The Ten Pleasures of Marriage and The Confession of the New-married Couple (1682) eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 240 pages of information about The Ten Pleasures of Marriage and The Confession of the New-married Couple (1682).

The Ten Pleasures of Marriage and The Confession of the New-married Couple (1682) eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 240 pages of information about The Ten Pleasures of Marriage and The Confession of the New-married Couple (1682).

Here you ought to come, O restless Lovers, to behold your selves in these two darlings; you, who in your wooing are also possessed with jealousie, if you see that another obtains access to your Mistriss; or who, perhaps as wel as you, doth but once kiss the knocker of the dore, or cause an Aubade to be plaied under her Chamber Window:  Look sharply about you, and behold how these Aubades decline, or whether it be worth your while to give your Rival the Challenge; or to stab, poison, or drown’d your self, to shew, by such an untimely death, the love you had for her; and on your Grave, bear this Epitaph, that through damn’d jealousie you murthered your self.  These married Couple, used to do so; but see now what a sad life they live together, because jealousie took root in them so soon, and now bringeth forth such evill fruits.

Oh that this, now senceless, married Couple, had here, like the Athenians, prudent Umpires! how easily might they, perhaps, be united and pacified!  For the Athenians had constituted a certain sort of superiors, whom they intituled Pacificators of the married people; whose Power was to appease all differences between married people; and to constrain them that they must live in peace and unity with each other.  In like manner at Rome a Temple was built, where scolding married people, being reunited, came to sacrifice, and to live in better tranquility.

But alas! it is now clear contrary, such contentious Couples, use all the means and indeavours they possibly can rather to be divorced, then reunited; to that end solliciting both the Majestical and Ecclesiastical Powers; to whom are related a thousand sad reasons by each party, because either of them pretendeth to have the greatest reason on their side; of which this Age imparteth us several examples, wherewith the Magistracy, Ministry and Elders find no small trouble; especially, if they be people of a brave extraction, good credit and reputation, who have procreated severall children together.  For this jealous and contentious house Divell, domineers as well among people of great respect, as those of lesser degree; though there be some which so order it, that they smother this fire within dores, and suffer it not to burst out at the house top.  Nevertheless it is impossible to hide this unkindness from the eys of them that are in the Family.  Therefore it is to be admired, that the sister who dwelleth with this married Couple, and seeth and hears all this unkindness, mumbling and grumbling, yet hath such an earnest desire to be set down in the List of the great Company.  Nay though she had read all the twenty Pleasures of Marriage through and through, and finds by the example of her Brother that they are all truth; yet she is like a Fish, never at rest till she gets her self into the Marriage-Net, where she knows that she never can get out again:  According to these following Verses, which she hath sung so many times: 

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The Ten Pleasures of Marriage and The Confession of the New-married Couple (1682) from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.