Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	evil_a	good_a	great_a	3,686	5	2.7944	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16157	Eromena, or, Love and revenge. Written originally in the Thoscan tongue, by Cavalier Gio. Francesco Biondi, Gentleman extraordinary of his Majesties Privie Chamber. Divided into six books. And now faithfully Englished, by Ia. Hayvvard, of Graies-Inne Gent; Eromena. English	Biondi, Giovanni Francesco, Sir, 1572-1644.; Hayward, James, of Gray's Inn.	1632 (1632)	STC 3075; ESTC S107086	212,008	210

to other mens labours The Princesse astonished at her discourse would faine egge her on a little further for the better discovering among obscurities so palpable the cleerenesse of an elevated capacitie wherefore she said unto her The cause sister mine of our errour in beleeving that evill hath a greater stroke over us than good proceeds from our owne passions as you your selfe have confesessed though in respect of themselves they bee of equall weight The palat is more digested with the bitter than pleased with the sweete though of its proper nature it love and affect the latter the reason is because our senses make us more sensible of ill than good which if wee consider rightly we shall have no reason to complaine of nature which made not contraries with proportion more contrary in the one than in the other The blacke is no more blacke than the white is white albeit the one is discerned better than the other not for any defect of contrarietie but by reason of the qualitie of the eye that is more inclined to receive the impression of the one than of the other the Sunne likewise which for his brightnesse should bee more apt to bee seene is neverthelesse for a like reason lesse seene If then it bee so as most assured it is Why then comfort you not your selfe now that you are certaine of having passed the period of your evils by the escaping of death the extremest point of all misery So as necessarily your misfortune declining it 's malignite in the recesse prepares for you in his change argument of consolation and seeing that changes are no other than mutation of qualities you ought to suppose that it must needs bee from bad to good Alas Madame answered the woman weeping consider I pray you that reason and sense cannot be weighed with equall weights because reason is either so fleeting as she will not suffer us easily to lay hold on her or else light and wavering if shee chance to be formed by use or opinion But the sense being weightie and of certaine consistence remaines active and deceives not unlesse it selfe be beguiled by some alteration well said you that so should I doe for indeede so would I faine doe but first make you these scales even if you can by giving mee either so much reason as sense or else no more sense than reason and then will I both obey you and comfort my selfe But woe is me it is their irreconcileable disparitie that makes my miserable estate inconsolable in that the practise of the Theoricke is in them too too different the one being more easie to an eloquent tongue than the other to the stoutest heart when it shall have occasion to put it in practise Now as touching the excesse and period of my evils know most noble Lady that if men could content themselves with food onely as doe the wilde beasts then might the argument be good for you of your commiseration having freed me frō death which was the period of evill me thinks reason tels me that I am now in its recesse for that the way of life is opened unto me but too too miserable is our condition to bee contented to live onely and to live to our selves alone there is none but knowes that we must live for others also neither say I onely as he who held that we are borne to our Countrey and friends but I hereto adde that we are likewise borne to our owne affections and among them above all to honour which subsisting of an unknowne and delicate element receives its influence from the course of the more delicate spheares which conjoyned to these materials are in the point of their period diverse in qualitie even as mine are so as the recesse of ill in the one is the recesse of honour in the other How then can one live in the recesse of ill with the hope of the accesse of good when the recesse of honor engenders the accesse of infamy that stands in the opposite point But to speak with your own principles you Madame well know that it is not one sole aspect that makes us become miserable but our meeting afterwards with other new aspects in the way of theirprog ressions the being of the maligne stars which the learned call the Infortunate of superior situation and by consequence heavier and slower which being in some sort intricated with the fixed that are slowest of all are never more disinveloped but accompanie our few dayes with infinite evils which being limited by death and deprived of all power of hurting us in a life freed from their fetters pursue us nevertheelesse to our very graves with an abominable and ignominious fame which i say not because I beleeve it to be so indeede but because that who so gives those principles credit will be induced to beleeve no otherwise And I for my part cannot chuse but subscribe to the opinion of such as beleeve that the fates and constellations are no other thing than the providence of the gods whereunto if I now trusted not more than I doe to the celestiall figures I should utterly despaire The Princesse observing her to speake with much paine and great perplexiti of minde thought