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	speak_v	word_n	2,857	5	3.9757	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03312	The noblenesse of the asse A worke rare, learned, and excellent. By A.B.; Nobilita dell'asino. English	Banchieri, Adriano, d. 1634.	1595 (1595)	STC 1343; ESTC S104471	32,473	62

were went to put some heauie thing on their head and binde an arme behinde being first hood winckled then would the rest runne about him thus vsed singing Vnload the Asse and if he feele not Looke to his standing that he reele not 1 Diodorus Siculus declareth that at such time as the Isle of Scicile was gouerned by tyrants there was a statute that a woman offending in adultrie should frée her selfe swearing she had not committed adulterie being brought before the head of an Asse which for this purpose was kept in the temple dedicated to God Bacchus 2 There was an vse among the Gentiles that they in iest willing to giue an oath to children they would fasten a lampe at their garment with a haubercher after the fashion of a long triangle and holding thereby say Sweare here vpon this eare of the Asse Here it remaines to speake of them that of olde haue bene named by the Asse and of families likewise which haue called themselues of the Asse But because they are infinit and all the skinnes in the land of Madiam cannot containe them I intend only to name two as hitherto of the rest I haue done leauing the endlesse number of the other to them that list imploy their paines about such a businesse But yet among so many I must not forget that famous nauall victory which the auncient Persians brought with them out of Egypt and Noacles a moste excellent Painter in those dayes desirous to remember the same by his Arte painted an Asse drinking at the Riuer Nilus in despight of the Crocadile which being ouercome in power and thus subiected stoode patiently to see him drinke as Plinie reporteth 1 Then not to let passe in silence the names of men called Asse as their proper names I may first alleadge the name of Asinius Gallus who was sonne to Scipio Affricanus And who desires to know an infinite number of men both Senators of other discents which by proper name were called Asini let him reade Ciceros Epistles to Atticus where he shall finde an endlesse beadrole 2 Here may I wel insert the name of a famous man a moderne Cittizen of Florence of the auncient family of the Asini to wit maister Asino whome the Historie of Florence faithfully reports to reforme and correct the statutes of the merchaunts for which his Asse-gloring name will for euer be renowmed in that Citie Pindarus and Macrobius in the fift booke of his Saturnalles affirmeth that the famous Gréeke which made the Horsse of wood by meanes whereof the Grecians got the Citie of Troy was called Asinon whereas Virgill naming him Sinon we may safely auouth that the good Poet who fauoured the Troyan part from whence the Romanes had their originall was procured to alter the name of the aforesaid Asinon euen no otherwise then the Grecians did when by publike decrée he was censured with banishment that should speake of his name who to get himselfe fame set on fire the Temple of Diana at Ephesus And so to conquere with obliuion such a famous Asinon whose praise well deserues to liue for euer they haue taken away his names first letter and in stéed of Asinon call him Sinon 1 We haue alreadie declared that in Florence liues the noble Familie of the Asini 2 In Pisa likewise is there another and in Bologna that of the Asinelli where also is stil celebrate the famous Tower which the noble Asinelli in elder times erected But to what end trouble I my wittes in this maner seeking by the light of an Asse-friending lanthorn for names sirnames and families séeing our Poet himselfe thus singeth If I should speake more matter of import By grounded reason I might safely say The Asse in men that are of learnedst sort Seemes to haue priuiledge and greatest sway Tis too well knowen wherefore I silent sit As hauing thereof neither spoke or writ Beside all this I doo not meruaile a little séeing such an infinit company of fooles who being honoured with the excelling name of Asse will yet runne he adiong to brabble and quarrell when setling to their weapons they will flash and cut they care not with whom All which happeneth by reason it is no common vse to apply the name of so Noble a beast to man who notwithstanding cares not for the ignomie to bee tearmed after other wicked beastes more vnbeséeming as to be called Beare Lyon Dogge and such like This was the cause that our Poet mooued by a thousand reasons saith Nor know I wherefore choller doth so daunt A man when he is tearmed by the Asses name Whereof me thinkes much rather he should vaunt Now procéed we to speake of the Asses Prouerbes 1 When a man will not repeate his wordes againe he vseth to say It is May no more or May is past so things are auoyded from twise speaking The meaning here of may be this because the first moneth that Asses doo make knowne to the worlde their louing nature to each other they send foorth their goodly swéet and continual brayings whereof they forme a melodious and proportionable kinde of musicke Nor thinke I that any of our immoderne Musitians can deny but that their song is full of exceeding pleasure to be heard because therein is to bee discerned both concord discord singing the meane the beginning to sing in large compasse then following on to rise and fall the halfe note whole note musicke of fiue voyces firme singing by foure voyces thrée togither or one voyce and a halfe Then their variable contrarietie amongst them when one deliuers foorth a long tenor or a short the pausing for time breathing in measure breaking the minim halfe minim or verie least moment of time Last of all to heare musicke of fiue or sixe voyces chaunged to so many of Asses is amongst them to heare a song of world without end Hence is it that a man being so attentiue to heare this kinde of Asse musicke cannot listen or lende his eare to what else is said to him and therefore it is lawfull by perticular priulledge of the said May moneth to repeate the words to such as without offence would learne them by heart nor shall it be taken so vnmanerly done as it were in any of the other moneths 2 When Apuleius sawe himselfe transformed into an Asse he resolued to shewe his maister by the effects of all his personage the great loue he bare him So after the maner of the house Dogge kéeping his hinder féete on the ground and rising vp with his former he so clambred vpon his maister as but a while before he had séene the litle Dogge doo And albeit his kinde Assehith intent he disclosed to his maister yet such maner of salutation in him was not taken in good part Hereof then it comes that when a man suspects or misdéemes of an others familiaritie he vseth to say He plaies the Asses pastime with me So was it went to be said What the Asse giues in such he

