Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	know_v	see_v	speak_v	2,811	5	3.9392	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03119	A modest defence of the caueat giuen to the wearers of impoisoned amulets, as preseruatiues from the plague wherein that point is somewhat more lergely reasoned and debated with an ancient physician, who hath mainteined them by publicke writing: as likewise that vnlearned and dangerous opinion, that the plague is not infectious, lately broched in London, is briefly glansed at, and refuted by way of preface, by Fr. Hering D. in Physicke. Reade without preiudice; iudge without partialitie.	Herring, Francis, d. 1628.	1604 (1604)	STC 13248; ESTC S116668	27,376	51

catholike diuine Medicine by the Authors and commenders thereof He may likewise call to minde that the most precious Balmes and soueraigne Antidots which is more Physicke herselfe that noble science is esteemed no better by many than a meere trifle Besides this if the greatest learnedest and complet Prince of Europe haue vouchsafed of late to stoope so low as to take vp though to throw away againe that base strange ill-sauouring weede or rather intoxicating poison Tobacco discoursing thereof so learnedly iudicially and admirably as he may seeme to haue beene brought vp all his life at the feet of Hippocrates and not exercised from his birth in the gouernment of great States and Kingdomes it can be no disparagement for me who am infimus è plebe to spend some few spare houres in the examination of these Amulets Wherin if I haue failed and slipped now and then as I feare I haue too often impute it I pray thee friendly Reader to my manifold auocations and distractions in this heauy dolefull and lamentable time of visitation Da mihi Maeoniden tot circumspice Casus Ingenium tantis excidet omne malis The Lord of his infinit goodnesse continue and perfect his gracious worke of mercy toward vs in remoouing wholy this grieuous contagious and fearefull Plague putting vp his sword altogether into the sheath and restoring vnto vs the daies of Health and Comfort that we being schooled by these afflictions may euery one of vs breake off our sinnes by compassion to the poore and putting away the wickednesse that is in our hands serue him in holinesse and righteousnesse all the daies of our life A MODEST DEFENCE OF THE CAVEAT GIVEN TO THE WEARERS OF impoisoued Amulets as Preseruatiues from the Plague AMicus Plato Amicus Socrates sed magis Amica Veritas Plato is a friend Socrates a friend but Trueth ought to be the chiefest friend to all true Philosophers much more Christians I set foorth of late a short Caueat concerning empoisoned Amulets or Plague-cakes as they are called moued thereunto as by many other reasons so especially because I greatly feared that through an vnsound and idle persuasion of their force other more rationall and effectuall remedies were neglected An ancient and graue Physician whom I reuerence for diuers good respects hath stood vp and pleaded their cause I amno Pythagorean Nullius addictus iurare in verba magistri I would not willingly pinne my iudgement vpon any mans sleeue be he neuer so graue and learned vnlesse I be drawen by good and sound reason Humanum est errare Therfore remaining yet vnsatisfied I haue thought good not in any contentious humor but in desire the trueth may be sifted out and my selfe resolued and better instructed if I erre to consider of them somewhat more largely That if they be found so noble and Catholike a Medicine as some esteeme them they may be still retained and imbraced in our bosoms and if vpon examination they prooue suspicious dangerous and hurtfull they may be cashered and abandoned First therefore because Opinion and Name preuaile much to forestall the Market and wholly possesse mens mindes with preiudice leauing no one roome for reason I will be silent a while and you shall heare one of the most learned wise and famous Physicians of Europe I meane Horatius Augenius very learnedly ingenuously iudicially grauely and honestly after his maner vttering his mind of this point in Question Whom I produce the rather because it is intimated that Italian Physicians which Countrey without question breedeth many excellent men in that faculty haue these Amulets in high and rare estimation Heare therefore what Augenius without exception one of the greatest Masters in Physicke that Italie nourisheth at this day if he be yet aliue speaketh to this purpose Lib. 3. de Peste cap. 27. De sublimato Arsenico Cristallino Puluere Bufonis I haue read in the writings of some Empericks that the powder of a Toad Arsenicke or Sublimat if they be worne vpon the region of the heart so as they touch the skin do maruellously preserue men from