it not good to trouble her any further albeit she much desired to know both her and the originall of her misfortunes the rather because she well discerned in her ordinary signes of no ordinary person leaving therefore Aretia to accompany her she returned to the Princes to whom she related what discourse she had with her expressing her selfe to be gladder of this prize than of that of both the Fleets They lodged themselves in Terranova as well as they could where the sicke woman was carefully looked unto and lodged as commodiously as the straightnesse of the place would permit who by meanes either of the Physitians or of comfortable repose recovered together with her strength her before exiled beauty Whilst the Princesse continued with the weake woman the two brothers had time to conferre together where Metaneone informed his brother of all that past betweene him and his father and how he was by him sent to finde him out whom therefore he once intended to have conducted homewards but perceiving as he thought in that Princesse probable signes of an excessive love towards him and considering withall how the tie of honour straightly obliged him to deferre his departure thence till the warres were ended he knew not what course he were best to resolve of howbeit he held his owne returne necessarie because he was to intreate his father to demand for him a wife and there related he unto his brother all the story of Eromilia yet knew he not well how he could go home without him And that on the other side in procuring him to returne with him he should doe very ill for that he might thereby marre his fortune and hinder his advancement which hee ought rather by all meanes to further and procure not onely for

unto thee with a strange kind of benefit directed wholly to thy own sole ends which also might have accordingly succeeded thee considering the noble inclinations of so excellent a Princesse But the gods permitted thee not to put that project in practise having destined for her safetie other meanes than thy malicious pittie which because they in thee abhorred they blinded thy eyes and clouded thy understanding for finding her any more nor doth thy last alleaged excuse that the ambition of the Prince his favour was cause of thy offence decline any whit from thy other reasons for if we ought not to doe evill that good may come thereof how can we excuse that evill whence springs another evill by many degrees greater The impossibilitie thou inferrest of the never being of any man that could in such like ambitions containe himselfe is most false whereof though I yet granted thee that there were not any yet will I never concede that there cannot be any such A Prince his favour is acquired either by merits or else by reason of the inclination of the Prince himselfe and where merits are there is seldome any great fortune for they proceeding from vertue those vertues cannot brooke fortune but disdaine her means and she again seeing her selfe so despised scornes and contemns them where inclination is there resides fortune also but diversely for many Princes are good have good inclinations but with them have they also their affects which they will have humored yet should they not be therefore abhorr'd seeing they are but men nor should they be condemned or much blamed for chusing persons to their fancy and liking so that the State suffer not thereby True it is that such as these shall be by so much the neerer a fortune by how much the farther off they are from integrity except when the Prince his meere liberality inricheth them out of his owne without prejudicing any other But such as are cald to favour to be instruments of the wicked to the ruine of the good as thou wast are not of this number but of a third degree as detestable for being in the extremitie of evill as is that of the good desirable that marcheth in the fore-ranke of goodnesse so as I beleeve that among all men in the world thou onely art in that degree and as such an one unworthy of either excuse or pardon Much amazed remained Catascopo at this so rigorous though just judgement of Polimero which ended he was reconducted to prison where along time he continued without any hope of pardon or releasement Eromena having passed over into Corsica and taken Bonifacio march'd on to Sagona which yeelded it selfe to her mercy with the same felicitie tamed she the Talsines acquired Telisano the valley of Vasina Giovellino with whatsoever other places are contained in Capo-Corso Nebbio that was then the citie and seate Royall made her some resistance the Rebels being reduced thither and most resolute to defend themselves till death which they had performed if the inhabitants had thereunto consented which later weying with themselves the losse they sustained by Polimero's valour and considering withall how scant their provision was growne yeelded on reservation of the safegard of their lives and goods whilest the Rebels seeing the people so inclined saved themselves by timely flight in Balagnia In the meane time had Polimero long before sent the Count of Bona to the King his father that he might when he had given an account of his embassage in Maiorica obtaine an other for Sardegna to demand in marriage for him Eromena wherein he was with such expedition dispatched as Nebbio was scarce rendred up when the Princesse received letters from her father with newes of the arrivall of an Embassadour from the King of Mauritania about a businesse of so great importance as it necessarily required her