A new Ballad, containing a communication between the carefull Wife, and the comfortable Husb touching the common cares and charges of House-hold.
The carefull Wife.
HOw shall we good husband now live this hard yeare,
T [...]is world is so queasie and all things so deare:
And so little taking of money for ware,
Makes me lye waking with no little care.
Then had you néed Husband to looke to the Foxe,
Whose cr [...]fty conveyance will empty your boxe:
With faire fawning speeches some credit to crave,
Or else to bee surety for more then you have.
Then Husband bée carefull and not over large,
For unto Hous-keeping there longeth a charge:
In wiving and thriving it is an old song,
More then the bare legs to bed doe belong.
What you spend on mee, I take for my paine,
For doing such duties as you would disdaine:
For dressing your dyet, in washing and wringing,
And much paines I take man, with faite babies bringing.
And what you doe get, Sir that will I save,
What better good will in a Wife can you have?
Be sure of my promise, for better, for worse,
I will be a huswife to husband your purse.
I must provide, man, for many an odde thing,
That you ne [...]r looke to buy or to bring:
To welcom [...] your neighbours, your Nurse and your friend,
To furnish a houshold longs many an odde end.
What néed, man, such odding betwixt you and me?
All shall bée even, man, if wée two agree:
Even you my good husband, and I your good wife,
Will passe this hard yeere, man without any strife,
And I for my part will doe what I may,
With Spinning and Reeling to passe time away,
Providing and getting to pay for my fla [...]e:
That none shall come chatting to you for such la [...]ks.
As iust as you will, man, I will be content,
Pay you the Brewer, and the Landlord his rent.
The Butcher, the Baker, and the Collier his score,
And then the Woodmonger and I aske no more,
Then a good Newyéers gift, good husband give mée,
And a good Newyéers gift I doe give thée,
Thou hast a good wife, that a huswife will bee,
Both this yeare and many to bee merry with thée.
The comfortable Husband.
WIfe, as wee get little, so temper our dyet,
With any small morsell to live and be quiet,
Though home be but homely and never so poo [...]
Yet let us keepe warily the Wolfe from the doore,
[...] there lay a str [...], wife, I am not so mad,
We [...]l [...]ard is well sold, wife, a man may be glad,
With any light gaine to fill up the purse,
Meane state to maintaine, but not make it worse,
I know it is true, goodwife, that you say,
He that doth marry, m [...]t cast much away:
For looke wh [...]tsoever I spend upon you,
Comes never againe (wife) I thinke this is true,
Loo [...]e what you would have, Wife, let mée know,
I grutch not at any thing that you bestow.
Be content and pleased, lacke shall bée no let:
Ile see your cares eased as fast as I get.
But looke no more in wife, then I looke without,
You looke in my purse, wife, too often I doubt,
But when you looke in would you bring in as fast
Then though you still look'd, the longer 'twould last,
Upon the odds, wife, I perceive still you goe,
With the oddes I have gotten a verry odde shrow:
The oddes may sometimes, wife, make a faire lay,
And the oddes may hazard to make all away.
A merry new life, makes a merry beginning,
Let goe this is past, wife, be it losing or winning,
I will play the good husband the best that I can,
To live with good credit and pay every man,
Then shall wee lacke nothing, wife I doe beleeve,
Nor no man shall take you or me by the sleeve,
For scoring, or tallying, or taking on trust,
But cleare quittance making is ioyfull and iust.
That I shall doe, wife, with a very good will,
To pay that I owe my meaning is still:
And shall have to pay, I hope while I live,
What old yeare affords not, the new yeere will give,
God grant it bee true all this that you say,
To his onely glory, to whom let us pray,
That wee in his feare may seeme to amend
Our former sinnes passed unto our lives end.