Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A36298
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Letters to severall persons of honour written by John Donne ... ; published by John Donne, Dr. of the civill law.; Correspondence. Selections
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Donne, John, 1572-1631.; Donne, John, 1604-1662.
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1651
(1651)
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Wing D1864; ESTC R1211
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107,493
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328
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for positive and dogmaticall truths which are not worthy of that dignity And so many doctrines have grown to be the ordinary diet and food of our spirits and have place in the pap of Catechismes which were admitted but as Physick in that present distemper or accepted in a lazie weariness when men so they might have something to relie upon and to excuse themselves from more painfull inquisition never examined what that was To which indisposition of ours the Casuists are so indulgent as that they allow a conscience to adhere to any probable opinion against a more probable and do never binde him to seek out which is the more probable but give him leave to dissemble it and to depart from it if by mischance he come to know it This as it appears in all sciences so most manifestly in Physick which for a long time considering nothing but plain curing and that but by example and precedent the world at last longed for some certain Canons and Rules how these cures might be accomplished And when men are inflamed with this desire and that such a fire breaks out that rages and consumes infinitly by heat of argument except some of authority interpose This produced Hippocrates his Aphorismes and the world slumbred or took breath in his resolution divers hundreds of years And then in Galens time which was not satisfied with the effect of curing nor with the knowledge how to cure broke out another desire of finding out the causes why those simples wrought those effects Then Galeu rather to stay their stomachs then that he gave them enough taught them the qualities of the four Elements and arrested them upon this that all differences of qualities proceeded from them And after not much before our time men perceiving that all effects in Physick could not be derived form these beggerly and impotent properties of the Elements and that therefore they were driven often to that miserable refuge of specifique form and of antipathy and sympathy we see the world hath turned upon new principles which are attributed to Paracelsus but indeed too much to his honour Certainly it is also so in the Physick of our soul Divinity for in the Primitive Church when amongst the Fathers there were so divers opinions of the state of the soul presently after this life they easily inclined to be content to do as much for them dead as when they were alive and so concurred in a charitable disposition to pray for them which manner of prayer then in use no Christian Church at this day having received better light will allow of So also when in the beginning of S. Augustines time Grace had been so much advanced that mans Nature was scarce admitted to be so much as any means or instrument not onely no kinde of cause of his own good works And soon after in S. Augustines time also mans free will by fierce opposition and arguing against the former error was too much overvalued and admitted into too near degrees of fellowship with Grace those times admitted a doctrine and form of reconciliation which though for reverence to the time both the Dominicans and Jesuits at this day in their great quarrell about Grace and Free will would yet seem to maintaine yet indifferent and dispasioned men of that Church see there is no possibility in it and therefore accuse it of absurdity and almost of heresie I think it falls out thus also in the matter of the soul for Christian Religion presuming a soul and intending principally her happiness in the life to come hath been content to accept any way which hath been obtruded how this soul is begun in us Hence it is that whole Christian Churches aresthemselves upon propagation from parents and other whole Christian Churches allow onely infusion from God In both which opinions there appear such infirmities as it is time to look for a better for whosoever will adhere to the way of propagation can never evict necessarily and certainly a naturall immortality in the soul if the soul result out of matter nor shall he ever prove that all mankind hath any more then one soul as certainly of all beasts if they receive such souls as they have from their parents every species can have but one soul. And they which follow the opinion of infusion from God and of a new creation which is now the more common opinion as they can very hardly defend the doctrin of original sin the soul is forced to take this infection and comes not into the body of her own disposition so shall they never be able to prove that all those whom we see in the shape of men have an immortall and reasonable soul because our parents are as able as any other species is to give us a soul of growth and of sense and to perform all vitall and animall functions And so without infusion of such a soul may produce a creature as wise and well disposed as any horse or Elephant of which degree many whom we see come far short nor hath God bound or declared himself that he will always create a soul for every embryon there is yet therefore no opinion in Philosophy nor Divinity so well established as constrains us to beleeve both that the soul is immortall and that every particular man hath such a soul which since out of the great mercy of our God we do constantly beleeve I am ashamed that we do not also know it by searching farther But as sometimes we had rather beleeve a Travellers lie then go to disprove him so men rather cleave to these ways then seek new yet because I have meditated therein I will shortly aquaint you with what I think for I would not be in danger of that law of Moses That if a man dig a pit and cover it not he must recompense those which are damnified by it which is often interpreted of such as shake old opinions and do not establish new as certain but leave consciences in a worse danger then they found them in I beleeve that law of Moses hath in it some mysterie and appliablenesse for by that law men are onely then bound to that indemnity and compensation if an Oxe or an Asse that is such as are of a strong constitution and accustomed to labour fall therein but it is not said so if a Sheep or a Goat fall no more are we if men in a sillinesse or wantonnesse will stumble or take a scandall bound to rectifie them at all times And therefore because I justly presume you strong and watchfull enough I make account that I am not obnoxious to that law since my meditations are neither too wide nor too deep for you except onely that my way of expressing them may be extended beyond your patience and pardon which I will therefore tempt no longer at this time Your very affectionate friend and servant and lover I. Donne From Micham my close prison ever since I saw you 9 Octob. To the Noblest