personall presence wishing her therefore to leave good order for the enterprise and to hie her selfe thither with all possible speed Vpon this Eromena well knowing what the businesse was though loth to part from her lover posted away leaving all the troopes in his charge taking along with her the Marquesse with the principall Commanders of the Campe to the end that the whole honour of the conquest of Corsica might rest entirely his alone Nor was she therein deceived for Polimero desirous to bring his enterprise to an end and above all to get into his hands the Rebels came before Balagnia so suddenly and unexpected as they had no time to get out as they made account to have done any tentative of theirs serving them to no purpose for that the citie was walled round about so as it was soone given up and the Rebels consigned him alive This done he tooke Calui wth all its territorie nor remained there now other than Genarca which because of its being seated on the sea had not so easily beene forced if he by bringing thither the Fleet had not constrained it to follow the fortune of the others Afterwards having embarked the Rebels on the Mauritanian Gallies he commanded the Admirall to deliver them from him to the King As soone as Eromena was come the King told her the occasion for which he sent for her was for that the King of Mauritania had sent to demand her in marriage for his sonne Polimero She making as though the matter were strange to her answered that shee would doe what should be by the State thought fitting referring her selfe wholly to the Councell Now those of the Councell come with her from the Campe were fewer than those others of the Court and approved of the marriage acknowledging for chiefe of their side the Marquesse of Oristagnio But the Marquesse of Bossa being uncle to the Count of Montevero endevoured by all meanes to crosse those nuptials making with the kinsmen of the Rebels so strong a voice as that but for the others authoritie he had easily hindred it His reasons were the disparitie of their yeares his being without any patrimonie his having made many principall houses in the kingdome his enemies with the imprisonment and consequently the torture and death of so many Barons which though it were done on a just ground yet was not justice able to give every one satisfaction And though that prudent Princes ought to aime their levell at reason onely when they reape no prejudice therefrom yet if they see any likelihood of the contrary then ought they to second the passions of their subjects who being potent in a state might otherwise trouble it they presupposing the justice done to the faulty to bee a generall injury to their bloud whereof in respect of the number of such as were innocent there should be a speciall care taken not to contaminate the honour of some in the punishing of some others Nor can the governement be supportable of a Prince brought in with the bloud of so many who for for being necessitated to leade a life full of jealous suspitions cannot be

her than that of the Mauritanian Infante and that the Marquesse should treat therof by way of proposition as proceeding from himselfe giving thereby rather way and encouragement to the Infante to demand her than cause to beleeve that they were already resolved to give her him The joy that Eromena thereof conceived as it was exceeding great so was it neverthelesse exceeded with an incomparable prudence whereby she well knew how to conceale it answering the Councell that they should finde her conformable to their deliberation The Count of Bona after hee had delivered his Lords letters and discharged himself of the troopes and Galleys being licenced to go on his Embassage wafted off as soone as he had received the Princes letters with a prosperous gale for Maiorica where he and the other Embassadours were received with all such solemnities as befitted the Embassadours of so great a King And because the businesse was before resolved of and this solemne office done meerely for publike satisfaction it was easily concluded on and Eromilia promised to Metaneone Prince of Mauritania upon the sole condition that shee would ever marrie at all The End of the Fourth Booke CAVALIER GIO FRANCESCO BIONDI HIS EROMENA The Fifth Booke IF great was the fame of Eromilia's beauty whilst abiding in Maiorica shee was promised in marriage to the Prince of Sardegna far greater was it when as soone as his death was published her retiring also was instantly divulged abroade the resolution and occasion whereof with a reasonable indifferency wrought a generall amazement so as such as before had her heard commended for the extraordinary industries of nature observed in her now rapt with new partly curious and partly amorous affections deemed that man happy whose fortune it were to winne her in this losse of her selfe being it seemed not so inconvenient for any other to finde inventions to steale her away as for her to invent her selfe the meanes of depriving her selfe of the world And albeit the businesse in it selfe stood not founded on reason that a Princesse especially of so great a merit should be constrained to alter her upon what occasion soever grounded indeede rather compassionable than blame-worthy resolution Neverthelesse some discoursing by way of argument approved it as an act lawfull to search after and finding to gather up such Iewels which throwne away by an unwise and as it were a prodigall owner were exposed to the hazard of being stolne away by the unworthy and so to