Well, I am kind of surprised that you ask this question but here is my basic beef:

She must be young, handsome (I lay most stress upon a good shape), sensible (a little learning will do), well-bred

Ignoring the ageism implicit here (I mean what is wrong with older women) what is AH looking for here; a spouse or a riding horse?! I especially like the touch about a ‘little learning will do’ I would have thought that it would be nice to at least have someone of similar learning or capability to himself; marriage being a relationship between equals and all that; but I guess he doesn’t want a woman who is smarter than him! I am not even going to go into what all the business about ‘good shape’ means, I don’t know whether it refers to some level of buxom-ness or a slender figure, in anycase someone needs to have a word with Hamilton about these body-fascist tendencies. I mean this is meant to be somebody he is going to be spending a good chunk of his life with, not a riding trophy.

but she must have an aversion to the word ton, chaste and tender (I am an enthusiast in my notions of fidelity and fondness

Again, I am not going to pretend I know what ‘ton’ is a reference to, but this whole ‘chaste and tender’ business comes across as more slightly Victorian; I mean I know he was writing 200 years ago but things have moved on since then and even in his day they weren’t all that staid. I also get the feeling that any ‘chasteness’ here would be strictly uni-directional, as was typical of marriages in that time.

In politics, I am indifferent what side she may be of (I think I have arguments that will easily convert her to mine

I have to admit that this is the real howler for me – either Hamilton didn’t really meet that many women, or I have come across very different women from him. My experience is that any man who thinks like this is quite quickly disabused of such notions. There was an old proverb that I forget exactly which runs something like ‘as patient and deadly as a crocodile’s grip is the argument of a woman’. Either way I wouldn’t give much for way of domestic bliss for anybody who pulls this kind of approach these days in the search for an ideal wife.

Though I run no risk of going to purgatory for my avarice, yet as money is an essential ingredient to happiness in this world—as I have not much of my own and as I am very little calculated to get more either by my address or industry—it must needs be that my wife, if I get one, bring at least a sufficiency to administer to her own extravagancies.

Oh man, does this guy have no shame – after having said that he isn’t really bothered about money and is not calculating about it; he insists that any future wife bring her own spending fortune. While he may say he doesn’t like ‘economists’ especially for a potential bride, he sure comes across as one himself.

I didn’t get the Karate Kid reference either even though I have watched all the Karate movies.

It just strikes me as an odd movie to choose to cuddle to; not that I am anti-cuddling or anything but I would have expected a different choice of movie.

Also, I had to laugh at the part where Hamilton claimed he admired fidelity. I assume he meant in his wife. He seemed to enjoy the infidelity of other men’s wives.

If I have the story straight it’s this: Hamilton had an affair with a married woman. Her husband got angry. Hamilton paid off the husband — which seemed to make the hubby less angry. Rumors emerged. People were worried Hamiton had dipped into the US Treasury to fund the payoff—but Hamilton explained he used his own money. Sexual mores of the day being what they were, everyone said “all righty then”, and the scandal blew over.

I don’t think Hamilton would have been a good husband. However, to really decide, you should post pictures. Looks matter.

And Munira, you are still climbing up the hill, you aren’t over it yet.

I didn’t get the Karate Kid reference either even though I have watched all the Karate movies.

Renee: So you did. My bad.

But alas! Hamilton is too old for me and Hijabman too young