A relation of ten years in Europe, Asia, Affrique, and America all by way of letters occasionally written to divers noble personages, from place to place, and continued to this present year / by Richard Fleckno.

L. To the Lady — (Book 50)

Of the Temple of Frendship, a Tragi-comedy he was writing, with the character of the Persons. (Book 50)

FRendship being our second Religion, and so main a part of our first, I have design'd to present it so beautiful to the Eye, as all should be ravisht wi••h its Love and Admirati∣on. To this end I have ••personated it in the loveliest sex, and that betwixt persons of the same sex too, for avoiding all suspect; Frend∣ship being nothing but Love stript of suspi∣tion of Harm. For representing it by Ladies, after the like example of the Queen and her Ladies here formerly, & of the greatest Ladies & P••incesses in Spain, France Flandres, and else where, I thought none reasonably could take exceptions, nor think me too ambitious in'••, e∣specially I having been long Time train'd up & conversant in the Courts of the greatest Queens and Princesses in Europe, and consequently not altogether ignorant of personating and pre∣senting them according to their dignity and quality.

First then for Blondinia and Lindiana, I make them vindicating to their Fair Sex, all the Noblenesse & Generosity as ever was in man,

and to their Friendship all the dearnesse and tendernesse as ever was in Love.

For the two Princesses ••artiana and Philo∣thea, I make them of equal perfection, though of different disposition (like Pamela and Phi∣loclea in the Arcadia) high minded, magnani∣mous, excelling in all the Vertues of great Princes, and not to make them more than Princes, subject too to their noble Vices of Anger, Ambition, &c, To shew in fine that they are not vertuous by chance, but by choice and Election, since they may be otherwise.

For Bellara, she is a person whose divine Conversation would even make you doubt whe'r she were humain or no. Her wisdom is so great as there is no Labyrinth in this world she would not help you out of, by conecting a Thrid of first and second causes together. She has charge both of the Altar and Oracle, yet is her breast the purest Altar, and mouth the truest Oracle: so as in following her opinion, you are sure of Truth for guide, and in follow∣ing her Example you are sure of Heaven for Frend.

For Euphemia, so young yet as she is but a Neophi••e, and under Bellaras tuition, she is of so pure a brest, as like white paper she is ap∣ted for receiving all the others divine Precepts and Impressions: so as you may well guesse at what she will be hereafter, by what the other is at present.

For Compase lastly, and the rest, we may

well say of them, that as those who play the Fools part in the Play, are most commonly the wisest men: so those are most commonly the best Actors, who play those Treacherous parts, and though they be not lookt on with such gracious Eyes for the persons they represent; yet certainly they are most Admir'd, when they represent them well, as Painters when they paint some ugly Body to the life.

For the Plot, to give you some light of it, I feign a Commonwealth of Amazon••, and (to render it more propable than tother) of peace∣full ones, sent there in Colony, though for the greater variety distemper'd into Warr; In which (Heroina's as they are) you are not to wonder, to see them do Actions of greatest Heroes, and capable of all the Heroical Ex∣ploits you admire of men in Story. I ha∣ving found in your noble Sex a capacity of all the Excellency I ever yet found in man.