Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	body_n	leave_v	soul_n	8,456	5	5.6222	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00810	The bloudy booke, or, The tragicall and desperate end of Sir Iohn Fites (alias) Fitz		1605 (1605)	STC 10930; ESTC S105621	14,005	43

THE Bloudy booke OR The Tragicall and desperate end of Sir Iohn Fites alias Fitz. Printed at London for Francys Burton A Narration of the Bloudy Mvrthers commytted by the handes of Sir Iohn Fites alias Fitz a Deuonshire Knight vpon two seuerall Men and lastly to make vp the Tragedy vpon himselfe also at Twicknam nine Myles from London vpon the seuenth day of August last 1605. IN Wistocke a verie ancient place in Deuonshire distant from Plimmouth some tenne miles dwelt a worshipfull Gentleman called Maister Fites who hauing longe time beene married without anie children had at length for a blessing to his expectation a Sonne whome after he had brought vppe in lavdable rudimentes as well beseemed a careful father as if his aged yeares hadde seene the hope of his owne posteritie hee perfourmed the course of Nature leauing large possessions to his young heir being as yet in his Minoritie of whom the world hoped nothing but a fruitful ripenes of so towardlie a springal his comelinesse of personage increasing with his yeares and his descretion with his personage he was in his nonage a Ward vnto sir Arthur Gorge a worsh knight He took to wife the daughter of sir Wil. Courtney a man grac'st with all perfection of an honorable mind A man louing his countrey and for his worthie cariage iustly beloued of his country neither did this his faire daughter degenerate from the auncient stocke of her father of whose praise since vertue chieflie commendeth it selfe I cannot sufficiently speake neither in setting forth of it can I bee deemed partiall since her deserts exceed the measure of partialitie for as she was a modest maiden so being married she gaue euident proofes of a vertuous wife But her young husbande sir John although not then knighted little regarding the happines of so rare a bedfellow followed such errors as youth councelled follie led him into truth it is if his actions had beene equally agreeable to his person or his guiftes of mind as plentifullie bestowed as the naturall lineamentes of his bodie he hadde beene the compleate mirrour of an accomplisht Gentleman But it is commonly seene where God indueth vs with more special tokens of fauor weby our owne pronesse to vicious iniquity deface his Image and euermore indeuor to pollute his benefits with our wicked trāsgression jt was well said turpibus ac prauis imitandis dociles omnes sumus This was too trulie verified in sir Io. Fites who a while after fell into the carelesse race of a dissolute life and althogh by the often instigation of his tender harted wife he was many times withdrawne from sundrie temptations of lewd retainers yet hadd not the countenance of his better friends and their friendly perswasion counsailed him doubtlesse he had fallen into misfortune ere misfortune had been ready for his fall Manye friends and wel-willers he hadde whose account might of right challenge the rancke of gentilitie and reputation Amongst manie to whom in the links of perfect friendshippe he was ingaged one gentleman most especiallie in all rightes of loue and reguarde tendered him and as it seemed was as much of him againe respected his name was maister Slanning a worshipfull Esquire and a proper Gentleman of goodlie liuing and deserued credite of whom most men could but speake wel since of almen he was generalie reputed wise and courteous This Gentleman euer inwardlie affected Sir John Fites so that the Countrie noted them for firme and mutual loue to be vnfained friends and so indeed they wer vntil mishap euer fatal to sir Iohn his proceedings crossed their affectionat association with this mischance Meeting on a time at Tauestocke neere which S. Iohn dwelt at dinner with manie of their neighbors and friends with great varietie of merriments and discourse they out stript the noon-tide Amongest other their table talk S. Iohn was vanting his free Tenure in holding his land boasting that hee held not a foot of any but the Queen in England to whome maister Slanning replied that although of courtesie it were neglected yet of dewe and common righte hee was to pay him so much by the yeere for some small Land held of him the rent beeing by reason of friendship long time intermitted Vpon which wordes Sir Iohn grounding his occasion vpon choller and heating that choller with disdaine and pride told him with a great oath hee lyed withall gaue fuell to his rage and reines of spight to the vniustnes of his anger offering to stab him But Maister Slanning who was known to be a man of no lesse courage and more curtesie with a great knife that hee had warded the hazard of such threatnings vppon which grew both multiplication of wordes and increase of hatred on both sides vntill by the fayre mediation of theyr friends thē present they were accorded to a fained reconciliation so that in briefe after a while Maister Slanning priuately with his man departed homewards Long had he not ridden but commaunding his man to walke downe his horses in the way himselfe the whiles taking the greene fieldes for his more cōtented walke looking backe hee might beholde Sir Iohn Fites with foure more galloping amaine after him Which sight as it coulde not but breede doubtfull and fearefull suspition so could it not but bee a great amazement to Maister Slanning who little thought on the desperate plot of so vicious a minded blood-sucker Sir Iohn no sooner drewe neere him but Maister Slanning assuring himselfe of his purposed malice and most malicious drift asked him the occasion of his comming to whom Sir Iohn in the rude language of scorne and wrath made aunswer he would now reuenge himselfe for his disgrace and so at once they fell all vpon him who with as determinate a resolution defended himselfe beeing indeed a man of an vndaunted spirit And seeing before