Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	great_a	king_n	son_n	2,904	5	5.0346	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01759	The epistle of Gildas, the most ancient British author who flourished in the yeere of our Lord, 546. And who by his great erudition, sanctitie, and wisedome, acquired the name of sapiens. Faithfully translated out of the originall Latine.; Liber querulus de excidio Britanniae. English	Gildas, 516?-570?; Abingdon, Thomas.; Marshall, William, fl. 1617-1650, engraver.	1638 (1638)	STC 11895; ESTC S103163	93,511	458

swallowed but of purpose to shut up their mouths who otherwise might perhaps despightfully upbraide them with these old offences which truely they have no more reason to doe than those irreligious tongues who audaciously talking of the blessed Apostles call Saint Peter the denyer of his Master Saint Paul the Persecutor Saint Matthew the Publican for if wee should be esteemed as we have beene what were we other than the children of wrath but by the grace of God we are as we are and I beseech Christ his grace may not be voyd in us And now verily it is with great applause to be received that it hath pleased God to make the royall lines of these three severall people to meete in the Center of his Majesties person For of the first I meane the Britaines he is come by his last and best knowne descent out of our Country to wit the daughter of Henry the seventh whose Grandfather Owen Theoder was of their Princely blood For the second as cleere as the Sunne hee is by due originall lawfull King of Scotland and for the third it is knowne to those who have any experience in antiquities tha● Margaret from whom all the Kings of Scot●land have these fiv● hundred yeeres issued was the onely true in heritrice unto her great Vncle Edward the Confessour and her Grandfather Edmund Ironside and in one word to all the Saintly Saxon Kings of England so as a lineall right hath from that time hitherto remained in Scotland although William the conquering Norman did by the sword as especiall descider of kingdomes not onely obtaine the actuall possession of the Realme but also ever since leave the same unto his posteritie And yet moreover that none of the Norman race may in his Majesties enjoying of the Kingdome finde themselves agrieved God in his wisedome also disposeth as to the whole realme it is most apparent that he likewise rightly deriveth his title from the off-spring of the Conquerour Yea and that the Danish too if any now remaine who were planted here by their puissant Lords may have no cause to repine behold the Queene his Majesties Wife and their Sonne our Prince or exceeding hope are come of the Danish among whom that renowned Canatus was sometimes King of this Land in whom it is hard to determine whether his devotion to God his great conquests or his generall clemeney deserved high●st commendation In all which is to be considered hovv God of his goodnesse hath in one man conjoyned these mighty houses vvhich were not onely for descent and Country sometimes so diverse but also in deadly hatred so far disagreeing and in bloody wars so violent and contentious not unlike the frame of a perfect body which is contrived of the foure contrary and repugnant elements and also that those people which since the confusion of Babylon were ever severall should as loving brethren be now united in his Majesties Kingdome even as the Rivers which arising from contrary regions of North and South doe notwithstanding fall into one maine Sea and are made in the end one mighty water For as you shall perceive in this ensuing treatise the Britaines and Saxons were not onely sundry Nations but also in discord most dissenting to number the battailes that were fought betweene them were an endlesse labour they confronted either others many hundred yeeres in continuall hatred three Languages were most different their lawes customes divers the Britaines distressed and dispossessed of their noble fertile and Native soyle and driven by the power of their adversaries to live poorely in the barren mountaines of Cambria or Wales the English invaders raigned and disposed freely of all the rest of the Land untill it pleased the God of peace to make an end of all controversies The English in time having overcome them received the Britaine into the body of their Common-wealth and kingdome they never excepted at the diversitie that had beene betweene their lawes and ours they saw how in this very realme the Normanes had agreed before under one selfe-same rule and regiment with the Kentish Saxons notwithstanding their legall customes were of another fashion For as by skilfull Musitians is made of sundry instruments one delightfull consort and as by Lapidaries of diverse coloured stones one most rich Iewell and as of the Starres which vary in severall motions proceedeth the perfect harmony of the heavens So of these sundry Countries and customes of Britaines Saxons Danes and Normans is now framed one most excellent Commonwealth Neither yet was it objected that the Britaines having beene long starved with oppressing povertie would greedily raven on the English riches and Possessions for they were then neerer the time of Christ and so more perfectly instructed with his Charity who received the needy and sometimes prodigall child to bee partaker with his wealthy elder brother who rewarded him that entred into his worke at the latter end of the day with as large hire as the other