an be made of fair weathr is to
provide against foule & 'tis great discretion & of noe small
commendations for a young woman betymes to shew herself housewifly &
frugal. Yr Mother neither Maide nor wife ever yett bestowed forty
pounds a yeare on herself & yett if you never fall undr a worse
reputation in ye world thn she (I thank God for it) hath hitherto
done, you need not repine at it, & you cannot be ignorant of ye
difference tht was between my fortune & what you are to expect. You
ought likewise to consider tht you have seven brothers & sisters & you
are all one man's children & therefore it is very unreasonable that
one should expect to be preferred in finery soe much above all ye rest
for 'tis impossible you should soe much mistake yr ffather's condition
as to fancy he is able to allow every one of you forty pounds a yeare
a piece, for such an allowance with the charge of their diett over and
above will amount to at least five hundred pounds a yeare, a sum yr
poor ffather can ill spare, besides doe but bethink yrself what a
ridiculous sight it will be when yr grandmothr & you come to us to
have noe less thn seven waiting gentlewomen in one house, for what
reason can you give why every one of yr Sistrs should not have every
one of ym a Maide as well as you, & though you may spare to pay yr
maide's wages out of yr allowance yett you take no care of ye
unnecessary charge you put yr ffathr to in yr increase of his family,
whereas if it were not a piece of pride to have ye name of keeping yr
maide she yt waits on yr good Grandmother might easily doe as formerly
you know she hath done, all ye business you have for a maide unless as
you grow oldr you grow a veryer Foole which God forbid!

'Poll, you live in a place where you see great plenty & splendour but
let not ye allurements of earthly pleasures tempt you to forget or
neglect ye duty of a good Christian in dressing yr bettr part which is
yr soule, as will best please God. I am not against yr going decent &
neate as becomes yr ffathers daughter but to clothe yrself rich & be
running into every gaudy fashion can never become yr circumstances &
instead of doing you creditt & getting you a good prefernt it is ye
readiest way you can take to fright all sober men from ever thinking
of matching thmselves with women that live above thyr fortune, & if
this be a wise way