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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	great_a	life_n	write_v	5,211	5	5.2860	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25370	The English nvnne being a treatise wherein (by way of dialogue) the author endeauoureth to draw yong & vnmarried Catholike gentlewomen to imbrace a votary and religious life / written by N.N. Hereunto is annexed a short discourse (by way of conclusion) to the abbesses and religious women of all the English monasteries in the Low-countreys and France.	Anderton, Lawrence.	1642 (1642)	Wing A3109; ESTC R29040	86,325	178

Virgins seeing that point concerneth me more neerely in regard of my allready begun Course And it also will giue I thinke better satisfaction to my sister Cosmophila For what you haue aboue said of the first Institution of a religious lyfe may perhaps by her not be extended to women but to strayned only to men Confessarius I will condescend to your words First then we find that S. Ignatius the martyr who was the Apostles Scholler affirmeth Colledges of Virgins and saluteth them in his f Epistles Yea some of our Aduersaries the Protestants do thus confesse of this point In the flower of the Church meaning in the beginning of the primitiue Church there were g Virgins that professed perpetuall Chastity And which is more our learned Aduersaries the Century writers I meane all being eminent Protestants euen out of the rack of Truth confesse that in Constantines time being the first Christian Emperour there were Monasteries h of Virgins That there i then was a woman Gouernesse of professed Virgins And furthermore the said Protestants make particular mention of the Veyle k of the Virgins Of their religious l habit and particularly of their Consecration m and all this in the tyme of Constantine who liued three hundred yeares after Christ To conclude this point the Antiquity of Virgin Nunnes is much celebrated by Ioninian the third Emperour after Constantine and he had them in such Honour as that he published an Edict That who n should seeke not only to violate but euen to marry a professed Nunne should loose his life Thus much of this point Caelia I thanke you Good Father for thus your discoursing For I take great pleasure to heare that this Religious Course by me begun is warranted with such great Antiquity and particularly in vs Women And now Sister Cosmophila you may see that this my Chosen Course of lyfe is no late Innouation or out an humane inuention as some Enemyes thereto are not ashamed to affirme Cosmophila I agree with you Good sister in iudgment herein But Reuerend Good Syr seeing this Religious Course of life hath continued so many hundred yeares as that no more touching this point can be expected I would gladly know what kind of men and especially of women haue imbraced this course whether they haue beene but of the meaner sort only or of more noble and worthy Persons since this later degree of persons if so you can proue it will giue a great lustre and glory to a Religious life For I obserue that diuers of high place ranke in these dayes do euen contemne that Course holding it as sorting only to the meanor condition and sor● of Men of Women Abbesse You shall giue me leaue Good Cosmophila to take this taske touching this your lost question or demand from Father Confessarius with his good leaue and to impose it vpon my selfe to relate what I haue read as concerning this point in spirituall bookes written of this subiect in our owne tongue I am the more bould herein because many great examples not only of Men out euen of women imbracing this state of life may be here alledged And there Examples of women do more neerely concerne v● Women and therefore may with good shew of Reason be deliuered by a woman Therefore I will most briefly begin with men but will chiefly rest in the Presidents of Women First then we find to insist somewhat in fortaine Princes Lothaerius a Westerne Emperour about the yeare 800. Anastasius a Grecian Emperour in the yeare 750. besides some other Emperours Hugo King of Prouence and Emperour in the yeare 920 Pipin king of Italy and eldest sonne to Charles the Great king of France in the yeare 800. Bamba king of Spaine about the yeare 670. to haue vndergone a Religious and Monastical lyfe I will conclude omitting many other forraine kings Princes with Charlemaine who was king of Austrasia and Sueuia and who receaued the habit of a Monke at Pope Zachary his hands But to looke a little into our owne Country of England we shall find it to haue beene most fertil herein whiles the Land of England was deuided into many kingdomes According hereto