Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	die_v	fire_n	worm_n	1,088	5	9.7140	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41556	Some observations on the fables of Æsop as commented upon by Sir Roger L'Estrange, kt. Yet not on all, for some need not any addition or review, and there be many of them which are coincident as to the individual scope, I mean the same moral instruction, which is couched in them. Illustrated with several pertinent stories of antient and modern history. By a divine of the Church of Scotland.	Gordon, James, 1640?-1714.	1700 (1700)	Wing G1284; ESTC R215162	66,798	60

minds me of the Canniballs in the Caribee Islands who sed their captivated enemies deliciously and most plentifully but it was only to fatten them for the shambles and thus prosperous villanie is but a fa●…ing of them like a fedd Ox for the slaughter or if we transferr the Morall to some Court favourites the poet hath given us their destiny in few words Tolluntur in altum Ut Lapsu graviore ruant FAB CCLIII Page 219. There is a storie to the same purpose and uttered upon such an occasion by that Prince of Greek Orators Demosthenes for when the people were not attentive to a very serious matter which he was insisting upon one day in his oration he told them the storie of the contest betwixt a Man who had hired an Ass to ride a journey and the Owner thereof who would also be payed for the Benefit of the Asse's Shddow which the Rider made use of when he was scorch'd with the heat of the Meridian Sun and all this hot debate said the Oratour was about the shaddow of an Ass and with that silly parable He brought the inadvertent Mob to due attention FAB CCLIV Page 220. The storie of Pacuvius his policy in rescuing the Senatours of Capua from the fury of a discontented People falls in here very pertinently but it s so well known that we need not insist upon it FAB CCLV. Page 220. The Laplander who preferred his own countrey to France tho' there can hardly be a worse found in the whole Terraqueal Globe may be said to have outvyed this Mouse in contentment even in the change of places yet it still remaines a true Maxime Omne solum Fortiest patria FAB CCLXII Page 228. It s well observed by P. Heylen in his Cosmography that the Mesopotamians were always adjunctives but never substantives save once when GOD raised them up to be a plague and the first forrain scourge too unto his own ingrate people in the Land of Canaan The Metaphor is patt enough to the purpose Tho' somewhat pedantick for they were frequently overrun overcome by the Persians the Romans the Saracens the Turks and Tartars by all these and from all these they have been Conquered and reconquered the Natives as it were sitting still like Spectators beholding the Gladiators in the Amphitheatre and litle concerned what side had the better because they were sure to become slaves in the end who ever were Masters and that the Ass could not bear a greater burden than had been formerly laid upon him such was the case of their Neighbours the Syrians frequently easily subdued by other Nations but especially by the Seleucidae in Asia and the Ptolomees in Egypt for no sooner did any of those respective Princes advance towards them with an Armie but up slew all the Gates of their Cities to wellcome the new Comer rather than the new Conquerour or if it may be in propriety of speech called a new conquest sure it had not age to become old For it may be within a Moneth or less the other party totally prevailed without any opposition made by the inhabitants who sett their mind at rest to be Asses and Slaves still who ever prevailed As for Aegypt since the days of their Pharaohs the Persians the Greeks the Romans the Saracens the Turks the Mamalues and Turks again made an easy prey of those tame slaves who from the time of Ham and Mizraim have been inured to bear Burdens and for the same reason the fertile isle of Sicily not to speak of their many intestine Tyrants or of Pyrrhus the Epirot was frequently overrun by the Greeks the Carthaginians the Romans the French and the Spaniard And how easily upon the same account was the Kingdom of Naples with the Dutchie of Millan taken and retaken by the French and Spaniard is well knowen to those who are not strangers to the histories of the two preceeding ages FAB CCLXX. Page 236. There be many restless and impudent Souls like this Fly in the fable who are bussie bodies in other mens maters but supinely negligent in their own yet have the vanitie to arrogate that to themselves wherein they had neither head nor hand I mean Deliberation and Execution such an Imaginarie pragmaticall