Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	good_a	read_v	write_v	2,874	5	5.1956	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13506	Taylors pastorall being both historicall and satyricall: or the noble antiquitie of shepheards, with the profitable vse of sheepe: with a small touch of a scabbed sheepe, and a caueat against that infection.	Taylor, John, 1580-1653.	1624 (1624)	STC 23801; ESTC S118298	18,203	40

Taylors Pastorall BEING BOTH HISTORICALL AND SATYRICALL Or the Noble Antiquitie of Shepheards with the profitable vse of Sheepe With a small touch of a scabbed Sheepe and a caueat against that infection Printed at London by G. P. for Henrie Gosson and are to be sold at Edward Wrights shop neere Christs Church Gate 1624. TO THE RIGHT VVORSHIPFVLL IVDICIOVS AND TRVLY GENErous my well approued good friend Mr. THOMAS DOVE Archdeacon of Northampton the accomplishment of his worthy desires Temporall and Eternall Right Worshipfull Sir BOokes without Patrons are like Babes without Parents for except the one be pleasing and plausible to humour the various dispositions of men and the other left with warme portions or legacies in the tuition of faithfull Executors or Guardians both Bookes and Babes are happy if they die in their birth that the first minute of their miserie may be the first moment of their felicities these considerations haue humbly emboldened me to lay this poore Infant of my laborious Braine at the doore or gate of your patronage protection not doubting but your innated charity good disposition and vnfaigned affectation of al Lawdable endeuours will giue it both free and hospitable entertainment The function I treate of being venerable and honourable as of Shepheards the profit commendable lawfull necessarie ample and vniuersall as of Sheepe The writing or method of it historicall mysticall tropicall typicall literall and Satyricall which hath encouraged me to dedicate my poore Shepheardly inuention and their harmlesse flockes to your Worships good acceptance whose reuerend function is truly Pastorall acknowledging that my many imperfections in writing and vnworthinesse in handling so worthy a subiect hath made me doubtfull to vse the protection of your Name yet on the other side considering your good inclination and mine owne humble innocencie both my selfe and my best endeauours I here consecrate to be employed euer in your Worships seruice He whose meaning writing and speaking are one IOHN TAYLOR All those that will not read this plaine Epistle Lay downe the Booke on Gods Name and goe whistle HOnest mens Sonnes if I giue you a wrong name I aske your Fathers pardon although euery one that eates Mutton may truely bee suspected for a sheepe-biter yet I hope my Sheepe shall finde no such dogged dealing amongst you There are indeed three sorts of Creatures two of which are so much repugnant to a Sheepe that I thinke there will neuer be an vnion betwixt them which are a Wolfe and a Dog the third is a Goate which although they may graze or pasture one with another as Christians and Infidels are wouen together in the linsey woolsey web of the world yet I did neuer know any kind of familiarity betweene them And be thou in nature a Wolfe a Dog or a Goate that readst this I passe not but I rather pitty thy accursed inclination then stand in any feare of thy Butting or Byting the honest-minded Reader shall finde my Subiect or Theame both laudable and Honourable and those who hold the name of Shepheard in contempt or derision may heere find truely proued that the whole world doth not now containe nor euer will retaine any men who for goodnesse honour true worth worthinesse and respect that can or dare make comparison with the Shepheards of former ages And though Virgill Ouid Mantuan and many of our learned English and Scottish Poets haue made their inuentions trauell vp the top of the forked Mountaine of Parnassus yet I would haue the Reader know that if they each of them had Argos eyes to suruay and obserue and as many hands as Briareus to write yet for all their paines diligent search and collections my weake capacitie can find matter enough to make an honest Pamphlet out of what they haue ouerseene neglected or made slight account of Foure things I haue doe and euer will obserue in my Writings which are not to write prophane obsceane palpable and odious Lyes or scandalous Libels In keeping which Decorum I hope I shall keepe my selfe within the limits or bounds of good mens Respect And this Aduertisement more I giue the Reader that there are many things Imprinted vnder the name of two Letters I. T. for some of which I haue beene taxed to be the Author I assure the world that I had neuer any thing imprinted of my writing that I was either afraid or ashamed to set my name at large to it and therefore if you see any Authors name I. T. I vtterly disclaime it for I am as I haue bin both I. and T. which with addition of Letters is yours to be commanded in any laudable endeuours IOHN TAYLOR Taylors Pastorall being both Historicall and Satyricall APollo father of the Sisters nine I craue thy aide t' inspire this Muse of mine Thou that thy