his face shame impudent and hope of lifes securitie altogether desperate he with as bold stomacke as a wounded dying man stoode vppon the guarde of his owne ablenesse vvhiles Sir Iohn beeing prickt on by the bloody vrging of one Crosse his man grewe to be handned in his butchery so that one cōming behind Maister Slanning with a blowe guided by the hand of a villaines hart strooke him on the head who falling and staggering backward was by Sir Iohn run through the body leauing his liuelesse carkasse a monument of terrors to affright the guiltie consciences of vnmercifull homicides but as the one is hastning to the graue so is the other making preparation for flight to escape death not shame Great was the lamentation that the country made for the death of so beloued a gentleman as Maister Slanning was As for Sir Iohn hee soone got himselfe away leauing the fulmouth'd report of infamous rumour to rumour abroade the report of so infamous a deed but as for his wife mother vertuous Gentlewomen the torment of theyr sorrow is easier to be imagined then felt who in the anguish of theyr greefes did

mynd what he had done how greeuouslie he had offended his maker in committing so detestable murthers as also in laying vyolente handes vpon himselfe and withall persvvading him to repent and be content to vse al the best meanes that might be for his recouerie not to continue in his wicked cours But all was one with him he would not liue but die only being desired to aske mercie at Gods hand for his offences which humbly he did he said that he was sorrie for the death of the poore man whom so desperatly he had murdered and whose wife he had so greeuouslie wounded likewise leuing 3. wretched infants vpon the mothers hands And being asked whether he would wilingly giue any thing vnto the poore woman in recompence of the losse of her husband hee was contented to bestowe vpon her an hundred pounds But whither he had any thing in his owne power to giue that knowe not I. For I think if anie thing be giuen it must proceed from his friends goodwils and pitty but so it should be and not otherwise He would oftentimes after he was wounded crie out vpon sir William Courneyes men whose daughter he married that they were come to apprehend him and that they would blow him vp with their gunpouder all which questionlesse proceeded from the guiltinesse of his owne conscience for the wrongs he had doone and being once demanded wherefore he killed the poor man It was not I said he that didde it but one of my followers which thing is note-worthy He left behind him a daughter whose wardship was presently obtained by an honourable Earle Thus gastly death hauing seized vpon his corporall body we will commit his soul for albeit his sinnes were great yet are the mercies of God infinitely greater into the hāds of the Almighty for charitye iudgeth the best and hopeth the beste in whose kingdome there is nothing but peace In the view of these his murthers there little needeth anye paraphrase since euerie man that thoroghly considereth of the facts themselues cannot but in themselues finde them to be most hainous before God most odious before men This therefore is the report of his desperat courses in his life time who as he cannot be any blot at all vnto other his vertuous and wel-deseruing frends so no question he is no more a griefe vnto other then a fearefull example vnto all his wicked associates Obseruations gathered out of the former discourse MAny and diuers things are in this precedent lamentable discourse worthie most deepe consideration and may serue the true vse of all such stories to put vs in mind of our duties towards God for we should not read only to know but learn to know that thereby we follow the good and shun the euill the Prince and Countrey and our selues As namely the eager desire that Sathan hath to increase his kingdome The watchfulnesse and warinesse that we ought to haue that wee come not within his clawes The wretched estate of a desperate mind The horror and trembling of a guiltie Conscience which pursueth a mans owne selfe when no man else doeth The desperate courses of vnbrideled follie The griefe of friends for so hard an hap The astonnishment of Associates in committing of mischiefe The mallice of Sathan in tempting vnto euill The wofull estate of two Widdowes the one in hauing a husband that was no more comfort vnto her whiles he liued and yeilded so great cause of sorrow being dead the other that so suddenly and vnexspectedlie had her dearest husband the one half of hir life by such fatall meanes taken from her The pittifull estate of three Infants left vpon the mothers hands hauing verie small meanes to maintaine them The great libertie that power and might if God guid not the hart giueth vnto the performance of euill The blindnesse of our sinfull nature that wil neuer let vs see into our riotous liues vntill wee bee carried awaie with a full streame of wickednesse The obduracie and hardnes of a mans hart envred and acustomed vnto sin How apt to follow the worser parte how hardly framed to good Drunkenes and fleshly lustes the effects that follow thē Euill companions and lewd retainers the discommodities and dangers thereof Our forwarnesse in pursuing euill and slacknesse vnto good The manye miseries that we fall headlong into for want of due consideration The temporall crosses that god sendeth vpon his children to trie their patience What the friendship of man is and how soone turned into hate Gods iudgements vpon the Wicked His loue vnto the godlie And lastly to close vp this discours a generall warning vnto all to put them in mind to amend their wicked liues mispent to turne vnto the Lorde whiles they haue time and to call for mercie before the gate of mercy be shut that repenting of the euill past they may leade their liues more carefully more purely and more holilie hereafter that so dying a godlie death they may make a blessed ende Which that it may so be the Lord of his mercy grant vnto vs all a sufficient measure of his holy spirite Amen FINIS