Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
book_n act_n king_n time_n 1,609 5 3.5743 3 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A58831 A desperate and dangerovs designe discovered concerning the fen-countries by a faithfull friend who as soone as it came to his knowledge hath taken some pains not only to discover but to prevent the same ; by order of the committee for the fenns published for the common-good, and in all humility presented to the high court of Parliament and in particular to some noble personages especially interressed [sic] and concerned therein. Scotten, Edmund. 1642 (1642) Wing S2090; Wing D1206A_CANCELLED 15,257 34

There are 2 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

passages rather imitate the popish Clergy who keepe men as ignorant as they can that they may the more easily deceive them and leade them whether they list Pa. 25. l. 25. It shall not be widened any more the two Rivers meeting will grinde the channell through the Marsh and make Wisbitch an Haven towne like that of Linne though not in such measure of widenesse Quer. If his two Rivers shall lie 7. or 8. foot high betweene his Bankes made of light Moore and Hassockes untill it have grinded the Channell 4. or 5. miles through the Marsh how often will those bankes be broken and torne to peeces before the Channell bee ground out and when they are torne and broken to peeces will not both the Fennes be drowned and the water lost that should doe the businesse Pa. 24. he tels his Majestie that he would make a Banke from Stand Ground to the fields of Wittleseii and from Eldernell to Guyhurne on that side But as it is verily beleeved by many that hee might be revenged on Master Burrell who would not stoope to him he hath caused a banke to bee made on the same side through his severall and others in length two miles nearer Wisbitch by which meanes he hath not onely wronged Mr. Burrell and others many hundred pounds for the present and cut up London Roade to the pittifull foiling of Travelours and deprived others of his Majesties Subjects wholly of their high way but hath indangered the utter ruining of Master Burrell and others and the drowning of whole townes and Churches not caring though hee spent his Majestie many thousand pounds in vaine to teach Master Burrell and others hereafter not to oppose him Quer. Whether this be not Haman-like because Mordecay would not stoope to him he was not contented to be revenged on Mordecai alone but upon all the Jewes though he in no wise was able to recompence the Kings dammages by his wicked act ANd now having spent some time in reading and taking some Notes out of his booke and finding how one part of it crosseth and contradicts another And if some part of it be true the other must needs be false and so needs no other proofe to confute it but his owne words I might rest here but because this way of keeping water aloft betweene bankes set at a great distance is of such dangerous consequence not onely to such as shall be the adventurers but to the inhabitants adjoyning neare to such bankes and having such plentifull matter to make it evident to all men to be a most deceitfull way and the money so expended to be utterly lost altogether failing of the end it shall be disbursed for namely the drayning of the Fens I shall adde to what I have already observed in his booke 3. or 4. Arguments more first from the costly experience of others the next from his owne workes alteady done and lastly from his proceedings and propositions set forth in this designe It is most apparant by what hath beene already said that when the land floods shall descend from Northampton Bedford or other upland countries and shall arise in height 4. or 5. foote over the Superfices of the Medowes they will arise 6. or 7. foote high betweene his Bankes though placed at a great distance betweene them and when the waters are thus aloft neare the top of the bankes the winds will have such power to raise violent waves against them that will breake and teare them to peeces they being made of light and spungie stuffe And that they will doe so all indifferent men that have experience of the Fennes will witnesse with me It is well knowne there was a banke made betweene Upwell and Welnigh about foure miles in length made to preserve Fens called the Londoners Fennes which Banke by its often tearing breaking and blowing up after great summes of money expended it wearied out the undertakers And yet the waters arose not at any time above three foote in height in the Levell against that Banke they having libertie to spread themselves over the great Levell of the Fennes from whence I draw this conclusion That if a Banke made in the same Fens which cost many thousand pounds and but foure miles in length could not bee made to hold but was torne in peeces broken and blowne up and but 3. foot of water against it whereby those undertakers though men of great estates were forced to leave them and loose all their labour and cost Then the Bankes made by Sir Cornelius being of no better stuffe when 6. or 7. foote of waters shall with violent waves beate against them cannot possibly hold but will be torne in peeces broken and blowne up But what neede I instance in Bankes of like nature for this very Banke which Sir Cornelius hath already made was so neare breaking and blowing up this yeare that it hath cost much money in bringing Earth Brush Faggots and Fodder sheaves and many hundred of Fir deales cut to preserve it And yet was dangerously torne in so much that if one living neare unto it had not espyed it one Lords day at night little before his going to bed and called up neighbours out of their beds and road to Wisbitch for more helpe in their judgements in one two houres it had been broken and had not onely drowned Walderseii but Wisbitch and Elme From whence I frame this argument that those Bankes that will not hold one yeare but require good cost to preserve them And yet that cost would not preserve them from tearing nor secure them from breaking when the waters had libertie to spread and so could not rise high whereby the windes might have power to raise violent waves against them cannot possibly hold when the waters shall be pent up betweene two bankes and so lie high against them But the new Banke Sir Cornelius hath caused to be made in Walderseii hath had great cost bestowed upon it by bringing Earth Fodder Sheaves Brush Faggots and cutting many hundred of Deales to preserve it and yet was fearefully torne and in great danger to breake untill it was cut in a convenient place or two above notwithstanding the waters had scope to spread themselves over 30. thousand Acres whereby they could rise to nothing neare that height they will when restrained of that liberty Therefore the bankes made and propounded to be made by Sir Cornelius Virmuden cannot possibly hold long nor secure the Lands adjoyning Object But that banke did not breake nor blow up and Sir Cornelius is taken for a man of judgement and experience sure he would never have been so bold as to perswade his Majesty and other great Lords and now the Parliament to disburse such great summes of money if he did not well know his workes would hold and cause a perfect draining Answer The cause that banke did not breake hath been shewed sufficiently already But for further answer hereto I shall frame two or three arguments more And first
