f H E * WIFE REFORMED, DUBLIN: SOLD BY WILLIAM WATSON, AND SON, No. 7, Capel Street , Printer t to the Cheap Repojitsry for Religisus and Moral TraSlf^ And by the Booksellers, Chapmen and Hawkers, in Town and Country. Great Allowance to Shopkeepers, Chapm«n and Hawkers* Prics O^e Penny. r The W I IKE, QARAH SMITHW All E> e^yly in life, O married an honeft induftrious man, who was by trade a mafon. For the two firft years of her marriage fhe was as hap- py as a good hufband and a prudent con- dud could make her ; (he was very notable, took great pride in feeing her houfe clean and in order, and if her little boy had but a rag on it was clean and tidy. When Ri- chard, for fo her hufband was called, came home from work on a winter's evening he was fare to return to a bright little fire, and to be met by a wife with fo fmiling and cheerful a countenance, that if things had gone fomewhat crofs in the day, and his temper was a little ruffled, his good-hu- mour was quickly reftored. Honeft Rich- ard was fo happy in his wife and child that he fcarcely ever fpent an evening from his own fire-fide, and the care he faw his wife take o* what he earned, and the many com- fbrtSjthrough her good management, it pro- A & cured t 4 ) cured him, was fuch a fpur to his induftty, that he purfued his daily labours cheerfully, and got forward apace. But^las! this hap- pinels was fqon interrupted. Unhappily, Sarah formed an intimacy with a Mrs. Ciacket, who was lately come to be her neighbour: this woman was a great go flip ; inftead of being at home in her family (lie was all the morning gadding from houfe to houfe ; (he would call on 'this neighbour and the other neighbour; flop half an hour to hear news at one hoiife, then make a call at another to communi- cate what fhe had heard, and To on till the whole morning would pafs away, while her children were going in rags, and acquiring a thoufand bad habits by idling about the fireets* 4 Evil Communication," we are told by the apo'le, " corrupts good- manners," and the truth of this 'was never more ftrikingly "ill ultra ted than in Sarah* Mrs. Ciacket never failed to take her neigh- bour Smith waite in her rounds, and was fo chatty/ and had always fo much news to communicate, that Sarah thought her the moft agreeable perfon in the 'whole village, andeonfidered her time well employed In likening to her, though her work would in the m^an time ft and ftill by the hour toge- ther ; nor was this the worft ; the vifits Sa- rah received from her neighbour Ciacket ilie mail neceffarity return, and then hov; couid (lie refufe to go with her neighbour to make a few calls, as (he termed it ; in fhort, Sarah, by confiantly alFociating with Mrs. Clacket got fuch a habit. of gadding, that (he was never eafy in her houfe, and crew fo much to refemble her, that from being one or the bed, fhe became one of the worft. of wives and mothers It had been Sarah's favourite maxim hi- therto, that." a Stitch in time faves nine/ 3 and fhe had aiwavs found her account in. adhering to it, but.her frequent junketings with her neighbour Okcket, and. others of the fame turn, to whom fhe had introduced her, took up to much of her time, that fhe could find none to attend to the cares of her family, if her little boy had a hole in his coat or Hocking, Sarah would fuffer it to remain from day to day, till it was fo large it would take five times as long to mend it, and, after all, would look very iinfightly.: in fhort, every thing was ne- glected ; her hou-e, from being one of the. deaneft, was now one of the moil dirty and diforderly in the village, and all that fhe could crib out of her hufbands ea rp lags went ' to buy frippery ornaments, torn her fit, as me ufed to fay, to ko p com.vhiy with her betters, for fo -Jihf c.-jiicd ^h^XUcket, becaufe ilie had more money and could drefs better. A 3 This ( 6 ) This fort of condud could not be piec- ing to Richard ; at firft he expoftulated in mild terms, and endeavoured by gentle lan- guage to recal he r to a fenfe of her duty; but finding that all he fa id was of no avail, and that Sarah Hill continued her follies* his temper became foured and irritated ; he returned from work peevifh and out of hu- mour, and often fought in an ale houfe the comforts he ufed to look for at home; lie no longer purfued his work with his ufual alacrity ; the fpur to his induftry was gone, he worked no more at over-hours, by which his weekly flipend was formerly much en- creafed, the comforts it once produced him were no more, and he became carelefs and negletfful. Sarah could not but obferve i this change in her huffond, and complained loudly of it to her neighbour Glacket, ef- peciaily of his peevifh temper, which, fhe *q laid, was paft bearing. Mrs. Clacket con- doled with her upon her hard fate, but faid it was entirely her own fault ; " Only/' faid fhe, " pluck up a little jpirit, give him as good as he fends, and I'll warrant you wiii foon bring him into better humour.'