it; and as a just punishment upon me from that hour to this I could
never learn whom those rings were for, nor what was in the letter
besides. This is but as extravagant as yours, for it is as likely that
your mother should send me letters as that I should make a journey to
see poor people hanged, or that your teeth should drop out at this age.

And to remove the opinions you have of my niceness, or being hard to
please, let me assure you I am far from desiring my husband should be
fond of me at threescore, that I would not have him so at all. 'Tis true
I should be glad to have him always kind, and know no reason why he
should be wearier of being my master, than he was of being my servant.
But it is very possible I may talk ignorantly of marriage; when I come
to make sad experiments on it in my own person I shall know more, and
say less, for fear of disheartening others (since 'tis no advantage to
foreknow a misfortune that cannot be avoided), and for fear of being
pitied, which of all things I hate. Lest you should be of the same
humour I will not pity you, lame as you are; and to speak truth, if you
did like it, you should not have it, for you do not deserve it. Would
any one in the world, but you, make such haste for a new cold before the
old had left him; in a year, too, when mere colds kill as many as a
plague used to do? Well, seriously, either resolve to have more care of
yourself, or I renounce my friendship; and as a certain king (that my
learned knight is very well acquainted with), who, seeing one of his
confederates in so happy a condition as it was not likely to last, sent
his ambassador presently to break off the league betwixt them, lest he
should be obliged to mourn the change of his fortune if he continued his
friend; so I, with a great deal more reason, do declare that I will no
longer be a friend to one that's none to himself, nor apprehend the loss
of what you hazard every day at tennis. They had served you well enough
if they had crammed a dozen ounces of that medicine down your throat to