contrarie Nature I will regard them accordingly the best is I am not the first that hath been deceiueâ—… nor shall bee the last that shall be deluded and yet though this be no excuse for my folly it shal be a warning to my discretion in the placing of my affection in which not ouer bootes though ouer shooes not gone so farre but I can come home againe I rest Yours if you were your owne N. R. Her Answer IF you look for hearts in eyes you may be out of the rule of loue and let me tell you that your crabbed writing shewes a crooked disposition for your apparel and the lining if I were acquainted with your Tayler I should the better know the measure of your meaning and yet if I mistake not your figure it goes no further then your selfe whose out side is better then your inside if you deceiue your selfe blame no body but your selfe and if you deceiue mee I will snap vp mine owne sorrow if you haue done amisse know how to excuse it or amend it and when you finde a good warning make your best vse of it In briefe howsoeuer you trouble your selfe I pray you trouble me no more for which kindnesse I shall rest in much thankefulnesse Yours as I finde cause B. T. A Letter written to a friend in time of great afliction KInde Anthony thou writest vnto me to know how I doe and though perhaps it may bee grieuous to thee to know it yet being truth to thy loue I will tell it if thou aske how I fare as hard as any man to liue if what I doe shed teares for my sinnes and pray for mercy sigh to thinke of the follies of my youth and sorrow to see the misery of mine age If how I passe my time in the passions of the mind if where I liue in the maâ—e of griefe where till I get into my graue I thinke I shall neuer get out if how I liue so neere the nature of death as if one may liue dying I dye liuing for may I not offend the heauens maiesty to speake it I think neuer course of life came neerer to the thorny Crowne about Christs head which prickt him round about so is it with me crosses abroad and crucifyings at home in body and mind puts patience to a high point Oh my torments are innumerable and almost intollerable but that his goodnes that gaue me them giues me grace to beare them for in briefe if want to supply necessities vnnaturall kindred vnfaithfull friends vnconscionable Creditors vnquiet neighbours and a most vncomfortable wife méet all together to the tryall of a heart whether it will hold or not thinke if thou canst in what perplexity is my spirit and pray in thy heart for my ease or end of it And thus assured if thou canst do me good to find it till I heare from thee and till death I rest Thine what mine owne W. R. His Answere HOnest Henry I am sorry in my heart for thy heauines and to ease thee of thy greefe could bee content to beare part of thy passions but let this comfort thee that thou art not alone in thy calamities for euery man hath his crosse carry it as well as he can and for my selfe though my shooes be finely made yet they so wring my toes that they giue me many a twing at the heart and yet I must commend my Shoomaker and conceale my paine because the fault is in my feet if wee had not our sinnes wee should not haue our punishments beleeue me Henry aflictions are the Badges of Gods blessings if they bee borne without murmurring at his will hee that keepes a house may haue many euill birdes about it but I must confesse within doores the night Rauen is the worst whose continuall croking is many times vncomfortable but haue patience it is a spirituall salue that healeth all the sores of the heart and a Tenure by which wee haue possession of our Soules which guift of grace God of his goodnes in his mercy grant mee and thee and all his seruants deliuer vs from our miseries and make the ioy of our liues in the feeling of his loue to which prayer hoping thou wilt say Amen till I see thee and alwayes I rest Thine or not mine owne R. B. A kinde of quarrelsome Letter vpon a frowne of a friend AT my last being in your company your countenance gaue me some immagination of your discontent if you be angry I would know with whom and for what if it be with your selfe you know how to mend your selfe if with me I know not why nor care I wherefore if it bee your nature I will not seeke to alter it and if but your humor I would wish you to purge it and so wishing you to satisfie me if you haue any skill in Astronomy whether wee shall haue faire weather or foule as I heare from you I rest Yours as you mine T. N. His Answere MY occasions of my countenance are secret to my selfe at which if any take exceptions I wish me out of their company your condition I know not nor desire greater to bee acquainted with for any hurt that is done the amends may bee soone made if you be