Page:The Hardships of the English Laws in Relation to Wives. Bodleian copy.pdf/31

 A Man and his Wife were found hanged, and their Child murdered in the Cradle in their Bed-chamber, the Door being locked within ide, and a Paper lying upon the Table, which Paper contained the Reaons of their laying violent Hands upon themelves and Child, and was ubcribed both by the Man's and Woman's Name. The Man was adjudged guilty of Murder and Suicide, and his Body buried in the High-way accordingly; but the Woman being uppoed to hang herelf at the Command of her Huband, was exempted from further Michief. Now this was no doubt a coniderable Kindnes to the Woman, and a great Comfort to the good Hubands in his Majeties Dominions, to provide them a Precedent for commanding their Wives to hang themelves, the Woman being uppoed to act upon competent Authority, or the Sentence upon her Body could not have been remitted upon that Conideration. There is a further Reaon to deem it an Act of Obedience to Authority, and not a Compliance with Power, time I believe it would be hard to find any Peron of o peculiar a Way of thinking, as to be prevailed upon to hang herelf for fear of being killed: Unles her Huband had had an Authority as abolute as Nero, and ent his Mandate ordering her to dipatch herelf in an