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	people_n	see_v	5,614	4	3.3572	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59396	A most excellent eloquent speech made, not by an irreligious, rebellious, improbous, impious, sedicious, pestiferous, pernicious, factious, flagitious, vicious, vafritious, mischievous, malicious, mutinous, luxurious, letcherous, &c. noble peer, but by a most noble and wise pious and vertuous emperor, viz., Alexander Severus to the common people of Rome, assembled before him in Pompey's Theatre : with the causes, as likewise the effects thereof, which were an humble and real cordial verbal address, to his imperial majesty, of all their lives and fortunes : being a rare pattern of pagan piety and obedience : with a few quintessential queries and remarques thereupon : calculated for the meridian of the famous city of London, buy may prove of singualr service and infallible use to all the atheistical, dissenting, disloyal, and phanatical subjects of His Sacred Majesty of Great-Brittain, France, and Ireland, &c. without the least preceptible error or mistake in the world / made English out of Greek.	Severus Alexander, Emperor of Rome, 208-235.	1683 (1683)	Wing S2818; ESTC R2688	10,392	20

and where could there be found a more horrible Tyrant in the which Name he so much delighted that often looking in a Glass he would most exactly form his Visage to the most terrible fashion Also in recompence of your kindness he wish'd that all the people of Rome had but one Neck that he might strike it off at one stroke I 'm asham'd to reherse my Predecessor and Kinsman Heliogabalus that detestable Vessel of Abomination but you ought rather to be asham'd that vou setting apart so great a number of Honourable Personages as were then in the Senate for their Experience Wisdom and Prowess worthy every one of them to be Emperors chose the said Heliogabalus a Stranger born a Boy in Years a Fool in respect of their Wisdom to be your Soveraign Lord who brought you to the most vile Subjection that any people were in the World For is there any thing in Mankind so vile as to be under the Condition of brute Beasts What Beast can you name that will suffer in his presence another Beast to Occupy in the act of Generation her whom he hath chosen for his Mate and Companion but to his power will resist and fight with him Heliogabalus held you in such Slavery that partly to avoid his displeasure partly to Flatter him and get somewhat of him you not only suffered him to abuse your Wives and your Children such as best liked him but also increas'd your Brothel-Houses and with open eyes let your Wives and your Children daily and nighly haunt 'em and openly in the Streets which I abhorr to reherse pick up Men and provoke them to Lechery I omit for shortness of time many such other Elections which have proceeded from your gross and presumptuous Wits after you had transgressed the Order wherein Romulus left you and exceeded the bounds of your Office and Dutys which at last was perceiv'd by you as I suppos'd when you being tedious of that Beastly Liberty and License which that Beast Heliogabalus gave freely to you had slain him and took me to be your Emperor although with all my power I refus'd that burthen until I was by the Senate and you constrain'd to take it upon me and then did you desire me to reduce the State of this City to its first Order About which I have laboured these 8 years with not a little pains study and labour beginning at mine own Houshould to the intent that as well by the example of my Servants and Officers you and others being under my Rule might the sooner reform your selves as also that you might the better perceive and be less offended with my Severity And because I saw much ill Example proceed from the Senate and also that you were oppressed with the Pride and Corruption of Judges and Officers I using much diligence weeded them out and discharged them of their Authorities nay they went not unpunished according to their deserts I purged also the State of Gentlemen from Ribalds and Riotors and advancing others thereunto I caus'd them to be daily exercised in Acts of Prowess or else to hear Lessons in such matters of Doctrine as thereby they might acquire more Wisdom to be Officers or Counsellors in the Weal-Public only the State of the Common People I did not visit saving in punishing of Theeves forasmuch as I judg'd that they had least Liberty to do any great evil being as I said oppress'd with Tyranny And that those Vices which were among them like as they were taken by the Example of their Superiors so I trusted that by their Punishment the said ill manners would be forsaken and by the virtuous Example of such honest Men as I have put in their places good Manners should be as gladly embraced But now I perceive all hath hap'ned contrary to my expectation for the sparing of you and the correcting my own Servants with the sharp Reformation of the Senate and Gentlemen hath brought you to such a heigth of Presumption and Arrogancy that you contend and strive to be equal with the Gentry using no form of Reverence unto them either because you think and imagine that I fear your Puissance more than I favour their Honesties or else that your Riches make you so proud which you abusing in excessive Usuries have therewith devour'd the Patrimonies of many young Gentlemen and have made them Beggars or by the severity of the ancient Laws of this City taken them in Bondage and slain them in Irons And by such colorable Rapine you have bought great Possessions in Greece Sicily Spain c. whereby you accumulate Treasures and Pleasures like to great Princes If you think me to be afraid of your Puissance your opinion is false for above all things I most desire to dye for the defence of the Weal-Public of this Noble City And indeed rather will I dye than see the Calamities which needs must ensue thereupon if Order be not kept as I have before declar'd At that word all the People cry'd out with one voice pouring out tears from their eyes Live most Noble and Gracious Emperor he that would your death let him dye let him be rent into pieces our Puissance shall never annoy you but unto death shall defend you you have restored us unto life that were dead unto Liberty that were in Captivity unto Honour that were dishonoured Live long vertuous Emperor and what you find amiss and faulty in us reform it and we shall obey you and he that shall offer to resist and Rebell let him be slain and drawn with an Hook through the City and thrown into Tiber. You are in Government our Father whom we chiefly will Honour in Age you be our most dear Son whom we will favour more than our own Lives and they often cry'd out Live most gentle and Righteous Emperor Hereat the Emperor relented and with much ado kept the tears from flowing from his eyes and after he had setled his Spirits and Countenance he then speak to them farther after this manner I am glad that you have declared that there is yet in you some portion of Loyalty which gives me hope that neither the Noble Renown of this City began by Romulus and augmented by other Honourable Governors nor my labours in restoring thereof when it was decay'd and likely to perish shall prove of none effect But if you be constant in this Affection I trust that very shortly the Public-Weal shall flourish and that this City and People shall be in as much estimation as ever it was in the time of any of our Progenitors And now have I found again your old Name whereby I will call you the Children and Successors of the vertuous Romans I say you most Victorious People Branches of Romulus Subduers of Realms Samplers of Vertue and Prowess to all the world mitigate your covetous Appetites expell from you Avarice vale your high Courages I mean in exceeding the bounds of your Popular State and comparing your selves with your Superiors

there any other thing privately acted to our Detriment that hath displeased us And as for our accustomed Manners which so well liked and contented you we shall assure you we have not alter'd neither intend we to alter them For Tyranny as we have ever had it in extream detestation so do we now most fervently abominate and abhorr it The Corrupt Nature of our Predecessor had never place in us One Garden at one time brings forth deadly Poyson and wholesome Medicine We see that one Woman which by one Man hath many Children of them some be fair and personable some ill-favour'd and Deform'd some be Ingenious and apt to receive good Learning others we see be Fools and dull-witted one we see is Courageous and Hardy another is a Dastard and a Coward this Child is gentle and inclin'd to vertue that 's fierce and full of Vice Now this is no new thing but in daily experience and if this diversity and varity then happens to be in one Garden and in the Generation of one Father and also of one Mother then I hope we may well escape the cause of this Suspicion We and Heliogabalus had several Fathers and several Mothers and they as different in their Conditions as you your selves can bear witness who have known and seen experienced the Chaste living Sanctity and Prudence of our Reverend Mother and in what vertuous Discipline She hath nurtur'd us and brought us up unto the time that we were called to this Dignity by God and this ought certainly to suffice as well to persuade you that not any thing concerning our self hath moved us to displeasure towards you as also to Exclude all suspicion of Tyranny out of your minds and now shall you know the real cause why we be at this time discontented with you Although we said at the beginning that you went about to dissolve this Empire destroy this City and extinguish the Glorious Fame thereof which indeed is the cause of our displeasure