hath a leaden wit will â—euer worshippe a golden Calfe But since I know Abraham and Lazarus were alike in election giue mée leaue while I am in this world by Christ rather thâ—n Auarise rather to be a Husbandman then tobe a labourer for hire if I haue wronged any it is vnwillingly whom if I know I will satisfie most willingly and for the wound of conscience I hope to be so farre from Hypocrisie that I shall be free from that feare and therefore though trauel hath taught you much experience in the world and hauing sufficient maintenance to passe through the world you make the lesse account of the world yet when carefull thrist bréedeth no couetous thraldome be not iealous of my loue with all the pleasures of the world to make comparison with the least of heauens comfort I know the highest mountaine is but earth and the lowest valley is no other and therefore when I carry my foot-stoole on my head let mée walke like a foole or monster In briefe I know the world and how to vse it and kéepe account with my cares how I may most contentedly leaue it but for my loue to him that make it let me liue no longer in it then I loue and honor him aboue it and so intreating you to blow offâ—ll breaths that may abuse my disposition and to be perswaded so farre of my soules health that my ioy is euer and only in Christ Iesus to his preseruation leauing the happy issue of your hopes in the nature of the best loue till I sée you and alwaies I rest Your most louing Brother T. W. A Letter of Loue to an Honourable Ladie HOnourable Madame if Loue were not aboue reason it would not be so high in regard who dwelling onely in the spirites of the best vnderstandings feedes the heart onely with the fruiâ—ts of an infallible resolution What it is in it â—wne nature hath bene diueâ—sly described but I thinke neuer knowne but vnto them that inwardly knowe it Some holde it a Riddle that none can interpret but hée that made it and others a Myracle that amazeth all that beleeue it but if it bée as I haue read of it a Childe and Beautie begotte it I hope Nature will bée her selfe and not vnkinde vnto her owne breede How to prooue truth the Honor in your Eyes that haue wrought my heart to your seruice shall â—ake knowne to your fauor in the happinesse of your Employment So crauing pardon for my presumption in my deuoted duety to the honor of your commaund I humbly take my leaue Your Ladyships in all humblenesse R. M. Her Answer WOrthie Knight if Loue be aboue Reason it must be eyther Diuine or Diuelish and so regarded accordingly what it is I thinke is best known by the effect of it howsoeuer idle braynes haue beaten about the description of it Riddles are but Ieasts of witte and Myracles are ceased for being seene in our Age but if it be a Childe though of a strange Parentagâ— surely Nature will not suffer the Mother to be cruell to her owne bréede but if it fall out to bée an vngratious Father what then will be thought of the Children yet least in misconstruing a conceit I may mistake a content since in the secret of Nature may be a sense of strange vnderstanding I will suspend my iudgement till I haue made proofe of my opinion when Eyes and Hearts méete together in discourse I hope the businesse will be soone â—nded that is referred to indifferent iudgement So till occasion be offered of the performance of Employment hoping that Uertue and Honor will soone agrée vpon sure grounds till I sée you I rest Your louing Friend M. W. A Letter from a Knight to a Nobleman for the entertaining of a Secretary NOBLE LORD I heare that your Secretary hath lately taken his leaue of this worlde in whole place if you be not prouided let my loue preuaile with your Honor for the entertainment of this bearer a Gentleman and a Kinsman of mine in whose commendations I dare thus farre vse my credite his heart shall bee as faire as his hand vppon any occasion of your Employment and for his wit it is both in Caput and Copie-holde for he hath read much and obserued more then a little his discent hath béene from the loynes of an honourable Line and for his disposition euery way I hope you shall finde it no way displeasing not to trouble you with long circumstance leauing your happinesse to your acceptance with my seruice to your commaund in all humble loue I take my leaue for this time But rest during lifâ— Your Honours deuoted to be commaunded W. R. The Lords answere MY kind Knight I haue receyued your letter fulfilled your request and entertained your kinsman of whom I am already so well