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	nature_n	sin_n	2,557	5	4.8490	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07418	Astrologaster, or, The figure-caster Rather the arraignment of artlesse astrologers, and fortune-tellers, that cheat many ignorant people vnder the pretence of foretelling things to come, of telling things that are past, finding out things that are lost, expounding dreames, calculating deaths and natiuities, once againe brought to the barre. By Iohn Melton.	Melton, John, Sir, d. 1640.	1620 (1620)	STC 17804; ESTC S112560	60,603	93

before had hapned he set downe in that Bill which he gaue to the Queeue of Fairies I meane the ancientest of those shee Cunny-catchers to reade ouer and diligently to peruse charging them neuer to answer to any thing that was askt them vpon the sudden but to withdraw themselues into a roome through which Bell had made hole with an Auger that they might looke out and view those that were in the next roome that came to know their Fortunes and when they had taken full notice of them and what had happened them by the notice of the Bill then to come openly to them and tell them first what had befallen them which was true and what should happen to them which was most false Now this Iaylor this Setter this Cunny-catcher Bell whē these forward schollers had learnt this lesson perfectly went down into the town as his order was euery afternoon to some Ale-house or other but now did especially chuse one where a very beleeuing olde woman dwelt that had giuen many a Dubble iug of Beere and Ale to such Rogues that had stopt her mouth full of lyes and long after hee had entred into this drinking Schoole and after a little discourse with a company of countrey Corridons that sate there tipling he told them that hee had a company of the strangest men and women in his prison that he euer heard of for without any asking they had told him of many things that happened many yeeres before hee kept a prison and since hee kept a prison how many prisoners hee lost what men they were what time of the yeere they brake out on what day and when hee found them againe This begat no small credite in them that heard him but especially in the olde woman who as the nature of antient people is could not keepe newes long told it to two or three of her neighbours they to fortie more so that Bells report in few howres flew vppe and downe the Towne and tooke such deepe roote in the mindes of most of the people thae many of them could not bee at rest while they had seene them and then vnder the colour of seeing them to know their Fortunes Many repayred thither asking many questions of these wise Knaues and Whores who at the first would not bee drawne to tell them any thing so withdrawing themselues into their priuate Chamber where they through the hole made for them a purpose might take particular notice of all of them and when according to the direction of their Bill did know euerie man and womans name there and what had happened to them at the last they would come stealing out againe and call euery man and woman by their names tell them where they dwelt and at what Signe and whisper the women in their eares and make many of them blush and for the men make them to laugh so that these countrey people hearing themselues named of them that neuer saw them before and told them of things that had beene done many yeeres before wondred at them and gaue them money sent them meate euery day to dinner and supper saying it was pittie such skilfull people as they should not bee prouided for so that for the space of fiue weekes they were visited more then all the Cunnycatching Knaues about London for there was not a Mayde that had gotten a clappe before shee was marryed a young Strippling that had got a Wench with childe or any Farmer or Townsman that had lost his Purse or Horse or Sheepe many yeeres before but would repayre to those Gypsies so that some gaue them wrought Handkerchers Gloues Purses and Kniues Money and more Meate and Drinke then twentie more of them could eate and when the Sizes came by meanes they made to the Iustices procured their libertie yet thought themselues much beholding to them not dreaming that any of these things were reuealed to them by Bell who for his share in the space of three weekes had got twenty marke cleare to himselfe which his knauery and the Gypsies roguery pickt out of the Townsmens pockets The like roguery doth one that goeth vnder the name of a Captaine vse who with the trickes and sleights of legerdemaine he doth on the Cards foole many people out of their money making them beleeue hee can finde things out by Art that when his owne conscience knowes is farre from the knowledge or grounds of Astrologie as hee from honestie and if I were to talke or dispute with him I would confute him in the strongest arguments he could produce to proue his skill and to his face boldly iustifie that he is but a meere Impostor and can doe nothing without the ayde and help of such a knaue as himselfe who haue found out many things betwin them before they haue beene lost who first lay plots to haue things conueyed away then take money to finde them againe If you nor the world will beleeue this let them but looke into Newgate books they shal find he stood in the Pillory for such Rogueries hauing this faire inscription written ouer his head in Capitall Letters FOR COVSENAGE But I will come backe againe to the matter I treated of before which was of your cunning Astrologers that can do these pretty trickes and sleights by Art Augustu libro 〈◊〉 de do●●●● Christian● Saint Augustine calleth your Art a Sacraligious foolery an vnlearned learning and a kinde of fornication with the Soule Saint Ierome makes mention that Pope Alexander the third finding a Priest that found out a Thief that had robd the Church by the inspection into his Astralobe suspended him from his order for that fact for a yeere together saying it was a most haynous sinne for a man of his order to exercise such an vnlawfull study although it were for the good of the Church Thus Sir you see your Art is forbidden concerning telling of Fortunes or finding out things that are lost c. And in forbidding the practise of this Art is also encluded all those for whom it is practised for many people in these dayes cannot breake his Shinnes haue his Nose bleede lose a game at Cards heare a Dogge howle or a Cat wawle but instantly they will runue to the Calculator and haue him turne ouer his Ephemreides and his Annuall Calenders stuft full of lies and superstitious obseruations I will counsell all those therefore that would know their Fortunes ●den●trium ●erum 〈◊〉 to looke into that Euerlasting Calender the sacred Bible for the Astrology they shall learne there neuer tels false but will certifie them that the cause of their ill fortunes is their sinnes and the good the Mercies of God that will tell them of the true Nature of Summer that is of their Resurrection and Saluation and the true condition of Winter that is Death and Damnation If they study this booke they will quickly learne to be excellent Calculators and learne what will become of them if they doe ill and