and heaviness yet in those general Words you perceive not I suppose what we mean thereby wherefore be attentive and take good heed and you shall hear it more particularly declared unto you After Romulus had Built this City Romulus he by his Divine Reason considered and as I doubt not in the time of the Building Experience declared That in a confused multitude of People and they being of divers Wits and Conditions if Order were wanting there would be no perpetual Concord but the People of necessity would be compell'd by continual variance and discord either to abandon the City and dividing themselves to seek for sundry places to inhabit in or else abiding there in continual Sedition would shortly and easily be subdued or destroyed by their Neighbors dwelling about them Wherefore he proceeding from a Gentile and Noble House excelling the residue of the people in Noble Courage and fineness of Wit first devised and established this Order viz. That the Company which he had Assembled as well of them which he had brought unto him as of those which he out of divers parts had allured with him should generally be called by the Name of Romans for ever and that of them should be Three States or Degrees every one of them necessary for the Weal-Public of his Noble City in their sundry Administrations Stations Duties and Exercises For the first State he chose out of the whole Congregation an hundred Men Ancient in years which in Moderation of Living Soberness of Manners and sharpness of Wit were the principall Personages of all that number Of these he Estabished a Council whereby the Affairs of the City and the Appendices thereof should be Ruled and Ministred and these Counsellors for their Age should be called Senators Senators for Senes in Latine signifies old Men notwithstanding being saluted or spoken to they should be named Fathers as also the College or Company of them was Incorporate by the Name of the Senate Moreover out of this College should be Elected the chief Judges and Officers in the Weal-Public to whom should be committed the determination of Justice the Execution of Ceremonies and Solemn Sacrifices and other Authorities which belong to Government Wherefore he would that in this State there should be a Majesty which of all other Men should be had in singular Honour and Reverence Now as this State was ordained for Counsel and Government so likewise he Elected out of the redsidue which were Lusty in years Valiant Hardy and Courageous a greater number whom because in Wars they should be on Horse-back he called Equites Equites Equestris and the other he called Equestris to them should chiefly pertain the defence of the City against the Invasion of Enemies with other small Administrations about the necessary Provisions and Ornaments of this Noble City And this State also would he have Honoured of the rest of the People and to the intent they should be known from other Men he assigned them to wear a Ring and to bear Javelins in their hands from whence afterwards they were called Quirites Quirites which in the ancient Tongue of this Country signified Spear-Men Out of this State should be Elected the Senators when the just number of the Senate decayed The third State was of the base People The Commoners or Commoners to whom severally should not be Commited any Authority but should imploy and busie themselves in their proper Occupations and be ready at all times to Execute the Statutes and Ordinances made by the Senate Note That Romulus was none of the three States as also to be obedient to the chief Officers in what pertained to the Weal-Public And moreover when Wars requir'd that they should go forth then were they to be obedient and diligent at the Commands of their Captains and Leaders This Order being Established by Romulus as long as in every degree it was duely observed how marvelously did this City prosper yea how wonderfully did a few Romans in respect not only defend this little Territory against the great number and vast Puissance of divers and sundry people confederated against them but also beat them back to their own houses entred into their Cities despoil'd them of their substance and also compell'd them not only to desire perpetual Peace but moreover at the last to become their Subjects and Tributaries And when this good Order began to be broken your Common State aspiring to Government and Rule where they were ordain'd to obey only What Year I pray can ye find free from Sedition and Discord among you Who can number the Romans which have been slain in Civil Wars and Commotions Who could without tears The Ld. Russel would call these but Stirrs write the dolorous State of this City in the time of Cinna and Marius whom for disdain that they had for the Nobility you Elevated to the highest Dignities By this your Disorder sundry Calamities befell this City you chose Caligula to be your Emperor