this transaction, and a Stoical sale of the hand, while the
heart is kept back.

Some marry from Gratitude. They have received pecuniary aid from
another; or they have been assisted by him in sickness; or he was their
friend in their afflictions or troubles. But can they not express their
gratitude otherwise than by marriage? If the single act, or few acts, of
past favor, deserving though they be in themselves, constitute his sole
claim to their hand and heart, let them be slow in the gift.

Chapter IX.

CONDITIONS OF TRUE MARRIAGE.

But one divine cement. "Marrying to increase Love." Must be Free.
Advice of Parents. A rare example. Good Disposition. Good Temper.
Charity on Religious Opinions. Intelligence. Refined Taste. Good
Health. Energy of Character. Similarity of Fortune; of Age. Early
Marriages. View of them in Italy. Recommended by Dr. Franklin.
Objections. Lady Blessington.

Before forming any connection in life, we should consider well its
objects, and the means by which they promise to be accomplished, and
then ask ourselves if these be placed within our particular reach. Now
what is marriage? _The union of two individual souls in one._ This is
its essence, that without which, it loses all claim to the sacred name
it bears. But what will secure a union of souls between husband and
wife?

There is but one divine cement, Love. No substitute can atone for its
absence; no talisman can produce consequences that belong only to this
holy principle.

Many joys are inherent in a true marriage. It has sympathies, the most
intimate of which mortals are capable, and it calls forth affections,
such as pertain to no other voluntary relation of life. But these
sentiments are the fruits of love alone. Disgust and aversion cannot
produce them, nor are they the growth of indifference. If there be not a
peculiar interest in the society of another, and a pain in his absence,
no foundation is yet laid for a genuine marriage between him and
yourself.

Again, there are evils incident to this life, which lose much of their
bitterness, when shared with another. There is a sorrow of spirit, which
none but a near friend can soothe. Peculiar trials belong also to the
marriage condition. How can these evils and trials be mitigated to the
wife, or the husband? Only by the power of love. If you dislike your
companion, you cannot minister cordially to his griefs, nor will he
participate in yours. Marriage is a