the Plague And they esteeme this as a great secret and as I vnderstand haue drawen some rich persons to be of their opinion I who do not easily beleeue euery thing which I reade or heare doe greatly doubt of the force and nature of those poisons and do assuredly persuade my selfe that they can neuer produce any such effect And that I may lay open my opinion we must know that Experience especially in such kinds is perillous for since the action of the Physician is performed vpon so noble a Subiect as the body of Man the nature and force of euery vnknowen medicine is with great iudgement to be examined searched out and the Rule of Examination is to cōsider whether Reason approue and persuade it or disclaime and reiect it If Reason allow and persuade it thou maiest boldly vse it without scruple but if Reason gainsay it no medicine is to be vsed vnlesse thou be assured of the operation thereof by the long experience of men of singular iudgement I say long experience for we must not trust one two or three experiments but very many are to be diligently considered and wisely gathered that the right habit of experience may be attained which may deserue the commendation of all men because it is one of the instruments as we haue sayd elsewhere by whose meanes and helpe Remedies are inuented We must likewise marke well that our experience take her originall from a man worthy to be credited of great iudgement wise knowing well how to distinguish from what cause the successe proceedeth whether from the medicine the temperament of the body the time of the yeere chance or other infinite respects It falleth out dayly that we see many effects which haue a farre different cause from that the common people dreame of Now to applie those things that haue beene spoken to our purpose I affirme confidently that such a medicine of poisons applied outwardly to the body hath no manifest probable or demonstratiue reason whereby we may be persuaded that they haue so miraculous efficacie against the Plague They will say that by similitude of substance there is attraction of the venim from the heart to the outward part by the attractiue vertue of the poison But this can not so much profit as euidently hurt Let vs grant that the venimous facultie of the poison penetrateth to the heart I pray you what effect will it produce there It can not draw the venom to it for there is none because he whom we will preserue is yet sound If therefore the heart be disposed to receiue the venimous infection of the aire what shall hinder the force of the outward poison that it may not infect the heart and other principall parts and if it be once entred into the heart what shall let the distribution of it by the Arteries into all the bodie O great

visited emptied Shall we imagine that the punishing Angell stayed their retiring and had no commission to deale with them out of the City and not rather thinke that the aire of the City being tainted their bodies disposed to receiue infection this euill hath seized vpon them If we looke into the city we shall finde that in Cheap-side and other open and large streets and in faire roomy and spacious houses the Pest hath not set in such sure footing nor made such hauocke as in narrow lanes allies and other pestered and noisome corners where families of poore people are thronged together as men vse to packe wooll-sacks one vpon another so that one of them can scarse breathe beside his fellowes face Shall we imagine that faire and ample streets that sweet and goodly houses are priuiledged from the stroke of the Angell or from the arrowes of the Almighty more than poore and smoakie Cottages Are not such places as full fraught and replenished with sinnes of all sorts crying to heauen for vengeance as those low and base Cabbins of simple and miserable creatures I am not ignorant how ignorant and vnlearned men argue as they suppose strongly against all these things If the Plague proceed from naturall causes or corruption of the aire then all persons without exception who liue and and breathe in the corrupted aire must needs be poisoned and infected which all men know to be vntrue But Reason it selfe will easily teach vs the inconsequence of this argument for who knoweth not that one and the same cause doth not alwayes worke alike and that effects are varied according to the variety and diuersity of the suffering matters and obiects The same Sunne hardeneth the clay and mollifieth the waxe one and the same Northern winde doth not pinch and pierce all bodies with the like coldnesse If we should grant that all mens bodies were alike disposed to receiue the infected aire which is most false yet there may be many causes why the like effect should not follow in them all As to