Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	action_n	evil_a	good_a	2,361	5	3.9166	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34454	A true description of the mighty kingdoms of Japan and Siam written originally in Dutch by Francis Caron and Joost Schorten ; and novv rendred into English by Capt. Roger Manley.; Benschrijvinghe van het machtigh coninckrijcke Japan. English	Caron, François, 1600-1673.; Schouten, Joost.; Manley, Roger, Sir, 1626?-1688.	1663 (1663)	Wing C607; ESTC R22918	62,553	163

upon their Feasts and Holy daies These are prohibited the natural use of Women upon pain of being burned but they may alwaies and at pleasure upon declaration of their frailty or weakness quit their frocks and betake themselves to another life which happens often amongst them They have their morning and evening Song Readings and other Services celebrated in their Cloysters every day and frequented by their society They live upon the Alms and bounty of the King and great Ones as also on the fruit which their Church Lands bring forth but principally out of the sweet and labours of the Commonalty who unanimously share with them they sending every morning some Priests and Clerks out of their Cloysters with begging bags to receive these donations and charity Besides these Priests there are a sort of old Nuns shorn lodged in Chappels near the greatest Temples who assist very devoutly in all their preachings singings ceremonies and other Church services but all voluntary being tied to no rules or prescriptions These Heathens do generally believe however differing in many particulars that there is one upper God with many lesser Deities in Heaven who created all things that the Souls of Men are immortal and shall be rewarded or punished according to their merits and actions the good dwelling with the God in bliss whilest the wicked are tormented by the Devils that seduced them Their Religion is principally founded upon these points which have been delivered to them in writing many hundred years since and confirmed with the testimony of many holy men whose memory they worship in their Images which they have set up like so many lesser Deities who by their charity to the Church to the poor and to all things that had life they endeavored to merit Heaven and avoid the dreadful punishments of the Devils Those that are religious and superstitious in these buy ordinarily upon Feast daies multitudes of Birds and living Fish bringing them to the Temple and there give them their liberty esteeming it a great sin to kill not onely men but the more rude creatures fancying the souls of deceased persons to be transmigrated into them all other evils which Nature teaches us to be sin they account so too and are much preached against by their Priests The chief Ceremonies of this Idolatry are as we said preaching teaching singing evening and morning Prayers and offering of Sacrifice which is done with torches candles incense spices and flowers at the altars of their images which in their opinion represent the great God the lesser Deities and holy Men whereby they think their wrath is appeased to which end they celebrate with much solemnity at the new full and quarters of the Moon as also several other extraordinary Festivals with a fasting from any thing which hath had life for three moneths together they pray for the sick and also the dead who being first superstitiously shaven anointed charmed and with much ceremony as weeping cutting of the hair of the head by the next friend alms prayers of the Priests musick plays fire-works and other shows according to the quality and ability of the deceased burnt with fire their collected ashes are afterwards anointed and buried near the Temples a Pyramid rich and magnificent being erected over them so that these funerals are extreamly expensive to the survivors as well as honorable for the deceased The Priests carry themselves very moderatly to those of a contrary Religion condemning no opinions but believe that all though of differing tenets living vertuously may be saved all services which are performed with zeal being acceptable to the great God especially theirs they being convinced of its truth and innocency This constancy of theirs makes them not easily to be drawn to any other perswasion which hath been sufficiently attempted by the Portugals whose industrious Priests omitted nothing for their conversion and by the Mohometans who are no lesse zealous in their way though with little or no success by either of them and yet the Christians as also the Mahometans are both permitted the free exercise of their Religions in their Countrey However these Heathen be thus religious yet they fear and serve although contrary to the opinion of most of their Priests the very Devils whom they believe to be the authours and causes of all evil as the Gods are of every thing that is good and vertuous They adore these unclean Spirits in their sicknesses and misfortunes celebrating their feasts with instruments playing and offering attoning sacrifices of fruits and living creatures They are so strangely abominable in their gestures and actions that it is not fit for a Christian either to see or write them thus fondly searching his favour whose indulgences do but plunge them deeper in their unhappy mistakes and errours The people of this Countrey are reasonably well proportioned brown and tawny they are none of the best Souldiers though proud and insolent in their victories they are modest enough in their civil conversation though naturally light fearful incredulous dissimuled deceitful and very lying The men are lazy and slow insomuch that the women with their slaves are forced contrary to the customs of other Nations to labour the earth and do most of their husbands work besides taking care for their families and houses whilest the men follow their pleasure and divertisements abroad They clothe themselves both men women thin according to the hot climat they live in both sexes wear painted petticoats the men covering their upper parts with a short shirt with half-sleeves and the women with a thin cloth both ends hanging over their shoulders to hide their brests They wear for ornaments gold pins in their hair and rings of the same mettal on their fingers This is the ordinary wear high and low being all of a fashion and not distinguishable but by the richness of their vestments and the greatness of their trains which they much glory in The Gentry and Nobles have many slaves attending them when they go abroad some ten twenty thirty or more according to their abilities and greatness and not a Citizen or his Wife stirs in the streets without one or two of these slaves to wait upon them Their houses are builded according to the fashion in India of wood and reeds and covered with Coco leaves or tiles the floors are raised three or four foot high their appartements being commodious though but slenderly furnished only for sleeping and dressing what is necessary for their refection Their diet is but mean as rice fish and herbs they drink water though on Feast daies they indulge more the common people drinking ordinarily Arak or Brandy-Wine They differ very much in their customs about marrying great Persons need nothing but the consent of their Parents or Friends the Priests not intermedling at all the ceremony ending in feasting and rejoycing Husband and Wife may part again at pleasure dealing their goods and children without further circumstance and may re-marry if they think good without