1 82 The Duchess of Newcastle 



of his opinions by heart; for I have heard that his 

 memory failed in his writing, for that he hath some- 

 times contradicted himself: and My Lord, who hath 

 written hundreds of verses, songs and theams, could 

 not repeat three by heart ; and I have heard him say, 

 that after he hath writ them, he doth so little remem- 

 ber any part in them, that when they have lain a 

 short time by, and then read them over, they are new 

 to him : but he is not so forgetful of other things, for 

 he hath an extraordinary memory for received curte- 

 sies, or to do any timely good or services, not onely to 

 friends, but to strangers. Also, he hath an excellent 

 memory concerning the general actions of and in the 

 world; but certainly they that remember their own 

 wit least, have the most of it; for there is an old 

 saying, and surely true, that the best wits have the 

 worst memory, I mean, wit-memory; for great 

 memories are like standing ponds that are made with 

 rain; so that memory is nothing but the showers of 

 other men's wits ; and these brains are muddy that 

 have not running springs of their own, that issue out 

 still fresh and new. 



Indeed it's against Nature, for natural wits to 

 remember, for it is impossible the brain should retain 

 and create ; and we see in Nature, death makes way 

 for life ; for if there were no death, there would be no 

 new life, or lives. 



But say I were so witless I could repeat some of 

 my works, I do think it would seem self-conceitedness 

 to mention them, but since that report, I have spoken 

 more of them than otherwise I should have done, 

 though truly I condemn myself, for it is an indiscre- 

 tion, although I was forced to that indiscretion, and I 

 repent it, both for the disfiguring of my works, by 

 pulling out a piece here, and a piece there, according 