* Sarah had too high an opinion of her friend not to take her advice : the next time her hufband expoftulated with her upon her ^ negle&of her family, Sarah, in the words of her friend, gave him as good as be broug kt ; inilead ( 7 ) inftead of oppofmg filence, at lead, to his too juft rebukes, (he bade him look to him- felf before he reproved her, and began to enumerate every folly he had committed fince thehW known him; and not content with this, added thofe of father, mother, fitters, and brothers. This incenfed Rich- ard, and provoked him to ufe many bad words, which Sarah returned fourfold, for -fince her intimacy with Mrs. Clacket, (he was, like her, become very loquacious, or talkative* ' Though this condudl did not produce the effeft on her hufband's temper Sarah was affured it would, and though fhe faw that inftead of mending his humour it irritated ir, fhe, neverthelefs, continued to aggravate on .every occafion, and to give her tongue fuch licenfe, that the houfe was a continued fcene of ftrife whenever (he and her huf- band were in it. It happened one Sunday morning, according to cuftom, that when Richard called for a pair of (lockings, none were to be found that did not want mend- ing, and he was obliged to wait- while his wife fewed up two or three holes before he could put them on. This, as I have before hinted, was no new thing; k repeatedly happened ; but Richard was this morning, perhaps, lefs in a humour to bear it with- out murmuring ; he made fome remarks A 4 ■ upon ( 8 ) - 'upon her negle&, and threw out fome bit* tcr reflexions againft her neighbour Clack- eft to whofe vile example he attributed all her mifcondudr. Sarah retorted with her ufual flippancy ; for every word of Rich- ard's flie returned ten, and as fhe knew that would aggravate him more than any thing elfe, fhe began to revert to the faults of his father, who having in his youth been addidted to liquor, had faved nothing to fup- port him in his age, and was now chiefly maintained out of hisWs earnings, added to a fmaH matter he received weekly from the pan ft. Richard had for fome time borne all with tolerable temper, but this raifed his choler to fuch a pitch, that it was with the utmoft difficulty he reflrained him- felf from finking her: Sarah feeing his hand raifed againft her was frightened, and began for the firft time to Think fhe had gone a tittle too far ; but too proud to make any coiiceffions, or even by her filence to let him fee, as fhe called it, that he had gained his point, fhe continued the fame aggravating language; and when Richard, with a very bad word, declared he would by fome means prevent her keejSng company with that vile woman who had corrupted her, to fhcw him how little fhe regarded what he faid, (lie took her hat and cloak from a nail in the wall, and turned out of the ( 9 ) the houfe, faying fne fhould not give up the on»y friend fhe had in the world o pleafe him nor any hufband ten times as good, Richard was going to flop her, but feeling his paffion again to rife', and fearing he mignt be provoked to ftrike her, he was prudent enough to let her go, and fat down to recover him.felf. When his paffion had fomewhat fubfided, and he began to refieft coolly on what had happened," he was fen- fibie that however great the provocation, he had done wrong in fuffering paffion fo far to get the better of his Feafon; for he jutf-'y reflected, that if ,he could not bring about the reformation ofhis wife by gentle mf&hSj there was little hopes of effecti ng it by violence; on all accounts, therefore, lie repented giving way to paffion. Sarah .in the mean time haflened to her friend Clack- et to tell all her grievances, and to rail a- gamlT her hufband ; but file was much dif- appointed to find that fhe was gone out for the whole day. Not knowing what to do with herfelf and in no humour to return home, fhe fauntered down a green - lane at a Icttfe diitance from her houfe, without kno\Yiug whither fhe was goin ; and reliev- ing with bitternefs on the miierar >fe life fhe led, which far from attributing to her own folly, fhe laid wholly to the humour of _ what ) Mr. Allen* He was not then always fulb- to this violence of temper ? Sarah. Oh no, Sir, for two years after we were married