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

To Mounsicur Gyrard, Secretary to my Lord the Duke de Espernon. LETTER. XXIV.

SIr I had heard that before, which you sent me word off by your footeman; and had rejoyced already, for the new Dignity of Mounsieur the President Segnier. It seemes you thinke he is made Keeper of the Seales, for none but for you, and that no Feast for the joy of it should be kept any where, but at Cadillac. Within these fourē daies, you shall see it kept all the Country over; it is a favour the King

hath done the whole Realme. It is not so much for the purity of the Aire, and for the fruite∣fulnesse of the earth, that we ought to call it a happy yeare, as for the election of worthy Ma∣gistrates. I therefore take a joy in this Newes, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Lam a Subject of the Kings; & this is my first part of joy I have in it: but beyond this, I have a second Right of rejoycing, in that I am inte∣ressed in the advancement of a modesty, which I know; & make account to be made happy, by the prosperity of him, of whose honesty I am assured. I put not forth this last word, at ad∣venture: I am ready to make it good, against whosoever shall thinke it rash, and I know he hath preservatives against all the Poysons of the Court; and a judgement that cannot be cor∣rupted with all the bribes of Fortune. There is nothing of so high a price, for which hee would be willing to leave his vertue: if hee had lived in Neroes time; he had beene a con∣stant Martyr, but living now under a just Prince he will proove a profitable Officer. To preserve a life, which is to continue but a few daies: he would not obscure that life, which ought to •…•…ast in the memory of many ages: and the least •…•…ot upon his honour, would be more insuppor∣table to him, then the effusion of all his blood. He knowes that in the administration of Iu∣stice, being the Interpretor of God; he can∣not worke of himselfe; that this Divine Act ought to be a Generall Suspension from all hu∣mane affections, and that in the exercise there∣of, he is no longer at his liberty, to shew love

or hatred; revenge or gentlenesse. He consi∣ders that he makes not law, but onely declares it, that he is a Minister, and not a Master of his Authority, and that the Soveraignty is in the Law, and not in himselfe. This is the reason why in every cause he censures, he bethinkes himselfe of his owne proper cause, which shall one day be censured; he so judgeth, as if Po∣sterity were to take a review of his Iudging; and as though the present time, were but sub∣alternate to the future. Thus I have heard him to make his account; and from his Principles I have drawne my conclusions, and in a confe∣rence I had sometimes with him; he seemed to me a better man then I have set him forth. In such sort Sir, that I am not of a minde to contradict you, in your writing of him to me, you say nothing w^ch is not of my knowledg, & in my writing of him to you, I do nothing but follow your conceits. Never feare that the common errors will deprave his Spirit, he hath laid too sure a foundation in the knowledge of Truth, he is too strongly confirmed in the good Sect. Having often and seriously meditated on the conditiō of humane affaires, he values them just as much as they are worth, but hee addes nothing by opinion, he hates neither riches nor authoritie; this were the peevish humour of the Cynicks, to hate a thing that in it selfe is lovely, he makes use of them after the manner of the Academy, and of the Lycaeum, which never thought them impediments to happi∣nesse, but rather aides and furtherances to Ver∣tue.

Or may we not say more probably that he hath drawne his doctrines from a Spring nearer hand; and that hee hath not gone out of him∣selfe to finde out the truest wisedome? Hee hath examples at home, which may serve him for Idaeas of perfection, and Sages in his owne race, which are Artists of vertuous life. Whilst he governes himselfe by their Rules, hee may well passe by all forraine doctrines; and having his diseased Vncle before his eyes; hee neede not care to have Socrates for a myrrour: Quippe malim unum Catonem quam trecentos Socratas. The memory of this illustrious personage is in such veneration thorough all France, and his name hath preserved so excellent an Odour in the prime Tribunall of Christendome; that it is not now so much the name of a Family; as it is the name even of integritie and constancy it selfe. Remember the Greeke Epigramme I shewed you in a Manuscript; which saith, that in a place at Athens when one named Plutarch, there was an Eccho answered Philosophy, as taking the one for the other, and making no dif∣ference betweene the two. By the like reason the Muses might use the same Figure, and act the like miracle, in favour of this new Pillar of justice. They never neede to use reservations; nor feare too deepe engaging themselves, whatsoever they lay forth before hand for his glory, shall all be allowed them againe in the reckoning. Having beene bredde up in their bosome; and being entred into their Sanctuary, he will never suffer them to stand waiting and

catch cold at his gate, no that a Swytzer shall keepe them out from entring his base Court. They shall never have I assure my selfe that un∣happy advantage to have given him all; and receive backe nothing from him againe, to have enriched his minde with a thousand rare Knowledges, and then hardly get him to seale them an acquittance. Let us now come to the other part of your Letter; and assay to satisfie your Doctour concerning his Objection. Hee findes fault with me, because I praise the Pope for his beauty, and sayes that such praise is for women and youth, and belongs not to old men and Priests. First Sir I answer, he wrongs mee in changing my termes; for I make a great difference betweene beauty and a good Visage: of this I spake in the person of the Pope, and should never have thought I had committed a sinne, though I had spoken of the other also. As concerning age, you know there are beau∣tifull old men, though there be not beautifull old women, and you remember that antient personage, who by report of History was of equall pleasing to all companies thorough all the ages of his life. As concerning the quality, besides that God rejected in sacrifice all leane and unsound Oblation, •…•…e required also to have hansome Priests, and you may shew your friend in the Bookes of Moses, that not onely the lame and pore-blinde, but even the flat nosed, were exclused from being Ministers in sacrificing. But if being as he is a prophane Doctour, the holy Scriptures doe not please him; yet hee

