Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	natural_a	young_a	youth_n	47	3	8.2309	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59539	Discourses useful for the vain modish ladies and their gallants under these following heads, viz. I. Of some of the common ways many vertuous women take to lose their reputation, &c. II. Of meer beauty-love, &c. III. Of young mens folly in adoring young handsom ladies, &c. IV. Of the power womens beauty exercises over most young men. V. Of the inconstancy of most ladies, especially such as are cry'd-up beauties, &c. VI. Of marriage, and of wives who usurp a governing power over their husbands. VII. Of the inequality of many marriages, with the sad end that usually attend such matches. VIII. Against maids marrying for meer love, &c. IX. Against widows marrying. X. Against keeping of misses. XI. Of the folly of such women as think to shew their wit by censuring of their neighbours. XII. Of the French fashions and dresses, &c. XIII. Of worldly praises which all ladies love to receive, but few strive to deserve. XIV. Useful advices to the vain and modish ladies, for the well regulating their beauty and lives. By the right honourable Francis Lord Viscou	Shannon, Francis Boyle, Viscount, 1623-1699.	1696 (1696)	Wing S2963A; ESTC R222490	137,565	280

of one Vice but the fruitful Parent of many if not most Now remember this That tho' 't is possible that a Woman may be vertuous and not discreet in some Cases yet 't is impossible in any Case that a Woman can be indiscreet by being Vertuous since Discretion is a part of Vertue I shall not here give it as a general Rule without any Exception That a Vertuous Woman must still make a fond Wife for Vertue is still the Gift of God but a Husband is often the gift of a Father and sometimes forced by him and not chosen by her And I will appeal to all Men and Women-kind if this be not a great and real Truth That a Wife 's liking and loving a Husband must depend solely upon her own free Choice and not upon her Father's Will She may indeed obey what pleases him but she cannot love but what pleaseth her self Love is to be led not drawn Vertue may make her a good Wife but Love can only make her a fond one and Content a happy one Now tho' 't is certain That natural Heat still works strong in all young Women's Temper yet 't is far from being certain That Women's Love to their Husbands does still work strong in all young Wives Minds for tho' a brisk Heat still waits on a Woman's Constitution whilst she is a young Woman yet a brisk Love to a Husband does not still attend a Woman's Inclinations whilst she 's a young Wife And the reason of this is plain because often a Woman's Love and liking in the choice of a Husband only springs from and is but the bare Issue of her then first Fancy which perhaps had not the least mixture of good Reason or true Consideration in its composure but was meerly to gratify her passionate amorous Inclinations and such a kind of Love or rather Frenzy is usually but like a Fire of Straw which tho' it lights quick and burns fierce yet it consumes soon and this causes her Love-flame to last no longer than her Love-fancy which is usually but of a short duration as well of a fickle composition But the natural Temper of a young healthful Womans Constitution its Operation may be of long Continuance and must last as long as her youthful Health does Whereas the fickle Love to the Husband of her meer Fancy may possibly not last so long as her Youth or Health either This is the Cause that many of the hot fiery Venus-Brood of young Wives love their Husbands more for the Mans sake than the Man for the Husbands sake for the Man's part oft'n creates Pleasure but the Husbands part oft'n occasions Trouble which makes many of the young Mettle sort of Wives to like well enough coupling with their Husbands by Night who cannot with Gusto relish their single Company by day for they can then entertain themselves with sweet Variety which plainly demonstrates what kind of Divertisement such sort of Wives Love to their Husbands aims at and is delighted in I shall not here venture to lanch my Discourse into the vast Ocean of Reasons and Pretences that there happens in Husbands loving or hating their Wives nor shall I here pretend in the least to mark out the just bounds and true Measures that Husbands ought to use in the Trusting or Mistrusting their Wives Carriage in the Management of their Chastity only thus much I may safely write That there must be great Care taken in raising or falling this Spring that must turn this Engine for over-Liberty or over-Watchfulness and Restraint of Husbands to Wives are of such dangerous Consequences that a Failure of the exact Proportions and just Measures of either side may prove of fatal Consequence Therefore I shall only say That a wise Husband ought to observe a moderate Care between both these Extremities which is the most discreet and secure way and doubtless a politick Husband ought so warily and prudently to steer his Course and soberly and carefully to manage his Carriage towards his Wife as to avoid shewing too great a Jealousie of her or granting too great a Liberty to her lest the first may make her what she should not be and the second cause her to make him