one happy in a husband. My cousin Fr- says, our humour must agree; and, to do that, he must have that kind of breeding that I have had, and used that kind of company; that is, he must not be so much a country gentleman, as to understand nothing but hawks and dogs,* and be fonder of either than his wife; nor of the next sort of men, whose time reaches no farther than to be justices of the peace, and once in his life, high sheriff; who reads no book but statutes, and studies nothing, but how to make a speech interlarded with Latin, that may amaze his disagreeing poor neighbours, and fright them, rather than persuade them into quietness. He must not be a thing, that began the world in a free-school; was sent from thence to the University, and is at his farthest, when he reaches the Inns of Court; has no acquaintance, but those of his forms in these places; speaks the French he has picked out of old laws, and admires nothing but the stories he has heard of the revels that were kept there before his time. He must not be a town gallant neither, that lives in a tavern and an ordinary, that cannot imagine how one hour should be spent without company, unless it be in sleeping; that makes court to all the women he sees, thinks they believe him, and is laughed at equally. Nor a travelled Mounsieur, whose head is feathered inside and outside; that can talk of nothing but dances and duels, and has courage enough to wear slashes, when every body else dies with cold to see him. He must not be a fool of any sort, nor peevish, nor ill-natured, nor proud, nor covetous; and to all this must be added, that he must love me, and I him, as much as we are capable of loving. Without all this, his fortune being ever so great, would not satisfy me; and with it, a very moderate one, would keep me from ever repenting my disposal." This extract, as the reviewer of the work justly * Mrs. Dorothy showed her masculine understanding, in preferring large mastiffs, the larger the better-and Irish grey hounds, before all the most exact little dogs, that ever lady played withal :" of course, she did not lap them. Her good sense told her, a lady's lap was only for children. + Temple had, in his second embassy at the Hague, an allowance of £100 a week, besides a very rich buffet of plate, with the King of Great Britain's arms upon it. So that there was not any other ambassador's table, where so much was to be seen, nor which was covered with such large dishes, and such fine contrivances for fruit, and for sweat meats. WIQUEFORT. It appears he had never, of his own, more than £1500 a year; and, latterly, he divided his property with his son. He was a temperate man, a wonder for that period; he followed the maxim of Epictetus, who reputed a man a drunkard, who exceeded three measures. Sir William's stint was, one glass for myself, one for my friends, and one for my enemies. Having mentioned a maxim of one of the sober ancients, perhaps the temperance reader may be glad to hear of another; Anarchasis, who said "the first draught for health, the second for pleasure, the third for shame, the fourth for madness." observes, shows that " Mrs. Dorothy's head was made up with some other furniture than peacock's feathers, and sarsnet, (gro de nap ;) it would, without alteration, be worthy the mouth of one of Congreve's or Cibber's masculine's virgins." MARRIAGES. "Marriage is friendship, heightened by love." SOMETIMES it is, "Sorrow dodging sin Afflictions sorted." HERBERT. "If fitly match'd be man and wife, No pleasure's wanting to their life." EURIPIDES. I suppose few of my readers need be informed, that marriage, under the Catholic religion, is one of their sacraments. Which religion, being destroyed by Henry VIII., made a considerable change in the forms of marriage, for it was no longer considered a sacrament. The following is a curious description and account of a lady's wedding clothes : WEDDING CLOTHES." The wedding clothes of Mrs. Elizabeth Draper, 1550, a present from her husband, John Bowyer, Esq. of Lincoln's Inn: "Wedyn apparell, bought for my wyffe Elizabeth Draper, the younger, of Camberwell, against 17 die Junii anno dominii 1550, with dispensalls. First.4 ells of tawney taffeta, at 11s. 6d. the ell, for the Venetian gowne. Item.-7 yards of silk chamlett crymsyn, at 7s. 6d. the yard, for a kyrtle. Item.-1 yard and a half of tawney velvet, to guard Item.-8 yards of Russel's black, at 4s. 6d. the yard, for a Dutch gowne. Item.-half a yard tawney satyn. Item. a yard and a quarter of velvet black, to guard the Dutch gowne. S. d. 46 52 6 22 6 6 8 35 5 17 8 Item.-6 yards of tawney damaske, at 11s. the yard 66 Item.-one yard, and half a quarter of skarlett, for a pettycoate with pleites.. 20 271 4 "The wedding ring is described as weighing two angels and a ducat, graven with these words, "DEUS NOS JUNXIT. God joins us--J. E. B. Y. R. The date of the marriage is inserted by Mr. B. with great minuteness, (at the hour of eight, the dominical letter F. the moon being in Leo,) with due regard to the aspects of the heavens, which, at that time, regulated every affair of importance." HONE'S E. D. B. From "Observations on Female head dress in England," &c. by J. A. Repton, he writes: "Distinction was formerly made between the head dress of the single and married ladies: the former, had their heads uncovered. On the wedding-day, the bride wore her hair loose, or flowing down her back, over her shoulders; he quotes the Losely MSS. in illustration, in which the attire of Ann of Cleves, on her nuptials, is described." This must have been an odd sight, for the hair was much cherished. "From the reign of Charles II. to Queen Anne, long flowing wigs were in fashion." An anecdote is related of the countess of Suffolk, who married Mr. Howard, in the reign of Queen Anne; that she and her husband were so poor, she was forced to sell her hair to furnish a dinner to some friends her hair being long, produced twenty pounds. During the reign of Elizabeth and James, there were four observances: first, joining hands; second, the mutual kiss; third, interchange of rings; fourth, testimony of witnesses. The oath was to this effect: "You swear by God and his holy saints herein, and by all the saints of paradise, that you will take this woman, whose name is- -to wife, within forty days, if holy church will permit." The