there was not a better huf- faand, nor a better, tempered man in the world ; and fo induftrious! It would fur- prize you, Sir, to know how much money He got by working over hours Mr. Allen. He riegle&s his bufmefs now, 1 fuppofe ? Sarah. Why no, Sir, 1 cannot fay that neither ; to be fure he does not let the child or me want for any thing, but he never works at over-hours as he ufed to do ; he has got it in his head that he fhall be none the richer if he gets ever fo much, becaufe he fays I manage fo badly;, indeed he feems to take delight now in nothing but quarrelling with me ; I'm fure I lead the life of a dog. Mr. Allen. In mofl differences between man^and wife, neighbour Smithwaite, there are faults on bom fides ; now let us examine a little whether you are not as much, if not more in fault than your huftand; from what you have faid, and what I have before beard, 1 am inclined to. think this the cafe. You do not, I think, accufe Richaid of drinking, nor any vice of that kind. I hough he does not work at over-hours, you fay he takes care that neither you nor your child fhould ( I3 . } fliculd want for any thing; your principal change is againft his temper. An irritable temper is certainly very reprehenhbie, but as you fay that for two years after your marriage Richard was oneofthebef! temper- ed men, I am perfuaded fnch a change coulu not take place without fomecaufe; can you now lay your hand on your heart, and lay ferioufly, that you have i>ever gi- ven your huftnnd provocation ? Sarah. Why, Sir, he has taken it into his head to be in his airs became 1 Keep company with my neighbour Clacket, who is as good a forf of woman as any in the world ; if it was not for her I fhould not be able to bear with his humours; bur i go and tell her my troubles, and fhe comfort^ me ; and advifes me what to do. Indeed if fhe had not perfuaded me to pluck up a little i pint, there would have been no living with him j but Richard has no word bad enough for her, becaufe fhe is my rrtend \ but 1 am determined never to give her up, and fo I have told him. Mr. Allen. i his is not ading as a good wife, Sarah It is your duty to love, honour aad obey your hufbaud; God commands y ou fo to do ; and however Ifghuy you may think of this commandment, you have fworn at the altar to keep it. Sarah Yes, Sir; but this is fuch an un- reafonable thing ! ( n ) Mr. Alien. It is your duty to give nip £0 your hufband, Sarah, in all things that are not criminal; and in this inftance Rich- ard has, if what I have heard be true, very good reafon for objecting to your intimacy with Dame Clacket, who is, to my know- ledge, a very idle goflipping woman, neither a good wife nor a good mother. Sarah, Dear, does your Reverence think fo? I'm fure I never 'law any harm of her in my life; to be fure fhe and her hufband quarrels, and fhe is obliged in her own de- ience to give him as good as he brings, or he would, as fhe fays, trample her under foot ; but I'm fure if he would let her alone fhe would not begin, Mr. AIM. I am afraid, Sarah, you have imbibed too many of her principles for your own or your hufband' s happinefs, I am told, and 1 now fear it is too true, that you are continually from home junketing with this woman, that you meet only 10 rail againft, and talk over the faults of your ht.fbands; and that by thefe means you fl ir up t ach other-to oppofe and aggravate their tempers. Sarah felt the force of theie truths too firongly to reply immediately; fhehefuaud, and was covered with confufion, to fine iha veneiable curate io well acquainted with her manner of going on. At length ihe laid, to be ( *5 ) be*fure fhe could not fay but fhe had got a habit of being from home more than fhe ufed to be, and foe often thought (lie would break through it, but her neighbour Clacket always faid fo much that fhe could never refufe. Mr. Allen. Can you then wonder at your hufband wifhing to break off a connexion, which, by your own account, leads you into things that you know to be wrong, if Dame Clacket were your true friend fhe would advife you to that only which would conci- liate the affections of your hufband, and make vour life comfortable. Sarah. I'll anfwer for it, Sir, fhe means no harm. To be fure fee di4 tell me to give my hufband as good as he fent, when he fcolded, and I believe I may have now and then gone rather too far with that, as I have this morning. Mr Allen ' underftanding that a difpute had recently happened, infenfibU led Sarah to give him a detail of the particulars, which fhe did, and fo impartially, that he was at ho lofs to fee that the fault, as he had reafon to