Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	king_n	people_n	see_v	2,763	5	3.6476	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27350	London's remembrancer, or, A true accompt of every particular weeks christnings and mortality in all the years of pestilence within the cognizance of the bills of mortality, being xviii years.	Bell, John.; Worshipful Company of Parish Clerks.	1665 (1665)	Wing B1800; ESTC R24198	19,905	31

68 32 August 1 215 3014 2010 73 33 8 178 4030 2817 86 34 15 166 5319 3880 96 35 22 171 5568 4237 103 36 29 169 7496 6102 113 37 Septemb. 5         38 12         39 19         40 26         41 Octob. 3         42 10         43 17         44 24         45 31         46 Novemb. 7         47 14         48 21         49 28         50 Decemb. 5         51 12         52 19         The Totals         OBSERVATIONS On the BILLS of MORTALITY For the 18 Years And on some of their Precedent and Subsequent Years HAving now finished the Tables for the 18 Years and given you a just and faithful accompt of all the Christnings and Burials in every particular Week I shall make some few short Observations on the Weekly and General Bills therein and on such other years on which they have dependency I mean some of their precedent and subsequent Years Observ 1. That the Weekly and General Bills in the year 1593. did bear date from Thursday to Thursday as by the General Bill for that year which I have herein before inserted may appear and that they continued that course until the year 1629. In which year and ever since they bare date from Tuesday to Tuesday But both then and now the Weekly Collections or accompts of Christnings and Burials began the Bill in December and the whole years accompt or General Bill concluded the year in the same Moneth following whereas all the Papers that make mention of the Great Plagues in the years 1592. 1593. 1603. and 1625. bear date the 17 of March in all the said years and accompt from thence still making that day Epidemical as well as the Year Pestilential But I think it very strange nor do I believe that the 17 of March in all the said years did fall out to be on a Thursday but I conceive that what is contained in them was gleaned from some false scattered Papers printed in some of those years and I presume it will not be strange to such who shall live to see another year of Pestilence to see the same poyson extracted from the many false Papers printed in this year Observ 2. That in all the years of Pestilence I ever read of there died of that Distemper both Males and Females except in the Plague in the time of King David and in that of Senacheribs Camp in both which there died none but Men as I shall shew you hereafter Observ 3. That in all the years of Contagion or Plague the numbers of other Diseases encreased much notwithstanding many of them turned to the Plague For although the Plague be a great Receptacle for other Diseases yet the contagion of the Air introduceth many more than the Plague receiveth And Captain Graunt observes That a disposition in the Air towards the Plague doth also dispose Women to Abortions Observ 4. That in the year 1625. there died in all 54265. whereof of the Plague 35417. of which number of the Plague 20455. died in the Moneth of August I am of opinion that this year was not only the greatest year of Pestilence but also the most sickly year that ever the Bill of Mortality took notice of And I think I need give you no other reason therefore than what I have already given in my 3. Observation This great Mortality and Pestilence continued only this year whereas it is seldom known but that other either precedent or subsequent accompany years of Pestilence with the like Contagion which to this hapned nothing so For in 1624. its precedent there died but 11. which number of the Plague for one whole year is no more than there have usually died of that Distemper in healthful years Nor was the subsequent year 1626. so Pestilential as to be termed a Plague year there dying but 134 of the Plague therein Observ 5. That the greatest number of the Plague in the year 1636. hapned to be in September and so likewise in most of the 18 years in the precedent year to this there died none of the Plague although both it and the subsequent year were Plague years Observ 6. In the year 1664 part and 1665. the Plague began with the first Weeks Bill for the year in December at St. Giles in the fields when as but one had died of the Plague in 24 weeks before and but 6 in the whole year it encreased nor until the 9 day of May. From which time it continued and increased so that in 16 weeks it run up from 9 to 6102 in one week which number of the Plague much exceeded the total number of any one week in any year of Pestilence whatsoever which I ever read to have happened within this City I come next to shew you the Cause of the coming of the Plague which I shall briefly do in the words of our famous English Oratour Bishop Andrews The Plague saith he is caused by Gods wrath against Sin There is wrath gone out from the Lord and the Plague is begun saith Moses Numb 16.46 So it is said God was displeased with David and he smote Israel with the Plague So that if there be a Plague God is angry and if there be a great Plague God is very angry c. Ask the Physician the cause of it and he will tell you the cause is in the air the air is infected the humours corrupted the Contagion of the sick coming to and conversing with the sound and they be all true causes But as we acknowledge these to be true That in all Diseases and even in this also there is a natural cause so we say there is somewhat more somewhat Divine and above Nature as somewhat for the Physician so some work for the Priest and more too it may be for whosoever doth not acknowledge the finger of God in this sickness over and above all causes Natural looketh not deeply enough into the cause thereof That the Plague is a thing causal and not casual may appear by the Latine word Plaga which properly signifieth a stroke which necessarily inferreth a cause for where there is a stroke there must be one that striketh Thus much of Bishop Andrews Now if there be a cause we shall do well to consider what that cause may be In the Plague in Aarons time the peoples Rebellion was the cause In that in Phineas his time Fornication was the cause In that in King Davids time Pride was the cause his heart was lifted up to number the people And in that in Senacheribs Camp his Blasphemy by the mouth of his servant Rabshakeh was the cause Thus we see four Plagues and their Causes Now I shall say somewhat of their

