The two great parties of wives, the Devotos and the Hitts *.

of

THE 'HE doctrine of unlimited chastity and fidelity in wives was univerfally efpouted by all hufbands; who went about the country, and made the wives fign papers, fignifying their utter deteftation and abhorrence of Mrs. Bull's wicked doctrine of the indifpenfable duty of cuckoldom. Some yielded, others refufed to part with their native liberty; which gave rife to two great parties amongst the wives, the Devotos and the Hitts. Though it must be owned, the diftinction was more nominal than real; for the Devotos would abuse freedoms fometimes; and thofe who were distinguished by the name of Hitts, were often very honeft. At the fame time there came out an ingenious treatise with the title of good advice to hufbands; in which they are counfelled not to trust too much to their wives owning the doftrine of unlimited conjugal fidelity, and fo to neglect family-duty, and a due watchfulness over the manners of their wives; that the greatest fecurity to hufbands was a vigorous conftitution, good ufage of their wives, and keeping them from temptation; many husbands having been fufferers by their trufting too much to general profeffions, as was exemplified in the cafe of a foolish and negligent hufband, who trufting to the efficacy of this principle, was undone by his wife's elopement from him.

Thofe who were for and against the doctrine of non resistance.

СНАР.

CHA P. XV.

An account of the conference between Mrs Bull and Don Diego.

T

He lawyers, as their laft effort to put off the compofition, fent Don Diego to John *. Don Diego was a very worthy gentleman, a friend to John, his mother, and present wife; and therefore fuppofed to have fome influence over her: he had been ill ufed himfelf by John's lawyers, but, because of fome animofity to Sir Roger †, was against the compofition : the conference between him and Mrs. Bull was word for word as follows.

Don Diego. Is it poffible, coufin Bull, that you can forget the honourable maxims of the family you are come of, and break your word with three of the honeft beft meaning perfons in the world, Efquire south, Frog, and Hocus, that have facrificed their interefts to yours? It is bafe to take advantage of their fimplicity and credulity, and leave them in the lurch at laft.

Mrs. Bull. I am fure they have left my family in a bad condition; we have hardly money to go to the market; and nobody will take our words for a fix pence. A very fine fpark this Efquire South! My husband took him in, a dirty, fnotty-

* Amongst other obftacles to the treaty, was the oppofition of the Earl of Nottingham, a torry nobleman, who had great influence in the houfe of commons.

The cause of his animofity, from which this conduct is fuppofed to proceed. was Mrs. Hurley's being chofen to fucceed him as principal fecretary of ftate, when he was removed from that office in the year 1704

He expoftulated against the peace with great warmth in the houfe, when the Queen was prefent incog.

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nosed boy; it was the bufinefs of half the fervants to attend him; the rogue * did bawl and make fuch a noife: fometimes he fell in the fire and burnt his face, fometimes broke his fhins clambering over the benches, often piffed a-bed, and always came in fo dirty, as if he had been dragged thro' the kennel at a boarding school. He loft his money at chuck farthing, shuffle-cap, and all fours; fold his books, pawned his linen, which we were always forced to redeem. Then the whole generation of him are so in love with bagpipes and pup. pet fhows! I wish you knew what my husband has paid at the pastry cook's and confectioner's for Naples bifcuit, tarts, cuftards, and fweet meats. All this while my husband confidered him as a gentleman of a good family, that had fallen into decay, gave him good education, and has fettled him in a good creditable way of living, having procured him by his intereft, one of the best places of the country and what return, think you, does this fine gentleman make us? He will hardly give me or my hufband a good word, or a civil expreffion: inftead of Sir and Madam † (which, though I fay it, is our due) he calls us goody and gaffer such a one : fays, he did us a great deal of honour to board with us; huffs and dings at fuch a rate, because we will not spend the little we have left to get him the title and eftate of Lord Strutt ; and then, forfooth, we fhall have the honour to be woolen drapers. Befides, Efquire South will be Efquire South ftill; fickle, proud, and ungrateful. If he behaves himfelf fo, when he depends on us for his daily bread, can any man fay what he will do when he is got above the world?

his

D. Diego. And would you lofe the honour of

Something relating to the manners of a great Prince, fuper. ftition, love of operas, fhows, &c.

Something relating to forms and titles.

fo noble and generous an undertaking? Would you rather accept this fcandalous compofition, and truft that old rogue, Lewis Baboon ?

Mrs. Bull. Look you, friend Diego, if we law it on till Lewis turns honeft, I am afraid our credit will run low at Blackwell-hall. I wish every man had his own; but I ftill fay, that Lord Struct's money fhines as bright, and chinks as well as Esquire South's. I do not know any other hold, that we tradesmen have of these great folks, but their intereft; buy dear and fell cheap, and I will warrant ye you will keep your customer. The worft is, that Lord Strutt's fervants have got fuch a haunt about that old rogue's fhop, that it will coft us many a firkin of strong beer to bring them back again; and the longer they are in a bad road, the harder it will be to get them out of it.

D. Diego. But poor Frog what has he done! On my confcience, if there be an honeft, fincere man in the world, it is that Frog.

Mrs. Bull. I think, I need not tell you how much Frog has been obliged to our family from his childhood * ; he carries his head high now, but he had never been the man he is, without our help. Ever fince the commencement of this law, fuit, it has been the bufinefs of Hocus, in fharing our expences, to plead for Frog. "Poor Frog,

fays he, is in hard circumftances, he has a nu "merous family, and lives from hand to mouth; "his children do not eat a bit of good victuals from 66 one year's end to the other, but live upon falt "herring, four curd, and borecole; he does his "utmoft, poor fellow, to keep things even in the "world, and has exerted himself beyond his abili

ty in this law-fuit; but he really has not where. "withal to go on. What fignifies this hundred

On the other fide complaint was made of the unequal burden of the war.

VOL. VI.

U

"pounds

pounds? place it upon your fide of the account; "it is a great deal to poor Frog, and a trifle to you." This has been Hocus's conftant lan. guage, and I am fure he has had obligations enough to us to have acted another part.

D. Diego. No doubt Hocus meant all this for the best, but he is a tender hearted, charitable man; Frog is indeed in hard circumstances.

Mrs. Bull. Hard circumftances! I fwear this is provoking to the laft degree *. All the time of the law fuit, as faft as I have mortgaged, Frog has purchased: from a plain tradefman with a thop, warehouse, and a country hut, with a dirty fifh pond at the end of it, he is now grown a very rich country gentleman, with a noble landed estate, noble palaces, manors, parks, gardens, and farms, finer than any we were ever mafter of. Is it not ftrange, when my husband difburfed great fums every term, Frog fhould be purchafing fome new farm or manor? So that if this lawfuit lafts, he will be far the richeft man in his country. What is worse than all this, he fteals away my cuftomers every day; twelve of the richeft and the beft have left my fhop by his perfuafion, and whom, to my certain knowledge, he has under bonds never to return again: judge you if this be neighbourly dealing.

D. Diego. Frog is indeed pretty close ih s dealings but very honeft: you are fo touchy, and take things fo hotly, I am fure there must be fome mistake in this.

Mrs. Bull. A plaguy one indeed! You know, and have often told me of it, how Hocus, and thofe rogues kept my husband John Bull drunk for five years together with punch and ftrong wa ters: I am fure he never went one night fober to

and of the equifitions of the Dutch in Flanders; during these debates the house took in conûderation.

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