Chapter XIV

Things are somewhat reversed, when wisdom and age
Are counted as nothing--as fools on the stage;
If a man wants to marry--strange as it seems--
Must he ask his dear children, still in their teens?
Must he say to them, “_Children, please, may I marry?_”
And if they refuse, should he raise the Old Harry?

If a widow would marry--sometimes the case--
Must she call in the neighbors as a preface,
And ask their consent that she wed Mr. Brown,
Or be laughed at--defamed, throughout the town?
We will not attempt at this time to relate,
The dangers attending the marital state--

A good loving husband, with a virtuous wife
Of course, will augment all the joys of life;
From this stated axiom we cannot fly,
For this self-evident truth, is not a lie.
If Wedlock’s a lottery, as some maintain,
Then some will be losers, and some will gain;
If trusting to fate, or trusting to chance,
Powerless to act, as in nightmare or trance--
You marry a rake, or marry a shrew,
The blame must be laid, as it should be, on you,
For he is a fool deserving of pains,
Who marries without consulting his brains;
The brains and heart must work together,
If you would sail through life in cloudless weather.

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Transcriber’s note:

Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.

Archaic spelling that may have been in use at the time of
publication has been retained.