CCXI sociable letters written by the thrice noble, illustrious, and excellent princess, the Lady Marchioness of Newcastle.

CXXIV.

MADAM,

THough I am not Acquainted with my Neighbours, yet I Hear of them some∣times, and I Know some by Sight, going some∣times Abroad; But one of them is Notedly Jea∣lous of her Husband, the rest, if they be Jealous, 'tis not so Publickly Known as this Lady is; whether it be only her Humour, or her Hus∣band's Inconstancy, or both, I know not; she is a Proper, Handsom Woman, and, if the Hu∣mours and Conditions of her Mind be Answer∣able to the Beauty of her Person, her Husband hath no Reason to Seek Abroad, having such a Wife, neither hath she reason to have such an Ill Opinion of her self, as to believe her Hus∣band should be Weary of her, especially so soon after Marriage, for she hath not been Married

above two Years, though perchance some may account, or think Two Years Twenty Years in Marriage; But this Lady is so Jealous, that she believes her Husband makes Love to the Great∣est Beauties in the City, and that they Receive her Husbands Addresses; Amongst the rest of those, was one of my Waiting-maids, who in∣deed is very Handsom, and I believe, as Honest, as Handsom; but to tell you, there is an Unfor∣tunate Window, and a Door, (I can only say, they are so to the Wife) this Window looks out of her House into our Garden, and the Door Belongs to our Garden, but Opens into this Man's Garden, which Door is Nailed close up, but out of the VVindow her Husband, it seems, would Look sometimes, and Spie if he could see my Maids VValking, who many times in the Morning did VValk there for their Health; also in the Door was a little Hole, as they tell me, for I had not Observed it, which Hole he would fill full of Flowers, which they did use to Pull out, not knowing who put them there; but his VVife hearing of it, was in an Extraordinary Passion, as it seem'd, with her Husband, and such a Falling out they had, as they were upon Parting, whereupon she sent a Divine to my Husband, to Complain of her Husband, my Maid, and the Door, Desiring, the Hole of the Door should be Stop'd up; My Husband said, if there were any such Hole, he would give order it should be Stop'd, and if that would not Satis∣fie her, the Door should be Taken away, and the

Passage VVall'd up, and as for his Wife's Maids, he could not say any thing, for he never medled with them, but would tell his VVife; so the Hole of the Door being Closed, she was Indiffe∣rently well Satisfied with that, although not with her Husband, for he and she, it was said, Liv'd as Enemies, not as Friends in Matrimo∣ny; But she hearing other Reports, (for when her Humour was Known, her Neighbours took delight to Vex her, it being the Nature of Man∣kind to Add Discontent upon Discontent, and Affliction on Affliction, being never better Pleas'd than when Doing, or Speaking Ill, to some or others Disadvantage) after some Six Weeks, sent a Letter to my Husband, wherein, after some Complements, she made great Com∣plaints of her Husband, and Named which of my Maids she was Jealous of, saying, she had received Presents from her Husband, as Sweet-meats, and Linnen, and a great many words of I know not what, neither can I remember them, though I heard the Letter read, for being in an∣other Language, I could not read it my self, but my Husband did read it to me; and when he had read it, Now, says he, what say you to this Letter? Truly, said I, I am of the Opinion, she would be Courted by some other than her Hus∣band, since he leaves Courting of her, and Ad∣dresses himself to others; next, I am of the O∣pinion, she would have all her Neighbours Wives, or at least some, and my self particularly, as Jealous as her self, otherwise she would ne∣ver

have VVritten to you, but to me, especi∣ally in a Case concerning the VVomen in my House, and if I were of her Jealous Humour, I should Write to her Husband, how his VVife Writ a Letter to my Husband, Aggravating, (for Jealousie is alwayes Adding and Aggrava∣ting) that you two held a Correspondence by Letters, and for any thing I knew, had Private Meetings, but being not Jealous, I Approve of her choice of VVriting to you, wherefore send for her she Accuses, and Examin her. Truly, not I, said my Husband, I am no Confessor, though I believe Confessors take great Pleasure in Young Maids Confessions, so my Husband caused me to Examin my Maid, whether she had received any Presents from C. K. she said, she never received any from him in her Life, nor had she any Acquaintance with him, but by Sight, as she had of most of the Town, seeing them in the Streets; but, said she, I believe these Sweet-meats, and Linnen she mentions in her Letter, is a Handkerchief with Sweet-meats, for the Weather being Hot, we usually have our Chamber Windows open, until we go to Bed, and my Chamber-fellow and I, as we were Undressing us one Night, there was flung into the Window a Lawn, Buttoned Handker∣chief, tied up on two or three knots, with Sweet-meats in them; at the first we were Affrighted, to see a white Bulk come Flying, as we thought, into the Chamber, and Falling with a Noise upon the Ground; but at last we took it up, and

found it was a Handkerchief full of Sweet-meats; at first, we Resolv'd to fling it back, but then we Consider'd, we had best Call out of the Window, and Ask who it was that flung them in, so we Call'd, but No body would An∣swer, and then we thought, that if we flung them out again, they would be taken up by some Stranger; and you were willing, said I, to Keep, and Eat them, you made so many Doubts? indeed, Madam, said she, we did Eat them soon after, but we knew not what to do with the Handkerchief, not knowing the Owner, yet we were Resolved to Ask of all our Acquaintance, if any would Own the Handkerchief; and ma∣king Inquiry for the Owner, one of our Ac∣quaintance told us, a Fortnight after, it was C. Ks. which when we Knew, we Durst not Send it to him, for Fear of his Wife, neither Durst we Give, or Fling it away, lest he should Desire it again, and this, upon the Salvation of my Soul, said she, is all the Linnen, or Sweet-meats we ever had of him; neither did we know they were his, until a Fortnight after. Now, if she should have been Judged by the Letter, with∣out any Examination, she might have been Con∣demned for a Criminal, whereas her own Con∣fession, and other Witnesses, set her Free; but Jealousie and Suspicion, for the most part, are False Accusers, and Cruel Judges. By this we see how Unquiet and Restless some Married Persons are, being alwayes Tortured with their own Thoughts, and their Minds are

Rack'd on the Wheels of Suspicion. But my Husband sent for the Divine that formerly came from her, and told him of her Letter, and of my Maids Confession, and that she had no Cause to be Jealous of her, for she was very Virtuous, neither had she any Acquaintance with her Husband. So the Divine went be∣tween, and between, not to bring Unlawful Lovers together, for he was a very Worthy, and VVise man, but to Pacifie a Disquiet Mind, and to make Love and Unity between an Hus∣band and his VVife. And so leaving them to Agree, I rest,

Madam,

Your faithful Friend and Servant.