The middle-class wife has been pictured for us by Fielding in the description of Squire Western’s wife:—
“The Squire, to whom that poor woman had been a faithful upper-servant all the time of their marriage, had returned that behaviour by making what the world calls a good husband. He very seldom swore at her, perhaps not above once a week, and never beat her. She had not the least occasion for jealousy, and was perfect mistress of her time, for she was never interrupted by her husband, who was engaged all the morning in his field exercises and all the evening with bottle companions.”
Whatever the position of the wife, it was preferred to that of the single woman.
“An old maid is now thought such a curse as no Poetick Fury can exceed,” writes the author of “The Ladies’ Calling,” “looked on as the most calamitous creature in nature. And I so far yield to the opinion as to confess it to those who are kept in that state against their wills; but sure, the original of that misery is from the desire, not the restraint, of marriage: let them but suppress that once, and the other will never be their infelicity. But I must not be so unkind to the sex as to think ’tis always such desire that gives them an aversion to celibacy; I doubt not many are frighted only with the vulgar contempt under which that state lyes: for which if there be no cure, yet there is the same armour against this which is against all other causeless reproaches, viz. to contemn it.”
This supports the remark that women were more easily won than formerly. An elderly beau writes—
“The men of these days are strangely happy. In my time a fine woman was not to be gain’d without a long application and a thousand testimonies of an unfeign’d and constant regard; but now a game of romps or a lucky run at cards reduces the vanquished fair to accept of what condition the conqueror is pleased to give.”
The modest demeanour of English women when seen abroad excited the admiration of foreigners, who were a little astonished at the general taste for walking, which is
“a great diversion among the ladies and their manner of doing it is one way of knowing their character; desiring only to be seen, they would walk together for the most part without speaking, they are always dressed and always stiff; they go forward constantly, and nothing can amuse them or put them out of their way.... Yet, notwithstanding all their care to be seen, they are seldom coquets, nor have they any ridiculous affectations or bold ways.”
It was not usual for girls to walk about alone, and was considered indecorous by the older generation.
“I know this age has so great a contempt of the former that ’tis but matter of scorn to alledge any of their customs; else I should say that the liberties that are taken now would then have been startled at. They that should then have seen a young maid rambling abroad without her mother or some other prudent person, would have looked on her as a stray, and thought it but a neighbourly office to have brought her home: whereas now ’tis a rarity to see them in any company graver than themselves, and she that goes with her parent (unless it be such a parent as is as wild as herself) thinks she does but walk abroad with jaylour.”