Fly was at Florence in the time of the famous Cosmo the D. thereof who coming one day after Dinner to the Palace of this Prince of the House of Medicis upon some pretended hastie business He found this renowned Potentate lying upon the top of a Bed O! said this pragmatical Animal Who would think that the great Witt of Italy would be found in Bed this Time of Day when other Men are walking in the Streets about their Business Away said the D. You feiking Fool I can do more here in half an Hour than You can do in half an Year for all Your traversing the Streets of the City both Day and Night for the Character of the Echo doth fitly belongto suchas You Vox est praetereaque nihil There be also many such Court-Flys even vain and empty Minions Ministers rather of Pleasure than of State that impute all the prosperous State Politicks to their own wise Suggestions and what outward Respect they meet with from People for their Place Sake and Master's Cau●…e they instantly ascribe it to their own great Merits not considering that no Man will regard a Dyal how soon the Sun ceaseth to shine upon it FAB CCLXXI. Page 237. Veterem ferendo Injuriam invitas novam is mostly verified as to those Briars and Thorns which prick and scratch because they cannot do otherwise till the Law pair their Nails but to a generous Soul there is no greater Pacifick than a patient Sufferer The God of Peace having also promised to all those that truly fear Him that He will make their Enemies to be at Peace with them FAB CCLXXII Page 237. The Commentator writes strong Sense in few Words whereby He sufficiently discovers the Folly of that unwarrantable practice which trencheth too nigh upon Idolatry I mean the Adoration of Saints and Images which is a mighty Stumbling-Block to the Iews Mahumetans and Pagans but whoso desires a much larger Discovery of that Scandalous Impiety let them consult the Profoundly Learned IOSEPH MEDE in His Apostacy of the latter Times founded on that Doctrine of Daemons foretold by S. Paul 1 Tim. 4 at the beginning where He makes ●…uch a copious and judicious Detection of those damnable practical Errors that Defiance may be given to all the Idolaters in the World to answer Him in Reason FAB CCLXXIII Page 238. Out of the Frying-Pan into the Fire is most fitly applyed to those most miserable desperat Wretches who dispatch themselves that they may be ridd of the sting of an evil Conscience not considering that in all probability they hurrie their Souls into that most deplorable Region where the Worm dyes not and the Fire shal never be quenched That eminent Pattern of Divine Iusti●… Francis Spira who for seven Years space was griveously afflicted in Conscience attempted

Valentinian II. Thus We find at last the Mysterie of the purple Dream unriddled and to conclude if Constantius had considered and believed that Maxime of an old Philosopher That it 's simply impossible for any Man to Kill his Successor He would not in all probability have endeavoured by such inhumane Means to interrupt the current of that stream which may easily over-flow the greatest but cannot be stopped by any FAB CX Page 103. Here He might have taken occasion to narrate that story of the Golden Tripos which some fishermen haled to land in their Net instead of a fish in the Time of the seven wise men of Greece which being successively refused by them all it was at last dedicated to the Priestess of Apollo at Delphi to be set upon that Chasma of the earth from whence they had their Oracular Evaporations FAB CXIII Page 106. It was an usual expression of Aristotle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Truth thereof is verified by the far greatest part of the World who are mightily afraid of Death especially voluptuous Persons who make their Bellies their Gods are most unwilling to have that sensual Idol torn from them when they are in full possession of all its endearing Circumstances O Death saith Syracides How bitter is thy Remembrance to him who is sitting at Ease in his own house and enjoyes the World at Will But it 's much more admirable to find a Man that 's surrounded with Misery to be unwilling to go to that Place where the weary be at Rest Yet I my self knew one who was as miserable as any man in this World can be supposed to be for he was in the further side of LXXX and besides the usual Infirmities of a decrepit Age He was most pitifully tormented with Nephritical pains yea with such frequent and violent Fits of the Gravel that He hath been heard crying at a great Distance as for his external Condition in the World He was a most indigent Beggar who would undoubtedly have starved many