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	know_v	2,974	5	4.2147	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96785	Vox pacifica a voice tending to the pacification of God's wrath; and offering those propositions, or conditions, by the acceptation, and performance whereof, in some good measure, a firme and continuing peace may be obtained. It is directed to the King, Parliaments, and people of these islands: By Geo. Wither Esquire, (a commander in this war) heretofore their unheeded remebbrancer [sic] of plagues and deliverances past; and their timely forewarner of the judgments now come. He hath disposed it into six books, or canto's, whereof foure onely are contained in this volumne; and the other deferred to be hereafter published, as there shall be cause.	Wither, George, 1588-1667.	1645 (1645)	Wing W3210; Thomason E1242_1; ESTC R202399	111,848	215

faithfulnesse Of ev'rie Soule And suffer not vaine jars Among your selves to multiply contention Lest you thereby both make these present wars To bring forth an incurable dissention And hinder as you have already done That Work which God among you hath begun Such differences obstructions have begot Retarding Peace But doubtlesse for the same To your great Senate there belongeth not An imputation of the smallest blame Nor were it faultie though it could be said And proved too that some among them now Their weightie consultations had betrai'd And to your Foes their secrets daily show Nor ought they to be blamed though you see A Spider sent among them for an Ant A Butterfly or Hornet for a Bee Or those that wit or honestie do want For such when they are found they still cast from them With as much forwardnesse as doth become them But they they only do deserve the blame Of all those falshoods which these Lands disease Those brainlesse fellowes who had so small shame And little grace to make their choice of these Those falsly termed free-men who for porredge Would sell their birth-right and who to uphold Their lawfull freedomes have not so much courage As to maintaine them though they see they could They whom a pettie Justice by the nose May lead to what absurdities he pleases And make them think he favour to them showes When he their losse and slaveries increases These and their fellow Burgers have undone you Their slavishnes hath brought these plagues upon you These to the House of Commons sent that Rabble Of Runawayes and Traytours which betrai'd Your liberties as much as they wereable And on their heads the bloud is justly laid For what you suffer These were first unjust In sending in to be their Deputies In stead of men Pride Avarice and Lust Oppression Folly Fraud and Vanities These having neither honestie nor wit Nor care to make a prudent choice of those To whom so great a Trust they should commit Some persons for the publike service chose So like themselves that wonder it is none To see so many do as they have done For such a choice they passed that unlesse Some prudent Boroughs and some wiser Shires Had made elections with more warinesse And sent brave spirits forth to ballance these You had been quite undone and you and yours Of all the Christian world had been the scorne Perpetuall Bond-slaves to malignant Pow'rs And hated of your children yet unborne For ever therefore let that providence Which so provided for you be renown'd And let there be a blessed difference On them and on their seed for ever found To honour them and mark them out from those Who to the publike welfare now are foes And let your Burgers and Free-holders learn In time to come how much how neare it may The publike and their private weale concern To be advis'd on whom their trust they lay For what is more unsafe or more unwise Then to commit as manie times they do Their goods their persons liberties and lives Yea and the meanes of their salvations too To their disposures whom they rather fear Then well affect of whom no good they know Of whose corruptions frequently they hear Of whose injustice sinsible they grow Whose worths are their revenue and whose wait Is meere formalitie or nev'r-a-whit What can be more absurd then to suppose They are the wisest men in all the Shire And fit'st for publike service to be chose Who wisest in their own opinions are Who come uncall'd and shuffle out their choice By suit and friends or having got perchance The overplus of one poore single voice With much ado their purpose to advance Or what a greater indiscretion showes Then to elect for Giver of your Lawes A fellow that nor Law nor Gospell knowes Nor difference 'twixt a good and evill cause And till that day pursued no other course But hunting hawking or else somwhat worse What more dishonourable can be thought Then to your Court and Senate most supreme For which the worthiest persons should be sought To send a foole or knave to sit with them Whose reverend presence should not be polluted With such companions or what one thing may A truer signe of madnesse be reputed Then thus to foole their dignitie away For since they cannot their debates decide But by most Voices what else will ensue If manie places be with such suppli'd But those events which all the Land will rue When worst designes are by the most promoted And reason shall by noise be over-voted There never was a time in which you ought To be more carefull of your choice then now If you recruit your House For men are