who laboured from the morning who accepted into his favour as well the Gentiles as the Iewes And what insued hereupon hath any English-man beene hereby deprived of his profit No surely but although there have reigned 5 Kings and Queenes successively descended of the Britaine Nation although wee have had Generalls Councellours Iudges and Magistrates of that Country there was never as yet any Welchman as we call him boulstred out by their authority to afflict the English with any injuries The cōmodities that flowed from this blessed union were many first the charitie betweene both Nations a thing most acceptable in the sight of God the enlarging of the kingdome with the addition of so worthy a people the enriching of the same by making the marches and borders of the Country which heretofore lay waste by reason of the warre now subject to industrious husbandry the incorporating of that Land as a limbe now of England which was not onely sometimes a continuall adversary but also ever ready to entertaine and assist any forraigne invasion the fortifying of the power of the realme with the forces of those vvho deteined them before vvith discord at home from augmenting their dominion abroad the finishing of the unspeakeable charges of vvarre and expenses in maintaining garrisons on the fronteyres the stincking of all spoyle and stuffe and the ending of the effusion of Christian blood And novv if it bee easier to imitate a former example than bee the beginner of any action vvhy then doe not the English and Scottish seeing this vvith farre more readinesse conjoyne in one If discorde hath heretofore raigned betweene them the like hath also raged betweene the Saxons and Britaines if the Lawes of the one are diverse from us the Lawes of the other have beene as different if the discommodities of warre with the Britaines have beene so great and grievous no lesse have also beene those with the Scottish if the commodities of peace betweene the Britaines and us are so great and gracious why

confession of Christ and condemned most miserable Iudas for his thirsting covetousnes I praysed Stephen for his glorious crowne of martyrdome but reproved Nicholas as miserable in respect of the shamefull marke of his uncleane heresie I did assuredly reade They had all things in common but likewise Why have yee conspired to tempt the spirit of God I did on the other side behold to how great a security men of our age were growne as if there rested no cause at all of feare Wherefore considering with some whatsoever compunction of heart full often in my amazed minde these things and very many other which because of briefenesse I have determined to omit If quoth I our Lord hath not spared his people so peculiarly chosen out of all Nations his royall race and his solely Country to whom hee said My first begotten Israel If not her Priests Prophets Kings throughout the revolution of so many Ages if not his servant and Apostle and members of his primitive Church when they wandred from the right way what will he then doe against such deformity of this of our present time on the which besides the unspeakable and monstrous sinnes that it hath in common with all the wicked of the world have also fallen that naturall quality as it were and irrecoverable and inevitable burden of folly and inconstrncy What I speake to my selfe hast thou oh wretch so great a care cast upon thee as though thou wert some eminent and most high Doctor that thou shouldest withstand the b●llowes of so violent a streame and keepe the charge committed into thy hands against this race of invetrate vices which throughout the space of so many yeeres have without interruption beene spread and continued Hold therefore thy peace for otherwise thou wilt bid the foote see and the hand speake Behold and plainely confesse Britaine hath rulers she hath watchmen Why dost thou goe about thus trifling to mutter Shee hath I say shee hath if not more not lesse then a just number but because overpressed with so great a weight they bend under their burthens they have not left them a time of breathing My sences therefore as debtors joyned in one obligation with these and such like objections yea rather more biting mutually forebusted themselues they as I have said no small time having read there is a time of speaking and a time of holding ones peace as it were in a cumbersome narrow passage of feare with wrastling strived the Creditor notwithstanding at the last prevailed and gained the victory saying If thou art not of that audacity that among the prosetical creatures who in regard of the gift of reason have the next roome to the Angelicall messengers thou dost not feare to bee marked with the comely note of golden liberty refuse not yet at least the affection of the understanding Asse to that d●y dumbe but then inspired with the Spirit of God denying to carry the mitred Magician who went to accurse the people of God and dashing in the streights of the vineyards his loosned foote albeit shee therefore did feele his most cruell blowes to whom although unthankfull and furiously ●in the meane time beating against all right and reason her innocent sides she did as it were with a finger shew the heavenly Angell threatning with a naked sword and crossing his course whom he blinded with dull folly did not behold Wherefore in the zeale of the house of our Lord and of his holy law be it that I am constrained either by the accounts of mine owne con●●its or the religious