Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	good_a	great_a	world_n	3,255	5	4.3685	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31728	The Character of an ill-court-favourite representing the mischiefs that flow from ministers of state when they are more great than good ... / translated out of French.		1681 (1681)	Wing C2010; ESTC R35809	18,199	20

to look for Precedents that all things are lawful to the Powerful or at least any thing may be made appear to be so to the Simple God's own people the Holy Nation say they Sir will furnish you with Instances more than enough That very King that built the Temple was also the Founder of a Seraglio and we at this day see at Constantiople but a Copy of what was formerly to be seen at Jerusalem you content your self even in the heat of full veins and vigour of youth with half a score or Forty or Fifty Women only whereas he that was the wisest Prince the Earth could ever boast of even the superlative Salomon in his old Age had six hundred which the holy Scripture implies to be Legitimate Wives without reckoning those which were his Concubines And have you not heard of the last will of his Father David and of those Gallant things he commanded by his Testament We shall not Exaggerate them only beseech you to consider by how many Deaths he counselled his Son to secure his own Life Nay Sir since the Law of Grace and amongst Christian Princes you cannot find more Sweetness you are nice perhaps to abandon a Child or stagger to expose a Son that never disobliged you But to omit the practise of Mahumetans and the modern Example of the most Catholick King in the unfortunate Don Carlos The great Constantine that most Holy most Religious and most Divine Emperour as he hath been called by the mouth of Councils did much more than this For he caused his own Son to be put to death upon the first Suspition which was falsly suggested to him 'T is true he regreted his Execution and acknowledged his Innocency but this acknowledgment came too late and his Regret lasted but four and twenty hours He thought himself quit by causing a Statue to be erected in memory of the Deceased with this Inscription To my Son Chrispus whom I caused to die Hujustly Do you reserve your absolute Authority will you always stand upon Justice and Title and vain punctilio's of Equity Dare you not use Force when the good of your Affaires requires it The Example of the Mighty Charlemaign who is one of the Saints of the Church as well as one of the Nine Worthies may secure you against all the Scruples your Consclence can make he knew neither a better nor greater Right than that of Arms the l'ommel of his Sword served him for his Seal and Signet To this day there are Priviledges found granted and Donations of Lands made by that Good and Orthodox Emperour Rowland and Oliver being present sealed with the Pommel and which he swore he would warrant with the Edge of the same Sword Would you rule Absolutely At your pleasure leavy Taxes and dispose of both the Goods and Lives of your Subjects you shall therein do nothing New or Extraordinary All the Mighty Monarchs of the East have done it these many hundred ●ears And the most Christian King practises it at this day Discover not so much weakness as to regard the Sighs and Groans of your People who are but animated Durt pratling Beasts Creatures design'd to be Slaves as well by Nature as Fortune What else were they Born for what else are they good for but to be Instruments of your Pleasures and Sacrifices to your Glory The only way to preserve your Authority is to Curb the Vermine and keep them Miserable do they Wince under your Rods then scourge them with Scorpions Are they not your Vastals Why then do they Complain shall Slaves be allowed to Murmur and Capitulate If their Tears grow troublesome wash them away with their Blood There have been Favorites mentioned in Histories that have Instructed Princes in these and the like Pernicious Lessons and being at last tyred out with defending Crimes with precedents To excuse some new Unparallel'd Extravagance they freely have told their Prince that when there was no Example to be found he might make one That what had formerly been Unheard of would being done cease to be so That it would be shameful for the Soveraign Authority to give an Account of any thing it Commands and Misbecome him who hath Armies and Fleets to maintain his Actions to seek Words or Pretences either to disguise or Justify them There is not a man this is the Language of the Sejanusses and the Plautusses Innocent in all the parts of his Life and who in his Soul Envies not his Superiours and whom they Envy they Hate Therefore the Prince cannot but Condemn the Guilty nor strike any but his Enemies consequently he gratifies him whom he bereaves only of his Goods in that he takes not away his Honour and leaves him his Life Honesty and Justice are virtues proper for Merchants and Lawyers not for Soveraignes That to be Slaves to their words is to Depose themselves and abandon their Prerogatives that even in Heaven if there be any such place above a Ladies Lap the Oaths of Princes are put in the same Scales with those of Lovers That Jupiter Commands them to be thrown into the Wind as things of no Obligation and never to be regarded further than present Interest requires Thus in a way of fooling and telling of Fables they perswade the Prince that he is not obliged by his promises nor ought to hearken to the Fancies of Preachers or Dotages of Legislators but stands Exempted by his Quality from all Laws Divine and Humane nor is obliged by ties of Justice or Prudence And that it belongs to him Jure Divino to define unto men what is Good or Ill to declare unto the world what for the furture he will have to be just or unjust as well in Morality as Policy Thus are Tyrants made from this Stock Monsters are engendred from such Commencements we come to set Rome on fire to Butcher the Senate to dishonour Nature with Debauches and declare War against it by Parricides These wheedling Whisperers are the first Causes of so many Miseries and did not these winds Blow we should be sensible of none of these Tempests and Hurricanes able to discompose the Harmony of the best setled Governments in the World Wherefore since in the whole Bulk of sublunary Beings there is no Good of so great use and which so universally Communicates it self as a Good Prince nor any 〈◊〉 which disperseth it self further or is more pernicious than a bad one Can there be any punishments great enough in all the extent of Humane Justice for those who Change this Good into Ill Who corrupt so Salutiferous and so excellent a thing They had far better have poisoned all the Wells and all the Fountains in their Countries nay should they infect the Rivers themselves Water might be gotten from else where even Heaven would still furnish us with some refreshing Drops But here of necessity we must either Choak or drink Poison against these Domestick Ills we are not permitted to use Foreign Remedies We are obliged to