Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	army_n	great_a	king_n	2,073	5	3.6840	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02484	An apologie of the povver and prouidence of God in the gouernment of the world. Or An examination and censure of the common errour touching natures perpetuall and vniuersall decay diuided into foure bookes: whereof the first treates of this pretended decay in generall, together with some preparatiues thereunto. The second of the pretended decay of the heauens and elements, together with that of the elementary bodies, man only excepted. The third of the pretended decay of mankinde in regard of age and duration, of strength and stature, of arts and wits. The fourth of this pretended decay in matter of manners, together with a large proofe of the future consummation of the world from the testimony of the gentiles, and the vses which we are to draw from the consideration thereof. By G.H. D.D.	Hakewill, George, 1578-1649.	1627 (1627)	STC 12611; ESTC S120599	534,451	516

histories to hold it a great injurie done to their judgement if any take vpon him by way of comparison to extoll the things of latter ages But I am well perswaded that as the divided vertue of this our Iland hath given more noble proofe of it selfe than vnder so worthy a Leader that Roman armie could doe which afterwards could winne Rome and all her Empire making Caesar a Monarch So heereafter by Gods blessing who hath converted our greatest hinderance into our greatest helpe the enimie that shall dare to trie our forces will finde cause to wish that avoiding vs he had rather encountred as great a puissance as was that of the Romane Empire Thus farre Sir Walter Rawleigh comparing the Romane valour with the English and if we should compare them with the Turkes it is certaine that the Romans in the like space of time never subdued the like quantity of land so excellently fertile and abounding in warlike people as did they In lesse then three hundred yeares from Ottoman to Mahomet the third they wanne all those goodly Countreyes from Tauris in Persia to Buda in Hungarie lying East West and North and South from Derbent neere the Caspian Sea vnto Adena vpon the gulfe of Arabia each of which containes about 3200 miles So as all the noise which the Roman writers haue made about the vnmatchable valour of their men is but like the huge armour which Alexander left in the Indies after his conquering of those Nations serving rather to amaze the world then rightly to informe it CAP. 12. Wherein the generall objections touching the worlds decay in matter of Manners are answered at large SECT 1. Two objections drawne from reason and both answered The one that since the first plantation of Christian Religion men haue from time to time degenerated The other that the multitude of Lawes and Lawyers and Law-suites and the multiplicitie of words in writings convayances argue the great sicknes malice of the present times in regard of the former ANd thus I hope I haue now sufficiently cleered the point that the ancient Romans who are in stories most magnified of any Nation vnder heaven for their morall vertues exceeded latter ages in many foule vices and haue by latter ages beene equalled if not exceeded even in those vertues wherein they seemed most to excell And heerein haue I chiefely aimed at the honour of Christ Christian Religion which being rightly vnderstood and practised without apish superstition on the one side or peeuish singularity on the other serues no doubt to make men more morally vertuous then any other religion that either at this day is or since the Creation hath beene professed in the world I speake not only in regard of Iustice temperance but of wisedome fortitude and besides for contempt of the world austerity of life patience humility modesty charity chastity obedience piety and singular devotion it hath doubtlesse yeelded men altogether vnmatchable But it will bee said that since the first plantation of Christian Religion men haue from time to time degenerated so as the farther they are removed from the Primitiue Professours who burned in zeale and shined in good workes the worse they haue growne Wherevnto I answere that the primitiue times aswell in that they came neerer to Christ his Apostles as likewise because they were subject to the fierie triall of persecution were indeede purer then the succeeding ages in which together with peace plentie pride luxury oppression vncharitablenes crept in till at length they who should haue been the principall lights guides in the Church became in all manner of vncleanes cruelty covetousnesse ambition little inferiour to the worst of the Roman Emperours But heere then things being now come to this height appeared the speciall providence of Almighty God in sending some zealous spirits to awaken the world to rouze vp Christian Princes