Of Domestical Duties, Volume II by William Gouge

The second of four volumes of Gouge's Of Domesticall Duties (1622), on husbands and wives.

Gouge begins before the wedding — how to seek a marriage and how to enter one — then takes up what a husband and wife owe each other in common: unity and faithfulness, living together in love, caring for each other's souls, guarding each other's health, reputation and property, and serving together in the worship of the household.

The rest is divided. For the wife: respect for her husband, not crossing his will, active obedience, and the limit of it all in her submission to Christ first. For the husband: authority held with affection, gentleness in place of harshness, patience in correcting, kindness in his daily conduct, provision for her, and a love that is sincere and does not run dry. It is the longest of the four volumes and the one the book is best known for.

Set from the 1622 first edition in modern spelling, with Gouge's own wording kept.