Sociable Letters 281 



maids were spoiled with idleness, having nothing to 

 do, but to dress, curl, and adorn themselves, and they 

 excusing themselves, laying the blame upon me, that 

 I did not set them to any imployment, but whereas 

 they were ready to obey my commands, I was so slow 

 in commanding them, as I seldom took any notice 

 of them, or spoke to them, and that the truth was, 

 they oftener heard of their lady, than heard, or saw 

 her themselves, I living so studious a life, as they did 

 not see me above once a week, nay, many times, not 

 once in a fortnight; wherefore, upon the relation of 

 these complaints, I sent for the governess of my 

 house, and bid her give order to have flax and wheels 

 bought, for I, with my maids, would sit and spin. The 

 governess hearing me say so, smiled, I asked her the 

 reason, she said, she smiled to think what uneven 

 threads I would spin, for, said she, though Nature hath 

 made you a spinster in poetry, yet education hath 

 not made you a spinster in huswifry, and you will 

 spoil more flax, than get cloth by your spinning, as 

 being an art that requires practice to learn it ; beside, 

 said she, the noise the wheels make with turning round 

 will be offensive to your hearing. I was very much 

 troubled to hear what she said, for I thought spin- 

 ning had been easie, as not requiring much skill to 

 draw, and twist a thread, nay, so easie I thought it 

 was, as I did imagine I should have spun so small, 

 and even a thread, as to make pure fine linnen cloth, 

 also, that my maids and I should make so much, as 

 I should not have needed to buy any, either for house- 

 hold hnnen, or shifts. Then I bid her leave me, to 

 consider of some other work; and when I was by my 

 self alone, I called into my mind several sorts of 

 wrought works, most of which, though I had will, 

 yet I had no skill to work, for which 1 did inwardly 



