Selected quad for the lemma: city_n
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A35867
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A dialogue between an East-Indian brackmanny or heathen-philosopher, and a French gentleman concerning the present affairs of Europe
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Tryon, Thomas, 1634-1703.
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1683
(1683)
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Wing D1301; ESTC R32400
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10,968
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26
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all that will not be of the Religion they pretend to We have in our Country a parcel of People called Hereticks and Hugenotes their Conversation is generally Iust and Honest and they are Peaceable and Obedient to their King and as ready to serve him and do good to their Neighbours as any But they will not joyn with us in our Religions Opinions and Ceremonies Heathen As how I pray French-man Why they will not acknowledge our supream Caliph at Rome to be Infallible They will not say their Prayers to a Statue an Image or a Picture because they fancy those fine things can neither hear them nor help themselves They will not own that the Bone or a piece of the Garment of a man who is himself many Years agone dead and rotten can Cure them of Diseases or preserve them from Dangers But especially when we give them a piece of Bread and tell them 't is Flesh Blood and Bones they think 't is Bread still and are so impudent as to believe their own Eyes before the dictates of our Priests Heathen Why Do you your selves believe and practise these Absurdities French-man Ye marry and would Burn you too if you were in some parts of Christendom and durst say you did not believe them as well as we Heathen Then I bless the good and infinite Beeing that I have no business in such a Christendom But pray proceed with the Story of your Hugenotes French-man We endeavoured to suppress and root them out by severe Laws and open Wars but finding that Course ineffectual we resolved upon a Stratagem to cut them off pretended to be very kind to them and that we desired a perfect Reconciliation and to that purpose made a Match between one of the chief of that Party and a great Lady of ours to solemnize this Wedding the principal Hugenotes repaired from all parts of the Kingdom and had the greatest Assurances given them of Friendship But one Night whilst they suspected nothing Souldiers being drawn together at a certain Hour fell upon them in all parts of the City destroying Men Women and Children so that in two or three Hours time there were above ten Thousand of their dead Bodies flung naked into the Streets and the Channels flowed with their Heretical Blood And at that time Messengers were sent to other Cities and Towns to do the like so that in a few dayes there were above forty Thousand of them slain Was not this a noble expression of Zeal for Religion Heathen God keep such bloody Zeal still from our Indian Territories Do your Priests allow of such doings French-man Allow Yes and applaud them too they are the Men that excite us to these gallant Exploits and for a Reward for these Services do forgive us all our Sins and assure us of Heaven Heathen I know not what they may pretend but this I know that God is Love and that such barbarous Cruelties are to him an Abomination And to speak truth so long as men continue Obstinate Revengeful and Contentious and suffer the wild savage Nature and bitter Spirit to reign in their Hearts neither Men nor God can forgive them for Inequality and Discord cannot move Equality such a Spirit is contrary to the divine Nature and therefore cannot expect Forgiveness till 't is changed and transformed For men cannot draw nigh to the Fountain of Benignity nor be heard of the Soveraign Beeing but as they become like unto him for every like is moulded by its likeness Blood requires Blood but the Merciful shall find Mercy from the God of Peace and Compassion whose Mercies never fail For this cause we have for many Generations totally abstained from all Violence Oppression and Killing either of Man or Beast for the Groanings and Miseries of those Creatures that suffer Wrong are the beginnings of Trouble and Sorrow to those that do it and do certainly stir up and awaken the fierce Wrath in Nature as the Loadstone attracts Iron French-man These are pretty Notions but methinks impracticable For if we Europeans should live the Life you talk of and lay aside Arms and not vindicate our Religion and Liberties by the Sword we should be over-run and be made the greatest of Slaves Have not you heard of the Inroad made at this Instant by the Turks into Germany Now would you have us stand with our Arms a cross and suffer them to over-ran all Christendom Heathen I pray what do you account the occasion that moved the Turk to this Expedition French-man Why the Emperor of Germany in certain of his Territories had some of those Hereticks that I described to you but now and he would force them to be of his Religion and to compell them thereunto seized on their Priests and clapt them into Dungeons and Prisons where they were starved and pined away in Want and Misery and others he sold for Slaves and sent Souldiers amongst them to kill and destroy all that would not Conform to his Ceremonies Hereupon they took Arms in their own defence and observing their Brethren to live free from such Violences and enjoy their Religion under the Turks paying only such Tribute they desire the Turk to protect them which offends the Emperor and so the Quarrel encreasing the Turk sends an Army against him Heathen This confirms and illustrates what I assert for here you see this Deluge of Calamity had not happened to Germany had they not first stirred up the Wrath and caussesly vexed their Neighbours It appears plainly these Flames arise from Sparks of their own kindling besides Experience shews that none are such Vassals and subject to so many Miseries as those that give themselves to the use of Arms viz. to Guns Swords and the like Weapons of wrath and most of them perish by the use of them For our own parts 't is true we do live in subjection and under the burthen of many great Taxes which are levied on us at the pleasure of the Princes we live under but then they protect us from the Injuries of the Multitude allowing us our free Egress and Regress through their Dominions and unquestioned Liberty for the Exercise of our Religion and manner of living They do not endeavour to peep into our Breasts and examine our Opinions or punish us for not thinking as they do We go freely about our occasions nor do they permit every Idle Fellow to take away our Goods nor give us abusive Words or hurry us to loathsom Prisons nor are our Sons forced into the Wars They threaten no Punishment to us provided we do not offend the civil Laws for they matter not what gods we worship nor after what fashion so we are just to men and live peaceably and pay our Tribute If they have our Money they know they cannot want Men that will Fight for two Pence a day But we value our Health our Lives Liberties and Religion more than Money We all drink Water and the fragrant Herbs wholsom Seeds Fruits and Grains suffice
