Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	king_n	queen_n	son_n	6,739	5	5.3239	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75977	The glory of women: or, A treatise declaring the excellency and preheminence of women above men, which is proved both by scripture, law, reason, and authority, divine, and humane. Written first in Latine by Henricus Cornelius Agrippa Knight, and doctor both of law and physicke. And presented to Margaret Augusta, Queen of the Austrians and Burgundians. And now translated into English, for the vertuous and beautifull female sex of the Commonwealth of England By Edvv. Fleetvvood, Gent.; Declamatio de nobilitate et praecellentia foeminei sexus. English	Agrippa von Nettesheim, Heinrich Cornelius, 1486?-1535.; Fleetwood, Edward.	1652 (1652)	Wing A788; Thomason E655_7; ESTC R205944	27,257	39

womb of the Wife with fruitfull seed although we read that Lycurgus and Solon established lawes of this sort in times past as if any old man and unfit for marriage or lesse active then is required for the service of Venus had married a Maid that it might bee lawfull to the wife to chuse one of the young-men approved for his strength and activity with whom she might sweetly sport and dally provided always that the issue might be her Husbands neither was it lawfull for any to account such issue adulterous or mis-begotten we read of them not kept not so much by the rigidnesse of men as by the continency of women refusing them There are innumerable most famous women who in modesty conjugal love have excelled all men such as Abigal the wife of Nabal Artemisia of Mausolus Argia the wife of Polinices the Theban Julia of Pompeius Portia of Cato Cornelia of Gracchus Messalina of Sulpitius Alceste of Admetus Hypsicratea of Mithridates the Pontic King Dido the builder of Carthage the Roman Lucretia and Sulpitia of Lentulus there are infinite others whose immoveable Virginity and chastity could not be changed by death examples of which offer themselves Atlanta Calidonia Camilla Volsca Iphigenia a Greek Cassandra and Crise to these may be added the Lacedaemonian Spartan Milesian and Theban Virgins and innumerable others which the histories of Hebrewes Greekes and Barbarians number to us who made Virginity of more account then Kingdomes yea then life it selfe if now examples of piety be required amongst others these offer themselves Claudia a Vestal Virgine towards her father and that mean Plebeian Maid concerning whose pious affection to her Mother we have spoken of before But some Zoilus wil object against these that there have bin destructive marriages which have made direful Tragedies as those of Sampson Jason Deiphobus Agamemnon which if any wil see into with Lynceus eyes he shall find that wives are falsely accused none of which at any time have proved bad to a good Husband for there were never ill Wives but to ill Husbands to whom although they should prove good oftentimes they are corrupted with the vices of their husbands Doe not you think if it might be lawfull for women to make Lawes write Histories but that they could write Tragedies concerning the unmeasurable malice of men amongst whom many are found Manslayers Theeves Ravishers Forgers Incendiaries traytors which in the time of Joshua and David the King did rob in so great multitudes that they did appoint Princes of their companies yea also in these dayes there is an infinite number of them Hence all Prisons are filled with men on every hand all places are burthened with the carkasses of men But on the other side women have been the inventors of all liberall Arts of every Grace and Vertue which the feminine names of Arts and Vertues clearly manifest To which I will adde that notable thing that the Orbe of the earth is named from the names of women to wit from Asia the Nymph from Europa the daughter of Agenor from Lybia the daughter of Epaphus which is also called Africa To conclude if a survey be made through the singular kinds of vertues women every where obtaine the principall place It was a woman the Virgin Mary her self which first vowed virginity to God women Prophetesses were alwaies inspired with diviner gifts then men which is noted concerning the Sybils as Lactantius Eusebius and Augustine testifie So Mary the sister of Moses was a Prophetesse and Jeremiah being in prison the wife of his Uncle by name Olda was raised up to be a Prophetesse to the perishing people of Israel greater then all the Prophets they then had Let us search the holy Scriptures and we shall see the constancy of women in faith and holy duties commended far above men as Judith Ruth Hester which are mentioned with so much glory that they give names to bookes in holy Scripture Abraham himselfe who for his eminency of faith the Scripture hath called just because he beleeved God notwithstanding he must submit to his wife Sarah and by the voyce of God is commanded All things whatsoever Sarah saith heare her voyce So Rebecca firmly beleeving proceedeth to aske of God and for an answer she heareth a miracle Two Nations are in thy wombe and two people shall be divided from thy belly And the widdow of Sarepta beleeved Eliah although he did tel her a difficult thing So Zacharias reproved of the Angell for incredulity was dumb and Elizabeth his wife prophesied in voyce and wombe and is commended because she beleeved faithfully who afterwards commendeth the blessed Virgin saying Blessed art thou which beleevest what things are said to thee of the Lord So Anna the Prophetesse did confesse God after the revelation of Simeon and did speake