THE OBLIGING HUSBAND, and IMPERIOUS WIFE; Or, The west-country clothier undone by a peacock. With the pleasant and comical humours of honest Humphry his man.

London, printed for A. Bettesworth, and C. Hitch at the Red Lyon; J. Osborn at the Golden Ball; J. Hodges; J. Clark, no date, circa 1735.. Made out in several witty and ingenious dialogues; I. Between Mr. Wilmot, a west-country clothier, at Credition in Devonshire, and a gentlewoman of a good fortune in Exeter, and honest Humphrey the clothier's man; with the intrigues of their courtship. II. Between the clothier, his mistress, her mother, and cousin, &c. about furnishing the house, and celebrating the wedding. III. Between the clothier, his wife, mother, and nurse; with what pass'd at her lying-in, christning the child, and gossiping. IV. Between the clothier, his man Humphry, and his creditors; he being now grown poor. V. Between the clothier, his man Humphry, two bailiffs, and the goaler. The whole discovering how extravagant wives consume their husband's estates, and bring them to ruin and destruction. EDITION UNKNOWN EDITION, circa 1735. 12mo, approximately 135 x 75 mm, 5½ x 3¼ inches, woodcut frontispiece with 3 separate images, publisher's adverts on reverse, pages: [4], 5-117, [1], some minor errors of pagination, LACKING pages 59-62 (2 leaves) now supplied in good facsimiles on old paper, bound in when the book was rebound, E11 verso, page [118] contains publisher adverts, E12 has longitudinal title, bound in full modern calf, black ruled border to covers, raised bands to spine, tiny blind ornament in compartments, gilt lettered red morocco label, new endpapers. Pale age-browning to contents, fore-edge margin to page 5 & 12 slightly trimmed, no loss, repairs to outer edges of pages 33-39, repaired with no loss of text, some corners dog-eared at tip, small ink blot obscures one word on the facsimile page 61, small chip to margin of page 113 & 115, neat repairs to last page, no loss. A good copy of a scarce printing. First published 1717 or earlier in reduced format, reprinted by Anne Gifford in 1722 with the same number of pages, but without the frontispiece (ESTC T178046). The printer publisher of our copy Arthur Bettesworth (d. 1739) was in business at The Red Lion, Paternoster Row from about 1711. From 1735 until his death he was in partnership with his son-in-law Charles Hitch (Osborne Catalogue I, page 465). This Bettesworth edition not recorded in ESTC, Library Hub Discover or World catalogue. MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE, FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST.