a-year, for in those days the only
Royal Society of Literature was in the palace; it is now among subjects,
and too little in the Court. Upon the death of James, Herbert's Court
hopes died also, and he betook himself to a retreat from London. In this
retirement, "he had many conflicts with himself, whether he should return
to the painted pleasures of court life or betake himself to the study of
divinity, and enter into sacred orders." He chose the latter. He married
well. In 1630 he was inducted into the parsonage of Bemerton, a mile from
Salisbury; the third day after which, he said to his wife, "You are now a
minister's wife, and must now so far forget your father's house, as not to
claim a precedence of any one of your parishioners; for you are to know
that a priest's wife can challenge no precedence or place, but that which
she purchases by her obliging humility; and I am sure, places so purchased
do best become them. And let me tell you, that I am so good a herald, as
to assure you that this is truth.
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