walke let them but reade the Scriptures and they shall find it to be most false for that affirmes that the Soules of the good instantly goe to Heauen and of the bad instantly to Hell therefore their Spirits cannot wander Againe the Soule that is in Heauen minds no earthly matter and it was neuer knowne that any Soule euer returned out of Hell for the Poets themselues say Nullus redditurus ab Orco But these Images and Tricks of the Fryers do but resemble the Statues of Negromancers made with great toyle and labour Fryer Bacon Albertus Magnus For Fryer Bacon was many yeeres before hee could make his Head speake And the Image of Albertus Magnus was to be wondred at which hee made in the full and perfect shape of a Man who with the Wheeles and other Engines that he had cunningly artificially wrought in it made it speake and pronounce words as distinctly as if they did proceed from a man indued with sence and reason This Statue Thomas Aquinas when Thomas Aquinas was sent into his Chamber where it lay hid heard it speake very articulately which when he heard then looking for it and finding it and viewing it very seriously at last strucke it with a Club and brake it all to pieces Which when Albertus heard and saw he cryed out and said Thomas thou hast destroyed the worke of thirtie yeeres labour and paines Now can any man iudge that either Bacon or Albertus made these vnder any Constellation or that it spake by the influence of any Starre if they doe they are wretchedly deceiued for it was either by a materiall Engine or the Deuill that spake within them brought into them by their Art Therefore wee may perswade our selues that all these Images made by the Art either of a Fryer or Negromancer are vnlawfull to be made of them or vsed of any other These Images lawfull But if we must allow any Statue or Image they must be those of Pasquil and Morphirius on whose brests were written no Lie-Bills as the Popes called them but True-Bills of their villanies These Statues were of stone and the verses carued on their brests were bitter and Satyricall sharply reuiling the Sorcery Sodomitry Symony Incest Phil. Can. p. Medita c●n● Murther Witchcraft Poysoning and Sacriledge of the Popes and Cardinals whereupon the Gentlemen of Rome wittily sayd That it was not lawful for men to speake there vices the stones did proclaym them But pope Adrian would haue taken an order and haue them flung into Tyber Pope Adrian Suessanus if Suessanus the Legate of Charles the Emperour who fauored them had not preuented him who sayd to his Holinesse that if they were flung into Tyber the Crocodiles and Rats and other monstrous Serpents would catch them and sing them to which answer some report the holy Father stood as mute as one of his Cardinals Mules but some report that he began to be angry at Suessanus answer and in a rage suddenly sayde that he would haue them burnt to whom the Legate wittily replyed againe saying If you burne these Images their ashes will not be blowne through the citie but into other countreys so that the people will take occasion to celebrate and reuerence those Ashes for the writing sake and so it will come to passe that they being dispersed throgh the world the sinnes of Rome will generally be knowne to all nations At this second answer his Holinesse wae more perplexed then before and seeing he could doe no good either by drowning or burning hee bid them stand in the Deuills name But I haue made too long a digression therfore I will returne againe to our Negromancers and now I haue spoken of their Images I will briefly and plainely lay open the viperous generation of Negromancy which are Idolatry Diuination and vaine obseruasion with all the hellish brood that proceeds from them The damnable ofspring of Negromancy IDolatry is a Diuine Worship attributted to Idols which Idolls are Statues or Images which the Gentiles worshipped with Diuine Honour Idolatry the daughter of Negromancy beleeuing there was some diuinitie in them by reason of their answers and wonderfull effects the Deuill wrought in them Such were the Images of Hermes Tresmegistus otherwise called Mercurie in which they did beleeue that by a kinde of Art the soules of Deuills and Angels were encluded vnder a certaine Constellation which Diuinitie and Naturall Phylosophy doth reprehend for they hold that a Spirit cannot possibly bee vegitable Notae Aristotle de Anima or can substantially informe artificiall bodyes For the Soule as Aristotle saith is an Act of a naturall body not artificiall for a man cannot by any matter as Herbs Wood Stone Words or Constellation expell a good or bad Spirit or being cald that it can come presently and dwell in an Idoll because corporall things cannot by any naturall order haue any operation in incorporall things There haue beene some of the Gentiles that haue not onely attributed Diuine honour to Statues and Images but beleeued them to be Gods for some vertue or magnitude of their Acts these Statues represented as to Iupiter Hercules Venus and the rest and other monsters of this kinde Also they did not onely honour corporall but incorporall things as Intelligences Angels and the Soules of heauenly Bodyes which they call Aeria Animalia and they did not separate the soules of men from Diuine honour which is most diuellish This kinde of Idolatrie at these dayes is vsed among our Antagonists the Papists for they pray to Iron Papists Wood Gold Siluer and woodden Images that haue neither sight feeling sence life or operation in them and haue as small influence in them after are made either by the Caruer or Goldsmiths hand as they had when they first were in a massie lumpe either in the Tree or Mine Diuination the 2. daughter of Negromancie Isidor lib. octa Etymologia The second daughter of superstition is Diuination by which our Astrologers miserably labour to know of future things either good or bad These are they Isidorus saith report themselues to be full of diuination who by craft and deuice foretell of things to come by the effects which proceed vpon necessitie from causes vnlesse they are especially hindered of God certainly proceeding from the cause of nature as the eclipse of the Sunne and the Moone and the effects which proceed from these causes may bee foretold of by as probable coniecture as well as a Mariner may foretell of a storme that will arise by a darke cloude that is either before or behinde him Haue not many olde women told by the vnhappy conditions of a boy that he would be hangd and hath it not falne out right Haue not many graue Matrons foretold that young wanton Lasses would proue Wagtails hath it not come to passe Haue not many men by the damnable tricks they haue seene in Catchpoles foretold that they would proue knaues and