n upon
her forehead; and that these are all reasons which oblige you to love
her. But I pray, consider with your self, that a fair Woman is
oftentimes tempted; a young, perillous; a rich, proud and haughty; a
wise, hypocritical; an airy, full of folly; and if she be eloquent,
she is subject to speak evilly: if she be jocund and light hearted,
she'l leave you to go to her companions, and thinks that the care of
her mind, is with you in your solitariness; and by reason she can
flatter you so well, it never grieves you. If she be open-hearted, her
freedom of spirit will appear hypocritical to you: her airiness you
will judge to be tricks that will be very troublesom to you. If she
love playing, she'l ruine you. If she be liquorish and sweet-tooth'd,
she leads your children the ready road to an Hospital. If she be a bad
Housekeeper, she lets all things run to destruction, that hath cost
you so much care and trouble to get together. If she be a finical one,
that will go rich in her apparel, she'l fill the Shopkeepers Counters
with your mony. And in this manner her lavishness, shall destroy all
your estate. To be short, let her be as she will, she shall never
bring you much profit. In good troth, I esteem very little those sort
of things, which you imagine to have a great delight in. 'Tis true, if
you take a Wife, which is ugly, poor, innocent, without either air or
spirit; that's a continual burthen to you all your life time. The old
are commonly despised; the ugly abhor'd; the poor slighted; and the
innocent laught at. They are called beasts that have no ingenuity: and
women without airiness, have generally but small sence of love. In
these last some body might say to you, that one ought to take of them
that are indifferently or reasonably well qualified. But I will surge
a little higher, and tell you plainly, that that will be just like one
who fearing to drown himself at the brinks of a River, goeth into the
middle, to be the higher above water. You see now, why I cannot advise
you to marry. Yet I would not have you to beleeve, tho I so much
discommend it, that it is no waies usefully profitable. I esteem it to
be a holy institution ordained by God Almighty. That which makes it
bad is the woman, in whom there is no good. If you will marry, you
must then conclude never to be any thing for your self again; but to
subject your self to the toilsom will and desires of a Wife, most
difficult to be born with; to pass by all her d