taught By this long Parliament so well to know Each others minde each others interest And inclination that unlesse you see The number wanting in due time increast And made compleat by men that worthie be You will be as assuredly undone As if the King had tyranniz'd nay more For to oppresse you there had been but one But then you shall perhaps have many a score And therefore as you here fore-warned are In your elections use more prudent care Thy Letters of Advice ere while directed To those in whom the choice of these doth lie Have partly signifi'd what was effected And what events will still ensue thereby While such are chosen And what Caveats ought To be observed that a better choice May be hereafter and that men be sought Who wit and conscience have aswell as voice For these defects breed vip'rous wormes within The verie bowells of the Parliament More dangerous then outward foes have bin And if the Members wanting be not sent With better heed then heretofore you tooke For peace embracing truth in vain you looke Let therefore those true Patriots which are left Put forth a strong endeavour to compleat Their wasted number e're they are bereft Of power and meanes themselves to re-beget Into a perfect bodie And let none By fallacies delude you with a feare It may not now as legally be done As when the Members first convented were For that they are lawfull Parliament Although the King be absent 't is confest Ev'n by the King In whom now to prevent Their being so the power doth not consist Nor ever did of right while cause you know Why SALVS POPVLI should have it so Believe it whosoever shall pretend This Parliament hath not a legall power Her bodie to recruit is no true friend Nor fit to be a Councellour of your For seeing they have power to make a Seale It were a great absurditie to dreame They had not legally a power aswell To use as make it And if you in them Allow an use thereof that private men The benefit of justice might obtain It should much rather be allowed then In things which to the Publike-right pertaine And most especially in all affaires Concerning their own being and repaires If really a Parliament they be As without peradventure they are One Then

neither is nor was nor shall be done Vpon your selves you many mischiefs bring Which by a prudent-Stoutnesse you may shun For when you make an unexpected pawse You weaken your Assistants and your Cause You act not out your parts as if you thought A Tragedie in earnest now were plaid Or that upon the Combat to be fought The Triall of your whole estates were laid For to advance a frivolous designe To please a knave that is a friend in show To feed some lust whereto they do incline Or shun the fury of a feared Foe Advantages you daily fool away Which by no humane pow'r can be recal'd Eternitie you venture for a day And when you might with brasse be double wal'd You seek to fortifie the Kingdomes Cause With paper-works with rotten sticks and strawes Those Places and Imployments whence arise The greatest profit rarely are confer'd With conscionable care of their supplies By faithfull men but thither are prefer'd Those rather whose chief aimes are how to make Their private Fortunes and to that effect Know how to move and how to give or take To gaine themselves advantage and respect Yea though there be suspitions and perchance Good evidences too that some of these The Cause of your opposers will advance When they an opportunitie may seize To Offices of Trust you these commend Before your suffering and deserving Friend Who their estates have now increased most But they who for the publike ventur'd least Whose paiments and preferment● more are crost Then their who to their power have serv'd you best In what Committees now or in what Shires Are not this day a multitude of those Whose faithfulnesse undoubtedly appeares Disabled and discourag'd by their Foes How gen'rally do you in ev'ry place Begin well-known Malignants now to trust With your Affaires And suffer with disgrace True Patriots from imployment to be thrust And by this madnesse how are you betraid How open to destruction are you laid They who were first in Armes for your defence Who first their Free-will-Offerings to you brought And have continu'd faithfull ever since Ev'n they are now unserviceable thought Contrariwise they who at first refused To lend you aid in Person or in Pay They who in word and deed your cause abused And are unfaithfull to you to this day Ev'n they have now insinuated so By helpe of their Protectors And of these So over-confident you daily grow That your best friends you ruine and displease And on your selves a greater hazzard bring Then all the armed Forces of the King For those accursed Vipers are with you So intermingled in your consultations Nay rather so incorporated now In private and in State negotiations That by a miracle it must be done If any good Designe to passe be brought Or for the publike-safetie be begun Which will not e're performed come to nought And if you are not pleas'd to have it so Why did you and why do you still permit Those men whom faultring if not false you know In Counsell ev'ry day with you to to fit And why for those do you your Friends neglect Vnlesse your own perdition you affect Why else when Forts or Forces to command On which the Publike-safety much depends Do you commit them rather to their hand Whom neither proofe nor likelihood commends