'Part of Mankind which are really moft valuable •, and as for the reft, let them ad as they pleafe, their Approbation will add no Credit to the Caufe.

I have now done. I have faid not all I

had to fay, but all I have Room to fay here ;

and having brought the very Conclufion to

a Clofe^ I would only add one Thing by

P d 2 way


[ 4^4 ]

W^y of Challenge to that Part of Manlcinc!. who I may have touch'd in this Satjr, and who, for ought I know, may be angry • for, indeed, they have nothing elfe left for it, but to be angry, and rail at the Reproof- ac- cording to a known Diftich ufed upon a like Dccalion ;

That Difpiita)its, when Reafom fail^

Have one fiire Refuge lefty and that's to Rail

Now in this Cafe, I fay, I have a fair OiFer tQ snake to thofe Gentlemen in ^ few Words, viz,

. '. I. Let them prove that the Faft here repre- hended is not in being-, that ^tis all a Fidion or Shadow, a Man of Straw -, that there's nothing in it, and that I am in the wrong. Or,

2. That if it is in being, that tho' the Fad is true, and tho' fuch Things are done, they merit Bo Satyr, that they ought not to be reproved or expofed^^ I fay, let them do this, and then they fhall Rail their fill, and treat Me, and the Work which I have juft now finiihed, in as fcandalous a manner as they pleafe. Or,

^. Which I had much rather they fhould do^ let them Reform^ take the hint, fall under, the Reproof, and at once link the Crime,

1 confefs, it feems rational that one or other €f thefe fnould be done : The two firft, which are in fome refped the fame, I am out of fear of^ the laft feems a Debt^ 'tis juft I ihould de- mand it ^ let them repel the Charge, or re- form the Pradice,

It


[ 405 ]

If they cannot do the firft, and yet contemri the laft, I declare "War againft them^ and if I live to appear again in the Field, let them ex- pect no Qiiarter^ for th€ Satjr has not fpent all its Artiller}^, or Ihof all its Shafts, My next Attack Ihall be perfohal, and I m^j come to Black Lifts, Hiftories of Facls, Regifters of Time, with Name andSirname^ for no Man fure, in a Giriftian Gcvernment, ,as this is, need be afraid of laying Hell open, or draw- ing the Fidures of Men when the}^- are turn'd Devils.

I might fay a "^^ord or two more with refpedi to Style. I think I can have given no Offence in Decency of Expreiiion : If any Thing has, notwithftanding the utmoft Care, dipt my Pen, let it be a Defence, that I profefs it is unde- lign'd- the whole Tendur of the 'Work is cal- culated to bear down Vice, vitious Pradlifes and vitious Language •, and, I think, I may claim a favourable Conftruclion v/here there feems a Fault, if it were really a flip of the Pen : i may claim it as a Debt due to a modeft Inten- tion •, declaring again, there is not one Word willingly pafs'd over that can be Cenfured, as evidently leading to or encouraging Indecency, no not in Thought. An evil Mind may cor- rupt the chafteft Defign-, as in reading the ex- planation of the Words / WILL, in the Mar- riage Covenant, which, I faj^, is a folemn Oath, and that as plain as if it had been exprefs'd, as ^wearing by the Name of God. Sure none can be offended as if I put the facred Name of God into the Mouths of the Readers upon a light Occafion, making them take the Name of God in vain, or making them repeat an Oath in the moft vulgar and courfeft way. But if any Man

Ihquld


[ 40<S ]

fhoulA be lb weak, not to fay malicious, let them knoiv, that I think the Expreilion car- ries with it a due reverence of the Name of God 5 and that the Occafion is awful and fc- lemn ^ and if I had faid. So help me, God, it had been the fame thing : The meaning is, to convince Men that how flight however they pafs over tie Marriage Covenant, It is a folemn Appeal to God for the Tfuth of the Intention ^ and a folemn binding themfelves in his Name 5tnd Prefence, to a flrift Performance of the Conditions-, and that he that breaks them breaks a moft facred Oath, and is as much Perjured sis if he had been fo in the ordinary Form.


P I N I S.


ERRATA.

PAg.5$3. line 13. for or at read and at. line 17. for th read that, line 21, for is needful read is rot needful. F^ 354. lin. 1$. for <w / read /. P. 3 55* li"- ^9* for and Jome readrfwi perhaps infome. P. 3(^6. lin. 7- for Crimwal iQ&d Crime. P. 368, lin, 25- for rightms read mrighteom




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