Two Most Famous Universities 209 



ports me with the passion I have for my gracious Master. God send us 

 a good meeting at Whitehall, and so I rest constantly your most faithful 

 servant 



W. Newcastle. 

 Antwerp the 13/A May 1659 



(Egerton MSS. British Museum.) 



IX 



TO THE TWO MOST FAMOUS UNIVERSITIES OF ENGLAND 



Most famously learned, — I here present to you this philoso- 

 phical work, not that I can hope wise schoolmen and industrious, 

 laborious students should value it for any worth, but to receive 

 it without scorn, for the good encouragement of our sex, lest in 

 time we should grow irrational as idiots, by the dejectedness of 

 our spirits, through the careless neglects and despisements of the 

 masculine sex to the female, thinking it impossible we should have 

 either learning or understanding, wit or judgment, as if we had 

 not rational souls as well as men, and we out of a custom of dejected- 

 ness think so too, which makes us quit all industry towards profit- 

 able knowledge, being employed only in low and petty employ- 

 ments which take away not only our abilities towards arts, but 

 higher capacities in speculations, so as we are become like worms 

 that only live in the dull earth of ignorance, winding ourselves 

 sometimes out by the help of some refreshing rain of good education, 

 which seldom is given us, for we are kept like birds in cages, to hop 

 up and down in our houses, not suffered to fly abroad to see the 

 several changes of Fortune, and the various humours ordained and 

 created by nature, and wanting the experience of nature, we must 

 needs want the understanding and knowledge, and so consequently 

 prudence and invention of men. Thus by an opinion, which I 

 hope is but an erroneous one in men, we are shut out of all power 

 and authority, by reason we are never employed either in civil or 

 martial affairs, our counsels are despised and laughed at, the best 

 of our actions are trodden down with scorn by the overweening 

 conceit men have of themselves, and through a despisement of us. 



But I, considering with myself that if a right judgment and a 

 true understanding and a respectful civility live anywhere, it must 

 be in learned universities, where nature is best known, where truth 

 is oftenest found, where civility is most practised, and if I find not 

 a resentment here, I am very confident I shall find it nowhere, 

 neither shall I think I deserve it, if you approve not of me ; but 

 if I deserve not praise, I am sure to receive so much courtship 

 from your sage society as to bury me in silence, that thus I may 



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