know will apprehend, and bee satisfy'd in what I spake, how unpleasing and discontenting the society of body must needs be between those whose mindes cannot bee sociable. But what should a man say more to a snout in this pickle, what language can be low and degenerat anough?
The fourth Argument which I had, was, that Mariage beeing a Covnant, the very beeing wherof consists in the performance of unfeigned love and peace, if that were not tolerably perform'd, the Covnant became broke and revocable. Which how can any in whose minde the principles of right reason and justice are not cancell'd, deny; for how can a thing subsist, when the true essence therof is dissolv'd? yet this hee denies, and yet in such a manner as alters my assertion, for hee puts in, though the main end bee not attain'd in full measure: but my position is, if it be not tolerably attain'd, as throughout the whole Discours is apparent.
Now for his Reasons; Heman found not that peace and solace, which is the main end of communion with God, should hee therfore break off that communion?
I answer, that if Heman found it not, the fault was certainly his own: but in Mariage it happns farre otherwise: Somtimes the fault is plainly not his who seeks Divorce: Somtimes it cannot be discern'd whose fault it is: and therfore cannot in reason or equity be the matter of an absolute prohibition.
His other instance declares, what a right handicrafts man hee is of petty cases, and how unfitt to be ought els at highest, but a hacney of the Law. I change houses with a man; it is suppos'd I doe it for my own ends; I attain them not in this house; I shall not therfore goe from my bargain. How without fear might the young Charinus in Andria now cry out, what likenes can bee heer to a Mariage? In this bargain was no capitulation, but the yeilding of possession to one another, wherin each of them had his several end apart: in Mariage there is a solemn vow of love and fidelity each to other: this bargain is fully accomplisht in the change; In Mariage the covnant still is in performing. If one of them perform nothing tolerably, but instead of love, abound in disaffection, disobedience, fraud, and hatred, what thing in the nature of a covnant shall bind the other to such a perdurable mischeif? Keep to your Problemes of ten groats, these matters are not for pragmatics, and folkmooters to babble in.
Con-
