It is principally men who practise pretence in marriage or outward friendship in order to have peace at home; this is because they have the natural characteristic of doing what they do at the bidding of the intellect. The intellect, being the seat of thought, considers various matters which make the mind restless, distracting and troubling it. If therefore there were no quiet at home, it might happen that their vital spirits would flag and their inner life would, so to speak, die off, thus destroying their mental and bodily health. The fear of these and many other dangers would beset men's minds, if they did not have a refuge with their wives at home to calm the disturbance of their intellect.

[2] Besides peace and calm soothe the mind and make it ready to accept gratefully the favours bestowed by wives, who devote all their efforts to dispelling the clouds which they are quick to notice besetting their husbands' minds. These things also lend charm to their presence. This makes it plain that the pretence of love, as if it were truly conjugial, is needed and useful to promote peace and calm in the home. Another point is that wives do not practise pretence as much as men do. But if something like it shows, it is a pretence of real love, because women are by birth intended to love their husbands' intellects. So they are pleased at heart to receive their husbands' favours, even if they do not say so.