to tell the Prelates their owne And though therevpon followed a rent in the Church yet withall there followed a reformation of manners at least-wise in regard of scandalous notorious vices even among them who refused and still refuse reformation in matter of doctrine the liues of their Popes their Cardinalls ●…eir Bishops their Priests are in appearance much amended what within these two or three hundred yeares by the confession of their owne writers they were who we may well thinke were ignorant of much and much out of feare or favour they concealed But somuch haue they published to the view of the world as would greeue an honest man to reade shame a modest to write which they shamed not to act nay boasted of being acted And for the other part which professes maintaines the reformation I hope they will not say that they are thereby made the worse in matter of manners God forbid but they who professe themselues reformed in matter of dostrine should likewise shew themselues reformed in matter of Manners And sure I thinke we may safely say that fewer rebellions robberies murthers sorceries and the like haue beene heard of and more pious and charitable workes seene in our Land since the Reformation of Religion then in the like compasse of yeares since the first plantation thereof amongst vs. It will perchance bee said againe that the multitude of Lawes and Lawyers Law-sutes and the multiplicity of words in writings convayances for Law businesses argue the great sickenesse and malice of the times in regard of the former To which it may truly be replied that the multitude of Lawes giues occasion to the number of Law-suites and that to the increase of Lawyers and they againe serue to increase the multiplying of words in Convayances Now that which giues occasion to a greater multitude of Lawes is not as I conceiue so much the increase of vice as of knowledge and zeale in the Law-makers common swearing simple fornication prophaning of the Lords day and the like in former times were scarce known to be sinnes but being now by the light of the Gospell discovered to be such and that in an high degree as they are straitely forbidden by Gods Law so is the edge of our lawe turned against them Besides it is certaine that no Law can be so cautelously framed for the preventing of all inconveniences in that kind but that the wit of man armed with malice will finde meanes to wrest the letter or frustrate the intent of it from whence other Lawes haue sprung vp for the cleering of the ambiguity or supplie of the defect of the former it is not then so much the malice of the present age as th●… of all ages succeeding one another therein which hath occasioned such a masse of Lawes as their burden is in a manner now as cumbersome as were the mischiefes they were made to prevent prius vitijs laboravimus nunc Legibus Tacitus spake it of his times but it may well enough bee verified of ours we formerly were burdened with vices but now

an oxe or a horse or a sheepe in their times is now likewise thought to be but competent And the same proportions of body which the Ancient Painters Caruers allowed to horses and dogges is now likewise by the skilfullest in those Arts found to be most convenient Indeede in the first booke of Macchabes sixth chapter is somewhat a strange relation made of Elephants which are there described to be so bigge that each of them carryed a wooden towre on his backe out of which fought thirty two armed men besides the Indian which ruled the beast Whence some haue conceited that the Elephants of those times were farre greater then those of the present age But doubtles the Authour of that booke speakes of the Indian race which are farre beyond the Ethiopian as Iunius in his annotations on that place hath observed out of Pliny And there are of them saith Aelian nine cubits high which is thirteene foote and an halfe And those which haue beeene in the great Mogulls countrey assure vs that at this day they are there farre more vast and huge then any that wee haue seene in these parts of the world But leaving the Vegetables and beasts springing and walking vpon the face of the earth let vs a little search into the bowels thereof and take a view of the mettalls and mineralls therein bredde Of the nature causes and groweth whereof Georgius Agricola hath written most exactly but neither he nor any man else I thinke euer yet obserued that by continuance of time theirveines are wasted impaired one treatise he hath expresly composed de veteribus novis metallis wherein he shewes that as the old are exhausted new are discouered It is true indeede which Pliny hath observed that wee descend into the entrailes of the earth wee goe downe as farre as to the seat and habitation of the infernall spirits and all to meete with rich treasure as if shee were not fruitfull enough beneficiall vnto vs in the