fter a great many
bitter words told me in short that she saw no occasion to alter her
conduct; and as for not maintaining her, when I could not maintain her
longer she would find some way or other to maintain herself.

Some time after the first rattle of this kind she vouchsafed to let me
know that she was pleased to be with child; I was at first glad of it,
in hopes it would help to abate her madness; but it was all one, and her
being with child only added to the rest, for she made such preparations
for her lying-in, and other appendixes of a child's being born, that in
short I found she would be downright distracted; and I took the liberty
to tell her one day she would soon bring herself and me to destruction,
and entreated her to consider that such figures as those were quite
above us and out of our circle; and in short, that I neither could nor
would allow such expenses; that at this rate two or three children would
effectually ruin me, and that I desired her to consider what she was
doing.

She told me with an air of disdain that it was none of her business to
consider anything of that matter; that if I could not allow it she would
allow it herself, and I might do my worst.

I begged her to consider things for all that, and not drive me to
extremities; that I married her to love and cherish her, and use her as
a good wife ought to be used, but not to be ruined and undone by her. In
a word, nothing could mollify her, nor any argument persuade her to
moderation; but withal she took it so heinously that I should pretend to
restrain her, that she told me in so many words she would drop her
burthen with me, and then if I did not like it she would take care of
herself; she would not live with me an hour, for she would not be
restrained, not she; and talked a long while at that rate.

I told her, as to her child, which she called her burthen, it should be
no burthen to me; as to the rest she might do as she pleased; it might
however do me this favor, that I should have no more lyings-in at the
rate of L136 at a time, as I found she intended it should be now. She
told me she could not tell that; if she had no more by me, she hoped she
should by somebody else. "Say you so, madam?" said I; "then they that
get them shall keep them." She did not know that neither, she said, and
so turned it off jeering, and as it were laughing at me.

This last discourse nettled me, I must confess, and the more because I
had a great deal