might have remembred that old word of the Tragicke Poet, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, upon which I had an eye when I said, This Visage worthy of an Empire. And yet more being a Gascogne Doctour, I wounder hee never read the Panegyricke, which a countrie man of his pronounced at Rome before the Emperour The∣odosius; where hee should have found these words; Augustissima quaeque species, plurimum creditur trahere de Coelo; sive enim Divinus ille animus venturus in corpus, dignum prius meta∣tur hospitium, sive cum venerit fingit habita∣culum pro habitu suo; sive aliud ex alio crescit; & cum se paria junxerunt utraque major a sunt, parcam Arcanum Coeleste rimari; Tibi istud soli pateat imperator cum Deo consorte secretum. Illud dicam quod intellexisse hominem & dixisse fas est; talem esse debere qui a gentibus adoratur cui toto orbe terrarum privata vel publica vota reddun∣tur; a quo petit Navigaturus serenum, Peregrina∣turus reditum, Pugnaturus auspicium. Virtus tua meruit imperium, sed virtuti addidit forma suffragium. Jlla praestitit ut oporteret te principem sieri; haec ut deceret. In this discourse, there are some termes which yet may seeme fitter for a Pope than for an Emperour: and here is to be noted, that Theodosius was no young man, when Latinus Pacatus praised him thus for his beautie, for it was after his defeate of the tyrant Maximus; and when after many victories ob∣tained against the Barbarians, hee was in full and peaceable possession of his glory. Some∣time before this Gregory Nazianzon had up∣braided

the Emperour Iulian for his ill favou∣red Visage, for the ill feature of his face, and for other deformities of his body, of which ne∣verthelesse hee was not guilty. Though one might here question the holy Oratour, whether in doing this hee did well or no? Yet from hence wee may at least gather, that the quali∣ties contrary to these hee blames, ought justly and may be lawfully made account of, and that such praises which reflect upon the Creatours glory, are much more Christian than those ac∣cusations which trench upon the scorning of his knowledge. Your friend therefore is cer∣tainely more severe than hee neede to be. He is much to blame to reject in this sort the bles∣sings of heaven, and the advantages of birth; and to imagine that holinesse cannot be Exem∣plar and Apostolicke, unlesse it be pale and leane, and looke like one were starved. These are the dreames of Tertullian, who will have it, that our Saviour was in no sort beautifull, and therein gives the lie to all Antiquitie, and to the tradition of the whole Church. He drawes a Picture for him, which is not only injurious to his Divine, but dishonorable also to his humane Nature. This in my opinion is one of his grea∣test errours, and which most of all startles me in reading his Bookes. If hee would have it, that his watchings and abstinence had dried up his blood, and made him looke gastly; it may perhaps be granted him: but to say, that to the burnt colour of Africke, hee added also that of burnt Melancholy, and of overflowing cho∣ler;

I like not such accusing, either the Sunne of that countrie, or the temperature of that bo∣dy, but leave every one in his naturall estate; and so should he have done. But to goe about to disfigure the most beautifull amongst the children of men, and to eclipse all the beames and lustre of a divine countenance, this is an abuse which no patience can beare, no charitie can ever pardon. You wondered at this strange opinion when I last shewed it unto you; and I perceived you suspected I did him wrong; now therefore to justifie my cre∣dit with you, and to let you ree I did it not to abuse you: I send you here the passages I promised you to looke at. The first is in his Booke of Patience; where Christ is called Con∣tumeliosus sibi ipsi. The second in his Booke a∣gainst the Iewes, where hee is said to be, Ne aspectu quidem honestus, but heare the third, which will fright you to heare, in his Tract of the flesh of Christ; Adeo ut nec humanae honesta∣tis corpus fuit; tacentibus apud nos quoque Pro∣phetis de ignobili aspectu ejus, ipsae passiones, ipsae∣que contumeliae loquuntur; passiones quidem hu∣manam carnem; contumeliae vero inhonestam. An ausus esset aliquis ungue summo perstringere cor∣pus novum? Sput aminibus contaminare faciem nisi meruentem, &c. Let us see what Mounsieur Ri∣gaut thinkes of this; and whether he be of these sharpe and soure ones that would take from heaven its starres, and from the earth its flow∣ers. Certainely my censure is of this number; for I perceive beautie offends him, and hee

would easily subscribe to Tertullians opinion. Yet say no more to him of all this, but that which hee must needes know, and spare sen∣ding out a second Processe against a man that hath too much of the first, and deserves you should take some care of his quiet; since hee is from the bottome of his heart,

Sir,

Your, &c.

From Balzac 10. of March. 1633.