 The 1637 quarto was printed by John Norton for the booksellers Andrew Crooke and William Cooke.Shirley's play was a popular success in its own era, and in the next century was adapted by Charles Johnson into "The Wife's Relief" (1712) and J. Poole ("The Wife's Strategem," 1827).In the main plot, the protagonist, Wilding, neglects his faithful and loving wife in favour of her ward Penelope; he even orders his wife to solicit her ward for him.