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	speak_v	word_n	3,147	5	4.0147	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96764	The Protector. A poem briefly illustrating the supereminency of that dignity; and, rationally demonstrating, that the title of Protector, providentially conferred upon the supreme governour of the British republike, is the most honorable of all titles, and, that, which, probably, promiseth most propitiousness to these nations; if our sins and divisions prevent it not. / Composed by George Wither, Esq; ...	Wither, George, 1588-1667.	1655 (1655)	Wing W3184; Thomason E1565_2; ESTC R204098	29,693	63

that Kingdom here Which we expect and will ere long appear And Thou whose Title here I celebrate Thou who hast oportunity of that VVhich may to GOD and Men most pleasing be And hast the means thereof confer'd on thee First and above all others lose thou not Those great advantages which thou hast got For all the proffers which this world can make To Sodom or to Aegypt look not back Lest thou be made a Monument of Salt To keep those who come after from thy fault Or leave thy bones obscur'd by desolation VVithin the Wilderness of thy Probation Thou who art now the worlds new Northern Star Let in thine Orb no Course irregular Oblique or Retrograde divert thee from Those motions which thy Circle best become Lest from that Heav'n in which thou now dost shine Down to the Earth thou back again decline And like the Star call'd Wormwood bitter make Those waters whence we now refreshments take Since there are Constellations of some might Whose motions to thy Course are opposite Give no occasion of the sad effects Which are portended by their cross Aspects Since they who love thee best finde in thy way Great Dangers Fear much for thee watch pray Oh! be not too secure trust not upon What may by humane Pow'r or Wit be done But cleave to him who rais'd thee to this hight Yea keeps thee on the Throne in their despight And think thou hast great Cause good heed to take When like a Man thou hear'st an Ass to speak If we expect a Blessing let us too Without Hypocrisie our duties do To those in Pow'r To him partic'larly That over us hath now the Sov'raignty With true obedience not in shew or word Ascribing what our hearts do not afford Nor let us seek in secret to deprive him Of that which openly we seem to give him For Falshood shall be falsly dealt withal And Sand and Pebbles make as firm a wall In our defence as either word or deed Which from dissimulation doth proceed Let us not grudge at what must make him able To do his Office in an honourable And pow'rful way lest that which fails thereby On our account to our own loss may lie If to that end he seeks accommodations He seeks them for the honour of these Nations As well as for his own and more perchance The Publike then his private to advance And what too little or too much will be To that end he may better know then we If in this late Establishment he aims At Safety 't is no more then Nature claims And to accept of less then may in reason Thereto suffice were by misprision treason Against the Dignity on him bestown And may betray our Safety with his own We whose abodes are on the Globe below Some motions of the Stars above may know But 't is impossible that we should learn All things which may their influence concern And 't is not easie for our eyes to heed What they may be constrain'd to in their need Whose hands must tune so many diff'ring strings And have in charge so many thousand things Though such as mark not that Emergencies Oft happen and that perils may arise Unthought upon which will necessitate The Supreme Officer of ev'ry State To act some things which are not warrantable By their known Laws yet wise-men who are able To see how far they justly then may go Beyond Set Rules do rationally know That Arbitrary Pow'r in some degree And in some cases must allowed be As if by Law expressed or that all Earths Governments would into pieces fall And this is but that Pow'r whereby we arm Each Private person when a Common harm Is menaced for when a City burns To save it he pulls down and overturns What he thinks fit and takes away their right From Some that All may not be rum'd quite No less should be his Pow'r if need require Who may have otherwhile a Gen'ral Fire To stop or quench by which not onely one But many Cities may be quite undone Yea three great Nations for whose good I trust He will improve it and appear as just As I believe him and bring all at last Into a right Course when the danger 's past Whate'er he proveth whether by his will Or Law he Rules or comes for good or ill Let all of us o'er whom GOD gives him pow'r Make conscience that the fault