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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	author_n	great_a	write_v	3,726	5	5.3359	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15340	A glasse for gamesters and namelie for suche as delight in cards & dise: wherein thei maie see not onely the vanitie, but also the vilenesse of those plaies plainly discouered and ouerthrowen by the word of God. Written by T.W.	T. W. (Thomas Wilcox), 1549?-1608.	1581 (1581)	STC 25623; ESTC S103066	25,663	73

other plaies of lot and chaunce synne against the holy ghost And though thei swarne muche from the truth in makyng it so heinous a sinne yet haue thei thereby lefte a testimonie vnto the world of their greate dislikyng and vtter dissallowyng and condemnyng of the same Ambrose and Chrisostome Ambros lib. 1. officio 23. Chrisost tomel 6. in Mat. condemne all maner of plaies and therfore these of Cardes and Dise But if a Caueller would here say why doe you not so to I aunswere that for that matter I haue shewed some reasons before in the thirde Chapter of the treatie Alledgyng these Authors at this tyme as proofes hereof that if thei can not allowe any maner of Game muche lesse will thei allowe vnlawfull and euill Games Ciprian in a booke whiche he did write against these plaies affirmeth that thei are the Deuilles inuention which he found out and forged to haue the Idols Idolatrie in greater vse and commendation amongst mē and therefore he condemneth it And no doubt vpon very good ground For euery inuention of the Deuill is accursed and ought not either to be in vse or estimation emongst those which be Christians Bernard exhorteth certain souldiars that were at Ierusalem to whom he did write to be at vtter defiaunce with Cardes and Dise Nicholaus de Lyra in a little booke of his named Praeceptorium putteth doune nine reasons for euery of whiche these kindes of Plaies ought to be prohibited amongst Christians and exiled from the congregation of God I will not put doune the wordes and reasons he vseth because thei be somewhat long It is enough to note his consent with the rest in disliking of these wicked and vnlawfull exercises Caluin epla 374. Maister Caluin a singular instrument of the Churche of God writeth thus There are other corruptions whiche shoote at this marke For Dise and Cardes as thei call thē howsoeuer thei semed not to appertaine to superstition yet were thei the meanes of other vices and brought in euery where muche hurte and mischiefe And as touchyng these plaies we would not so muche condemne them if men in vsyng of them would weigh what were lawfull But where I praie you shall a man finde that sobernes and moderation Firste there is no other thyng any where by whiche men are so hindered euen as it were by birdlime so that it occupieth all their wittes and senses no otherwise then if thei were bewitched But as thei which are accustomed thereunto cannot so easely bid them farewel so he which hath a little withdrawen his foote shall quickly and easely loth them all Now thei which giue ouer them selues to such thinges and goe on forward in that madnesse whatsoeuer thei be fall into many miseries and greifes It is well enough knowne that Games can not passe without blasphemies deceites wrath braulyng and other suche like inconueniences How many good houses haue by the same bin as it were cut vp and rooted out For no man keepeth a measure but either he doeth quickly or as it were at once waste hym self or by little and little consume that whiche he hath Chiefly where question is of gaynyng it can hardly be but that by some one meane or other God hymself should he offended Wherefore it is very profitable to be as muche as maie free from these Games but best of all it is wholie and altogether to abstaine from them And for the more plaine proofe and demonstration of these wordes of Maister Caluin concernyng the distruction and ouerthrowe of families and housholdes I dare aduouche and that vpon credite of good Historiographers that it hath vndoen sondrie Kynges of Asia and as it were subdued their estate And one Bohemus writing of the maners Bohem. lib. 3. de moribus legibus c. lawes and of Coūtries sheweth that the Germanes haue bin so muche giuen to this plaie that when thei haue lost al that thei had thei would at the last cast plaie for their libertie Peter Martir in his Commentaries vpon the booke of Iudges bothe sheweth his iudgement touchyng plaies and also aunswereth an obiection or two that the vpholders and maintainers of the same haue vsually in their mouthes His wordes are these And if there were nothyng els to feare vs awaie from plaies Let vs for Gods sake weigh this how greate the penurie of tyme is The lawe of God requireth so many dueties that not our whole life is able to performe them and yet shall we bestowe tyme in Plaies We are otherwise sufficiently sicke with couetousnes of money with ambition to ouercome and excell other Why doe we stirre vp these diseases with Plaies But thou wilt saie these thinges are neuer stirred vp in me but now thou must remember that thei maie easely be stirred vp And we must see not onely to our selues but that wee bryng no other also vnto the same disease These thinges are spoken of the honest kinde of plaies If so bee there be any whiche doe plaie beyng intised with couetousnesse let these men knowe that thei rather like euill Marchauntes trafficke then plaie For they seeke no other thyng but filthie gaine Neither seeke thei pleasure whiche in honest plaies is the chiefest but thei seke their owne thynges and that by filthie meanes And when thei whiche delight immoderately in plaies doe saie There must be some pleasure in the life whereby we maie bee recreated there request is to be graunted but in the meane tyme thei must be admonished that there are other pleasures more honeste Paule to the Ephesians the fifte Chapter saieth Ephes 5.19 Speake vnto your selues in Psalmes Hymnes and spirituall songes singyng and makyng melodie in your hartes And the same writeth he vnto the Colossians Collos 3.16 Tertulliā in Apologetico saith that Christians vsed to assemble together to their moderate Suppers and when thei were refreshed with meate thei sang diuine praises or recited somethyng out of the holy Scriptures prouokyng one an other by them And by this meanes thei returned sober home And Maister Dearyng our owne Countrie man and a deare Sainct of God hath these wordes Shall we thinke we haue the spirite of God or any portion in Iesus Christe who in his euerlastyng continuaunce cannot finde suche pleasure as in a visare of a vaine life that sodainely appeareth and is no more Who in the glorie of his presence In cap. 1. ad Hebri lect 5. and Magestie of his Father can see no suche delight as in Cardyng Disyng Daunsyng and suche like workes of reproche and shame and horrible confusion In the Canons of the Apostles whiche are so called and counted verie auncient this plaie of Dise and Cardes is plainlie forbidden and altogether reiected Cano. Apost can 41. The woordes there putte doune are these A Minister or Elder or Deacon whiche giueth hym self to Dise Cardes and drunkennesse either lette hym ceasse there from or be deposed The sixte Counsell of Constantinople Concilium Constant