speak of women.

"Why," saith she, "we might be an other sort of animal altogether,
instead of the one half of themselves. Do but look you what I have
heard men to say in my life. A woman's first desire is to be wed;
that's not true but of some women, and they be the least worthy of the
sex. A woman can never keep a secret: that's not true but of some. A
woman can never take a joke: that's as big a falsehood as _Westminster_
Abbey. A woman cannot understand reason and logic: that's as big an one
as all _England_. Any woman can keep a house or manage a babe: heyday,
can she so? I know better. Poor loons, what should they say if we made
as great blunders touching them? And an other thing I will tell you
which hath oft-times diverted me: 'tis the queer ways whereby a man will
look to win favour of a woman. Nine men of every ten will suppose they
shall be liked of a woman for telling her (in substance) that she is as
good as if she had not been one. Now, that should set the man that did
it out of my grace for ever and ever."

"How mean you, _Aunt_, an' it like you?" saith _Nell_.

"Why, look you here," saith Aunt _Joyce_. "But this last week, said I
to Master _Coward_, touching somewhat he had said, `But,' said I, `that
were not just.' Quoth he, `How, my mistress!--you a woman, and love
justice?' Again: there was once a companion would fain have won me to
wed him. When I said `Nay,' (and meant it), quoth he, `Oh, a maid doth
never say yea at the first.' And I do believe that both these thought
to flatter me. If they had but known how I longed to shake them! For
look you what the words meant. A woman is never just: a woman is never
sincere. And the dolts reckon it shall please us to know that they take
us for such fools! Verily, I would give a pretty penny but to make them
conceive that the scrap of flattery which they do offer to my particular
is utterly swamped in the vast affront which they give to my sex in the
general. But you shall rarely see a man to guess that. Moreover, there
be two other points. Mark you how a man shall serve a woman, if he come
to know that she hath the tongues [knows the classical languages]. Doth
he take it as he should with an other man? Never a whit. He treats the
matter as though an horse should read _English_, or a cat play the
spinnet. What right hath he to account my brains so much worser than
his (I being the same creature as he) that I cannot learn aught he