Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	die_v	hand_n	life_n	6,519	5	4.2931	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A72942	Svvethland and Poland vvarres A souldiers returne out of Sweden, and his newes from the warres: or, Sweden and Poland vp in armes. And the entertainement of English souldiers there: with the fortunes and successe of those 1200. men that lately went thither.	Nixon, Anthony.	1610 (1610)	STC 18596; ESTC S125498	19,552	37

to be called all together the very next day at which time Thomas Griffin the Welsh Iudas who had all this while lyen feasting in the house of the Lord Gouernour began to tremble and to repent him of his villanny begging most base forgiuenesse on his knées both from the Gouernour and vs his countrimen and fellow Souldiers protesting that what he did came out of his feare to saue his owne life But our Officers vpon hearing him speake thus had much adoe to kéepe the companies from pulling downe the house whore Griffin lay because they would in that rage haue hewed the villaine in péeces But leauing him and all such betrayers of mens bloud to the hell of their owne consciences let vs set forward out of this infortunate Iland not stay in any place else till in small boates we come by water to Elzinore in Denmarke where wee ioyfully got aboard once more and are hoysing vp sailes for Sweueland Yet euen in this sun-shine day a storme falles vpon vs too for our Officers not hauing sufficient money to furnish vs with victuals we were enforced to pawne our Ancient and Lieftenant Walton for the safe returne of the ship with condition that they should not be released vntill a sufficient summe of money was sent to defray all charges So that we left our Officers behinde vs but the King of Sweueland did afterwards release them and then they came to vs. But before their comming we hauing a good winde landed at a place called Newleas in Sweue and from thence were carryed to Stockholme the Kings seate and there was the King at the same time betwéene which two places it was a dayes march on horsebacke Vpon this our arriuall at Stockholme we met with the rest that had gone before vs and with diuers others of our countrymen that came out of the Low-countries as before is related In this place we lay so long and had such poore meanes that wanting money to buy soode we wanted foode to maintaine life and so a number of vs were ready to sterue till in the end our miseries making vs desperate we fell together by the eares with the Burgers of the towne in which scambling confusion and mutiny euery man got one thing or other of which he made present money to relieue his body withall yet lay we at the walles of the citty crying out continually for money money till our throates grew hoarse with balling but the stones of the walles gaue more comfort to vs then the inhabitants One day aboue all the rest we heard that the King was to ride a hunting and wée imagining that all the abuses wrongs and miseries which we endured procéeded from some vnder-hand hard dealing and packing of our Captaines and Officers resolued to gather about the King at his comming forth to cry out for mony but the King being angry as we supposed came riding amongst vs drawing his pistoll from the saddle bow as if he purposed to haue shot some of vs but seeing none of vs to shrinke from him nor to be dismaied he rode backe againe we following him desiring he would either giue vs money or else to kill vs out-right one amongst the rest whose name was William Attane spake to the King aloud thus I hold it honor to dye by the hands of a King but basely to sterue to death I will neuer suffer it Vpon these our clamors the King looking better vpon our necessities sent money the next day and immediatly after gaue vs a moneths meanes in mony and two mone ths meanes in cloath to make vs apparrell Of the cloath we receiued some part but the money being paid was by our Captaines sent into England to their wiues no part of it euer comning to the poore common Souldiers hands for presently vpon this we were commanded aboord the ships with promise that when we were aboord we should haue our money But being in the ships vnder hatches away were we carryed with prouision onely of one moneths victuals when by reason of the weather we were forced to lye eight wéekes at sea in all which time we had nothing but pickelled herrings and salt stremlings with some small quantity of hard dryed meates by which ill dyet many of our men fell sicke and dyed In the ship wherein I was wée liued fouretéene dayes without bread all our best foode being salt herrings which we were glad to eate raw the best of vs all hauing no better sustenance At the last it pleased God to send vs to a place called Vfrasound in Fynland where we landed Fynland being subiect to the King of Sweueland From Vfrasound we were to goe to Weyborough a chiefe towne in the country of Fynland where we no sooner arrriued but our Souldiers ran some one way and some another so long that the Captaines were left alone with the ships This running away of them being done onely to séeke foode so great was their hunger By this carelesse dispersing themselues they lost the command of the whole country which they might easily haue had if they had bene vnited together and not onely were depriued of that benefite but of horses also which were allowed by the King for them to ride vpon So that what by the reason of the tedious iourney which we were to trauell being fourescore leagues and what by reason of the extreme cold being a moneth before Christmas at which time the snow fell and neuer went off the ground vntill Whitsontide following but all the raine and all the the snow that fell fréezing continually diuers of our men were sterued to death with the frost Some lost their fingers some their toes some their noses many their liues insomuch that when wee all met at Weyborough we could make no make no more but 1400. able men and yet when we were landed at Vfrasound we were 2000. strong the extremity of the cold country hauing killed so many of our Souldiers in so little time At our landing at Weyborough we had good hopes to receiue better comforts both of money and victuals for the inhabitants told vs the King had allowed it vs and in that report they spake truth yet contrary to our expectation we lay there about 14. dayes and had nothing but a little Rice of which we made bread and a little butter which was our best reliefe Drinke had we none nor money our Captaines gaue vs certaine letherne pelches onely made of shéeps skinnes to kéepe vs from the cold At this place we receiued Armes to defend vs against the enemy and sixe companies that were allowed by the King for horsemen receiued horses there From thence we were to march into Russia where our enemies continued But the iourney was long and vncomfortable for we marched from Newyeares day vntill Whitsontide continually in snow hauing no rest but onely a little in the nights So that the miseries and mis-fortunes which we endured vpon the borders of Fynland were almost iusufferable by

