But kind Mistriss be not so hasty, it is impossible to express all the Pleasures so fully in one breath:  you must note, that they are all as it were for the present hid behind the Curtains; neither must you expect to sail alwaies before wind and tide; and beleeve me there are yet other Nuts to be krackt.

THE THIRD PLEASURE.

Whilest the Husband is from home, the Wife plaies the Divel for God’s sake.  The Husband upon his journy will want for nothing.

It seemed to be a divellish blur in the Escucheon, and a cruel striving against the stream, that as soon as the Shop was just made and furnisht, then the good Man falls sick, and keeps the first Lying in.

[Illustration:  50 Published by The Navarre Society, London.]

But Experience having taught him, that with relishing and solid dishes a man may overclog himself; he thinks it not unadvisable, to take a journy now and then from home, to see if he can get some new Customers in other Towns, or buy in some Goods and Wares for his Shop; by which means he may as well take as good care for his health, as he doth of his Shop-keeping.

Yet what comes here in the way, the pleasure is so great, and their loves so tender and newly stamped to each other again; that the young woman thinks she shall do, as formerly Cyana did, either consume her self in tears, or drown’d her self in a River, if she must suffer this.

Oh, the whole World will be unto her as dead, and without any thing of mankind, if her dearly beloved depart from her!  Well, who will not then but beleeve that the married estate is full of incomprehensible and inexhaustible pleasures and sweetnesses?  Do but behold how these two Hony-birds, sing loath to depart!  Yea, pray observe what a number of imbracings, how many thousand kisses, and other toyisch actions are used, before this couple can leave one another!  Nevertheless the reason of necessity, doth forsooth conquer in a vigilant husband these effeminate passions.

Therefore away he goes, leaving his whining beloved sitting between her Sister and her Neece, speaking words of consolation to her; and using all arguments possible to enliven and make her sorrowfull heart merry; either of them striving to be most free in proffering to be her bedfellow, and the next day to keep her company:  But alas, saies she, suppose ye did all this, yet nevertheless I have not my husband with me!

But because time and good company help to decline and pass away sorrow; she very happily begins to consider, that she hath now a fit opportunity, to invite her Neeces and Bridemaids and other good acquaintance, with whom she hath been formerly mighty familiar, to come and take a treat with her, and to drink a dish of Tee; for they have, when she was in her Maiden estate, treated her so many times with Tarts, Pankakes and Fritters, Custards, and stew’d Pruins, that