Page:A Treatise concerning the Use and Abuse of the Marriage Bed.djvu/158

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so that every one about her thought he had killed her; and then he was as Angry with himself at the impatience of his Temper.

However, to make out the short History in a few Words, the Lady recovered, the Fever went off, and she was restored to health, but that was not all, she was restored to her Senses in the Point in which she had trespassed, as I said, upon her Modesty. But she suffered some Affliction in that very Article, that she had been blamed for; she lived near two Years more with her Husband, and never was with Child; and all the while she was under the greatest Affliction for not being with Child, much more than she was before for fear of it, and indeed with much more Foundation.

Her Apprehensions now were, that her Husband should suppose either that she still used Art with her self to prevent her being with Child, or to destroy a Conception after it had taken place, or that she had injured her self some Way or other, by what she had formerly done in such a manner, that now it was probable she might never be with Child at all; and these Thoughts, especially the last, did really make such an Impression upon her Husband, before she could easily perceive a great alteration in his Conduct and Carriage to her, that he was colder, and, as she thought, very much changed in his Affection to her, carried it with indifference and slight, looked upon himself as greatly injured and abused by her; frequently talked as if he thought the Ends of Matrimony being really unjustly destroyed by her with design, and wilfully, their Marriage was void in Law, and ought to be dissolved in form, and once or twice, if not oftner, inti-mated