[The text summarised here was found under another page of text which had been pasted over it]: Barlow ignores the advice of his friends and marries the servantmaid at Deal parish church. He finds contentment in the character and good conduct of his wife.

[The text summarised here was found under a page of text which had been deliberately pasted over it]: Barlow's friends advise him not to marry the pregnant servantmaid, as she is too poor. However his conscience troubles him and they are married at Deal parish church on 23 January 1677. There are two days of celebrations which cost £10. Barlow praises his wife [Mary Symons] and describes how he found contentment in her good conduct, which he attributes to the mercy of the Lord.

See related article about this hidden text and Edward Barlow's rape confession. Note that this content may cause distress: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/sep/18/secret-unearthed-sailor-17th-century-journal-edward-barlow-national-maritime-museum