prayers of my brethren I doe now satisfie the debt long challenged at my hands worthlesse truely yet faithfull as I suppose and friendly to all renouned Souldiers of Christs band but grievous and in supportable to foolish Apostataes of whom the first unlesse I am deceived will with teares perchance that flow from the charity of God receive the same and the last with sorrow but such as is outwrested from the indignation and pusillanimity of an attainted conscience But before the performance of my promise I will God willing in few words endeavor to discourse 1. Of our Countries situation 2. Of her disobedience 3. Subjection 4. And rebellion 5. Of her second subjection and dreadfull slavery 6. Of her Religion 7. Persecution 8. Holy Martyrs 9. And divers heresies 10. Of her Tyrants 11. Of two her wastfull adverse Nations 12. Of her defence 13. And also of her spoile 14. Of the second revenge taken on her enemies 15. then of her third confusion 16. Of her famine 17. Of the Letters writen to Agitius 18. Of her victory 19. Of her villanies 20. Of the suddaine rumour of her approaching enemies 21. Of the faminous plague 22. Of her Counsell 23. Of a foe farre more cruell then the first 24. Of the overthrow of the Cities 25. Of the remnants of our Countrimen 26. And of the last victory obtained by our Nation which was through the goodnesse of God bestowed on us in our time THE EPISTLE of GILDAS THE Iland of Britaine placed in the ballance of the divine poising hand as they call it which weigheth the whole world almost the uttermost bound of this earth towards the South and West extending it selfe from the South West out towards the North Pole eight hundred miles in length and containing two hundred in bredth besides the farre outstretched Forelands of sundry Promontaries embraced by the embowed bosomes of the Ocean Sea with whose most spacious and on every side saving only the Southerne streights by which we saile to Gallebelgicke unpassable enclosure as I may call it shee is strongly defended enriched with the mouths of 2. noble Floods Thames and Severne as it were two armes by which outlandish commodities have in times past beene transported into the same besides other Rivers of lesser account strengthned with eight and twenty Cities and some other Castles not meanely fenced with Fortresses of Wals embattelled Towers Gates buildings whose roofes being raised aloft with threatning hugenesse were mightily in their aspiring toppes compacted adorned with her large spreading fields pleasant seated hils even framed for good husbandry which overmastereth the ground and mountaines most convenient for the changeable Pastures of cattell whose flowers of sundry collours troden by the feete of men imprint no unseemely picture on the same as a spouse of choice decked with divers jewels watered with cleere Fountaines and sundry Brookes beating on the snow white sands together with silver streames sliding forth with soft sounding noise and leaving a pledge of sweet savours on their bordering bankes and lakes gushing out abundantly in cold running Rivers Secondly this Land with a stiffe proud necke and stubborne minde from the time since shee was first inhabited hath ungratefully rebelled sometimes against God other whiles against her owne Country-men and at other seasons also against outlandish Kings and their Subjects For what matter of fowler deformity or what greater

Heare now likewise what fell upon the two sacrilegious Kings of Israel even such as ours are Ieroboam and Baasa unto whom the sentence and doome of our Lord is by the Prophet in this sort directed For what cause have I exalted thee a Prince over Israel in regard they have provoked me in their vanities Behold I will stirre up after Baasha and after his house and I will give over his house as the house of Ieroboam the Sonne of Nebat whoso of his blood shall dye in the City the dogges shall eate him and the dead carkasse of his in the field shall the foules of the aire devoure What doth hee also threaten unto that wicked King of Israel a fellow souldier of the former band by whose collusion and his wives deceit innocent Naboth was for his Fathers Vineyard oppressed talking by the holy mouth of that Elias yea the selfe-same mouth that was instructed with the fiery speech of our Lord. Thou hast killed moreover likewise thou hast possessed and after these thou wilt adde yet more Thus saith our Lord in this very place wherein the dogges have licked the blood of Naboth they shall lick up thy blood also Which that it fell out afterwards in that very sort we have certaine experience But least perchance according as it befell unto the aforesaid Achab The lying spirit which pronounceth vaine things in the mouthes of your Prophets may seduce ye harken ye to the speeches of the Prophet Michaias Behold God hath suffered the spirit of lying to poss●sse the mouths of all thy Prophets that doe here remaine and our Lord hath pronounced evil against thee For even now it is certaine there are some Doctors replenished with a contrary spirit preaching and affirming rather naughty pleasure then truth whose words are softer then oyle and the selfe same are darts who say peace peace and there shall be no peace to them who persevere in sinnes as the Prophet in another place on this wise speaketh It is not for the wicked to rejoyce saith our Lord. Azarias also the sonne of Obed did speake unto Asa who returned from the slaughter of the Army of ten hundred