On marriage, Fred has things to tell
   Culled from many a friend
—But is it all reliable?
   And whither does it tend?

One pair on which Fred thought he’d check
   Had won the Dunmow Flitch:
The husband was a trembling wreck,
   The wife a raving bitch.

One pair was prone to public rage:
   Outside their house one day
Fred listened as they seemed to stage
   A sentimental play.

Marriage is such a strange affair
   That no one really knows
—Not even Fred—how any pair
   Stack up the cons and pros.