become subject to light into their base and abject hands neither could such an attempt so it were confined to the bounds of honour be for all that stiled rapine the intention of the act being to restore the thing so seazed on to themselves and though it be true that its maine scope and ends tended to gaine yet doth every kinde of labour deserve its hire nor is that kinde of usury unlawfull which in recompence of its paines desires but the simple lone of the thing found Suchlike were the reasonings of sundry young Princes of divers Countries who like sphericall lines came to meete all in one and the same center nor is it any wonder that a cause remote should produce and bring forth the selfesame respects in persons remote each from other seeing the universall soule that moves and inspires the vaste world is even one and the same But those among the rest that gave themselves most to these imaginations were the Prince of Tingitana and one of his brothers with the Princes of Andaluzia and Granada The King of Tingitana in those dayes commanded as Soveraigne all that part of Afsrike that lies on the Ocea sea as farre as six degrees beyond our Tropike growne to be great there by fortune and reach of wit if wicked subtiles may be stiled the effects of wit This King had foure sonnes that were ever at discord among themselves who having together with their breast-milke sucked ambition and desire of rule could never quiet themselves with other thought than in being every of them left sole without competitors The King old of yeares but elder in wickednesse growne expert in knowing the pravitie of his sonnes by his owne moved rather by a jealous zeale of himselfe than any affection he bore them had severed them asunder by assigning to each of them the governement of a kingdome with the revenewes whereof they maintained themselves in an honourable and splendide fashion without ever abandoning the precepts of soothing dissembling being a maxime placed in the frontispice of the schoole of those therein so accomplished Princes wherein every of them so exceedingly profited as the fathers selfe though a great experientist in that art was for all his cunning deceived for beleeving those affectionate-seeming demonstrations to be really true that were indeede but counterfait which neverthelesse served for nothing else than for gins and traps to ruine and overthrow one the other Argilo the first borne who bare the title of Prince aboade in Fessa a kingdome assigned him for his share Anterasto the second in the fortunate Ilands The other two possessed two kingdomes in the Meridian parts the one on this side the lesser the other on the other side of the greater Atlas purposely placed so distant each frō other to the end that their neighbourhood might not occasion or give them any subject of enmity The King himselfe resided at Morocco the heart of his Dominions thinking hee could more easily bridle the evill inclinations of his sonnes by keeping them thus severed at so large distances especially the two eldest who troubled him more than the rest but humane prudence is wont to light on oftentimes by shunning what but for shunning it had not encountred for Orgilo having understood by the Lord of Velez of the comming of the Princesse Eromilia grew suddenly desirous of enjoying her guided thereto rather by his beastly appetite than any kinde of true love for being unapt to receive those flames which shine but in gentle breasts stored with noble thoughts where-from his was so far alienated as for having never harboured a gentle qualitie he gave himselfe over to be a sordid receptacle of all kinde of foule and mischievous enterprises onely one sole thing in him seemed to looke with a face of vertue which was a bodily force inconsiderately used and a generous seeming spirit the abundance of his vices straightning him too much from being able to lodge either true magnanimitie or reall bounty With such and the like qualities purposed Orgilo to work his own ends on the noble person of Eromilia But Anterasto who with the ambition to reign and with impatience to be longer bridled lived unfortunate in the fortunate Ilands having understood by the spies he kept in his brothers Court all his designes and how hee had caused to be calked and rigged a Galley in Mamora for the stealing away of the Princesse of Maiorica thinking hee might better bring his project to passe by sea ariving unawares than by

mountaine and comming towards us was without spying us discovered by us When I straight knowing him to be Calaplo was thereof exceeding joyfull deeming it the happiest encounter that could possibly betide me for I knowing the cause of his going away being my selfe the man that hatch'd the invention of sending him packing in that manner hoped to bring the Prince good newes of his being slaine for we having at first concluded to deale so with him did not execute it for not multiplying of too many Ministers in the fact and by consequence of dangers in discovering him the rather in that we hoped that he would for feare have kept himselfe secret Imparting the businesse unto my companions they resolved to murther him not so much to serve and please thereby the Prince as for love of the Iewels and coine which I told them hee had about him Wherefore as soone as we got to the path we dogg'd him without being able to overtake him almost all the day long In the end passing downe a deepe steepy bottome and getting up another mountaine he held not on his way one houres space till he stood