Page:Life of Sir William Petty 1623 – 1687.djvu/324

 arms, and wrote some verses upon it, which young Edward Southwell carried off to his father. 'To vindicate myself,' Sir William writes to the latter, 'from wildness of imagination in the Scutcheon and verses which were sent you, I further add by way of explanation viz., that I would have those Emblems and Symbols rather called my Coat and Armes, than my Coat of Armes; for what is signified are indeed my Coat, Covering, Shelter and Defence; viz.:

And thus,' he concludes, 'you have my field of azure, my magnet, my star, my Pole, and my beehive expounded.'

Sir William was constantly occupied with the education of his sons, Charles and Henry. In regard to his daughter Anne, who appears to have inherited much of her father's talent for business and to have been a favourite child, he expressed a hope in writing to Southwell 'that one day Arithmetick and Accountantship willadorn a young woman better than a suit of ribbands, to keep her warmer than a damnable dear manteau.' Charles was Sir Robert Southwell's godson. He was sent abroad about this time to see the world. 'The end of Charles' travels,' Sir William writes to Sir Robert, 'is not to learne French, Latin, nor Arts nor science, but to learne a competency of Teutonick and Italian; to see "mores et urbes multorum hominum," to shift among dangerous men, to be a frugal accomptant and manager reipublicæ suæ; to distinguish friendship, civility, and flattery; and lastly, ad faciendum populum, to make fools believe he is more than he is, as to appear something at the University