think it ufually did, iay in her aggravating tongue, he therefore went on thus : Mr. Allen. From the account you have given me, Mrs. Smithwaite, we fee the truth of the Apoftle James's words, I he tongue ( .i6 ) tongue is a little member that boafteth great things." " Behold continues he, how great a matter a little fire kindleth." in other words, obferve how much firife and animofitv may be occafioned by one thoughttefs or aggravating word ; one bad word naturally leads to another, till the furv of each party is kindled, and blows and murders are often the con sequence. Sarah. Yes, Sir, to be Furei, 1 might be wrong; but you cannot think how crofs and ilhnaaired Richaro. fpoke about the dock- ings, though i am fure : was not more than ten minutes mending them. Mr. Allen. " A (oft anfwer," my good woman, we are told by Solomon, the wifeft man whatever lived, " turnethaway w a ; th.. w :f}ow had you recoile&ed this, and,mj!ea(J ©f irritating your hufband's tentper, which waa'already ruffled, had told himy u were for' for the negled, and woul I endeavour to prevent it in future, be affured his anger would foon have pafled away, and the aifa- greeable coniequences that fucceeded en- tirely avoided. Sarah. \\ by, to be fure, I mud own I v did provoke him; I am ferry now that I laid to much, but if 1 had been to be killed for it 1 could not have helped it at the time. Mr. Allen, i-he (capture tells us, Mrs. -Smithwaite, that " The tongue is a fire, a world 11 ) wcfrld of iniquity," that " it defileth the whole body, and fetteth on fire the whole courfe of nature :" now fo much power being attributed to the tongue, we ought to confider it as one of the moft important duties to govern it wifely , it was given us to utter the praifes of our Creator, not to blafpheme his holy name, and to become an inftrument of ftrife and contention among our brethren, whom we are com- manded to love and edify. I fpeak thus to you, Mrs. Smithwaite, becaufe I fee you regularly at church, and conclude, therefore, that you have fome fenfe of religion. Sarah. I hope fo, fir, for I fay my prayers regularly. Mr. Allen. The mere repetition of prayers, or attendance on church, (I mean where it produces no effedt on our conduct) can avail little ; if we hope to pleafe God and live with Chriii, we muft cuftivatei that fpirit of meeknefs and forbearance, an example of which he fets us in his ble-ffed- life : our faith is nothing if it pro- duce not fuch fruits, for by thefe fnali we know that we are truly his difciples... You may, perhaps, think, that if you avoid yielding to paffion yourlelf it is fufficient, that our duty ends in retraining, our own paflions; but it is far otherwise, we muft have ( i8 ) have regard to the infirmities of our poor brethren, affift them in fighting the gdod fight, and he careful not to throw ip their way a caufe of /tumbling or offence ; it is our duty to avoid every wordy look, or atfion, that is likely to excite or roufe thofe evil propenfities which more or lefs lie dormant in us all, and are too ready to break forth on the flighted occafions ; every one mufl feel that the flefh lufteth continually againft the fpkit ; and are we not, think you, accountable for the fms ot our brother,, if infiead, of affift ing him to overcome the evil . of his nature, we provoke and excite it ? When we fee our brother on the point of yielding to the paffion of anger, and fiir up or encourage it by any provoking or agravating language, do we not, think you, tempt him to evil, and become guilty of his fin? St. James advifes us to " keep a ftridl guard on our tongue, leaft it tempt our brother to^vil; 1 * If any man," fays the apoftle, " offend not in word, the fame is a perfect man, and able alfo to bridle the whole body. 5 ' In another place he adds, " The tongue is an unruly evil, full of deadly poifon." The words of our Lord himfelf on this fubjed are very remarkable, and deferviog the jnoft ferious cenfideration. w A good man g#x of the good treafure of his heart bringeth C 19 ) bripgeth forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treafure of his heart bringeth forth evil things; out of the abundance of the heart the mouth ipeak- eth: But I fay unto you that every idle word that mental! fpeak, they fhall give account thereof in the day of judgment, " for by thy mouth (halt thou be jurtified, and by thy mouth fhah thou be con- demned" Oh, Mrs. Smithwaite, this an awful denunciation, and from the lips of truth itfeif ! let it found ever in your ears, and prevent your giving your tongue a licence you fnall fear to recoiled m that tremendous