Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	better_a	good_a	great_a	1,484	5	2.2112	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02288	Bellum grammaticale a discourse of great warand dissention betwene two worthy princes, the noune and the uerbe, contending for the chefe place or dignitie in oration : very pleasant & profitable / turned into English by W.H.	Guarna, Andrea.; Hayward, William, fl. 1570-1576.	1569 (1569)	STC 12419; ESTC S2699	32,552	96

was first compiled by mine aucthor which by chaunce happening into my handes and by me ouer redde to my singular delight in both tongues determined with my selfe to participate parte of my vnderstanding to the youth of my nation thorowe the request of a friende who might haue commaunded me VVherefore if I espie the friendlie receipt hereof in no lesse gratefull parte than it was friendly fauoured of some I shall be the readier encouraged to bid thee hereafter to some better banquet in the meane whyle let the courteous reader vse a friendly guestes parte not mislyking any thing that is set freely before him And albeit that this my translation be not so exquisitly englished on my parte as many better learned can doe yet in consideration of my painefull good will I doubt not your friendly receipt of the same And thoughe that the french tongue whereout I extracted this worke in adages and breef termes haue an easier conclusion of speach than our english tongue yet let the Reader be assured what soeuer termes be altered if any be the matter is perfite pleasaunt and profitable to the reader and much matter contayned in this small Booke both of delight and delicate lyking such as the gentle reader maye gather great fruite wisedome and worthinesse by if hee applie his dilygence therevnto And for my parte I bestowed my labours in this behalfe not to winne fame or fauour but to bestowe my leysures well and to fruitfull exercise to the benefit of my countrey men and to encorage those that can doe better to the like exercise And if any vnfit wordes happen to be espied of better and more eloquent heades yet I trust that such will not condemne a good worke for an ill wrighter neyther a good worde for an ill speaker What or howe effectuall matter is contayned in this Booke in the sequele is manifest Farewell ¶ The discourse of the Grammer warre betweene two Kings the Noune and the Verbe contending for the chiefe place in Oration wherin thou shalt sée the Verbe to preuayle THere is none so simple in iudgement that doubteth the soyle of the Grammer to be the fairest happiest of all the renoumed parts prouinces of the world aswell for the pleasantnesse of the place wherein it is situate being in good and holsesome ayre and aboundaunt in all fruites and other good things withoute which this mortall lyfe may not easilye be passed As also for that shée hath alwayes and euer béene the Nourse and bringer vp of all people of renoune For euen as in this age euen so long tyme heretofore the custome and maner euer was in all landes and countries except among the rude and barbarous nacions where anye were espied of prone and readie nature bent towarde forwarde wit they were sent thither to be taught and instructed and perfitly to learne the most holy and learned sciences For by this onely way and passage is the entrie and accesse to the highest countries and noble houses as Dialectice that is Rethorike Philosophie that is learned wisdome Theologie that is the most high and excellent knowledge in diuinitie In so much that vnlesse they enter thorowe the Prouince of Grammer no soule were able to attaine to the worthy secreats of the other prouinces And albeit that the same Regions abounde in all pleasure yet not withstanding it is so enuironed about with high mountaines and such sharpe rockes right difficile and harde to be got vp vppon that hardlye without a good guide any maye euer attaine to the plaine and pleasant path of them And therfore bicause mankinde shoulde not be restrayned from so necessarie a benefite the good and laudable custome euer was and yet reasteth to the kings of the saide lande to sende abrode through euery part of the vniuersall worlde some of their expert knights and worthy Capitaines of olde bandes properly called Pedagoges Schole masters that they might ayde others and surelye conducte them of tender age to the princelye pallaces of the saide kings as for the mightie and suche as nowe drawe towarde age hardely suffer to bée taught of anye to the ende that the youth there being taught in the sciences of the Gréeke and Latine Minerue might the easlier and more lightly ascende and go ouer