what he would not be But 't is more than time to beg your Pardon for having led your Thoughts as far as Italy the Garden of the World only to shew and entertain you with the worst Weed in it which is the Husbands of that Countrey 's jealous and barbarous Usage of their Wives I shall now conclude this Branch of my Discourse by only adding That many Vertuous Wives cause many ill Discourses and sharp reflecting Censures on their Reputation and good Name by their being so vain proud and foolishly indiscreet as not to follow the Fashions of their Betters for doubtless there are Rules and Measures in the Manners of Dresses as well as other Things which Women by the Rules of Discretion and Decency and the Orders of Civil Society ought to observe and follow according to the general Practice that such of their own Quality wear and the Country they live in use and the best and most vertuous Persons they are Neighbours to those to be Followers of and to make a strict Friendship with for men commonly judge of Womens Inclinations by the Company they make choice of and are delighted in There are another sort of Vertuous Wives which is the last Sort I shall speak of who for all their great Vertue will yet make a hard shift but they will be ill talk'd of These are a nice delicate squeamish sort of Virtuous Wives who are or at least would have all think they be great Criticks and strict Followers of all the Punctilio's that belong to and are useful for the maintaining a pure and clear Reputation in this World so as to deserve and preserve a high and vertuous Esteem of all Persons fancying they justly merit all Mens Praises and no ones Censures having such nice and curious Palates in point of good Reputation as they cannot indure the Scandal of allowing a Gallant but yet can at the same time suffer the publick Censure of Entertaining a He-Friend as a dear intimate and constant Companion and hope the good Name of Friend will smother the bad one of Gallant Indeed the Name of Friend may serve as a Blind against a Wives own Fears but it cannot still prove a Defence against others Tongues So vile and censorious is our present Age as most of our young Mens Discourses of hansom Women are so very Satyrical as they generally interpret young Men and Womens entertaining one another to be but Courtship that savors more of pure Venus-Love than true Platonick Friendship and I can too truly say before hansom Women can make all young Mens Courtship to pass for true Friendship they must weed out of this Country all the busie sharp ill-natur'd Censures in it who snatch up any Pretensions to worry and devour a Womans Reputation

friendly Caution that it might appear as publick as young Womens inconstancy or young Mens folly who pretend to a perfect knowledge and sole possession of a young beauties heart you that propound to your selves propriety in Love know Womens hearts like straws do move and that which you vainly think is Sympathy with you is really but Love to Jet in general Indeed the most experienc'd Venus Philosophers and enlightned Inspectors into the humors of most Womens hearts and affections are apt to make as gross oversights in their guesses and fancies of their making good Wives or true Lovers as the ablest Seamen do often commit mistakes in their sight at Sea sometimes taking Land for Clouds other times Clouds for Land Really the very best and most able Masters of Art and most Critical Enquirers with their greatest observations and pretences of knowledge as to the Motions of Ladies hearts can only make such imperfect guesses and speculations as Astronomers do of the Operation of the Stars which is but by the great they can give an account of the general order of Providence in their Stations and Motions but can give no certain Rule or true Measure to discern their Influences upon particular actions or bodies no more than they can give a reason other than Gods Will why constant success attends this Mans undertakings and a continued ill fortune waits on another Mans endeavors or why a wicked cursed Tyrant should live out his Natural Life prosperously among his abused Vassals and our highly excellent and truly pious Martyr King Charles the first of ever Blessed Memory should be barbarously Murder'd by his own free Subjects which is a most clear and plain Lesson of instruction not to Judg the true right of Causes by the false light of successes and therefore sober religious Men freely own their ignorance as to the certain Causes of the divers effects of Gods providence as to the event of things in this world there being such an infinity of Causes that depend on one another that good and wise Christians esteem it their best and safest way to live in a state of Neutrality as to a pretending knowledge of the effects of Gods providence in the Issues either of his Mercies or Judgments And truly if our young Gallants were as wise as they ought to be they would also live in a State of Neutrality as to their Judgment of the motions of young Ladies fancies and be satisfied with these general notions that their minds and inclinations are generally bent towards men who are young handsom rich witty high born well bred and the like but how to discern special Causes for particular Occurrences and to be able to tell