golden Glory didst lay by As Ouid doth relate most wittily And in a Shepheards shape didst deigne to keepe Thy Loues beloued Sire Admetus sheepe And rurall Pan thy helpe I doe intreate That to the life the praise I may repeate Of the contented life and mightie stockes Of happy Shepheards and their harmlesse flockes But better thoughts my Errors doe controule For an offence most negligent and foule In thus inuoking like a heathen man Helpe helplesse from Apollo or from Pan When as the subiect which I haue in hand Is almost infinite as starres or sand Grac'd with Antiquitie vpon Record In the Eternall neuer-failing Word There 't is ingrauen true and manifest That Sheepe and Shepheards were both best and blest I therefore inuocate the gracious aide Of Thee whose mightie Word hath all things made I Israels great Shepheard humbly craue That his assur'd assistance I may haue That my vnlearned Muse no verse compile Which may be impious prophane or vile And though through Ignorance or negligence My poore inuention fall into offence I doe implore that boundlesse Grace of his Not strictly to regard what is amisse But vnto me belongeth all the blame And all the Glory be vnto his Name Yet as this Booke is verse so men must know I must some Fictions and Allusions show Some shreds sowe remnants reliques or some scraps The Muses may inspire me with perhaps Which taken literally as lies may seeme And so mis-vnderstanding may misdeeme Of Sheepe therefore before to worke I fall I le shew the Shepheards first originall Those that the best Records will reade and marke Shall finde iust Abel was a Patriarke Abel a Prince a Patriarke a figure of the true Church a type of Christ a Shepheard Abraham a Prince a Patriarke intituled with the Glorious title of father of the faithfull a Shepheard Our father Adams second sonne a Prince As great as any man begotten since Yet in his function he a Shepheard was And so his mortall pilgrimage did passe And in the sacred Text it is compilde That he that 's father of the faithfull stilde Did as a Shepheard liue vpon th' encrease Of Sheepe vntill his daies

he gaue 108. Gownes to poore aged people at his Funerall This was a Lambe whose like was neuer any Whose loue and pitty sed and cloth'd so many And 't is no doubt but these good deeds of his Did helpe to lift his Soule to endlesse Blisse Master Iohn Berriman of Bishops Taunton in the County of Deuon-shire Clothier and free Draper of London gaue to the Hospitall of Christ-Church 100. pounds to S. Bartholomewes 5. pounds to S. Thomas Hospitall 6. pounds to Bridewell 40. Shillings and to the Hospitall of Bethlem 50. pounds Peter Blundell Clothier gaue to Christ-Church Hospitall 500 pounds to Saint Bartholomewes Hospitall 250. pounds to Saint Thomas Hospitall 250. pounds to Bridewell 8. pounds yeerely foreuer to the Reparation of the Church at Tiuerton where he was borne 50. pounds towards the mending of High-wayes 100. pounds to the twelue Companies in London to euery of them 150. pound to poore Maides marriages in Tiuerton 400. pound to the poore at Exester he gaue 900. pound to build a Grammer-schoole at Tiuerton 2400. pounds and after laid out by his Executors 1000. pound to the Schoole-master 50. pounds yeerely for euer to the Vsher 13. pound 6. shillings 8. pence yeerely to the Clarke 40. shillings yeerely to place foure poore boyes yeerely Aprentises 20. pounds per annum to keepe three Schollers at Oxford and three at Cambridge 2000. l. Robert Chilcot Seruant to the aforesaid M. Blundell gaue to Christs Hospitall 100. pound towards a meaner Schoole to haue Children taught to be apt for his Masters Grammer-Schoole he gaue 400. pound to maintaine it he gaue 90. pound allowing the Schoole-master yeerely 20. pound the Clarke 3. pound and toward Reparations 40. shillings per annum to fifteene poore men he gaue 16. pounds 10. shillings a yeere for euer to fifteen poore labouring men 15. pound to fifteene poore people weekely six pence each for euer to mend the Church at Tiuerton 19. pound 10. shillings to mend High-waies 10. pounds and to other charitable vses more then is mentioned Thus hath it pleased God that these men whose trades and liuings were deriued from the poore Sheepes backe haue not onely growne to great wealth and places of Honour but haue bin also great Instruments of the Almighties mercy in relieuing the needy and impotent members of Christ and should I reckon vp the particulars of profits that arise frō this Beast to Graziers Butchers Skinners Glouers Felmongers Leathersellers Feltmongers Taylors an infinite number of other Trades and Functions who could not liue or els liue very hardly without this Commodity I say should I write of these things in particular my worke would neuer bee done in generall Wooll hath beene formerly in such esteeme in England that in a Parliament holden the 36. of Edward the third the King had his Subiects paide him in wooll and before that in the 11. yeere of his Raigne is was forbidden to be transported out of this Kingdome and then did Strangers come ouer hither from diuers parts beyond the Seas who were Fullers Weauers and Clothworkers whom the