Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	ghost_n	holy_a	spirit_n	3,926	5	5.5026	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78017	Balzac's remaines, or, His last letters· Written to severall grand and eminent persons in France. Whereunto are annexed the familiar letters of Monsieur de Balzac to his friend Monsieur Chapelain. Never before in English.; Correspondence. English. Selections	Balzac, Jean-Louis Guez, seigneur de, 1597-1654.; Chapelain, Jean, 1595-1674.; Dring, Thomas.	1658 (1658)	Wing B616; Thomason E1779_1; ESTC R209057	331,826	458

Parent of any thing but Monster● or of treading in the right way but by accident and fortune Victorius is not so debonnair and agreeable as some persons I could name but he has a certain Roman simplicity in his carriage that pleases me infinitely and even his negligence has something in it of grace and comelinesse He is otherwise a man of good blood and has ennobled Pedantry He has employ'd his whole life in the instruction of youth and read publickly every day in the Schools of Florence some volumes of his observations upon Aristotle Cicero Demetrius Phalerius c. are come forth into the world with commendation of his judgment Monsieur della Cas● acknowledged him for his Master Annibal Caro consulted him as the Oracle of his Country and on this side the Mountains the proud Scaliger styles him frequently Clarissimus Senex and Doctissimus Victorius To conclude he received visits from the Princes de Medices and Hen●y the third writ him a Letter to desire his friendship I am SIR Your c. Balzac 29 June 1638. LETTER XXI SIR VVHatsoever information the enemy of Car may have given you I intreat you to believe my affections are most constant and immutable I have alwaies had a particular esteem for Victorius although I am constrain'd to confesse to you I do not greatly admire the Letters and Orations I lately read They resemble those Wines which are not indeed corrupted yet their worth exceeds not the rate of eight pence a Gallon to use the comparison of the late Monsieur Malherbe He commits no solecismes he is no Barbarian but a native Citizen of Rome though a very mean Plebeian and has nothing to render him considerable but the place of his birth You cannot imagine what resolution is necessary to proceed sometimes from one page to another To read the whole Book is no less toyl then to travail over all the plains of Bordeaux afoot and without company I do not wonder therefore that it is so scarce but rather should have counted it prodigious if there had been two Editions Some of his prefaces created in me a desire to read his Letters which nauseated me so much that I should fear being sick unlesse yours do restore my appetite As I do not approve of Salt and Pepper by handfulls so notwithstanding my infirmity and squeamishness I am not so superstitious as to dislike all manner of sauces and alwayes to observe the rules of a sick mans dyet 'T is a health more grievous then diseases which obliges us to abstain from those things which we most affect Cicero in divers places of his Works derides the softlinesse of such Orators as have neither strength nor vigour and are equally undeserving both of punishment and reward We may rank this person in that number you would think he expir'd at the close of every period and had no more life then one just a dying In a word he no wayes playes the Oratour in his Orations But from hence it must not be concluded but he may be otherwise learned and judicious And even in this although I am weary and harrss'd with so tedious a Lecture yet I preferre his meanness and slow pace beyond the loftinesse and impetuosity of Ciampoli Malvezzi and many other high-flown wits on the other side the Mountains I am SIR Your c. Balzac 6 July 1638. LETTER XXII SIR IT was your pleasure that the sacrednesse of Hospitality should prevail above all other considerations and I esteem'd obedience my duty No civility was wanting on my part in Monsieur Costar's entertainment I had his company here a fortnight and during that time you were both the most frequent and agreeable subject of our discourses Truth obliges me to this testimony that I never knew any man have a more resolute perswasion of your worth then he Your friendship is the highest aime of his ambition and unless you reject his I dare offer my selfe his surety and to be responsible for the contract Upon diligent scrutiny and sounding all the recesses of his heart I find that in former passages there was not so much malice as bravery and more of accident then design But I can assure you he hath an extream regret for what is past and acknowledges that even Innocence it selfe must be esteemed culpable if it should offend a vertue like yours He hath given me so full satisfaction therein that I have made him a promise of your love and judged it of no necessity to require of him such Remonstrances as himselfe by a Letter to you intended Your goodness makes me confident it will not be unpleasing to you to have gain'd a friend and lost an enemy He is in reality a person of great merit and has eminent accomplishments both of Nature and Education But I must not pass so soon from an Apology to a Panegyrick since I cannot heartily commend him till he be in good opinion with you I am SIR Your c. Balzac 12 August 1638. LET. XXIII SIR THough nothing is able to astonish me yet the sudden retirement of Monsieur the President is a very strange and surprising adventure I make you no questions thereupon nor will I examine whether he were immediately inspir'd by the Holy Ghost Second causes have no influence in this alteration as unhappy success in love discountenance of Superiours or some defeature of that kind which you may perhaps conjecture His piety is not occasion'd by discontent or lassitude of spirit Neither is it the issue of a faint courage and despondency Nauscounesse is usually of those things that have glutted and overthrown the appetite and we become weary of such profession which our affections at first carried us with most violence to embrace Our strength if unthriftily husbanded grows enervate and languid and with that our spirit But this case affords no ground for such conceits The continuance of so troublesome an employment might perhaps seem insupportably burdensome to some other mans shoulders though strong and laborious But this person had a clear and unquestionable reputation beyond that which his eloquence and admirable pleadings had gain'd him at the Barre His resolution will possibly be variously interpreted though to my selfe I shall make no other judgement of it but civill and favourable I would believe that he was not able to withstand the power of Grace that drew him from the world and that God was vanquisher in the combate betwixt him and man But what moves him to speak so much of his faults and infidelities in the Letter which he writ to Monsieur the Chancellour I know that was the style of St. Francis but yet it ought not therefore to be drawn into example both you and my self can sufficiently testifie that he never committed any excess except that of studying and has no debaucheries but such as are honest and vertuous I am SIR Your c. Balzac 1 Septemb. 1638. LET. XXIV SIR THe dayes whereon I receive your Letters are remarkable to