concerning him to all willing to heare who did expect the redemption of Israel and Philip had foure Daughters Virgin Prophetesses What shall I say concerning that woman of Samaria with whom Christ did speak at the Well and filled with faith of her beleeving he refused the food offered him by the Apostles See the faith of the woman of Canaan and of the woman which had the issue of blood is not the faith and confession of Martha like the confession of Peter Yea how much constancy of faith was in Mary Magdalen is noted to us out of the Gospels for she while the High Priests and Jewes crucifie weepeth at the crosse carrieth oyntments seeketh in the Tomb asketh the Gardiner re-acknowledgeth God goeth to the Apostles and tells that he is risen they doubt she beleeveth What againe shall I say of Priscilla a most holy woman who instructed Apollos an Apostolicall man most learned in the Law the Bishop of the Corinthians neither was it an unseemly thing for an Apostle to learne of a woman which could teach in the Church Adde moreover those which have testified the constancy of their faith by patience in Martyrdome by contempt of death whose number is no lesse then mens Neither is to be past by with silence that wonderfull mother and worthy of the memory of all good men who seeing her seven sons perishing by cruel martyrdom was not only of good courage but also strongly did exhort to put them to death she her self trusting in the Lord in al conditions after her sons was also put to death for the Laws and Liberties of her Country Did not Theodelina the daughter of the K. of the Bavarians convert the Lombards to the faith of Christ Greisilla the sister of Henry the first Emperor the Hungarians Clotildis the daughter of the K. of the Burgundians the Franks a certain Apostlesse a woman of a low rank the Iberians and each of them innumerable other people besides wone over to Christian Religion Finally This most Religious Sex alone or at least cheifly is it in which the Catholique faith and the continued works of godlinesse

shine bright continually to this day but least any should doubt that women are not able to doe all those things appertaining to men let us run over the matter by examples and wee shall finde there is no famous action in any kind of Vertues performed by men which may not as excellently be done by women Melissae Cybeles in times past were famous for the Priesthood from whose name other goddesses Priests afterward were called Melissae Hypecaustria was the Priest of Minerva Mera of Venus Iphigenia of Diana and women were the Priests of Bacchus famous by many names as Thyades Maenades Bacchae Eliades Mimalonides Aedonides Euhyades Bassarides Triaterides with the Jewes Mary the sister of Moses together with Aaron did enter the Sanctuary and was accounted as a Priest In our Religion although the office of Priest-hood be forbidden women we know notwithstanding that Histories declare that women sometimes concealing their Sex have ascended to the top of the High Priests office So many there have beene most holy Abbesses and Nuns whom antiquity was not ashamed to call Priests Famous in prophecy with Nations of all Religions Cassandra Sybillae Mary the sister to Moses Debora Holda Anna Elizabeth the foure daughters of Philip and many other holy women of later days as Brigida Hildegardis have been Furthermore in Magicke whether by the familiarity and acquaintance of good or evill spirits I dispute not Circes before the rest and Medea did far more wonderful things then even Zoroastes himselfe although the Inventor of this Art as hee is beleeved by many Againe In Philosophy there is famous Theano the wife of Pythagoras and his daughter Dama famous for expounding the darke sentences of her father also Aspasia and Diotima the Schollars of Socrates and Mantinea and Philesia Axiochia both the Shollars of Plato To conclude Plotinus extolleth Gemina and hee praiseth Amphiclea and Lactantius Themistis The Roman Church rejoyceth in her Katharine which maide alone did farre excell all the learning of wise men in that age Neither may we forget in this place Zenobia the Queen and Schollar of Longinus the Philosopher who for her abundant and excellent skill of letters obtained the name of Ephinissa whose holy workes Nicomachus hath turned into the Greek tongue Let us proceed to Oratory and Poetry behold Armesia by sirname Androgenea Hortensia Lucrea Valeria Capiola Sappho Corinna Cornificia Romana and Erimna Telia or Telbia which were named Epigrammatists in Salust Sempronia and Calphurnia among the Lawyers yea except it had been forbidden women to learn letters in these days even now as yet might be had women of most famous learning more excellent in wit then men But wherefore do I speake concerning this because women by nature it selfe alone without doubt seem to excell Artificers in all Disciplines do not Grammarians boast themselves to be Masters of Well-speaking and do we not learn that better from Nurses and Mothers then from Grammarians hath not Mother Cornelia framed the most eloquent tongue of the Gracchi and the mother of Istrinus taught Sylem the son of Aripithus the King of Scythia the Greek tongue did not alwayes children born in Colonies brought in with strange Nations hold the speech of their mothers Not for any other cause Plato and Quintilian carefully gave Order concerning chusing a fit Nurse for children that their speech might be rightly and discreetly formed by the tongue of the child And are not also Poets in their Trifles and Fables and Logicians in their Notionall contentions overcome by