Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	church_n	king_n	time_n	2,805	5	3.3508	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34743	The country gentleman's vade mecum, or his companion for the town in eighteen letters from a gentleman in London to his friend in the country wherein he passionately disswades him against coming to London, and represents to him the advantages of a country life, in opposition to the follies and vices of the town : he discovers to him most of the humours, tricks and cheats of the town, which as a gentlemen and a stranger he is most exposed to, and gives him some general advice and instructions how he may best in his absence dispose of his affairs in the country, and manage himself with the most security and satisfaction when he comes to London.	Gentleman in London.; Sc̲̲̲̲y, Ed.	1699 (1699)	Wing C6533; ESTC R2672	63,002	180

Conversation nor imperious in his Behaviour not bitter nor pressing upon your Tenants and yet watchful and sedulous to keep 'em within the moderate Bounds of their Leases and Agreements and withal careful to restrain 'em from running too far in Arrears which commonly terminates not only in the Ruin of themselves but in the manifest Loss and Inconvenience of the Landlord A Steward should be a Person if you can find such a one that is remarkable for the discreet Government of himself and his own Affairs he ought to be a tolerable Master of Accompts and well skill'd in the useful Art of Husbandry and in the manner of Country Dealing and Comerce but above all he should be abstracted from all manner of Selfishness and mercenary Designs and be acted purely by true Principles of Love Justice and Gratitude Next to Him a provident House-keeper will be extreamly requisite and she indeed should have most of the Qualifications of the Steward she should be discreet and faithful affable modest meek and Compassionate she should be free from the little Vanities of Gossiping and Talebearing too common to her Sex Your House should be her only Empire and the calm and peaceful Government of it her highest Ambition she should have no Ends nor indeed no Business of her own to disturb or take her off but be constantly vigilant to observe and restrain the Irregularities of the Family and not more neither by her Advice and Reproof than by the President of her own Calmness Decency and Moderatiou Besides these you 'll want an industrious Gardiner and a careful Groom the one to take Care of your Fruit and Flowers and to preserve your Walks and Arbors from running to Ruin and Disorder and the other to manage and regulate your Horses c. Now if you could thus equip your self which I confess will be very difficult for you to do you 'd be however secure that when you have tir'd your self with the Follies and Vanities of the Town which I believe or at least hope will be in a very little time your Affairs in the Country are in a good Posture and thither you can return and rest your self out of the Reach of the Hurry and Impertinence of it And now Sir the next thing will be to manage your self with Advantage and Security when you come to Town I have shew'd you already the Rocks that you are in most danger to Split upon and the Vices Follies and Dangers which as a Gentleman and a Stranger you are perpetually liable to be encountred with and because my present Design hath made them my peculiar Province I shall wave all others and only address my self to you for a Conclusion in a passionate Admonition and Request or two which I presume you will either grant or pardon if not both And first I prssionately advise and request you not to plunge your self into the Society of Strangers I have told you that before and I must tell it you again and indeed I can never tell it you too often that the Generality of the Mischiefs of this Town are deriv'd to us upon that Account Secondly let me again admonish you not to take Men and Things upon Trust but first to weigh 'em soberly and deliberately to bring 'em home to the Tribunal of your own Reason Conscience and Experience before you pass your Judgment or make your Option This Town is sway'd purely by a Spirit of Falshood and Contradiction or what 's as bad by Spite Faction or Interest so that if you take things nakedly without comparing them with the natural Rules of Truth and Probability you lie open to be impos'd upon by an endless Repetition of Falshoods and Impostures Mr. Cowler's Wish lies always before you a few Friends and a few Books and both true and well chose are all you want and indeed your only proper and acceptable Companions for this Town To sum up all I hope you will not esteem it an uncivil Address to put you in mind of your Character by your Birth Education and by your Estate too you are a Gentleman and then I think I need not tell you what it is that is your most adorning Accomplishment 't is Vertue Sir and 't is that and nothing else can add a Lustre to your Title 'T is that alone can refine and sublimate your Pleasures and give a long and glorious Splendour to your Quality London January 10th 1699. Farewel THE Country Gentleman's REPLY WHO can resist the Wounds from such a Dart Your Kindness Sir has pierc'd my very Heart First to advise then gently to reprove Denotes your Friendship much but more your Love But that which I admire above the rest Distance nor Time han't worn me from your breast Well you have gain'd your Point and I agree You scurvy Town is not a Place for me No Sir ye've kindly taught me to be wise I loath it now my Country Life I prize Beyond the Compass of my native Grange I rarely very rarely mean to range There I breath free have all I wish but you And for a Mess anotber Friend or two Had I but that in Triumph I 'd retire And leave your City-Toys for Boys and Fools t' admire Come then my Friend for you shall lead the Way Make haste I grow impatient by your Stay We 'll go together and then you and I Can teach each other how to live and die We 'll take our Turns till we at last improve These dismal Vales into a pleasant Grove Come then I dare you now to a Retreat Come take your Share of my poor homely Seat 'T is true there 's nothing there that I can boast Beside the friendly Welcom of your Hoast My House is plain but 't is convenient too Just fit to entertain another Friend and you My Orchards and my Gardens these indeed Something I may and yet not much exceed My Park 's too narrow to endure a Chace Once in a Season I can kill a brace I have a Pond or two which from a Brook that 's nigh I can o'erflow or I can soon drain dry But then I 've one thing Sir which you will love A Little Artless Melancholy Grove There we may hear the Morning Lark rejoice And now and then the mournful Turtle 's Voice I have beside a little Pack of Hounds Enough to hunt the Vermine from my Bounds Some other Trifles too I have which I Will either keep or if you please throw by But that which for all Wants shall make amends We 'll Live like Lovers and we 'll die like Friends Adieu FINIS Books printed for John Harris at the Harrow in Little-Britain THE General History of England both Ecclesiastical and Civil from the earliest Accounts of Time to the Rign of his Present Majesty King William III. taken from the most ancient Records Manuscripts and Printed Historians With Memorials of the most Eminent Persons in Church and State as also the Foundations of the most noted Monasteries and