perceive more in the verses I have caused to be copied for you and which I sent lately to Colummiers whither Monsieur the Duke of Longueville had carried Monsieur Chapelain to spend some few dayes with him LETTER X. To Monsieur de Morin Councellour to the King in the Court of the Edict of Guyenne SIR THere is a certain Spirit of Barretry and a she divell of Law-suits which fills the world with disorders The Poets were overseen in not reckoning her among their Harpuies and Furies they ought to have made her one of their mischeivous deityes and should have given her terrible Talons and armed her with Torches and Serpents You know Sir this enemy of humane quiet hath tormented our friend a long time but it may be you do not know that she will torment him eternally unlesse you compassionate his miseries and become his absolute Redeemer I can neither doubt of your affection to your friends nor your influence over the minds of the judges I have had too particular experiences of them and Suitours have formerly given me thanks for carrying the causes I have recommended to you That which troubles me a little is an apprehension lest my Letter should not find you at Bourdeaux and that we should by your absence lose the advantages your goodnesse makes me hope Yet on the other side this apprehension cannot make any deep impression for there is some probability that at least in the middle of February or the Latter end of winter your Campagne may be ended It hath lasted longer then those of any of our Generalls and unless you meane to passe in the Hall for one that ha's left the Barre there is no question but you will be by that time return'd to resume your long robe If it be so our cause will be better by half for though we have many contrivances and Engines yet what use are they of without an ingineer that understands how to manage them I conjure you to be the spirit to animate and infuse heat to the rest and do me the favour to believe that you shall never oblige a Suppliant more of readier gratitude nor more truly then my self SIR Your c. Feb. 14 1641. LETTER XI To Monsieur de Monrave first President of the Parliament of Tholouse SIR DId not friendship justifie whatsoever is her own action I should this day be guilty of a strange errour and it would seem a sort of riddle that one that was recommended to you by Monsieur Maynard should now recommend Monsieur Maynard to you for his first complement it would be if taken literally a very peremptory piece of extravagance the History of Tholoze would record my addresse to the Prince of the Senate but not much to my commendation and those which treat of the doctrine of Manners would quote it in the Chapter of Good-Carriage as a prodigy newly hapned in the rationall world This would be the consequence Sir were my action measured by the rules of common Morality But according to the priviledg●s which are granted to us by a more sublime Philosophy conceiving my self dispensed with from the rigour of formalities and licensed to fall immediately upon the point I do not see any more remarkable nor that concernes me more then this we now treated of And since I find my own interest involved with that of my friend I most humbly beseech your allowance in this particular that being mov'd by a naturall principle and without further deliberation I may pay what I owe my selfe I will not prejudice your time of publique audiences with my addresses You shall be suffer'd to act the God on Earth losing my selfe in the crowd of affaires which ascend with you into the Tribunall I shall patiently awaite your descent and not engage my selfe in the throng of Suppliants or expose my weakeness to those popular tides and tempests which I so much dread A man accustom'd to serenity who is tro●bled at the least view of any commotion will sollicite you if you please somewhat more conveniently I will choose some propitious and favourable houre and could I upon some day of rest slip into your gardens under the robes of Monsieur the Bishop of Vtica I do not think you would be strong enough though you have all the fortitude of Cato and Phocion to resist what I would procure him to tell you in favour of our cause This worthy Prelate was formerly my sword and buckler in the Kingdome of Scotus and Albertus Magnus and if my name is yet remaining in the nature of things after so many conspiracies against it and so many designes fram'd to surpress it a great part of the obligation is due to him From whence I conclude that he seldom speaks but he perswades for if he have for my sake tamed the most savadge Doctours of Christendome the Phalarisses and Dionysiusses of the Schools it is probable he will not have much difficulty to recommend a person effectually to you who already is in some favour with you and an intercessour from the Muses to their Apollo When I call you by that name I conceive I speak most appositely you inherit it from Father to Son and it is not a new title that you have brought into your house Oracles have ever been delivered from thence by two different Divinities and I do not look upon it only as a Veine of Purple but also as a Nursery of Lawrells Upon my conscience Sir and if I have any skill in Lawrels those which I saw by Monsieur Maynards meanes are the most lively and verdant and goodliest to weave into Chaplets that have this long time been gathered on the Latin hills But is it possible that Monsieur your Father that is a Frenchman of this latter Century writ things so pure and Roman Can it come to pass that a Poet of our Age should be so powerfully possessed with the Genius of Antiquity Were I not assured that Virgil was not acquainted with Saint Sernin and Saint Papoul I should attribute that excellent Poem to him in which there is no Hemistick but beares the Character of his style and if he could possibly have lived till this time till some enchanted Castle of an unknown Island I should believe he had been baptized in the yeare one thousand sixe hundred and ten and affirme that Virgil being lately converted to the Christian Religion had made Hymnes to the Images of Tholouse But we must not ascribe that glory on a Spectre which is due to a blessed soul and such as in the place where he now is may preside over all compositions and studies We may take him for one of our Patrones both in prose verse and for one of the tutelar Saints of our Art if he continue as it is credible to love those exercises in the other world which were dear to him in this He will Questionly take part with the Oratours and Poets that are now all in confusion he will side with the interests of