a lady for
love, whose beauty far outshone that of all her neighbours; and by means
of that beauty, she had so great an influence over her husband, that she
could command the utmost power of his art. But better had it been for
her, had that beauty been wanting; for her power only served to make her
wish for more, and the gratification of every desire begot a new one,
which often it was impossible for her to gratify. My father, though he
saw his error in thus indulging her, could not attain steadiness of mind
enough to mend it, nor acquire resolution enough to suffer his beloved
wife once to grieve or shed a tear to no purpose, though in order to
cure her of that folly which made her miserable.

'My grandfather so plainly saw the temper and disposition of his son
towards women, that he did not leave him at liberty to dispose of his
magic art to any but his posterity, that it might not be in the power
of a wife to tease him out of it. But his caution was to very little
purpose; for although my mother could not from herself exert any magic
power, yet such was her unbounded influence over her husband, that she
was sure of success in every attempt to persuade him to gratify her
desires. For if every argument she could invent happened to fail, yet
the shedding but one tear was a certain method to prevail with him to
give up his reason, whatever might be the consequence.

'When my father and mother had been married about a year, she was
brought to bed of a daughter, to whom she gave the name of Brunetta. Her
first request to my father was, that he would endow this infant with as
much beauty as she herself was possessed of, and bestow on her as much
of his art as should enable her to succeed in all her designs. My father
foresaw the dreadful tendency of granting this request, but said he
would give it with this restriction, that she should succeed in all
her designs that were not wicked; for, said he, the success of wicked
designs always turns out as a punishment to the person so succeeding.
In this resolution he held for three days, till my mother (being weak
in body after her lying-in) worked herself with her violent passions to
such a degree, that the physicians told my father, they despaired of her
life, unless some method could be found to make her mind more calm
and easy. His fondness for his wife would not suffer him to bear the
thoughts of losing her, and the horror with which that apprehension had
but for a moment pos