Quotation: Heaven/Hell -- marriage/women

Joel S. Berson Berson at ATT.NET
Fri Feb 10 02:04:53 UTC 2012


But not in that relationship.  Rather:

"There's no Heaven but Women, nor no hell save Marriage".

"The Wiltshire Rant, or a NARRATIVE Wherein the most unparallel'd
Prophane Actings, Counterfeit Repentings, and evil Speakings of
THOMAS WEBBE Late pretended Minister of Langley Buriall, are
discovered; the particulars whereof are set down in the following
Page. [sic] Also the Proceedings of those in Authority against him.
With a Catalogue of his untruths in his Mass of malice, and Replies
to sundry of them." By Edw. Stokes Esq;.  London: Ralph Smith,
1652.  Page 4.  [EEBO]

A few instances in Google Everything, all attributing the quotation
to Webbe, which indeed Stokes does also.  But I have no knowledge of
any such utterance in writing by Webbe, and have a sneaking suspicion
that Stokes was putting words into his mouth.  After castigating
Webbe for sexual "Engagement[]s" with several women although married,
Stokes wrote "which made good that saying, of his, That [see above]".

Joel

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