Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	bring_v	good_a	let_v	1,459	5	4.0417	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11493	The quintesence of wit being a corrant comfort of conceites, maximies, and poleticke deuises, selected and gathered together by Francisco Sansouino. VVherin is set foorth sundrye excellent and wise sentences, worthie to be regarded and followed. Translated out of the Italian tung, and put into English for the benefit of all those that please to read and vnderstand the works and worth of a worthy writer.; Propositioni overo considerationi in materia di cose di stato. Book 1. English.	Hitchcock, Robert, Captain.; Sansovino, Francesco, 1521-1586.	1590 (1590)	STC 21744; ESTC S121812	137,938	218

THE Quintesence of Wit being A corrant comfort of conceites maximies and poleticke deuises selected and gathered together by Francisco Sansouino Wherin is set foorth sundrye excellent and wise sentences worthie to be regarded and followed Translated out of the Italian tung and put into English for the benefit of all those that please to read and vnderstand the works and worth of a worthy writer AT LONDON Printed by Edward Allde dwelling without Cripple-gate at the signe of the gilded Cuppe Octobris 28. 1590. ¶ To the right Worshipfull Maister Robert Cicell Esquire one of the Sonnes of the right honorable the Lord high treasurer of England IN reading and reuiewing the manifolde discourses and famous works of sundry worthie writers right Worshipfull some translated out of French Italian and some reduced into our English tung by learned Latinestes and Grecians whose studies and labours benefites a multitude I happened on a book written to Rodolphus the second a mighty graue and wise Emperour which book treated on so many matters and touched with quick conceites and sentences such a number of rare arguments and politicke deuises that it seemed not only a register of wit but a naturall quintesence of knowledge gathered and collected out of the highest and deuine spirites of Philosophie the value and varietie of the worke is so excellent that it argues of it selfe to be a rich store-house of precious compoundes fraught and furnished full of deep insight and profound reasons Then to hide or keep secret the same worke were an vnpardonable error and a wilfull offence and fault committed against the common societie of men that dayly and hourely are nourished and fedde with the sweet and sugred taste of Histories and vnderstanding of true nouelties penned out with painefull studie and printed to exercise wise iudgements with matters of great moment So vnder your fauour good Sir the hope of your towardnes and good bringing vp and the desire I suppose you haue to aduaunce learning and good letters the sensible sap of life commaunds me by a bond of causes to honor you with a work not only worthy the reading but likewise worthie the noting and bearing in minde a burthen so pleasant to embrace and delectable to carry in memory as shall vnload and make light a heauie hart and discharge a waighty imagination of disquiet thoughts For the dissoluing of doubts and discouering o● secret sentences breedes a lightsomnes in man and puts away the wearines of time and labour of the spirites such care and foresight of our commoditie had our fore-fathers and auncient writers that alwaies they filled the Printers shops full of great vollumes and maintained the worldes knowledge with an innumerable number of bookes and neuer in any age bookes were more sought for and better esteemed if the authors therof be of sound iudgement then in these our florishing daies where flowing wittes abound and reapes the reward of well dooing and vertuous disposition The praise preferments great fame and good fortunes they haue found is such a gazing glasse to looke in that thousands therby seek after vertue and learning to shun the rebuke of vicious idlenes and sloath none more disliked then ignorant Idiots nor more admired then the worthie wits of our world Who is not abashed to follow a painted shadowe and who takes not great glorye to waite where some substance is looked for though the wise for their wisedome are enuied of the foolish yet the fond for their folly are derided and pointed at by all kinde of people wisdome is honoured in his meanest attire and fondnes is but scorned in his brauest garments the bare presentation of the honorable brings gladnes to the beholders and the proud pomp of the vain-glorious are both irckesome and disdained golde is more made off for his goodnes then his cullour and men look more into the perfectnes of things then to the outward apparance this book though it be printed in common paper yet was it not penned in ordinarye discourses it spreadeth it self like a tree that hath many braunches whereon some bowe is greater then another and yet the fruit of them all are alike in taste because no soure crabbes were graffed where sweet Apples should growe nor no bitter Oranges can be gathered where sweet Powngarnets are planted the excellency of this fruit must be sencibly felt and tasted with a well seasoned minde and iudgement and the delicatenes therof must be chewed and chawed with a chosen and speciall spirite of vnderstanding not greedily mumbled vp and eaten as a wanton eates