L:09:34:50:696969680. No. 607. Friday, October 15. Dicite Tö Paan, & Iö bis dicite Paan: Ovid. Mr. SPECTATOR, H AVING in your Paper of Monday last published my report on the Cafe of Mrs. Fanny Fickle, wherein I have taken Notice, that Loves comes ⚫ after Marriage; I hope your Readers are fatisfied of this Truth, that as Love generally produces Matrimony, so it often happens that Matrimony produces Love. Ir perhaps requires more Virtues to make a good Husband or Wife, than what go to the finishing any the most fhining Character whatfoever. DISCRETION feems abfolutely neceffary, and accordingly we find that the best Husbands have been moft famous for their Wisdom. Homer, who hath 'drawn a perfect Pattern of a prudent Man, to make it the more complete, hath celebrated him for the juft • Returns of Fidelity and Truth to his Penelope ; info• much that he refused the Careffes of a Goddefs for her Sake, and to use the Expreffion of the beft of Pagan Authors, vetulam fuam prætulit Immortalitati, his • old Woman was dearer to him than Immortality. VIRTUE is the next neceffary Qualification for this domeftick Character, as it naturally produces Conftancy and mutual Efteem. Thus Brutus and Portia · were more remarkable for Virtue and Affection than any others of the Age in which they lived. GOOD-NATURE is a third neceffary Ingredient in the Marriage-State, without which it would inevitably fowre upon a thoufand Occafions. When Greatnels of Mind is joined with this amiable Quality, it at tracts tracts the Admiration and Efteem of all who behold it. Thus Cæfar, not more remarkable for his Fortune and • Valour than for his Humanity, stole into the Hearts of the Roman People, when breaking through the Cuf Itom, he pronounced an Oration at the Funeral of his first and beft beloved Wife. GOOD-NATURE is infufficient, unless it be fteady and uniform, and accompanied with an Evennefs of Temper, which is, above all Things, to be preferved in this Friendship contracted for Life. A Man muft be eafy within himself, before he can be fo to his ⚫ other felf. Socrates and Marcus Aurelius, are Inftances of Men, who, by the Strength of Philofophy, having ⚫ entirely compofed their Minds, and fubdued their Paffions are celebrated for good Husbands, notwithstanding the first was yoked with Xantippe, and the other with Fauftina. If the wedded Pair would but habi tuate themselves for the firft Year to bear with one another's Faults, the Difficulty would be pretty well conquer'd. This mutual Sweetness of Temper and Complacency, was finely recommended in the Nuptial Ceremonies among the Heathens, who when they facri'ficed to Juno at the Solemnity, always tore out the Gall from the Entrails of the Victim, and caft it be hind the Altar. ་ 'I fhall conclude this Letter with a Paffage out of Dr. Plot's Natural Hiftory of Staffordshire, not only as it will ferve to fill up your prefent Paper; but if I find myfelf in the Humour, may give Rife to another; I having by me an old Regifter, belonging to the Place here undermentioned. SIR Philip de Somervile held the Manors of Whiche novre, Scirefcot, Ridware, Neherton, and Cowlee, all the Com. Stafford, of the Earls of Lancaster, by this memorable Service. The faid Sir Philip fhall find, maintain, and fuftain, one Bacon Flitch, hanging in his Hall at Whichenoure, ready arrayed all Times of the Year, but in Lent, to be given to every Man or Woman married, after the Day and the Year of their Marriage be past, in Form following. WHENSOEVER that any one fuch before named will come to enquire for the Bacon, in their own Perfon, they fhall come to the Bailiff, or to the Porter of the Lordhip of Whichenouvre, and shall say to him in the manner as enfueth; 6 BAYLIFF, or Porter, I doo you to know, that I am come for myself, to demand one Bacon Flyke hanging in the Hall of the Lord of Whichenovre, after the Form thereunto belonging. AFTER which Relation, the Bayliff or Porter shall affign a Day to him, upon Promise by his Faith to return, and with him to bring Twain of his Neighbours. And in the mean Time the faid Bayliff fhall take with him Twain of the Freeholders of the Lordship of Whichenovre, and they three shall go to the Manor of Rudlow, belonging to Robert Knightleye, and there fhall fummon the aforefaid Knightleye, or his Bayliff, commanding him to be ready at Whichenovre the Day appointed,at Prime of Day, with his Carriage, that is to fay, a Horfe and a Saddle, a Sack and a Pryke, for to convey the said Bacon and Corn a Journey out of the County of Stafford, at his