Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	great_a	king_n	kingdom_n	9,660	5	5.5175	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25731	Apprentices no slaves An answer to a namelesse pamphlet lately published as an Act, declaring what habit apprentices are to wear. With an additional order forbidding their wearing of points, ribbons, and other trimmings whatsoever.		1662 (1662)	Wing A3585A; ESTC R214866	2,938	10

APPRENTICES no SLAVES An ANSWER TO A Namelesse PAMPHLET Lately published as an ACT declaring what HABIT APPRENTICES Are to wear With an Additional Order forbidding their wearing of Points Ribbons and other Trimmings whatsoever THE Scribler of this Pamphlet for he is not the Author except in some nonsensical places of his own intercalation and Addition seems to be the Tell-Stripe Clerk of Bridewell or the Keepers man of Little-Ease who having by the corruption ruption and Bribery of a Pot of Ale got some idle Clerk to turn over some musty Rolls got these Moth-eaten Orders of Apparel to be transcribed and then with a bold Title at Randome not assigning any Time when they were Enacted by the City supposeth as his intention is to impose upon the Reader the Prentices as it is in Law will take uncertain time for the Present and buy it out of Curiosity or Indignation and then his turn is served The whole drift of this Libell looks very like the Story of the Gibeonites who with mouldy bread and clouted Shooes came to make Indentures with the Israelites and by them were made Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water The manner of this Libellous design is a little different from the Gibeonites he pretends not to come a far of from antique obsolete and old Customes but obtrudes these mad Whimseys as of the present times and newly fitted and furbish'd up for the next mode and fashion and that from no lesse Authority then Be it Enacted c. But before we come to that let us consider the Preface which should by custome shew the Reasonablenesse and ground of such an Act. T is this For Reformation of many abuses growing by reason of Excesse and strange fashion of Apparell used by many Apprentices within the City of London and the Liberties thereof Good Mr. Gravity and for satisfying such others mark the Wisdome of the Law-giver who being well disposed are contented with such Apparel as is fitting and their Masters wel l able to afford them Be it Enacted c. Sure this came out of the Oracle of the black Pot especially the Hinder Part or Rump end of it it 's a pretty doubsul and ambiguous sentence betwixt sense and English to satisfie such as are contented already with their Clothes Mighty man of Reason Could he find no better dresse of words for the Cities meaning or was it on purpose to cloth their Intentions with the same Impertinencies and absurdities as these Orders would the Apprentices Indeed he graceth the City in the same manner as the odd and antick kind of Habit enjoyned in the ensuing orders would if received into monstrous use again out of which for Forty years last past it hath been exploded and dismissed But this Cato talks of Reformation a dangerous word and mainly driven on lately by Shoomakers and Taylors and we all know what it proved It is a maxime of State that even evils of Custome and which are deep rooted in the minds of men are rather to be endured then to substitute new ones in their places which might bring danger to the Common-wealth by the alteration of them Add hereto the long prescription to the contrary and that the Reformation of the Apparel of Prentices as the case stands may not be of as evil consequence as may appear by several reasons we refer it to the Reader to judge For London is no Algier where the captive slaves have their several Badges by which they are to be known though it may be presumed the rigidnesse of some Masters cared not even in this City if there were Brands put upon Servants as they do upon Horses to showe their absoluteness and Propriety Nor are the Apprentices like the Helots to the Lacedemonians at the unlimited unbounded will of their Masters having no power of their own not so much as of the faculties of their understanding Nor have their Parents by committing them to the care of their Masters wholly quitted and resigned their right and Interest in their Children by their Indentures No there 's no such matter they are English men born and cannot lose that natural Freedom and 't is as absur'd that a municipal Franchisement the freedome of one City should swallow up and annul that of the whole Nation and Kingdome as 't is for a smaller thing to contain a greater for a Gudgeon to devour a Pike Besides this Common Liberty there are many and those thousands which can and justly do pretend to greater Priviledges by their Birth and Descent which as well by Custome as the Courtesie of England are due to them so that as to these persons who as is said are so numerous it is impossible these Orders should take effect And the exception of them out of this yoake will and must be stretched to those who make up the lack of Gentile Fxtraction by Wealth and Estate of which there is neer one third of the Prentices This likewise maugre all opposition will fall into the Imitation of those who being of as honest Parentage will ambitiously think in some degree to follow the Fashion so that it will be a work of more difficulty to reduce them then a bare be it enacted On the contrary side see what Honour this handsomnesse and fashionable of Apparel worn now by the Apprentices hath done to this City and the whole Kingdome It is the happinesse as it was the acknowledgement of one of the best and greatest of them of the Kings of England that they rule not over Slaves but Subjects It was generally confessed and spoken by Strangers that the Auxiliary Regiments of London the last general Training day were the finest bravest Sight they ever see being equally mixt with terrour and delight so that London which was reported to them for a Hell seemed plainly to be a Heaven for Servants and that it was no little addition to its former glories Indeed the Buffe Doublet better becomes such brave Spirits then Leather Breeches and 't is known to whom the City was beholding for her Safety during all the dangers of the late Anarchy and it would be a very ill requital to give them a Fools Cap who never feared to expose their heads without Helmets for their Security This City is now another place then what it was formerly not only to the Gentility and Wealth of those that are bred in it many persons being sent hither as Sir Bollen Lord Mayor of London Ancestor to Queen Eliz. ad Aedificandum domum Antiquam to build up and repair their antient Families but also in regard of its Potency and Commerce we deal now in our own Shops with most People of the World from whom we have learned Civility with their fashions and therefore 't is fit Apprentices should not be in that despicable Habit as to cause men to disdain converse with them which is the only means of promoting Trade Whereas formerly the Easterlins managed all the forraign businesse very few English Merchants being then resident here but were content to truck as it were under those Forraigners So that it is requisite that to this opulency there should be a suitable bravery and 't is the most innocent as it 's a natural pride that floweth and ariseth from Plenty 'T would be a mad antick Sight to see now out Dames and Mistresses in their wide Fardingales with which they could scarce enter in at a Church dore and the Apprentices in their close order in a Jack a Lents pair of Breeches ready to run in at a Mouse hole instead of civilly becoming their Shops And sure the world especially London hath been frantick long enough and needs none of Tom Bedlams Guegawes for their divertisement unlesse they will professe themselves Quakers as well as they stifly say they will be P For the rest of this Pedlery it will raise so much dust if we brush it having lain so long by that though it was thought fit at first to beat it that it might foul no Fingers it shall now rot with this Epitaph on these Monuments and Records of the Tyranny used formerly to Apprentices that the Kent Street Warchouse compared with it is a Compleat Wardrobe In sum It is supposed that Pamphlet was intended to beget some broyl in the City by those who are restlesse in their endevours against our present and we hope perpetual peace which hath therefore obliged this Answer thereto FINIS