be none of our For though that this PROTECTOR is not he Whom long we look'd for this was sent to be His Ways preparer and is though not that Supreme Protector one subordinate To him and substituted for Probation Both of himself and of this Generation In order to Christ's Empire to break down Both our Self-confidences and his own As well as their who have been mischievous Unto that Kingdom which lies hid in us Whereof take heed lest when you shall resist His Pow'r you take a part with Antichrist And in the stead of setling Common peace Our Publike Jars and private Woes increase Heed also this that those Events which shall Thereon succeed are but conditional To fail or be effected as thereto Both Parties shall conform omit or do And that this Title likely to be made The most renown'd that ever Mortal had May by Prevarications fall below The vilest Names that Malice can bestow And that what we to build up have presum'd May by a firy trial be consum'd Should it so prove then therewith mindful be That our works onely would be lost not we And that we need not to despair or fear If to a Right Foundation we adhere Whatever follows for best speed we shall When we are Nothing and GOD's All in All. But should our North-star be remov'd from hence Or we deprived of his Influence By Counter-working Pow'rs which to suspect I am not prone I fear that sad effect Will come to pass by some default of our As by our Envie murm'ring at his Pow'r Or else by some way him provoking so That GOD may leave him his own will to do For our just punishment and therewithal Permit him through some Oversights to fall Into such errors or such negligences As on himself may bring sad Consequences Moses the best and meekest of all men In his time living and perhaps since then By being thus exasperated lost The honor to be Leader of GOD's Host Into their promis'd land and after all His glory in the wilderness did fall Thus for like Provocations GOD oft hath Set over Nations RULERS in his wrath And for some oversights makes Kings to share In those Corrections wherewith scourg'd they are Thus heretofore for Isr'els wickedness King David was permitted to transgress And thus we and our Chief for what is ill In us may be joynt-suff'rers yet he still Continue in Uprightness as to that Which doth concern him in his best Estate For though Detraction raised by his Foes And no less by the Levity of those Who owe him love and duty strives

cries move men no more then stones When five or ten or twelve whole yeers delay Shall be no more consider'd then a day And when nor wants nor justness of the Cause Nor Importunitie compassion draws Or where few Suits are brought to wished end But by a Bribe or some corrupted friend What can be got by words desir'd by none When deeds which for the Publike weal were done And begg'd for with a vowed Retribution Have neither good respect nor restitution Where setious Protestations are forgot Where promises seem things intended not And when most men resolved seem to cherish Their wilfulness although thereby they perish If for my words receive again I may Respective words I take it for large pay And 't will enough content me if my will To do thee good be not repay'd with ill Or if I may but know ere 't is too late My hope of what is justly aimed at Shall be deny'd with loss of no more cost Or time then is thereon already lost For such a mercy many had prserv'd Whom fruitless hopes have begger'd yea starv'd If thou suppose I gain by what I write Consider it and thou such thoughts wilt slight What profit is it which thence raise he may Who writes and prints and freely gives away At his own charge and doth expect no more But good acceptance and the reading o'er What gain I else for time and labour spent But to my face perhaps a Complement And sometimes when my back is turn'd about A secret sleight or else an open flout What Patronage have I yet thereby gained Through which my cause or person is sustained What favours am I likely to obtain Who flatter not the proud nor sooth the vain But rather venture Freedom and Estate Then not to speak truth home or speak too late So need require it so my free expression Wrongs not the Common Peace nor sound discretion Nor Innocents nor those who guilty are Arraigneth anywhere save at the Bar Of their own Consciences by Writs that come In gen'ral terms and to I know not whom If thou conceive that I ambitious am Of Praise hereby Thou therein art too blame What praise from POETRY can I expect Which findes an Epidemical neglect Chiefly from such as mine upon such Theams As I oft chuse and when both winds and streams Against me are and also in a time When Poetry it self is thought a crime When they who would