I receive this 14 your Letter of the 10. yet I am not come to an
understanding how these Carriers keep daies: for I would fain think that
the Letters which I sent upon _Thursday_ last might have given you such an
account of the state of my family, that you needed not have asked by this.
But Sir, it hath pleased God to adde thus much to my affliction, that my
wife hath now confessed her self to be extremely sick; she hath held out
thus long to assist me, but is now overturn'd, & here we be in two beds,
or graves; so that God hath marked out a great many of us, but taken none
yet. I have passed ten daies without taking any thing; so that I think no
man can live more thriftily. I have purged and vexed my body much since I
writ to you, and this day I have missed my fit: and this is the first
time, that I could discern any intermission. This is enough, the rest I
will spend upon the parts of your Letter: Your Letter at _Pauls_ is
delivered. In the History of that remove, this onely perchance may be news
to you, that M{r} _Alabaster_ hath got of the King the Deans best Living
worth above 300{l}, which the Dean had good hope to have held a while. Of
that which you writ concerning a Book of the Nullity, I have heard no
syllable any other way. If you have received it by good hands, I beleeve
it with you: otherwise the report is naturally very incredible. Though the
answering of it be a work for some, both of better abilities really, and
in common reputation also, yet I was like enough to have had some
knowledge thereof. You mention again some thing which it seems you are not
willing I should understand of my Lady _Huntington_: some of your former
Letters, have spoken of some other former Letters, (which I never saw)
which speak of the matter as of a history and thing done; and these later
Letters speak of it Prophetically, as of a future contingent. I am glad
the often remembrance of it, gives me often occasion of thankfulnesse to
her, for retaining me in her memory, and of professing my self in my end,
and ways, her most humble servant. For your Parliament businesse, I should
be very sorry, if you came not up, because I presume you had seposed many
businesses, to have been done at that time; but in the ways wherein you
have gone, I protest I am diffident. For first, for that L[ord] whom you
solicited by Letters through me, I tell you with the whispering of a
secret, but the confidence of a friend, that you will be deceived
whensoever you think that he should take any delight in doing you a
courtesie. And I am afraid, the true heartinesse of the other noble
Gentleman M. _Howard_, will be of small use in this perticular, if he have
but solicited my L. his father to reserve a blanke for his friend, for my
L. hath suffered more denialls, even in places where he sent names, then
could have been feared. Besides M. _How[ard]_ hath not written to his
father therein, but to M. _Woodward_, who perceiving those Letters to be
written, before his purpose of being Knight for the shire, thinkes these
Letters extinguished. You made me offer so long since of a place (it was
when you writ into the west) yet I could think it no merit to have offered
you one since, otherwise it hath been since in my power, for since the
M{r} of the Rolls provided me one, Sir _Ed. Herbert_, who makes haste
away, made me a present of his; and I have had a third offer. The
businesse of your last weeks Letter concerning the widow, is not a
subject for a feverous mans consideration. Therefore I only send you back
those Letters which you sent; and aske you leave to make this which I am
fain to call my good day, so much truly good, as to spend the rest of it
with D[octor] _Layfield_, who is, upon my summons, at this hour come to
me. My Physicians have made me afraid, that this disease will work into my
head, and so put me into lightnesses, therefore I am desirous that I be
understood before any such danger overtake me.
_Your true poor servant_
J. Donne.