matiz'd by the ingenious Martial. She had not the Patience or Power to furvive her beloved Husband Patus, dearer to her than her own Life; but violently difpatch'd her felf before his Execution. Alas! She ftabb'd her felf before his Face, and then gave him the Poniard, with this Affurance;

Vulnus, quod feci, non dolet, inquit:

Sed quod tu facies, hoc mihi, Pate, dolet! Lo the Fidelity of the Lady! 'Tis your Death, not my own, that grieves me, and gives me this Wound. The celebrated Paulina could not find in her Heart to outlive her dear Seneca one Moment by her own good Will; for when, upon Nero's cruel Condemnation of him to Death, his Veins were open'd in a Bath, The did the fame, and would fain have dy'd at once with him; by mingling the laft Drop of their dying Blood together, for a memorable Teftimony of their infeparable Union, and Affection of Hearts: but the unrelenting Tyrant prevented her by Force, and made her live a little longer in continual Sorrow, for the Lofs of her loving Spoufe, her admir'd Philofopher. Not to fay that thefe remarkable Inftances of a defperate Fondness ought to be any Precedents, or Rules of Practice now among Chriftians, upon the moft paffionate Love. But Religion will not fuffer our virtuous Lady to love her Husband to that difcommendable Diftraction. However!

I. SHE will do him Good, as long as she lives. This is the Wife a Man would heartily wish for, to make his Life comfortable. Her whole Bufinefs, Care and Conduct, will be to ferve her Husband faithfully in all his Affairs for ever; with the most winning Charms and indearing

dearing Obligations. Let his Concerns be either publick or private, fhe will have an engaging Hand in them, for his Benefit and Honour, as well as the Advantage of her Houfhold. She will be ftill ftudying his Health and Welfare, both at Bed and Board, with the greatest Concern and Deliberation of Soul; providing the best she can for his daily Food and Raiment, either as to his Eating, Drinking, or wearing Apparel; and ordering his whole Family with fo difcreet a Management, that he must be ravifh'd with the Wildom of her Oeconomy. 'Tis fhe that makes the truest Houfe-Keeper, and always delights to be well employ'd at Home. And when he does go Abroad, which is very rare, and more for his Good than her own Satisfaction; fhe will speak no ill of her kind Spoufe her felf, nor hear him ill-fpoken of by others, without vindicating his Honour, Integrity and good Name. In all Difficulties, fhe'll be the readiest Affiftant; in all Dealings, the jufteft Accomptant; and in all Dangers or Troubles, the kindeft Concomitant: couragious, constant and forward to take the utmost Care of him in Times of Tribulation; even to the venturing her own Life for his Escape, Liberty or Prefervation. She fears running no Rifques for his dear Sake. No Jayls can hold her; no Confinements can detain her; no Travels can daunt her; no Mountains can deter her from paffing through Defarts, Wilderneffes, or the Wilds of Hardship, to come at her beloved Spouse, and obtain her Defire with Joy. Is her dear Husband fick? She's his conftant Nurfe. Is he well? She's his chearful Companion. Is he at Home? She's his infeparable Houfe

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House-Keeper. Is he gone Abroad? She's his faithful Remembrancer and Manager both of his Domestick and Foreign Affairs; never out of her Mind, neglected or forgotten, upon the longest Journey out of Sight. The one is as the Shadow of the other's Body; never feparate, never afunder. Abfent or prefent, he is the fole delightful Darling of her Heart; and will be ever fo, to her dying Day.

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II. SHE will do him no Evil, while fhe breaths in the World. A blessed Wife! Not to say a better than ever was in Paradife. Thanks be to Christianity for our Regeneration. We muft blefs God for all Benefits; and glory in the holy Trinity for our Creation, Redemption, and Sanctification. She will never tempt her Husband to tafte of any forbidden Fruit. She will not fuffer him to fin, if he can help it, by eating his own Shame: but advise him fincerely against doing any Evil himself, and convince him of the Truth of her Counfel, Innocence and Uprightness, by her own good Example. Far be it from her Virtue, ever to meditate the leaft Harm, ill Will or Malice, Revenge, Fraud, or Deceit against her Second-Self, and to rife up in Judgment against her own Bowels, or rebel against her own Flesh and Blood. She was not defcended from fuch a viperine Brood, or fuch a Cadmean Race of Self-Murderers. She owns no fuch froward Pedigree, nor untoward Genealogy. She is of a more generous Extract, and nobler Generation; of a milder Temper, and a more modeft Behaviour from her Birth. To throw Reflections, caft Reproaches, or bafely revile her Spoufe, is quite out of the Way of her good Nature; which lies far diftant from the

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common Road of Ribaldry. This Evil of the Tongue the avoids by her natural Disposition, as religiously as if it was in her Litany; to be deliver'd from all fuch vile Practices of Wedlock and Prophanations of Marriage. She never allows her Actions to be difagreeable to her beft Thoughts, or to contradict the kindest Professions of her conjugal Duty. Her Hands and Feet and Tongue, are all under the fame ftrict Government of her wifer Head. Her Heart never goes aftray from her lawful Husband; either to forget her Vow by any Defilement, or to forfake her Duty by any Difguft. It cannot excite her to part Beds with him upon every little Pett or Provocation; nor permit her to wander out of the Way of strictly worshiping him with her Body, as well as Mind, till the final Separation of Death. She fcorns ever to be unreasonably jealous of his exact Love and Virtue; or to entertain the leaft groundless Sufpicion of his. Continency, Conduct and Fidelity, upon a rash Judgment, without any Caufe, as well as Conviction. This would be the greatest Evil fhe could do him in his good Character and Livelihood. It would ftrike at the Root of his rifing Fortune or Preferment. In a Word, fhe knows better Things than to breed ill Blood, or create everlasting Heart-Burnings and reciprocal Uneafineffes, like to be intail'd upon the honourable Family, during her whole Life, thro' a mistaken Jealousy.

VERSE XIII.

SHE feeketh Wool, and Flax, and worketh willingly with her Hands.

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PARAPHRASE.

EHOLD the daily Imployment of this good Woman! Her profi table Handy-Works! How induftrious and diligent fhe is in the Operations of her Hands; feeking Wool and Flax, to imploy her felf in fuch ufeful Exercises as may condace to her own private Intereft or the publick Advantage! She is prone to any Profit, and forward to any beneficial Labour. She .does not think it in the leaft unworthy of her Leifure-Time, to condefcend to the, meaneft Offices, either of Carding, Spinning or Knitting, for the Service of her thriving House and flourishing Family. She immediately fets other People to work too, with fuitable Incouragements, upon making strong Woollen-Cloth and fine Linen, either for the Ufe of her Husband, Children and Servants, or for the more general Good of Mankind, and common Benefit of the World. Her idle Hours, the believes, cannot be better spent than in fome fuch laborious Performances; which must needs produce as much Profit as they deserve Praise for her Pains. See her frankly putting her owe diligent Hands to the Distaff, the Needle, the foul Linen, or lefs delightful Things at

Home;