reputed be most holy Look on it as Prophaness or meer folly VVhen they you call the VVITS all strains disgust That sooth not vanitie or stir up lust Or are not with forc'd metaphors and words VVhose juncture neither perfect sense affords Nor any useful matter sent abroad Drest and trim'd up in their affected mode And when the most part are so ignorant That they sufficient understanding want To read a Verse and put no difference 'Twixt best Composers and that base non-sence VVhich Pedlers up and down the Country bring And Rogues and Whores about the City sing Nor is my Peace or safety to be got Thereby and doubtless if I know it not I am a fool for I have often lost My Freedom by it with no little cost He that their Courses constantly gainsays VVho Ahab-like are wilful in their ways From them gets nothing by his contradiction But Micah's bread and water of affliction And what on my Remembrancer ensu'd VVhich thousands in my time fulfil'd have view'd Informs me fully what retaliation I am to look for from this Generation VVho then can think that he who doth expose His thoughts as I have done to friends and foes Amidst so many Factions when but one He well can please and peradventure none VVho then I say can think that outward rest VVas his chief aim or his own Interest The mark he shot at or that he shall ever Finde Peace external whilst he doth persever In such a Course until a change GOD brings As well in Manners as in other things Such onely hitherto hath been my lot That I in sixty six yeers have scarce got Six months together of that common Rest VVhich is by many all their life possest And now of late unto what Side soe'er Or Principle I truely did adhere Some men of all Sides ev'n of That whose Cause Hath had my suffrages pen purse applause And faithful'st aid hath brought as sad effects On me by their despights or disrespects As have all they whose more deserved hate My Pen for their sakes did exasperate Nay would it were no worse By some of those I suffer more then by our common Foes VVhich here I mention onely to prevent A false surmise and not in discontent For I embrace my Portion with thanks-giving And would not change it with the best man living To sum up all and give thee my best pledge For my good meaning in what I alledge I hereby call to witness Him that knows VVhat in my heart I secretly propose That my chief purpose in divulging this Is to reform those things which are amiss Both in my self and others to make strong His hand to whom this Title doth belong And to preserve that Peace which being lost More then our lives and our estates may cost I look for nothing but to be abus'd And some way to be wrongfully accus'd By those whom this distastes that it may seem The less worth hearing by my disesteem And if his Vertue who must break the blow Defend me not I 'm sure it will be so I nothing seek on me to be bestown Save onely that which is by right mine own To disengage me from the world wherein And wherewith I unwarily have bin Too far of late engaged and from whom I cannot fairly disoblig'd become VVithout a Retribution of such things VVhich she hath lent yea which her promisings Embolden'd me to take and which she knows That more then twice told she unto me ows Upon a just Account But were I free I hope she should not re-intangle me In ought save what will visibly pertain More to the Publike then my private gain For my ambition is to live and die Henceforth unheeded and retir'd to lie VVhere I a little while without annoy My self with my relations may enjoy And then resigne my place to him that must Supply it when I slumber in the dust But if this be too great an earthly bliss For my enjoyment yet I 'm sure of this That I shall there be laid ere it be long VVhere I shall have no sense of right or wrong And though I nothing have rest quiet there VVhere I shall also neither want nor care This Postscript READER is on thee bestown To rouze thy Spirit and hold up mine own VVho have enough to do to keep my mind Close to that work for which I was design'd Amid those great temptations and desertions VVhich set before me manifold diversions And if thou make me now no recompence For this my Pains by drawing profit hence Unto thy self thou wholly wilt destroy That which I hereby hoped to enjoy And dost me wrong To thee thus much to tell I had a minde which being done Farewel Henceforth say or or gainsay do what ye will Let him that 's filthy so continue still I 've done my part to make clean what was foul I to my pow'r have here discharg'd my Soul Of what it had in charge and on this string VVill strike no more But for the future sing To GOD and to my self till they appear VVho come with eyes to see and ears to hear FINIS