Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	time_n	world_n	write_v	2,689	5	5.2806	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00341	The comparation of a vyrgin and a martyr; Virginis et martyris comparatio. English	Erasmus, Desiderius, d. 1536.; Paynell, Thomas.	1537 (1537)	STC 10465.5; ESTC S116236	19,030	79

pleasures or honors this world braggeth of to be far vnder thy dignitie It is a holye thyng to pride in your spowse a deuout thyng to glorie in him to whome you owe all thynges It is also a sure thynge trusting faythfully in hym to rise and rebelle agaynst the worlde whiche braggyngly shewethe forthe his delectable pleasures My mynd is not at this tyme to write what so euer may be sayde in the laude and praise of martirs or virgins You haue the bokes of Cyprian you haue the bokes of Ambrose of Tertullian and Hierome of which the two last were wel nere ouermoch in admiration of virginitie For the excellency of virginitie wolde not soo be extolled that the preyse therof shoulde be an iniurie to chaste matrimonie I recyte those thinges moste noble vyrgins for this intente that you maye perceyue howe happy and fortunate your College is the whose chaunce is to possesse bothe those thynges whiche she the rich spouse of Christ the churche holdeth moste speciall in this worlde For you haue in kepyng those mooste fragrant and swete coses of the .vii. brethern of the Machabees and of theyr mother y e whose fecunditie brought forth no children to her husband but to god she fortunately redoubed y e losse of her virginitie with the martyrdome of so many sonnes vyrgyns She being a virgin brought forth no frute for y t of al women was giuē but to one but yet she brought forthe bothe virgins and martirs Of her self she coude gyue none example of virginitie but she perfourmed and dyd as moch as laye in her to do She taughte her chyldren to be virgins she exhorted thē to martyrdome and wolde haue suffred martyrdome before theym saue that she feared their constancye by reason of their tender youthe And soo the glorie of vyrginitie chanced not to the mother alyke with the chyldern but touchyng the martyrdome the laude of the mother is soo moche the more in that she beholdynge the cruelle turmentes suffred in eche of her lyttel chyldren what soo euer the cruell tourmentours coude do to the bodies of them This is more stronger then by turmentyng at ones to be rydde from all peyne For the parētes are more cruelly tourmented in the persecutynge of their chylderne than in theym selfe And that knowethe ryghte well the wytty crueltie of tyrantes which wreste out by turmentyng of the chyldren in theyr parentes sighte that they coude by no maner of turmentes gette of the parentes Howe oft sawe she beynge a woman and a mother her owne fleshe and bowels torrē and rente to pieces where was nowe the feble freiltie of y t kynd where was the tender loue and pitie that is wont to be more vehement in mothers then in men Surely her deuout affection to godwarde ouercame al humain pitie and her feruent feythe ouercame the feblenes of womanhed All hayle mooste happy virago whiche haste gyuen exaumple of fortitude to all menne All hayle moste fayre lyttell floures of the churche whiche as rype delycacyes before your tyme you haue preuented the springe tyde of the gospell and haue made a shewe of euangelycal vertue before the gospell was shewed or knowen to the worlde For as yet this voyce of hym which being a virgin is borne of a virgin was not harde Blessed be they that haue gyuen them selfe to lyue in chastitie for the kyngedome of god And yet the same prayse you by preuention haue opteyned afore hande Nor this was not as yet harde who so wil be my disciple lette hym take vp his crosse and folowe me but you as fore runners dydde adumbrate Christis passion And nowe your sowles in heuen doo folowe the lambe whither so euer he goeth But as for your vndefiled bodies whiche were partners of your tourmentes and peynes so in tyme to come you shall receyue theym to the felowshyp of euerlastyng felicitie there was noo place more comely nor more conueniente to kepe them in than in a holy college of virgins ¶ Nowe to you good vyrgyns that be the kepers of this so gret a treasure my wordes do theym adresse You haue in these yonge children both an example of chastite which you ought to folow a crowne of martyrdome that you shoulde extolle gloryfienge your spouse which stroue in thē whiche in them gote the victorie whiche in them dothe triumphe He hath in one self basket Lylies myngled with roses The bryght beautie of the tone stryueth with the tother nor yet the tone is not dusked or defaced of the tother but y e tone by reason the tother is with him doth y e more gaily glitter and shyne lyke as whan yuory as one sayd is myngled with purpull or whan a shynyng precyous stone is set in yolow gold The stryfe is so doubtefull whether is more glorious a martir or a virgin that if the matter shuld be called in contention I dare not boldly say whiche of theym shoulde be preferred the tone before the tother Bothe the tone and the tother are consecrate in Christ but yet we ar more boūde to his crosse and passion than to his virginite He giueth to them the honorable title of blessednes whiche for the kyngdome of god gyue them selfe to lyue in chastitie but yet he requirethe the folowynge of the crosse It semeth a greatter thyng that whā he requireth it not yet it maketh him blessed that wyllyngly wyll perfourme it And in the tyme of persecution it is a right gret thinge for the glorye of god to haue the mynde alwey prompte and redy to suffre all kyndes of deathes But tymes haue like as the See hath his tranquillities and quiete caumes And other while one maye lefully escape the persecuters handes But if one be dryuen to the last extremitie the deathe of the body is the ende of greuous tourmentes and the beginnynge of felicitie A virgin hath a longe and a parpetuall stryfe with her housholde ennemie the whiche she can neyther laufullye slee nor escape by flyghte This housholde fooe is the fleshe the whiche whether we woll or woll not we muste carie about nowe and then rebellynge agaynst the spirite And that it shal not seme easye to any man to subdue this ennemie we haue redde of those that were ouercome with wanton entycementes of the flesshe the whiche coude not be vanquyshed with the verye terrour and drede of dethe ¶ Hytherto our collation hathe pondered whether of those two shulde be more stronger but me semeth that virginitie in this is y e happier that as I by occasyon sayde afore the floure of martirdome doth not freshely sprede florishe but after deathe where as virginitie hathe her bryghte beautie her fayre fragrancy her grace and dignitie in this world Uirgynytie is the flower of the sowle and mynde but in the vysage in the eyes and in all the holle state of the body there shyneth a certayne angelicall purenesse and a flourysshynge clerenesse not acqueynted with olde age