desirous of quarrels you may haue your handes full of mischeefe but if you will be at peace with your selfe I know no man that meanes to trouble you soe loath to bee at cost with any Almanacks to looke into the rules of Astronomy come what weather will welcome by the Grace of God and soe I rest Yours as you mine D. T. A Letter to an Vnckle to borrow a horse MY good Vncle I haue occasion to trauell some few miles further then I feare my feet will easily carry me if therefore I may intreat you to lend me your horse for some few dayes I will trauell him easily tend him carefully and feed him sufficiently his safe returne you shall not doubt nor my thankfulnes for your kindnes so loth to vse needlesse complements till I heere from you and alwaies I rest Your very louing Nephew R. T. His Answere IF I should lend you my horse you might thinke me an asse knowing your horsemanship and his quality but let this satisfie you three thinges I will not lend nor can I spare my wife my horse nor my sword the one from my bed the other from my stable the third from my side the one for my pleasure the other for my defence and the third for my seruice but that you shall not think I will be altogether vnkind I haue sent you heerein enclosed a piece of gold to hire you a Nagge so hoping of your discretion to haue patience with my deniall I rest Your most louing Vnkle T. R. His Answere A Letter from an old man to his adopted Sonne going from the Vniuersity to trauaile MY good Sonne I find by thy writing that thou art determined to leaue the vniuersity and to looke abroad into the world
in distresse HOnest Will I Condole with thée in thy discontentments though I cannot ease thee of thy sorrowes but though my comfort be little let not my Counsell dislike thée to tell thée what I thinke that will not be amisse for thee to thinke on The Traueller must not giue ouer till he come to his iourneys end and till the daies worke be done there is no looking for wages deepe waters are dreadfull to them that feare to wet their feet but wisedome will through though shee wade vp to the Chin beleeue it it is the Euening praiseth the Day and he is only happy that holds out to the end stand therefore to your tackling For though your crosses are greeuous yet surely is your blessing great in being so well able to goe through them and therefore fight the good fight and your conquest will be comfortable and if not héere yet in Heauen shortly God willing I will see thee and till then pray for thee that thy faith may neuer faile thee and that I may find thee in such rest that I may ioy in thy Resolution till when and alwaies I rest Thine or not mine owne D. S. The Answere KInde Robin I am sory you are sory for me because it will doe you more hurt then me good yet am I so far comforted in your Counsell that if I could be my selfe I should be much benefited by your instructions but if oppression make the wiseman mad beare with the imperfection of Fooles and know that when patience is put to her strength passion puts Grace to her Triall I speake not this in dispaire of mercy for God is all-sufficient as well in Comfort as Correction but crosses abroad and crucifyings at home vnkindnesse of kin vnfaithfulnesse of friends breaches of vowes delaying of times scorns of beggars and scoffes of fooles with frustrating of hopes in prayers of faith and teares of repentance haue almost broken my heart which onely liues in the Grape to know an end of my griefe yet will I tarry the Lords leasure and till then rest full of griefe Yours what mine owne A Letter from a Nephew to his Vncle from the Vniuersitie GOod Vnkle you writ vnto me to know what fruit I haue made of my study To tell you truth in reading ouer my Alphabet I found in all the Crosse Rowe the worst letter was O especially when I went before it and V followed after it For there finding that I o u and can not yet come out of your debt I cannot be agrieued that you are diâ—contented that I o u and can not help it yet thus much I gaine by my reading to finde in my conscience the charge of my debts which I will discharge with all the spéed that I am able and in the meane time entreat my friends to that patience that shal be nothing to their disprofit among whom holding your loue in no little account assuring you ere long to héere from me and in the meane time not vnthankefull for your kindnes I rest Your bounden louing Cosen R. W. The Answere GOod Cosen in your Alphabet you say you find o the worst Letter now with me it is not so for I finde it rather in h which I féele not in my Toe for I am not so Rich as to haue the Gowt nor in my head for I thanke God I haue reasonable good health of body but it is onely at my Heart to thinke of my vnhappinesse to haue