Nevv epistles of Mounsieur de Balzac. Translated out of French into English, by Sr. Richard Baker Knight. Being the second and third volumes

To———LETTER. XXI.

SIR, since you will have me to write that in a letter, which I spake unto you by word of mouth, this Letter shall be a second te∣stimony of the account I make of—, and of the feeling I have of the courtesies received from him. During the time wee had his com∣pany, I considered him with much attention; but in my conscience observed nothing in the motions of his spirit, but great inclinations to great designes, and to see him doe wonders in the world, you neede wish him no more but matter of imployment. Hee hath all the In∣tendments of an honest man, all the Characters of a great Lord: by these he gaines mens eyes in present, and their hearts in expectation, and afterwards brings more goodnesse forth than ever he promised, and exceedes expectation with performance. And in truth, if this He∣roick countenance had no wares to vent but vulgar qualities, this had beene a tricke put upon us by Nature, to deceive us by hanging out a false signe. The charge hee exerciseth in the Church, is no burden to him, hee hath in such sort accōmodated his humour to it, that in the most painefull functions of so high a duty, there lies nothing upon his shoulders, but ease and delight. He embraceth generally all that

hee beleeves to be of the decencie of his pro∣fession, and is neither tainted with the heate which accompanies the age wherein he is, nor with the varietie which such a birth as his doth commonly bring with it. In a word the way he takes goes directly to Rome. Hee is in good grace with both the Courts, and the Pope would be as willing to receive the Kings com∣mendation of him, as the King would be to give it. He hath brought from thence a singu∣lar approbation, and hath left behind him in all the holy Colledge a most sweete odour, and that without making faces; or making way to reputation by singularitie. For in effect, what heate soever there be in his zeale, hee never suffers it to blaze beyond custome: his piety hath nothing either weake or simple, it is seri∣ous all and manly, and he protesteth, it is much better to imitate S. Charles, than to counter∣feit him. Concerning his passion of horses, which he calls his malady; since hee is not ex∣treme in it, never counsell him to cure it, it is not so bad as either the Sciatica or the •…•…out; and if he have no other disease but that, hee hath not much to doe for a Physitian. One may love Horses innocently, as well as Flowers and Pictures: and it is not the love of such things, but the intemperate love that is the vice. Of all beasts that have any commerce with men, there are none more noble nor better conditio∣ned; and of them a great Lord may honestly and without disparagement be curious. Hee indeede might well be said to be sicke of them,

who can sed mangers of Ivory to be made for them, and gave them, full measures of peeces of gold; this was to be sicke of them, to bestow the greatest part of his estate upon beautifying his Stable, and to make a mocke what men said or thought of chusing a Consull by his horses neighing. You shall give me leave to tell you another story to this purpose, not unpleasant. It is of Theophylact, Patriarch of Constantinople, who kept ordinarily two thousand horses, and fedde them so daintily, that in stead of Barley and Oates, which to our horses are a feast, hee gave them Almonds, Dates, and Pistache nuts; and more than this, as Cedrenus reports, he wa∣tered them long time before in excellent wine, and prepared them with all sorts of precious odours. One day as hee was solemnizing his Office in the Church of Saint Sophia; one came and told him in his eare, that his Mare Phorban∣te had foaled a Colt; with which hee was so ravished, that instantly without having the pa∣tience to finish his Service, or to put off his Pontificall Robes, hee left the mysteries in the midst, and ranne to his Stable to see the good newes hee had heard, and after much joy ex∣pressed for so happy a birth, he at last returned to the Altar, and remembred himselfe of his dutie which the heate of his passion had made him to forget. See Sir, what it is to dote upon horses; but to take a pleasure in them, and to take a care of them, this no doubt may make a man bee said to love them: and neverthelesse not the lesse the wiser man.

Even Saints themselves have their pleasures and their pastimes, all their whole life is not one continued miracle; they were not every day foure and twentie houres in extasie amidst their Gifts, their Illuminations, their Raptures, their Visions; they had alwayes some breathing time of humane delight, during all which time they were but like us: and the Ecclesiasticall Story tells us, that the great Saint Iohn, who hath delivered Divinitie in so high a straine, yet tooke a pleasure, and made it his pastime to play with a Partridge which he had made tame and familiar to him. I did not thinke to have gone so farre; it is the subject that hath carried me away, and this happens very often to mee when I fall into discourse with you. My com∣plements are very short, and with men that are indifferent to mee, I am in a manner dumbe; but with those that are deare unto mee, I nei∣ther observe Rule nor Measure; and I hope you doubt not, but that I am in the highest de∣gree,

Sir,

Your, &c.

At Balzac, 5. of Ianuary 1633.