the foresaide countries There haue all learned Grekes and Latins made their apprentishode who by their worthy writings or by the act of others are immortalised with renoumed fame Being there thus well taught and learned they haue afterwarde so florishinglye liued through the high praise of their illustrious and splendant actes that they liuing were vnto all men in their time great setters forth of vertuous examples and after they were deade yet as aliue shewed to those that suruiued the as it were by poynting with their finger the right path and readie way to attayned honorable life immortall fame ▪ But although that this lande of Grammer be none other but indeuidate and withoute partialitie yet neuerthelesse there are two mightie kings that there raigne and gouerne that is to wéete the Verbe and the Noune The Verbe hath to name Amo and the Noune Poeta Who a verye long time raigned together in such concord and quietnesse that to fourme Oration perfect wherin the beautie of them both the highest place of the one and the chiefest seate of the other dependeth no dissention displeasure or contencion was euer hearde betwéene them For in all their territorie there grew nothing more estemed more worthie or more sounde than Oration which being beautified with the most coulors of sundrye flowers and decked with the most faire and fine figures and with the most swéete perfumed Buds of set Roses was of such singular comlinesse and aucthoritie that she not onelye drewe vnto her all mankinde when the same is right and aptly applied but may also withdrawe any of the Goddes which waye she will winde them By reason whereof Euripides sayth That which force coulde not gayne that faire speache did soone attaine Pirrhus also vsed sometime to saye that Cyneas dyd winne more townes with his tongue and comelie speache than he with hys warres These two kings then being in such concorde as all the affaires of Grammer were in good apparence and better estate it happened that for a smal thing dissention sprang betwéene them whereby vpon a verye sodaine all was bewrapped in vprore and martiall dyspleasures For what harme is that that wine insaciate eating cause not That and so great amitie and vnion betwéene these two Princes was so ouerthrowne at one onely banquet wherin they were both droncken and ebrietie set them in so great ennimities one against another that eyther of them pricked forwarde with ambitious desire of regiment as wilde Buls slong of gadde flies almost vtterly euer turned their own realmes and the noble empire of Grammer But nowe let vs shewe howe their debate happened to the ende that euerye one may knowe that there is no bande or knot

rimus as tener and saluber To others for that they had lost simus was giuen limus as humilis facilis gracilis similis agilis and to vetus was geuen veterrimus Among trées were certayne Nounes that quiting thē selues manfully by a sodayne miracle chaunged altogether at once their kinds becōming of females males euery one astonied at the sodayne case demaunded whence came suche transformation to them of them were rubus and oleaster which Titus sayth were euyll and vnluckie tokens and therfore affirmed he that they ought to be cast into the bottome of the sea or else to be exiled out of the lande of Grammer But the king Poeta iestyng at the fende superstition that they had in the miracles dyd prohibite all and euery of them to harme or any way to hurt them saying that it was not an euyl signe or vnhappy accident to be chaunged from women into men sayng that out of anoughty and croked kind they were turned into a good and better From certaine Nounes heteroclites fighting against the Verbes defectiues were cutte away both coddes and cullion in the plurall numbre from whiche peryll God saue vs so that afterwarde there was in that number founde neither man nor woman but chast neuters whiche doubtlesse is a thyng greatly to be pitied Their names were sibilus auernus infernus menalus supparus baltheus tartarus dindimus other had better chaunce for when in the same number they were neuters wer glad forth with to sée them become males as porrum rastrifr●num and coelum But these sayde po●mum and rastrum as they went thorowe Rome founde in the markets of Agona their neuter plurals there they bought thē againe with a great summe of money and gyuing leaue to the mules loued better to hold them to them there Balsamum among all Nounes and trées above only a neuter by reason wherof seyng that he coulde not beget nor bring foorth yong is in so great scarsitie that he is no where séene but in the lande of Iuda which is the cause as sorowefull