the Outfall and pa. 22. li 6. and if need be the sooner to gather head by meanes of the Sluce and Sasse which are to be below it on Welland to scoure the Outfall Quer. Whether that a Sluce placed 10. or 12. miles from the Outfall to scoure it be not a conceipt so vaine and ridiculous that it deserves no farther answer Pa. 15. li. 9. He hath another helpe which is the downefall of Deeping and Thorney his words are If it were not to preserve Navigation for Spaulding it were not amisse to bring all the downefall of Deeping and Thorney through Ellow and so to Wisbitch Outfall by a new channell and this is another remedy Quer. The first if the cannot make use of it but hee will want water to preserve Navigation for Spaulding kow is it another remedy Or whether will he turne the downefall of Deeping and Thorney through Ellow and so to Wisbitch Out-fall by a new Channell though he doe destroy Navigation to Spauding Quer. The second whether the downefall usually in Summer time be not so little that the very bottome of the Dikes be dry and will not then Spaulding Outfall Sand quite up and for winter time if the Fennes be drained will not the downefall be low in the Dikes of Deeping Fens two foote or at least one under the superficies of the Fennes and Sir Cornelius saith pa. 15. li. 3. Deeping Fennes are very low and yet the downefall must runne lower hee will confesse then what force can this downefall have to scoure the Outfall and preserve Navigation for Spaulding is non this if well considered of as strange a conceipt as that a Navigable Sluce at Waldron Hall should doe it Quer. Thirdly if it be apparant that the Outfalls of Wisbitch and Welland will decay by the increase of Sands as now they are when they have so much fresh water to keepe them open that sometimes it cannot be conteined between the bankes then how shall the water that must come through the Sluce at Waldron Hall and the downefall of Deeping and Thorney which is lower then it preserve Navigation for Spaulding or keepe open the Outfall of Welland Pa. 23. li. 26. He saith Welland and the Shire Drayne will be turned to be good servants in stead of ill masters Quer. Whether by this way Sir Cornelius hath set forth it be not most certaine that Welland will doe no service at all no not so much in Summer time as carry the smallest boate nor any part of the downefall Pa. 23. li. 11. He saith the Fen waters for that part of the countrey must goe part to Crowland and so by Spaulding to the Sea and by Murro Plash as need shall require And if the fall can be gained at Guyhurne part may goe by Wisbitch otherwise Welland and Plash must remaine the onely draines for the downefall which are not sufficient to receive it Quer. Whether this like many other passages in his booke be not very uncertaine observe his words if the fall can be gained at Guyhurne but if not Welland and Murro Flash must be the only draines which he saith are not sufficient to receive it So that if the fall cannot be gained at Guyhurne this must remaine an imperfect worke but then if the Outfall of Welland be quite sanded up then he hath but Murro Plash alone and if two be not sufficient what will one of them doe Pa. 26. li. 8. He saith it may be objected that the inhabitants of Peterborough have Navigation from their towne to Linne by the River Neene as now it runneth which will then be taken away he answereth that the workes being thus contrived they shall not need to fetch and carry their commodities so farre but goe the nearest way to Wisbitch Quer. Whether this satisfactory seeming answer to omit here the dammage Linne may suffer thereby doth give any satisfaction at all if he meane they shall goe to Wisbitch and so by the Sea to Linne then whether these watermen and their vessells be fit for a Sea voyage or no if not then what shall the inhabitants of Peterborough doe untill the two rivers meeting above have ground out the Channell that VVisbitch may be made an Haven towne may not his bankes placed at such a great distance be broken or torne and cut as they were this last winter and then how many yeares may the inhabitants of Peterborough part of Northampton Leicester shire and Rutland waite by a tedious expectation untill VVisbitch may serve their turne as Linne now doth what shall they doe in the meane time Pa. 29. li. 6. He saith Owse may not goe downe the Fennes as now it doth but the best way is to turne the River at Erith into and the next unto Bedford River and to shut the passage of Owse as now it goeth by a crosse banke through the River to the firme land and li. 26. the three Rivers of Mildenhall Brandon and Stoake must bee made one River And to that end Mildenhall must bee brought into Brandon and both into Stoake and all into Owse and in that manner that the downefall of the Levell may be brought through a draine to be made to a better fall then that of Stoake for the downefall of Graunt to goe in Quer. Whether when old Owse is stopped and Mildenhall Brandon and Stoake bee turned another way and fall into Owse neere Stow Bridge as is set forth in the Mappe at the end of his booke whether then the Tides which now flow up in Summer time foure miles above Ely will not then flow up into old Owse also as farre as his stop at Erith and into the other Rivers of Mildenhall and Brandon which then will be emptie and fill them with Sand causing them in short time to be so much sanded up that they will not doe so much as carry away the downefall having no quantitie of fresh water to carry our their Sands againe Quer. Second whether when all Owse is stopped at Erith and must not come into old Owse againe untill it come to Salters Load and Mildenhall Brandon and Stoake must not come into Owse untill a little above Stow Bridge and all Neene turned to VVisbitch so that for above 30. miles space there will be but Graunt onely which in Summer time will scarce cover the bottome of the old Owse can there possibly be a foote of water in many places will there be six inches of water upon Ely Hards which are shallow and broad and what a designe is this to deprive Cambridge Linne VVisbitch Spaulding Ely and Peterborough of Navigation and doth it not greatly behoove those great townes of Navigation and countries about them to seeke in time to prevent the prosecution of such a designe Pa. 5. li. 23. Hee confesseth that the sands in Summer time now overcome the Ebbes somewhat in Linne haven yet hee saith they doe not lie long for the first land waters or next spring tides carry them away Quer.