women There is not an Orator so good or so happy but the perswasion of a light Huswife will overcome him What Arithmetician by casting up falsely can deceive a woman of her due benevolence What Musician can equall a woman by singing and pleasantnesse of voice Philosophers Mathematicians Astrologers are they not in their Divinations and Prognostications oftentimes inferiour to plaine Country women and often an old woman excells a Physitian Socrates himselfe the wisest of all men if credit may be given to the testimony of Pythius and mature in judgement yet disdained not to learn something of the Lady Aspasia So neither was Apollos the divine ashamed to be instructed by Priscilla Now if Prudence be required Opis related amongst the goddesses Plotina the wife of Trajanus Amalasuntha the Queen of the Ostrogoths Aemilia the wife of Scipio are examples to whom may be added Debora a most Prudent woman the wife of Labidoth who alone as may bee read in the Booke of Judges some time judged over the people of Israel and the children of Israel went up to her for every Judgement who also was chosen Captaine of the Host of Israel when Barach did refuse to fight and wone the Field her Enemies being slaine and put to flight Furthermore It is read in the History of the Kings that Attalia the Queen Reigned and Judged seven yeares in Jerusalem and Semiramis after the death of Ninus the King judged the People Forty yeares and all the Candaces Queens of Aethiopia Reigned being most wise and potent concerning whom mention is made in the Acts of the Apostles Josephus that faithfull Writer of Antiquities telleth wonderfull things of them Adde hereunto Nicaula the Queene of Sheba who coming from the uttermost ends of the Earth to heare the Wisdome of Salomon by the testimony of the Lord condemned all the men of Jerusalem And also there was one Technites a most wise woman which staggered K. David with an Interrogation taught him by a riddle appeased him by an Example of God Neither here again is to be passed by in silence Abigal and Bathsheba the one of which freed her Husband from the anger of David The other the Mother of Salomon prudently obtained the Kingdom for her Son Furthermore in the invention of matters Isis Minerva Nycostrata are examples And in modelling Governments and Cities Semiramis holding the Monarchy of the whole World Dido and the Amazones In Wars Thomiris Queene of the Massagetans which conquered Cyrus the Monarch of the Persians Also Camilla of the Nation of the Volscians Valisca of Bohemia both mighty Queens and Pande of the Indians the Amazones Candaces Lemnenses and the Phocians Chians and Persian woman Wee read of many other most famous women which restored safety to their Nation in the highest despaire thereof amongst whom is Judith whom Jeremy extolleth in these words saying Receive ye Judith the widow an example of chastity with triumph perpetuate her never-dying memory with praises he giveth her out not only to be imitated by women but by men because being an example rewarder of chastity such were her vertues that she overcame the invincible and excelled the most excellent We read also that a certain wise woman called to Joab and gave into his hands the head of Siba the enemy of David that he might save the City Abela which was the Mother of Cities in Israel And that a certain woman cast a peece of Mil-stone

account when Nabal was dead she became one of the wives of David And Bathsheba was a woman of so excellent a forme that David was taken with the love of her and after the death of her Husband did extol her with Queenly dignity before the rest when she was espoused to him Abishag the Shunamite because she was a Virgin most faire therefore was chosen to lye with the King in his extream age to recover his heat Whereupon the King being old did inrich her with the highest honours and after his death she was accounted in the place of Queen Hitherto appertaine those things which we read concerning the wonderful beauty of Queen Vasti and Hester who was yet preferred before her and was more excellent and of a more exceeding fair and comely face We read concerning Judith whose beauty the Lord increased so much as in beholding her men were struck with astonishment We read concerning Susanna which was ravishingly delicate and beautifull We read concerning Job that after his various temptations and his involved miseries besides other things the Lord gave to him three most fair daughters more gracious then the three Graces fairer then whom there was not any in the whole earth found out If we read the history of holy Virgins truely wee cannot but admire their wonderfull beauty and specious form before other children of men But above all both far and near as the immaculate Princesse of all shines forth the blessed Virgin Mary Mother of Christ at whose beauty the Sun and Moon stands amazed from whose glorious countenance such a lustre of chastity and holinesse floweth as that it was able to dazle the minds of all men no man for all that at any time through the temptation and inticements of so stupendious a beauty falling in the least thought These although more largely set downe in the holy Bible where so often mention is made concerning beauty I have related almost in the very words themselves by which we are given plainly to understand that the beauty of women not onely with men but with God is esteemed and hath its honour Therefore we read in holy Writ that God commanded every male child to be slaine but the fair women to be saved alive In Deuteronomy the children of Israel were permitted to