the true reasons and give the just measures for Womens so often differing and varying in their Love fancies is I believe beyond the power of Man to Judge some Women esteeming the black before the fair others the fair before the black in which few agree or this handsom Man before t'other and sometimes an ugly Man before them both Womens likings to Men being like their mode of governing who tho the power be still the same and certain yet the manner of it is always changeable and inconstant I say in all these changes or rovings of fancy the most knowing and experienc'd Lovers can make at very best but imperfect Guesses almost as very uncertain as Womens Constancy or young Mens Love which indeed is much of the nature of common Hay and Stubble which a little spark lights and a small time consumes young Men being more inconstant in their addresses than very beauty in its duration most of our young Gallants Love being not able to keep up to the same degree of Elevation as the short space wherein their Mistrisses beauty does In a word I think the best Wit and most knowing Lover cannot say better of the nature of Womens Love than what S. Austin said of the nature of the Times I fancy I know it when no body bids me describe it but find I am ignorant of it when any does Truly few of our 〈◊〉 L●●●es guide themselves in their Love choices by the clear Light and true Rule of Reason which occasions their being so often misled by the vain Love flashes of their present Airy fancy And indeed when a young Mans alluring beauty or what else you please to call it attracts a young Womans sight and thereby moves her fickle fancy and inconstant likings and so stamps a fierce but hasty impression of Love on her tender slippery heart which commonly makes the newest object the richest prize for indeed most of our modish Ladies Gallants are to them like the Fashions where usually the last Commer is best lik'd and most us'd And the Jest of it is that many of these changeable Ladies being so smitten are apt to believe that this their last Love is the only true one and that all their former Loves were but a kind of Mushrom Love which sprung up in a Night as Mushroms do without any Root but that this their present Love is built on good reason and true consideration and therefore shall be like the Laws of the Medes and Persians unalterable being so deeply engraven in their marble hearts as 't is never to be altered or worn out but by death forgetting all the Changes they formerly made and by the same Rule of Inconstancy they may hereafter make according to the taking objects which new conversation may present and that 't is possible if not probable that their present passion of Love that is so newly kindled and fully lighted may in some farther time be swallow'd up and extinguished by a more inviting beauty that may present more charming and agreeable and 't is most certain that the Love which possesses and inflames a young Ladies heart last Eclipses all former fancies as the Suns appearance darkens all other Lights the Sun being to be seen by no other light but his own In short most Womens hearts and Love vows of Constancy are to be read but like strange Prophecies which are to be understood not by their Words but by their Events Indeed most of our airy Ladies are so volatile and fickle in their Amours as not only their Eyes hearts and inclinations but their whole nature is so addicted to change and variety as one might as easily fix Mercury or make brickle Glass malleable as to fix a young Womans humor and love-fancy so as not to break out into change and inconstancy they being more fickle and changable than the very Wind it self for there are Trade Winds that blow still certainly one way all the Year without ever altering from the same Point and Place but a vain Ladies Constancy is not certainly to be found at any time or in any place their Love-humors being like the Camelions Colours whose property is to have no certain one So that 't is no wonder to find a young Woman that is inconstant but a greater one to find one

before Company and act like a Miss in private for many handsom Women that are of a good coming and melting nature assoon as you are a little advanced into their acquaintance and favour yet seem very coy and severe at first entrance into it imitating the Sea which tho never so quiet and calm in the main yet still casteth out rough waves near the shore And now whatsoever men may think of me I am sure my meaning is truly friendly in advising them that if they are in the happy state of freedom not to yoak their Liberty in Marriage for meer Beauty or bare Mony but chiefly for vertue and goodness for if you but consider seriously you will find certainly that the misery of an ill Wife is no new affliction but as very an old one as Marriage and almost Nature it self witness Adam who lived in a continued innocency and felicity whilst he remained in the Paradice of a single Life but he was no sooner Married to Eve but he was cast out of both And 't is most certain let your Love range over Court Town and Country nay ramble over the whole World you can never choose a Wife that is not her Daughter and common experience tells us that there are few Daughters that do not favour something of their Mothers humor