Nuptial Dialogues and Debates Or, An Useful Prospect of the felicities and discomforts of a marry'd life, Incident to all Degrees, from the Throne to the Cottage. Containing, Many great Examples of Love, Piety, Prudence, Justice, and all the excellent Vertues, that largely contribute to the true Happiness of Wedlock. Drawn from the Lives of our own Princes, Nobility, and other Quality, in Prosperity and Adversity. Also the fantastical Humours of all Fops, Coquets, Bullies, Jilts, fond Fools, and Wantons; old Fumblers, barren Ladies, Misers, parsimonious Wives, Ninnies, Sluts and Termagants; drunken Husbands, toaping Gossips, schismatical Precisians, and devout Hypocrites of all sorts. Digested into serious, merry, and satyrical Poems, wherein both Sexes, in all Stations, are reminded of their Duty, and taught how to be happy in a Matrimonial State. In Two Volumes. By the Author of the London Spy [i.e. Edward Ward] |
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| XXXII. | Dialogue XXXII. Between an old Country Couple, in the Winter
of their Age, concerning the Disobedience of their Children, &c. |
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 | Nuptial Dialogues and Debates |  |
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Dialogue XXXII. Between an old Country Couple, in the Winter of their Age, concerning the Disobedience of their Children, &c.
Husband.Here take away the Beef and Cale,
And fill the Goblet full of Ale;
Bring me my Pipe, sit down, my Dear,
And draw thy Wicker-Chair more near;
Lay on another Block or two,
I'm cold, and so, I fear, are you.
Wife.
I am not over warm, be sure;
Jug, prithee shut the Parlour-Door;
We're in the Winter of our Age,
And sliding off this worldly Stage;
Our frozen Nerves, alas, require
Good Liquor, and a thawing Fire,
That may our icy Clay revive,
And make us know that we're alive,
Else, we but sleep our Time away,
Like Insects in a Winter's Day.
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Thou'rt in the right, I must allow,
We're but Memento Mori's now,
Mere walking Skeletons, to shew
What Youth, in time, must come unto:
Despis'd by all the young and gay,
Who fleer and scoff at our Decay;
Slighted by Children of our own,
Who think 'tis time that we were gone,
That they might waste, in worldly Pleasure,
What thee and I have scrap'd together.
Wife.
Therefore, since we're become the Scorn
Of those who of my Womb were born,
And that they wish us in the Grave,
For the small Riches which we have,
'Tis time that we take care, my Dear,
To be each others Comforter;
And that we wisely keep our Store,
Now past our Labour, in our Pow'r,
And not relinquish what's our own,
To gratify a craving Son,
Or Daughter, to depend, now old,
On more uncertain Friends than Gold.
No, no, hold fast your Wealth, I say,
'Tis a sure safeguard in decay:
If once you part with that, you'll find
Repentance follows close behind:
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How surly and morose they grow
On all Occasions how they flout us,
Now they can scarce subsist without us:
Therefore should we at once resign
To them our friendly Bags of Coin,
And on their Gratitude depend
For Raiment, Food, and all we spend,
What Usage then can we expect
But moody Frowns and cold Neglect,
Provoking Snarls and little Ease,
Amidst our weak Infirmities:
Then let's be wise in what we give,
And save, that we our selves may live
Without depending on the Aid
Of those that long have wish'd us dead.
Husband.
I'll take thy honest Counsel, Wife,
I know our Children grutch us Life,
And long to see us safely laid
In Nature's last, but easy Bed,
Where all that are, or are to be,
Must come in time, as well as we,
And mighty Kings, who now sit high,
With Beggars undistinguish'd lie.
I know our Children grutch us Life,
And long to see us safely laid
In Nature's last, but easy Bed,
Where all that are, or are to be,
Must come in time, as well as we,
And mighty Kings, who now sit high,
With Beggars undistinguish'd lie.
Alas! what Comforts can we find,
Now old, besides a peaceful Mind,
And Wealth sufficient, that may be
Our Guard against Necessity;
The latter does the first preserve,
No Man can be Content and Starve;
No Sage Philosopher secure
A quiet Breast, if Old and Poor.
I, therefore, like what you advise,
'Tis Wealth alone makes Age seem Wise,
And not our Wrinkles, but our Pence,
That gain Respect and Reverence.
Now old, besides a peaceful Mind,
And Wealth sufficient, that may be
Our Guard against Necessity;
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No Man can be Content and Starve;
No Sage Philosopher secure
A quiet Breast, if Old and Poor.
I, therefore, like what you advise,
'Tis Wealth alone makes Age seem Wise,
And not our Wrinkles, but our Pence,
That gain Respect and Reverence.
Wife.
The greater Reason still we have
To keep what we have toil'd to save,
That now we're Ancient we may be
Secure from helpless Poverty.
Unhappy those that do depend,
When Old, upon a Child or Friend.
'Tis hard, my Dear, we should be taught,
Now Aged, how to Eat, and what;
Rudely directed where to sit,
And caution'd how we Smoak or Spit;
Be fearful to disclose our Wants,
And teaz'd with the imperious Taunts
Of some proud Minx our Son shall wed,
Who'll think we are too nicely fed,
And ne'er be easy till we're dead.
Husband.
Therefore the way to live at ease,
And spend our aged Days in Peace,
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And not, by giving, make it less:
'Tis better that our Children wait
Till we are dead, for our Estate,
Than that we should resign the same,
And then turn Pensioners to them.
Whilst in our Hands we keep the Staff,
And they depend on us, we're safe,
Our own paternal Love we know
Is great, and will continue so;
But filial Duty in a Son
Is not to be rely'd upon;
Age may be fond of Youth, we see,
But Youth with Age, can ne'er agree:
When e'er they buckle and obey,
Or humour us in what we say,
They only seemingly comply,
In hopes, at last, to gain thereby,
And coax and flatter us, for fear
We should bestow our Wealth elsewhere:
Therefore 'tis fit our Brood depends
On us, who are their faithful Friends;
Not we on them, who only want
To gain what we have Pow'r to grant,
Which if we part with whilst we're living,
They'll make us soon repent our giving.
Wife.
Children, we know, affect their Pleasure,
And sooth their Parents for their Treasure:
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That all are to the same inclin'd;
Money, we see, commands the Great,
The Wisest nibble at the Bait;
Yet, tho' 'tis lov'd by Young and Old,
For Pleasure still they barter Gold,
And, by their Lives, let others see
The World is all but Vanity:
Therefore since Money bears the sway,
And all Delights its Pow'r obey,
Let us, whilst we have Life, take care
To save enough, that we may bear
Our Charges to our Journey's end,
Without the help of Child or Friend;
For wretched must those Parents be,
Who feel the smart of Poverty,
And for Subsistance must rely
Upon their Childrens Charity.
| Nuptial Dialogues and Debates | |