Sociable Letters 253 



dowers, for there's no married man in Hymen's 

 shops, unless unknown that they were bought before, 

 and once discovered, they are punished, for married 

 men can neither be bought nor sold by Hymen or 

 his customers, until they be widowers ; but in Venus's 

 shops there be as many, if not more, married men than 

 batchelours or widowers. But both in Hymen's and 

 Venus's shops there are of all sorts, better and worse, 

 as mean persons and others of quality, handsom and 

 not handsom, old and young, and of middle years; 

 and as for women, few are sold in shops, for they are 

 the buyers, and married women are the best cus- 

 tomers Venus hath; and though married women go 

 to the publick market, which are publick meetings, 

 as fine as they can be drest, and to the publick view, 

 out of pretence to meet there, and speak with such 

 of their friends that are Hymen's customers, as also 

 to help those friends to choose and bargain for a 

 husband, or to keep them company, yet when they 

 go to Venus's shops they go covered with their veils, 

 or rather follies, for fear thev should be known of 

 their husbands that lye there to be sold ; for though 

 they go uncovered to Hjonen's shops, as with their 

 friends, to assist them, yet to Venus's shops they 

 go alone. Thus married and unmarried take some 

 occasion to be at the market, and thus there is more 

 trade, traffick, and commerce, in this market than 

 in any other; but such persons as will live single 

 and chast, never come there, unless some few; and 

 this sort of persons for the most part live in Diana's 

 court, which are cloisters or monasteries; also some 

 few married wives that live retired, do not frequent 

 this market, but if they do, they never come into any 

 of the shops, but stand in the midst of the market- 

 place, that it may be known they buy nothing there ; 



