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	nature_n	reason_n	3,109	5	5.1421	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01185	The vvisedome of the ancients, written in Latine by the Right Honourable Sir Francis Bacon Knight, Baron of Verulam, and Lord Chancelor or England. Done into English by Sir Arthur Gorges Knight; De sapientia veterum. English	Bacon, Francis, 1561-1626.; Gorges, Arthur, Sir, 1557?-1625.	1619 (1619)	STC 1130; ESTC S100339	47,646	172

that hee came of an Egge which was laid by Nox and that on Chaos hee begot the Gods and all things els There are fower things attributed vnto him perpetuall infancy blindnes nakednes and an Archery There was also another Loue which was the yongest of the Gods and he they say was the Sonne of Venus On this also they bestowe the attributes of the elder Loue as in some sort well applie vnto him This Fable tends and lookes to the Cradle of Nature Loue seeming to bee the appetite or desire of the first matter or to speake more plaine the naturall motion of the Atome which is that ancient and onely power that formes and fashions all things out of Matter of which there is no Parent that is to say no cause seeing euery cause is as a parent to its effect Of this power or vertue there can bee no cause in Nature as for God we alwaies except him for nothing was before it and therefore no efficient cause of it Neither was there any thing better knowen to nature and therefore neither Genus nor Forme Wherefore whatsoeuer it is positiue it is and but inexpressible Moreouer if the manner and proceeding of it were to be conceiued yet could it not bee by any cause seeing that next vnto God it is the cause of causes it selfe onely without any cause And perchance there is no likely hood that the manner of it may bee conteined or comprehended within the narrow compasse of humane search Not without reason therefore is it fained to come of an Egge which was layed by Nox Certenly the diuine Philosopher grants so much Eccl. 3. 11. Cuncta fecit tempestatibus suis pulchra mundum tradidit disputationibus eorum it a tamen vt non inueniat homo opus quod operatus est Deus a principio ad finem That is he hath made euery thing beautifull in their seasons also he hath set the world in their meditations yet cannot man find out the worke that God hath wrought from the beginning euen to the end For the principall law of Nature or power of this desire created by God in these parcels of things for concurring and meeting together from whose repetitions and multiplications all variety of creatures proceeded and were composed may dazzle the eies of mens vnderstandings and comprehended it can hardly bee The Greeke Philosophers are obserued to be very acute and diligent in searching out the materiall principles of things but in the beginnings of motion wherein consists all the efficacy of operation they are negligent and weake and in this that wee handle they seeme to be altogether blind and stammering for the opinion of the Peripatetickes concerning the appetite of Matter caused by Priuation is in a manner nothing els but words which rather sound then signifie any realty And those that referre it vnto God doe very well but then they leape vp they ascend not by degrees for doubtles there is one chiefe lawe subordinate to God in which all naturall things concurre and meete the same that in the fore-cited Scripture is demonstrated in these words Opus quod operatus est Deus a principio vsque ad finem the worke that God hath wrought from the beginning euen to the ende But Democritus which entred more deepely into the consideration of this point after he had conceaued an Atome with some small dimension and forme he attributed vnto it one onely desire or first motion simply or absolutely and another comparatiuely or in respect for hee thought that all things did properly tend to the center of the world whereof those bodies which were more materiall descended with swifter motion and those that had lesse matter did on the contrary tend vpward But this meditation was very shallow conteyning lesse then was expedient for neither the turning of the celestiall bodies in a round nor shutting and opening of things may seeme to be reduced or applied to this beginning And as for that opinion of Epicurus concerning the casuall declination and agitation of the Atome it is but a meere toy and a plaine euidence that he was ignorant of that point It is therefore more apparent then wee could wish that this Cupid or Loue remaines as yet clouded vnder the shades of Night Now as concerning his attributes Hee is elegantly described with perpetuall infancie desire to some indiuiduall nature so that the generall disposition comes from Venus the more exact sympathy from Cupid the one deriued from causes more neere the other from beginnings more remote and fatall and as it were from the elder Cupid of whom euery exquisite sympathie doth depend 18 DIOMEDES or Zeale DIomedes flourishing with great fame and glory in the Troian warres and in high fauour with Pallas was by her instigated beeing indeed forwarder then he should haue bene not to forbeare Venus a iote if he encountred with her in fight which very boldly hee performed wounding her in the right arme This presumptuous fact hee caried cleare for a while and being honored and renowned for his many heroicke deeds at last returned into his owne countrey where finding himselfe hard besteed with domesticke troubles fled into Italy betaking himselfe to the protection of Forreiners where in the beginning he was fortunate and royally entertained by King Daunus with sumptuous gifts raising many statues in honour of him throughout his dominions But vpon the very first calamity that hapned vnto this nation whereunto he was fled for succor King Daunus enters into a conceipt with himselfe that he had entertained a wicked guest into his family and a man odious to the Gods and an impugner of their Diuinity that had dared with his sword to assault and wound that Goddesse whom in their religion they held it sacrilege so much as to touch Therfore that he might expiat his countreyes guilt nothing respecting the duties of hospitality when the bonds of Religion tyed him with a more reuerend regarde suddenly slew Diomedes commanding withall time in their senses and memories 19. DAEDALVS or Mechanique MEchanicall wisedome and industry and in it vnlawfull science peruerted to wrong ends is shadowed by the Ancients vnder the person of Daedalus a man ingenious but execrable This Daedalus for murthering his fellow seruant that emulated him being bannished was kindly interteined during his exile in many cities and Princes Courts for indeed he was the raiser and builder of many goodly structures as well in honour of the Gods as for the beautie and magnificence of cities and other publick places but for his works of mischeefe he is most notorious It is he which framed that engine which Pasiphae vsed to satisfie her lust in companying with a bull so that by this his wretched industrie and pernicious deuice that Monster Minotaur the destruction of so many hopefull youthes tooke his accursed and infamous beginning and studying to couer and increase one mischeife with another for the security preseruation of this Monster hee inuented and built a Labyrinth a

