Page:The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce - Milton (1644).djvu/74



Astly, if divorce were granted, as Beza and others say, not for men but to release afflicted wives; certainly it is not only a dispensation, but a most mercifull Law: and why it should not yet be in force, being wholly as needfull, I know not what can be in cause but senselesse cruelty. But yet to say, divorce was granted for relief of wives, rather then of husbands, is but weakly conjectur'd, and is manifest the extreme shift of a huddled exposition. Whenas it could not be found how hardnesse of heart should be lessn'd by liberty of divorce, a fancy was devis'd to hide the flaw, by commenting that divorce was permitted only for the help of wives. Palpably uxorious! Who can be ignorant that woman was created for man, and not man for woman; and that a husband may be injur'd as insufferably in mariage as a wife. What an injury is it after wedlock not to be belov'd, what to be slighted, what to be contended with in point of house-rule who shall be the head, not for any parity of wisdome, for that were somthing reasonable, but out of a female pride. I suffer not, saith S. Paul, the woman to usurp authority over the man. If the Apostle could not suffer it, into what mould is he mortify'd that can? Salomon saith, that a bad wife is to her husband as rott'nnesse to his bones, a continual dropping: better dwell in a corner of the house top, or in the wildernes ''then with such a one. Who so hideth her hideth the wind, and one of the four mischiefs that the earth cannot bear''. If the Spirit of God wrote such aggravations as these, and as may be guest by these similitudes, counsels the man rather to divorce then to live with such a collegue, and yet on the other side expresses nothing of the wives suffering with a bad husband; is it not most likely that God in his Law had more pitty towards man thus wedlockt, then towards the woman that was created for another. The Same Spirit relates to us the cours which the Medes and Persians took by occasion of Vashti, whose meer denial to come at her husbands sending, lost her the being Queen any longer, and set up a wholsom Law, that every man should beare rule in his own house. And the divine relater shews us not the least signe of disliking what was done; how should he? if Moses long before was nothing lesse mindful of the honour and preeminence due to man. So that to say divorce was granted for woman rather then man, was but fondly invented. Esteeming therfore to have asserted thus an jur'd