proportionable comfort, especially since 'tis ye best way you can ever
hope to make her such amends as God requires of yr hands. but Poll!
it grieves me a little yt I am forced to take notice of & reprove you
for some vaine expressions in yr lettrs to yr Sister--you say
concerning yr allowance "you aime to bring yr bread & cheese even" in
this I do not discommend you, for a foule shame indeed it would be
should you out run the Constable having soe liberall a provision made
you for yr maintenance--but ye reason you give for yr resolution I
cannot at all approve for you say "to spend more you can't" thats
because you have it not to spend, otherwise it seems you would. So yt
'tis yr Grandmothrs discretion & not yours tht keeps you from
extravagancy, which plainly appears in ye close of yr sentence, saying
yt you think it simple covetousness to save out of yrs but 'tis my
opinion if you lay all on yr back 'tis ten tymes a greater sin & shame
thn to save some what out of soe large an allowance in yr purse to
help you at a dead lift. Child, we all know our beginning, but who
knows his end? Ye best use tht can be made of fair weathr is to
provide against foule & 'tis great discretion & of noe small
commendations for a young woman betymes to shew herself housewifly &
frugal. Yr Mother neither Maide nor wife ever yett bestowed forty
pounds a yeare on herself & yett if you never fall undr a worse
reputation in ye world thn she (I thank God for it) hath hitherto
done, you need not repine at it, & you cannot be ignorant of ye
difference tht was between my fortune & what you are to expect. You
ought likewise to consider tht you have seven brothers & sisters & you
are all one man's children & therefore it is very unreasonable that
one should expect to be preferred in finery soe much above all ye rest
for 'tis impossible you should soe much mistake yr ffather's condition
as to fancy he is able to allow every one of you forty pounds a yeare
a piece, for such an allowance with the charge of their diett over and