we may reckon Sigebert king of the Northumbers anno 640. Ethelred king of the Mercians anno 704. Offa king of the East Saxons Some small tyme after Kenred Finally Inas king of the same West Saxons all which did forsake the world and became Religious Monkes Thus far of men omitting to speake of many other Princes Lords and Noble men imbracing the same Religious Course But now to come to women of worth and dignity as being more peculiar to our drift intention I will restrayne my selfe to Empresses and Queenes who haue forsaken all Regall dignity or soueraignty and after the death of their Husbands entered into a Monasticall life and became Nunnes as we are at this pre●ent First then Theodora the Empresse about the yeare 880. imbraced this course of lyfe ●ugusta another Empresse anno 1190. Richar●is wyfe to the Emperour Charles le Grosse did build a Monastery into the which she after entred and therein dyed anno 890. Cunegundes wyfe to Henry the Emperour Agnes wyfe to the Emperour Henry the third gouerned some yeares the Empyre after her husbands death but in the end she surrendred vp the Empyre and chose to liue in the humility of a Monasticall life anno 1150. Elizabeth wyfe to the Emperour Albertus the first and Archduke of Austria did build a Monastery in the yeare 1290. and in that Monastery taking the Monasticall habit of a Nunne most happily ended her dayes This Elizabeth had two Daughters who followed her Example The one of them was marryed to the King of Hungary the other to the Count of Ot●ighen in like sort the said Elizabeth had two grand children to wit the Queene of Polonia her daughter who both entered into a Religious lyfe of Nunnes although her said daughter was in some sort assured in marriage to the Duke of Vratistaw To come to particular Queenes And first Tesia wyfe to Rachisius king of Italy with her Daughter Retruda ended their dayes in a Monastery spending their tyme in great Sanctity In France Radegundis who was maried to king Clotaire got his consent to depart from him and entred into a Monastery at Poictiers liuing and dying there with great shew of piety and deuotion in anno 520. Within some few yeares after Adocra wyfe to Chilperick king of France together with her daughter Childerade betooke themselues to this heauenly profession Balda about the yeare 650. wyfe to King Clouis king of France after the decease of her husband went to Celles where she enlarged a Monastery afore built and till death professed therein a Nunnes life Yt we cast our eyes into Spayne we shall find the like Examples of Deuotion For we read that Nunez wyfe to Veremond king of some Prouinces of Spaine and Teresa wyfe to

course and consequently to ease and pacify their minds And indeed as concerning my selfe in particular it seemes to me that you Reuerend Syr do in some sort stand obliged to performe what I here desire For since it is the force of your pious and vertuous discourse which hath first wrought so much vpon my Soule as to induce it I hope irreuocably to the vndergoing of a Religious life that therefore you are euen in your owne reputation boūd to giue my Father by your letters full satisfaction for the warranting of this my chosen State Confessarius Good Cosmophila I will not be wanting in any thing to satisfy your desire or to aduance your spirituall good Therefore I will not only write to your parents in both your behalfs howsoeuer I know not how they will respect the letters of a meere stranger but I will withall send to them in writing the whole Discourse which hath passed betweene you Cosmophila and my selfe to trye thereby if it may in any sort sway with them All which shal be sent together with your owne letters to them But now you must giue me leaue to acquaint you before you and I do write to your parents with a custome which we generally hould with euery one who desireth ●o enter as Religious into this our Monastety It is this We do giue to euery such one certaine Points of deuotion to meditate vpon in which they vsually spend some few dayes By this when this short Spirituall Exercise for so it is commonly called is ended both themselues and the Gouernours of their ●oules may be better assured of the certainty and firmenesse of their vocation and whether their vocation proceed from God or from the ●nemy the Prince of darkenes who sometimes transformes himselfe in shew into an Angell of light That labour then being once happily finished with a Generall Confession of your whole life to this very tyme we will ●res●ntly send our letters with the former Dis●●unse to your Parents Cosmophila O deare Father this is more then euer I heard of but I like it wonderfully