vpper face thereof where shee permitteth vs to walke and tread vpon her Yet notwithstanding by the couetousnesse and toyle of men can her mines neuer be drawn dry nor her store emptied The Earth not onely on her backe doth beare Abundant treasures gliftring every where But inwardly shee 's no lesse fraught with riches Nay rather more which more our foules bewitches Within the deepe folds of her fruitfull lappe So bound-lesse mines of treasure doth shee wrappe That th' hungry hands of humane avarice Cannot exhaust with labour or device For they be more then there be starres in heav'n Or stormy billowes in the Ocean driv'n Or eares of corne in Autumne on the fields Or savage beasts vpon a thousand hils Or fishes diving in the silver floods Or scattred leaues in winter in the woods I will not dispute it whether all mineralls were made at the first creation or haue since receiued increase by tract of time which latter I confesse I rather with Quercetan incline vnto they being somewhat of the nature of stones which vndoubtedly grow though not by augmentation or accretion yet by affimilation or apposition turning the neighbour earth into their substance Yet thus much may wee confidently affirme that the minerals themselues wast not in the ordinary course but by the insatiable desire of mankind Nay such is the divine providence that even there where they are most vexed and wrought vpon yet are they not worne out or wasted in the whole Of late within these few yeares Mendip hills yeelded I thinke more lead then ever at this day I doe not heare that the Iron mines in Sussex or the Tinne workes in Cornewall are any whit abated which I confesse to be somewhat strange considering that little corner furnishes in a manner all the Christian world with that mettall for mines of gold silver though by some it be thought that they faile in the East Indies in regard of former ages Yet most certaine it is that in the West Indies that supposed defect is abundantly recompensed SECT 6. An obiection taken from the Eclipses of the Planets answered BEfore we conclude this Chapter there remaines yet one rubbe to be remoued touching the Eclypses of the Sunne and Moone For as some haue beene of opinion that the bodies of those Planets suffered by them so many haue thought that these inferiour bodies suffered from them consequently that the more Eclypses there are which by tract of time must needes increase in number the more do all things depending vpon those planets decay and degenerate in their vertues operations But as the former of these opinions is already proued to be certainely false so is this latter altogether vncertaine What effects Eclypses produce I cannot punctually define Strange accidents I graunt aswell in the course of Nature as in the Ciuill affaires haue often followed vpon them as appeares in Cyprianus Leouicius who hath purposely composed a Tract of them And Mr Camden obserues that the towne of Shrewesbery suffered twice most grievous losse by fire within the compasse of fiftie yeares vpon two severall Eclypses of the Sunne in Aries but whether those Accidents were to be ascribed to the precedent Eclypses I cannot certainely affirme Once wee are sure that the moone is Eclypsed by the interposition of the Earth as is the Sun by the moone Since then the night is nothing else but the interposition of the Earth betweene vs and the Sunne I see no reason but wee should daily feare as dangerous effects from every night or thicke cloud as from any Eclypse But I verily beleeue that the ground of this errour as also of the former sprang frō the ignorance of the Causes of Eclypses Sulpitius Gallus being the first amongst the Romanes and amongst the Greekes Thales Milesius who finding their nature did prognosticate and forshew them After them Hipparchus compiled his Ephimerides containing the course and aspects of both these Planets for six hundred yeares ensuing and that no lesse assuredly then if hee had beene privy to Natures counsailes Great persons and excellent doubtles were these saith Pliny who aboue the reach of all humane capacity found out the reason of the course of so mighty starres and diuine powers And whereas the weake minde of man was before to seeke fearing in these Eclypses of the starres some great wrong or violence or death of the Planets secured them in that behalfe In which dreadfull feare stood Stesicorus and Pyndarus the Poets notwithstanding their lofty stile and namely at the Eclypse of the Sunce as may appeare by their Poemes In this fearefull fit also of an Eclypse Nicias the generall of the Athenians as a man ignorant of the cause thereof feared to set saile with his fleet out of the haven and so greatly indangered distressed the state of his countrey But on the contrary the forenamed Sulpitius being a Colonell in the field the day before that King Perseus was vanquished by