Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	body_n	natural_a	reason_n	1,505	5	4.9161	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19854	A brief apologie prouing the possession of William Sommers. Written by Iohn Dorrell, a faithful Minister of the Gospell: but published without his knowledge, with a dedicatorie epistle disclosing some disordered procedings against the saide Iohn Dorrell	Darrel, John, b. ca. 1562.	1599 (1599)	STC 6282; ESTC S114072	16,727	42

rectum Magna Carta Cap. 29. That William Sommers did not counterfeite a possession but was in deed stranglie and snpernaturally afflicted by the operation of Sathan as we verely thinke actuallie possessing him IN the Gospell there are diuers signes set downe of Sathan his actuall possessing one as cryinge gnashinge the teeth vvallowing foming extraordinarie supernaturall strength supernaturall knowledge with sundrie others to the number of 18. but these and euerie of the rest haue bene seene in Sommer it must needes therfore be that Sathan possessed him for vvhere the proper signe or signes of a thing is there is also the thing signified thereby where smoke is there is fier That he was dispossessed the signes thereof confirme which are Crying aloude renting sore lying as dead these vvere seene and heard at the instant of his deliuerance Against this it is obiected That he hath onely counterfeited a possession being therevnto schooled by me To the former part thereof I aunswere That sundrie of these thinges vvhich haue ben done or rather suffred by him are such as are impossible to be counterfeited that is to bee done by any arte of man how cūning soeuer he be as the extraordinarie supernaturall Actions or passions of his body strength and knowledge 1 There hath bene seene and felt a swelling vvhich did run through all the partes of his body in some parte of his body it was of the bignes of an egge in some other bigger or lessen being now in the one arme it vvould be foorth with in th' other and so of the leggs it was seen in his forehead and other partes of his face yea in his tongue Being in his eye or toe he vttering these wordes I will goe out at his eye or I will goe out at his toe it was seene presentlie to vanish or remoue out of that place 2 When this Swelling was in his arme or leggs made any stay there as often it did then and during that tyme the same member was as heauy and inflexible as so much yron 3 His body was of that exceedinge waight that diuers at once could scarsly lift him 4 He fomed aboundantly like vnto the horsse and that for an houre togither so as it roped downe all along on his brest and yet euer and anon vvas vviped away 5 In his fit neither did the temples of his head nor the pulses of his handes beate or moue 6 He lay for the space of an houre as if he had bene dead cold as yee his face and handes blacke no breath being perceyued to come from him 7 Being oftentymes cast into the fier vvith his handes sometymes in the fire sometymes his face lyeing there also a while He vvas not burnt at all 8 He did speake distinctlie vvith a continuall speach for a quarter of an houre his mouth being shut close 9 He spake with his mouth wide open yea his tongue tetorted into his throate and namely these words Ego sum Deus ego sum Rex that is J am God I am King Whichhe retortinge vvas vsuall vvith him and so done as no parcell of his tongue was to bee seene in his mouth 10 He was in his fitts without feeling to the iudgment of those which sawe him Pinnes being thrust deepe into sundrie parts of his body sometimes vp to the head he stirred not at all neither did any blood issue at the places so pricked His Strength was often such that 3. 4. 5. sometymes 6. men could not rule him Three men for an houre togither sweating labouring much he strugling with them was not perceiued to pant or blow yea scarselio to take breath he holding his finger vpright a man of great stregth could not bend it towards the palme of his hande nor holde and keepe it downo when it was bended His Knowledge vvas such that by vettue therof he told of those things vvhich were done and spoken diuers myles of him at the same instant they fel out and foretold things to come From hence also it was that diuine-like he continued his speach in expounding the Creed for an houre togither Herevnto adde that most rare accident That vnder the Couerlet where he lay there were certayne thinges sometime foure or fiue at one instant stirring mouing vnder our handes as if they had ben kittlings whelpes or such liuing creatures the couerlet being fuddenly cast vp they vanished away but thrown downe they vvere presently there againe and this continued about tenne dayes and nights by tymes The first of these hath bin deposed by 11. the Teste some by 4. by 5. and some by more or lesse witnesses these few excepted where this marke x is which notwithstanding are as true as the rest and to be deposed There are besides these diuers others as the drawing of his mouth awry sometimes to th' one eare sometimes to th' other the setting of his face against his backe a violent beating of his face head to the groūd and the casting of him self headlong against the vvalles and postes of the house so as one would haue thought hee would haue spoyled or bruised him selfe greatlie thereby yet receyued he no hurt at all the gatheringe of him self of a rouud heape boūsing vp a good height being so geathered a straunge voice which was sensibly heard to come out of his bodye his vnnatural swelling his body being twice so bigge as naturallie it is and his strange wallowing or swift rowling of him selfe with his body stretched out to his full length If these things most straunge and admirable can bee done by any humaine skill I denie not but that hee may be a counterfeite but vntill that shall appeare I must needs subscribe them to some supernatural power that is the Deuill for some cause of these rare effects must be had that must be either naturall or supernaturall but a naturall cause hereof can not be giuen of necessitie therefore there must bee some supernaturall which was an euill spirit possessing him for the reason aforesaid Against these impossibilities much is saide but let the same be well examined by the premisses as a rule and it will manifest the same maketh nothing against vs. But the mayne thing that is obiected for the proofe of his dissembling is his owne confession Thereto I answere that no man cūfessing or reporting any impossibilitie of him self is to be credited whiche Sommers doeth in this report of him selfe If Som. should saye that he by good footemanship hath gone on foote in one day from Barwick to Douer none would beleue him why then doe any credit him in this his confession for it is no more possible for him to goe that iourney in that time then by his owne will power to doe those things which are about specified which he in saying he hath coūterfeited affirmeth he hath done If this be a certayne trueth that these thinges