favor by knowing so much from you who in every act of yours make me more and more Your humble and thankfull servant J. Donne 17 Aprill To the Honourable Knight Sir ROBERT KARRE Sir PErchance others may have told you that I am relapsed into my Fever but that which I must intreat you to condole with me is that I am relapsed into good degrees of health your cause of sorrow for that is that you are likely to be the more troubled with such an impertinencie as I am and mine is that I am fallen from fair hopes of ending all yet I have scaped no better cheap then that I have paid death one of my Children for my Ransome Because I loved it well I make account that I dignifie the memorie of it by mentioning of it to you else I should not be so homely Impute this brevitie of writing to you upon no Subject to my sicknesse in which men use to talke idly but my profession of desiring to bee retained in your memorie impute to your owne Vertues which have wrought so much upon Your humble servant John Donne To the Honourable Knight Sir Robert Karre SIR I Make account that it is a day of great distribution of Honours at Court I would not therefore lose my part and increase therein since every Letter admitted by you from me is a new stone in my best building which is my roome in your service so much you adde to me everie time you give me leave thus to kisse your hands But Sir everie addition preimagins a beeing and the time of my beeing and Creation is not yet come which I am sure you will advance because else I am no competent Subject of your favours and additions I know by your forbearing to tell mee so that my L. hath had no commoditie to move the K. and if this Paper speake one word of difference or impatience in my name by my troth it lies Onely give it leave to tell you that that L. whom perchance the K. may bee pleased to heare in it is an old and momentanie man and it may be late labouring for his assistance next Winter Besides since it may bee possible that the Master of the Rolles may a little resent this suite there could be no fitter time then now to make him easie as things stand with him at this time If you stay in Towne this Night and no longer I beseech you afford me a few of your late Minutes at your own lodging where I will wait upon you according to any directions which by this Gent. or otherwise I shall receive from you Your humble servant John Donne To the Honourable Knight Sir Robert Karre SIR IF I would calumniate I could say no ill of that Gentleman I know not whether my L. or my selfe tooke the first apprehension of it but I remember that very soone wee concurred in a good opinion of him thereupon for justifying our owne forwardnesse wee observed him more throughly and found all the way good reason to ratifie our first estimation of him This gave my L. occasion to send him abroade in his Service after how hee satisfied him in that imployment indeed I know not But that I disguise nothing I remember my L. told mee sometimes in his absence that hee had not Account from him of some things which hee had deposed in him And at his entering into his Coach at his last going I asked my L. Goes not the Gentleman with you and hee told mee with some coldnesse no. So that if you bee not pressed to a Resolution you may bee pleased to forbeare a few dayes till I may occasionally discerne whether hee have demerited or sunke in my L. opinion And then you shall have another Character of him from Your very humble and thankfull Servant J. Donne 25. Julii To the Honourable Knight Sir Robert Karre SIR THE same houre that I received the honour of your commandments by your letter left at my poore house I put my selfe upon the way hither So that I am here in the habite of a Traveller and suitable to the rest of my unworthinesses unfit for great Presences Therefore I abstain from waiting upon you presently besides that in this abstinence except I misinterpret the last words of your letter to my advantage I obey your directions in sending before I come to you Howsoever Sir I am intirely at your disposing if you will be pleased to adde this favor to the rest that I may understand wherein you will use your Authoritie and Power which you have over Your poore and humble servant John Donne To the Honourable Knight Sir Robert Karre SIR THis is but a Postscript to the last Letter and it is onely to tell you that it was an impertinent jealousie that I conceived of that Gentlemans absence from my L. for he gives that full Testimonie of him that he never discerned any kinde of unfitnesse in him for any imployment except too much goodnesse and Conscientiousnesse may sometimes make him somewhat lesse fit for some kindes of businesse then a man of a looser raine And this is all that I conceive to have been in the commandment wherewith you honoured Your very humble and thankfull servant in Christ Jesus John Donne 2. Aug 1622. To my Honoured Friend Master George Gherard SIR YOur Letter was the more welcome to mee because it brought your commandment with it of sending you perfumes for it is a Service somewhat like a Sacrifice But yet your commandment surprised me when neither I had enough to send nor had means to recover more that Ladie being out of Towne which gavethem me But Sir if I had 10000000. I could send you no more then I doe for I send all If any good occasion present it selfe to you to send to my L. Clifford spare my name a roome there where you offer him most of your Service I dare contend with you that you cannot exceed mee in desiring to serve him It is a better office from me to you that I goe to bed then that I write a longer letter For if I doe mine eyes a little more injurie I shall lose the honour of seeing you at Michaelmas for by my troth I am almost blinde you may be content to beleeve that I am always disposed to your service without exception of any time since now just at midnight when it is both day and night and neither I tell you that I am Your affectionate friend and servant J. Donne To my very much honoured friend George Garrard Esquire at Sion SIR I Know not which of us wonne it by the hand in the last charge of Letters If you wonne you wonne nothing because I am nothing or whatsoever I am you wonne nothing because I was all yours before I doubt not but I were better delivered of dangers of relapses if I were at London but the very going would indanger me Upon which true debility I was forced to excuse my selfe to my Lord Chamberlaine