A farrago of several pieces being a supplement to his poems, characters, heroick pourtraits, letters, and other discourses formerly published by him / newly written by Richard Flecknoe.

The Pourtrait Of MARGARET Dutches of NEWCASTLE.

IT will be most hard and difficult for me to make this Pourtrait well, since other Ladies (for the most part) are all outside, and nothing else, and when you have seen but that you have seen them all, but that which you see in her, is the least part of her, she being all soul and mind, nor could an Angel in a mortal body, be more spiritual then she, nor have more interior graces and perfections.

For her exterior then I will only say that Heaven and Nature, never agre∣ed better, 'ith composition of any one, giving her a beautious mind in a beauti∣ous body, and you would easily imagine her as good, as fair, to see (when she sees any one in misery,) how tender and compassionate she is, even like that no∣ble

Tree ready to wound her self to af∣ford balm and cure for others wounds.

Nor has Fortune been wanting to make her as great, as fair, and good; none ever better deserving it, by the great∣ness of her mind, nor comporting better with all states and conditions, whilst none ever carryed it higher in adversity nor lower, and more humbly in prospe∣rity, so counterpoising either, within her self, when others are all without themselves, or too much deprest with the one, or elated with the other. To which supream heighth of wisdom, since she could not attain, without as su∣pream and high Philosophy; It ocurs in the next place, to speak of that.

For which, I need only remit you to her works, in which she of all o∣thers has most reason to glory; they be∣ing only Nurses and Fosterers of others opinions: but she the true parent of hers, using that liberty which heaven has be∣stowed on every one, and humane cust∣tom allows, to have their opinions free, which though in point of Faith and Manners of good Raeson it be restraind,

to avoid error and confusion in Church and Comonwealth, yet in Philosophy it has been alwaies free; Every one having liberty to hunt in common, nor was it ever inclosed by any unless by some few Schools of so inconsiderable Authority, as when you are once out of their walls, you are out of their jurisdiction, to whom she has been so little beholding, as never any with less help of them, ad∣drest themselves to writing, nor ever performed it more happily then she; of whom one may well say, that whilst o∣others only traslate many Books to make one; she without help of translati∣on, has writ so many: As it is the Admi∣ration of every one, which being so rare and extrordinary in her sex, does as little derogate from others, as mira∣cles do from the ordinary works of God.

Let all then cease to envie what she has writ, or think that flattery which we write of her, whose vertues and perfections are so great, and many, as they ought rather to think those envi∣ous, who praise her not, then flatterrs who do.