Peares that neuer were pared Philosophie and farre fetched knowledge may not be handled and entertained like a Canterbury tale nor vsed like a riding rime of sir Topas this spoken to the generall iudgements of men for I know to whose hands this woork is commended and I doubt not the vsage therof because I see some good sparkes of a noble Father shining in the eyes of a happie Sonne wherefore this booke needes not feare as I hope and beleeue who barketh against it nor the writer thereof if he were aliue neeeds not to doubt who looketh on his labours for generally and absolutely in a most louing phrase and manner he bountifully hath imparted his secrets te a multitude and bestowed a great deale of thankeful paines on the wise if the worlde be not ingrate and forgetfull of a good turn offred he setteth foorth to sale no speeches farssed full of fables but presenteth to our viewe in an open manner heapes of hidden secrets that none but noble and venerable aucthors did euer open before and in a manner leaues neither peace warre pollicy practice nor any thing vntouched that is fit for a publike state or common weale to knowe his golden booke beautified with a thousand graces is translated out of the Italian tung though not in such beauty as becomes the grauitie thereof yet stripped gentlye out of his gaye garments it is clothed and plainely apparelled in such comely weeds and cleane roabes as euery parte and proportion of the booke may easily be seene and well perceiued and albeit that a fine Italian in an English groce gaberdine is not fashioned in all formes to please euery strangers fancye yet the personage may be passable when all comelines is vsed for the setting forth of the same Thus presuming that Francis Sanssouino is no whit disfigured to walke openly in such English habit as is found fitte for him crauing fauour that he may speak his owne minde I hope you of curtesie will let him passe through our Countrey that all kinde of people may see and heare what opinion he was of in matters of state and mighty affaires of this worlde the booke is dedicated vnto you for many good considerations one is that by your meanes a second life may be breathed into Sansouinoes collections through your good liking and being reuiued or awakened out of a long sleep when it lay dead from our common knowledge it may shewe

or curteously to imbrace them otherwise euery iudgement will fall out to be vaine and we must altogether shunne the meane waye for that it is pernitious TO vse woordes againste the Enemye of small honour spring for the most part of an insolencie that giues vnto men either victorie or a false hope of victorie The which false hope dooth not onely cause men to erre in woordes but also in déedes for that this hope makes a man to passe his boundes and causeth him often times to loose the occasion he hath to obtaine an assured good hoping to haue a better which is vncertaine PRinces that are assayled when the assaulte is made by men that are more mightie then they can commit no greater errour then to refuse any agréement chéefely when it is offred vnto them For that there can neuer any such b●se condition be offred but that in some parte of the same there is contayned the benefite and good béeing of him that doth accept the same and therein shall be parte of his victorie IF a greate personage be greatly offended or endamaged with the publike state or with anye priuate person and hath not reuenged him selfe according to his own satisfaction if he liue in a Common-weale he dooth goe about with the ruine therof to reuenge himselfe If he liue vnder a prince and haue within him any generositie and corage he neuer dooth quiet him selfe vntill such time that in some sorte he dooth reuenge him selfe against him although he perceiue his owne proper damage shoulde fall out in the same MEn may alwayes followe Fortune but neuer oppose them selues against Fortune They may weaue the web therof but not breake the same They ought neuer to abandon Fortune for that not knowing the end therof and besides that she alwaies goes through vnknowne and crooked pathes we ought alwaies to liue in hope of her and hoping not to abandon our selues in whatsoeuer Fortune or in whatsoeuer trauaile we do finde our selues AMongst those Signes whereby we knowe the power and might of a State the one is to beholde how she liues with her neighbours For that when she gouernes her selfe in such sort that her neighbours to haue her their fréende doo make them selues her Pencionares then is it a certaine signe that that State is mightie But when the saide Neighboures although inferiour vnto her drawe money of her then it is a greate signe of her weaknes IF thou be a Mal-content againste any Prince measure and ballance thy forces and if thou be so mightye that thou art able to discouer thy selfe to be his Enemie and to make warres against him openly enter into this path as least perilous and most honourable but if thy forces be not sufficient indeuour thy self with all industrie to make him thy fréend and enter into the path that thou doost iudge to be necessarie following his pleasures and making showe that those thinges please thée which thou seeest delightes him for that this domesticke familiaritie makes to liue secure and without feare of any perrill