priest, joining their hands, said, "and thus you affiance yourselves," to which the parties answered, "Yes, sir." One immoral consequence, arising from this custom of public betrothing, was, that the parties depending upon the priest as witness, they frequently cohabited together as man and wife. Indeed, by most of the people, this ceremony of plighting troth was considered enough. Now, gentle reader, I am going to offer you a copy of a letter still in existence among the Harlean MSS. in the British Museum, and quoted many years past by that very intelligent literary lady, Miss Aikin, in her memoirs of the "Court of King James." But, before you read it, it will be as well to make you acquainted with the fair writer. She was the sole heiress of Sir John Spencer, a native of Waddingsfield, in Suffolk, who became Lord Mayor of London, in 1594; he possessed the manor of Canonsbury, in Middlesex, and lived at Crosby Hall; he was a merchant, and was reckoned the wealthiest citizen of his time, he died worth one million of pounds; he was called "the rich Spencer." Tradition says it was a runaway wedding; she was carried out of Canonsbury House, the country residence, in a baker's basket; and it must have been a large one. Her person, judging from the family portrait in her older days, comes up to the following descriptive lines by Lord Byron: "Being rather large, and languishing, and lazy, Yet of a beauty that would drive you crazy." Her "sweet life," whom she so lovingly addresses, was William, the 2d Lord Compton, Lord President of Wales, whose descendant at this day is the Marquis of Northampton; they resided at Compton Wynyate, in Warwickshire, an irregular built edifice of the reign of Henry VIII. It was formed to surround a spacious court, was moated round with terraces, and the other usual appendages of that period. According to the derivation of the name, the family was Saxon. He received the billet-doux in London, soon after their marriage, which was in the year 1594. It unfolds much of the domestic economy and habits of a family of distinction during that period, and presents also, an amusing sketch of a managing mistress of a noble household of the higher ranks of life: "My sweet life, "Now I have declared to you my mind for the settling of your state, I suppose that it were best for me to bethink and consider within myself what allowance were meetest for me. I pray and beseech you to grant me, your most loving wife, the sum of £2600, quarterly, to be paid. Also, I would, besides that allowance, have £600, quarterly, to be paid, for the performance of charitable works; and these things I would not, neither will, be accountable for. Also, I will have three horses for my own saddle, that none shall dare to lend or borrow; none lend but I, none borrow but you. Also, I would have two gentlewomen, lest one should be sick or have some other let: also, believe it, it is an indecent thing for a gentlewoman to stand mumping alone, when God hath blessed their lord and lady with a great estate. Also, when I ride a hunting, or hawking, or travel from one house to another, I will have them attending; so for either of these said women, I must and will have, for either of them, a horse. Also, I will have six or eight gentlemen; and I will have my two coaches, one lined with velvet to myself, with four fair horses; and a coach for my women lined with cloth, and laced with gold, otherwise with scarlet and laced with silver, with four good horses. Also, I will have two coachmen, one for my own coach, the other for my women. Also, at any time when I travel, I will be allowed not only caroches and spare horses for me and my women, but I will have such carriages as shall be fitting for all; orderly, not pestering my things with my women's, nor theirs with either chamber-maids, nor theirs with wash-maids. Also, for laundresses, when I travel, I will have them sent away before with the carriages to see all safe; and the chamber-maids I will have go before, that the chamber may be ready, and made sweet and clean. Also, for that it is undecent to crowd up myself with my gentleman-usher in my coach, I will have him to have a convenient horse, to attend me either in city or country. And I must have two footmen. And my desire is that you defray all the charges for me. And for myself, besides my yearly allowance, I would have twenty gowns of apparel, six of them excellent good ones, eight of them for the country, and six other of them very excellent good ones. Also I would have £6000 to buy me jewels, and £4000 to buy me a pearl chain. Also, I would have to put in my purse £2000, and £200, and so you to pay my debts. Now, seeing I have been, and am so reasonable unto you, I pray you do find my children apparel and their schooling, and all my servants, men and women, their wages. Also, I will have all my houses furnished, and my lodging-chambers to be suited with all such furniture as is fit; as beds, stools, chairs, suitable cushions, carpets, silver warming-pans, cupboards of plate, fair hangings and such like. So for my drawing-chamber, in all houses, I will have them delicately furnished both with hangings, couch, canopy, glass, carpet, chairs, cushions, and all things thereunto belonging. Also, my desire is, that you would pay your debts, build up Ashley House, and purchase lands; and lend no money, as you love God, to my lord chamberlain, who would have all, perhaps your life, from you. . . . So now that I have declared to you what I would have, I pray you, when you be an earl, to allow me £2000 more than I now desire, and double the attendance."* 1 After the surprise which the reading of this letter will create, from a lady who prides herself on being 66 so reasonable,” has subsided; but whether reasonable or not, few would be able to fulfil under two or $300,000 per year, reckoning the difference in the value of the present money. I assure them, on the authority of Winwood, that the coming into possession of his lady's father's great wealth so transported her "sweet life," her dear lord and master, that "he went out of his wits," and remained so for several years. * The finish of the letter is torn, which will account for its abruptness. This letter has been pronounced a forgery, but, as I have not seen any arguments convincing me of its not being authentic, I give it as I find it. |