us abundantly for Food Our Stomachs are clean our Appetites sharp so that we taste the inward Virtue of each thing and sing Songs of Praise to the Creator who affords unto us the plenty of the Earth and the pleasant Dews of Heaven so that as Fish live in the Salt and Brackish Ocean and yet their Flesh is fresh and sweet so we in the midst of a tempestuous troublesom World live Calm and as it were in Paradise French-man I am glad to hear you esteem your selves so happy there are few Mortals that are so content with their Lot but are whining repining complaining and alwayes on the Tenter-hooks of new Hopes and Desires Heathen And the reason is because they forsake Nature and let loose their Desires which having once cast off the Bridle of Moderation run on without stop or Bounds French-man But I perceive you are for Liberty of Conscience and that every one may follow his own Opinion and Phantasie and if so we should have a mad World such a License is destructive to Government and the very Nurse of Rebellion Heathen I do not well understand what you mean by Opinion and Phantasie People will think as they list do you what you can But this I know that he that fears God and hurts not his Neighbour oppresseth not the Creation and obeys the civil Laws of that Country he lives in and freely pays all Duties and Tributes to the Princes that protect him is a good and faithful Subject to God and his King Nor have we any temptation to Rebellion for to us all Governments are alike as long as they protect us from Violence I have read something of your Europian Affairs and if I mistake not in France Spain c. where the Laws are to force People to be all of a mind there have been abundance more Rebellions Insurrections Plots and Conspiracies against the Government than in Countries where Liberty of Conscience is publickly allowed whence I rather infer that not the indulging but restraining Liberty of Conscience is the grand Cause of those Disorders amongst you 'T is certain every man ought to have Liberty in Well-doing and to be punished only for the contrary And we Baunians scarce know any thing that is a greater Evil than for men to Contend Hate Envy Oppress Fight and Destroy one another because they are not in all particulars like themselves For men naturally are as various in their Intellects as in their Shapes Forms and Complexions for the Shape and Form of every Body is according to the Nature Equality or Inequality of the Spirit The Lord hath made all things to differ there is not any two things in the four Worlds alike in all particulars therefore whosoever is offended with another because he is not perswaded or does not understand just as he does is in truth offended with his Maker who is the author of that Variety If two things were exactly in all respects alike they must become the same the nearest similitude of things is made by casting them in a Mould and yet even then they differ French-man You say right and therefore to make all mens Vnderstandings of asize our Church-men prepare Moulds for them viz. Creeds Liturgies Systems of Divinity and the like wherein they cast and fashion all mens Vnderstandings so that none but must own those though he do not understand a Word of them nor must dispute them though his Heart and his Brain tell him they are false and impious Heathen This is much such an Uniformity as I have heard in some of your Books was practised by the Tyrant Procrustes who dwelling near a common Road seized all Travellers and carried them to his Bed which was framed exactly for his own Stature and if their Bodies were longer chopt off their Feet or Heads to make them fit and if too short strained their Bones and Sinews out with Engines to a due proportion Was not this Gentleman a great lover of Decency Order and Uniformity If there were not Variety there would be no Motion for it is the various working Power and as it were Strife between the Properties that causeth all Vegetation and Manifestation if there were but one thing there would be nothing or a standing still which the Iews great Prophet seems mystically to shew when he saith God made all things out of Nothing For there was no Manifestation or Appearances before God moved himself on the Face of the Waters which moving seems to signifie the Strife of the various Forms Qualities and Properties of the hidden Nature without which nothing could be generated But here I must be silent for we are counted Heathens already and I do not know what worse Censures may pass upon us if we too far explain those Notions which though founded in Nature are yet so disagreeable to the Conceits and Practice of the Multitude But this we are sure of that men ought not to hate or suppress any thing but Evil for Man's most deadly Enemies are within himself whence one of the wisest of the Iews Kings affirmed That he that overcame his own Lusts and Passions was a greater Conqueror than he that subdued a City French-man For my own part I shall for the future be more careful how I credit Reports we in our Country are told by our Learned that you are meer Heathens Infidels Idolaters and Worshippers of the Sun Moon and all the Host of Heaven Heathen I nothing wonder that you Europians should be mistaken about us who live so remote since you seem so little to understand the Opinions of each other amongst your selves every one misrepresenting the Sentiments and Doctrines of all that differ from him 'T is true we do highly esteem and admire all the heavenly Host and those Refulgent Quires of the Coelestials especially that glorious Eye of the World the Sun as being the Handy-Works and Wonderful Powers of the incomprehensible Creator and think it part of our Duty to express our Gratitude and Veneration to the one only Fountain whence all those amazing Wonders proceed for he that contemns the Streams cannot truly honour the Fountain Do not your own Prophets teach you to Honour Rulers and Governours because they derive their Government from God And if you do not only worship and bow the Knee one to another who are at best but brittle animated Dirt but also reverence the Works of your own Hands as a man cloathed in goodly Rayment and the like how much more ought we to have in high Veneration those wonderful Fountains of Light Heat Motion and Vitality which are the manifested Powers of God and his upper Vice-gerents and Lieutenants over the lower World Did not you tell me but now that you esteemed your Hugenotes worthy of Death or Persecution because they would not pay Esteem and Adoration to a few painted Clouts the Pictures of their fellow-Creatures which you call Saints not knowing whether they be truly so or not and yet will you condemn our