day. Sarab. Oh, Sir ! I am quite fhocked at what you tell me ; I never thought I had. been fo wicked ; I am convinced 1 have done wrong, and will never in future pro- voke my huftand in the manner I have done. 1 will return home and entreat his forgivenefs. Mr. Allen. The winding of this lane, if I am not miftaken leads to your cot- tage : come, 1 will go with you, and have the pleafure of witneffing your reconci- liation. Sarah. Oh, Sir, how good you are ! I begin to think I have been more in fault than Richard ; for to be fure, when I come to confider, it is a long time fmce he has had a comfortable fire-fide to come to. Mr,. Alien. %*r^» ( 20 ) - . , Mr. Allen. I am rejoiced, my good barah, to hear you talk thus, the fault that, is teen and acknowledged is half .-mend- ed ; believe me vou will find far more pleafurein performing your dun than in attending to the gp/fip and junketing of your neighbour Clacket. * Sarah. You have convinced me, Sir, that it is my duty to obey mv hufband, therefore, if it is his will, I will-certainly, whatever it may coft.me, break off with Dame Clacket. At this moment they entered the cottage, where Richard, who nail the day before flrainedhis thumb, fo that he could not go to work, was fitting and ruminating on the unhappy propenfities oi his wife. He rofe refpedfully to re- ceive the good curate, but when he in- troduced his. wife to him as a penitent for the faults, the had committed, and beard her acknowledge them, afk his forgivenefs, and declare her refolution to amend, he was almoft befide himfelf with joy ; not- withftanding the pretence of the curate, he took her round the neck, and giying her a hearty kifs, declared, that if the would make good her words, and be to him the wife ffte was when they firit married, he woula never fpend an evening at an ale- liouie, nor a^atn give her a crooked word. The ( 2% ) The good curate was delighted with the reconciliation his admonitions had brought about, he received their mutual thanks and bade them farewell, promising to cau upon them .again, Sarah told her hu/band r ftie would break off Tier connexion with Mrs. Clacket but Richard was fo pieafed with the cundudt of his wife, that he laid, if it would give her pain he would not defire it, as fhe feemed fo fenfible of her errors! and to know fo well how to amend them for while he took a walk with his little boy* fhe had let about cleaning her apartment and fetting things in order, wafhed the table-cloth, and had every thing in order for his return. Nor tvas this fudden refo« lun'uti foon forgotten, Sarah perfevered in the fame condud with unremitted affiduity and Richard in return became the fame diligent, indubious, and j kintl hufband he had formerly been. Mrs. Clacket feveral times called and endeavoured to joke Sarah out of the parr fhe had taken, but fhe was now too well convinced of her errors to relapfe, and found too much comfort in the path fhe bad returned to, again to fwerve from it, Mrs. Clacket, therefore, finding her opinions had not the fame weight as formerly, made her calls lefs frequent, and laft wholly dropt them : nor was ( > ) was this any vexation to Sarah ; Ihe fou'nd, as Mr. Allen foretold, infinitely greater fatisfadlion in performing the duties of her ftation than in liftening to the idle tales, or in attending to the junketings of her tteighbour Clacket. THE EN A J 'yvsr PVBZI&8ED AND SOLD Br WI-LL1 A/Vi WATSON and SON, No. 7, Capel-Street. The Two Wealthy Farmers ift Part Price id Ditto 2d Part - t Ditto, 3d Part, and a New Song on an ofd Story 1 Ditto, 4th Part, and a Poetical Talc - 1 Ditto, 5th Part Ditto, 6th Part - . Ditto, 7th Part • - Two Shoe makers, id Fart Ditto, 2d Part - Ditto, 3d Part - • . - . •Ditto, 4th Part, and Turn the Carpet Dialogue between J. Stock and W. Simpfon Shepherd of Salifbury Plain, ift Part Ditto, 2d Part Hiftory of Tom White the Poftilion, ift p ar t Ditto, 2d Part Hiftory of Mary Wood the Houfc-maid Hiftory of Charles Jones the Foot-man Beggarly Boy - Good Mothers Legacy - Hiftory of John Doyle - Two Soldiers ■., Life of William Baker - - The Gamcfter, and the Story of finful Sally, The Pilgrims, an Allegory - . Parley the Porter, an Allegory Path to Riches and Happinefs New Thoughts for the New Year Divine Model The Ship- wreck* and Execution of Wild Robert The Wife Reformed - . The General Refurreaion The Two Sifters - . \ The happy Waterman - - Huibsmdry Moralized - - . The Carpenter - The Apprentice's Monitor - The Horfc Race '* The Dram Shop I r 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 i 1 t T I I I I I 3 I I i oh oh oh oh oh Oh 1