chuse themselves Wives out of the fair women captives Besides this admired beauty also the woman is endowed with a certaine grace of comelinesse which happeneth not unto men For the hairs of women grow to such a length as that they may cover those parts of the body wherein there is lesse comelinesse Of which parts it is not necessary at this time I should treat Onely this I shall say that in wonderfull decency Nature hath ordained these in women being not prominent as in men but biding within in a more secret and sure place Furthermore Nature hath afforded women more modesty then men Wherefore often times it happens that women being diseased with the dangerous Ulcer in the secrets they have rather chosen death then to submit themselves to the sight and handling of a Chirurgeon that they might be healed And they retaine this grace of modesty not onely living but dying yea and also dead which appeareth cheifly in those which perish in waters For as Pliny writeth and experience testifieth the woman lyeth with her face downwards nature sparing the modesty of the dead but the man swimmeth with his face upwards To these may be added the worthiest member in man by which we differ chiefly from bruits and shew forth the divine nature is the head in which head the chiefest part is the countenance the head in men is deformed with baldnesse the woman contrariwise by a great priviledge of Nature waxeth not bald The countenance moreover in men is often times so soiled with a most odious beard and covered with nasty haires that they can scarcely be discerned from beasts in woman contrarywise the face alwayes abides pure and comely Hence there was in the law of the twelve tables that women should not shave their cheeks least when a beard should bud forth their modesty might be hid and it is to all for an argument of the cleanlinesse of women that when a woman is once cleanly washed as often as she washeth afterwards in cleane water the water receiveth not the least foulnesse but man when he hath been washed often times very clean he muddieth and soileth the water Moreover by the ordinance of nature women through secret places every moneth expell their superfluities but mens are continually expelled through the face the most comely part of the body Furthermore since amongst all other living creatures it is given only to man to look with the countenance erect towards heaven Nature and Fortune have respected woman cheifly in this and are so propitious that if by chance she falls she almost alwayes falls upon her backe and seldome or never on her head or face There is another thing which we may not omit Do not we see that in the procreation of mankind nature preferreth women before men which is cheifly perspicuous because the womans seed alone as Galen and Avicen say that is the matter and nutriment of the child not the mans because it entreth into the woman as an accident into the substance For as the law saith that is the greatest and cheifest office of women to conceive and to nourish the thing conceived for which cause we see that many are like their mothers because they are procreated of the blood of them and that holds also very much in the habit of the body alwayes in the manners if the mothers be foolish also the sons are foolish if the mothers be prudent the sons are prudent But contrary wise in fathers if they be wise for the most part they beget foolish children and foolish fathers wise children provided alwayes the mothers be wise Neither is there any other reason why Mothers love their children more then Fathers except that because the mothers are sensible they have more of their owne substance then the fathers for the same cause also I think it is naturall to us to be more affected towards the mother then towards the father so as we seem but to affect the father but passionately to love the mother And therfore nature affordeth to women milk of such a strength which doth not only nourish infants but also restore them being sicke which also when they are grown up may suffice for saving of life The experiment we read in Valerius Max. concerning a young maid of the common people which by suckling nourished her mother in Prison when otherwise she was condemned to have perished with hunger for which piety of hers life was not only given to the mother but a settled maintenance to both and the prison was afterward dedicated to the goddesse Piety For it is most commonly seen that the woman is more full of compassion and piety then

and dasht out the brains of Abimelech being the rod of divine vengeance upon him because he had done evill before the Lord against his owne Father his seventy brethren being slaine by him upon one stone So Hester the wife of King Ahasuerus not onely freed her People from a certaine death but also inriched them with great Honour When the Roman City was besiedged by the Volscians Cneus Martius Coriolanus being Captaine and the men were not able to defend it by their Armes Veturia a woman of noble birth and the Mother of Coriolanus saved it by the chiding of her Sonne Arthemisia defeated the Rhodians of their Army rising up against her brought the Isle into subjection and erected a Statue in the City of Rhodes for a Monument of her noble acts Who can sufficiently praise that most noble Maide although of mean discent who in the year of Christians One thousand four hundred twenty eight the Kingdom of France being possessed by the English taking Armes like an Amazon led the Army so stoutly and fought so happily that she did restore the lost Kingdom to the King of France the English