'e marvels reported of y'e Canterbury shrine.

Had I beene justice of y'e peace, like y'e king's grandmother, I
w'd have beene very jealous of accusations of witchcraft; and have
taken infinite payns to sift out y'e causes of malice, jealousie, &c.,
which mighte have wroughte with y'e poore olde women's enemies. Holie
Writ sayth, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live;" but, questionlesse,
manie have suffered hurte that were noe witches; and for my part, I have
alwaies helde ducking to be a very uncertayn as well as very cruel
teste.

I cannot helpe smiling, whenever I think of my rencounter with William
this morning. Mr. Gunnell had set me Homer's tiresome list of ships;
and, because of y'e excessive heate within doors, I took my book into
y'e nuttery, to be beyonde y'e wrath of far-darting Phoebus Apollo,
where I clomb into my favourite filbert seat. Anon comes William through
y'e trees without seeing me; and seats him at the foot of my filbert;
then, out with his tablets, and, in a posture I s'd have called
studdied, had he known anie one within sighte, falls a poetizing, I
question not. Having noe mind to be interrupted, I lett him be, thinking
he w'd soon exhauste y'e vein; but a caterpillar dropping from y'e
leaves on to my page, I was fayn for mirthe sake, to shake it down on
his tablets. As ill luck w'd have it, however, y'e little reptile
onlie fell among his curls; which soe took me at vantage, that I could
not helpe hastilie crying, "I beg your pardon." 'Twas worth a world to
see his start! "What!" cries he, looking up, "are there indeede
Hamadryads?" and would have gallanted a little, but I bade him hold down
his head, while that with a twig I switched off y'e caterpillar.
Neither could forbeare laughing; and then he sued me to step downe, but
I was minded to abide where I was. Howbeit, after a minute's pause, he
sayd, in a grave, kind tone, "Come, little wife;" and taking mine arm
steadilie in his hand, I lost my balance and was faine to come down
whether or noe. We walked for some time, _juxta fluvium_; and he talked
not badlie of his travels, inasmuch as I founde there was really more in
him than one w'd think.

* * * * *

--Was there ever anie-thing soe perverse, unluckie, and downright
disagreeable? We hurried our afternoone tasks, to goe on y'e water
with my father; and, meaning to give Mr. Gunnel my Latin traduction,
which is in a book like unto this, I never knew he