Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A35335
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Naboth's vinyard, or, The innocent traytor copied from the orginal of Holy Scripture : in heroick verse.
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Caryll, John, 1625-1711.
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1679
(1679)
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Wing C745A; ESTC R4677
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8,457
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19
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Accus'd of Treason and of Blasphemy All-powerful He without revenge or strife Endur'd the loss of Honour and of Life This is the way which he his Followers taught Which him to Triumph us to Safety brought Then in this way let us march bravely on Which will our Innocence with Glory Crown And let us pity those whom prosp'rous Sin Harden's and does on Earth their Hell begin Now comes the Solemn and the bloody Day In which all Israel meets to fast and pray But Impious is that Fast and Prayer which parts From Lips polluted and from hardned Hearts In the first rank of Levites Arod stood Court-favour plac'd him there not Worth or Blood Naboth amongst the Tribes the foremost Place Did with his Riches Birth and Vertue grace A man whose Wealth was the Poor's common stock The Hungry found their Market in his Flock His Justice made all Law-contentions cease He was his Neighbours safeguard and their Peace The Rich by him were in due bounds contain'd The Poor if strong imploy'd if weak maintain'd Well had he serv'd his Country and his King And the best Troops in all their Wars did bring Nor with less bravery did he lead them on Warding his Country's danger with his own Scarce were the Rites and Ceremonies past Which by the Law attend their publick Fast When Malchus raising up his hands and Eyes With bended knees thus to the Judges cryes Hear me great Seed of Levi Hear me all Israel's ten Tribes I for your Mercy call Seal me a Pardon who too long have been A dark Concealer of a Crying Sin Heaven does this day my wounded Conscience heal And bids me the hid Blasphemy reveal Naboth stand forth 'T is thee of Impious breach Of God's and the Kings Laws whom I impeach At this the Tribes a various murmur raise His boldness some abhor'd and some did praise Some would have Naboth by a Publick Vote Without more Form found Guilty of the Plot. Others the Law alledge that no Offence Can be judged so on single Evidence While thus they waver Arod takes his kew Our thanks to Heaven in the first place are due He said which with such gracious speed prevents Our Prayers and all false Traytors curst Intents Speak Malchus then and this Assembly give Of the whole Plot a perfect Narrative And whilst this service you to Israel do Know that we hear you and believe you too Malchus applauded thus in publick view Did now almost believe that he spoke true This arm'd his Face with Brass his Heart with Steel That he no shame and no remorse could feel Then he the Story of his Plot at large Unfolds and lays to guiltless Naboth's charge How with the Aramites he did conspire His Country to invade the City fire The Temple to destroy the King to kill And the whole Realm with Desolation fill He told how he himself the Agent was In close Consults to bring these things to pass Nor did he fail with proper Circumstance Of Time and Place to garnish his Romance The Priests astonisht are the People gaze And the dumb Judges horrour does amaze Then out steps Python and with dextrous Art Weaving his Story seals a Counterpart To all that Malchus had before depos'd And with deep Oaths the Accusation clos'd Now on poor Naboth all their Eyes were set Some red with Anger some with Pity wet But the fierce Rabble gladly would prevent His Tryal by an instant Punishment Whence this unnatural Pleasure to destroy From what ill Root grows this malignant Joy Beasts worry Beasts but when their Hunger calls But Man on Man with a full Stomach falls 'T is not our Wants of Nature to redress That we this Rage to our own Kind express But for the Mischief's sake we Pleasure find It lies not in our Body but our Mind Our Seed receives a double Taint and Stain From Rebel Adam and from murd'ring Cain Naboth thus charg'd had need for his defence Of all his Courage and his Innocence It was a Tryal of no Vulgar Kind To shew th' Heroick temper of his Mind But the transparent Brightness of his Soul E'en through his Eyes their Malice did controul For his Accusers when he sternly view'd Their tortur'd looks their rack of Conscience shew'd But to his Judges with a manly grace He lowly bow'd and pleaded thus his Case My Lords by these false Oaths this bloody Lye God and the King are more abus'd than I For I poor Worm weigh nothing in the Scale When their high Wrongs for Reparation call When God's dread Name when his and the Kings Laws Are thus blasphem'd 't is their and not