Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	ancient_a	time_n	write_v	1,996	5	5.4420	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39869	New dialogues of the dead in three parts / dedicated to Lusian in Elysium ; made English by J.D.; Nouveaux dialogues des mort. English. 1683.	Fontenelle, M. de (Bernard Le Bovier), 1657-1757.	1683 (1683)	Wing F1414; ESTC R28503	37,395	159

will be far more pleasing If you 'l relate Fables they may take without having the least colour of truth in them Thus Truth has need to borrow the shape of Falshood to be kindly received in the mind of man but Falshood creeps into it well enough in its own proper shape for that is the place of its birth and its usual place of aboad and Truth is there a meer stranger Nay I will tell you more than this comes to If I should have killed my self to fancy allegorical Fables it might very well have happened that most people would have taken the Fable as a thing likely enough to have had been so and would have let the Allegory alone and indeed you ought to know that my Gods such as they are and all Mysteries laid aside have not been thought ridiculous Aes This makes me quake again I am terribly afraid that it will be thought that Beasts might have spoken as they do in my Apologies Hom. A pretty fear indeed Aesop Why what If people have believed that the Gods could have held those Discourses you made them hold why will they not believe that Beasts did speak in the manner as I made them speak Hom. Ah! the Case is not the same Men are willing enough that the Gods should be as great great Fools as they but they are not willing that Beasts should be so wise The Sixth Dialogue Athenais Icasia Icasia SInce you will know my Fortune I will tell it you The Emperour under whom I lived had a mind to marry and that he might the better choose an Empress he caused it to be published That all Women that thought themselves handsom and taking enough to pretend to the Throne should come to Constantinople God only knows what a world of people there was I went thither and I made no doubt but with my youth my brisk eyes and my way which was pleasant and curious enough I might not put in for the Empire The day of the meeting together of so many pretty Pretenders we all of us ran over in a distracted manner the faces of each other and I took notice with satisfaction that my Rivals did look but with an ill eye upon me The Emperour appeared at first he passed by several rows of Beauties without saying a word but when he came at me my eyes were very serviceable to me and they stayed him Indeed quoth he looking upon me with a countenance such as I could wish Women are very dangerous they may do a great deal of harm I thought there was only a little wit to be used in the case and then I was Empress and in the trouble I was in what with hope what with joy I strove to make an answer In recompence of that Lord Women may do and sometimes have done much good This Answer spoiled all the Emperour thought it so godly that he durst not marry me Athenais Sure this Emperour was of a strange humour to be so afraid of Wit and 't is to be presumed he had but little judgment in it to believe that your Answer did argue much for to be free with you 't is no very good one and you have no great matter to lay to your own charge Icasia Thus go Fortunes Wit alone made you an Empress and an appearance only of Wit hindred me from being one You were versed to in Philosophy which is far worse than to be witty and notwithstanding all this you married the young Theodosius Athen. If I should have had such an example as yours before me it would have frighted me After my Father had made me a very learned and a very godly Lass he did disinherit me so sure did he make himself that with my learning and my fine wit I could not miss of making my Fortune and to say the truth I believed it as well as he But now I see I ran a great hazard and that it was not impossible but I might remain without any means and have Philosophy alone for my Portion Icas No sure but as good luck would have it for you my adventure had not yet happened It would be pleasant enough that upon the like occasion as that which befel me some other that knew my Story and would draw an advantage from it were so crafty as to make no shew of wit and that people would laugh at her Athen. I would not be answerable for her success herein in case she were upon design but many times one does by chance commit the happiest Follies in the world Have you not heard talk of a Painter who had so well drawn some Bunches of Grapes that some Birds were deceived in them and came and nibled at them Do you judge what a Repute this gave him But the Grapes were born in the Picture by a little Country Boy and the Painter was told That truly they must needs be well done since they intised the Birds to them but that the little Country Boy must needs be very ill done since the Birds were not afraid of him They were in the right Yet if the Painter had not over-seen himself in the little Peasant the Grapes would not have had that prodigious success as they had Icas Truly let a man do what he will in the world he does not know what he does and after the adventure of this Painter we ought to tremble even in those Affairs where we behave our selves well and fear lest we have done no fault that might have been necessary all is uncertain It looks as though Fortune took care to give different Successes to one and the same thing to the end she may always laugh at humane Reason which is uncaple of any certain Rule DIALOGUES OF THE Ancient Dead WITH THE Modern Dead The First Dialogue Augustus Peter Aretine Peter Aretine YES I was a fine Wit in my time and I made a pretty considerable Fortune with Princes Augustus You writ then many Books for them P. Aretine None at all I had a Pension from all the Princes of Europe and that could not have been if I should have sate writing of Praises They had Wars with one another when one had the better of the Day the other had the better of it it was not possible to give them all their Praises Augustus What did you then P. Aret. I made Verses against them They could not be admitted into a Panegyrick but into a Satyr they might I had so well spread abroad the Terrous of my Name that they allowed me Tribute to enable me to commit Follies in safety The Emperour Charles the Fifth who you must needs have heard speak of here below being gone very unadvisedly towards the Coasts of Africa to receive an Overthrow did immediately send me a Chain of Gold I received it and looking sadly upon it Ah! said I aloud this is but a small matter for so great a folly as he has committed Aug. You had found a new kind of way to get money of Princes P.