The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-07-23
wesley's Woes.
From the New York Critic.

Wesley's Woes.
From the New York Critic.l
John Wesley was married in February
l75l, to Mrs. Mary Vazeille, "a merchant
widow in Threadneedle street, who pos
sessed a fortune of about $50, 900, secured
to herself and her four children. He wa
4S, she Al. His biographer, the Rev. L
| Tyerman, says of their marriage that il
twas in high degree an act of folly, and
properly enough, to the end of life, bott
of them were made to suffer serious pen
atty" Mary's life ended ten years before
| her husbands. She died in 1881, after
having made him miserable for thirty
years. Wesley survived her, living to the
| ripe age of SS. In worldly way he had
gained nothing by his marriage. Itlost to
him his fellowship at Oxford, and at least
| temporarily alienated his brother Charles
and his wife. His domestic infelicities
are set forth in detail in the following
curious letter, hitherto unpublished:
CoLEFoRD, Oct. %, 1759.-Dear Molly
will tell you simply and plainly the things
which 1 dislike. If you remove them,
well. If not, 1 am but where / was. ]
dislike your showing any one my letters
and private papers without my leave. This
never did any Good yet, either to you OF
me, or any one. 1t only sharpens and en-
bitters your own Spirit. And the same
Effect it naturally has upon Others. The
same it would have upon me, but that (by
the grace of Cody do not think of it. 1t
can dono good. 1t can never bring me
nearer, tho it may drive me further off.
And should you do as you often threaten
me, then the matter is over. know what
/ have to do. In all this you are fighting
against yourself. You are frustrating
your own purpose, if you want me to love
you. You take just the wrong way. No
one ever was forced to love another. 1t
can not be- Love can only be won by soft
ness Foul Means avail nothing. But
you say, I have tried Fair Means and they
did not succeed If they do not none
will. Then you have only to say, This
Evil is of the Lord: / am Clay in his
Hand
II dislike. 2, Not having the Command
of my own House not being at liberty to
invite even my nearest Relations, so much
as to drink Dish of Tea without DISC
bliging you. L dislike, 8, The being a
Prisoner in my own House the having
my Chamber door watched continually SO
that no Person can go in OF out, but such
as have your Good Leave. l dislike, 4,
The being but a prisoner at large, even
when / go abroad. inasmuch as you are
highly disguised, if 1 do not give you an
Account of every Place go to and every
Person with whom converse. dislike,
5, The not being safe in my own House.
My House is not my Castle. can not call
even my Study, even my Bureau, my own.
They are liable to be plundered every day.
You say, i plumber you OF nothing but
Papers l am not sure of that. How is
it possible I should? / miss money, too,
and he that will steal Pin will steal a
Pound. But were it so. Scholars
Papers are his treasure My Journal in
particular. But took only such Papers
as relate to Sarah Ryan and Sarah Crosby.
That is not true What are Mr.. Landey'S
Letters to them Besides, you have taken
Parts of my Journal which relate to neither
One nor the Other. 1 dislike, 6, Your
treatment of my Servants tho indeed they
are not properly Minel. You do all that in
you lies to make their Lives Burden tC
them. You brow-beat. harrass, rate them
like Dogs, make them afraid to speak to
me. You treat them with such hautiness
Sternness, Sourness, Surliness, Immature
as never were known in any House Of mine
for near dozen years. You forget ever
Good breeding, and use such coarse Ian
guage as BELTS none but a Fishwife.
81 dislike, 7, Your talking against me
behind my back and that every day and
almost every hour of the day ; making my
faults (real OF supposedly the standing topic
of your conversation. l dislike, s, your
slandering me, laying to my charge things
which you know are false. Such are Ito
go but few days back That beat you.
Which you told James Burgess. That I
rode to Kingswood with Sarah Ryan,
which you told Sarah Rigby and that 1
required you, when we were first married
never to sit in my presence without my
leave. Which you told Mrs. Lee, Mrs.
Fry, and several others and stood to ii
before my face. 1 dislike, 8, your COM
mon custom of saying things not true. TIC
instance only in two or three particulars
You told MI. Ireland Mr.. azzilla learned
Spanish in fortnight You told Mr.
Fry Mrs. Ellison was the author as to my
intrigue in Georgia. You told Mrs. Eli
son You never said any such thing you
never charged her with it.. You also told
her That I had laid plot to serve you az
Susannah was served by the two elders
dislike, 10, your extreme, Unreasonable
bitterness to all who endeaver to defend
my character las my brother, Joseph Jones
Clayton Carthy), breaking out even into
foul, unmannerly language, such as ought
not to denle a gentlewoman's lips if she
did not believe one word of the Bible.
And now; Molly, what would anyone
advise you to, that has real concern fol
your Happiness ? Certainly, l, To show
read, touch those Letters no more if vol
do not restore them to their owner; 2
To allow me the command of my owl
House, with free Leave to invite thithe,
whom please; 8, To allow me my Lib
erty there that anyone who will may COM
to me, without let or Hindrance 4, T.
let me go where please and to whom
please, without giving an Account to any
5, To assure me you will take no more o