well This course ●ierceth euen to the hart of the Soule and no ●oubt so good a ground worke cannot be at●●nded on with any euill Euent Therefore Good Father command me herein what you will I am most ready to obey Confessarius Well then seeing Cosmophila you are yong and not experienced in this kind of Exercise Therefore that this worke shall not become ouer fastidious and wearisome vnto you will content my selfe with appointing you to meditate on these foure points following which are commonly called the Quatuor N●nissima Of which the holy Scripture th●● sayth z In all thy works remember Nouissima thy later End and thou shalt not sinne for euer 1. Death 2. Iudgment 3. Hell 4. Heauen The manner and forme of meditating these points which I would wish you to follow and which is particularly obserued b● the Religious of this our Monastery is s● downe by the late Holy Bishop of Geneua i● his booke entituled An introduction to a deuou● lyfe These former points are so fully and m●●ingly disposed in that booke and for the better begetting in the Readers Soule a Contr●tion and loathing of sinne as that I will ta● the paines to write the said Meditations dow● for you omitting diuers others for your greater ease euen in the same words without any alteration as they are deliuered by the for ●●id Booke For to alter them in any sort an that perhaps to the worse were by deprauing is booke euen mightely to wrong the worthy and pious Author Therefore you may ●editate on them as they shal be in Order set ●owne and you may bestow a whole day at seuerall chosen houers to meditate only ●n one of them so as within the compasse of ●esse then one Weeke you may performe the Meditations of them all The Lady Abbesse will ●llot to you a retired roome as more fitting ●or meditation where you are to stay from the ●ompany of all others during the tyme of these your Meditations And she will assigne one to ●ttend vpon you for all necessaries belonging ●o your body and herselfe at least once a day will visit you and further you with her directions in this your spirituall labour to see and you proceed therein Cosmophila I am most ready to follow your prescribed ●●me and indeede I am most willing that ●our Reuerence and my good Lady Abbesse hould euen mould me a new as both of you ●hall thinke best presuming it will turne to ●e honour of God and benefit of my owne Soule Therefore I will now leaue you for the ●yme Good Father and attend you Madame or your shewing me the place of my retirement Abbesse Follow me then hopefull Cosmophila and will bring you to it Come in Doe this is you Chamber where for some few dayes you a● to stay alone during the performance of you Meditations You shall haue a sister to atten● you with all necessaries my selfe will moreouer visit you euery day at diuers tymes to your greater encouragement in so pious and profitable spending of your howers And with this for the present I will leaue you and send you instantly the forsaid transcribed Meditations which 〈◊〉 Confessarius hath wished you to pe●use and seriously to ponder Cosmophila Well Deare Lady I commend my selfe first to Almighty God and to all the Blessed Saints in Heauen and then to Your and Father Confessarius good prayers that I may reape such spirituall benefit by the said ensuing Meditations as may most comfort my Soule and strengthen it in prosecuring with all ●eruour and true fortitude my intended Course of life The first Meditation of Death The Preparation 1. Place your selfe reuereutly in the presence of God 2. Pray him to inspire you with his grace 3. Imagine your selfe to be extreamely sicke lying vpon your death-bed without any hope of recouery Considerations 1. Consider the vncertainty of the day of your Death O my poore soule thou must out of this body one day but when shall that day be Will it be in Winter or in Summer In Citty or Countrey By day or by night Shall it be vnawares or with aduertisement By sicknesse or by casuality Shalt thou haue leasure to confesse thee or not Shalt thou haue the assistance of thy Ghostly Father or not Alas O my Soule of all these things we know not one only certaine it is that dye we must and alwayes sooner then we imagine 2. Consider that at that tyme the whole world shall haue an end so far forth as concerneth thy selfe that is there shall be no more worlds for thee yea it will turne vpside downe before thine Eyes for then the pleasures the vanities the worldly ioyes the fond affections of thy life will seeme vnto thee like flying shadowes and fading cloudes Ah! wreethed Captiue that I am for what trifles and bables haue I offended almighty God Thou shalt then euidently see