Selected quad for the lemma: country_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
country_n	city_n	great_a	village_n	1,731	5	9.2720	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47218	A brief treatise of the nature, causes, signes, preservation from, and cure of the pestilence collected by W. Kemp ...	Kemp, W. (William)	1665 (1665)	Wing K260; ESTC R6407	54,200	102

in any Place and the Pestilence is as it were sown among the People the Sick continually not onely breath out of their Mouths but send out of their Bodies infectious steams and vapours which being disperst and scattered in the Air are soon after drawn in by the breath of others and thence whole Families are extinguisht and the Plague not onely creeps but runs from one House to another and hence it is that the Plague destroyes more in Cities than in Countries and more in narrow Streets and Lanes of those Cities than in open places because usually there are narrow and little rooms which are soonest fill'd with infectious vapours and longer keep them in for though the Air be never so corrupt you must draw it in with your breath continually for without it you cannot live an hour As meat and drink is the food of our Bodies so is the air the nourishment of our Spirits and therefore as by unwholsome meat our Bodies are diseased so by corrupt air our Spirits are easily infected weakened and extinguished and therefore we have good cause to avoid it and provide against it Hence it was that the Ancients as Plutarch relates in his Roman Questions did alwayes build the Temple of Aesculapius the supposed God of their Health without the walls because they judged the Country air more wholesome than the City And in this case the Counsel of Hippocrates in advising to change and flie the corrupted air is and hath been receiv'd as an Oracle and as a Proverb generally approved by all The Antidote made of three Adverbs Cito Longe Tarde Flie quickly Go far and Return slowly hath oft-times proved effectual And if any of those that will strain at a Gnat and swallow a Camel should pretend any scruple of Conscience about the lawfulness of this Remedy in flying from Infected Places and say out of envy at the accommodation of others or discontent that they are not so well provided themselves or some secret design as I have heard several expresse it The Lord can follow them and find them out they may also understand that it is not their desire to flie from his presence but his Plague not from their gracious God but from his punishing and fearful rod. Do you not see this sort of people if they should be looking out at a window and it should chance to thunder and lighten in their faces would they not presently turn their backs and shut the Casement and retire inwards and yet they cannot think that the Casement can resist Thunder or the Glasse keep out Lightning Do they not in Winter Frost and Snow wear Muffes and Gloves and put on more Apparel and yet the Psalmist saith Who can stand before his Cold Psal. 147. But I shall leave these people as diseas'd in the Pate and as I have advis'd all my friends though much against my own interest if possible to remove and change their dwelling so I think it no more unlawful for any persons whose stay in infected places is not more necessary than their lives to take the benefit of better air than for a great man that hath a large House to remove from one end or side of it that is infected or set on fire to another part of it that is free and safe from burning onely this I shall intreat of all that go from infected neighbours that they would thankfully adore Gods bounty in providing for them places of refuge and part with some of their Finery Pride Excesse Prodigality Superstuity and Luxury for the Alms and Relief of those that are now brought to great necessity and send up their prayers for the health of such places upon which some of their sins may have helpt to pull down Plagues But as in taking of other Physick it is necessary to observe and follow the directions otherwise you would run into an Error and make the Remedy worse than the Disease so when you fly from infected places you must observe the rules to do it 1. Cito Quickly You must delay no time but remove with all speed least you be arrested by death before you go or carry the Infection with you either in your own body which being stirred and heated with motion may occasion the humours to putrefie and destroy your self or else in your cloths whereby those persons among whom you come to dwell or sojourn having not been accustomed to such evil air out of which you come may very easily be infected Evagrius lib. 4. of his History relates that many sound persons coming out of infected places did infect the Inhabitants and brought the Plague among them and the like may be remembred to be done in later years 2. Longe Far When there hath been a little Cloud dissolved in the air it hath been observed to rain sometimes at one end of a Town and not at all at another Mists have been at the tops of the Hill when there have been none in the Valley there hath been Sun-shine in one Field and Rain in the next it hath snowed in some grounds when it hath hail'd in others fearful Thunders have astonisht the people in some places and yet twenty miles off they have not been heard but in a great over-casting of the Heavens you must not think to get out of the reach of the Rain or Storm in a little Journey You cannot smell Rosemary half a mile in England but from Spain you may smell it many leagues If the Infection be in a Country Village a little way will serve to flie from it but if it be in a great and Imperial City you must go further and though you fare worse you will scape the better Lastly Tarde As you must flie from the infected place in hast so you must return to it by leasure for you were better stay away a Moneth too long than return a day too soon When a Fox is to passe over any frozen River he puts his Ear to the Ice and if he hear the Water run the memory of being formerly wet and the unpleasantnesse of swimming in the cold coming to his mind makes him retire back 'T is no wisdom for you having taken up a good shelter to come out of it into a Storm or Tempest till all be calm Those who are to return into their homes that have still remained clear from the Infection may do it sooner than those who are to go into Houses that have been visited Infection as well as smells and perfumes may last a long time in a Garment or Apparel Fracastorius tells of a Furre Gown sure it was a mourning Gown that occasion'd the death of five and twenty men that wore it one after another in Verona and died of the Plague And Alexander Benedictus speaks of Feather-beds that have held the Infection seven years if you lie in them too soon the linnen may prove your Winding sheet and the Down-Bed your Death-bed where you may sleep your last and instead of having a Good-morrow

