Night! and wished, too late, we had ne'er referred to him a Grievance,
nor let him know we had a Burthen. Soone we founde King _Log_ had been
succeeded by King _Stork_; soone made common Cause, tryed our Strength
and found it wanting, and soone submitted to our new Yoke, and tried to
make the best of it.
Yes, that is the onlie Course; we alle feele it; onlie, as Ill-luck will
have it, we do not always feel it simultaneouslie. _Anne_, mayhap, has
one of her dogged humours; _Mary_ and I see how much better 'twould be,
did she overcome it, or shut herself up till in better Temper. _Mary_ is
crabbed and exacting; _Anne_ and I cannot put her straight. Well for us
when we succeed just soe far as to keep it from the Notice of Father.
Thus we rub on; I wonder if we ever shall pull all together?
_April 22, 1665_.
Like unto a wise Master-builder, who ordereth the Disposition of eache
Stone till the whole Building is fitly compacted together, so doth Father
build up his noble Poem, which groweth under our Hands. Three Nights
have I, without Complaynt, lost my Rest while writing at his Bedside;
this hath made me yawnish in the Day-time, or, as Mother will have it,
lazy. However, I bethink me of _Damo_, Daughter of _Pythagoras_.
Mother came Home yesterday, and _Betty_, the Picture of Neatnesse, tooke
goode Heede to be the first to welcome her, with officious Smiles, and
Prayses of her Looks. For my Part, I thoughte it fullsome, but knew her
Motives better than Mother, who took it alle in goode Part. Indeede, noe
one would give this Girl credit for soe false a Heart; she is pretty,
modest looking, and for a while before my Father's Marriage was as great
a Favourite with _Mary_ as now with my Mother; flattered her the same,
and tempted her to idle gossiping Confidences. She was slow to believe
herself cheated; and when 'twas as cleare as Day, could not convince
Father of it.
On _Mary's_ mentioning this Morning (unadvisedlie, I think,) the Kitchen
Visitor, Mother made short Answer--
"Tilly-vally! bad Mistresses make bad Maids; there will be noe such
Doings now, I warrant. . . . I am sure, my Dear," appealing to Father,
"you think well in the main of _Betty_?"
"Yes," says he, smiling, "I think well of both my _Betties_."
"At any rate," persists _Mary_, "the Man coulde not be at once her Cousin
and her Brother."
"Why no," replies Father, "therein she worsened her Story, by saying too
much, as _Dorothea_ did, when she pretended to have heard of the Knight
of _La Mancha's_ Fame, when she landed at _Ossuna_; which even a Madman
as he was, knew to be noe Sea-port. It requires more Skill than the
General possess, to lie with a Circumstance."
Had a Valentine this Morning, though onlie from_ Ned Phillips_, whom
Mother is angry with, for filling my Head betimes with such Nonsense.
Howbeit, I am close on sixteen.
_Mary_ was out of Patience with Father yesterday, who, after keeping her
a full Hour at _Thucydides_, sayd,
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