Licensed Sept. 8 1668. Roger L'Estrange THE HUSBAND Forc'd to be JEALOUS OR THE GOOD FORTUNE OF THOSE WOMEN THAT HAVE JEALOUS HUSBANDS A Translation by N. H. LONDON Printed for H. Herringman at the Sign of the Blew Anchor in the Lower Walk of the New Exchange 1668. THE HUSBAND Forc'd to be Jealous OR The Good Fortune of those Women that have Jealous Husbands TImander and Clidimira having lov'd each other for some time without any accident hapning in their Amours considerable enough to be related were at last Married to the great contentment of them both The Ceremonies of their Contract was performed in the house of Clidimira where after a Magnificent Supper which lasted till the night was very far spent the Company diverted themselves very agreeably in attending the morning which no sooner appeared but this Excellent Couple were conducted to the Church where they were Married with great Solemnity which was no sooner past but the Bride and Bridegroom separated themselves and every one returned to their own Houses as well to repose as to prepare and adjust themselves for the great Ball which was that night to be at one of the most Famous Treating-houses in that Town it having been the antient custom for the Richest Gentlemen of that place to make their Wedding-Feasts at those kind of Houses when they Married their Children or Relations publickly The afternoon of that same day as Timander was dressing himself to go to that great Supper he received this note from a Woman he esteemed very much and in whom he absolutely confided Melasia to Timander I desire to see you as soon as you have received this Paper and that you will believe that had I not been perswaded that your Life and Honour both were concern'd in what I am to tell you I should not trouble you with this request upon a day wherein you cannot want Employment and which you ought to dedicate wholly to Love Melasia Timander had no sooner read this note but resolved to go to Melasia's House imagining he might return home very quickly and thought the excuse he had was lawful enough to make him quit without incivility the best Company in the world yet because he had been formerly suspected to have more then an esteem for Melasia he was unwilling upon such a day as this to give his Bride and the rest of his Friends and Kindred any just cause of complaint against him and therefore he stole out alone through a back door of his Garden which led to a private Street where he took a Chair which carried him to Melasia's House without meeting any by the way which could discover him He found her waiting for him in a low Parlour where after some general discourse she told him that she was desired by Thersander a Neighbour of hers who was not unacquainted with the particular Friendship she had had a long time with himself to procure for him the Honour of speaking with Timander at her House that afternoon which at first she had refused telling him she could not desire that favour for him without rendering her self very ridiculous in sending for a man to discourse of business upon his Wedding day but when Thersander had at last assured her that the meeting which he desired with Timander concerned the Life and Honour of them both and that the deferring it a moment longer would be fatal to them She then resolved upon giving him the trouble of that note which he would soon pardon when he had received the reason of it from Thersander who waited for him in her Chamber whither if he pleased to go they might discourse freely without being heard or interrupted Timander had some suspition of the occasion for which Thersander had sent for him yet he was unwilling to discover those thoughts which then possest him to Melasia but humbly thanking her for her charitable concern for him he made hast to the Chamber where Thersander who had impatiently waited for him no sooner saw him appear but he went toward him and saluting him with an Air which clearly discovered the trouble of his Soul in a loud voice said to him Sir I thought my self obliged to use this Artifice in obtaining the satisfaction of you this day which I expect for although I know you generous enough not to deny what I am come to demand yet such a day as this would have been excuse just enough to have refused any challenge I could send you and therefore I resolved to speak to you my self Know then said he that I have long lov'd Clidimira and report spoke loud enough that I was not hated by her yet when some Domestick Affairs of mine carried me into the Countrey you cunningly made use of that time I was absent to demand Clidimira of her Father and obtained his consent to Marry her who being compelled to it by her Father yielded to your happiness rather by obedience then by inclination These proceedings of yours have so inraged me that I am resolv'd upon a revenge and to deprive you of life before you receive the satisfaction of seeing Clidimira in your Armâ— for should you this night have that good fortune I should receive but an imperfect satisfaction in sacrificing you to my just resentments to morrow and your death would be but too happy in the remembrance of having enjoyed the Fair Clidimira And therefore my resolution is not to quit you this day till you have satisfied my demand And though I were sure to dye in that Combat replied Timander coldly I would nevertheless defer it a few days longeâ— because to the pleasing remembrance of having had the Fair Clidimira in my Arms I should adde the blessing of leaving an Heir of her blood is well as mine that should one day revenge my Death You have reason said Thersander that Son of yours perhaps may kill me but I think he will want strength to do it for the spight of seeing a Son of yours caressed by Clidimira will destroy me before he can be old enough to think of revenging his Fathers Death Well let it be so replied Timander with an Air much colder and disdainful then before yet I have a desire to defer Fighting two or three days longer for I know my Victory over you this day will be too cheap beecause the thoughts that I am going presently to enjoy Clidimira will certainly press me on to hasten your Death And the vexation to lose Clidimira said Thersander will give me no less courage and therefore let us go out presently and try if Fortune will be your Friend I am still unresolv'd answered Timander whether I should satisfie you before I have seen Clidimira in my arms yet now I think on 't said he carelesly I will fight with you to day since you tell me you are in a condition to defend your self so well though I had rather stay till I had enjoy'd Clidimira because your anger then would be raised to such a height
