Page:The Hardships of the English Laws in Relation to Wives. Bodleian copy.pdf/20

 Our Laws decree the more dreadful Death to the guilty Wife, and pronounce a milder Sentence upon the guilty Huband; yet I hall leave it with the Cauits to decide, whether the Breach of Trut does not as much aggravate the Sin of Murder in the Huband, as the Breach of Submiion aggravates the ame Sin, in the Wife. But whether I am Right in my Sentiments or not, let any Man with the leat Chritian Charity, Generoity, or common Humanity, conider himelf as the Father, Brother or Friend of any of the unfortunate Wives before mentioned; and then ay, whether he could not with, that ome Expedient might be found by the Legilature to prevent uch Calamities for the Future.

I hall now proceed to conider the Cae of Heirees, there, if any where, the Wife Retains ome Property.

The Huband has the Dipofal of the whole Income of the Wife's Lands, for his and her Life: And in Caes where the Huband and Wife can join to pas a Fine upon her Lands to raie Money upon any Exigency of their Family, he has Power alone afterwards to mortgage in Conequence of that Fine, and to employ that Money o raied upon his Wife's Etate, according to his particular Pleaure, which perhaps may be