still so as we might at our pleasure overtake him and comming stealing-wise upon him for feare of being espied we might perceived him talke with some body afarre off and in his speech heare him say Your Highnesse which gave us cause to imagine it was the Princesse he spake to there we set upon him unawares but found him so valiant that what by retiring and defending himselfe were could never come once to fasten a blow on him the difficulty of the mountaines steepinesse serving him for a great advantange And I in the meane while seeing how he had with a maine downeright blow cloven the head of one of my two companions thought it my best course to leave him hand to hand with the other their death little importing my ends which was the life of the Princesse or rather my owne which without her death could not subsist it grieving me too much to leave in an instant the fortunes of the Court by me only assayed but not fully tasked Thus was I flattered by ambition which prevailes more in an upstart than in one that being borne there hath it hereditarie from his ancestors and from the noblenesse of bloud Being freed then from that pittie which was instill'd in me by my companions I got me to the place where I had before seene Calaplo to assure my selfe whether the same was indeed the Princesse or that I was deceived where I saw it was she indeede and she also might well have seene me if hindred by her weeping shee had not in drying her eyes covered them with the sleeve of her gowne her good husband not having left her any thing else to drie them withall The seeing her then in such a plight bred in me such a compassion as made me quite contrarie to my intended resolution desire to comfort her but remembring how she would never have either beleeved or trusted me and that it was better to goe and finde her out crave her pardon bring her backe to her father in safetie and there leave her I descended the hill but could by no meanes possible for all my rambling about ever finde her out so as at length having also sought her the day following to no purpose I resolved to set my selfe on the way of my returne The Prince in the meane time had in this tragedie plaid his part with exceeding great artifice for returning to the Temple dropping wet with sweat making a shew of being as he was indeede though for a different cause profoundly afflicted sent folkes to search all there about for his wise taking on him to feare that shee losing her way were devoured of some wilde beast he sent first of all to the Inne to know if shee were retired thither But the Knight that was left there with the sicke woman comming thereupon up to the Temple and acquainting him how that Calaplo had bin there to fetch away the waller he began to display and ground on that act of his some token of suspition but when such as were sent aboade returned without any newes of her then told he them openly that he could beleeve no lesse than that she were runne away with Calaplo which he knew how to represent so feelingly with such naturall affects both of griefe and disdaine that the Knight whose imagination never dived to the depth of so foule a treason could not otherwise chuse than be of the same opinion nor could it indeede be otherwise conceived of any except of such as lighted pat on the very truth seeing that neither bloud nor any relique of any limbe of hers could possibly be found any where albeit the mountaine was for three dayes continuance search'd all over with most exquisite diligence Besides that in that part so well frequented was never seene any savage beast much lesse was it ever heard that any one was ever slaine or hur there The Prince with this occasion came to be discovered for so would he have it to the end that the fame of the accident might forerunne his arrivall in Barcelona and so for being afterwards conformably confirmed by him be the better credited whcih indeede succeeded him every way answerable to his expectation The King well deeming that his heavy-hearted sonne had neede of comfort sent of the gravest and wisest of the Realme to meete him when he taking on him to be uncapable of any comfort spake and did things with such an extreme compassion-meriting passion as there was not any that grieved not for his griefe For albeit by the qualities of the Princesse there was no reason to beleeve that any such a resolution could ever be fostered in her yet could he so cunningly dissemble that for some while he blinded the best sighted and most penetrating eyes My returne was neere about the same time as his though a little sooner for so had we before agreed on When I in taking on me at Court to have never heard any thing of these passages in wondring at such an accident in making as though I could not beleeve it and in such other circumstances wanted little of going beyond my Master himselfe yet to him told I that we had buried her a pikes depth under ground satisfying withall the rest of his demands at full I having studied by the way how to make answer to all whatsoever he could aske me but he that now could finde no more in his heart to fix his eyes on me my very presence upbrayding him of the foulenesse of his fault never spake to me more one word thereof Soone went I about preparing my selfe for my flight when hee faining to have heard some inckling of the Princesse went suddenly a-boord a Galley so as I was faine to doe the same where we were scarce setled a-boord her whenamong the Knights and Ghing was spread a rumor that we were bound for Affrique