Sunne and Thebes seeme dooble to his eye The first of the Fables pertains to the secrets of Princes the second to diuine mysteries For those that are neare about Princes and come to the knowledge of more secretes then they would haue them doe certainly incurre great hatred And therefore suspecting that they are shot at opportunities watcht for their ouerthrow doe lead their liues like Stagges fearefull and full of suspition And it happens oftentimes that their Seruants and those of their houshould to insinuate into the Princes fauor doe accuse them to their destruction for against whomsoeuer the Princes displeasure is knowne looke how many seruants that man hath and you shall find them for the most part so many traytors vnto him that his end may proue to bee like Actaeons The other is the misery of Pentheus for they that by the height of knowledge in nature and philosophy hauing climed as it were into a tree doe with rash attempts vnmindfull of their frailtie pry into the secrets of diuine mysteries and are iustly plagued with perpetuall inconstancy and with wauering and perplexed conceits for seeing the light of nature is one thing and of grace another it happens so to them as if they saw two Sunnes And seeing the actions of life and decrees of will doe depend of the vnderstanding it follows that they doubt and are inconstant no lesse in will then in opinion and so in like manner they may bee said to see two Thebes for by Thebes seeing there was the habitation and refuge of Pentheus is meant the ende of actions Hence it comes to passe that they knowe not whither they goe but as distracted and vnresolued in the scope of their intentions are in all things caried about with sudden passions of the mind 11 ORPHEVS or Philisophy THe tale of Orpheus though common had neuer the fortune to bee fitly applyed in euery point It may seeme to represent the image of Philosophy for the person of Orpheus a man admirable and diuine and so excellently skilled in all kinde of harmony that with his sweet rauishing musicke he did as it were charme and allure all things to follow him may cary a singular description of Philosophy for the labours of Orpheus doe so far exceed the labors of Hercules in dignity efficacy as the works of wisdom excell the works offortitude Orpheus for the loue hee bare to his wife snacht as it were from him by vntimely death resolued to goe downe to Hell with his Harpe to try if hee might obtaine her of the infernall powers Neither were his hopes frustrated for hauing appeased them with the melodious sound of his voice and touch preuailed at length so farre as that they granted him leaue to take her away with him but on this condition that shee should follow him and hee not to looke backe vpon her till he came to the light of the vpper world which he impatient of our of loue and care and thinking that he was in a manner past all danger neuerthelesse violated insomuch that the couenant is broken and shee forthwith tumbles backe againe headlong into hell From that time Orpheus falling into a deepe melancholy became a contemner of women kind and bequeathed himselfe to a solitary life in the deserts where by the same melody of his voice and harpe hee first drew all manner of wild beasts vnto him who forgetfull of their sauage fiercenes and casting off the precipitate prouocations of lust and fury not caring to satiate their voracity by hunting after prey as at a Theater in fawning and reconciled amity one towards another stand all at the gaze about him and attentiuely lend their eares to his Musicke Neither is this all for so great was the power and alluring force of his harmony that he drew the woods moued the very stones to come and place themselues in an orderly and decent fashion about him These things succeeding happily and with great admiration for a time at length certaine Thracian Women possest with the spirit of Bacchus made such a horrid and strange noise with their Cornets that the sound of Orpheus harp could no more be heard insomuch as that Harmony which was the bond of that order and society beeing dissolued all dissorder began againe and the beasts returning to their wonted nature pursued one another vnto death as before neither did the trees or stones remaine any longer in their places and Orpheus himselfe was by these femall Furies torne in pieces and scattered all ouer the desart For whose cruell death the riuer Helicon sacred to the Muses in horrible indignation hid his head vnder ground and raised it againe in another place The meaning of this Fable seemes to be thus Orpheus musicke is of two sorts the one appeasing the infernall powers the other attracting beasts and trees The first may bee fitly applyed to naturall philosophie the second to morall or ciuill discipline The most noble worke of naturall philosophy is the restitution and renouation of things corruptible the other as a lesser degree of it the preseruation of bodies in their estate deteining them from dissolution and putrefaction And if this gift may be in mortals certenly it can be done by no other meanes then by the due and exquisite temper of nature as by the melody and delicate touch of an instrument But seeing it is of all things the most difficult it is seldome or neuer attained vnto and in all likelyhood for no other reason more then through curious diligence and vntimely impatience And therefore Philosophy hardly able to produce so excellent an effect in a pensiue humour and not without cause busies herselfe about humane obiects and by perswasion and eloquence insinuating the loue of vertue equitie and concord in the minds of men draws multitudes of people to a society makes them subiect to lawes obedient to gouerment and forgetfull of their vnbridled affections whilst they giue eare to precepts and submit themselues to discipline whence followes the building of houses erecting of townes and planting of fields and orchards with trees and the like insomuch that it would not be amisse to say that euen thereby stones and woods were called together and setled in order And after serious tryall made and frustrated about the restoring of a body mortall this care of ciuill affaires followes in his due place Because by a plaine demonstration of the vneuitable necessity of death mens minds are moued to seeke eternity by the fame and glory of their merits It is wisely also said in the Fable that Orpheus was auerse from the loue of women and mariage because the delights of wedlocke and loue of children doe for the most part hinder men from enterprising great and noble designes for the publique good holding posterity a sufficient step to immortalitie without actions Besides euen the very workes of wisedome although amongst all humane things they doe most excell doe neuerthelesse meete with their periods For it happens