Love Letter 9

THE uneasiness my doubts about
your health gave me, disturbed
and alarmed me exceedingly, and I
should not have had any quiet with-
out hearing certain tidings. But now,
since you have as yet felt nothing, I
hope, and am assured that it will spare
you, as I hope it is doing with us. For
when we were at Walton, two ush-
ers, two valets de chambres and your
brother, master-treasurer, fell ill, but
are now quite well ; and since we have
returned to our house at Hunsdon,
we have been perfedlly well, and have
not, at present, one sick person, God
be praised; and I think, if you would
retire from Surrey, as we did, you
would escape all danger. There is
another thing that may comfort you,
which is, that, in truth in this dis-
temper few or no women have been
taken ill, and what is more, no per-
son of our court, and few elsewhere,
have died of it. For which reason I
beg you, my entirely beloved, not to
frighten yourself nor be too uneasy at
our absence; for wherever I am, I am
yours, and yet we must sometimes
submit to our misfortunes, for who-
ever will struggle against fate is gen-
erally but so much the farther from
gaining his end: wherefore comfort
yourself, and take courage and avoid
the pestilence as much as you can,
for I hope shortly to make you sing,
la renvoyé. No more at present, from
lack of time, but that I wish you in
my arms, that I might a little dispel
your unreasonable thoughts.

Written by the hand of him who
is and alway will be yours,

Im-H. R-mutable.