proofe sufficient inough without calling Aristotle to witnesse who confesseth the same in his fourth booke of the parts of beasts Therefore it is not to be meruailed at that so brotherlike he goeth with all beasts and trauelleth with man so quietly which likewise was regarded by the same Poet when he said The Asse doth neuer harme nor vse deceit As do the Foxe and Wolfe of rauenous minde Who still for spoyle lye all the yeare in wait He boldly braues not any other kinde To such as rydes him he procures content And is a foe to warre or brabblement Such as delight themselues in ryding on the Asse séem to haue no common or vulgare iudgement because they make choyse of the very noblest beast that euer was produced by nature Wherfore it is not to be thought strange why our Poet exhorteth to ryde on him saying Who would not go on foote and yet desires An ambling Haqueney or fine paced lennet Ryde he the Asse that neuer failes or tires Afterward to honor the Asse the more thus he procéedeth A good regard by nature hath the Asse In Alexandria when to ryde they please They vse none else nor in the East like case But we that neuer can our mindes appease But we that neuer can our mindes appease With what our country yeelds by natures grace Seeke Dolphins on the lulles Woolues in the seas The same Poet to confirme how pleasing the delight of ryding on the Asse is declares in a fewe verses a little merrie storie in this maner A Pensiue man I met vpon the way Ryding no faster then his Asse would goe His sadnesse grew thereby as some did say One ryding faster yet in scorne would know His cause of griefe whereon poore man quoth he Ryde faster and this fit will soone be gon Wherewith he turned angry as might be Saying My friend leaue me and ryde thou on I am to iourney as best liketh me This pace so sweet and pleasing to my minde Is my delight when gallopping like thee Such pleasure and content I should not finde That the Asse is a beast as apt to be taught as the Elephant and goes very farre beyond him though daily experience shewes vs much yet shall it not be offensiue for me to recount an Asse-fauouring historie which maister Iohn Lyon a most diligent and faithfull Cosmographer of Affrica noteth in the eight part of his great volumme where describing what notable things are found in Affrica he discourseth on matters concerning the great Cittie of Cayro and among other speaketh thus as followeth Hither were brought many pleasant iestes especially such as teach Cammels Asses and Dogges to daunce a sight very pleasing to behold chiefly in the Asse for at a certaine time one of these Iesters when his Asse had danced a while speaking to him said in this maner The Soldane meanes to erect a goodly building wherfore he shall néede to imploy all the Asses in Cayro for carriage of lime stone and other necessary things At these words the Asse sodeinly fell to the grounde turning his héeles vp toward heauen his belly swollen and his eyes closed euen in such sort as if he had bene dead Then fell the man to many lamentable circumstances how he had lost his Asse and entreated the by standers that they wold helpe to requite him with another and therefore to make some gathering among them yet they saide they did not imagine his Asse to be dead albeit he stirred not but knew his counterfeit drift was to get himselfe some money and prouender for his beast Then they turned to the Asse bidding him to arise but he stirred not although they laboured him with many stripes and could not get to rise by all their endeuour then the man pursuing his former practise said to the standers by Gentlemen I giue ye all to vnderstand how the Soldane hath caused to be published by sound of Trompet that to morrow all the people in Cayro must goe forth to sée his tryumph commaunding all the faire gentlewomen in the Cittie to be mounted on goodly Asses afterward the beasts shall eate good barley and drinke the pure water of Nylus No sooner had the Iester spoken these words but the Asse leapt vp on his féet and brauely shewed signs of excéeding contentment whereon the Iester thus began againe I heare it for credible that a certaine peazant of the Countrey where I was borne hath euen now made a request to me that this faire Asse of mine might serue his foule ill fauoured wife to ryde on The Asse at these spéeches as if he had humane vnderstanding laid downe his cares flat and beganne to goe about halting feyning as if he had bene starke lame Then said the Iester doth yoong and faire women please thée Heereat the Asse merely lifted vp his head euen as if he had replied that they did His maister procéeding said Here are many both yoong and faire shewe me which of them best liketh thée The Asse running to make search where diuers women stood to behold him and making choyse of the verie fairest and most honourable to her he went and touched her with his head Then all the standers by cried with a loude voyce Behold the Ladie of the Asse as making a merie iest of the matter And the man mounting on his Asse rode to shewe his quallities else where But what greater example of an Asses instruction can we alleadge then that which Ammonius Alexandrinus a Philosopher of no meane estéeme affirmeth to wit that he had an Asse was his scholler and came ordinarily to hear his readings This meruell moued our Poet to sing There was an Asse once so ingenious As most attentiuely he heard the skill Of that praise-worthie man Ammonius But whither wander I to gather matter of his praise in this print when it might suffise me only to speake of him that which followeth in our Poets Canto that is In sooth I thinke that who so giues his minde T'obserue his iestures by good proofe shall see To Mathematique skill he is enclinde Because without reach of Astrologie Aboue the rest he doth the spring descrie For alwaies by his voyce the same is told When as he feedes and delueth with his foote Or to the earth holds downe his head be bold Raine doth ensue to bide is no boote How wise and well aduised beside all this the Asse appeares to be I think there is not any man in the world but remembers knows it wel inough because he wil neuer return any way where he hath once stumbled or falne And although he may be enforced thereto by his maisters stripes yet he hath a very respectiue care of his stepping his foote in the former place of offence as with great wit our Poet noteth the same saying Oh that the Asse were but so happie blest To haue a tongue as men haue to disclose How much his thoughts with vertues are possest Then would his deeds reueale what hidden goes For