The Present State of Matrimony; or, the Real Causes of Conjugal Infidelity and unhappy marriages. In a letter to a friend. With Some Reflections on the State of Matrimony among the Antient Greeks and Romans; and a View of their manner of Educating their young Ladies, compared with the Modern Practice. Recommended To the serious Perusal of all Parents, Guardians, young married Persons and unmarried: Whereby the Single may be directed to a happy Choice, and those who are unhappily Wedded remove the Causes of their Uneasiness.

Bookseller Notes

A good copy of the second edition of this most interesting pamphlet, written by 'Philogamus' ('lover of marriage'), from the genre of 'advice literature', entirely devoted to conjugal infidelity and unhappy marriages. First published in the same year, it seeks to explore the 'causes of cuckoldhom', which 'had grown so common', offering 'a vivid account of the gendered segregation within the public sphere' (Roulston, p.36). It provides a brief historical context, reaching out to antiquity, for infidelity and unhappy marriages, with observations on how ancient families worked. Causes include the corruption of morals, the wrong ways of educating youth, the mismatch in age and personality between husband and wife. For instance, young girls are generally left with teachers of education, dance, singing, etc., who are 'young smart Fellows, acquainted with all the rakish Arts of the Town'. Else, novel husbands may come immediately authoritative towards their wives, thus estranging them very quickly, or they may become very jealous, or betray their wives first, thus causing the wives to do the same. A very interesting work on early views of 'gendered' social space. Only LC and Washington State copies recorded in the US. ESTC N21008; Lowndes II, 1239. C. Roulston, 'Space and the Representation of Marriage in Eighteenth-Century Advice Literature', The 18thC, 48 (2008), pp.25-41.