he yeldeth his fruict all in teares as for other Nounes that were bereft of their plurall neuter receaued the feminine for amendes as epulum ostreum vesper and cepe But truth is of all creatures the oysters only were neuters but aboue al aucthors Plinie the poetes holde them for neuters wherefore Ouide sayeth thus Ostreaque in conchis tuta fuere suis so that afterwarde they gayned so that they became as muche feminine as neuters others that were of the doubtfull gendre receyued the masculine in their plurall numbre as Cardo bubo and suche lyke other that were spoyled of all their cases plural abode euer since dismembred and maymed among whom were sumus limus funus puluis sanguis mundus pontus sol sal and vuus all of the masculine gendre Hardly is séene any tyme more than one Sunne in the firmamēt but when it happeneth so it is not naturall but rather wonderful likewise also certayne feminines lost their plurall cases as lux sitis labes mors vita fames tabes gloria fama salus pax humus lues tellus senecta soboles iuuenta indoles proles These fought so febly in the hoast That all their plurals there they lost Other feminines lost at the sayd conflicte their singular nūber as argutiae habenaebigae blanditiae cunae delitiae exequiae excubiae exuuiae phalerae facetiae genae gades insidiae indi●ciae caleridae lachrymae latebrae minae many others Other neuters were spoyled of all their plurals as coenum foenū auus solū pus and virus Furthermore other wer put frō al their singuler frends as arma castra exta cunabula cōchilia crepundia pas●●a moenia mapalia magnalia ilia seria precordia and sponsalia yea and almost all the names of feastes as Naturnalia Dionisia Aphrodisiae B●●cha●lia Floralia and Neptunalia and all the names of metals especially aurum argentum which euery one laboured to take prisoner and likewise aes s●ta aera in three cases In lyke maner for the great heate and alteration of the combat the measures were spoyled of the pluralitie of their liquors except of wines and honies which to the plurall cases were spared to the ende that they myght do kyng Poeta service with newe wines for that he loued them well Oleum and frum●●tum by like misfortune were so gluttonnous that thorowe the great scarsitie that was in the hoast they wer not found in pluralitie Other aboad shortened in the ende of their geyltines and d●tines plurall as ●hrathura 〈◊〉 and sera Yet neuerthelesse all Nounes had not the worse part for diuers of 〈…〉 of the spoyle of their enimies 〈…〉 ●herof they were of greater authoritie 〈◊〉 before so that some receyued other nominatiue cases beside their former 〈◊〉 w●tch also hath arbos honor which hath ho●os od●r which hath odos cucumer which hath cucumis cin●● which hath einis and pulue● which hath puluis Notwithstandyng they occupy these not alwayes but kepe this share for hie feastes as for trim nice decking for honor sake Plaga albeit through hurring he bled yet wanne he foure other senses without accompt of the first that signifieth a woūd or hurt as whē he would say the arming cord of a net also a great space of the heauen and earth called clima also a great kind of linen such as the old matrones of Rome ware when they went in the citie also for a bed or any part of a bed Opus the same day wan there thrée senses for opus signifieth earth vnder opus he giueth ayde vnder opibus riches The gerundes and supins bicause they were so often fled to the enimy were amerced to fine after the treatie of peace was made betweene both the sayde kings through the earnest complainct and supplication of Demosthenes who alleaged the lawes of Solon by which it was commaunded that such wer to be put a part from all honor and offices that in any sedition had not holde the part of the one nor the other for that such a one thinketh altogether of his owne businesse and re●keth not of the common wealth the greatest part then in the lande of Grammer lyued after the lawes of Athens Afterwarde therfore the king of the Verbes left to the gerundes no more but only thrée cases takyng away from them for the trespasse of their default al their other cases To the supins only were reserued but two whiche greatly greued all them of Grammer sharpely blaming such a sort of foolish preceptes of Solons lawes as much as the fonde reasons of Demosthenes whom they iested at saying that he had left his cunnyng at home his distaffs bandes and woull and that he had not fained squint eied disease in vaine to haue yerely reuenues and preferment bycause he hop●d not to haue so much money of the gerundes supins as he sometime had had of Harpalus Surely yf I woulde describe forth all