thousand Ethiopians saying Our Lord is with yee while ye remaine with him and if yee will seeke him out he will be found by ye and if ye will leave him he will forsake ye For if Iehoshaphat but yeelding assistance unto a wicked King was thus reproved by the Prophet Iehu the sonne of Anany saying If thou givest aid to a sinner or lovest them whom our Lord doth hate the wrath of God doth therefore hang over thee what shall become of them who are fettered in the proper snares of their owne offences whose sinnes but not whose soulēs we must of necessity hate if wee will fight in the Army of our Lord the Psalmist saying Hate ye evill who love our Lord. What was said to the sonne of the afore rēcited Iosaphat named Ioram that most horrible murtherer who being himselfe a bastard slew his noble brethren that hee might possesse the throne in their place by the Prophet Elias the wagon and wagoner of Israel Thus speaketh quoth he the Lord God of thy Father David Because thou hast not walked in the way of thy Father Iosaphat and in the waies of Asa the King of Iudah but hast made thy passage through the wayes of the Kings of Israel and in unsensiblenesse according to the behaviour of the house of Achab and hast moreover killed thy brethren the sonnes of Iosaphat men farre better then thy selfe behold our Lord shall strike thee and thy children with a mighty plague And a little afterwards And thou shalt be marveilous sicke of a disease of thy belly until the entrailes of thy belly shal together with the malady it selfe from day to day passe forth away from thee And listen also what the Prophet Zachary the sonne of Ioiades menaced to Ioas the King of Israel leaving our Lord even as ye now do who arising spoke in this manner to the People Thus saith our Lord why doe ye transgresse the Commandements of our Lord and doe not prosper Because ye have left our Lord he will also leave you What shall I mention of Esay the first and chiefe of the Prophets who beginneth the proeme and enterance of his Prophesie or rather vision saying in this sort Heare O yee Heavens and O thou earth conceive in thine eares because our Lord hath spoken I have nourished children and exalted them but they themselves have despised me The Oxe hath knowne his owner and the Asse the manger of his Master but Israel hath not knowne me and my people hath not understood And after a few words framing threatnings answerable to so great a folly he saith The Daughter of Sion shall be uterly left as a shelter in the Vineyard and as a hovell in the Cowcumber Garden and a City that is sacked And especial-conventing and accusing the Princes he saith Heare the word of our Lord O yee Princes of Sodome perceive ye the Law of our Lord O yee people of Gomorrah Where truely it is to be noted that unjust Kings are tearmed the Princes of Sodome for our Lord forbidding sacrifices and gifts to be offered unto him by such where we with greedy covetousnesse receive those offerings which in all Nations are displeasing unto God and to our owne destruction suffer them not to be bestowed on the poore and needy speaketh to them who laden with abundance of riches are likewise given to the filth of offences on this wise Offer not any more your sacrifice in vaine your incense is abomination unto me And againe he denounceth And when yee shall stretch out your hands I will turne away mine eyes from ye and when ye shall multiply your prayers I will not heare And hee declareth wherfore he doth this saying Your hands are full of blood And likewise showing how he may be appeased he saith Be ye washed be ye cleane take away the evill of your thoughts from mine eyes leave of to deale perversly learne to doe well seeke for the judgement succour the oppressed doe justice to the pupill or Orphan And then assuming as it were the part of a reconciling appeaser he adding saith If your sinnes shall be as scarlet they shall be made white as Snow if they shal be as red as the little worme they shall be as white as wooll If ye shall be willing and will heare me ye shall feede on the good things of the Land but if ye wil not and shall provoke mee unto wrath the sword shall devoure ye Receive ye heare the true and publike avoucher witnessing without any falshood or flattery the reward of your good and evill not like the soothing humble lippes of your Parasites whispering poysons into your eares And also directing his sentence against ravenous judges he saith thus

time of their outcry unto me and of their affliction What then shall now our miserable Governours doe these few who found out the narrow way and left the large were from God forbiden to powre out their prayers for such as persevered in their evils so highly provoked his wrath against whom on the contrary side when they returned with all their hearts unto God his divine Majesty being unwilling that the soule of man should perish but calling backe the castaway that he should not utterly be destroyed the same Prophets could not procure the Heavenly revenge because not Ionas when hee desired the like most earnestly against the Ninevites could obtaine it But in the meane while omitting our owne words let us rather heare what the propheticall trumpet soundeth in our eares speaking thus If thou shalt say in thy heart why have these evils befalne For the multitude of thine iniquities If the Ethiopian can change his skin or the Parde his sundry spots ye may doe also well when ye have learned evill supposed ever because ye