278 The Duchess of Newcastle 



ON HER HUSBAND'S EXTRAORDINARY 

 VALOUR, WIT AND INVENTION 



Madam, — ^Remember, when we were very young 

 maids, one day we were discoursing about lovers, and 

 we did injoyn each other to confess who professed to 

 love us, and whom we loved ; and I confessed I only 

 was in love with three dead men, which were dead 

 long before my time, the one was Caesar, for his valour, 

 the second Ovid, for his wit, and the third was our 

 countryman Shakespear, for his comical and tragical 

 humour. But soon after we both married two worthy 

 men, and I will leave you to your own husband, for 

 you best know what he is; as for my husband, I 

 know him to have the valour of Caesar, the fancy, and 

 wit of Ovid, and the tragical, especially comical art 

 of Shakespear; in truth, he is as far beyond Shake- 

 spear for comical humour as Shakespear beyond an 

 ordinarj^ poet in that way; also he is the best heroick 

 poet in this age, nay in my judgment, in any, for I 

 have seen him make twenty songs upon one theme or 

 subject, as musick, and not one song like another; 

 and for comedies, he hits, or meets, or imitates the 

 humours of men so justly, as he seems to go even with 

 Nature. Indeed he is such a person, that I glory more 

 to be his wife, than Livia to be Augustus's wife, or 

 had I been Titus's wife, who was called the delight 

 of mankind, although I never heard he had any; 

 for in my opinion he is as wise a man as Augustus, 

 and of as sweet a nature as Titus, all which is my 

 happiness in any condition of worldly fortune, in 

 which happiness I know you rejoyce, and this rejoyce 

 proves us inseparable friends. 



