was fain to ly vppon goates skinns. She might take some goates
skinns to ly in her bedd but not given to her for her lodginge. For
a yeare & quarter or more she lay with my daughter vppon a good
feather bed; before my daughter being lacke 3 or 4 days to Sacco
the maid goes into bed with her cloths & stockins & would not take
the paines to pluck off her Cloths; her bed after was a doust bedd
& shee had 2 Coverletts to ly on her, but Sheets she had none,
after that tyme she was found to be so sluttish. Her beatinge that
she hath had hath never hurt her body nor limes. She is so fatt &
soggy she can hardly do any worke. Yf this maide at her lazy tymes
when she hath bin found in her yll accyons do not deserve 2 or 3
blowes I pray you who hath the most reason to complain my Wyfe or
maide. My Wyfe hath an Vnthankefull office. Yt does not please me
well, being she hath taken so much paines and care to order things
as well as she could, and ryse in the morning rath & go to bed soe
latte, and have hard speeches for yt."

We can well imagine his exhausted patience, and that of poor overworked
Mistress Wynter, at that fat soggy thing, that lag-last, so shiftless
and useless about the house, lazing from rath to latte, and then to
complete their exasperation, miching off into the woods to shirk her
work so that the whole company had to turn out with a mort of trouble to
hunt for the leg-trape. We cannot marvel at the beating, but simply
wonder at its being remarked in those days of many and hard beatings,
when scholars, servants, soldiers, and college students were well
whipped, and, in Old England, wives also.

Wynter had no better fortune without doors with his men-servants and
workmen; they proved kittle cattle. He found them not "plyable" or
"condishionabell," that they "spoke Fair to the Face and Colloged behind
the back." Of one malcontent he wrote,

"He is verry vnwilling to do vs servize, he is alwaies too hard
labored, he cares not what Spoyle he makes, and will not be
commanded but when he list. He is such a talkinge Fellow as makes
our company worse than would be."

He says his bound servants ran away at their pleasure, worked when they
pleased, and led others off to their lure, and should be punished if
they had returned to England. One only was "frace" of his ways and
promised to do better. Not only do we gain from Wyn