MY WIFE.

LONDON, Printed for R. Marriot, in St. Dunstans Church-yard, Fleet-street, 1660.

To the Reader. [...]Tis not fit a little book should have a large Epistle, and therefore briefly this:

THe Author fancied this Wife at a seasonable time to be marryed; which was, about the thirtieth year of his Age; he liv'd almost as long marryed to her, and dyed marryed to no o­ther. She has now been more then twenty yeares his widow; all which time, she has been kept very faithfully, and as privately by a true friend of her Hus­bands; and she having been a Mourner so long, has been per­swaded [Page] by him to unvale her self and appear in the light, that she may become a Coppy for the best wives to write after.

And now each Reader that thinks fit may Court her, and by a strict Civility get so much of her favour as to know her well; and by that knowledg have the ad­vantage of getting a Wife, as like her as his merits or his for­tune (who has usually the grea­test share in getting wives and riches) will allow him, but let him not flatter himself with a false hope of obtaining her, for [Page] [...]he has protested to dye John Coopers widow

And yet, if she should prove [...]o very a woman as to change her name, let me beg that though [...]he break her promise, yet he use her kindly for her first husbands sake, who was both Patient, and Humble, and Lear­ned, and remarkably Charita­ble; and indeed, a man of more visible vertues, then a short E­pistle may enumerate.

And if the Reader shall doubt the justnesse of this Commenda­tion, and require a double wit­nesse [Page] for it, the Lady Dyot (for whose direction the Author crea­ted this Wife) will say she knows it to be truth, and I know she and I do both love his memory.

J. W.

MY VVIFE.

I.
I Have past my maddest age,
Free from Cupid's foolish rage,
Free from sighings, free from teares,
Free from hopes, and free from fears:
And yet I'le wed, if I can see
A Mistress that is meet for me.
II.
First, I wo'd have her person such,
As deformity cannot touch;
Be she black, or brown, or fair,
Of Complexion, hue, or haire;
If my Mistress comly be,
She'l prove fair enough for me.
III.
Courtly carriage in these dayes
Is but a suspicious paise:
For my part I care not for't,
Nature is not made at Court:
Let a grave and vertuous Mother
Be my Wives Court, and no other.
IV.
Wealth I wish she may have more
Then to keep her from being poor;
That she need not love for need,
Nor I wealth her love to feed:
If in mind or means she be
Rich, she's rich enough for me.
V.
To be born of noble bloud,
Is to her that's good a good:
But to me it is no more
Then time past, or untry'd Ore:
Be she good, how ere she be
Born, she's nobly born to me.
VI.
True Religion will make
Any good for her own sake;
But, let vertue be the Teacher
Of my Wife, before the Preacher;
She's good that wo'd use me well,
Were there neither Heaven nor Hell.
VII.
Who for beauty takes a Wife,
Chooseth by the sheath the knife;
And, who takes her for Estate,
Or for person, hath ill fate:
These may perish, or decay
On, or ere her Wedding day.
VIII.
Wealth is Fortunes and not mine,
Person owes decay to time:
Learning, Wit, and such like parts
Ravish mens, not womens hearts;
But a love, by true love bred,
Gives each night a maiden-head.
IX.
Wit and Eloquence of tongue,
Sho'd to me, not her, belong
Sober silence in a maid
Sayes enough when nothing's said;
And a Wife when she speaks least,
And that little well, speaks best.
X.
When I Court her first she shall
Neither credit nought nor all:
But, when time my truth has prov'd,
And she finds she is belov'd,
Let her then believe, and then
First begin to love agen.
XI.
Let her next be wise, and know
Love shall reap as Love shall sow
Trying masteries in a Wife,
Is the scab or bane of life:
And hath too oft had the fate,
To destroy a good Estate.
XII.
Children sho'd not be loves end,
But loves mend: if God them send
She sho'd love them for no other
Cause, but for my Wife's their Mother▪
If God send none I should be
Child to her, and she to me.
XIII.
For man is the ball of fate,
Tost about from state to state;
Therefore God for one chief part
Give mine fortitude of heart,
That so she may valiant prove,
And bear any loss but love.
XIV.
Next I wish that my heart may
Find her's made of Wax, not Clay:
That my love may make her's be
More soft, not more hard to me;
She's loves hangman, and his hell
In whom a proud heart does dwell.
XV.
When the Priest has made us one,
Flesh of flesh and bone of bone;
We must Wed our wills together
And will one in both or neither▪
By her tongue my heart must [...]peak,
Hers by mine must silence break.
XVI.
Where two hearts be thus indented,
They live, [...]or they live contented;
Where they differ, there they die,
And their Marriage-knot untie:
They and none but they are Wed,
Whose hearts lodg both in one Bed.
XVII.
She that knows to spend or spare,
As times and occasions are,
Brings a portion, bringing none,
But, much better bringing one;
One may well call such a Wife,
The life of her husbands life.
XVIII.
She her husbands state and ki [...]
Makes her glasse to dress her by▪
She a neat and wholsome dyet
Makes the utmost of her riot;
She, like a good Snaile, doth dwel.
Most at home in her own shell
XIX.
Such a Wife as this, wo'd make
Monkes their Cloysters to forsake,
Such a Wife wo'd almost vex
Angels that they want a sex;
Such a Wife I wish to nurse
Both my body and my purse.
XX.
Thus i'th' mine [...] de choose my gold
And my Wife cast in a mould;
Yet, a Womans Son may vary,
But, I mean if ere I marry,
Either to have such an one,
Or a better, which is none.
Jc. COOPER.

The Book of Common Prayer.

WHat prayer by the book? and Common?
Yes, why not?
The Spirit of Grace,
And supplication,
Is not left free alone
For time and place,
But manner too, to read or speak by rote,
Is all alike to him that prays
With's heart, what with his mouth he says.
They that in private by themselves alone
Do pray, may take
What liberty they please
In choosing of the waies,
Wherein to make
Their souls most intimate affections known
To him that sees in secret, when
Th' are most reserv'd from other men.
But, he that unto others leads the way
In publick prayer,
Should choose to do it so
As all that hear may know
They need not fear▪
To tune their hearts unto his tongue, & say
Amen; no doubt they were betray'd
To blaspheme, when they sho'd have pray'd.
Devotion will adde life unto the Letter:
And, why sho'd not
That which Authority
Prescribes, esteemed be
Advantage got?
If Prayer be good? the commoner the better.
Prayer in the Churches words, as well
As sense, of all Prayers bears the Bell
Ch: H [...] ▪
FINIS.

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