will not And afterwards These words doth our Lord say to this people who have loved to move their feete and have not rested and not pleased our Lord now shall he remember their iniquities and visit their offences and our Lord said unto me Pray thou not for this people to worke their good when they shall fast I will not heare their prayers ●nd if they offer burnt sacrifices and oblations I will not ●eceive them And againe And our Lord said unto me ●f Moses and Samuel shall stand before me my soule is not bent to this people cast them out away from my face and let them depart And after a few words Who shall have pitty on thee Ierusalem or who shall be sorrowfull for thee or who shall goe to pray for thy peace Thou hast left me saith our Lord and gone away backeward and I will stretch forth my hand over thee and kill thee And somewhat after Thus saith our Lord Behold I doe imagine a thought against you let every man returne from his evill course and direct ye streight your waies and endeavours Who said we despaire we will goe after our owne thoughts and every one of us doe the naughtinesse of his evill heart Thus therefore saith our Lord. Aske the Gentiles who hath heard such horrible matters which the Virgin Israel hath too often committed Shall there faile from the rocke of the field the snow of Libanus or can the waters be drawne dry that gush out colde and flowing because my people hath forgotten me And somewhat also after this propounding unto them an election he speaking saith Thus saith our Lord Doe ye judgement and justice and deliver him who by power is oppressed out of the hand of the malicious accuser and for the stranger and orphan and widdow doe not provoke their sorrow neither yet worke ye unjustly the griefe of others nor shed ye out the innocent blood For if indeed ye shall accomplish this word there shall enter in through the gates of this house Kings of the linage of David sitting upon his throne But if ye will not harken unto these words by my selfe I have sworne saith our Lord that this house shall be turned into a desart And againe for he spoke of a wicked King I live saith our Lord if so be that Iechonias shall be a Ring on my right hand I will plucke him thence away and give him over into the hands of them who seeke his life Moreover holy Abraham cryeth out saying Woe be unto them who build a City in blood and prepare a towne in iniquities saying Are not these things from our Almighty Lord and many people have failed in fire and many Nations have beene diminished And thus complaining hee beginneth his prophesie How long O Lord shall I call and thou wilt not heare shall I cry out unto thee to what end hast thou given mee labours and griefes to behold misery and impiety And on the other side And judgement was sat upon and the Iudge hath taken in regard hereof the Law is rent in peeces and ●udgement is not brought fully to his conclusion because ●he wicked through power ●readeth the just underfoote In this respect hath passed forth perverse judgement And marke yee also what blessed Osee the Prophet speaketh of Princes saying For that they have transgressed my covenant and ordained against my Law and exclaimed out Wee have knowne thee because thou art against Israel they have persecuted good as if it were evill They have raigned to themselves and not by mee they have held a Principality neither yet have they acknowledged me And heare ye likewise the holy Prophet Amos in this sort threatning In three hainous offences of the sons of Iudah and in foure I will not convert them for that they have cast away the Law of our Lord and not kept his Commandements but their vanities have seduced them And I will send fire upon Iudah and it shall eate the foundations of Ierusalem Thus saith our Lord In three grievous sinnes of Israel and in foure I will not convert them for that they have sold the just for money and the poore man for shooes which they tread upon the dust of the earth and with buffets they did beate the heads of the poore and have eschewed the way of the humble And after a few words Seeke our Lord and ye shall live that the house of Ioseph may not shine as fire and the flame devoure it and he shall not be that can extinguish it The house of Israel hath hated him who rebuketh in the gates and abhorred the upright word Which Amos being forbidden that he should not prophesie in Israel without any fawning flattery answering saith I was not a Prophet nor yet the sonne of a Prophet but a Goate herd I was plucking Sicamores and our Lord tooke me from my herd and our Lord said unto me Goe thy way and prophesie against my people of Israel and now heare thou the Word of our Lord For hee directed his speech unto the King Thou sayest doe not Prophesie against Israel and thou shalt not assemble troopes against the house of Iacob For which cause our Lord saith thus Thy wife in the City shall play the harlot and thy sonnes and daughters shall dye by the sword and thy ground be measured by the cord and thou in a polluted land shalt end thy life but for Israel shee shall be led from his owne Country a captive And afterwards Heare therefore these words ye who doe outragiously afflict the poore and practise your mighty power against the needy of the earth who say When shall the moneth passe over that we may purchase and the Sabbaths that wee may open the treasuries And within a few words after Our Lord doth sweare against the pride of Iacob if he shall neglecting forget your