Chapter 16.00: Chapter iii. — The description of a domestic government founded upon rules directly contrary to those of Aristotle.

**
Chapter iii. — The description of a domestic government founded upon
rules directly contrary to those of Aristotle.
**

My reader may please to remember he hath been informed that Jenny Jones
had lived some years with a certain schoolmaster, who had, at her earnest
desire, instructed her in Latin, in which, to do justice to her genius,
she had so improved herself, that she was become a better scholar than her
master.

Indeed, though this poor man had undertaken a profession to which learning
must be allowed necessary, this was the least of his commendations. He was
one of the best-natured fellows in the world, and was, at the same time,
master of so much pleasantry and humour, that he was reputed the wit of
the country; and all the neighbouring gentlemen were so desirous of his
company, that as denying was not his talent, he spent much time at their
houses, which he might, with more emolument, have spent in his school.

It may be imagined that a gentleman so qualified and so disposed, was in
no danger of becoming formidable to the learned seminaries of Eton or
Westminster. To speak plainly, his scholars were divided into two classes:
in the upper of which was a young gentleman, the son of a neighbouring
squire, who, at the age of seventeen, was just entered into his Syntaxis;
and in the lower was a second son of the same gentleman, who, together
with seven parish-boys, was learning to read and write.

The stipend arising hence would hardly have indulged the schoolmaster in
the luxuries of life, had he not added to this office those of clerk and
barber, and had not Mr Allworthy added to the whole an annuity of ten
pounds, which the poor man received every Christmas, and with which he was
enabled to cheer his heart during that sacred festival.

Among his other treasures, the pedagogue had a wife, whom he had married
out of Mr Allworthy's kitchen for her fortune, viz., twenty pounds, which
she had there amassed.

This woman was not very amiable in her person. Whether she sat to my
friend Hogarth, or no, I will not determine; but she exactly resembled the
young woman who is pouring out her mistress's tea in the third picture of
the Harlot's Progress. She was, besides, a profest follower of that noble
sect founded by Xantippe of old; by means of which she became more
formidable in the school than her husband; for, to confess the truth, he
was never master there, or anywhere else, in her presence.

Though her countenance did not denote much natural sweetness of temper,
yet this was, perhaps, somewhat soured by a circumstance which generally
poisons matrimonial felicity; for children are rightly called the pledges
of love; and her husband, though they had been married nine years, had
given her no such pledges; a default for which he had no excuse, either
from age or health, being not yet thirty years old, and what they call a
jolly brisk young man.

Hence arose another evil, which produced no little uneasiness to the poor
pedagogue, of whom she maintained so constant a jealousy, that he durst
hardly speak to one woman in the parish; for the least degree of civility,
or even correspondence, with any female, was sure to bring his wife upon
her back, and his own.

In order to guard herself against matrimonial injuries in her own house,
as she kept one maid-servant, she always took care to chuse her out of
that order of females whose faces are taken as a kind of security for
their virtue; of which number Jenny Jones, as the reader hath been before
informed, was one.

As the face of this young woman might be called pretty good security of
the before-mentioned kind, and as her behaviour had been always extremely
modest, which is the certain consequence of understanding in women; she
had passed above four years at Mr Partridge's (for that was the
schoolmaster's name) without creating the least suspicion in her mistress.
Nay, she had been treated with uncommon kindness, and her mistress had
permitted Mr Partridge to give her those instructions which have been
before commemorated.

But it is with jealousy as with the gout: when such distempers are in the
blood, there is never any security against their breaking out; and that
often on the slightest occasions, and when least suspected.

Thus it happened to Mrs Partridge, who had submitted four years to her
husband's teaching this young woman, and had suffered her often to neglect
her work, in order to pursue her learning. For, passing by one day, as the
girl was reading, and her master leaning over her, the girl, I know not
for what reason, suddenly started up from her chair: and this was the
first time that suspicion ever entered into the head of her mistress. This
did not, however, at that time discover itself, but lay lurking in her
mind, like a concealed enemy, who waits for a reinforcement of additional
strength before he openly declares himself and proceeds upon hostile
operations: and such additional strength soon arrived to corroborate her
suspicion; for not long after, the husband and wife being at dinner, the
master said to his maid, Da mihi aliquid potum: upon which the poor
girl smiled, perhaps at the badness of the Latin, and, when her mistress
cast her eyes on her, blushed, possibly with a consciousness of having
laughed at her master. Mrs Partridge, upon this, immediately fell into a
fury, and discharged the trencher on which she was eating, at the head of
poor Jenny, crying out, “You impudent whore, do you play tricks with
my husband before my face?” and at the same instant rose from her
chair with a knife in her hand, with which, most probably, she would have
executed very tragical vengeance, had not the girl taken the advantage of
being nearer the door than her mistress, and avoided her fury by running
away: for, as to the poor husband, whether surprize had rendered him
motionless, or fear (which is full as probable) had restrained him from
venturing at any opposition, he sat staring and trembling in his chair;
nor did he once offer to move or speak, till his wife, returning from the
pursuit of Jenny, made some defensive measures necessary for his own
preservation; and he likewise was obliged to retreat, after the example of
the maid.

This good woman was, no more than Othello, of a disposition

To make a life of jealousy
And follow still the changes of the moon
With fresh suspicions—

With her, as well as him,

—To be once in doubt,
Was once to be resolvd—

she therefore ordered Jenny immediately to pack up her alls and begone,
for that she was determined she should not sleep that night within her
walls.

Mr Partridge had profited too much by experience to interpose in a matter
of this nature. He therefore had recourse to his usual receipt of
patience, for, though he was not a great adept in Latin, he remembered,
and well understood, the advice contained in these words

—_Leve fit quod bene fertur onus_

in English:

A burden becomes lightest when it is well borne—

which he had always in his mouth; and of which, to say the truth, he had
often occasion to experience the truth.

Jenny offered to make protestations of her innocence; but the tempest was
too strong for her to be heard. She then betook herself to the business of
packing, for which a small quantity of brown paper sufficed, and, having
received her small pittance of wages, she returned home.

The schoolmaster and his consort passed their time unpleasantly enough
that evening, but something or other happened before the next morning,
which a little abated the fury of Mrs Partridge; and she at length
admitted her husband to make his excuses: to which she gave the readier
belief, as he had, instead of desiring her to recall Jenny, professed a
satisfaction in her being dismissed, saying, she was grown of little use
as a servant, spending all her time in reading, and was become, moreover,
very pert and obstinate; for, indeed, she and her master had lately had
frequent disputes in literature; in which, as hath been said, she was
become greatly his superior. This, however, he would by no means allow;
and as he called her persisting in the right, obstinacy, he began to hate
her with no small inveteracy.