A Good Wife is a Portion every day.
OR
A Dialogue discovering a good Wife from a bad.
And happy is that man that hath such a one.
The Tune is, Pockingtons pound. By J. Wade.
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COme youngmen & listen to what Ile you show
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then William, and Harry, and Robin, & John
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When as you are minded a wooing to go,
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for these Lines do concern you every one:
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And what I declare,
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Ile make it appear,
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From Eve it sprang out, and has last till this year,
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For though she was Mans fall, mark what I say,
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A good Wife is a portion every day.
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For a good wife will be saving and fearful to waste,
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but keep all things together so near as she can,
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When that a Spend:thrift will let fly as fast,
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and seeks by all means to undo her good man:
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Though he carps and doth care,
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Shel not pinch nor spare,
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But junket abroad, and must have her fine cheer,
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She thinkes what she brought will never decay,
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When a good Wife is a portion every day.
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A wife that is vertuous and civil beside
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will honour her Husband, his words shel obey,
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Shel not strive to cross him what ever betide,
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but make all things well when there should be a [fray]
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With fair words shel him draw
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To submit to her Law,
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Though his Beard it be frozen, in time shel it thaw
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Although he be given to wander and stray,
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A good wife will lead him into the right way.
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But she that takes no care but only for Pride
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how Buckle and Thong together to hold,
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She will have her humour whatever betide,
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or else day and night at him she will scold,
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For let a man starve,
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As I am alive,
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First he must ask his wife is he shall thrive:
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And if she says no, his Estate will decay;
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When a good Wife is a portion every day.
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If a youngman hath but little withal to begin,
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if he lights of a good wife his stock will increase,
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What he gets without doors shel save it within,
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and if he be froward shel strive to keep peace:
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When a cross-grained wife
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Thats given to strife,
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Will seek to make a man weary ons life:
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What ere he says to her shel not him obey,
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When a good wife is a portion every day.
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Therefore young Batchellors wherever you be,
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let not this money your hearts so bewitch,
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Fort ant that which makes a good husband you see
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nor Means altogether dont make a man rich:
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The reason ile show you why,
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You shant say I lye,
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She that brings a great deal looks to be maintained high
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Her costly Attire an Estate will decay,
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When a good wife etc.
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I heard of two Brothers, the one was the Heir,
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the other had little at all to begin,
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He married a wife that was both rich and fair,
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then for his poor Brother he card not a pin:
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For he did live high,
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And his wife she let flye
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His means, till she brought him to poverty,
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Then to his poor brother he sighd and did say,
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A good wife etc.
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Thus you may see how some are made poor,
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and some that hath but little to fortune doth rise,
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then he that has a good wife make much of her there-fore
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and do not against her no mischief devise:
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But some men cannot see
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When as they well be,
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But seeks for to ruin their Family:
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Then all the blame on the poor woman they lay,
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When a good etc.
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He that has a good wife, happy is that man,
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if he does his indeavour his Living to get,
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And not spend it abroad in Pot nor in Can,
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shel arive alwaies to keep him out of Debt;
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Good Counsel shel him give,
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If hel it receive,
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And set him all times in a way for to live:
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But a wife that is froward his Estate will decay
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But a good etc.
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But youngmen youl say how should a man kno[w]
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how to choose a good wife from a bad,
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In few lines I here will you show,
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and teach you that will make your hearts glad
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Chuse one that is civil,
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And strives to shun evil,
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For some are too cunning I think for the Devil,
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But she that means honest will keep the right w[ay]
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When a good etc.
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Be sure dont take a wife that will swear and lye,
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nor one that is given to flout or to jeer,
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Though she has ner so much means, shel make all fl[ye]
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& spend more in a week then thoult get in a ye[ar]
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Nor do not take one
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Thats too fluent in tongue,
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Shel always be tattling of that she know not o[n]
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Though it be nonsence she will have her way,
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when a good etc.
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But if thou art minded for to have a Mate,
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chu[s]e one that is vertuous and civil beside,
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Although thou art poor shel live at the same rate,
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and with patience will wait till thou canst bett[er] provi[de,]
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For content is a thing,
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That comfort doth bring,
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It makes a poorman as well as a Lord to sing:
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Then let the red shank or Dane deny what I say
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If a good wife etc.
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Concluding my ditty of what I have told,
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make much of thy wife tho thou rt never so poor
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And if thoust got children esteem them as gold,
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then thoult find a Salve for to cure thy sore:
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To work do thou strive,
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To keep them alive,
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As thy charge grows up thy stock it will thrive:
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Then youngmen remember these words that I s[ay]
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A good Wife is a Portion every day.
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