her the Queen of Carthage, nor
the Queen of Scots, would have thought they had any reason to complain of
cruelty, had they been used no worse than I have used the queen of my
heart: And then do I not aspire with my whole soul to repair by marriage?
Would the pious AEneas, thinkest thou, have done such a piece of justice
by Dido, had she lived?

Come, come, Belford, let people run away with notions as they will, I am
comparatively a very innocent man. And if by these, and other like
reasonings, I have quieted my own conscience, a great end is answered.
What have I to do with the world?

And now I sit me peaceably down to consider thy letters.

I hope thy pleas in my favour,* when she gave thee, (so generously gave
thee,) for me my letters, were urged with an honest energy. But I
suspect thee much for being too ready to give up thy client. Then thou
hast such a misgiving aspect, an aspect rather inviting rejection than
carrying persuasion with it; and art such an hesitating, such a humming
and hawing caitiff; that I shall attribute my failure, if I do fail,
rather to the inability and ill looks of my advocate, than to my cause.
Again, thou art deprived of the force men of our cast give to arguments;
for she won't let thee swear!-Art, moreover, a very heavy, thoughtless
fellow; tolerable only at a second rebound; a horrid dunce at the
impromptu. These, encountering with such a lady, are great
disadvantages.--And still a greater is thy balancing, (as thou dost at
present,) between old rakery and new reformation; since this puts thee
into the same situation with her, as they told me, at Leipsick, Martin
Luther was in, at the first public dispute which he held in defence of
his supposed new doctrines with Eckius. For Martin was then but a
linsey-wolsey reformer. He retained some dogmas, which, by natural
consequence, made others, that he held, untenable. So that Eckius, in
some points, had the better of him. But, from that time, he made clear
work, renouncing all that stood in his way: and then his doctrines ran
upon all fours. He was never puzzled afterwards; and could boldly
declare that he would defend them in the face of angels and men; and to
his friends, who would have dissuaded him from venturing to appear before
the Emperor Charles at Spires, That, were there as many devils at Spires,
as tiles upon the houses, he would go. An answer that is admired by
every protestant Saxon to this day.

* See Letter X