Duke of Newcastle xxxvii 



a lusty man, should ride, and have no more pity of his young 

 and tender child, but let him go on foot. Then both the 

 father and his son got upon the ass, and coming to the third 

 town, the people blamed them both for being so unconscion- 

 able as to overburden the poor ass with their heavy weight. 

 After this both father and son went on foot, and led the ass ; 

 and when they came to the fourth town, the people railed 

 as much at them as ever the former had done, and called 

 them both fools, for going on foot, when they had a beast 

 able to carry them. The old man, seeing he could not please 

 mankind in any manner, and having received so many blem- 

 ishes and aspersions, for the sake of his ass, was at last resolved 

 to drown him when he came to the next bridge. But I am 

 not so passionate to burn my writings for the various humours 

 of mankind, and for their finding fault, since there is nothing 

 in this world, be it the noblest and most commendable action 

 whatsoever, that shall escape blameless. As for my being the 

 true and only authoress of them, your Lordship knows best, 

 and my attending servants are witness that I have had none 

 but my own thoughts, fancies, and speculations to assist 

 me ; and as soon as I have set them down, I send them to 

 those that are to transcribe them, and fit them for the press ; 

 whereof since there have been several, and amongst them 

 such as only could write a good hand, but neither understood 

 orthography, nor had any learning (I being then in banish- 

 ment with your Lordship, and not able to maintain learned 

 secretaries), which hath been a great disadvantage to my poor 

 works, and the cause that they have been printed so false and 

 so full of errors ; for besides that I want also the skill of 

 scholarship and true writing, I did many times not peruse 

 the copies that were transcribed, lest they should disturb 

 my following conceptions ; by which neglect, as I said, many 

 errors are slipt into my works, which yet I hope learned and 

 impartial readers will soon rectify, and look more upon the 

 sense than carp at words. I have been a student even from 

 my childhood ; and since I have been your Lordship's wife, 

 I have lived for the most part a strict and retired life, as is 

 best known to your Lordship, and therefore my censurers 

 cannot know much of me, since they have little or no acquain- 

 tance with me. 'Tis true, I have been a traveller both before 

 and after I was married to your Lordship, and sometimes 