To such a Trust Why not unto their care And keeping rather who have courage showne Of whose fidelitie good proofes appear And whose experience hath been wel made known This could not be but that you do preferre Your sons your nephewes and your friends before The Publike-weale or els perswaded are That your Destruction will afflict the more Vnlesse your own devises help undo you Or some who are both near and deare unto you How can there be among you those foundations Whereon your Peace or Safety may erect While most men for their own accommodations Designments to the Publike losse project And while to compasse their desired ends They do not onely mischief and delude Themselves their kindred neighbourhood and friends Or mis-inform the brainlesse multitude But by their cunning also do contrive Those Engines which good Discipline deface The State into unstable postures drive Raise jarres and jealousies in every place And spread abroad the Devils Axioms too The unitie of Doctrine to undo These Engineers your power infeeble more And weaken more your hands then all yet done By other adversaries heretofore Since this unhappie Warfare first begun These while to build among you they pretended As partners in the work of Reformation Have secretlie their private Aimes befriended With hindrance to your wished Restauration Sanballats and Tobiahs you have had Who by dissembling with you to unite Have rent you from your selves and thereby made Both Parties feel the common Foes despight To be each others whip and make the Truth A theame of scorne in everie drunkards mouth There are so manie failings in the best Such needlesse and such wilfull breach of Lawes So carelesse are you of your Faith profest To those who have been faithfull in your Cause So hath your Falshood and your follie blended Both right and wrong both good and ill together That both must be opposed or defended Or els you must declare your selves for neither And whether with the one or t'other side You shall partake or for a Newter stand No humane wisdom can for you provide A being with true safety in this Land So little wit hath ordered this Place So little honesty so little grace And these great mischeifs rose from giving way For every man at pleasure to deface Those Out-works which though faultie were a stay Not uselesse till some better came in place For he that would prevent an inundation By false-built Sea-banks lets not every one Teare down the Piles and breake the old Foundation Lest that which he would make might be undone Nor for a Cobler or a Fidler sends But men experienc'd in such works doth call And with such warinesse the fault amends That no disaster may mean-while befall And that the Old-worke and the New-worke may Begin and end together in one day You thus proceeded not but with more heat Then prudence hurrying on in hast you tore The wharfage down ev'n while the floods did threat To drowne the fields and Billowes rent the shore The furious Souldier was with commendation Permitted to reforme as he thought fit Forbidding or affording toleration According to the modell of his wit And he that was not mad enough to run Their wildgoose-chase and set the world on fire To suffer by suspition streight begun And forc'd was from imployment to retire As not right principled or drawne aside By Balaams wages or unsanctifi'd And these Reformers not enough content To carve out Discipline as they shall please And Doctrine too will on the Government Vnlesse it be prevented shortlie seize For having no Foundation like a feather Which from the bodie of a Fowle is torne They to and fro are turn'd with everie

an Act sufficient to confer For my Recruit the personall estate Of any trait'rous Rebell-Commoner Vntill a time return in which men may Have Justice done them in a legall way Why are false rumours rais'd and entertain'd As if I manie thousand pounds had got Whereas of hind'rances by me sustain'd To me the tenth as yet returneth not How comes it that attendance nigh two yeare Procureth me although my wants be great No pennie of two thousand pounds arreare Nor an imploiment that affords me meat Why speed I thus And wherefore notwithstanding The remnant of my ruines forth I laid Thereby to keep my souldiers from disbanding Is nothing in requitall yet repaid But sleights and slanders yea though use I pay For manie hundreds of it to this day Indeed my house GOD hath refurnished And of his Love to give me outward showes Hath cloath'd my Bodie and my Table spred As well in spite as presence of my Foes Yet when I shall account how I have liv'd Of what I have been hindred since these wars How much was lost how little is receiv'd How my successive-wants supplied are How my engagements ev'rie day encrease How destitute my Wife and Children be Of outward Portions and how mercilesse This world hath all my life time been to me They who their favours have on me bestow'd Shall find no cause to grudge the Mercie show'd And though as some conceive I have obtained A full repaire and therewith somewhat more Than my bare losses what had I then gained Respecting all my damage heretofore Against those Traytours to the Common-Good Who now apparent Enemies are found Nigh thirtie yeares a Combate I have stood So long ago I to these Iles did sound A warning Trumpet So long have I borne The frownes and furie of the wanton Court The Prelates malice the despitefull scorne Of