Briefwisseling. Deel 5: 1649-1663

5603. W. Price²⁾. (L.B.)

I have lately enjoyd the happiness of the perusal of your unparalel'd Belgick poems, which

2) Uitgegeven door Van Vloten, Dietsche Warande, VIII, 1869, blz. 492.
William Price was predikant der Engelsche presbyteriaansche kerk te Amsterdam. In 1648 werd hij van Londen daarheen beroepen en hij vervulde dat ambt tot zijn dood (1666).

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are enriched with such a solid sweetnes, pithy brevity, numerous, melodious, luschious straines and raptures, and embrodered with such an unbeleeved artifice, and fringed with such choyse greeke and latine sentences, that all the Muses and Graces seemed to hold your quill, while you penn'd them. Mee thinkes, I heare the very twang of Apollo his harmonious harp in them. I see Heaven in your Bibel-stof, Paradise in your Voorhout, invaluable treasure in your Kostelick Mal, living and lively personages in your Zedeprinten, via lactea, the milky way, in your Van Als, seraphicall passages in your Godsdienst, holidays in your Daghwerck, beames of radiating light in your Oogentroost, the Thessalian Tempe in your Hofwyck, fleet, smooth Helicon in your Sneldicht, Homers gold chain let down in your Langdicht, originals in your Vertaelingen, Michael de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote, his inimitable wit in your Spaensche Wysheti. Bee pleas'd to accept my expression of my high content and unexpressible delight in reading your elaborate, yet flowing and evenspun poesy, in this distick:

Primum laetitiae signum clamare, secundum

Plaudere; vox ego sum, carmina bina manus.

Joy first a cry and then applause commands;

I am the voyce, these verses are my hands.

But I gild gold, or rather bring alloy to your purer mettle. The diamonds dust should cut the diamond, and no Muse can characterize you, but your owne. Your lordship did mee the undeserved honour to owne mee at Maldeghem in Flanders a little afore 't Sass was taken in¹⁾, when you were my hearer in coronel Cromwell²⁾ his quarter on I. Corint. 13, 9: wee know but in part. Though nor I, nor mine are worthy to live in your memory, I requested your lordship's kinsman Sir Sweers³⁾ to present my humbe service to your lordship. A worthy lady of late favour'd mee with the best modern English poeme that I have seen, entitled Theophila, or Lords sacrifice, a divine poem; rich it is, high and much valued, written by E. Benslows Esquire⁴⁾, in a thin folio. If you have it not, your lordship may command the use of it, and also of ..... Amsterdam, March 3, 1659.

1) Dus in Augustus 1644. Price was toen blijkbaar veldprediker.

2) Zie II, blz. 82.

3) Waarschijnlijk Jacob Suerius; zie I, blz. 354.

4) Dit Engelsche gedicht schijnt weinig opgang te hebben gemaakt, want de naam van den dichter is thans geheel onbekend.