not his custom of going abroad very often to divert himself and being a Man as gallant in his Humour as handsome of his Person he pretended Love in many places and often complained of a Passion which seldom troubled him making Court to all the Women he liked Not long after he was Married it was his Fortune to see a very handsome Woman called Almaziana and was so happy to be placed near her at a publick Feast none are ignorant how a man well read in Gallantry behaves himself at such an Entertainment where he had time enough to make his Wit sparkle in the Conversation before the Meat is brought in Timander made good use of his time and so charmed the Fair Almaziana and her Mother that he obtained their permission to visit them at their house which he failed not to do very often and with such assiduity that he gained all the esteem of the Mother and tenderness of the Daughter who knew not that he was Married till an accident hapned which I am going to tell you which entangled this Monsieur not a little The Mother of Almaziana came to him one day and said Sir I have much acknowledgment for your kindness to our House and Passion you have so long expressed to my Daughter and therefore I do with all my heart give you my consent to Marry her this day if you please Timander was surprized at this discourse not knowing what answer to make for if he confest himself a Married Man he feared a certain banishment from the old Ladies house whose Daughter he by a frequent conversation had began to like with a more then ordinary esteem and therefore without much pumping for an answer he promised the old Lady to Marry her Daughter very suddenly trusting to his Wit for a new pretence every day to put her off till he had accomplished his design The first it presented him was this he said he had writ a Letter to a Kinsman of his who was gone to Italy for his consent whose approbation concerned him very much and till that Letter was answered he could not Marry but he hop'd it would not be long in coming and that she would give him leave to stay for it which was much against his will But see how Fortune thrusts it self into Affairs to which she is not called It hapned that Clidimira was informed of all these passages by a Merchant that went often to the house of Almaziana Clidimira was in such a rage at the hearing of this that being unable to go to Almaziana's house by reason of some indisposition of health she presently writ a Letter to the Mother of that young Lady stuffed with all the railing she could invent against her Husband sparing not the old Lady her self who she passionately reproached for permitting her Daughter to be Courted so easily So that the next visit which Timander made to Almaziana he was amazed at their cold reception of him the old Lady asked him if he would find no other excuse to defer his Marriage with her Daughter though his Friend in Italy should give his consent or if he had not in that Town some other inclination besides her Daughter Almaziana seeing him non-plust told her Mother that she injured Timander in believing it was Love that hindered him from performing his promise to Marry her for she knew well enough that the only person in the world who had power to oppose it was one that he hated extreamly Timander hearing her speak so presently imagined they meant his Wife and began to suspect some body had told them he was Married but still believing they were not certainly informed of the truth he denied all till they shewed him his Wives Letter which he no sooner read but he turned those denials into excuses and spoke a hundred pleasant things upon the resistless power of Almaziana's Beauty but yet for all that he was forbid the house As soon as Timander received his dismission from thence he went home and far from quarrelling his Wife for the Letter she had writ he patiently suffered without answering one word all the reproachful Language that the most violent anger and the cruellest jealousie could put into a Womans mouth Clidimira finding by that silence of his that her jealousie was not without cause set her self to watch her Husband's actions so narrowly that she discovered the best part and not only interrupted all his divertisements by her Spies but followed him her self into all Companies whither he went and there she made the laughing world a witness of her Follies but when she saw that signified nothing and the greatest part of the shame fell to her own share she began to think that the only way to take him off from that way of Life was to make him jealous which she resolved to do without inujring her Vertue Some time after she had made this resolve she went to visit one of her Neighbours where there was much Company who having spoke to divers Subjects they at last came to jealousie Clidimira disputed to admiration against all those that condemned that Passion declaring that that Woman who had a jealous Husband was perfectly happy Every one contradicted her and chiefly Argantes who was one of the greatest Gallants of that place and had long time defended the side he had chosen against all the Arguments of Clidimira but at last he told her he yielded her the Victory which he had so long disputed with her only to have the honour at last of being Conquered by so charming an Enemy After that the discourse changed to another Subject in which Argantes and Clidimira took no part but entertained one another all the time that conversation lasted he promised her to write a Piece for her of the advantage of all those Women that have Jealous Husbands and to make it more agreeable he would set down the greatest part of those expressions which she had so wittily declared in their favour he also desired her permission to wait upon her at her own house which she granted him he gave her a visit two days after she no sooner saw him but she challenged the performance of his promise which he presented her in these words The good Fortune of Women that have Jealous Husbands or the Apology of Jealousie All those who are acquainted with the Passions of women know very well that their Love is violent and their Hatred is excessive and that their desires are to be loved at their own rate will not think it strange that they should profess themselves happy in having Jealous Husbands because Jealousie is a sign of Love and whatsoever is a sign of Love cannot certainly displease those Persons that Love Passionately and desire to have that Love returned yet the most part of the World would perswade that Jealousie is less supportable then Hatred and that it cannot but be extreamly troublesome and therefore I would here endeavour to discover all the advantages and delights of it
