Sociable Letters 289 



to be sung by spinsters, and that only in cold winter 

 nights, when a company of good huswifes are drawing 

 a thread of flax; but as these draw threads of flax, 

 so time draws their thread of life, as their web makes 

 them smocks, so time's web makes them death's 

 shirts, to which, as to death, afterwards those good 

 huswifes are married, and lie in the bed of earth, their 

 house being the grave, and their dwelling in the region 

 of oblivion ; and this is the fate of poor spinsters and 

 ballad-singers. Whereas such a singer as you, such a 

 composer as your brother, such a poet as My Lord, 

 are clothed with renown, marry fame, and live in 

 eternity, wherein death hath no power, time no limit, 

 and destinies shears are useless. But though I am 

 willing to sing an old ballad, yet not to dwell in obli- 

 vion ; for I love your company so well, as I would live 

 in eternity with you, and would be clothed as you, 

 with renown, for no fashioned garments please me so 

 well, and though the stuff or substance is not the same 

 with yours, the substances being as different as the 

 several qualities, faculties, proprieties, virtues, or 

 sweet graces and the like ; yet I will have as good as I 

 can get. I will search Nature's ware-house, or shop, 

 and though I cannot have a piece or measure of silver 

 sound, or broccaded art, yet certainly I hope to get 

 a piece or measure of three - poiled philosophy, or 

 flowered fancy, for though My Lord hath taken many 

 several pieces or packs out of Nature's shop, and hath 

 inhaunced the prices, yet he must not ingross this last 

 commodity to himself. 'Tis true, he hath ingrossed 

 two commodities, as weapons, and riding, out of art's 

 shop, the hand-maid of Nature, yet sure he will be 

 never able to ingross all the several kinds and divers 

 sorts of wares that Nature and art yet have in their 

 store-houses. But I perceive that you three, as My 



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