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

XXXV.

MADAM,

SIr W. Cs. VVife you know hath a Conver∣sable and Ingenious VVit, yet not being very handsom, her Husband hath got him a Mistress, who is very beautiful and handsom, but yet she is a Fool; a Friend of his ask'd him why he

chose a Fool for his Mistress? he said, he did not Court her for her Wit, but for her Beauty; for, said he, now I have a Mistress for Delight, and a Wife for Conversation, I have a Mistress to Look on, and Admire, and a Wife to Listen to and Discourse with, and both to Embrace at my Pleasure; but, said his Friend, if your Wife should come to know you have a Mistress, you will not take much Pleasure in her Conversati∣on, unless you account mourning Complaints of, or to you, Exclamations and Curses against you, cross Speeches, opposite Actions, and hideous Noise, to be Conversable and Delightful; for the truth is, said he, your Wife's words will be so Salt, Sharp, and Bitter, as they will Corrode your Mind, Leaven your Thoughts, and make your Life Unpleasant. My Wife, said Sir W. C. shall not know I have a Mistress; his Friend replied, your often Absence will Betray you, or else some other will tell her, for Adul∣tery is like Murder, it seldom escapes finding out; and since that time Sir W. Cs. Lady hath heard of her Husbands Mistress, but she seems not to be Angry at it, but talks of it with great Patience, saying, that if her Husband takes Pleasure in Variety, he will be more delighted with her Wit, than with his Mistress's Beauty, and will sooner be tired with gazing on One Ob∣ject, than in hearing Divers Discourses and Di∣versions of Wit, Sense, Reason, Judgement, Fancy, and Speech; Besides, said she, VVit at∣tracts the Mind more to Love, than Beauty to

Admiration, and if my Husband Loves me Best, said she, I am well content he should Ad∣mire her Beauty Most, as also to Imbrace her as much as he pleases, for I am so Delighted, and VVedded to my own VVit, that I regard not my Husbands Amours nor Imbracings, for VVit is Spiritual and not Corporeal, it lives with the Mind, and not with the Body, being not subject to the gross Senses, for though Wit, said she, may be made known by VVords and Actions, yet those are but the Pictures of Wit's VVorks, not VVit it self, for that cannot be Drawn, it is beyond all Draughts; and so much Difference, said she, is between my Husband's Mistress and his VVife, as a Picture and an in∣visible Spirit, which Spirit can both Help and Hurt, Delight and Terrifie, Damn and Glori∣fie; But howsoever, said she, my VVit shall not be my Husbands Evil Spirit, neither to Reproach him, nor to Disgrace, Reprove, De∣lude, or Anger him, but it shall be alwayes ready to Defend, Commend, Inform, Delight, and if it could, to Reform him; but I believe, said she, that is past the power of my Wit, for it is a hard matter to Restrain Nature from Liberty, especially of the Appetites, for the Passions of the Mind are more easily Govern'd, than the Appetites of the Body, for they are Sensual and Brutal, wherefore Time is a better Refor∣mer of the Appetites than Reason. But, Ma∣dam, this is to let you know the Lady W. Cs. Wit, Discretion, and Temper, which is more

than most of our Sex hath; and so leaving her to her Wit, and her Husband to Reforma∣tion, and his Mistress's Beauty to Time, I rest,

Madam,

Your most faithful Friend and Servant.