Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	effect_n	good_a	reason_n	2,537	5	5.2979	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A36704	Troilus and Cressida, or, Truth found too late a tragedy, as it is acted at the Dukes Theatre : to which is prefix'd, a preface containing the grounds of criticism in tragedy / written by John Dryden ...	Dryden, John, 1631-1700.; Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. Troilus and Cressida.	1679 (1679)	Wing D2389; ESTC R4152	72,712	95

Writings the foundation of them for it is not just that new Rules should destroy the authority of the old But Rapin writes more particularly thus That no passions in a story are so proper to move our concernment as Fear and pity and that it is from our concernment we receive our pleasure is undoubted when the Soul becomes agitated with fear for one character or hope for another then it is that we are pleas'd in Tragedy by the interest which we take in their adventures Here therefore the general answer may be given to the first question how far we ought to imitate Shakespear and Fletcher in their Plots namely that we ought to follow them so far only as they have Copy'd the excellencies of those who invented and brought to perfection Dramatic Poetry those things only excepted which Religion customs of Countries Idioms of Languages c. have alter'd in the Superstructures but not in the foundation of the design How defcctive Shakespear and Fletcher have been in all their Plots Mr. Rymer has discover'd in his Criticisms neither can we who follow them be excus'd from the same or greater errors which are the more unpardon●●le in us because we want their beauties to counterveil our faults The best of their designs the most approaching to Antiquity and the most conducing to move pity is the King and no King which if the Farce of Bessus were thrown away is of that inferior sort of Tragedies which end with a prosperous event 'T is probably deriv'd from the story of OEdipus with the character of Alexander the Great in his extravagancies given to Arbaces The taking of this Play amongst many others I cannot wholly ascribe to the excellency of the action for I finde it moving when it is read 't is true the faults of the Plot are so evidently prov'd that they can no longer be deny'd The beauties of it must therefore lie either in the livel touches of the passions or we must conclude as I think we may that even in imperfect Plots there are less degrees of Nature by which some faint emotions of pity and terror are rais'd in us as a less Engine will raise a less proportion of weight though not so much as one of Archimedes making for nothing can move our nature but by some natural reason which works upon passions And since we acknowledge the effect there must be something in the cause The difference between Shakespear and Fletcher in their Plotting seems to be this that Shakespear generally moves more terror and Fletcher more compassion For the first had a more Masculine a bolder and more fiery Genius the Second a more soft and Womanish In the mechanic beauties of the Plot which are the Observation of the three Vnities Time Place and Action they are both deficient but Shakespear most Ben. Johnson reform'd those errors in his Comedies yet one of Shakespear's was Regular before him which is The Merry Wives of Windsor For what remains concerning the design you are to be refer'd to our English Critic That method which he has prescrib'd to raise it from mistake or ignorance of the crime is certainly the best though 't is not the only for amongst all the Tragedies of Sophocles there is but one OEdipus which is wholly built after that model After the Plot which is the foundation of the Play the next thing to which we ought to apply our Iudgment is the manners for now the Poet comes to work above ground the ground-work indeed is that which is most necessary as that upon which depends the firmness of the whole Fabric yet it strikes not the eye so much as the beauties or imperfections of the manners the thoughts and the expressions The first Rule which Bossu prescribes to the Writer of an Heroic poem and which holds too by the same reason in all Dramatic Poetry is to make the moral of the work that is to lay down to your self what that precept of morality shall be which you would insinuate into the people as namely Homer's which I have Copy'd in my Conquest of Granada was that Vnion preserves a Common-wealth and discord destroys it Sophocles in his OEdipus that no man is to be accounted happy before his death 'T is the Moral that directs the whole action of the Play to one center and that action or Fable is the example built upon the moral which confirms the truth of it to our experience when the Fable is design'd then and not before the Persons are to be introduc'd with their manners characters and passions The manners in a Poem are understood to be those inclinations whether natural or acquir'd which move and carry us to actions good bad or indifferent in a Play or which incline the persons to such or such actions I have anticipated part of this discourse already in declaring that a Poet ought not to make the manners perfectly good in his best persons but neither are they to be more wicked in any of his characters than necessity requires To produce a Villain without other reason than a natural inclination to villany is in Poetry to produce an effect without a cause and to make him more a Villain than he has just reason to be is to make an effect which is stronger then the cause The manners arise from many causes and are either distinguish'd by complexion as choleric and phlegmatic or by the differences of Age or Sex of Climates or Quality of the persons or their present condition they are likewise to be gather'd from the several Virtues Vices or Passions and many other common-places which a Poet must be suppos'd to have learn'd from natural Philosophy Ethics and History of all which whosoever is ignorant does not deserve the Name of Poet. But as the manners are usefull in this Art they may be all compris'd under these general heads First they must be apparent that is in every character of the Play some inclinations of the Person must appear and these are shown in the actions and discourse Secondly the manners must be suitable or agreeing to the Persons that is to the Age Sex dignity and the other general heads of Manners thus when a Poet has given the Dignity of a King to one of his persons in all his actions and speeches that person must discover Majesty Magnanimity and jealousy of power because these are sutable to the general manners of a King The third property of manners is resemblance and this is founded upon the particular characters of men as we have them deliver'd to us by relation or History that is when a Poet has the known character of this or that man before him he is bound to represent him such at least not contrary to that which Fame has reported him to have been thus it is not a Poets choice to make Ulysses choleric or Achilles patient because Homer has describ'd 'em quite otherwise Yet this is a Rock on which ignorant Writers daily split and the absurdity

