heede not to hurt me
with his sharp beak. While I was feeding him, Erasmus came up, and asked
me concerning Mercy Giggs; and I tolde him how that she was a
friendlesse orphan, to whom deare father afforded protection and the run
of y'e house; and tolde him of her gratitude, her meekness, her
patience, her docilitie, her aptitude for alle goode works and
alms-deeds; and how, in her little chamber, she improved eache spare
moment in y'e way of studdy and prayer. He repeated "Friendlesse? she
cannot be called friendlesse, who hath More for her protector, and his
children for companions;' and then woulde heare more of her parents' sad
story. Alsoe, would hear somewhat of Rupert Allington, and how father
gained his law-suit. Alsoe, of Daisy, whose name he tooke to be y'e
true abbreviation for Margaret, but I tolde him how that my step-sister,
and Mercy, and I, being all three of a name, and I being alwaies called
Meg, we had in sport given one the significative of her characteristic
virtue, and the other that of y'e French Marguerite, which may indeed
be rendered either pearl or daisy. And Chaucer, speaking of our English
daisy, saith

"Si douce est la Marguerite."

* * * * *

Since y'e little wisdom I have capacitie to acquire, soe oft gives me
y'e headache to distraction, I marvel not at Jupiter's payn in his
head, when the goddess of wisdom sprang therefrom full growne.

This morn, to quiet y'e payn brought on by too busie application, Mr.
Gunnell would have me close my book and ramble forth with Cecy into
y'e fields. We strolled towards Walham Greene; and she was seeking for
shepherd's purses and shepherd's needles, when she came running back to
me, looking rather pale. I askt what had scared her, and she made answer
that Gammer Gurney was coming along y'e hedge. I bade her set aside
her fears; and anon we come up with Gammer, who was puling at y'e
purple blossoms of y'e deadly night-shade. I sayd, "Gammer, to what
purpose gather that weed? knowest not 'tis evill?"

She sayth, mumbling, "What God hath created, that call not thou evill."

"Well, but," quo' I, "'tis poison."

"Aye, and medicine, too," returns Gammer, "I wonder what we poor souls
might come to, if we tooke nowt for our ails and aches but what we could
buy o' the potticary. We've got noe Dr. Clement, we poor folks, to be
our leech o' the household."

"But hast no feare," quo' I, "of an overdose?"

"There's manie