Letter which informed him that his Mother was dying and desired to speak with him before she dyed of some business which she would deliver to no other and was of great consequence to himself And just as he was reading this Letter he saw passing by his door a Friend of his who was going in his Coach to the Countrey and being to pass by the door of that house where Timander 's Mother lay sick he took that opportunity of going along with him believing the Note which he hastily wrote to his Father-in-law by a Laquay which he left behind would excuse that abrupt leaving him for that time and also his dear Wife who though he was then snatcht violently from yet now he desires passionately to see This Artifice prospered well you may imagine since it was confirmed by the Parties concerned who well enough knew the truth as for those that were not so they did not dive so deep into the matter and so the Company all concluded this excuse very reasonable and the whole fault was laid upon the Laquay that Timander sent to carry this Letter Clidaris and his Daughter that had not so great a journey to make as was imagined went the next day to the house where Timander lay instead of going as they pretended to the house of his Mother They staid with him till he was perfectly recover'd and during their abode in that house they heard that there was a man found dead in the Fields whose face none knew and therefore people supposed he had lain there a long time and likewise believed he had been murther'd because they found his Sword in the Scabbard and he was not robb'd they carried him to the nearest Church All this perswaded our Hero and his Company to believe this dead unknown person was the unhappy Thersander for Timander confess'd he had left him in this posture on purpose to disguise the manner of his death As soon as this unfortunate Bridegroom was heal'd of his wound he returned to Town with this company and was so happy to find none in that Town suspected the least of what had hapned and since you may believe their Marriage is consummated it is time to speak a word or two of their persons Clidimira was the only Daughter of her Father her stature was low and though she was very agreeable yet none could call her a Beauty she had that I know not what charming Air which takes so extreamly and is often seen in those indifferent Women but seldom or never is found amongst those great and perfect Beauties which are so Celebrated in the World her Wit resembled her Beauty and although it was not very great yet it was full of those flashes which made it so much admired in Conversation To all these charms was added that much more attractive in the eyes of most Men a great Estate and that was the reason why Timander sigh'd so passionately for Clidimira his own being very small though in revenge to that he was one of the most accomplished Men of his time and therefore Clidimira consented so easily to Marry him The humour of these two Persons you shall shortly know Six months after the Wedding of Timander and his Clidimira he was visited by one of his nearest Kindred that was his neighbour in the Countrey this Person having not conversed with him since his Wedding and being one of a pleasant humour and much inclined to Mirth he asked Timander a hundred questions concerning his Marriage and at last he desired him to tell what kind of humour Clidimira was of Timander instead of answering to his demand told him that since he knew him a great lover of Novelties he would shew him a new piece of Wit that was given him that morning and taking a Paper out of his Pocket gave it to this Friend which he received with much joy and read these words The Jealousie of Women Although it is the common opinion that Men are more inclined to Jealousie then Women yet it is as true that though Nature and Custom have given the power only to the Husband yet those Women that are once infected with this disease disturb that Prerogative of their Husbands giving them often a trouble which renders those Wives so insupportable that the strongest Jealousie of all mankind is nothing if compared with the effects which the clamour of these Women produce of which there are innumberable examples When a Man is so unhappy to find a Mistress of that humour she makes him suffer un-imaginable Torments what business soever he has and what lawful excuses soever he makes to her yet he must be always in her company who will not be perswaded to believe his Affairs can be of more importance then to visit her and if at last she is convinc'd that in wasting his time in her company he also loses his Fortune yet her humour is so Fantastick that she grows jealous of Fortune it self and fears lest that Goddess should favour him too much and suspects that her Servant will one day forsake her to give himself up entirely to Fortune If by chance she meet him in Company he must speak to none but to her and appear the most ill-bred and uncivil Man in the World only for a quiet life with her who will break off with him twenty times in a month protesting she will never more speak to him and yet will piece with him again at every visit he makes her and although she scolds perpetually breaks off gives him an angry reception appearing always displeased yet her Flames for him still burn which confirms me in the opinion that Jealousie is a great sign of Love and that notwithstanding all the troubles which the Jealousie of Women give yet no Womans Love is to be confided in so much as that of her that is Jealous of her Servant You see now what a jealous Woman does before she is married let us now discover if she will be more reasonable afterwards Marrimony sometimes cures the jealousie of Men who had some reason to fear some other person more happy then they might snatch away that Treasure which they aim'd at and having it not in their possession had a just excuse for their jealousie of all those Rivals which laid claim to it as well as themselves but Women are of another mind They hold that there is much more reason for jealousie after Marriage then before because the apprehension of losing a good we enjoy is much greater then that of being depriv'd of what we only hope for and therefore a Woman says that if before she is married she would have her Servant always to attend her now that he is a Husband she will prove it his duty always to be with her scarce suffering him to stir a minute from her though it be to go about his domestick affairs still believing he gives more time to those businesses then is necessary or else that he is diverting himself with Company that