The batchelor's directory being a treatise of the excellence of marriage, of its necessity, and the means to live happy in it : together with an apology for the women against the calumnies of the men.

ADVERTISEMENT.

I Design not, Reader, to tell you all the advantages of this Book. You will sufficiently discover them, when you read it. I hope you will not find it altogether unworthy of your esteem, if you judge of it without prejudice. You will learn in it the art of fearing God, and to be an honest Man; to avoid the irregula∣rities of a licentious life, and to par∣ctice the vertues of a Christian life. This is its general aim. And what follows its particular. It endeavours to inspire you with the love of Mar∣riage. It makes appear that there is nothing in the World more excellent, or more necessary, than this holy So∣ciety. It opens to you an easie way to enter it advantagiously. It fur∣nishes you with means to make it

an eternal Spring of lawful pleasures, and to partake of them with so much the more satisfaction, as they are pure and innocent. In a word it affords you precepts to speak well and to make a true judgment of Ladies; that is to say, what you naturally love the most, and whom ever the Laws of civility oblige you to re∣spect.

You will without doubt applaud the usefulness of the design, but the difficulty of executing it well re∣main•• I promise 〈…〉〈…〉 pleases you, and yo•• approve 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the Stile! I have endeavour'd to make my Subject as agreeable as 〈◊〉〈◊〉 could, and as little tiresome. To this purpose I have even seasoned my discourse with divers sentences of ancient Authors of the World and Church, Holy and Prophane. Never was matter more susceptible

of this mixture, than that of Mar∣••iage; and it is a Liberty which ••ught to be pardoned me in this ••lace, though it were not allowable ••n any thing else. The necessity I was under oftentimes to relate pas∣sages, which might in our language offend tender ears, is one of the forcible reasons that has the most ••bliged me to imploy more than one ••o express my thought. But I can ••ssure those, who are unacquainted with it, that it renders not the ••eading of this Book the more un∣•• 〈…〉〈…〉 One may pass beyond 〈…〉〈…〉 mark one thing more. ••ou will, perhaps, be surprised to see that I apply to Batchelors alone the necessity of Marrying, as if it r••ferred only to them, and that Maids had no share in it. But you will apprehend, I assure my self, without my telling you, so that in

speaking to one, I likewise designe•• to speak to the rest. The two Sex∣es are under an equal necessity of Marriage. It is thorefore to both that my exhortations are directed. I confess notwithstanding that they less agree to the Maids, than Batch∣elors. Besides that they are muc•• more docile than these, and tha•• they readily give themselves up to th•• direction of their Parents, one o•• my Poets tells me very agreebly, that when they are of an Age to Marry, their very silence demands a Husband.

••ilia N••bilis, etsi plane nil loquatur, Ipso tamen silentio plurimum de se praedicat.

In effect, it is certain that tho' a Maid never asks to Marry, be∣cause she has modesty, yet there is nothing she desires with greater pas∣sion.

Her heart in this respect of∣ten contradicting her mouth. She says, I will not, when she is ready sometimes to dye with desire. It must be confess'd likewise that it is her true state, and that there is no better party for her to take. A sin∣gle Woman makes a sad Figure in the world. She wants the shadow of a Husband to protect her from Misery, Seduction, or Calumny. I have two things more to let you know. If you find some repetitions in this work, remember that the parts which compose it, are so connected to one another that it was a hard matter to avoid them absolutely. Besides if ••here are some, they are in other ••erms, and diversified in a manner ••hat will render them agreeable to ••ou, instead of being incommodious. Not to tell you that these would be ••ven worthy of your support, consi∣••ering the importance of the Sub∣••ect. Can one say too often, says

Seneca what can never be know enough? Nunquam ni∣mis dicitur, quod nun∣quam satis dicitur. The other thing is, that if this Apolog•• of Marriage occasions you any ple••¦sure, you must be wholly oblig'd 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the design I had of persuading t•• necessity of it to a Person of No•• whose Merit and Family I extrea••¦ly honour. This particular victo•• is the single end I proposed to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 self in the composition of this pie•• And how much reason should I ha•• to bless it, if it was capable of pr••¦ducing this fruit? What better r••¦ward could I desire for the pains has cost me?

Some persons nevertheless ha•• been willing to persuade me, that would be unjust to confine its wh•• effect to the conquest of one sing•• Man, and that it might, by runni•• through the world, gain several ••¦thers to the Empire of Hyme••

Thus I was subdued to the solicita∣tions of making it publick, which have been made to me from divers places. God grant that I may have no occasion to repent of it, nor to ap∣ply to my Book what Ovid says with lamentation of some of his Wri∣tings.

Hei mihi, quam paucos hac mea dicta movent!

Be indulgent, Reader, and forget not the saying of the ancient Sages, That 'tis easy to find fault but hard to excell.

Notes

• Sen. Ep. 2••