Coftages. And then the faid Bailiff fhall, with the faid Freeholders, fummon all the Tenants of the faid Mannor, to be ready at the Day appointed, at Whicheno-vre, for to do and perform the Services which they owe to the Bacon. And at the Day affigned, all fuch as owe Services to the Bacon, fhall be ready at the Gate of the Manor of Whichenovre, from the Sun-rifing to Noon, attending and awaiting for the coming of him who fetcheth the Bacon. And when he is come, there fhall be delivered to him and his Fellows, Chapelets ; and to all those which fhall be there, to do their Services due to the Bacon. And they fhall lead the faid Demandant with Trumps and Tabours, and other manner of Minstrels to the HallDoor, where he fhall find the Lord of Whichenovre, or his Steward, ready to deliver the Bacon in this Man ner. HE fhall enquire of him, which demandeth the Bacon, if he have brought Twain of his Neighbours with him Which muft anfwer, They be here ready. And then then the Steward fhall cause these two Neighbours to fwear, if the said Demandant be a wedded Man, or have been a wedded Man; and if fince his Marriage one Year and a Day be paft; and if he be a Freeman, or a Villain. And if his faid Neighbours make Oath, that he hath for him all these three Points rehearsed; then shall the Bacon be taken down and brought to the Hall-Door, and shall there be laid upon one half Quarter of Wheat, and upon one other of Rye. And he that demandeth the Bacon fhall kneel upon his Knee, and fhall hold his right Hand upon a Book, which Book fhall be laid upon the Bacon, and the Corn, and fhall make Oath in this manner. 6 HERE ye, Sir, Philip de Somervile, Lord of Whichenovre, mayntener and gyver of this Baconne : That I A fithe I Wedded B my Wife, and fithe I had hyr in my kepying, and at my Wylle, by a Year and a Day after our Marriage, I would not have chaunged for none other; farer ne fowler; richer, ne pourer; me for none other defcended of greater Lynage; flepying ne waking, at noo tyme. And if the feyd B were fole and I fole I would take her to • be my Wife before all the Wymen of the Worlde, of what Condiciones foever they be: good or evylle, as help me God and his Seyntes, and this Flesh and all • Fiefhes. AND his Neighbours fhall make Oath, that they truft verily he hath faid truly. And if it be found by his Neighbours before-named that he be a Freeman, there fhall be delivered to him half a Quarter of Wheat and a Cheefe; and if he be a Villain, he fhall have half a Quarter of Rye without Cheefe. And then fhall Knightleye the Lord of Rudlow be called for, to carry all these Things tofore rehearfed; and the faid Corn fhall be laid on one Horfe and the Bacon above it: and he to whom the Bacon appertaineth fhall afcend upon his Horse, and fhall take the Cheefe before him if he have a Horfe. And if he have none, the Lord of Whichenovre fhall caufe him to have one Horse and Saddle, to fuch time as he be paft his Lordship and fo fhall they depart the Manor of Whichenovre with the Corn and the Bacon, tofore him that hath won it, with Trumpets, Tabourets, and other manner of Minftrelfie. And all the Free Tenants of Whichenovre fhall Conduct him to be paffed the Lordship of Whichenovre. And then fhall they all return; except him, to whom appertaineth to make the Carriage and Journey without the County of Stafford, at the Cofts of his Lord of Whichenovre. No. 608. Monday, October 18. Perjuria ridet Amantum. Mr. SPECTATOR, A 鍋 Ovid. CCORDING to my Promife, I herewith trans mit to you a Lift of feveral Perfons, who from Time to Time demanded the Flitch of Bacon, of Sir Philip de Somervile, and his Defcendants; as it is preferved in an ancient Manufcript under the Title of The Register of Whicheno-vre-Hall, and of the • Bacon Flitch there maintained. IN the Beginning of this Record is recited the Law or Inftitution in Form, as it is already printed in your laft Paper: To which are added Two By-Laws, as a Comment upon the general Law, the Subftance whereof is, that the Wife fhall take the fame Cath as the Husband, mutatis mutandis ; and that the Judges fhall, as they think meet, interrogate or cross-examine ⚫ the Witneffes. After this proceeds the Register in Manner following. AUBRY de Falstaff, Son of Sir John Falstaff, Kt. • with Dame Maude his Wife, were the firft that demand•ed the Bacon, be having bribed twain of his Father's Companions to fear falfly in his Behalf, whereby be gained the Flitch: But he and his faid Wife falling immediately into a Difpute bow the faid Bacon fhould be dreffed, 6 |