make it plaine because one man hath carefully vsed some soueraigne and apposit Preseruatiue another hath neglected or contemned all such courses and as bolde and blinde bayard rushed vpon all dangers another being a little touched or tainted hath straightway sent for or consulted with a learned Physician and taken a conuenient and rationall medicine another either scorneth and refuseth Physicians and Physicke or els sendeth to the Physician when the bell is ready to toll for him and when the steed is stollen begins to shut the stable doore But beside and aboue all this we must know that God Almighty hath an ouerruling hand whereby he doth guide and direct naturall causes and effects and heereupon it commeth to passe that Contagion though neuer so strong cannot seaze on all though neuer so much disposed and exposed thereunto All men are not poysoned that drinke poyson nor all killed with the sword or shot that goe to warre And yet poyson is lethall and the sword deuoureth as well one as another Therefore to argue that diuers Physicians Nurs-keepers and Surgeons conuersant about sicke persons are not tainted at all therefore there is no contagion in the Pest is all one as if a man should reason thus that the poyson of the viper were not deadly because the Apostle Paul being bitten by a viper had no harme or that the sword is no deuourer because Iehosaphat being strongly belaid and crying to the Lord was deliuered and passed with his life I haue cursorily runne ouer these things because the argument hath beene more largely handled of late by a iudicious Diuine and the opinion hath beene since that time somewhat minsed and qualified how substantially and clarke-like I will not now stand to discusse Onely I thought meet because this conceit is not onely erroneous but dangerous and pernitious to the weale-publicke and being too grossely broched at the first hath left a deepe impression in the mindes of the vulgar sort who are as the Oratour saith Pluma ipsa leuiores as light as feathers tossed to and fro with euery blast of vaine ann idle heads briefly to touch it by the way Tanquam aliud agens It remaineth that acknowledging the pests contagion we notwithstanding who are Christians carefully auoid that faithlesse and Paganish fearefulnesse whereby we are made to breake all the bonds of Religion Consanguinitie Alliance friendship and pollicie the husband forsaking and abandoning his deare wife the parents leauing their children to sinke or swimme the Pastor exposing his flocke to euery deuouring woolfe and the Magistrate his people vnder his charge to all confusion and disorder We are apt to rush into extremities This were Incidere in Scyllam whilest we would Charibdim vitare to auoid one euill and commit as great or greater mischiefe As he is to be esteemed a good subiect and citizen who though he will not intrude into euery fray made by desperate Ruffians with whom he hath nothing to doe least he catch a broken pate or woorse turne yet will boldly enter the battell against the enimie of his Countrey when he is thereto called by his Prince though with euident hazard of his life so he is to be reputed a grounded discrete Christian who as he will not rush rashly into euery infected and visited house without iust cause warrant or calling so when he is called or tied by any bond of Piety Nature or Policy he will not forsake his station or detract and forslow any duty or office though the performance thereof be with euident danger of health goods or life it selfe For in these cases we may confidently expect a protection from Heauen and say with Hester If I die I die If we fall we shall fall in and not out of our way wherein the Lord of heauen guide vs by his good spirit of wisedome till we come to the end thereof which is the saluation of our Souls Now to returne to our Amulets from whom by occasion we haue made ouerlong a digression as I gaue at the first a briefe aduertisement concerning them without any euill intention to wound any particular man in his credit no not if I had beene able as I am not so I haue reioyned not in any contentious humour but in a desire to be satisfied if I erre and reformed in my iudgement I must needs acknowledge that considering the obiect of my Profession which is that short Epitome of the grand world that wonder and Miracle of Nature that Temple of the holy Ghost that Lord of the inferiour creatures Man I haue bene very scrupulous if not superstitious in vsing any doubtfull suspitious or dangerous Medicine whereof I haue not beene well and thoroughly perswaded If any suppose this to be Contentio de lana caprina aut asini vmbra too base and meane a toy or trifle to be stood vpon let him remēber that it is made no base dredge but a noble