Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	holy_a	read_v	scripture_n	8,342	5	5.9261	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A36959	The campaigners, or, The pleasant adventures at Brussels a comedy : with a familiar preface upon a late reformer of the stage : ending with a satyrical fable of the dog and the ottor / written by Mr. D'Urfey.	D'Urfey, Thomas, 1653-1723.; Collier, Jeremy, 1650-1726. Short view of the immorality and profaneness of the English stage.	1698 (1698)	Wing D2705; ESTC R2651	97,422	106

very dutifully reads a thousand as fast as he can nay scans and weighs 'em and no doubt not without tickling satisfaction at the present for all his Saturnine Remarks at last Now if his Answer to this is That it belongs to his Office as a Church-man and that he could not reprehend the Vices in 'em without reading the Books themselves I must tell him That St. Cyprian nor the rest of the Fathers did not allow that neither do we find they did it themselves for all their inveighing against the Stage so that he makes his own Quotation altogether invalid He not being to do ill that good might come of it And therefore why may not a Poet now who perhaps is a greater Votary to St. Cyprian in other Matters than the Absolver is in this rally him thus and turn his Quotation upon himself Phrase by Phrase What business has a Parson with such Books as these ●A Parson who has not the liberty so much as to think of an ill thing Why does he entertain himself with lewd Comedies Has he a mind to discharge his Priestcraft and flesh himself up for a Poet Yes this is the consequence by using to see these smutty things he 'll learn to write 'em What need I mention the Sham-Oaths and looseness of Farce or the Fustian raving against the Gods in Tragedy were these things really unconcern'd with Idolatry a Parson of all Mankind should not be known to ogle them for were they not highly Criminal the foolery of them is Egregious and unbecoming the gravity of all that thump the Cushion or intend to thump a true Belief into the Pates of an incorrigible Congregation And now methinks I see the Spiritual Critick with a certain fallow Male-contented Phiz poring upon this Page and sucking his Ring-finger gives himself an unpleasurable minute to Judge whether I have paraphras'd right or no well all 's one fall back fall edge I 'm resolv'd to ba●e him with St. Cyprian a little more A Parson has or should have much better Books than Plays to look in he has many Authors of Pious and Solid Authorities to please and improve himself with at the same time Would a Parson be agreeably refresh'd let him read the Scriptures let him find out Treatises of Morality Meekness Charity and holy Life there the Entertainment will suit his Character Ah Beloved how noble how moving how profitable a pleasure would it be to us to see a Parson thus employ'd to let the Stage's diversions be too little for his grave Consideration and be intent himself on the glories of Heaven And here now I do not at all question but the Absolver a little nettled at this last Parallel will fall to biting of his fingers again his Righteous Spirit being offended at my Insolence in scribling the Word Parson so oft it being a Nickname and only invented by some idle fellow who resolv'd to use the Order with no more respect Why truly I confess in this Case Modesty is a little gravell'd but then she may thank him for it for he has dignify'd the Poets with so many Hell-defying deep-mouth'd Swearing Relapsing Witch-riding Titles that the worthy Ministry cannot reasonably be angry especially when the Word is only meant to him whom I shall prove has lessen'd the true Title by his Immorality and Hypocrisie more than ever the Poets did the Reputation of the Stage by their Time-serving Loosenesses and Licentious Diversions It is no doubt a considerable Maim to us in some Peoples opinions who never digested the benefits arising from the Stage in its Moral Representations that this smarting Lath is given us by a Clergy-man of the Church of England that is good friends if he be so for some Judicious Heads are not resolv'd in that Affirmative but let that be discuss'd in another place I 'm sure if he is Obedience to Government in the first place should be his principal Tenet and whether that is a part of the Absolver's Character I think has sufficiently appear'd But let him be what he will I shall now take the pleasure to inform those People that but few years since we had a Man of Wit and Learning that w●●● the Gown and as true a Son of the Church as she could possibly 〈◊〉 that was inc●●ely devoted a Champion in our Cause and Asserted 〈◊〉 Rights of the Stage with Success and Applause and whoever w 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●● look back a little and incline his Eyes towards the de●ectable 〈◊〉 Cam may Encounter the fam'd Wit of that University the Ingen●●●● Mr. Thomas Randolph who in one of his great many admirable Pie●●● call'd the M●ses Looking-glass makes his whole Moral to be the v●●t●●●cation of the Stage and its usefulness and by shewing the passions in their Kinds coutrives to confute some canting prejudic'd Zealots whose ignorance and frenzy had conspir'd before to run it down I will treat the Reader here with some of it Mus●s Looking-Cl●s● A Country Lass for such she was tho here In th' City may be Sluts as well as there Kept her hands clean for those being always seen Had told her else how sluttish she had been Yet was her Face as dirty as the Scall Of a Fish-monger or a Usurer's Hall Begrim'd with filth that you might boldly say She was a true piece of Promethe●s ●s Clay At last within a Pail for Country Lasses Have oft you know no other Looking-glasses She view'd her dirty Face and doubtless would Have blush'd if through so much dirt she could At last within that Water that I say That shew'd the Dirt she wash'd the Dirt away So Comedies as Poets still intend 'em Serve first to shew your faults and then to m●nd'em Here was a pretty Compliment to our Art now a good Moral with good Manners into the bargain and yet 't is certain the times then were as Licentious as now and the Poets took as little care of their Writings but Mr Randolph always made his good Nature agree with his Wit and put as favourable construction upon Scenes of Diversion as reason would allow tho he perhaps had as much occasion for 50 l. as the Absolver when he writ his Book He knew that if there was so stupid a Temper that the Moral of a Play could not reform the looseness that was in it could not prejudice nor if a wild Town-fellow or a baffl'd Bully or passionate Lover being characters in a Play spoke some extravagances proper for 'em would he roar it out for Balsphemy Profaneness c. and make a malicious scrutiny and unreasonable interpretation of words which had no other intention but to make the Character natural by customary manner of Speech as he has shewn examples by two of his own in the extremes of Vain-glory and Hypocrisie And yet this Gentleman was as Learned as good a Critick and as Consciencious a man as our Absolver can pretend to be and if I say ' had somewhat a better Title to