how she tickled his cloven chin She has a marvellous white hand I must needs confess But let that pass for I know who has a whiter Well Cousin I told you a thing yesterday think on 't think on 't Cressi So I do Uncle Pand. I 'le besworn 't is true he will weep ye and 't were a man born in April A Retreat sounded Hark they are returning from the field shall we stay and see 'em as they come by sweet Neece do sweet Neece Cressida Cressi For once you shall command me Pand. Here here here 's an excellent place we may see 'em here most bravely and I 'le tell you all their names as they pass by but mark Troilus above the rest mark Troilus he 's worth your marking Aeneas passes over the Stage Cressi Speak not so loud then Pand. That 's Aeneas Is 't not a brave man that he 's a swinger many a Grecian he has laid with his face upward but mark Troilus you shall see anon Enter Anthenor passing That 's Anthenor he has a notable head-peece I can tell you and he 's the ablest man for judgment in all Troy you may turn him loose i' faith and by my troth a proper person When comes Troilus I 'le show you Troilus anon if he see me you shall see him nod at me Hector passes over That 's Hector that that look you that there 's a fellow go thy way Hector there 's a brave man Neece O brave Hector look how he looks there 's a countenance is 't not a brave man Neece Cressi I always told you so Pand. Is a not it does a mans heart good to look on him look you look you there what hacks are on his Helmet this was no boys play i'faith he laid it on with a vengeance take it off whose who 's will as they say there are hacks Neece Cressi Were those with Swords Pand. Swords or Bucklers Faulchions Darts and Lances any thing he cares not and the devil come 't is all one to him by Jupiter he looks so terribly that I am half afraid to praise him Enter Paris Yonder comes Paris yonder comes Paris lookye yonder Neece is 't not a brave young Prince too He draws the best bow in all Troy he hits you to a span twelvescore level who said he came home hurt to day why this will do Hellen's heart good now Ha! that I cou'd see Troilus now Enter Helenus Cressi Who 's that black man Uncle Pand. That 's Helenus I marvel where Troilus is all this while that 's Helenus I think Troilus went not forth to day that 's Helenus Cressi Can Helenus fight Uncle Pand. Helenus No yes he 'll fight indifferently well I marvel in my heart what 's become of Troilus Hark! do you not hear the people cry Troilus Helenus is a Priest and keeps a whore he 'll fight for 's whore or he 's no true Priest I warrant him Enter Troilus passing over Cressi What sneaking fellow comes yonder Pand. Where yonder that 's Deiphobus No I lye I lye that 's Troilus there 's a man Neece hem O brave Troilus the Prince of chivalry and flower of fidelity Cressi Peace for shame peace Pand. Nay but mark him then O brave Troilus there 's a man of men Neece look you how his Sword is bloody and his Helmet more hack'd then Hectors and how he looks and how he goes O admirable youth he nere saw two and twenty Go thy way Troilus go thy way had I a sister were a grace and a daughter a Goddesse he shou'd take his choice of 'em O admirable man Paris Paris is dirt to him and I warrant Hellen to change wou'd give all the shooes in her shop to boot Enter Common Souldiers passing over Cressi Here come more Pand. Asses fools dolts dirt and dung stuff and lumber porredg after meat but I cou'd live and dye with Troilus Nere look Neece nere look the Lyons are gone Apes and Monkeys the fag end of the creation I had rather be such a man as Troilus then Agamemnon and all Greece Cressi There 's Achilles among the Greeks he 's braveman Pand. Achilles a Carman a beast of burden a very Camel have you any eyes Neece do you know a man is he to be compar'd with Troilus Enter Page Page Sir my Lord Troilus wou'd instantly speak with you Pand. Where boy where Page At his own house if you think convenient Pand. Good boy tell him I come instantly I doubt he 's wounded farewell good Neece But I 'le be with you by and by Cressi To bring me Uncle Pand. I a token from Prince Troilus Cressi By the same token you are a procurer Uncle Exit Pandarus Cressida alone A strange dissembling Sex we Women are Well may we men when we our selves deceive Long has my secret Soul lov'd Troilus I drunk his praises from my Uncles mouth As if my ears cou'd nere be satisfi'd Why then why said I not I love this Prince How cou'd my tongue conspire against my heart To say I lov'd him not O childish love 'T is like an Infant froward in his play And what he most desires he throws away Exit Cressida ACT II. SCENE I. Troy Priam Hector Troilus Aeneas Priam. AFter th' expence of so much time and blood Thus once again the Grecians send to Troy Deliver Hellen and all other loss Shall be forgotten Hector what say you to 't Hect. Though no man less can fear the Greeks then I Yet there 's no Virgin of more tender heart More ready to cry out who knows the consequence Then Hector is for modest doubt is mix'd With manly courage best let Hellen go If we have lost so many lives of ours To keep a thing not ours not worth to us The vallue of a man what reason is there Still to retain the cause of so much ill Troil. Fy fy my noble Brother Weigh you the worth and honour of a King So great as Asia's Monarch in a scale Of common ounces thus Are fears and reasons fit to be consider'd When a Kings fame is question'd Hect. Brother she 's not worth What her defence has cost us Troil. What 's ought but as 't is vallued Hect. But vallue dwels not in opinion only It holds the dignity and estimation As well wherein 't is precious of it self As in the prizer 't is Idolatry To make the Service greater than the God Troil. We turn not back the Silks upon the Merchant When we have worn 'em the remaining food Throw not away because we now are full If you confess 't was wisedome Paris went As you must needs for you all cry'd go go If you 'll confess he brought home noble prize As you must needs for you all clapt your hands And cry'd inestimable why do you now So underrate the vallue of your purchase For let me tell you 't is unmanly theft When we have taken what we fear to keep Aene. There 's not the meanest