them, not pride, but painfulness, making their hands to clothe their backs, and them to wear the livery of their own industry. She makes not her daughters gentlewomen before they be women, rather teaching them what they should pay to others than receive from them.

The heaviest work of her servants she maketh light, by orderly and seasonably enjoining it; wherefore her service is counted a preferment, and her teaching better than her wages. Her maids follow the precedent of their mistress, live modestly at home. One asked a grave gentlewoman how her maids came by so good husbands, and yet seldom went abroad: "Oh," said she, "good husbands come home to them."

THE GOOD HUSBAND.

HAVING formerly described a good wife,

she will make a good husband, whose character we are now to present.

His love to his wife weakeneth not his ruling her, and his ruling lesseneth not his loving her. Wherefore he avoideth all fondness (a sick love, to be praised in none, and pardoned only in the newly married), whereby more have wilfully betrayed their command than ever lost

it by their wives' rebellion. Methinks the hcviper is right enough served, which, as Pliny reports, puts his head into the she-viper's mouth and she bites it off. And what wonder is it if women take the rule to themselves, which their uxorious husbands first surrender unto them?

He is constant to his wife, and confident of her. And, sure, where jealousy is the jailor, many break the prison, it opening more ways to wickedness than it stoppeth; so that where it findeth one it maketh ten dishonest.

He alloweth her meet maintenance, but measures it by his own estate: nor will he give less, nor can she ask more. Which allowance, if shorter than her deserts and his desire, he lengtheneth it out with his courteous carriage unto her; chiefly in her sickness, then not so much word-pitying her as providing necessaries for her.

That she may not intrench on his prerogative, he maintains her propriety in feminine affairs: yea, therein he follows her advice; for the soul of a man is planted so high that he overshoots such low matters as lie level to a woman's eye, and therefore her counsel therein may better hit the mark. Causes that are properly of feminine cognizance he suffers her finally to decide; not so much as permitting an appeal to himself, that their jurisdictions may not interfere. He will not countenance a stub

born servant against her, but in her maintains his own authority. Such husbands as bait the mistress with her maids, and clap their hands at the sport, will have cause to wring them afterwards.

Knowing she is the weaker vessel, he bears with her infirmities. All hard using of her he detests, desiring therein to do, not what may be lawful but fitting. And grant her to be of a servile nature, such as may be bettered by beating; yet he remembers he hath enfranchised her by marrying her. On her weddingday she was, like St. Paul, free born, and privileged from any servile punishment.

He is careful that the wounds betwixt them take not air, and be not publicly known. Jars concealed are half reconciled; which, if generally known, it is a double task to stop the breach at home and men's mouths abroad. To this end he never publicly reproves her. An open reproof puts her to do penance before all that are present, after which many rather study revenge than reformation.

He keeps her in the wholesome ignorance of unnecessary secrets. They will not be starved with the ignorance, who perchance may surfeit with the knowledge of weighty counsels, too heavy for the weaker sex to bear. He knows little who will tell his wife all he knows.

He beats not his wife after his death. One

having a shrewd wife, yet loath to use her hardly in his lifetime, awed her with telling her that he would beat her when he was dead, meaning that he would leave her no maintenance. This humor is unworthy a worthy man, who will endeavor to provide her a competent estate; yet he that impoverisheth his children to enrich his widow, destroys a quick hedge to make a dead

one.

THE GOOD PARENT.

HE beginneth his care for his children at

their birth, giving them to God to be, if not (as Hannah did) his chaplains, at least his servants. This care he continueth till the day of his death, in their infancy, youth, and man's estate. In all which,

He showeth them in his own practice what to follow and imitate; and in others', what to shun and avoid. For though "the words of the wise be as nails fastened by the masters of the assemblies," yet sure their examples are the hammer to drive them in, to take the deeper hold. A father that whipped his son for swearing, and swore himself whilst he whipped him, did more harm by his example than good by his

correction.

He doth not welcome and embrace the first

essays of sin in his children. Weeds are counted herbs in the beginning of the spring; nettles are put in pottage, and salads are made of elder-buds. Thus fond fathers like the oaths and wanton talk of their little children, and please themselves to hear them displease God. But our wise parent both instructs his children in piety, and with correction blasts the first buds of profaneness in them. He that will not use the rod on his child, his child shall be used as a rod on him.

He observeth gavel-kind in dividing his affections, though not his estate, giving each child a part. He loves them (though leaves them not) all alike. Like a well-drawn picture, he eyes all his children alike (if there be a parity of deserts), not parching one to drown another. Did not that mother show little wit in her great partiality, to whom, when her neglected son complained that his brother (her darling) had hit and hurt him with a stone, whipped him only for standing in the way where the stone went which his brother cast? This partiality is tyranny, when parents despise those that are deformed, enough to break them whom God had bowed before.

He allows his children maintenance according to their quality; otherwise it will make them base, acquaint them with bad company and sharking tricks; and it makes them surfeit