A farrago of several pieces being a supplement to his poems, characters, heroick pourtraits, letters, and other discourses formerly published by him / newly written by Richard Flecknoe.

OF A Wife in General.

THough in it self, and the institution of the Church, Marriage be holy and honourable; yet, there is no more mise∣rable Creature in the world, then a Marryed Wife: when Maids, sold by their Parents to slavery; and when Widows, selling themselves, (so inur'd to servi∣tude) as 'tis become natural to them as their beings, and necessary as their food.

Some aptly compare their Marriages, to Aviaries or Bird-cages in Gardens, where the Birds which are without, long to get in; and the Birds which are with∣in, long to get out. Others to the Horn of surtiship, where they desperately throw themselves without any conside∣ration at all, into the larger end, and come squeez'd out of the B••tall.

It were a blessed life, f the wheels of desire could continue still wound up, and not run down with enjoying; but

as it is, they are onely happy for a day, and miserable all their lives after; and their Gallants come fawning and fiat∣tering to them at first, as the Hedghogg did to the Hare in a frosty night, desire∣ing to shelter himself in her Muset against the cold; pretending his pric∣kles should never do her harm; but being entered once, and a little warm, he began to bristle them up; at which the poor Hare cryed out, but had onely this answer for all her courtesie, that those who found themselves not well, might go out.

Yet this I will say, for the com∣fort of the English Wives, that the English Men make the best Husbands in the World, if their Natures have not been too much corrupted and deprav'd with the licentiousness and Vices of the Time. Notwithstanding they shu'd answer them if they be wise, when they come a wooing to them, as the Athenians did Demetri∣us, who pretending Dominion over them; told them, that he would be

a good Lord unto them; to whom they wisely answered, that they no wayes doubted it; but for their parts, they desired to have no Lord at all.