CCXI sociable letters written by the thrice noble, illustrious, and excellent princess, the Lady Marchioness of Newcastle.

CCVII.

Reverend Sir,

I Give you thanks for your Visit, although I made little Profit thereby, for whereas I should have sat and Listened to your Discourse, out of which I should have Learned much Good, both for my Understanding and Course of Life, I was so full of Discourse my self, as I neither gave you time to Speak, nor my self to Hear; indeed it was not so much a Discourse as Words, for in a Discourse there is some Coherence, whenas a Number of Words may be Spoken without any Coherence therein; after that rate I believe I Entertained you, for which I ask your Pardon, which you may the Freelier give me, because I am a Woman, & it is according to our Nature to Speak more Words than Sense, and so well we Love Speaking, as Men might think we had ra∣ther

be Damned, at least Condemned, for Talk∣ing, than be Praised, or Saved for Silence; yet give me leave to say somewhat in my own Be∣half; though I am full of Words when I do Talk, yet I do not give my self Liberty to Speak often, for were the Years of my Life Divided, not Half a part of Four had been Spent in Speech; but howsoever, what I do Speak is too much, for the truth is, Women should never Speak more than to Ask Rational Questi∣ons, or to give a Discreet Answer to a Question Asked them, unless it be in their Huswifry, and then they may take Licence to Speak as much as they will, or at Child-bed Gossipings they may have the Privilege of the Tongue, but o∣ther wayes or times, they ought to be Sparing of Speech, especially in Company of Men, but the truth is, our Sex doth not love to be Tongue∣tied; but lest I should Express too much the Nature of our Sex, by Speaking too much of them, although I speak now but to your Eyes, not to your Ears, for Letters are more a Dis∣course to the Eyes than Ears, I will take my leave for this time, only Subscribe my self,

Sir,

Your very loving Friend and Servant.