wealthy Fooles and of the vulgar sort Yea though I know a path applauded more I took the course I knew would keep me poore And why should any man be discontent That for my damages and service then My charges paines and close imprisonment I now have bread and clothes like other men Why is a trifle thought too much for me When one sleight Officer can in a yeare Cheat up a Sum that shall sufficient be To pay my damages and my Arreare Why grievous doth it seeme that out of that Which was by him possessed who compli'd With those who robbed me of my estate A part of my great losse should be suppli'd He having spoyl'd my Friends of ten times more Than ten times that small part he should restore Since we for Traytours and for Cut-throats here And for their wives and their malignant brood Provisions make when Converts they appeare Why should there not of raiment and of food For us our Wives and Children some supplies Be likewise made yea since they were the Cause That on our backs the work so heavie lies Of holding up our Liberties and Lawes Why are we poorly cloth'd while they are brave By whose unfaithfulnesse we are undone While we want bread why should they fulnesse have By whom these wars and troubles were begun And till a Restauration may be had Of what we lost why should they rich be made Since by our Adverse partie our estate Is given and possessed Since we are Assured of their everlasting hate So long as we have either peace or war Or Being in this life yea since our Cause Is knowne unto us to be just and right Since for our Conscience Liberties and Lawes Against oppressing Tyrants we do sight Since to avenge the Saints we do oppose Not meerly Cananites whom for their sin The Land would vomit forth but also those Who without cause this war did first begin Why should we not out of their Barnes be fed By whom we have been robbed of our bread Nay since our Charitie doth portions give To feed their wives and children while among Our Adversaries in that course they live Which this unhappie Warfare doth prolong Why should not we and ours as well as they Be cared for since with a willing heart We bore the heat and burthen of the day And from our duties mean not to depart Why is our equitie and our discretion So small that till our losses be repai'd We suffer for a trifling composition Their whole estates by them to be enjoy'd And their full freedome who for ought we know Are here but Spies or Agents for the Foe He whom that true Repentance bringeth home Which makes a reall Convert to the State Not for his Lands but Conscience sake doth come And such an one if we redintegrate When of his penitence good proofes appeare Of Charitie both to our selves and them An honourable Evidence it were Which no man should repine at or condemne But when we unadvisedly shall part With large Possessions for a Person which Brings to us neither wit nor honest heart Nor Pow'r nor any thing to make us rich But poorer and it may be weaker too How reasonlesse is then the thing we do When we receive to Mercie those who seek No more but how they their estates may save To compasse by that match what are we like But an estate to lose and find a knave They strength receiving from our false-ones here Restrengthen them and are so knit together That we who to this Cause most faithfull were Are much disabled by their coming hither And what advantage had we lost I pray If of those few who reconciled seeme None had return'd what lost we if you weigh How uselesse to that partie they did seeme From whom they came while they continued there And what they are to us now they are here Who shall at last our private losse repay If this course hold who shall the charge sustaine Of all our future detriments but they Who of the cost already do complaine Why should a perjur'd Commoner or Lord Who peradventure did but stay behind That some advantages it might afford To those departed suffred be to blind The Publike Eye in favour of our Foes Defraud the State And in our competitions Sleight and affront us for the sake of those Who wilfully endeavour'd our perditions And only come for ought yet knowne unto us That at our cost they safely may undo us When of my goods the Foe had me dispoil'd For doing faithfull service and when I To seek an habitation was compell'd And had provided for my Family By publike Order why neglected so Was I and mine That knowing not else where My wife with her big belly to bestow I was displac'd and forc'd to habour there Where desolation dwelt And in that place Why was the wife of him that plund'red me There setled why to my disgrace Must I the second time removed be And made a Shuttle-cock or Tennis-ball For ev'rie Foole and Knave to play withall As I have hope to live and see an end Of these Distractions and as ere I die I hope to see our