perswaded besides the assurance of your knowledge that I thinke a little matter shall not make square in our loues I finde what you writte of him and shall haue much employment for him I thanke you for him and if he continue his carriage which I doubt not he will bee of better fortune then my fauour and yet somewhat the more for your sake I will take such a care of him that ere many monthes passe you shall finde my loue in him so till I sée you at my house where you shall make your owne welcome I rest Your most assured friend E. S. A Letter of a simple man to a Scholler that was determined to play the Wagge with him WOrshipful Sir I vnderstand by my honest friend and Schoâ—lfellow in our Parish church that your Worshippe hath a great knowledge in casting of Natiuities and telling mens fortunes to tell you truely what yeares I am my Grandame sayes I was at lawfull age to enter vpon my Fathers Farme at Lent last and then your Worship may ghesse much about the time the the day and the hours I do not wel remember But to the purpose I heare say that in your Studie among the Starres you haue gone by all the Planets and ten to one if your Worshippe will goe ouer them but you shall finde mee in one of them and if you aske of them that dwell in those houâ—es some of them may tell you that of mee that all the world is not acquainted with I pray you Sirlet mee entreate you to take a little paines for mee and chiefely what good happe or ill is like to before mee as well among men as women and when I come for my note I will better consider your paines in the meane time I haue sent you a peece of gold that saw no light this many a day so till I heare from you which I pray you let bee as soone as you can I commit your Worshippe to God From my house at Columsbery this second day of Iuly 1615. Your Worships to commaund Ienkin Hoguiskine His Answer MY good Friend I receyued your Letter and your kinde Token and though I loue nâ—t to shewe
the Diuell Reason 〈…〉 to the World that A. T. to much in the world â—akes him a wofull Scholler that keepes that lesson in his heart Iacke a Lent scarce a Gentleman will ride on Cocke-horse like a rascal and Ioâ—e Fiddle in a French hoode will be a Lady before her Mistresse Prison is become a practise of policie to deceiue the wittâ— with a plot of villanie The breath of some man is deadly especially vpon a capitall â—ffence when iustice impartiall weedes the land of the vnnaturall The Pruner of the three trees hath gottenâ— much by vnwholesome fruit who when he hath pared the outside puts the rest in an earthen piâ— Beléeue me Neâ— I shall not bee at rest till I be with thee where I may walke to the well that yeeldes the Spirit a sweet Water Shortly I hope to see thee in the meane time let mee heare from thee that vpon the least of thy wish I may the sooner be with thee Farewell Thine if his owne R. D. His answere KInde Francke in perusing of thy Letter I find no little touch of passion and that thy brain is not a little distempered with the cares of this world which though they touch not thy person yet being a Christian thou canst not but hate a Iew far mine owne part I haue read of many idle passages in times past but I am most hartily â—ory to heare of the sinfull occurrents of this age I haue read in the Discourse of Sin that Enuie is a pestilent humor in a pestiferous spirit and that Pride is the fore-horse of Follies that drawes the Diuels Car into hell I haue read likewise that Queene Helens lust was the spoile of Trey and that her name will neuer be blotted out of the blacke booke of Infamie I haue read of many things of which I haue taken some notice as of the Cuckow â—illing the Sparow that hatcheth her and the Turkie cocke beating his henne when hee hath trod her but a Dogge to be too sawâ—ie with a Lion fie vpon it there is almost no beast can abide it I read likewise that vpon a time that sin was growne to such a a height that the Diuel laid about him like a great Lord but God be thanked there was an Angell that had authoritie ouer him seeing his â—â—â—kes quickely weakened his force fetched him into his precinct and kept him so fast lockt in his chaine that he could not passe beyond his â—â—â—its but what is all this to thée no more but a 〈◊〉 of thy kindnesse as thou writest what thou hast séen so I what I haue read when set the Hare against the Goose giblets and there would be a strange â—ish of didlums wel when thou art weary there come hither and as wee may wee will be merrie together Farewell Thine