Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	dead_a	life_n	live_v	20,689	5	6.0033	4	true

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

be Charitable and Merciful to your own Country-Men where their necessity may be reliev'd with your plenty Be ashamed that People of other Countries People rude and barbarous should condemn you of Cruelty for destroying your Gentry the chief Ornament and Defence of this Noble City That they should reproach you of Rudeness and Pride in omitting to do Reverence to them that do in Order excell you Remember that as if the State of the Senators decays such of the Gentry are Elected into the Senate as are virtuous so you that shall be found equal to them in virtue for your Substance and Riches only cannot make you Gentlemen shall be advanced to the State of Gentlemen according to Reason And then consider with your selves if you would not then your selves require to be preferr'd in Reverence For nothing certainly shall cause a Man more willingly to do his duty than to think what would require of him that is inferior to him and it hath been said of Wise Men That he that would be a Ruler should first learn to be a good Subject for truly a proud and covetous Subject will never make a mild and temperate Governor And now have I no more to say unto you but that you apply your selves with all your hearts to restore this City to its former Ancient and Laudable Order as I shall endeavour my self by Example and diligence to bring e're long to its perfect Perfection The Effects of the foregoing SPEECH THus ended this most Noble and Wise Emperor's Oration and so he departed the Effect whereof was besides what you have heard already that all the Common People followed him home with these loud Acclamations The Gods Immortal preserve and defend you most Noble Emperor you are the Crown of our Glory of our Wealth and Prosperity hated be he of the Gods and of Men that would you displeasure do you with us what best liketh you and so the Immortal Gods defend you And now Reader having lay'd before thee an almost incomparable pattern of Common Pagan Loyalty and Obedience of Subjects to their Superiors I wish it may have the same Effect on them for whom it was now publishd as it had on them for whom it was first made And I would only be resolv'd in a few very Important Queries by our unnatural ungrateful disloyal and hypocritical Prig-Prince Presbyters of these times and all other their Seditious Factious Rebellious Fratres in malo Brethren in Iniquity but chiefly of Jack Presbyter because I look upon him in my weak opinion always to have been and at present are and ever will be if not prevented the most dangerous and formidable Enemy to Monarchy and Hiearchy of any within His Sacred Majesties Dominions and so I shall conclude 1st then let me ask you whether you don't imagine that these Dutiful Loyal Pagans shall one day rise in Judgement against you for your damnable Disloyalty and Rebellion against two so good so gracious so mild so merciful mirrors of Majesty Father and Son and to be acknowledged by all true Subjects Gods Anointed and our Terrestial God * And whether it shall not be more tollerable for Tyre and Sydon c. in that Day than for you And whether it do not exactly resemble the Lucifero-machy and Giganto-machy of Old which if they would but consider may one day prove somewhat available to them towards their Eternal Happiness and timely Repentance and preventing their future Eternal Damnation Secondly What Account they will one day be able to give Almighty God for not only as this good Emperor complain'd of in his Common Subjects their Cruelty and Barbariety in destroying their Gentry the chief Ornament and Defence of their City c. And that Rude and Barbarous people should reproach them of their Rudeness and Pride in omitting only to do Reverence to the Gentry their Superiors c. I say what Account will they be able to render at the last dreadful day for their not only contemning and destroying their Nobles and Gentry but the very Fountain of Nobility and Gentry viz. King Charles the I. and Subverting all Order and endeavouring to make his Son like his Father viz. a Glorious King For in that Cursed Tryal of King Charles the I. you 'l plainly see the Common People Condemn'd and Murther'd their King for there you have 1st An Act of the Commons c. for Erecting an High Court of Justice c. Then the Commons of England Assembled in Parliament according to the Power and Fundamental Trust repos'd in them by the People c. in behalf of the Commons of England and all the People c. in the Name of the Commons c. the Rights and Liberties of the People c. and on the People behalf c. He Levyed War against Parliament and People therein represented c. caus'd Thousands of the Free and Good People to be slain c. much Innocent Blood of the Free People spilt c. against Publick Interest of the People c. And again on behalf of the People and Commons thrice c. then this Authority requires you in the Name of the People c. in behalf of the Commons c. in the Name of the People c. in behalf of the People c. by Authority of the Commons c. Sir the VOTE of the Commons in Parliament is the Reason of the Kingdom By Authority of the Commons on behalf of the Commons We shew you there the Commons make War against the Parliament and People in desiance of the Parliament and in behalf of the People and the House of Commons the Supreme Authority of the Kingdom and in the Peoples behalf and in behalf of the Commons and in the Name of the People and the Powers and Supreme Authority of the Commons And lastly in that Satanical Sentence of Death you have the Commons c. where you may find the Words Commons People Parliament nam'd Alternatim and Vice Versa about some 37 or 38 several times but from such Parliaments People and Commons Good Lord deliver good King Charles and his Loyal Subjects So that you may see this damn'd Idol and Oracle of the Rebells Vox Populi is often if not always Vox Diaboli For was 't not Vox Populi cry'd up Rebellious Absalom against his King and Father Was 't not Vox Populi cry'd Crucifie c. Then let me ask the People whether our present Dread Soveraign hath not under God restor'd them to life that were dead and to Liberty that were in Captivity and under the greatest Tyranny as this good Emperor did his And whether they have not as great Reason to Eccho as they did Live long c. and Address their Lives and Fortunes to his disposing Whose Father indeed dyed in defence of the Liberties and Properties of an ungrateful Generation of Viperous Commons The Ld. Russel's Word and he now living whom the King of Kings long hath hitherto defended and continue among us c. Sero abat in Coelum would not infallibly no less suffer himself to become a Victime for the Rights of his Liege-People c. as this good Emperor said he was ready to do And God grant he may Principiis obstare as to all his Dis-affected and Rebellious Subjects as this Noble Emperor did Amen Amen As for what 's said about the Citizens there 's an Old Verse for them O Cives Cives querenda Pecunia primum Virtus post Nummos c. Caveat Emptor Then lastly since mention is made of Tribunes note they were those Magistrates that were chose to Preserve the Rights and ascertain the Liberties of the Common People against the Puissance of the Nobles they were Instituted soon after that Notable Discord between the People and Nobles which was appeased by Venenius Agrippa who wiselly United the Commons seperating themselves from the Nobles that commanded them and retiring to the Mount Aventine complaining of excessive Imposts laid upon them by moralizing this following Table The Members of the Body says he would one day seperate themselves from the Belly and deny'd it their Assistance under pretext that they were in continual labor to furnish it with Provisions for its Gluttony c. This Discord lasted till the death of the whole Body ensued Even so shall it happen to you the Commons says he if you seperate your selves from your Nobles for thereby you will ruin the whole Body Politic for though it seem to you that your Nobles live in Delights Gluttoning themselves with the best of your Goods c. Yet must they Communicate thereof to you in a short time and so couserve you As the Belly distributes to the other Members of the substance it formerly received from them and so maintains the Body in perfect Health These Tribunes at last with the People became Insolent and commited many Disorders to the prejudice of the Nobles c. So that they were sometimes call'd the Pest of the Weal-Public FINIS Licensed and Entred according to Order