due reward By plotting packing siding or partaking By hiding that which ought to be declar'd By cowardly an honest Cause forsaking If he hath under blame or censure brought Those innocents who meerly out of zeale Vnto the Publike have sincerely sought His folly or his falshood to reveale And knew it true although their proofes did faile Let him his cruelty in that bewaile And let your Parliament take speciall care Of this abuse lest els a ground be lai'd Whereon their cunning foes may engines reare Whereby they may be wrong'd if not betrai'd For though in justice they should vindicate The honour of their Members whensoever Rash levitie malignancie or hate To injure or asperse them shall endeavour Yet when good probabilities induce The well-affected to mistrust or feare Some publike dammage danger or abuse By that which they shall either see or heare By any Member either done or said Why should it not unto his charge be laid If where it ought a secret be reveal'd If for the publike without private spleen If past due time it hath not been conceal'd If probabilitie thereof hath been If he that speaks it be no way defam'd And of concernment if the same appears Why should the speaker be reprov'd or blam'd For thus disclosing what he thinks or hears If it be false th' accused need not feare it For if he be not otherwaies suspected None without proof unto his wrong will heare it And if he blamelesse be and well affected The zeal of his accuser hee 'l commend And count him his because the Kingdoms friend Your Senators their priviledges have Not for their own but for the publike sake And they abuse the trust their Countrey gave Who any further use of them shall make And who can judge it reasonable then To make the people more afraid to wrong The priviledges of your Single-men Then those which to the Commonwealth belong Were it not fitter to adventure on Dishonouring a Commoner or Peer Then suffer all of them to be undone Through want of speaking that which you shall hear Let them who Freedoms-personall would cherish To publike dammage with their freedoms perish This way the Royallists did first begin To screw up their Prerogative to that Which made it more indulgent to have bin To serve their turnes then to secure the State And if there be not still a prudent care That Priviledges clash not and that they Which are subordinate may not appeare In force untill their Betters give them way Destruction will succeed Let therefore so Each Member on his Priviledge insist That both by claime and practice he may show They are not to be used as men list Or turned into Bug-bears to affright The Common-wealth from claiming of her right Let therefore care be took and quickly too That her due rights the Common-wealth enjoy That private men their duties better do And that divisions do not all destroy Let not those foolish Toyes who do besot Themselves with arrogance presume to prate As if a Parliament had them begot To be the heires-apparent to the State Permit you not Religious-Melancholy Phlegmatick-Av'rice or Zeale-Cholerick Nor an excessivenesse of Sanguime-Folly To make both Church and State grow deadly sick Nay rather mad and in their mad distractions To teare themselves into a thousand fractions Let not your King and Parliament in One Much lesse apart mistake themselves for that Which is most worthy to be thought upon Or think they are essentially the STATE Let them not fancie that th' Authority And Priviledges upon them bestown Conferred to set up a Majesty A Power or a Glory of their own But let them know 't was for another thing Which they but represent and which ere long Them to a strict account will doubtlesse bring If any way they do it wilfull wrong For that indeed is really the Face Whereof they are the shadow in the glasse Moreover thus informe them that if either They still divided grow from bad to worse Or without penitence unite together And by their sin provoke him to that course GOD out of their confusions can and will Create a cure and raise a lawfull-power His promise to his people to fulfill And his and their Opposers to devour Yea bid both King and Parliament make hast In penitence united to appeare Lest into those Confusions they be cast Which will affright them both and make them feare And know there is on earth a greater-thing Then an unrighteous Parliament or King More might be said but that which is behinde Requires another season Thou therefore Another opportunity must finde If thou desir'st to be informed more Perhaps thou hast already more exprest Then many will approve if thou reveale it Yet if thou look for any temp'rall-rest Let hopes nor fears compell thee to conceal it Thy Scorners in derision lately said Thou art a Prophet but when all is told Which is behind their pride will be afraid Tha● some ensuing things thou didst behold And that what e're thou art thou hast declar'd Those Councells whereof notice should be took Those warnings which are worthy of regard And like a true-man and a free-man spoke Let it be therefore spoken without fear And Let him that hath eares to hear it hear The VOICE here left to speake and here will I For this time leave to write and fit and mourn For Britains and mine own iniquity Vntill that VOICE with perfect Peace return O GOD returne it quickly and let not This portion of it be divulg'd in vain Or so despised be or so forgot That Words of Peace we never heare again Speak Peace how ever to thy Servants heart Speak to his Soul in grace and mercy LORD That from thy wayes he never may depart Or dis-obedient be unto thy Word Forgive him all the vanities that lurke Within his heart All deeds by him misdone And every word and thought whereby this worke Defil'd hath been since first it was begun Of outward-mercies and of some more ease From his afflictions too he should be glad But since ther 's as much bane as blisse in these Give what thou knowest fittest to be had And let an Eccho from this VOICE redound Vnto thy praise an everlasting-sound Amen FINIS