or not his selfe W. R. A Letter to a Scholler that tooke vpon him the Interpretation of Dreames SIR I heare by a kinsman of mine among other your deepe iudgements in many other learned points of Arte of your excellent iudgement in the interpretation of Dreames and being perswaded much of your kindnesse by such as hath conuersed much in your company I am bold to intreate your opinion vpon some apparisions that lately troubled me in my â—leep and though I will not be frighted with Furies nor will trust vnto flatteries yet if I may haue some notice of the issue of these night troubles I shall take it for a kindnesse that I would not bury in obliuion First mée thought I saw Phaeton in the skie sitting in Sols glorious Carre and many fiery driuers about him but on a sodaine giuing his horses the bridle for want of holding they run with such a speed that the Carre was ouerthrowne Phaeton fell downe and all his driuers with him with the sudden noise whereof I awoke when I fell a sléepe againe I saw me thought certaine great Starres mounting aboue the Sunne but comming neere his heate they were suddenly dissolued hange a while in the aire and at last fell into the bottome of the earth with the fall whereof I awoke now toward morning taking a little nappe me thought I saw a kinde of Furie or shee Diuell let out of hell with charmes or poisons to doe much hurt in the world but a gratious power came from heauen for the good of the world and with the breath of his mouth made her so vanish away that I neuer heard more what becâ—me of her These were the thrée dreames which troubled me in my sleepe the interpretation whereof leauing to the description of your kinde patience I rest Your louing friend R. I. His answere SIR though my profession be not to interprete night troubles yet at the request of your friend I am content to tell you mine opinion of your strange apparitions Touching your first dreame it should seeme you are somewhat Poeticall and hauing the day before read of the fiction were troubled in the night with a fable for your mounting Starres I guesse you were the euening before at the Starre or the Moone or some such elemental signe studying some Tauerne Astronomie that your braine being in the altitude of Canary taking the candles for starres seeing one of them by mischance 〈◊〉 with his candle stick downe to the ground being a little troubled with it to bed-ward brought out this strange vision in your â—â—â—pe For the third if you come to Furies shee Diuels or such kinde of Spirits I haue nothing to say to them nor will trouble my thought with them And therefore leauing such as loue Hell to deale with such Hagges Beseeching God to blesse me and thee and all honest hearts from all such horrible creatures I rest Your louing friend L. T. A Letter of a Patient to his Physitian MAster Doctor your Patient coÌ„mends him to your patience to beare a little kinde chiding for your too long absence my disease holds his owne and my paine nothing diminished and if you come not the sooner your Physicke will be past working for my stomacke is weake and my heart groweth faint and yet I feede though my 〈◊〉 be not the best loath I am to languish if I may haue hope of comfort but your absence makes me doubt of my recouery I pray you therefore haste you vnto me and let me be assured of your commingâ— lest you come too late you know my disease and are acquainted with my body for my cure I leaue it to God and your conscience and so entreating your present answere of your Spéedie presence I commit you to the Almightie Your sicke louing Patient T. N. His answere MY good Patient I feare your impatience hath by some passion encreased your paine I know the force of your disease cannot but be weakened if you be not mor afraid then hurt you will not die of this malady if my businesse were not great I would see you or if your need were great I would not be from you but knowing euery erampe is