as well as nature and therefore 't will be highly prudential in this sad and weighty affair to consider that Marrying a bad Wife as 't is more than an even Lay one does has something in it of the nature of that sin for which men can have no repentance or pardon no more than they can have any ease or relief for it while they live for one may as well pretend to free Deaths Prisoners from the Grave as unchain the Married during their Lives no Skill of the greatest Artist nor yet Argument of the most subtile Socinian can ever evade or loose a Wedding Knot it being of an extraordinary lasting Union quite differing from all others for Men can unbind all others whilst they live but a Marriage Vow can only be unbound by death it self And now I have given you this part of my Opinion as to meer Mony or beauty Marriages which many Husbands may truly call in the Apostles phrase tho spoke in another and more divine sense That Labor of Love I hope 't will not appear an extraordinary fault in saying it S. Paul had foreseen the Romantic Gallantry and extravagant folly I think I might have said madness of many Marriages made now adays which some of our vain inconsiderate Ladies are drawn into by the common report that such a Man has a great Estate which suits well with her eager desire to keep a Coach and six Horses which she vainly fancies will not only carry her thorow all the miseries of Marriage but into the Towring pastime of the Park without the least concern of getting a good prudent sober religious Husband many of them not valuing or at least not considering other than the keeping a splendid Retinue and glittering train of Liveries than wearing rich Clothes adorn'd with Gold and costly Pearl when there are a hundred more weighty concerns that are more needful Appendencies to compleat a happy Marriage Really this is one of the chief Causes why such Marriage Love decays and wears out with their Wedding Coaches and is as often out of order as they 't were well if they still could be as easily mended which none ought to wonder at it being but natural for effects to follow their Causes Among all the great and extravagant follies that are used in the inequalities of Marriages in our days there 's none appears to me more irrational and unnatural than an old Mans Marrying a young Woman which in my Opinion seems a Match fitter to make sport for others than to raise joy to themselves for an old Man is to his young Wifes Bed but like juice of Orange to her Stomack it may create in her an Appetite but of it self can never satisfie it such an old Man being not only unsuitable undecent but unwholesom too being to her like a March Sun which all the great Physitians concur in opinion to be very unhealthful as having only strength to exhale Humors but wants force to dissolve them so that such a Match is so great a folly as I shall only here need name one shameful misery that commonly attends it and indeed I need name I think no other either to fortifie my opinion against it or to set out ones misery for doing it which is this That an old Man that Marries a handsom young Woman tho his Wife may be so vertuous as not to Cuckold him yet the world is so wicked in its reports to Censure him so as it will always which minds me of a story of a Gentleman whom both his Wife and Neighbours agreed to proclaim the truth of his being a Cuckold and she dying he Married an old ugly rigid Puritan that was so odiously deformed as he was satisfied she wanted Power and the world Charity enough to Cuckold him for 't was impossible there could be a spark of Love or liking in the Case and he did believe that this Wife would not only be a perfect Antidote against horns for the time to come but a Remedy for what was past but one of his Neighbours being of a contrary belief call'd him Cuckold upon which he repaired to his learned Counsellor in the Law to know if his present Wife being honest though his former was not so whether he was still a Cuckold or not to which his learned Lawyer gravely answered him That tho he was not one in pure strictness of Law yet being once so the Custom of the Country was so civil as to give him the Title during his Life And now I have given you my opinion and told you the usual fate that attends old Mens Marrying young Women next comes that of young Womens Marrying old Men and tho they appear both alike foolish yet there 's great difference in their folly for as by this sort of Matches old Men glut themselves with much more of the Woman than their age wants so young Wives if vertuous stint themselves with much less of the Husband than their Youth needs and besides tho Marriage has the power tounite two Bodies into one Flesh yet it wants that of uniting the two Fleshes into one temper or Constitution for a young Wife that is in the Spring of her age is like the Sun in the Spring of the Year it not only gets the ascendant every day higher and higher but grows every day more strong and vigorous but an old Husband is like Autumn whose strength goes only downward Therefore I fancy an old Man Marrying a handsom young Lady has nothing to plead but Guilty but a young Lady for Marrying an old Man may have some colourable excuse to moderate the folly and lessen the shame of such an unequal Match for perhaps