King entertained and bare all their charges out of his Exchequer at which time the Staples or places of marchandise for Woolls were kept at diuers places of this Land at once as at Newcastle Yorke Lincoln Canterbury Norwich Westminster Chichester Winchester Exester Bristoll and Carmarthen by which may be perceiued what a great commodity wooll was in those daies But in the 6. yeere of King Edward the fourth the King sent certaine Ships out of Cotswold in Glocester shire into Spaine the encrease of which so inriched the Spaniards with our wooll that euer since it hath bin in the lesse request in England neuer thelesse as it is it is the meanes of life and maintenance for many hundred thousands ANd now from solid Prose I will abstaine To pleasant Poetrie and mirth againe Here followeth a touch of paltry Scabbed infectious kind of Sheepe which I thinke fit to place by themselues in the lagge end of my Booke as farre as I can from the clean sound profitable Sheepe before mentioned for feare the bad should infect the good The Fable of the Golden Fleece began ' Cause Sheepe did yeeld such store of Gold to Man For he that hath great store of woolly fleeces May when he please haue store of golden peeces Thus many a poore man dying hath left a Sonne That hath transsorm'd the Fleece to Gold like Iason And heere 's a mystery profound and deepe There 's sundry sorts of Mutton are no Sheepe Lac'd Mutton which let out themselues to hire Like Hackneys who 'le be fir'd before they tire The man or men which for such Mutton hungers Are by their Corporation Mutton-mongers Which is a brotherhood so large and great That if they had a Hall I would intreat To be their Clarke or keeper of accounts To shew them vnto what their charge amounts My braines in numbring then wound grow so quicke I should be master of Arithmeticke All States Degrees and Trades both bad and good Afford some members of this Brotherhood Great therefore needs must be their multitude When euery man may to the Trade intrude It it no free dome yet these men are free Not sauers but most liberall spenders be For this is one thing that doth them bewitch That by their trading they waxe seldome rich The value of this Mutton to set foorth The flesh doth cost more than the broth is worth They all are Ewes yet are exceeding Ramish And will be dainty fed whos ' euer famish Nor are they mark'd for any man or no man As mine or thine but euery mans in common Fine heads and neckes and breasts they yeeld some storee But scarcely one good liuer in nine score The liuers being bad 't is vnderstood The veines are fild with putrified blood Which makes them subiect to the scab and then They proue most dang rous diet vnto men And then the prouerbe proues no lie or mocke One scabbed sheepe's enough to spoyle a flocke But yet for all this there is many a Gull Loues Mutton well and dips his bread i' the wooll And were a man put to his choyce to keepe 'T is said a Shrew is better then a Sheepe But if a man be yok'd with such an Ewe She may be both a scabbed Sheepe and Shrew And he that is so match'd his life may well Compared be vnto an earthly hell But to my Theame which I wrote of before I at this Mutton must haue one cut more These kinde of Sheepe haue all the world o're growne And seldome doe weare fleeces of their owne For they from sundry men their pelts can pull Whereby they keepe themselues as warme as wooll Besides in colours and in shape they varie Quite from all profitable sheepe contrarie White Blacke Greene Tawny Purple Red and Blue Beyond the Raine-bow for their change of hue Camelion like in alteration But that bare Aire they cannot liue vpon The Moones mutation's not more manifold Silke Veluet Tissue Cloth and cloth of God These are the Sheepe that Golden fleeces weare They are as soft as Silke-wormes Who robe themselues with others wooll or haire And it may be 't was such a Beast and Fleece Which Iason brought from Cholcos into Greece Were it no more but so I dare be bold To thinke this Land doth many Iasons hold Who neuer durst to passe a dang'rous waue Yet may with ease such Golden fleeces haue Too much of one thing 's good for nought they say I le therefore take this needlesse dish away For should I too much of Lac'd Mutton write I may o're come my Readers stomacke quite Once more vnto the good Sheepe I le retire And so my Booke shall to it's end expire Although it be not found in Ancient writers I finde all Muttone-aters are sheepe-biters And in some places I haue heard and seene That currish sheepe-biters haue hanged beene If any kinde of Tike should snarle or whine Or bite or woorry this poore Sheepe of mine Why let them barke and bite and spend their breath I le neuer wish them a sheepe-biters death My Sheepe will haue them know her Innocence Shall liue in spight of their maleuolence I wish them keepe themselues and me from paine And bite such Sheepe as cannot bite againe For if they snap at mine I haue a pen That like a trustie Dogge shall bite agen And in Conclusion this I humbly craue That euery one the honestie may haue That when our fraile mortalitie is past We may be the good Shepheards sheepe at last FINIS