Reader,<\/p>\n
If any do read this book of mine, pray be not too severe in your censures. For first, I have no children to employ my care and attendance on, and<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span> my lord\u2019s estate being taken away in those times when I writ this book, I<\/span>2<\/sup><\/a><\/span> had nothing for housewifery or thrifty industry to employ myself in, having no stock to work on. For housewifery is a discreet management, and ordering all in private and household affairs, seeing that nothing be<\/span>3<\/sup><\/a><\/span> spoiled or profusely spent, that every thing may have<\/span>4<\/sup><\/a><\/span> its proper place, and every servant his proper work, and every work may<\/span>5<\/sup><\/a><\/span> be done in its proper time, to be neat and cleanly, to have their house quiet from all disturbing noise. But thriftiness is something stricter; for good housewifery may be used in great expenses, but<\/span>6<\/sup><\/a><\/span> thriftiness signifies a saving or a getting, as to<\/span>7<\/sup><\/a><\/span> increase their stock or estate. For thrift weighs and measures out all expense. It is just as in poetry: for good husbandry in poetry is when there is great store of fancy well ordered, not only in fine language, but proper phrases and significant words. And thrift in poetry is when there is but little fancy, which is not only spun to the last thread, but the thread is drawn so small that<\/span>8<\/sup><\/a><\/span> it is scarce perceived. But I had<\/span>9<\/sup><\/a><\/span> nothing to spin or order, so that<\/span>10<\/sup><\/a><\/span> I became<\/span>11<\/sup><\/a><\/span> idle\u2014I cannot say \u201cin mine own house,\u201d because I had<\/span>12<\/sup><\/a><\/span> none but what my mind was<\/span>13<\/sup><\/a><\/span> lodged in. Thirdly, you are to<\/span>14<\/sup><\/a><\/span> spare your severe censures, because I had<\/span>15<\/sup><\/a><\/span> not so many years of experience when I wrote this book as could<\/span>16<\/sup><\/a><\/span> make me a garland to crown my head; only I had<\/span>17<\/sup><\/a><\/span> so much time as to gather a little posy to stick upon my breast. Lastly, the time I have been writing them hath not been very long, but since I came into England, being eight years out and nine months in, and of these nine months, only some hours in the day, or rather in the night. For my rest being broke with discontented thoughts because I was from my lord and husband, knowing him to be in great wants, and myself in the same condition, to divert them, I strove to turn the stream, and<\/span>18<\/sup><\/a><\/span> shunning the muddy and foul ways of vice, I went to the well of Helicon, and by the wells side I did sit<\/span>19<\/sup><\/a><\/span> and wrote this work. It is not excellent, nor rare, but plain; yet it is harmless, modest, and honest. True, you<\/span>20<\/sup><\/a><\/span> may tax my indiscretion, being so fond of my book as to make it as if it were my child, and striving to show her<\/span>21<\/sup><\/a><\/span> to the world in hopes some may like her,<\/span>22<\/sup><\/a><\/span> and though they cannot admire her beauty,<\/span>23<\/sup><\/a><\/span> yet may praise her<\/span>24<\/sup><\/a><\/span> behavior, which is neither<\/span>25<\/sup><\/a><\/span> wanton nor rude. Wherefore I hope you will not put her<\/span>26<\/sup><\/a><\/span> out of countenance, which she is very apt to,<\/span>27<\/sup><\/a><\/span> being of bashful nature, and as ready to shed repentant tears if she<\/span>28<\/sup><\/a><\/span> think she hath<\/span>29<\/sup><\/a><\/span> committed a fault: wherefore pity her<\/span>30<\/sup><\/a><\/span> youth and tender growth, and rather tax the parent\u2019s indiscretion than the child\u2019s innocency. But my book coming out in this iron age, I fear I shall find hard hearts; yet I had rather she<\/span>31<\/sup><\/a><\/span> should find cruelty than scorn, and that my book<\/span>32<\/sup><\/a><\/span> should be torn rather than laughed at, for there is no such regret in nature as contempt. But I am resolved to set it at all hazards. If Fortune plays ambs-ace,<\/span>33<\/sup><\/a><\/span> I am gone; if sice cinque, I shall win a reputation of fancy; and if I lose, I lose<\/span>34<\/sup><\/a><\/span> but the opinion of wit. And where the gain will be more than the loss, who would not venture, when there are many in the world (which are accounted wise) that will venture life and honor for a petty interest, or out of envy, or for revenge\u2019s<\/span>35<\/sup><\/a><\/span> sake. And why should not I venture, when nothing lies at stake but wit? Let it go\u2014I shall not,<\/span>36<\/sup><\/a><\/span> nor cannot be much poorer. If fortune be my friend, then fame will be my gain, which may build me a pyramid of<\/span>37<\/sup><\/a><\/span> praise to my memory. I shall have no cause to fear it will be so high as Babel\u2019s tower, to fall in the mid-way. Yet I am sorry it doth not touch the<\/span>38<\/sup><\/a><\/span> heaven, but my incapacity, fear, awe, and reverence kept me from that work. For it were too great a presumption to venture to discourse of that<\/span>39<\/sup><\/a><\/span> in my fancy which is not describable.<\/span>40<\/sup><\/a><\/span> For God and his heavenly mansions are to be admired and wondered at with astonishment,<\/span>41<\/sup><\/a><\/span> and not disputed on.<\/p>\n But at all other things let fancy fly, Reader, If any do read this book of mine, pray be not too severe in your censures. For first, I have no children to employ my care and attendance on, and my lord\u2019s estate being taken away in those times when I writ this book, I had nothing for housewifery or thrifty industry to employ … Continue reading To the Reader<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[243],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2500","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-prefatory-material-section"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/library2.utm.utoronto.ca\/poemsandfancies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2500","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/library2.utm.utoronto.ca\/poemsandfancies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/library2.utm.utoronto.ca\/poemsandfancies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library2.utm.utoronto.ca\/poemsandfancies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library2.utm.utoronto.ca\/poemsandfancies\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2500"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/library2.utm.utoronto.ca\/poemsandfancies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2500\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2501,"href":"https:\/\/library2.utm.utoronto.ca\/poemsandfancies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2500\/revisions\/2501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/library2.utm.utoronto.ca\/poemsandfancies\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library2.utm.utoronto.ca\/poemsandfancies\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library2.utm.utoronto.ca\/poemsandfancies\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nAnd like a towering eagle mount the sky.
\nOr like the sun swiftly the world to round,
\nOr like pure gold, which in the earth is found.
\nBut if a drossy wit, let\u2019t buried be
\nUnder the ruins of all memory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"