More especially intended to promote the happiness of the mistress of the family, “The Wife, by Mira, One of the Authors of the Female Spectator, and Epistles for Ladies” (1756) contains advice to married women on how to behave toward their husbands in every conceivable situation, beginning with the first few weeks after marriage “vulgarly call’d the honey-moon,” and ending with “How a Woman ought to behave when in a state of Separation from her Husband”—­a subject upon which Mrs. Haywood could speak from first-hand knowledge.  Indeed it must be confessed that the writer seems to be chiefly interested in the infelicities of married life, and continually alleviates the rigor of her didactic pasages [Transcriber’s note:  sic] with lively pictures of domestic jars, such as the following: 

“The happy day which had join’d this pair was scarce six weeks elapsed, when lo! behold a most terrible reverse;—­the hurry of their fond passion was over;—­dalliance was no more,—­kisses and embraces were now succeeded by fighting, scratching, and endeavouring to tear out each other’s eyes;—­the lips that before could utter only,—­my dear,—­my life,—­my soul,—­my treasure, now pour’d forth nothing but invectives;—­they took as little care to conceal the proofs of their animosity as they had done to moderate those of a contrary emotion;—­ they were continually quarreling;—­their house was a Babel of confusion;—­no servant would stay with them a week;—­they were shunn’d by their most intimate friends, and despis’d by all their acquaintance; till at last they mutually resolv’d to agree in one point, which was, to be separated for ever from each other” (p. 16).

So the author discusses a wife’s behavior toward a husband when laboring under disappointment or vexatious accidents; sleeping in different beds; how a woman should act when finding that her husband harbors unjust suspicions of her virtue; the great indiscretion of taking too much notice of the unmeaning or transient gallantries of a husband; the methods which a wife is justified to take after supporting for a long time a complication of all manner of ill-usage from a husband; and other causes or effects of marital infelicity.  Though marriage almost inevitably terminates in a “brulee,” the wife should spare no efforts to ameliorate her husband’s faults.

“If addicted to drinking, she must take care to have his cellar well stor’d with the best and richest wines, and never seem averse to any company he shall think fit to entertain:—­If fond of women, she must endeavour to convince him that the virtuous part of the sex are capable of being as agreeable companions as those of the most loose principles;—­and this, not by arguments, for those he will not listen to;—­but by getting often to her house, the most witty, gay, and spirituous of her acquaintance, who will sing, dance, tell pleasant stories, and take all the freedoms that innocence allows” (p. 163).

Occasionally the advice to married women is very practical, as the following deterrent from gluttony shows: