Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	begin_v	great_a	time_n	1,599	5	3.2122	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60213	The fryer, or, An historical treatise wherein the idle lives, vitiousness, malice, folly, and cruelty of the fryers is described : in two parts, tragical and comical : collected out of sundry authors, and several languages, and caused to be translated into English / by James Salgado ...	Salgado, James, fl. 1680.	1680 (1680)	Wing S376; ESTC R16369	87,870	357

born Infant than ●onsidering the horrible conditi●n into which she was come ●ithout excusing her ignorance ●hought her self as if she was guil●y and the most miserable Crea●ure in the World and thinking on the love of her Husband and the Honour of her Relations which must need susier she esteemed Death more happy than her Life so that being transported with Fury forgetting the knowledge of God she took her Bed Cord and with her own hands strangled her self and which is worse being in the Agony of this Cruel death struck with her Foot on the Face of the Child and so killed it but dying made such a noise that a Woman lying in the Chamber rose up hastily to light a Candle and seeing her Mistriss Strangled with the Bed Cord and the little Infant lying dead under her foot she ran in great hast into the Chamber of her Mistresses Brother whom she brought to see this sad Spectacle her Brother weeping and very much lamenting this sad Accident he being one that lov'd his Sister dearly demanded of the Maid who had Committed this Crime who answered she knew not and that none but her Master had been in the Chamber who was just gone out upon which he went into his Chamber and not finding him there believed surely he had Committed this Horrible and Vilanous Crime took his Horse without any other Inquiry to ride after him and hit on the way where he met his Brother returning from the Pursuit of the Fryer as soon as he saw his Brother in Law he spake thus Cursed Coward as thou art defend thy self this Day I hope God will Revenge me on thee by my Sword The Gentleman would have excused himself but seeing his Brothers Sword drawn thought it fitter to defend himself than to inquire the cause of the difference Whereupon so many Blows past between them that with expence of Blood they were forced for some time to part for Respiration and then the Gentleman began to inquire the cause of their difference and what was the cause of this great Combat But what occasion had you answered his Brother in Law to put to death my dear Sister the best Wife that ever Lived and so Barbarously that under a colour of going to Bed with her you Strangled her with the Bed Cord the Gentleman hearing these Words being almost dead with Grief said to his Brother is it possible that you have found your Sister in such a condition And when his Brother had assured him of the truth thereof Pray quoth the Gentleman hear the cause wherefore I left the House and when he began to tell him the whole Story of the Fryer Whereupon being very much astonish'd and extreamly Sorry he had thus rashly fought his Brother and humbly begging his Pardon said I have wrong'd you I beseech your Pardon the Gentleman Replied If I have wrong'd you you have sufficiently punished me for I am so wounded that I believe I shall hardly escape death whereupon his Brother helping him upon his Horse brought him home where the next day he died confessing before all his Kindred and Friends that the Fryer was the cause of all their Deaths The Abomination of a Priest who got his own Sister with Child under a colour of Piety and how they were both punish'd CHarles Earl of Angoulesme Father of King Francis the first a very honest Prince and fearing God when he was at Coignac a small Town in France some body told him that in a Country Town hard by there was a Virgin who did live with so great an Austerity that she was the Wonder of all People and notwithstanding was found big with Child and did confess it to every Body testifying that she never knew any ●an and could not tell how it ●●me that she was big with Child ●nless it were by the operation 〈◊〉 the Holy Ghost and the Peo●●e did believe her because they ●ought her to be an other bles●d Virgin Mary For every Bo●y knew that she was always 〈◊〉 modest and wise that never ●ppeared in her any sign of Vani●y She not only did Fast upon ●e days commanded by the ●hurch but also upon several o●er Days in the Week meerly ●r Devotion and as long as they ●ere praying and singing in the ●hurch she was there always ●herefore she was esteemed so ●odly by the common People ●hat every Body came to see her ●s a Miracle and thought themselves very happy if they could but touch her Peticoat He● Brother was the Curate of the Parish being a Man of middle age who did live according to outward appearance religiously and was esteemed by all for a godly Man and speaking to his Sister severely he caused her to be put in Prison that was soon spread abroad and came to the Ears of the aforementioned Earl● who seeing how much every Body was deceived desired to discover the truth therefore he sent two Gentlemen who were counted very godly and prudent to find out the cheat they went to the said Curate and enquired as diligently as they could about that business the Curate being weary of this Inquisition desired ●hem to be present at the verification he did hope to make for it The next day early in the morn●ng he said Mass where his Sister was present kneeling down big with Child and when the Mass was finished the said Curate took ●he Corpus Domini and before all ●poke thus to his Sister Misera●le that thou art here is he that suffered Death for thee and before ●im I ask thee whither thou art a Virgin as thou didst tell me always ●nd she boldly answered that she was so and how then is it possible saith he that thou art big with Child and still remainest a Virgin ●hen she did reply thus I cannot ●ive any reason for it except it ●e by the vertue of the Holy Ghost who works in me what he ●leaseth but I cannot deny the Grace that I have received from God in keeping me a Virgin fo● I never had a mind to be mar●ed Then her Brother spoke th● to her Here I give thee the Bo●● of the Lord Jesus Christ which the shalt take as thy Damnation if it 〈◊〉 otherwise than thou sayest and they Gentlemen who are here prese● shall be Witnesses of it The Gi●● being about 13 years old too● this Oath I take the Body of t● Lord here present as my Damnat● on before you Gentlemen and b●fore you my Brother if ever any Man had more to do with me tha● you and so speaking she did receiv● the Body of our Lord. The tw● aforesaid Gentlemen who we● there present seeing and hearin● her speak thus went away wit● shame and wonder thinking tha● with such an Oath she could not lie and so came back again to the Earl and told him what both they had seen and heard and did their endeavour to make him believe what they did believe But the Earl being a wise Man meditating upon the Words that they related unto