bid the World Good-night But least any with over-much care should prejudice their own private affairs or the Trade of this Royal City of London whose Wealth and Prosperity every true English-man is oblig'd to seek he may be informed that in the ending of the last great Sicknesse 1625. the people went promiscuously one among another and the Houses were quickly fill'd with Inhabitants and fresh comers out of the Country and yet no new Infection followed And I remember that in the Loyal City of Bristol the place where I was born about twenty years ago many Houses were shut up and hundreds died every week of the Plague both before and during the Siege whilst it was kept for the Kings most Excellent Majesty by that most renowned and and valiant Commander his Highnesse Prince Rupert but as soon as ever the Enemies enter'd in as if the lesser Plague vanisht and departed at the approach of a greater the Souldiers made no great difference of quartering in any Houses or coming into any company and the Inhabitants return'd to their forsaken Dwellings at one Gate whilst the Pestilence went out at the other and hath not hitherto return'd again But now if through Poverty and lack of means to maintain you and want of friends to receive and entertain you in better air or having such Callings from the attendance whereon you cannot with honesty and good conscience absent your self but are enforced still to stay and cannot possibly avoid the occasions of the Sicknesse you must then Secondly Strengthen your Bodies against the Causes of it For which purpose you must look upon the Plague as a most poysonous and pernicious Serpent as a most dangerous and deadly Dragon whose venom is increased by destroying and you tied to encounter with him where if he assault you you must either get the victory or die upon the spot If you were to defend your self against a thief a pistol would perhaps affright him if to duel a quarrelsome Hector a sword or rapier would preserve you a staffe will serve to beat a Dog the shewing of your self would chase a Fox and make him take his kennel but the Plague is so venemous and destructive an Enemy that to defend your self and get the victory you must be more than ordinarily armed and appointed Imagine then your self to be a Garrison whereof you are the Governour and which you are commanded for to keep upon the hazard of your life and in this case do as a most discreet and valiant Souldier would to defend and maintain his trust and save his honour He will remove or secure all Traytors and secret Enemies cut down all Trees and Hedges and burn all Houses wherein the Enemy may take shelter and annoy him and spoil all provisions that may relieve and succour him he will repair all breaches and weak places at which the Enemy may make a Battery and seek to enter by Assault he will lay in sufficient stores of Ammunition and Provision he will fortifie the place with Trenches Lines and Out-works he will raise and muster up a sufficient number of Souldiers and by good Discipline have them ready at all Postures Marches and Commands he will furnish himself with all manner of offensive and defensive Weapons Engines and Fire-works He will be jealous and examine all strangers and unknown persons that enter in He will have his Spies abroad for Intelligence and never be secure but alwayes on his Guard Now in the Body bad corrupt humours are as Traytors which will soon take part with the Disease and let him in if you do not suppresse the breeding of them and purge them out All slovenly or sluttish nastinesse all disorder and excess are as so many shelters wherein the Enemy may lurk and lie in Ambush to assault you The infirmity or weakness of any part is a breach by which the Sicknesse may enter and which you must make up and repair to keep him out Issues and Fontanels are as Trenches Graffes and Ditches Fumes as Fire-works and Granadoes Amulets as Fortifications and Out-works which you must make to keep him off The Natural Animal and Vital Spirits are the Souldiers which you must by all means maintain and cherish revive and comfort and keep from fear and fainting Good Diet and Cordials are the Provision which you must not want Medicines are your offensive and defensive Weapons to preserve your self and destroy your Enemy Intelligence and knowledge with whom you do converse or have to do are your Spies and Carefulness your Guard and Sentinel that keeps you from being surpriz'd and little enough you cannot be too careful for there have been places that have been betrayed by the Inhabitants surpriz'd by Ambush yielded up by Cowardise starved for scarcity of Provision surrendred for lack of Ammunition could not be made tenable for Breaches overcome for want of Souldiers taken by letting in unknown Persons and surpriz'd by being secure The City of Troy was taken by bringing in a Wooden Horse whose Belly was full of armed Greeks some places have been surpriz'd by Souldiers covered with a load of Hay and others by Enemies brought in with Houshold-stuffe But your life is in greater hazard it may be lost by a pair of Gloves a Periwigge or a Muffe or any Apparel your destruction may be brought upon you by your Meat from the Shambles by your Wine from the Tavern by your Bread from the Bakers by your Drink from the Brewers it may come in a Nose-gay from the Garden in Herbs from the Fields in Fruit from the Market it may be handed to you by the Water you wash in it may be drawn in by the Air you breath in and as at other times you are so frail that your breath so in times of Infection your Death may be in your Nostrils Secondly To strengthen our Bodies against the Causes of Infection One Cause of Infection is the Corruption of the Air and the way to fortifie our selves against it is to correct and purifie it And here the Air may be considered two wayes First In General Secondly In Particular The General Air is that of all the Region and Place where people live which is and may be purged by cleansing and removing all filthy and offensive things out of the Streets and adjacent places Physitians in the time of great and grievous Plagues have used several means and tried divers wayes to clear and purifie the Air. Some direct to make great fires in the Streets as Hyppocrates did in the Plague at Athens and burning among them sweet Odors Spices and Perfumes Fragrant Ointments and Compositions whereby he freed the City from Infection Some would have Guns and Muskets discharged in the Streets especially in hot weather and this makes a greater commotion though less heat and inflamation Cardanus directs to burn leather and things that send out strong scents though they be never so odious and stinking Others as Alexander Benedictus would have Dogs kill'd and left