to keep ne'er a Male-Servant in his Houfe under Six ty, and to hang up the Picture of the Destruction of Sodom in his Bed-chamber, ad refricandam Memoriam, and to teach his Children to fwear as foon as they can Speak.

Item, The Doctor promises, that he will never offer to attack, either in Bed or Couch, Joint-ftool or Table, the Body of the aforefaid Mrs. Margaret Wells, a parte poft, but to comfort, refresh, and relieve her, à parte ante; giving the aforefaid Mrs. Margaret Wells, in Cafe he offend after that Manner, full Leave to make herself Amends before, as the pleafes. As alfo on a fecond Trefpafs, to burn his Peace-maker; however, with this Provifo, that whenever the aforefaid Mrs. Margaret Wells happens to be under the Dominion of the Moon, that is to fay, whenever it is Term-Time with the aforefaid Mrs. Margaret Wells, then the above-mention'd Doctor fhall have full Power, Liberty, and Authority, to enter the Westminster-Hall of her Body at which Door he pleases. This last Claufe was not obtain'd, 'till after a ftiff Difpute on the Doctor's Part, who threa ten'd to break off, if it were deny'd him. The other Articles, as lefs confiderable, I pafs over, to come to the main Bufinefs in Hand, the Marriage.

On the 17th of this prefent August, the Doctor, being new wafh'd and trimm'd, with a large facerdotal Rofe in his Hat, and all his other Clergy Equi page, came to the House of an Anabaptift Teacher in the City; where, in the Face of a numerous Af fembly, confifting of all Sorts, Divifions, and Subdivifions of Proteftants, he was marry'd to Mrs. Margaret Wells. The Doctor was obferv'd to be very imerry all Dinner-time; and the largest Part of his Face, meaning his Chin, mov'd notably. There ftood right over against him a mighty Sirloin of Beef, to which he fhew'd as little Compaffion as he did the Jefuits in the Time of the Plot. After Dinner, fix Fifth-Monarchy-Men, larded with as many Vol. IV. M Ranters,

Ranters, danc'd a Spiritual Jig, and twelve SweetSingers of Ifrael employ'd their melodious Quail-pipes all the while. But Madam Salamanca (for fo we muft now call her) feem'd not to be much affected with this Diversion, but look'd very disconfolate and melancholy. One of the Sifterhood afk'd, Why on a Day of Rejoycing the exprefs'd fo much Sorrow in her Looks? To which Madam Oates, after a deep Sigh or two, anfwer'd,

That the very much doubted, like the Staffordshire Miller, that mounted King Charles after the Worcester Fight upon one of his Mill-Horfes, whether the fhould be able to bear the Weight of the Preferver of three Nations.

Thus the Time was agreeably spent 'till Ten, and then the Bell rung for Prayers; and then his Spouse, after the laudable Cuftom of England, being gone before, the Doctor refolutely marcl.'d to the Place of Execution. There was no Sack-Poffet, nor Throwing the Stocking; both thofe Ceremonies being look'd upon as fuperftitious, and Things of mere human Invention. The Bed continu'd in a trembling Fit moft l'art of the Night; for 'tis not doubted but the Doctor acquitted himfelf manfully, fince the good Woman has already affur'd her Midwife, that the Doctor fought out all his Fingers, and he began to find an Alteration in her Constitution. An Aftronomer in Moorfields has been confulted upon this Occasion, and he foretels it will be a Boy; which has made the Doctor very bufy among the Hebrew Roots, to find out a proper Name for his Son, I am

Your Servant,

THO. BROWN.

A SUP

A SUPPLEMENT to the Works of Mr. THO. BROWN, Profe and Verfe, the greatest Part never before printed.

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To Sir John Sands, against keeping of Miftreffes.

From the Crown.

W

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E are at the Tavern, and have your Cafe under our prefent Confideration.Tis concluded on all Hands, that you can neither juftify your prefent Way of living to your felf, nor yet to the Publick; which ought to be of fome Regard with all Lovers of their Country. You are got into the modern Foppery of Keeping; and behold what are the Sentiments of this honourable Board

Mr. who you know is a Poet, deliver'd himself in the Language of his Profeflion. He maintain'd, that whatever the wicked World thought to the contrary, a Mifs was as much inferior to a Wife, as the Pindaric Mufe is to the Epic; that one is a Whore without Stays, whereas the other is a civil well-bred Perfon, that always wears them.

Mr. who is likewife a Son of Parnassus, defir'd me to tell you, that a Mifs and a Wife differ only as a fingle Epigram, and a large Collection of Poems, viz. that a Man fooner rids his Hands of one, than the other. But that, as Martial has long ago declar'd his Opinion in the latter Cafe,

Quid prodeft brevitas, dic mihi, fi liber eft,

that is to fay, What the Plague is a Man the better for the Shortness of a Diftich, if he obliges himself to read a whole Cart-load of them; fo he defires to know where lies the mighty Advantage of a Whore above a lawful Spouse, if the Spark keeps conftant to her; and if he does not, where is the Senfe of keeping her in Pay.

Mr. exprefs'd himself against the predominant Sin of Keeping, to this Effect: Of all the Vices the prefent Age is to answer for, nothing comes near it; and yet the Sots make merry with Marriage, which is full as ridiculous as if Dr. Chamberlain fhould laugh at the Bank of England for paying People in Paper. If Marriage is expenfive, Keeping is certainly more, and with lefs Pretence. I knew, fays he, a Gentleman that lov'd Gaming as he did his Eyes. One Night he loft a hundred and fifty Guineas at the Groom-Porter's; when he came Home, he found his Lady in the Parlour, with two Candles burning before her Lord! Wife, fays he, what a strange Extravagance is this; two Candles lighted at a Time, and House-keeping fo chargeable? But he forgot, it feems, what his fhaking of his Elbows had coft him

that

that Evening. This is the Cafe of all Keepers: What our Church-men charge the Diffenters with, is actually true of them; they startle at a Gnat, but they can swallow an Elephant.

Right, fays Harry Keeping is the greatest Solecifm a Man of Pleafure can commit: If the Gallant is true to his Miftrefs, it has all the Phlegm, and if he is fond of her, all the Expence of Matrimony. In short, I have an equal Averfion to Marriage and Keeping. They differ only like Holborn and Cornbill: Both are Streets. But to do Sir John Justice, the latter is nothing near fo long as the former.

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That is as it happens, cries vertuous Mr.

for I can fhew you feveral Perfons about the Town that parted fairly with their Wives before the firft Month was over, and yet could endure to cohabit with their Harlots many Years. But Imagination governs all these Matters. For my Part, I think of Women as I do of Books, the finest of both Sorts will hardly endure a thorough Examination. If they find more Favour than this, they may thank the courteous Reader for it, who sees more in them than they deserve. I remember I took Mr. Waller and Sir John Denham laft Vacation down with me into the Country; I read them over, and what was a Confequence of that, I was weary of them. You may laugh at me for a Man of a vicious Palate; but I can't help that. Before I came to Town, I was glad to borrow Wesley's execrable Poem of the Parfon of the Parish, only for Variety.

Tho I am not wholly of your Opinion, fays Mr. to him, yet I agree with you, that Keeping is Nonfenfe all over, and that for a Reafon which none of you have yet affign'd. Sir Henry Wootton's Definition of an Embaffador, in Part, belongs to him. Legatus eft vir bonus ad mentiendum foris Reip. gratia. And a Keeper is a good Man, to maintain a pretty Woman in fine Cloaths, handsome Lodg

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ings,