2 20 The Duchess of Newcastle 



to write an evil life without wit, will be but a dull and 

 tedious story, indeed so tedious and dull, as I believe 

 none will take the pains to read it, unless he reads of 

 himself ; but it is to be hoped that he will be tired of 

 himself, and so desist from his self story. And if he 

 do write his own life, it will be as a masking dolphin, 

 or such like thing, where the outside is painted paste- 

 board or canvas, and the inside stuffed with shreds 

 of paper, or dirty rags, scraped from dunghills; and 

 if he set his picture before, as a frontispiece to his 

 book, it will be like an ill-favoured masking vizzard. 

 But if he have any friends, surely they will persuade 

 him to imploy his time about something else; but 

 some are so unhappy, as they have nothing to imploy 

 time with ; they can waste time, but not imploy time ; 

 and as they waste time, so time wastes them. There's 

 a saying, That men are horn to live, and live to die ; but 

 I think some are onely born to die, and not to live; 

 for they make small use of life, and life makes small 

 use of them; so that in effect they were ready for 

 the grave, as soon as they came forth from the womb. 

 Wherefore, if Sir F. O. go forward with his work, he 

 will dig his grave through the story of his life, and his 

 so Ill-less wit will be buried therein. But leaving his 

 dead wit to his paper coffin, and his unprofitable 

 labours to his black mourning ink, 



I rest, Madam, 

 Your faithful fr. and s. 



ON WIT AND THE WORLD 



Madam, — I am sorry to hear, wit is so little known 

 and understood, that Sir W. T. should be thought 

 mad, because he hath more wit than other men; 

 indeed, wit should alwayes converse with wit, and 



