you cannot but be very sensible you are an extra-ordinary charge to her so it behoves you to take particular heed tht in ye whole course of yr life, you render her a proportionable comfort, especially since ’tis ye best way you can ever hope to make her such amends as God requires of yr hands. but Poll! it grieves me a little yt I am forced to take notice of & reprove you for some vaine expressions in yr lettrs to yr Sister—­you say concerning yr allowance “you aime to bring yr bread & cheese even” in this I do not discommend you, for a foule shame indeed it would be should you out run the Constable having soe liberall a provision made you for yr maintenance—­but ye reason you give for yr resolution I cannot at all approve for you say “to spend more you can’t” thats because you have it not to spend, otherwise it seems you would.  So yt ’tis yr Grandmothrs discretion & not yours tht keeps you from extravagancy, which plainly appears in ye close of yr sentence, saying yt you think it simple covetousness to save out of yrs but ’tis my opinion if you lay all on yr back ’tis ten tymes a greater sin & shame thn to save some what out of soe large an allowance in yr purse to help you at a dead lift.  Child, we all know our beginning, but who knows his end?  Ye best use tht can 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!