so ill comfort of my kindnes yet let mee not write this to trouble you your Debt beeing but a Trifle and therefore knowing your honest heart I leaue the time to your best abilitie and in the meane time hoping of your loue I wish you not to hurt your selfe to help mee for though I am poore I am no begger and will not be vnkind to them I loue in which be yow assured I will rest during life Your louing Vnkle T. M. A Letter of Loue to a Gentlewoman of good worth WOrthy Lady if I could not dissemble I were a foole but if I would I were the more foole knowing your wisedome to know craft to be the greatest folly and your vertue to allowe onely Truth to be the best Elequence In plaine Truth therefore giue me leaue to lay the seruice of my heart at the feete of your fauour where if the desarts of my endeuour may not bee disdained your Honor shall not be embased where your vertue is honored so crauing pardon for my presumption in the Humilitie of affection I humbly take my leaue Your more willing then worthy seruant B. R. Her Answere SIr I haue receiued your Letter and by the Contents gesse at your content but giue me leaue to tell you that protestations are perilous shadowes and the Diuell neuer deceiues more then when hee comes like an Angell of light I speake not this with an ill coniecture to wrong a good minde but the world is so full of Treason that Truth is crept into a little Corner To honour vertue I cannot denie you and to deserue well I can not disswade you but in the happinesse of my fauour your hopes may bee deceiued though thus farre I subscribe to your petition that I will disdaine no honorable affection but wish I were a more worthy Mistris of so worthy a Seruant and so in that care of my discretion that may be no touch to my reputation I rest Your well wishing friend E. B. A Letter of kindnes from a louing father to call home an vnthrifty Sonne THe Pellican kills her selfe to feeed her young chickins an vnkindly brood to bee the death of their breeder the Cuckoe kills the Sparrow that hatcht her Oh vnnaturall bird to be her death that gaue her life and the little Snakes eat out the belly of their damme ere they come abroad Oh most hatefull worme to bee of so hellish a nature Now seeing the shame of these wilt thou like a shadow follow their substance with thy disordinate life to bee the death of thy father I loue thee dearly and wilt thou greiue me deepely doe not so good Sonne turne the glasse of thy disgrace to a course of better comfort Leaue the world and come home to mee I will meet thee halfe way with my roabe and with my ring I will wed thee to my loue and the fat Calfe shall bee killed to make a feast for thy comming so beseeching God so to blesse thee that I may see the fruits of his grace in thee till I see thee or heare from thee to the Lord of Heauen I leaue thee Thy most louing father W. R. Answere MY déere Father I most humbly thanke you for your kind Letter which hath so wrought in my loue as hath almost Metamorphos'd my mind from the humor it was in for since that Grace hath opened the eye of my vnderstanding to discerne betwixt good and euill I finde him worse then a Deuill that feareth not God and a Child to be
set it together againe what I cannot doe if I should dye in not doing of it vouchsafe my good Lord to read them and me in them with a few of your golden Angells deliuer me from a world of incarnate Deuills which with siluer daggers seeke to stab the heart of my liberty which beeing a great part of my life doe a Noble deed to saue it God himselfe will requite you and I shall bee bound to pray for you that all the good that the heauens will and the world can giue may befall you So hauing long knowne and euer loued your Honor beseeching the Almightie to blesse the same with encrease of aduancements in the worthinesse of true Noblenesse at the feete of your fauour laying downe the seruice of my hearts loue crauing pardon for my presumption I humbly rest during life Your Honors in all humble deuoted and bounden dutie and seruice W. R. A pleasant conceited Letter to a friend in the Countrey YOu write vnto mee for Newes and mee thinkes it is Newes you write vnto mee For not hauing heard from you thus long I wonder I haue heard from you at last And yet though I am merrie with your silence your Letter is welcome for I rather feared your health then your vnkindnesse but to answere your expectation let mee tell you that the occurents of this time are such as are either false and then vnfit to write or if true not worth the writing onely this I dare tell you that rich men play with the world and make a kinde of paradice vpon earth while the portion of the poore is most held in patience For my selfe I am as you left mee neither