not a conâ—ultion nor euery stitch at the heart I will onely wish you to put off melancholie to take heed of cold to haue minde rather of heauen then earth Eate good meat but not too much Drinke good wine but measurably be in charitie with all the world but not too farre with any especially with the feminine gender vse metion for naturall Physicke 〈◊〉 let a merrie heart be your best Physitian for conceit is hurtfull if it be not contentiue and it is past the reach of my reason to eure a corrupted mind shortly and God willing I will see you in the meane time imagine I am with you for indeed I wil not be long from you and this let me tell you that to put you out of feare I haue no feare of you but that you will be past Physicke ere my hope faile of your cure and that will not be in haste and so hoping that you are not so weeke in spirit but that you can endure a little paine with patience in hope or assured health till I sée you and alwaies I rest Your Physitian and louing friend W. R. A Letter from a yong Gentleman to an old Captaine MY good Captaine hauing of late no little disposition to martiall disciplino and in the field of bloud to aduenture life for honor I am to entreate your aduice as one long experienced in that course for what you shall thinke fit â—or my furniture for such seruice as may deserue regard and how I may so cary my selfe in al companies that I may not be â—anished the best and iâ— it please you shortly to go ouer to your Company that you will let me serue vnder your Colours and so beseeching your present answere that I may the better determine of my desires leauing to your kinde diâ—cretion the care of my instruction protesting in my best endeauors to shew my loue in you seruice till I heare from you I rest Your affectionate friend B. R. His answere SIR your desire I mislike not if your bodie will answere your mind your booke warres yéeld nâ— blowes and therefore séeme swéete in reading but come to the triall of the buisinesse and you will finde it full of bitternesse but if resolution haue taken roote with you and not easily to bee remoued I will tell you what I thinke shall most behoue you to carrie with you a good heart a stayed head and a strong stomack a purse to deâ—ray necessary charge and a care in laying out of expences neither offer nor take wrong at least not much borrow little pay all obserue the wise loue the honest be not idle nor ill exercised beware of forâ—eits play and wanton pleasures for thy furniture thy armor and pike thy peece and thy sword shall be sufficient to make thee a Souldier serue God and feare not the Diuell let thy enemie sée thy face and not thy back and be not proud of any honorable action but giue God the glory of all when I goe which will be shortly I will giue thée notice in the meane time sée mee and I will loue thée Farewell Thy assured louing friend B. W. A dogged Letter to a displeasing Companion AFter my harty commendations hoping that you are in good health as I was at the writing hereof when my head aked wishing you no better comfort then a Scould to your wife desirous to heare from you that I may neuer heare more of you and sorie with my slefe to be troubled with the thought of you assuring you that there is no man cares lesse for you for the vilenesse I know in you and the villany I heare of you wishing all honest men to beware of you no wise man to trust you hoping if that God doe not the sooner mâ—nd you the Gallowes will and you to deale plainly with you as a Rakehell I found you so a Rakehell I leaue you Yours as you see by your good seruice T. M. His answere O Man in desperation how are thy wits out of fashion it seemes by thy spight thy Spleene is full of corruption for thy wishes they cannot hurt me nor thy words trouble mee â—ory I am that thy wits are a wâ—â—ll gathering or gone God knowes whither what ill soeuer you think of me I knew better then you thinke of mee if your head ake you should better binds vp your braines then let them flyâ— so neere Bedlam to raile without discretion vpon a causelesse imagination but while the wise note your folly and the honest pitie your â—urie I shall be the lesse sorie for you because I will haue nothing to doe with you if your breath bee as 〈◊〉 as your peâ—ne no Christian will abide you and so 〈◊〉 nothing but as an idle humor followeth you a worse plague then a scoulding wife which is as neare hell as may he wil torment you as a Woodcock I know you and a Dawcock I hold you and so 〈◊〉 I see better of you to youâ— madde fits I leaue you and so rest as you see by the course of your owne cards Yours as you mine D. R. A Letter of Reconciliation HOnest Daniel I thought to trie the vertue of thy loue in thy patience but I see we are all weake when rage gets vpto his height Reason is a poore man if thou diddest thinke I was madde thou mightest haue béene sory and not angry and if well in my wits thou mightest haue thought it an humor of iest to trie a friend in earnest onely louers haue not beene of a little continuance and shall a conceit of vnkindnesse breake the knot of our friendship â—acre