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

XCIII.

MADAM,

YOu were pleased in your last Letter to ex∣press to me the Reason of the Lady D. S s. and the Lady E. Ks. Melancholy, which was for Want of Children; I can not Blame the Lady D. S. by reason her Husband is the Last of his Family unless he have Children, but the Lady E. Ks. Husband being a Widdower when he Married her, and having Sons to In∣herit his Estate, and to Keep up his Family, I Know no Reason why she should be troubled for having no Children, for though it be the part of every Good Wife to desire Children to Keep alive the Memory of their Husbands Name and Family by Posterity, yet a Woman hath no such Reason to desire Children for her Own Sake, for first her Name is Lost as to her Particular, in her Marrying, for she quits her Own, and is Named as her Husband; also her Family, for neither Name nor Estate goes to her

Family according to the Laws and Customes of this Countrey; Also she Hazards her Life by Bringing them into the World, and hath the greatest share of Trouble in Bringing them up; neither can VVomen assure themselves of Comfort or Happiness by them, when they are grown to be Men, for their Name only lives in Sons, who Continue the Line of Succession, whereas Daughters are but Branches which by Marriage are Broken off from the Root from whence they Sprang, & Ingrafted into the Stock of an other Family, so that Daughters are to be accounted but as Moveable Goods or Furni∣tures that wear out; and though sometimes they carry the Lands with them, for want of Heir-males, yet the Name is not Kept nor the Line Continued with them, for these are buried in the Grave of the Males, for the Line, Name and Life of a Family ends with the Male issue; But many times Married Women desire Chil∣dren, as Maids do Husbands, more for Honour than for Comfort or Happiness, thinking it a Disgrace to live Old Maids, and so likewise to be Barren, for in the Jews time it was some Disgrace to be Barren, so that for the most part Maids and Wives desire Husbands and Chil∣dren upon any Condition, rather than to live Maids or Barren: But I am not of their minds, for I think a Bad Husband is far worse than No Husband, and to have Unnatural Children is more Unhappy than to have No Children, and where One Husband proves Good, as Loving

and Prudent, a Thousand prove Bad, as Cross and Spendthrifts, and where One Child proves Good, as Dutifull and Wise, a Thousand prove Disobedient and Fools, as to do Actions both to the Dishonour and Ruine of their Familyes. Besides, I have observed, that Breeding VVo∣men, especially those that have been married some time, and have had No Children, are in their Behaviour like New-married VVives, whose Actions of Behaviour and Speech are so Formal and Constrain'd, and so Different from their Natural way, as it is Ridiculous; for New Married Wives will so Bridle their Behaviour with Constraint, or Hang down their Heads so Simply, not so much out of True modesty, as a Forced Shamefulness; and to their Husbands they are so Coyly Amorous, or so Amorously Fond and so Troublesome Kind, as it would make the Spectators Sick, like Fulsome Meat to the Stomach; and if New-married Men were Wise men, it might make them Ill Husbands, at least to Dislike a Married Life, because they cannot Leave their Fond or Amorous VVives so Readily or Easily as a Mistress; but in Truth that Humour doth not last Long, for after a month or two they are like Surfeited Bodyes, that like any Meat Better than what they were so Fond of, so that in time they think their Husbands Worse Company than any other men. Also Women at the Breeding of their First Children make so many Sick Faces, al∣though

oftentimes the Sickness is only in their Faces, not but that some are Really Sick, but not every Breeding Women; Likewise they have such Feigned Coughs, and fetch their Breath Short, with such Feigning Laziness, and so many Unnecessary Complaints, as it would VVeary the most Patient Husband to hear or see them: besides, they are so Expensive in their Long∣ings and Perpetual Eating of several Costly Meats, as it would Undo a man that hath but an Indifferent Estate; but to add to their Charge, if they have not what they Please for Child-bed Linnen, Mantels, and a Lying-in Bed, with Suitable Furniture for their Lying-Chamber, they will be so Fretfull and Discontented, as it will indanger their Miscarrying; Again to re∣double the Charge, there must be Gossiping, not only with Costly Banquets at the Christening and Churching, but they have Gossiping all the time of their Lying-in, for then there is a more set or formal Gossiping than at other ordinary times. But I fear, that if this Let∣ter come to the view of our Sex besides your self, they will throw more Spitefull or An∣gry Words out of their mouths against me, than the Unbeleeving Jews did hard Stones out of their hands at Saint Stephan; but the best is, they cannot Kill me with their Reproaches, I speak but the Truth of what I have obser∣ved amongst many of our Sex; VVherefore, Pray Madam, help to Defend me, as being

my Friend, and I yours, for I shall Continue as long as I live,

Madam,

Your Ladyship's most Faithfull and Humble Servant.