beholding to friends nor fearefull of enemies and for the world I am so farre in loue with it that I could wish I were well out of it and for your selfe I wish rather your continuance of your home louing friends then to hunt heere after fortune a day after the faire To conclude if I come neere you I will see you where so euer you are I will loue and so to the Lord I leaue you Yours what mine owne N. B. The Answere OLd wagge of the world I see thou art neuer out of thy humour I am glad to heare from thee not of thy discontents but to see now thou setst them downe which in a manner is as musique when I am sometime melancholy disposed but for the rich let them be proud only of their time for the poore may happen meet with them at their graues and proue better men in an other world For thy selfe I held thy happinesse greater in thy Contemplation then many misers in their large possessions And in briefe when thou art weary of the world come to me and let vs talke of that which all the world shall not heare of so longing for thee till I see thee or heare from thee I rest Thine or not mine owne B. S. A kinde Letter to a friend in the Countrey from the Citie KInde Anthony I am sure thou doest not maruell a little at my long silence I could make sufficient excuse were it not to tedious to write But let this suffice that a troubled minde is not alwaies in temper and the world is at such a passe that the wise are amazed at it and for my selfe such I doe finde it that as I can not get out of it so I scarce know what to doe in it for wisedome is watch't whether her workes bee like her faith and folly is much in fauour because shee pleaseth the common people so that I thinke I must turne foole if I will feed on fat meat and yet it greeth so ill with the nature of my spirit that I had rather liue as a shadow among men then bee the substance of a monster oh my good Anthony how happy a life doe you lead that may heere the Birdes sing in your woods see your Ewes suckle your Lambes in your fieldes catch a fish with a worme a Cony with a Ferret and a hare with your Greyhound and by the way as you come home contemplate more comfort then the earth can giue you for he that hath a heart to lift vp his eyes will bee of Senecaes opinion that the mind of that man is brought into a streight that can bee contented with earth and hee that were in his right wits would hold it the greatest misery in mans life to desire to liue though in misery For mine owne part I wish I were not out of it but so in it that I may not loue it but I will neither hasten my death nor prolong my life in this world but attend his pleasure that will call me out of it and the little time that I haue in it I would I could spend it in thy presence not to ease my charge nor to charge thee but that in true worth I know not a more worthy friend and thus till I see thee which shal hee as soone as I can conueniently in the affection of an honest heart I rest Thine or not mine owne R. B. His Answere HOnest Robin thy silence was not so discontentiue as thy letter was comfortable for thou writest not like the world bare words for matter but alwayes like thy selfe the fruites of true iudgement thou saiest well of the world that it is a strange passe when let the wisest heads haue the most honest hearts yet will the eyes of wickednes be prying into their procéedings while fooles craft is soone seene when they most seeke to deceiue themselues but let the fat Bulies of Bashan feed with Diues in his delicates pore Lazarus will haue a time to bee farre merrier then meat can make them Oh Robin the monsters of this age see not their owne deformities and better bee a shaddow among men then so vumanly a substance while blessed bee the spirit that hates the course of iniquity for my happines I confesse it is more then I am worthy of but most in contemplation aboue possession when the Spirit aboue Nature sees Grace aboue Reason shewing it a better world then this where it liues yet while in this little time wee passe the pilgrimage of a few dayes more pleasure is in the least creature of life then the fairest dead Idoll if I catch a Trout with a flie a Nightingale with a worme the one serues me in my dish the other sings in my Chamber and are not these comforts more contentiue then to hang on friends and hope of fortunes while the witts are dead weary ere trauaile find comfort well bee the world what it will come thou to mee when thou wilt and command what thou wilt for though I say it beleeue it thou hast not a more louing friend that will approue it so longing to so thee that I may haue my fill of discourse with thee with all the happines a heart can wish thee to the Lord of heauen I leaue thee and so rest Thine what mine owne W.