Page:A Treatise concerning the Use and Abuse of the Marriage Bed.djvu/389

 she began to enquire into the Discourse; and the subtil Creature took care to tell her a thousand fine Things of him, which he never said; how he toasted her Health, and what fine Things he said of her, when, perhaps, not a Word was ever mentioned. But the saw it work'd as she would have it, till, in short, she brought her to be in Love with the Gentleman too, and that before she had seen him.

brought Things about; and the young Lady was weak enough to go and visit the Lady at the House where this Gentleman had been seen, and which, it seems, was but a few Doors off, and the Spy had so much Knowledge of it, as to give the Gentleman notice, who found Ways to get into the Company, and to make his Acquaintance with her. And thus it began.

this Beginning, the Manager carry'd on all the rest, The Gentleman was represented as an Heir to a great Estate, but not quite of Age, and that if she had him she might depend upon a thousand a Year Jointure; and, in a word, she drew the unwary Lady into a private Marriage, and so to throw herself away upon a young Fellow, without a Shilling in his Pocket, and a good-for-nothing empty-headed Fellow to boot. As good hap was, he was not a Rake, and so she was less ruined than she would otherwise have been; but still she was so far undone, as to be able to make no Provision for her self but what he pleased to do in good Nature, which was about One hundred Pounds a Year; and was all the could save out of about Thirteen thousand Pounds.

I could fill up this Account with such Matrimonial Frauds as this, and some much more tragical, but there is no Room for it: This