Sociable Letters 227 



bravely, they are envied, if they be attired in plain, 

 mean garments, they are despised; if any woman be 

 more beautiful than commonly the rest are, if she 

 appears to the world, she shall be sure to have more 

 female detractors and slanderers, to ruin her reputa- 

 tion, than any monarch hath souldiers to fight an 

 enemy; and if any woman be ill-favoured, it is men- 

 tioned as a reproach, although it be Nature's fault, 

 and not hers; and if she be indifferently handsome, 

 they speak of her as regardless ; if she be in years, they 

 will say she is fitter for the grave than company; if 

 young, fitter for a school than conversation; if of 

 middle years, their tongues are the fore-runners of her 

 decay; if she have wealth, and no titles, she is like 

 meat, all fat, and no blood; and if great title with 

 small wealth, they say, she is like a pudding without 

 fat; and if she hath both wealth and title, they shun 

 her as the plague, they hate to see her, as owls hate 

 the light ; and if she hath neither wealth nor title, they 

 scorn her company, and will not cast an eye towards 

 her. And thus the generality is to every particular: 

 wherefore it is impossible for any particular either to 

 please the humours, or avoid the slanders or reproaches 

 of the generality, for every one is against another; 

 indeed, every one is against all, and all against every 

 one, and yet through the itch of talk, luxury, wanton- 

 ness, and vanity, they will associate into companies, 

 or rather I may say, gather into companies, and 

 frequent each other's houses; whereas those that 

 endeavour to be truly happy, will not be troubled with 

 such folhes, nor disturbed with such toyes. But I am 

 not so retired, as to bar my self from the company 

 of my good friends, or such as are free from excep- 

 tion, as not to translate harmless and simple words, 

 to an evil sense and meaning, or such as are so noble. 