a Time if charitable Neighbours had not succoured Him I did visit Him on his Death-Bed and well knowing all his deplorable Circumstances I doubted not in the least but that He was very glad of the Approach of Death to rescue Him out of the Jaws of extreme misery and having demanded the same of him I heard Him with great Admiration say That if it were the Will of God he could be content to live yet a while longer for all his misery which I could not possibly impute to any other Principle than the Natural Horror of Death and that more Spiritual one of a bad Conscience Yet I judge the Conclusion of the Commentator too general as to all those who improve the lawfull means in order to their Recovery as if they were most unwilling to die who call for Physicians Apothecaries and Surgeons He fancies them to resemble for all the World Lewis XI of France who had such an infinit Dread of Death that if We believe Philip de Comines there was nothing that sounded so terribly to his evil Conscience as the very mention of that Fatal word But he should have considered that they Sin against Nature who spurn at the Means when they are in a Capacity to use them it being a true Maxime of the Casuists That the means are ours but the event is Gods for I have known some good Christians that were so weary of the Fable of this World as Epiphanius usually said and had so little Kindness for this natural Life yea were so desirous To be dissolved and to be with Christ that if their Consciences had not commanded them to use the Means they would have rather chosen to have dyed more than once if it had been possible than to have endured the Fatigue of medicinal Applications which minds Me of the famous Consul Marius who being both pained and deformed in his legs with that Distemper that Physicians term Varices He having to all outward Appearance suffered most patiently the Lanceing and Cutting of one of them when the Surgeon addressed to the other He told Him that these Incisions and Amputations were not worth the while and since Death was the worst of it He would choose rather to die than undergo so much Trouble again Yea more than so if all true Christians were not convinced that the Lord of Life hath fixed Us here away as a Sentinel at a post who must not remove without his Captains Order I am fully persuaded that some of them for any Dread they have of Death would not be shy to imitate that Roman Senator who being informed that the monster of Nature named Nero had determined to put Him to a tormenting death He resolved to anticipat the Tyrant's Malice by starving Himself to death and having intirely abstained from all Kind of Food the space of five or six Days one of his Friends came and told Him that he was misinformed For the Emperour had no bad Design upon Him therefore subjoined he all your Friends are resolved to come and sup with you this Night and we will make a merry Night of it for your escapeing so great a Misfortune He answered that his Friends should be allways welcome to him but when they were assembled all their Oratory could not persuade Him to take one Morsel of Bread nor one Dram of Wine tho' some of them urged him with that Aphorism of Hippocrates Famem Vini Potus solvit and for His Pertinacy he gave them this Reason That He was now within the Confines of Death and had already a full Vieu of that King of Terrors and since He knew infallibly that He behooved once to pay that last Debt to Nature He would not be at the pains again to begin his passage thro' that dark Trance of Death but hoped within 2 or 3 Days to grapple with his Adversary tho' He knew before hand what the Event would be even to be laid flat upon the Ground by his invincible Enemy FAB CXV Page 103. They who are curious may find many other pertinent little Stories to this purpose in Plutarch his Treatise of Brutes having some Use of Reason whose general Topic is very plausible it may appear says He to be the general Sentiment of Mankind in calling Dogs Horse c. mad which undoubtedly in Man imports the Privation of the Use of Reason FAB CXVI Page 108. In my weak Judgement this Fable militats as much if not more against the unhappiness of Successive as of Elective Kingdoms it being very rare to find Electors so infatuated as to make choise of an Infant of a Female of a deformed Creature of a mere Simpleton who is deform'd both in body and mind or of a notorious Coward or finaly of one that is odicus in the Eyes of the World for brutish Sensuality and Excess Germany once stumbled upon such a disastrous Election When Wenceslaus K. of Bohemia was chosen their Emperour to the mighty Prejudice of the Empire