make thee to enioye and be pertaker of his good fortune and bringes vnto thée all good meanes and commodities for thée to satisfie thy minde WE ought not to remaine so néere vnto Princes that their ruine ouerwhelme vs neither so farre distant off that being ouerthrowne we maye be able to ariue in time to leape vpon the ruine THose Princes begin then to loose their state when they begin to breake the Lawes the maners and those customes that be of antiquitie and vnder the which men haue liued a long time for that these doo want commodity those doo abandon them and their willes and desires is alike for that the desire of dominion is as great or greater then is the desire of reuenge THe greatest enemy that a Prince hath is conspiracy for that whensoeuer it is made either it dooth destroy him or defame him If they take effect he dyes if they be discouered and that he dooth kill the conspiratours it will alwaies be thought to haue béen the inuention of y e prince to satisfie his couetous desire or to asswage his crueltie in the blood and goods of them which he hath executed and put to death WHen a Prince dooth discouer any conspiracye let him vse all endeuours to vnderstand the qualitie thereof and to measure well the condition and nature of the conspiratour and of his owne and when he dooth finde them great and mightye let him not discouer them if firste he be not prepared with sufficient forces to oppresse them For if he doo otherwise he discouers his owne ruine MEn for the most parte in their procéedings and much more in their actions of importance ought to consider and to accommodate thēselues to the time And those which by making naughty elections or by natural inclinations disagree from the time liue for the most parte vnfortunately and their operations haue a naughty end A Man may begin with his practises with his naughty orders to corrupt the people of any Cittie but it is an impossible thing that the life of one alone should be sufficient to corrupt it in such sorte that he himselfe may be able to reape fruite thereof and although he did performe it through the long progresse and drawing out of time yet it is impossible in respect of the proceeding of men that are impatient and cannot long deferre their passions HE that will take vpon him authoritie in a Common-weale and to plant therein naughty orders it is requisite that he finde the substance and matter therof disordered by time and that by little and little and that from generations to generations it be brought into disorder the which of necessitie falles out to be brought so when she is not oftentimes refreshed and supplyed with good examples or with newe lawes drawing towardes her firste principles THe Citizens which in a Common-weale make any enterprise in fauour of libertye or in fauour of tirannie ought to consider the subiect they haue and therby to iudge the difficultie of their enterprise for it is as hard and as perrillous to make frée any people that would liue in seruitude as it is to make a people bound that would liue frée THe cause of the good or of the euill fortune of a man is in his order of proceding to match and light right with Time For that it appeares that men in their actions and déedes procéed some with extremitie some with respectes and some with cautions and for that in the one and the other order they passe their conuenient tearmes not being able to obserue the true way they erre in the one and the other but he doth commit least errour and hath most prosperous fortune that dooth encounter and match the time with his order of procéeding A Prince that hath an army together and dooth perceiue that through the want of money or fréends he cannot long hold the same together is of small discretion if he doo not

marshald by chaunce HE that will hang in suspence and ballance thinges amongst Princes and become a newter it is necessary for him very circumspectly to abstaine not only from déeds but from all those demonstrations that maye bring him into suspect of his greater inclination more vnto one part then vnto an other TO doo and not to doo an action although it seeme to bee of small effect yet oftentimes there dooth depend vppon the same moments of matter of importance And therefore in the managing of thinges that be more profitable he must alwaies be well aduertised and haue many good considerations THe nature of the people is to incline themselues to hope more then they ought to be of lesse telleration to take alwaies against hart thinges that be present and to attribute vnto themselues not to desire and challenge that which they ought rather to attribute to their disabilitie besides this those that be fearefull and which determine not to oppose themselues against perils but to flie fall to consolations but to people that are warlicke and hardy it appertaines to charge and to present themselues to the enemy so soon as they haue had sight of him AS there is no age which doth naturally more abhorre infamie and is more couetous of honor and prowesse then is youth so there is no age that is so apt neither of more power and force to tollerate trauailes to supporte discommodities difficulties and wants that of necessitie are suffered in warres And if we doo rightlye enter into consideration of the matter men doo not differ one from another by reason 〈◊〉 but through pollicie in wit through quicknes in iudgement through their study their industrie their experience and their vertue IT is follye to become angrye with those persons against whome by reason of their greatnes thou canst not hope to reuenge thy selfe therefore if it seeme vnto thée that thou hast receiued iniurye at their handes dissemble and suffer IN matters of warfare there springes vp from time to time infinite varieties therefore we must not put vpon vs ouer-great haughty hate for late prosperities nor ouer-great abiect mindes for aduerse calamities for oftentimes there dooth arise mutations Therefore héereby we must learne that when occasion dooth present it selfe let vs not lose or let slippe the same for she is of small continuance WE ought well to consider that which the beginnings of things may be able to bring foorth and to obserue and beware at the first to giue place to vniust and pernitious demaundes for so much as when once any one hath obteined their desired things they doo not deminish at all but doo alwaies encrease our determinations and desires with a greater better will and with greater conceites then before HOw much more any accidents comes at vnawares and vnlooked for by so much more it dooth amase and put men in terrour and therefore a wise man ought to be aboundantly stored with able meanes to prouide that discordes doo not ensue or that if they should ensue that they doo not continue and he must foresee euen from this present state all future perilles remouing them with prudence and with counsell not suffering thinges to runne headlong IN ciuell States and conuersations an offence cannot be chasticed or a vertuous action rewarded but that the Citizens shall receiue that common profit that dooth therby arise neither was there any ●●medye found better more apt nor of greter effect to maintain a cōmonwealth in good and happie estate then a counterpose of punishmēt and reward vsed vprightly ALl the Securitie that may be had of an enemie either of faith either of fréends either of promises and of other some bonds are good but through the wicked condition of men and through the varying of times there is nothing thought better and more firme then so to accommodate our selues that the enemy cannot haue power to offend vs. THe maner of procéeding in moderne warrefare is far vnlike to the antiquitie who did not suborne secret murtherers but did discouer vnto the enemy if any such wicked treason was wrought against him hauing confidence to be able to ouercome with vertue IT is a more secure glorious resolution with asmuch equalitie of hope as may be to make experience of fortune then by flying and leauing the same to consume by little and little and to giue to the enemy the victory without blood and without perrill forsomuch as in thinges that fall out contrarye the feare and difficultie of him that is ouercome dooth become euerye day greater IN difficulties a man must sometimes not denying but prolonging indeuouring himselfe to cause others to accept and imbrace hope in stead of effects IT is a most true and commendable Prouerbe amongst the antiquitie that Dignities disciphers mens qualities for through experience and measure thereof is not onelye knowne by their weight what ability or insufficiencie is in them but also by reason of the power and libertye they haue are discouered the affections of their mindes and of what nature they are by how much the greater a man is so much lesse respect hath he to suffer and keep himself from being guided according to his own nature INdeuour thy selfe not to be euill thought of by him that is thy superiour in the Countrie neither put trust in the good gouernment of thy owne life but let it be such that thou maist imagine not to fall into his hands for there arise infinite causes not thought vpon wherein thou maist haue need of him and Et e conuerso IF a superiour haue desire to punish or reuenge himselfe against his inferiour let him not doo it in a headlong and rashe manner but let him expect time and occasion the which without doubt shall in such sorte fall out that not discouering himselfe for a passionate and malignant person hee shall be able to satisfie his desire TOuching the managing of warfare the counsell of the olde dooth little helpe if in putting the same in execution the courage the valour and the gallant lustines of youthes doo not set their handes to the dooing who for the moste parte are of a very quicke vnderstanding and haue their spirites and wittes in such a readines that oftentimes they ouercome the difficulties of the affaires with greater discretion and prudence then others can beléeue for we must not expect the processe of yéeres when the vertue of valour and force is to be shewed for so much as the race and course of force and vertue is much more swift then that of age IT is requisite that Gouernours doo rather followe the substance then the appearance of thinges measuring more with prudence then with proper will and not giue ouermuch faith or credit to themselues for it is a great infamie to States when ignorance is accompanied with losse THe order of occasions to obtaine any high matter is necessary to be taken when things are in reuolucion neither is it good for a man to stand to