But albeit she hath a very gentle mistress
who loveth her well and is well content with what she doth--or, if
all be not well (as all cannot always be well), is content to
pardon her as she doth others of her fellows, and letteth her know
that she will do so--yet can this peevish girl never cease whining
and puling for fear lest her mistress be always angry with her and
she shall severely be chidden. Would her mistress, think you, be
likely to be content with this condition? Nay, surely not.
I knew such a one myself, whose mistress was a very wise woman and
(a thing which is in women very rare) very mild also and meek, and
liked very well such service as she did her in the house. But she
so much misliked this continual discomfortable fashion of hers
that she would sometimes say, "Eh, what aileth this girl? The
elvish urchin thinketh I were a devil, I do believe. Surely if she
did me ten times better service than she doth, yet with this
fantastical fear of hers I would be loth to have her in mine
house."
Thus fareth, lo, the scrupulous person, who frameth himself many
times double the fear that he hath cause, and many times a great
fear where there is no cause at all. And of that which is indeed
no sin, he maketh a venial one. And that which is venial, he
imagineth to be deadly--and yet, for all that, he falleth into
them, since they are of their nature such as no man long liveth
without.
Pages:
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150