Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	life_n	misery_n	sin_n	6,420	5	4.5542	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04569	The pilgrimage of man, vvandering in a vvildernesse of vvoe wherein is shewed the calamities belonging to man being borne in this world, and how all the principall estates thereof are crossed with misery.	Johnson, Richard.	1635 (1635)	STC 14691.7; ESTC S2158	18,352	32

taxe and draw money from the poore people and generally all their study is imployed to bée wastfull and prodigall in the exactions and miseries of the poore commons The third and last sort are such that vnder the cloake of kindnes and honesty counterfayting good men haue alwayes their eyes vpon other mens liuings and make themselues reformers of vices They inuent wicked and false deuices not only how to get other mens goods but oftentimes their liues who before God are most innocent Behold here you may well sée the manifold miseries that compasse Scepters and states of Princes Here are the Thornes that they receiue in recompence of their brightnesse and royall Dignity which ought like a Lampe to giue light to all the world but when it is eclipsed or darkned with any vice it is more reprochfull in them than in any other priuate person whatsoeuer for they sin not only in the fault which they commit but also by the example that they giue The abundance of honours and pleasures that Princes enioy serueth as a baite to induce them to euill and are the very Matches to giue fire to Uice What was Saul before hée was made King whose life is shewed in the holy Scripture whom God did elect yet he made a sudden eclipse or changeing How wonderfull was the beginning of the Reigne of King Salomon the which being ouercome with Royall pleasures gaue himselfe as a prey to women Of two and twenty Kings of Iuda there is found but fiue or sixe that haue continued in their vertue If we consider the estate of the Assyrians Persians Grecians and Egyptians wee shall finde more of them wicked than good If wee consider what the Kings and Romane Emperours were which hath béene the most flourishing Common-wealth in the world we shall find them so ouercome with vices and all kind of cruelties that I do almost abhorrs to speake of their corrupt defiled liues What was the estate of their Common-wealth before that Scilla Marius did murmure against it before that Catiline and Catulla did perturbe it before that Caesar and Pompey did slander it before that Augustus and Marcus Antonius did destroy it before that Tiberius and Caligula did defame it before that Domitian and Nero did depraue it For although they made it rich with many Kingdomes and Lordships yet were the vices they brought with them more greater than the Kingdomes they gayned For their goods and riches are consumed yet their vices remaine vnto this day What memory remaineth of Romulus that founded the City of Rome Of Numa Pompilius that erected the Capitoll Of Ancus Martius that compassed it with walles Did not they shew what felicity remaineth in high estates who are more subiect to the assaults of Fortune than any other earthly creature For many times the thred of life breaketh when they thinke least of death and then the infamy of those that bée wicked remaineth written in Histories for a perpetuall memorie thereof The which thing all Estates ought more to regard a thousand times than the tongue that speaketh euill which can but shame the liuing but Bookes record a perpetuall infamy for euer Which thing being duely considered of by many Emperours and Kings in times past they forsooke their Scepters and royal Empires and betooke them to an obscure life resting better contented with a little in quiet than to enioy with full sayle the crooked honours of the world CHAP. V. Of the misery of vicious Courtiers and of their wicked liues WHat greater felicity can there bée in this world than to bée in a Princes fauour to bee at his elbow at all times to vse courtly manners and other offices of humanity of which number there be some so subtile crafty that they doe play as the Fisherman who as soone as he hath gotten any thing in his Net giueth ouer the Court and goeth his way Othersome there are that play all out and other that remaine vntill they become wonderous rich and in the end they are made to restore all backe againe There are also others that doe nothing but inuent meanes to enlarge their treasures and become wealthy with spoyling poore people Princes doe by them many times as we doe by our Hogs we let them fatten to the end we may eate them afterward so likewise are they suffered many times to enrich themselues to be disposed of afterward when they are fat and one that is new come oftentimes is preferred in their places By this you may see that Courtiers oftentimes do sell their libertie to become rich For they must obey all commandements they must frame themselues to laugh when the prince laugheth to wéepe when he weepeth approue that which he approueth and condemne that which he condemneth They must alter and change their natures to be seuere with those that are seuere sorrowfull with those that are sorrowfull and in a manner transforme themselues according to the nature of him whom they will please or els he shal get nothing To be briefe they must frame themselues to his manners and nature and yet many times one little offence staineth all the seruice they haue done in their life time before Many in Princes Courts put off their Cappes to them whom they would gladly see cut shorter by the head and often bow their knees to doe them reuerence whom they wish had broken their neckes Here you may sée the life of a great number of vicious Courtiers which is no life but rather a lingring death here you may sée wherein their youth is imployed which is no youth but a transitory death for when they come to age they bring nothing from thence but gray heads their feete full of Gouts their backes full of paine their hearts full of sorrow and their soules filled with sin CHAP. VJ. Of the misery of Magistrates that administer not true Iustice with a discourse against wicked Iudges NOw our discourse of Courtiers being past it is requisite that we speake of things done in the ciuill life and to how many miseries it is subiect For although it be at this day a degrée most Noble and necessary for the peace of mans life yet shall we find that it deserues to haue his part in this Pilgrimage as well as others and if there be any delectation pleasure or honour depending thereon yet it is transitory and vnconstant First knowing that all the actions of Magistrates passe before the eyes of the common people whose iudgements in matters of state be but simple yet haue they a certaine smell or sauour to know the good from euill wherefore those that be Iudges and Magistrates be subiect as in a Play to be hissed at and chased away with shame and confusion For the hare-brained people which is compared to a monster with many heads are mutable vncertaine fraudulent apt to wrath and mutiny ready to prayse or dispraise without wisedome or discretion variable in their talke vnlearned and obstinate Therefore it behooueth

