Briefwisseling. Deel 6: 1663-1687

6887. Aan lady Swann¹⁾. (K.A.)

This is to give you many thanks for the favour of your friendly persecutions; would to God I were able to shew you better then in idle words, how sensible I am of so much kindness, and what a deal of consolation it is to me to hear good and courteous English language spoken to a Hollander, for the most part of those beyond sea, it seemeth, have forgotten that stile, and turned it meerly into curses and scoffings and boastings and threatenings of descents upon our coast, and utter undoing and destruction of these Provinces, for feare they should fall short of the most barbarous and never amongst Christians used cruelties, which your ladyship may have heard the common enemies of the Truth, which is both the English and our religion, exercised lately in those poor innocent places of Bodegrave and Swammerdam, you remember, Madam, to have seen in so fine and flourishing a condition. And all this God knoweth, for what, but not I, nor is it possible to conceave upon what grounds of any apparent advantage a protestant King may be induced to sell his assistance to the ruin of a protestant republick, and lend a hand to the encreasing of an antiprotestant power, already overgrown and mounted to such a height, that all Europe hath occasion to suspect and fear it. As for us, we doe oppose Gods justice against the worlds iniquity, and continue to doe our best, to make good the honour two mightly kings doe us, to assaile us at once and of both sides, confessing, as it were, one alone were to weak for the business. God, I hope and trust, will confound pernicious counsels, and have a care of his own cause. - If your ladyship doth persist in the curiosity to know how our families doe in these troubles, I can tell you, by Gods grace very wel, but my good old sister of S.^t Annaland, who since two year hence hath lost the use of both

1) Kopie van andere hand. Een paar zinnen van den brief zijn uitgegeven door J.A. Worp in Tijdschr. der Vereen. voor Noord-Nederlands muziekgeschiedenis, V, 1897, blz. 136. - Zie No. 6873.

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her eyes, one of them having been spoyled and useless a great while before. Our late loss of our dearest Susje, my eldest grandchild, was a sensible blow to her. But this, and her owne pittifull incommoditie, and even the calamitie of the State this exemplary lady beareth with such a constant moderation of her heart, that, as for God, it is a most special grace and benediction upon her, and amongst men she is to be reputed one of the wisest and discreetest persons of these countries ever seen. Your ladyship needeth not to enquire how I doe behave myself, if you doe remember my foolish harmonical humour. In a word, after, and many times between business belonging to my employment, I use, as I did, to fiddle myself out of a bad humour, either upon a viol, or a lute, or a theorbe or a paire of virginals, which in my cabinet I doe find still ready about me. And as if upon all those instruments I had not spoiled and spent good hours enough, since a yeare hence I am become a notable guitarre-man, having produced above a thirty peeces of all sorts and tunes upon that miserable instrument. So that there wanteth almost nothing more but that I should be exalted to be a trumpeter at the head of our troops. This pratling is to long for you, sweet Madam, but I am confident you will take all in good part of an ancient talking and fiddling servant, who could not fayle to informe you par le menu of what you did him the honour to shew you self carefull and curious. I pray God to keep you both in a perpetuall health and wealth and prosperitie, resting faithfully ..... Haghe, the 10 of March 1673.

If it were possible to penetrate the mysteries of your Labaditical crew by the sincere confessions of your ancient Sybille¹⁾, expecially concerning their holy matches and marriages upon tryal²⁾, as we are informed here, we would be very glad to have your ladyship that obligation.

1) Anna Maria Schurman.

2) Er staat: tryve