A _Husband_, _Wife_, and _Ghostly Father_.
A Man of Quality had gotten a Peevish Contentious Woman to his _Wife_,
that was observed to go every Day to _Confession_, and her Bus’ness was
not so much to Discharge her Conscience of her own Sins, as to tell
Tales of her _Husband_. The _Holy Father_ would be ever and anon Chiding
and Admonishing the Cavalier, telling him, that if he would but come to
_Confession_, he doubted not but to make him and his Wife Friends again.
The Gentleman said _Yes, he would_, and he went accordingly. The Good
Man then bad the Penitent be sure to Examine himself thoroughly, and
leave nothing out: Alas, Father, says he, for that Matter, there will be
no need on’t; for you have had all my Sins in Confession from my Wife
already, and a Thousand times more perhaps then ever I Committed.
The MORAL.
_Calumny is half the Business of a Bigot: Bitterness passes for Zeal, and
our very Devotions are in Effect but Libels against our Superiours._