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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 remooving 1) , 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
Francisque 2) , who, I hope, will see us before winter, mon frere Diego 3) having some
occasion of his trade to deale with her High. e , when she will be here from Turnhout
againe.
5311. Aan Marie du Moulin 4)
. (K.A.)
Vous disiez, ce me semble, que ceste traduction est d'une dame. Je ne sçay si vous
le sçavez, mais il est veritable, que je suis assez serviteur du sexe, pour le soustenir,
sur les seules apparences de quelque raison. Icy toutefois, n'en desplaise au cotillon,
je me declare pour les chausses. L'Observateur a raison, quand la traductrice seroit
une Sibylle. Je m'en suis examiné sur l'original, premier que de veoir les argumens
des parties, et comme j'y ay mis le nez, je me suis trouvé confirmé par ceux de
l'Observateur dans une verité indisputable. Sulpitius n'a rien dit, s'il n'a parlé par
ironie en son licitum est tibi (credo) 5) ; voire, il s'est contredit, et a destruict le plus
solide fondement de sa consolation. J'oserois mesme encherir sur les considerations
de l'Observateur, qui ne regardent que la depravation de la jeusnesse romaine, et
dire que Sulpitius a voulu remonstrer à Ciceron, que dans ce desordre de la
republique et dans le mespris où il estoit aveq tous les gens de bien, il ne pouvoit
pas
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.
4) Zie II, blz. 89.
5) Cicero, Ad familiares epist., IV, 5, § 3. - Servius Sulpicius was een beroemd rechtsgeleerde
en vriend van Cicero.
Constantijn Huygens, Briefwisseling. Deel 5: 1649-1663