bee it from both and either of vs thou knowest thine owne desert and my disposition and mightest therefore suspect my distemper of braine through the 〈◊〉 of the same disease then fall into collor vpon 〈◊〉 of male content But since I began a 〈◊〉 I will end the combate and all causes set aside loue thee in spight of all spight and therefore let vs be as we were and euer will be one minde in two bodies and so with hearts shaking hands and shaking of all ill humoâ—rs that may make the least breach into our loues till I see thee And alwayes I rest If not thine not mine owne W. T. His Answer MY most worthy Beloued and neuer to be remoued kind Wilkin beleeue me it I can be angry and â—ke with kindnesse to meete with humors in their kinde onely to bee out of your dept for a few good words I tooke a little paines to blot a little paâ—er which if you will put to the fice mine shall soone consume to ashes and to auoyde all memoriall of mad humours I confesse Nature is subiect to imperfection yea and Reason is sometimes weake in discretion but loue is euer himselfe where hee liues in the Spirites of vnderstanding Thinke therefore of me as of your selfe who rather embrace kindnesse then beléeue madnesse and leauing all humour of iest haue a heart that will euer
so long as I know a Fâ—lcâ—n from a Buzaâ—d an Eagle from an Owle and a Nightingale from a Cuckow Let mee alone to iudge of the Natures of Birdes and how they are borne and when I looke into the nature of Honour whether by purchase fauour or desert I note the time with the persons and so goe on with my opinions to the iudgement I keepe to my 〈…〉 Your very louing Kinsman T. D. A Letter of vnkindnesse vpon a conceite of ill carriage in a Friend THere are two ill qualities in a Woman and two worse in a man In the first vnkindnesse and inconstancy in the second vnfaithfulnesse and vnthankefulnesse and will you beare both the imperfections that none may excéede you in euill whaâ— my deserts haue bin at your hands you know and what your requitall hath bin to me I would I knew not but what shall I thinke is euery man onely for himselfe and let the world go as it liâ—t hath vertue abandoned the earth and is wisedome so rapt vp in the mistie clouds of concupiscence that she can scarce shew any glimmering of the light of liue grace God forbid for vertue hath her working in all the children of her loue of which I would you were one that I might ioy as much in your conuersion as I feare your confusion Bée notangry though I seeme bitter for I am touched to the quicke yet write I more out of loue then hate for I will suspend my opinion vntill your answere giue me satisfaction that I shall shortly with your presence cleare my thought of your indignities till when and alwayes I rest Yours as you know and shall know T. M. His Answer WHat women are I Know but what meÌ„ should be I know and what I am you shall finde alwayes one and the same in iâ—remoueable affection to an assured friend Uertue I know hath her working in the heaâ—ts of the honest and I hope you wil not taxe me of a contrarie condition but if a misse report breedes a misse beliefe an vngratious conceit may worke a grieuous vnkindnesse if your deserts and my requitall were weighed together in an euen Ballens I hope there would not bee much in equality but let humours bleed their last and better thoughts wil follow I am content to make a bitter swéet of an angry loue shortly I will see you and then so satisfie you that the old Prouerbe shall come new in proofe The falling out of Louers is the renewing of loue in which I wil rest without all doubts Yours as I haue beene and euer will bee R. D. A fantasticke Loue Letter MIstris if you were not a witch your eyes could not haue so wrought in my heart as to make me thinke of nothing but your loue and if your words were not charâ—â—es they could not so commaund me from my selfe as to seuer me wholy to your seruice but if it be so that you are borne a Creature onely to craciâ—â—e my spirit I must onely pray for patience to mitigate my passion finding your nature as â—arre from pitie as my hope is from happinesse that if there be any spaâ—ke of grace in you let it kindle a cole in your kindnesse to warme the life of my loue that I may not die in the colâ— feare of disdaine but reuiuing in the vertue of your fauour I may honor you aboue the whole world so leauing my life to the answere of your owne loue I rest Yours what you will T. R. Her answere SEruant if you were not a foole you would not runne so