as it did to the Prophet Dauid 2 King 13. 15. whose sinne was punished in his Children which were most of them so wicked that the one of them deflowred his owne sister and the other killed his brother and afterward sought the death of his owne father and chased him out of his kingdome The ancient Philosophers maintained this Argument that all sinnes committed in this world were punished in the world to come except the sinne that man committeth in the bringing vp of his Children and for that he suffereth punishment in this world for the Father can giue nothing to his Child but fraile and mortall flesh by the corruption whereof the life taketh end but by good learning knowledge eternall praise and memory is gotten Therefore to conclude if that Children haue béen in great misery being nourished with spotted milke yet the misery doubleth in those that should cause them to be instructed for the food of the body is more vile than the food of the soule But now when he is come to the seuenth yeare of his age it behooueth his Parents to haue Tutors and Schoole-masters for to instruct him in good learning but growing further into yeeres and comming to his adolescency it is needfull then to haue more rigorous reformers for to tame his wilde youth and to breake him to labour CHHP. IIJ. Of the misery of man being come to his full strength HAuing finished this our second discourse Man is growne to his full perfection both of strength and discretion in which time hee entereth into déeper cogitations and trauell in the spirit It is requisite therefore that he frequent publike places that he haunt the company of those that are as touchstones for to know the good from euill If he be come of a great and a noble stocke he must make many enterprises of warre put himselfe in perils hazard his life and shed his blood for to die in the bed of Honour or else he shall be reputed a dastardly coward and vtterly despised of all men If he be of bare estate and that he be called to the knowledge of Arts Sciences and néedfull Trades yet for all that he runneth into a thousand dangers trauels paines and troubles as well of the body as of the soule he toyleth day and night and sweateth water and blood to get a maintenance during his life and oftentimes it is seene that what paines soeuer man taketh for his liuing yet it is scant sufficient to serue his necessity It is not therefore without cause that Marcus Aurelius was wont to say when he considered the misery of mankind I mused in my mind sayd he whether there might be found in any age a man that could vaunt that he neuer in al his life-time tasted aduersity and assuredly if there might be such a one found hée would be such a fearefull monster vpon the earth that all liuing things would be amazed to behold him Then he concluded after this sort saying And in the end I found mine owne thoughts true for he that was yesterday rich was to day poore He that was yesterday in health was to day sicke He that laughed yesterday to day did weepe He that was yesterday in prosperity was to day in aduersity and he that was yesterday aliue was to day dead But let vs now returne to our former matter and set down our Discourses in order What liuing man is he in all the world that hath giuen himselfe to any Science or otherwise to liue but that at one time or other he disliketh of his owne profession and is weary thereof And for the better vnderstanding of the same we will particularly discourse the miseries and troublesome liues of all the principall Estates liuing vpon the bosome of the sinfull earth CHAP. IV. Of the misery of wicked Kings Princes and Monarches SEarching into all estates of men wée shall finde that Fortune aboue all other mortall creatures hath prouided for Kings most liberally for what maketh man more happy in this world than goods honours dignities and rule licence to doe good or euill without controulement power to exercise liberality and all kind of pleasure as well of the body as of the mind all that may be wished for to the contentation of man either in varietie of meats magnificence in seruice or in vestures to raise at their pleasure the meanest man to high place and with a frowne disgrace the mightiest All which continually is at a Princes command there is nothing that may please the memory or flatter the desires of the flesh but is prepared for them euen from their cradles onely to make their liues more happy and full of felicity But now if wée iudge of their liues vprightly and waigh them in a true ballance wée shall finde that the selfe same things which makes them happy in this world are the very instruments of vice and the cause of greater sorrowes For what auaileth their costly ornaments honourable seruices and delicate meats when that they are in continuall feare to be poysoned wrong seduced and often beguiled by their seruitours Haue we not had experience therof many times Doth not Histories report that some Princes haue bin poysoned with Papers and with the smoake of Torches Wée may reade likewise of certaine Emperors that dust not lye downe to rest in the night before they had caused their Beds to be lyen on and all the corners of their Chambers to bee searched least they should be strangled or murthered in their sléepes Others that would not permit any Barbers to touch their faces for feare that in trimming of their heads or beards they would cut their throats And yet to this day they are in such feare that they dare not put meate in their mouthes before their Taster haue tasted thereof What felicity can a King or Prince haue that hath many thousands of men vnder their gouernments when hee must watch for all heare the complaints and cryes of euery one procure euery mans safegard prouoke some to do well by liberall gifts and others by terrour and feare Hée must nourish peace amongst his Subiects and defend his Realme against the inuasion of forraine enemies besides many other calamities that are depending vpon a Regall crowne But now touching the vnhappy states of wicked Princes vnto whom thrée kindes of people are most agréeable and familiar The first are Flatterers which bée the chiefe enemies to all Uertue and they that impoyson their soules with a poyson so pestiferous that it is contagious to all the world their Princes folly they call Prudence their cruelty Iustice their Letchery Wantonnesse their Fornications Pleasures and Pastimes if they bee couetous they call it good Husbandry if they bee prodigall they call it Liberality So that there is no vice in a Prince but they cloake it vnder the shadow of some Uertue The second sort are such who neuer rest night but that in the morning they bring in some new inuention or other how to