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	think_v	1,523	5	3.8429	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56816	The state of Northampton from the beginning of the fire Sept. 20th 1675 to Nov. 5th represented in a letter to a friend in London and now recommended to all well disposed persons in order to Christian-charity and speedy relief for the said distressed town and people / by a country minister.	Pearse, Edward, 1631-1694.	1675 (1675)	Wing P987; ESTC R12097	15,327	25

and I found them apt to Tears sensible of the Hand of God Calm and thankful for their Lives My next Observation was upon the Ruines and when I have said all I can say of them 't is this that they were Ruines Nothing standing above the Cellars that was combustible which was not either burnt or burning down to Ashes No Timber left from great Beams even to Cheeks of Doors and and Lintels When God compared his People to an useless Vine Behold it is cast into the Fire for Fuel Ezek 15. the Fire devoureth both the ends of it and the midst of it is burnt is it meet for any work Even so did he use hundreds of Houses and the best in the principal Streets of Northampton I hope he will deal graciously with the Men and make them a fruitful Vine having prun'd and purg'd them What was to be seen above Ground but a few Fronts of Stone Particion-Walls and Chimnies If you had no sense but Eyes you might think them to be Ruines of an ancient Date but other Senses would perswade you they were but new the Walls and Streets being glowing hot c. And this was noted to them on Michaelmas day when the Mayor and Magistrates as many as had a Gown were in a colour suitable to their present condition and not former State that the upper Lintels were not left for the Cormorant and Bittern to lodg in Zeph. 2. And for several reasons they who saw that Fire whose Epithite is The Dreadful Fire of London and this do say this was the more furious and destructive in its Proportion Thus Sir in general you may believe the Fire and losses were very great but if you will give me leave I will shew you what made both so great First What made the loss so great First the former years being bad for Carriage and Fuel dear they were almost out of Stock till this good Summer came and great plenty at moderate Rates This was a time to provide for this and another Winter It was one part of the providence of Northampton Men to lay in something towards a wet and dear time in a good Summer They were cram'd full and now what was laid up for future time was consumed in one day before they had tam'd their Heaps Secondly As the Town was ful of Fuel so Tradesmen were full of Goods They had newly furnished themselves with the Commodities of Sturbridg-Fair Besides that some had taken the advantages of the cheapness of all sorts of Wares and Goods and of Carriage and laid out as far as their Stocks would reach in hopes of a stirring Market and many if not all or most had stored themselves for their Winter-Trade And as the Shopkeeper could not be fuller so neither the Innkeeper nor Husbandman and such as laid in their Crops for Malt were very full and none had any time to make returns From this Consideration some may readily infer that others that gave them Credit must lose or hazard with then This is not unlikely But it will be found that the loss is heavy upon them alone and apart For 1. As few of them traded upon Credit as any Town can be found to do 2. Their Trade was but a home-Trade I except the Shoomaker and Hosier and wary and prudent Men could guess at the compass of it and their prudence told them that the more Credit they had the less profit they made 3. As few Men failed and broke in Northampton as in any Town of its Dimensions and consequently as few lost by dealing with them A good argument of their dexterity in ordering comparatively a small Trade to live so decently and plentifully as they did 4. Many of them had plentiful Estates in Houses that brought in good Rent and many lived in their own whereby their Losses fall heavily upon themselves but the wise God thought no less enough Thirdly The Instrumental causes of this sad Desolation were the Driness of the Weather the violence of the Wind which was a swift Chariot for the All-subduing Fire and it 's to be noted that God planted pardon the impropriety the Wind to blow up the heart of the Town to which St. Maries Street stood level And of that vehement Wind 't is to be observed beside that it whirled the Fire at its pleasure up and down that it did also beat down the Smoak and raise up the Dust which was a great discouragement of all endeavours to save the Town and afflicted People They had Dust to blind them Smoak to stifle them and Fire that sindged and scorched them as they passed up and down Sometimes it gave some hopes of sparing by turning two points North as one Scholar tells me but dashed all again by vereing to the West Another ingenious observer who took care to save a Neighbour's House near his own tells me that the Fire fell upon the Thatch struck upon it took it and danced for six minutes at least and by a sudden turn the Wind carried it away and with a little labour the House escaped Sir If I have been too large in generals I will reward your patience by giving you satisfaction in the following particulars 1. The greatness of the Loss as given in 2. The number of Houses totally destroyed 3. The influence of this loss 4. The relief 5. The disposal of it Conclude with some few remarks The Dammage 1. The Loss as given in amounts to one hundred two thousand and eight pounds odd mony besides the Church c. to the value of about fifty thousand pound a vast loss if we consider how long an inland Town that hath no manufacture in it that drives none of the quickest Trades is growing up and how long they must needs be in regaining some part of it To lose the product of 20. or 30. years care and pains both what was left them and added by them is a very great affliction But the Lord gave before he took away Hereby many in the middle part of their Lives or the very latter end of their days are sent back to begin the World anew or driven to end it in a low Estate It may be an injury to others that some few are suspected to give in their losses with a Cypher perhaps too much if there be any such I heartily wish they would blot it out lest such a Cypher eat out the Figure but again it 's verily thought that others have been very scrupulous and sparing If Men cannot be disproved we ought to suspend our Censures 2. The number of Houses to tally consumed beside Out-Houses c. is about 600. wherein above 700. Families did dwell Numbers of Houses And these Monuments of sparing Mercy stand in the four Quarters of the Town as the Arms and Legs drawn out in Torture cut off from the Body and it is as great a Wonder that here and there a House should escape as that the rest should be brought to ruine