from your wits as to write you care not how vpon an imagination you know not what mine eyes be mine owne and if your heart be not yours shall I winke because you are wilfull No such matter and my words haue made a metamorphosis of your wit I am sorie my breath should blow away your vnderstanding yet lest you should thinke I am past grace in the pitie of perplexities let me entreate you not to feare your ownâ— shadow walke temperately in the Sunne and the heat will doe you no hurt So wishing you better then you wish your selfe not to trouble your head with idle humours I rest as I haue reason Your louing Mistresse M. T. A Letter of griefe to a faire creature that was separated from her second selfe for playing false with a third person SWeet soule that once was now the most wretchedest creature that is how haue you made a metamorphosts of your selfe when you were vertuous you were faire now you are vitious you are foule when you were wâ—e you were honored now you are foolish you are scorned when you were gratious you were beloued now you be wicked you are hated Oh strange alteration from vertue to vice from wisdome to folly from grace to â—inne as to make the creature so offensiue to the Câ—â—ator what shall I say vnto you but onely that I am sorie for you but cannot helpe you and onely pray for you that your sin may be forgiuen that your shame may be forgotten and so beseeching the Highest whom you haue offended most in the mercie of iustice to shew the glory of Maiesty in the sorrow of humanitie and Christian charitie with a broken heart to thinke of your wounded soule wishing your true repentance to be a president for the conuersion of all such vnhappy creatures I rest Your friend and no further but in prayer for your soules health T. R. Her answere MY once kinde friend now worthily farre off from the title of such comfort with sighâ—s let me write that which I seale with the teares of my heart I now finde the wound of conscience so déepe cut into my heart as comes too neer the danger of my soule and were not Faith the strong hold of Hope Patience would bee too â—ull of feare I confesse shame to be a gentle punishment of â—inne and repentance a true pleader for mercy for none â—ees the angry face of sinne but the repentant sinner For the world I hate it and my selfe most in it for my sinne I loath it and abhorre my selfe for it and for my life I am wearie of it that I care not how soone I were ridde of it but all things to Gods pleasure to whom I beséech you in Christian charity to pray for me that the Enemie of Christ may not preuaile against me that whatsoeuer befall me I may not fall for euer So with a bleeding heart in the bitternesse of griefe as full of sorrow as a sinfull soule can hold I rest Your worthy forsaken friend E. R. A Letter to a friend for his opinion in diuers points of considerations MY honest Ned I pray thée write me word by this â—earer how thou doest thy opinion of the world of life and death honestie and wit and what comes into thy head when thou hast leasure to be idlâ— I long to heare from thee to reade thy conceits which if they be of the old fashion are better then of the new forme â—ee what will be to me it shall be welcome and thy selfe better whensoeuer I may see thee for dull wits and 〈◊〉 heads so beate about the market in this Towne that I had rather goe a mile wide then kéepe way with such wilde geese and so loth to trouble thée with trifling newes to no good purpose in the affection of a faithfull heart I rest Thine what mine B. W. His answere KInd Henry to answere thy request in a few words let me tell thee for the world I finde it a walke that soone wearieth a good spirit this life is but a puffe and death but an abridgeâ—ent of time Now for some notes I haue taken of the world and diuers things in it let me tell thee that if all the wealth in the world were in one chest it would not buy one howre of life if all the henesty of the world were in one heart it would not buy â—ne bit of bread and if all the wit in the world were in one wicked pate it would not buy one iot of grace and therefore it is meete with death at a meaner price and to carie money with honestie the better to goe to market and to ioyne grace with witte to finde the high way to heauen This is all for this time I haue had leasure to think vpon as more comes in my head I will make you acquainted with it in the meane time marke what I haue written and it will doe thée no hurt in reading Farewell Thine or not mine owne W. F. FINIS