he should not onely be rewarded with great store of money and haue new apparell to his backe but also should without tortures imprisonment or death be set frée and sent backe againe into his owns countrey This proclamation strucke vs all with feare and astonishment because albeit we to our selues were not guiltie of any plot or villanie intended to the place or people yet we knew this might be a meanes to endanger all our liues how innocent soeuer Our suspition of daunger fell out according to our feares for one Thomas Griffyn a Welch man one of our owne company but a person as it appeared of a base and diuellish condition being tempted with the baite of gold resolued to enrich himselfe albeit it were by the sheding of innocent bloud And thereupon like a false traitor to all the rest of his fellowes he went and knéeled before the Gouernor and with a face counterfeiting a guiltines and fearefull destruction told him that if he might be forgiuen for his part and haue his life warranted he would discouer such a secret that the opening of the same should be good to all the Country and the concealing thereof the Ilands vtter ruine with the confusion of the people The Gouernor being glad of this discouery so promised assured Griffyn both of his life and of the reward willing him not to feare any danger but boldly and with a constant bosome to lay open what he knew vpon which wordes the traiterous Iudas told him for certaine that we came thither onely and for no other purpose than to surprise the Iland kill the inhabitants make spoile of their wiues and goodes and hauing set fire of their townes and villages to flie to sea againe Yet for all this would not the Gouernor beléeue him celling him it was a matter very vnlikely that so small a number so distressed for want of food so weather-heaten and so disarmed should venture vpon an enterprise so full of dangerous euents but the villaine replied that all these complaints of want were but songs to beguile the people for that vpon the least Allarum giuen other shippes that lay houering at sea and furnished both with men and armor would on the sodaine and that very shortly land for the same desire of spoile as these their fellows had done and therefore councelled the Gouernor to preuent such imminent mischiefes betimes The Gouernour being thus farre vrged presently called before him lieutenant Walton whose lodging was appointed in his house and hauing related to him all that Griffin had discouered and withall demaunding of lieutenant Walton what he could say to this matter of treason and conspiracy the lieutenant at the first stood amazed and vtterly denied any such intended villany protesting by the faith of a Souldier that this report of the Welch man procéeded fom the rancour of a vile traitors heart and therefore on his knées intreated the Gouernor not to giue credite to so base a villaine who for the gréedinesse of alittle money went about to sell all their liues and to make all thinhabitants of the Iland become murderers adding further that if the Gouernor would but giue him leaue he would make the treacherous slaue before his face there presently confesse that he had belyed his fellowes and that there was no such Conspiracie amongst them The Gouernor gaue him authority to vse his best meanes to trie a traytor because it was not he said his desire to haue the bloud of any Christians shead wrongfully but if he should find the Welch mans words to be true he could do no otherwise than apprehend vs as traitors to his King and the Country and to lay such punishment vpon vs as should be sound due by their lawes But lieutenant Walton earnestly intreating the Gouernor that if he had any such ill thought of vs he would be pleased to hold him in setters as prisoner for vs all till the trueth might be found out And that traiterous villaine Thomas Griffyn being opposed face to face with the lieutenant still continuing in his first resolution and most boldely perseuering in his accusations against his poore countrymen that lay scattred in seuerall houses about the Iland not hearing of any such matters Behold how all that Griffyn had discouered were by a strange accident strongly confirmed to passe for currant and whatsoeuer lieutenant Walton had vttered in opposition of Griffyns slaunders were held as vntruths and traps to betray the Country For iust as the traitor had told the Gouernor that more ships were not farre off but were ready to second vs vpon our arriuall it chanced that in the very heat of this businesse and their feares of daunger where none was two other ships full of armed souldiers came to the same place of the Iland where our ship put in These two ships had brought souldiers out of the lowe Countries a cessation of warres being there and were going into Swethland as we were but by crosse windes and fowle weather lay so long at sea that wanting victualls they were driuen in hither for succour Whose sodaine approch and ariuall being signified to the L. Gouernor the welch mans words were then thought true all the fland was presently vp in Armes to resist the strength and fucie of a most dangerous supposed enemy and so secretly did the Inhabitants put on Annes that we who were kept like prisoners amongst them knew nothing of these vproares But night approaching the Generall gaue speciall charge that secret watch should be set and kept ouer euery souldier that lodged in any mans house which by the common people was as narrowly performed for they did not only watch vs as the Gouernor commaunded but amongst themselues a secret Conspiracie was made that in the dead of night when we should be fast asleepe they should come and take vs in our beds and there to binde vs with cords it being an easie thing to do so when our company were diuided one from another ouer the whole Iland At the houre agréed vpon the plot was put in force for they entred our Chambers and bound euerie Souldier as he lay making them all ready like so many shéepe marked out for the slaughter For mine owne part I had fiue men and thrée women to binde me who so cunningly tyed me fast with cordes whilst I slept and felt nothing nor dreamt of any such matter that with a twitch onely I was plucked starke naked out of my bed and laide vpon the colde earth vnderneath a Table with my armes bound behinde me so extreamely hard as foure men could drawe them together my féete tied to the foote of the Table and my necke bound to the vpper part or boord of the Table In these miserable tortures lay I and all the rest in seuerall houses all that night and the most part of the next day our armes and legges being pinched and wrung together in such pittilesse manner that the verie bloud gushed out at the singers ends of many