brought hither at first she answered him again Father when I came hither first I was but five years of age that age is a sufficient Testimony of my Virginity Well said Daughter said he since that time have you not lost that pretious Jewel She protested she had not and that she never had any enticement but by him but he said that he could not believe her and that the business must be put to Tryal What Tryal said she are you pleased to make of it Even the same Tryall that I used upon others said ●he for I am not constituted a ●isitour of the Souls only but of the Bodies also most of your Abbesses and Prioresses did fall into my hands if you be a Virgin indeed you need not be ashamed of the Tryal of your Virginity the Tryal of the Pudding is by the cut and therefore lay your self upon the Bed and turn all your Cloaths over your Face but Sister Mary full of passion answered him yov have entertained me with so many filthy talks concerning the foolish affection you had for me that I have reason to believe you rather intend to snatch away the Flower of my Virginity than to try it wherefore I will have you know that I will never consent to your Tryal he then told her that sh● was really excommunicated for refusing such obedience which she was bound to yeeld according to the Rules of her Order and that unless she would consent he would disgrace her openly before the whole Congregation and declare all the wicked filthiness which had been committed between her and the Confessor but she with an undaunted countenance answered him He that tryeth the Reins and and the hearts of his Servants will render me more honour before him than you can take away from me before Men wherefore seeing your wickedness is come s● far I will rather chuse you should satiate your malice against me than you should fulfill your wicked intent upon me For I know full well that God is a just judge and tha● he will avenge the cause of the oppressed in his blessed time He ●t that very time caused the Bell to be rung in order to gather together all the Congregation of the Religious Nuns and cited her to appear before him and Sister Mary being come was commanded to kneel down before him to whom he in a wonderful rage and spight said Sister Mary you grieved me in my bea rt that all the good admonitions I have hitherto given you proved fruitless and to no purpose so that against my Nature I am forced to impose a penance upon you for having carefully examined your Confessor about some crimes whereof he was lawfully accused he hath plainly confes● before me that he had carnally abused your Person in the same place mentioned by the witnesses who testified they saw the crime committed there Wherefore from that honourable degree wherein I had out of my good esteem constituted you from the overseer and Mristress of the Novices I ordain that you shall be removed the last of them all and moreover that you shall be fed with Bread and Water on the bare ground before all the Nunns untill that time your Crimes be expiated by true Repentance your contrition may call for favour and mercy Now Sister Mary had been forewarned by one of the Nuns who was her intimate Friend and one who understood all the Intrigue that in case she pleaded for her self and should cast out any word that should distaste the said Prior that he would presently cause her to be thrown in pace that is to say into a perpetual Dungeon she therefore patiently suffered this sentence and lifting up her hands and eyes to Heaven earnestly prayed to God the avenger of the innocent beseeching him that as he had been her safeguard and had hitherto afforded her grace to resist all the allurements unto sin so he would be pleased to arm her with a Christian patience in her great tribulation Moreover this Worshipful Prior commanded that she within the term of three years ensuing should not be permitted to speak to any of her Parents or Kindred if at any time they came to visit her and that she should write no Letters but before the whole Congregation of Nuns So that after this wicked wretch had fulfilled his rage against this innocent Maid he went his way and never came more there This poor Nun was left a very long time in the disgrace and distress above mentioned but her Mother who loved her even above all her other Children seeing she heard no more of her was in a great perplexity and told one of her Sons who was a wise and discreet Gentleman that she believed her Daughter was dead and that the Nuns to the end they might still receive her yearly Pension did conceal her death and withall intreated and commanded him to try all possible means whereby he might know what was become of his Sister who forthwith repaired to the said Convent and having questioned some of the Nuns concerning her he was answered that his Sister was sick and had kept her Bed three years but he being a young man of an acute wit and quick parts did not take their excuses for currant money but swore presently that if he did not see her he would forthwith scale the Walls and force his passage through the Convent at which words they were much affrighted and in a peck of troubles and therefore thought it their best way to bring her to the Grate but the Abbess did accompany her and stood so near that she could reveal nothing of her mind to her Brother but she being wise and discreet had well foreseen that and therefore had secretly committed to writing all the passages before mentioned and a thousand other stratatagems which the said Prior had used on purpose to inveigle her the which because they would be too long and too tedidious to rehearse for brevity sake I will omit but I must not forget mentioning that whilest her Aunt was yet Abbess he thinking he had suffered a repulse because of his deformity he caused a young and beautiful Monk to intice this chast Nunn to wickedness hoping that if by Love she should yield to that young Monk he could afterwards win her by fear This young Monk entertained her with so vile discourses and so obscene actions in a Garden where he was with her that I think my self obliged to spare chast Ears seeing I cannot relate them without a blush insomuch that this honest poor Nun was forced to jump and run but of the Garden to the Abbess who was then speaking with that Prior and with a great out-cry told her Dear Mother they that come to visit our Convent are Devils under Religious Monks Couls But then the Prior fearing lest his Roguery should be discovered began a ●ew Tale and smiling told the Abbess Certainly dear Mother Sister Marie's complaint is very just and reasonable and taking Sister Mary by