and conditions: nature hath taught her too, immoderate sleep is rust to the soul; she rises therefore with Chanticlere, her dame's cock, and at night makes the lamb her curfew. In milking a cow, and straining the teats through her fingers, it seems that so sweet a milkpress makes the milk whiter or sweeter; for never came almond-glore or aromatic ointment on her palm to taint it. The golden ears of corn fall and kiss her feet when she reaps them, as if they wished to be bound and led prisoners by the same hand that felled them. Her breath is her own, which scents all the year long of June, like a new-made haycock. She makes her hand hard with labour, and her heart soft with pity; and when winter evenings fall early, sitting at her merry wheel, she sings defiance to the giddy wheel of fortune. She doth all things with so sweet a grace, it seems ignorance will not suffer her to do ill, being her mind is to do well. She bestows her year's wages at next fair, and in choosing her garments, counts no bravery in the world like decency. The garden and beehive are all her physic and surgery, and she lives the longer for it. She dares go alone and unfold sheep in the night, and fears no manner of ill, because she means none; yet, to say truth, she is never alone, but is still accompanied with old songs, honest thoughts, and prayers, but short ones; yet they have their efficacy, in that they are not palled with ensuing idle cogitations. Lastly, her dreams are so chaste, that she dare tell them; only a Friday's dream is all her superstition; that she conceals for fear of anger. Thus lives she, and all her care is, she may die in the springtime, to have store of flowers stuck upon her windingsheet.-Characters. JOHN SELDEN 1584-1654 EQUITY EQUITY in Law, is the same that the Spirit is in Religion, what every one pleases to make it. Sometimes they go according to Conscience, sometimes according to Law, sometimes according to the Rule of Court. 2. Equity is a Roguish thing: for Law we have a measure, know what to trust to; Equity is according to the Conscience of him that is Chancellor, and as that is larger or narrower, so is Equity. Tis all one as if they should make the Standard for the measure we call a Foot, a Chancellor's Foot; what an uncertain Measure would be this. One Chancellor has a long Foot, another a short Foot, a Third an indifferent Foot; 'Tis the same thing in the Chancellor's Conscience. 3. That saying, 'Do as you would be done to,' is often misunderstood; for 'tis not thus meant, that I, a private Man, should do to you, a private Man, as I would have you to me, but do, as we have agreed to do one to another by public Agreement. If the Prisoner should ask the Judge, whether he would be content to be hanged, were he in his case, he would answer no. Then says the Prisoner, Do as you would be done to. Neither of them must do as private Men, but the Judge must do by him as they have publicly agreed; that is, both Judge and Prisoner have consented to a Law, that if either of them steal, they shall be hanged.-Table Talk. PLEASURE Pleasure is nothing else but the intermission of Pain, the enjoying of something I am in great trouble for till I have it. 2. Tis a wrong way to proportion other Men's Pleasures to ourselves; 'tis like a Child's using a little Bird, 'O poor Bird, thou shalt sleep with me;' so lays it in his Bosom, and stifles it with his hot Breath: the Bird had rather be in the cold Air. And yet too 'tis the most pleasing Flattery, to like what other men like. 3. 'Tis most undoubtedly true, that all Men are equally given to their pleasure; only thus, one man's pleasure lies one way, and another's another. Pleasures are all alike simply considered in themselves: he that hunts, or he that governs the Commonwealth, they both please themselves alike, only we commend that, whereby we ourselves receive some benefit; as if a man place his delight in things that tend to the common good. He that takes pleasure to hear Sermons, enjoys himself as much as he that hears Plays; and could he that loves Plays endeavour to love Sermons, possibly he might bring himself to it as well as to any other Pleasure. At first it may seem harsh and tedious, but afterwards 'twould be pleasing and delightful. So it falls out in that which is the great Pleasure of some Men, Tobacco; at first they could not abide it, and now they cannot be without it. 4. Whilst you are upon Earth, enjoy the good Things that are here (to that end were they given), and be not melancholy, and wish yourself in Heaven. If a King should give you the keeping of a Castle, with all things belonging to it, Orchards, Gardens, etc., and bid you use them; withal promise you after twenty years to remove you to the Court, and to make you a Privy Councillor; if you should neglect your Castle, and refuse to eat of those fruits, and sit down, and whine, and wish you were a Privy Councillor, do you think the King would be pleased with you? 5. Pleasures of Meat, Drink, Clothes, etc., are forbidden those that know not how to use them; just as Nurses cry pah! when they see a Knife in a Child's Hand; they will never say anything to a Man.-Table Talk. STATE In a troubled State save as much for your own as you can. A Dog had been at Market to buy a Shoulder of Mutton; coming home he met two Dogs by the way, that quarrelled with him; he laid down his Shoulder of Mutton, and fell to fighting with one of them; in the meantime the other Dog fell to eating his Mutton; he seeing that, left the Dog he was fighting with, and fell upon him that was eating; then the other Dog fell to eat when he perceived there was no remedy, but which of them soever he fought withal, his Mutton was in danger, he thought he would save as much of it as he could, and thereupon gave over fighting, and fell to eating himself.-Table Talk. TRUTH The Aristotelians say, All Truth is contained in Aristotle, in one place or another. Galileo makes Simplicius say so, but shows the absurdity of that Speech, by answering, All Truth is contained in a lesser Compass, viz. in the Alphabet. Aristotle is not blamed for mistaking sometimes, but Aristotelians for maintaining those mistakes. They should acknowledge the good they have from him, and leave him when he is in the wrong. There never breathed that Person to whom Mankind was more beholden. 2. The way to find out the Truth is by others' mistakings; for if I was to go to such a Place, and one had gone before me on the Right-hand, and he was out; another had gone on the Left-hand, and he was out; this would direct me to keep the middle way, that peradventure would bring me to the place I desired to go. 3. In troubled Water you can scarce see your Face, or see it very little, till the Water be quiet and stand still. So in troubled times you can see little Truth ; when times are quiet and settled, then Truth appears. Table Talk. IZAAK WALTON 1593-1683 THE MILKMAID AND HER SONG Piscator. But turn out of the way a little, good Scholar, towards yonder high honeysuckle hedge; there we'll sit and sing whilst this shower falls so gently upon the teeming earth, and gives yet a sweeter smell to the lovely flowers that adorn these verdant meadows. Look, under that broad beech-tree I sat down, when I was last this way a-fishing, and the birds in the adjoining grove seemed to have a friendly contention with an echo, whose dead voice seemed to live in a hollow tree, near to the brow of that primrose hill; there I sat viewing the silver streams glide silently towards their centre, the tempestuous sea; yet sometimes opposed by rugged roots, and pebble-stones, which broke their waves, and turned them into foam: and sometimes I beguiled time by viewing the harmless lambs, some leaping securely in the cool shade, whilst others sported themselves in the cheerful sun; and saw others craving comfort from the swollen udders |