CCXI sociable letters written by the thrice noble, illustrious, and excellent princess, the Lady Marchioness of Newcastle.

CXLVI.

MADAM,

YOu were pleased in your last Letter to Re∣quest me to send you my Opinion of Vir∣gil and Ovid, as which I thought was the better Poet; Truly, Madam, my Reason, Skill, or Understanding in Poetry and Poets, is not Suffi∣cient to give a Judgment of two such Famous Poets, and their Poetry, for though I am a Po∣etess, yet I am but a Poetastress, or a Petty Po∣etess, but howsoever, I am a Legitimate Poeti∣cal Child of Nature, and though my Poems, which are the Body of the Poetical Soul, are not so Beautiful and Pleasing, as the rest of her Poetical Childrens Bodies are, yet I am never∣theless her Child, although but a Brownet. But you may say, you ask'd my Opinion of two Fa∣mous Poets, and I Talk of my self; Truly, Madam, I am forced to do so, in order to your Commands, at least to your Desires, for my

Will is to Obey you, and first, to let you know, that though I am not a Learned, or Supreme Judg, yet I am an Inferiour Officer in the Poeti∣cal Court, and therefore not altogether Ignorant in Poetical Causes or Cases; But, Madam, I am in a Dispute with my self, as whether it be Warrantable for me, a Private Person, to give my Judgment in so Publick a Cause, for though those two Persons, if they were Living, might with an United Consent appoint me to be a Judg between them, yet a Third Person, as your Ladiship, cannot Properly make a Judg without their Knowledg and Consent, unless you were a Caesar, and had the Power to make what Judges, or Laws you pleased; But yet by reason you are my Caesar, to Rule, Govern, and Command me, as you Please, I will Obey you, and as I hope, without Partiality, for I am neither of their Country, or their Kindred, nor have I taken Bribes from either, nor hope to have a Reward from any, but rather I fear a Censure for Punishment, howsoever, for your sake, I will Venture, and thus I give my Opi∣nion, That Virgil was the Craftier, but Ovid the Wittier man, that Virgil was the better Flatterer, but Ovid the better Poet, that Virgil was the more Fortunate, and Ovid the more Un∣happy. And to Prove Virgil's Craft, he Flat∣tered the Emperour, and the most Noble Fami∣lies in Rome; and as for his Flattery, he made the Ground of his Poems or Poetry, the Anti∣quity and Original of the Emperour, and the No∣ble

Families of Rome, whether False or True, I leave to his own Belief and Knowledge, al∣though Poetry, for the most part is Feigning, at least so Illustrated, that the End is False; yet howsoever he gain'd the Applause of Caesar, and all the Chief of the Romans, and one Great and Eminent Persons Praise, is the Foundation of a Hundred Inferiour Persons Commendations, Admirations, Estimations, and Fame or Re∣nown; Again, to Prove his good Fortune, he was in the Emperours Favour so much, as to be Honoured with his Company, Privacies, Coun∣sels, Affections, and Inriched with his Gifts, whereas Ovid was Banished from his Friends and Country, into an Unwholsom Air, al∣though his Fault was not so Notorious as to be Visible, or Publickly Known, so as one may Judg, that Ovid's Banishment was through Cae∣sar's Partial Envy to him for Virgil's sake, and not for any Crime, for he Banished Ovid, fear∣ing he might Out-shine Virgil, his Flattering Fa∣vourite, and Deifier, at least, Glorifier; but O∣vid was too Rich, and Nobly born, to be a Flat∣terer, at least, so Gross a one as Virgil, he rather thought to be Flattered, than to Flatter; neither had he an Insinuating Craft to get Applause and Wealth, for he was Open and Free, not Bound up to Subtilty; And for his Wit, 'tis said, that his Prose was only Dissolved Verse, and his Po∣etry was Brief, and yet Satisfactory, it was full of Fancy, yet Natural, Moral, and Human De∣scriptions, it was full of Variety, yet Compen∣dious,

so that his Poetry Express'd his Judg∣ment, Understanding, Learning, Wit, Elo∣quence, and Fancy; Neither did he spend his Reason, Judgment, Wit, and Fancy, on One Te∣dious Feigned Story, but on Hundreds of Sto∣ries, and Express'd himself in his Metamorpho∣sis, as much a Moral, and Natural Philosopher, a Courtly Lover, an Heroick Souldier, a Vali∣ant and Prudent Commander, a Politick States-man, a Just Governour and Ruler, a Wise and Magnificent Prince, a Faithful Citi∣zen, a Navigator, Fortificator, Architect, Astro∣nomer, and the like, as also a Learned Scholar, and had an Insight into Arts and Husbandry, as well as Virgil in his Georgicks, nay far more, as having more Variety; neither was he so Palpable an Imitator as Virgil was; the truth is, in my Opinion, Ovid was the far Wiser, Witti∣er, Ingenious, and Nobler Poet, and by his Poe∣try we may perceive, that though he was not one of Augustus Caesar's Favourits, yet he was Nature's Favourite, and was Beloved of all the Muses, and though Caesar took away his Right of Human Inheritance, and Native Soil, yet he could not take away his Natural Poetical Birth, for he had his Worthy Due in the place he was Banished to, having, as I have heard, Di∣vine Honours given him after his Death, and great Respect and Love in his Life-time, by those People he Lived amongst, by which we may say, Happy Ovid, in an Unhappy Condi∣tion; And for Language, wherein Virgil is so

Highly Praised, I cannot Perceive in the Trans∣lation, but that Ovid is fully as Copious, Signi∣ficant, Sweet, Eloquent, and Illustrious, as Vir∣gil, I cannot tell what it is in Latin. But to Conclude, had Ovid's Design been Favour, and his Poetry Flattery, fitted to the Genius, Hu∣mour, or Pride of those Times he Liv'd in, Vir∣gil would have been Buried in his Fame; but it is to be Observed, that not only the Inferiours of the same Time, Follow, Imitate, or Believe, according to a Grand Superiour, but Following Ages do the like, so Powerful and Lasting is a Grand Superiour's Esteem, Favour, or Opinion. And thus, Madam, I have given Judgment, at least my Opinion, for Ovid, not but that I do Highly Admire and Reverence Virgil, but yet not so much as I do sweet Ovid, whose Fancy, Wit, and Language, is like his Birth, Soft, Gen∣tle, and Noble, Rational, Observing, Understand∣ing, and Judicious, Quick, Ingenious, and De∣lightful, Beautiful, Graceful, and Taking, or Moving, Heroick, Generous, and Magnificent, Eloquent, Elegant, and Fluent, Distinguishing, Similizing, Forming, Winding, Composing, Contriving and Uniting; to all which I leave his Poetry, and his Fame to Everlasting Life, or Memory, and rest,

Madam,

Your faithful Friend and Servant.