Briefwisseling. Deel 5: 1649-1663

5310. Aan Utricia Swann¹⁾. (K.A.)

I was never of the opinion of the ancient Roman poet, maintaining that no woman was ever borne speechlesse, but why Utricia Ogle should bee it towards Constantin Huijgens, I could not imagine till now, that your ladyship hath beene pleased to awake and to give me some reason, why she hath slept so long. Neither will I bee too inquisitive about the validitie of that reason, your onely will and pleasure having allwayes beene the rule of mine, and no satisfaction pretended beyond your owne, which I hope, Madam, you are to find most absolute and compleat in the jorney you are proposing to the baths, and that there you will wash of so well all your infirmities that wee may see your ladyship returne, provided of a paire of gelegentheitjes fatt and plumpe, and such as I suppose they were a dozen yeares since. In such a case wee will all long to see them at the Haghe, though I make no account that you should bee intended to trimme them up as the dutchesse of Lorraine told me, your noble cousine of Newcastle²⁾ doth use to doe by binding a gentle

1) Het postcriptum is uitgegeven door J.A. Worp in Tijdschrift der Vereen. voor Noord-Nederlands muziekgeschiedenis, V, 1897, blz. 133. - Zie III, blz. 325.

2) Margaret Lucas (1624?-1674), de dochter van een rijk Engelsch grondbezitter, was van 1643 tot 1645 hofdame van Koningin Henriette Marie en volgde haar naar Frankrijk. In het laatste jaar trouwde zij William Cavendish (1592-1672), hertog van Newcastle. Gedurende hunne ballingschap hadden zij het heel moeilijk. Margaret heeft veel geschreven en o.a. in 1653 uitgegeven Philosophical Fancies en Poems and Fancies.

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peece of ribon at the topp of every one, and so appearing au tour à la mode. I am fallen upon this lady by the late lecture of her wonderfull booke, whose extravagant atomes kept me from sleeping a great part of last night in this my little solitude, where, since your ladyship hath seene it, I have built two lovely glasswindowed cabinets at the waterside, making now more use of them then of the whole castle of Hofwijck, which by this meanes is growen to a mighty and stately building, as everything in this world is great or small onely by comparison. I dare not invite your ladyship to the view of these wonders, but after your bathing, when I hope you will stand to your word and come to informe us, what may bee the reason of your famous Sibyllas remooving¹⁾, and which way she may bee gone, this being a most strange kind of newes to us, as never having heard of it before. Certainly the towne of Utrecht is a mightie looser by it, and should have hindred it by all possible violent civilities, so that the ashes of that Phenix had beene preserved, where she hath so gloriously spent the best part of her life. If it were not too much trouble to your ladyship, I could wish to heare in general, what may have occasioned so suddaine a resolution. And thus praying God allmightye, to blesse that of your ladyship with a most prosperous successe, I remaine as ever and for ever .... Hofwijck, 5/15 Sept. 1653.

Many a new almande, courante, sarabande and such like are to wayte upon your ladyship's comming, after I shall have mustered them before little ma soeur Francisque²⁾, who, I hope, will see us before winter, mon frere Diego³⁾ having some occasion of his trade to deale with her High.^e, when she will be here from Turnhout againe.

1) Anna Maria Schurman was te Keulen gaan wonen. Zie blz. 200, noot 10.

2) Francisca Duarte; zie I, blz. 295.

3) Nl. Jacques Duarte.