Page:The works of Anne Bradstreet in prose and verse.djvu/170

 84 Anne BradJireeVs Works.

honoured, and efteemed where fhe lives, for her gracious demeanour, her eminent parts, her pious converfation, her courteous difpofition, her exa6l dili- gence in her place, and difcreet managing of her Family [iv] occafions, and more then fo, thefe Poems are the fruit but of fome few houres, curtailed from her fleep and other refrefhments. I dare adde little left I keep thee too long; if thou wilt not believe the worth of thefe things (in their kind) when a man fayes it, yet believe it from a woman when thou feeft it. This only I fhall annex, I fear the difpleafure of no perfon in the publifhing of thefe Poems but the Author, without whofe knowledg, and contrary to her expectation, I have prefumed to bring to publick view, what fhe refolved in fuch a manner fhould never fee the Sun; but I found that diverfe had gotten fome fcattered Papers, affected them well, were likely to have fent forth broken pieces, to the Authors preju- dice, which I thought to prevent, as well as to plea- fure thofe that earneftly delired the view of the whole.

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