being overcome by many Battells to whose perpetuall memory a Statue is erected at the Towne Genabum which is now called Orleans on the Bridge which is over the river Ligur I could reckon up besides these others innumerable most excellent women of the Greeks Latines Barbarians as well from old as moderne Histories But I will study brevity least the worke should swel too big For Plutarch Valerius Bocatius and many others have writ concerning them Hence it is that I have not spoken so many things of the praises of women as I have kept silent Because I am not so ambitious that I should presume that I am able to comprehend the infinite Excellencies and Vertues of women in so small a speech Who can be sufficient to enumerate the infinite praises of women on whom all our being and the whole conservation of man-kinde which otherwise in short time would perish and every Family and Common-wealth dependeth Which thing Romes Builder understood very well who whilst he wanted women doubted not to ravish the daughters of the Sabins and in defence of the Rape made War with their Fathers for hee knew that an Empire of men alone would be but of a short age At length the Capitoll being taken by the Sabins when they had fought most bloodily together in the middest of the Market-place at the running in of women between the two Armies the War ceased and at length a Peace and League was made and they entered into a perpetuall Friendship wherefore Romulus put the names of them upon the family of the Curii and by consent of the Romans it was set down in publick Records that women should neither grind nor play the Cook That women should be forbid to receive any thing from the Husband by gift and the Husband to receive any thing by gift from the Wife that they might know that all good things were common Hence arose the custom that in their marriages the wife should be brought in saying ubi tu ego denoting wher thou art Master I am Mistris where thou art Lord I am Lady Afterwards when the Bands of the Volscians pitched their Camp within five miles of the City when their Kings being expelled Coriolanus Martius was Captain they were turned back by women In honour of which exploit a famous Temple was dedicated to Womens Fortune Yea notable ensignes of great honour and dignity were given to them by Decree of the Senate So it comes about that they take the upper-hand in the way and men rise up and give them place Furthermore Purple garments with gold Lace Ornaments of Gems Earings Golden-Chains are allowed them for it was provided by the Lawes of following Emperours as often times as there were Statutes made which prohibited certaine Garments and Ornaments that womens Garments should not be comprehended under them they were also rewarded with successions of inheritances and possessions and it was permitted by the Lawes to celebrate with publick praises the Funeralls of Women as the Funeralls of famous Men in regard that when the present was to be sent to Delphian Apollo by the desire of Camillus and so much gold could not be had the women brought the Ornaments of their bodies of their own accord towards it Furthermore In that War with Cyrus carried on against Astyages the Army of the Persians being turned to flight it was by the reprehension of women made ashamed and brought againe into a good posture of defence and gave to their enemies a notable overthrow for which deed it was determined by the Lawes of Cyrus that the Kings of Persia as they enter the City should give to each woman some summes of gold which Macedo twice entering the City twice payed Moreover hee commanded the gift should be doubled to women with childe So women were presented with every kind of honour by the ancient Kings of the Persians and Romans from the cradles as I may say of the Roman City and Empire yea and not lesse honoured by the Emperours themselves Hence Justinianus the Emperor did think fit that the advice and counsel of his Wife should be taken in making Laws And elsewhere the Law saith because the Wife shineth in the honour of the Husband that he might take notice of her splendor as in how much the Husband is exalted so much is the Wife So the Wife of an Emperour is called an Emperesse and the Wife of a King a Queen and the Wife of a Prince a Princesse and illustrious howsoever she was borne And Vlpianus saith a Prince or Emperour is freed from and above Lawes but Augusta which is the Wife of an Emperour although she be not free from the Lawes by her selfe notwithstanding the Prince or Emperour brings the same Priviledges to her as he hath himselfe Hence it is that famous women are permitted to judge and to arbitrate and that they might be capable to investe into Fee-Farme Land and of being invested and to determine what right vassalls have And it appertaineth to the same thing that women may have particular Servants as the man hath and the woman is able to judge amongst strangers she is also of power to put a name upon a family so that Sons might be denominated from their Mother not from their Father they have also great Priviledges concerning Dowries here and there exprest in divers parts of the body of the Lawes where also provision was made that women of honest life and fame ought not to be imprisoned for civill debtes yea that Judge was punished with death which should put her in prison But if she were suspected of a fault she was thrust into a Monastery or was delivered to the custody of women to be secured because by the testimony of the Law the woman is in better condition then the man as also in the same kind of offence the man