my Cause Pharoah Goliah and that Heathen Brood Less impiously blasphem'd our Soveraign Good They believ'd not his Being nor his Might And blindly what they Nothing thought did slight These know him and him knowingly defie And signing with his awful Name their Lye Make him a Party to their Perjury Nay in this horrid Enterprise they do Their curst Endeavour to destroy him too For Truth and He in Essence so partake That when you make him False you him unmake These Vipers in the Bosom of our Law Will eat it through its very Heart-strings gnaw For when with artificial Perjury They make God's Sacred Name espouse their Lye Forthwith that Lye Omnipotent becomes And governs all below it saves or dooms Disposes of our Honour Life and State Gives rule to Law and arbitrates our Fate No rage of Famine Pestilence or War Can with this Legal Massacre compare If perjur'd Villains may a Shelter find To make their Inrodes thus on Humane Kind Laws for Chastisement of the Guilty meant Will turn their Points against the Innocent As Cannons of a newly enter'd Town From their own Walls the Houses batter down My Lords if you this Villany endure Judges themselves will not be long secure And so I leave my Cause in your wise breast The Temple where Truth 's Oracle should rest Thus Naboth spoke with that undaunted meen Which only in bold Innocence is seen But least the People's Fury should relent Arod their calmer thoughts did thus prevent Naboth what you have said in your defence Adds to your Guilt clears not your Innocence When the Kings Evidence you perjur'd call Know that your very Plea is Criminal Shall Malefactors with Reproaches tear Their Fame who for their King and Country swear What Thief what Felon may not do the same To purge themselves the Witnesses defame Against two Oaths so positive and plain All your harranguing Rhetorick is vain Should stout Denying pass for Innocence The Court must be as weak as your Defence Less Confidence your bloody Crimes behov'd So weakly answer'd and so strongly prov'd Is it not doubly sworn that you conspir'd With Aram's King this City to have fir'd And in that hurry to destroy the King And into Israel Bondage and Idols bring Stung with these dire Reproaches Naboth again Offer'd to speak but offer'd still in vain For when the Bench did thus his Guilt proclaim Their Words like Oyl inrag'd the People's Flame Who hardly staying till the Sentence past Like hungry Wolves they rush with furious haste Hurrying poor Naboth to a planted Stake Where in his Death their cruel Joy they take Their Hands and Tongues they equally employ And him with Stones and Calumnies destroy Some gather Flints and some the Victim ty'd Ready for Sacrifice He loudly cry'd Heaven bless the King And I forgive ye all O! may this Innocent Blood no Vengeance call On you my Brethren Off'ring more to say A murdring show'r of Stones took Voice and Life away Thus Naboth fell Kind Heaven so may I fall Rather than stand so high and Criminal As covetous Achab and his bloody Queen Or serve the Malice of such Lust and Spleen Or judge with Arod or with Malchus swear Or with the Rabble opprest Vertue tear Naboth though cast thou art by Humane Laws Heaven's Writ of Errour has remov'd thy Cause And judg'd it so that it shall stand from hence A lasting Record of wrong'd Innocence All to thy Ashes shall their Duty pay Friends shall their Tears Foes weep their Blood away For lo the great Elijah Heaven's Envoy Has now surpris'd them in their guilty joy Caught in the very Fact and Place where they Rejoice pluming and hovering o're the Prey What have I found you in this Field of Blood For so thy Title to 't shall be made good More by thine own than Naboth's graceless King I from thy dreadful Judge thy Sentence bring Says Heaven's bold Herald Achab heartless grew And the Queens Fears did all her Pride subdue At this loud Thunder-stroke Know wretched Pair Continues he The Vultures in the Air Wolves in the Field shall be the living Tomb Of all that 's born from Jezebel's curs'd Womb And Achab's Seed shall be the worthy Food Of Birds and Beasts that live by Prey and Blood Thy Race no more shall mix with Human Kind But nourish Beasts and so with them be join'd Thou Achab here in this ill-purchas'd Ground Shalt bleed thy last from a fresh mortal wound Mastifs shall lick thy Blood and it shall be As sweet to them as Naboth's Blood to thee And thou curst Woman Eve and Serpent too Cause of thine own and of thy Husband's woe Thy broken Limbs and into pieces rent Shall be of Dogs the Food and Excrement Low falls thy Body lower thy Soul will sink Thy Memory ever shall remain and stink And so he left them Thunder-struck and dumb Stung with their present Guilt and Fate to come FINIS 〈…〉 v. 42. v. 13. 28. v. 34. Chap. 21. v. 2. v. 3. v. 4. v. 5. v. 6. v. 6. v. 7. v. 7. v. 7. v. 8. v. 10. ◠10. v. 10. v. 12. v. 12. v. 13. v. 13. v. 13. * Poet speaks v. 13. v. 13. v. 19. v. 18. v. 20. v. 19. v. 24. v. 19. v. 23. 2 K. c. 9. v. 33.