causers The two first of these were caused by the people the other two by Kings In the two first I observe that the Scripture makes mention only of the number of the people without particularising what they were that died whether Men Women or Children or all of them In the two latter it makes mention of Men only first in King Davids time of Threescore and Ten Thousand men and in Senacheribs Camp of One Hundred Fourscore and Five Thousand men and I believe that in the two last none but men died for King Davids sin was numbring the men the women were not numbred And in Senacheribs Camp the Scripture sayes plainly that those that died were mighty men of valour Leaders and Captains in the Camp of the King of Assyria 2 Chron. 32.21 And I believe that few or no women followed the Camp so far And although frequently in Scripture where men are spoken of women are included yet I presume that in both these they were wholly exempt From hence I observe that all the Plagues wherewith it hath pleased God to visit this Nation were drawn down upon it by the sins of the people and not by any particular act or crime of any the Kings thereof for I cannot find nor do I believe that any one hath read of a Plague within this Nation which spared either Sex or Age. Now to look home to our selves Let us consider for which of these four causes or whether for all of them God is pleased to afflict us with the present raging Pestilence Although I am confident this Nation is sufficiently guilty of all of them yet I am of opinion that more particularly this Judgment is laid on us for the first of them the sin of Rebellion which extended much farther than that of the Israelites against Moses and Anton for they only murmured they touched not the life of either of them and yet God plagued them for it Our Rebellion extended to the height of Rebellion even to the taking away the life of the best of Kings his late Majestie of ever blessed Memory whose blood doubtless doth uncessantly cry to the Lord for Vengeance For if the Lord punished the sin of Saul a King so severely for shedding the blood of the Gibeonites who were his Vassals and Slaves Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water that neither the lives of himself and his three sons who fell all in one Battel in one day nor the three years of Famine in the Land could appease Gods wrath therefore but that the blood of seven more of Sauls sons must do it May not then this Nation justly expect Gods greatest judgments to fall on the people of it for shedding the blood of their lawful Soveraign For their sin herein was as much greater than Sauls by how much a lawful and good King over three so fair large and populous Kingdoms is greater than a Vassal or Slave And because Murther of all sins is the most hainous in the sight of the Almighty but especially the Murthering of Kings and Nobles therefore God punisheth it with one of his severest punishments I mean with the Plague for God himself accounted three dayes Pestilence equal to three Months flying before the Enemy or three years of Famine Some may Object and say That it is a vain and ridiculous thing to imagine this present Plague to be inflicted upon us for a thing so long past I answer in the words of the Psalmist Psal 9.12 When God maketh inquisition for blood he remembreth them When God will make inquisition for blood there is none can tell but when he doth then he will not fail to remember them that shed it This When hath not at any time since the death of our late Martyred Soveraign come so near as now and therefore I cannot choose but take particular notice of it For God doth not alwayes make inquisition for blood so soon as it is spilt but many times a great while after as may appear by the Gibeonites for Saul slew them in his life time in favour of the men of Israel and Judah and yet God sent a Famine of three years in the time of King David after Sauls death for that a full satisfaction for their blood was not then made by the blood of Sauls Family And when David asked them what he should do for them to make an atonement to the Lord they though slaves asked neither silver nor gold nor Liberty but seven of Sauls sons whom they hanged to cease the Famine Thus much then for supernatural causes I shall now proceed to give you some Causes natural The first and great Cause natural is the infection of the Air and the Rule and Raigning of the Plannets over mens bodies from which proceeds the Contagion of Converse And I conceive that the contagion of the Air doth arise from the unseasonableness of the weather for the weather hath been very seldom since the beginning of the Plague sutable to the season of the year but the Air hath been close and obnubulated insomuch that the Sun hath not had the full power to do its Office which is to exhale all Foggs and malign Vapours c. arising from terrene bodies which corrupt and infect the Air. The second is the inclination of mens bodies to receive and retain the suppressions of the Air. And mens bodies are most inclineable to it when they are disordered by immoderate eating or drinking by heats or colds c. And it is thought by some that things eaten long since may in some measure be introductory to it For some Physitians are of opinion that the unwholsom meat by reason of the great Rot among Sheep eaten by the Poor last Year may now cause so great a Malignity as to prove contagious Now the first and great Antidote and Preservative against the Plague is hearty Repentance and fervent Prayer For Prayer upon Repentance is of all things most powerful with God the many and mighty effects whereof the Holy Scriptures do abundantly declare I shall give one instance of the excellency of it briefly as I had it related to me by a worthy Gentleman my very good Friend as followeth Many years since it pleased God to afflict the Kingdom of France with a Contagious sneezing that might justly be termed epidemical for in a short space it swept away many thousands of people And the King then Regnant took all possible care to abate it by convening all the learned Doctors in his own Nation together with the assistance of some from Neighbouring Nations and all to small purpose for all Philosophie Physical could by no means abate it At length they fell to their Devotions and in a very short space it pleased God to cease it which hath procreated a good Ceremony amongst them ever since used that when any man sneezes all the Company put off their Hats and pray Dieu vous assiste which is God help you the Lord bless you The second or mean Antidote and Preservative against Infection is to take the advice of some learned Physician whether Galienical or Chymical and to do thereafter FINIS