particularly fatal they are to all family-religion,-how destructive to that most essential part of it, I mean familyworship, and how ruinous in the example to children, servants, and all that are any way acquainted with, or concerned in the family. These things being not only the chief, but indeed the true and only design of these dialogues, I cannot but hope that all impartial readers will keep their eyes principally upon that part; and then they will not inquire which side the story bears hardest upon, the man, or the woman. I hope both may see their duty here,— and yet before they come to the end of the book, I believe the woman will find the history will do justice to their sex too, and that it will appear, as I believe (without flattery) is true in general, that there are more religious wives than religious husbands. I wish and pray, that what is related here may increase the number of both.

Another instruction I cannot omit to repeat here, and to press husbands again to observe it,-and this I profess to be the true reason of bringing the story of two deficient wives upon the stage, viz. that as it is true, that husbands and masters of families too often make use of trifles as occasions to them to omit their duty, so they too often throw the blame of it upon their wives. Here now they will be moved to see, -1. That in the case of real provocation and opposition, and that of the worst kinds, even of wives despising and mocking at it, they are yet by no means justified in laying down and omitting their duty. 2. How much less then should they seek occasions and pretences to argue themselves out of their duty, and load their wives with the blame, when indeed the occasion is in themselves.

But the most useful and most significant thing to be learned out of this part of the work, and which equally concerns both husbands and wives, is studiously to avoid sudden cavils and disputes between themselves about trifles in which often the devil blowing the coals, the passions take fire, and it increases to a terrible flame; when perhaps

neither side had at first the least design or thought of a quarrel.

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I persuade myself, none are so insensible of the truth of the occasion, as to say, it does not often so happen: perhaps in our story, the husbands are brought in talking more mildly and patiently than most husbands do, and as some may think, than most husbands can do, in like cases of provocation. But let none be offended at that, for this is so far from a compliment to the men, that it is really a satire upon them; letting them see, how they ought to act in the worst cases; and giving their wives too much occasion to shew them the real difference between what they do, and what they should do: and if on the other hand, some wives here are brought in as exceedingly and more than ordinarily provoking; the application is still against the husbands, who too often are less patient, when their pretence of provocation does nothing near come up to this copy.

PART V.

INTRODUCTION.

THERE lived in the city of London, a family circumstanced in the following manner: the master of the family was a substantial trading man, above the world, as we say; a man in very flourishing circumstances, that got money apace, and had the prospect of raising a good estate for his childen, by his trade; he had a very small beginning, what he had was raised from little or nothing, by God's blessing, and a great deal of industry, with about thirty years application.

He had been married to a very good wife; but she died too early to have any great share in the education of her children, the eldest being not above seven years old when they lost their mother.

The man was a sober, honest man, made an appearance of being wery religious; by his general conduct had obtained a very good character, and was well respected among his neighbours but in his family he could by no means pass for a man of the best temper in the world; he was froward and waspish, very positive and hasty, and soon put into a passion, and very unhappily rash and violent in his passion; and, as to such tempers it often happens, he failed not oftentimes both to do and say things in his passion, which he would be very sorry for, when his temper cooled: when he came to himself, he was convinced, as we shall see in

his story, that he had taken wrong measures; and that being hurried on by the torrent of his passions, he had been less a man, less a Christian, less a friend, less a neighbour, less a parent, than he ought to have been; and in a word, that almost all his children were ruined, or injured, by the mistakes committed in their education, and by the heat of his misguided anger.

Yet the man was of himself, and when himself, an excellent person, extremely affectionate and tender; loved his children, and meant every thing for their good: but wanting judgment to direct himself in the government of his family, and being toc impatient in bearing the excursions of his children, who, for want of early discipline, soon grew ungovernable: these things all conspired to make him very unhappy, and his children too,-for none of them, gave him any hopes of their behaviour; nor indeed could they, nnless they forced their way, as it were, over the belly of their father's injunctions, and seemed disobedient to him in his most positive, and almost tyrannical family government.

This case before me, of the citizen and his family, had many things in it very unhappy both to the parent and to the children, which a little early conduct might have prevented in both, viz.

The want of a mother in the family, was a misfortune both to the father and to the children,-though, as things were managed, the father supplied that want as well as in such a case could be expected, committing his children to a good, grave, sober, and religious woman, a near relation of his wife's, and whom he placed in a kind of super-intendency over his family while his children were very young.

This gentlewoman was as diligent in the government of his house as could be expected; faithful, frugal, and, to the best of her judgment, managed every thing both for his advantage, and the advantage of his fumily. But as she had not the obligation, much less the affection of a mother; so neither had she the temper, the patience, the concern

which are natural to the conduct of a mother; and besides, she was as passionate as the father.

However, while they were little, things went pretty well in the family; she took a housewifely care of them as to food, clothing, physic, and the like,-But alas! when we come to talk of the duty of a mother in the more serious part of children's education, such as instilling betimes religious principles,-forming early ideas of the nature of God, and of our homage and duty to him; prevailing calmly on the minds of children by arguments, suitable to their capacities, and suited to their temper,-watching over them with an affectionate care, lest they received evil impressions from the company and example of others,-warning, reproving, and restraining them gently, and engaging them by all the arts, and honest subtleties of an affectionate mother, to what was their duty; these, in which consists very much of the advantages of education, were all wanting.

I will not say it was wanting from the negligence of the person, so much as from a kind of natural impossibility: perhaps these things cannot be found in any one but a parent, as being built upon the affections and tenderness of a mother only; and capable of being formed upon no other foundation.

On the contrary to this, the children were brought up in a general way, without much judgment, and with no great assistance from affection. The father, a man of business, left it wholly to his governess, and found himself little concerned, but upon any of her complaints, to correct them; which he did in. a manner that seemed rather to be the effect of his passion, than of a meek and calm affection for their good; which is the main, and perhaps the only just end of correction.

This intemperate conduct of the father had a double effect upon the children: 1. That it caused them to hate the government, and even the person of their house-tyrant, whom they looked upon as the malicious cause of their