Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	child_n	love_v	parent_n	3,193	5	9.2231	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68914	Iuuenilia. A collection of those poemes which were heretofore imprinted, and written by George wither	Wither, George, 1588-1667.; Elstracke, Renold, fl. 1590-1630, engraver.	1622 (1622)	STC 25911; ESTC S120366	76,243	209

feare it is some others riches Whose more abundance that thy minde bewitches That baser obiect that too generall aime Makes thee my lesser Fortune to disclaime Fie canst thou so degenerate in spirit As to prefer the meanes before the merit A though I cannot say it is in mee Such worth sometimes with pouerty may be To equalize the match she takes vpon her Tho th' other vaunt of Birth Wealth Beauty Honour And many a one that did for greatnesse wed Would gladly change it for a meaner bed Yet are my Fortunes knowne indifferent Not basely meane but such as may content And though I yeeld the better to be thine I may be bold to say thus much for mine That if thou couldst of them and me esteeme Neither thy state nor birth would mis-beseeme Or if it did how can I help't alas Thou not alone before knew'st what it was But I although not fearing so to speed Did also disinable't more than need And yet thou woo'dst and wooing didst perseuer As if thou hadst intended Loue for euer Yea thy account of wealth thou mad'st so small Thou had'st not any question of 't at all But hating much that peasant-like condition Did'st seeme displeas'd I held it in suspition Whereby I thinke if nothing else doe thwart vs It cannot be the want of that will part vs. Yea I doe rather doubt indeed that this The needlesse feare of friends displeasure is Yes that 's the barre which stops out my delight And all my hope and ioy confoundeth quite But beares there any in thy heart such sway To shut mee thence and wipe thy loue away Can there be any friend that hath the power To disvnite hearts so conioyn'd as our E're I would haue so done by thee I 'de rather Haue parted with one deerer then my father For though the will of our Creator bindes Each Childe to learne and know his Parents mindes Yet sure I am so iust a Deitie Commandeth nothing against Pietie Nor doth that band of duty giue them leaue To violate their faith or to deceiue And though that Parents haue authority To rule their children in minority Yet they are neuer granted such power on them That will allow to tyrannize vpon them Or vse them vnder their command so ill To force them without reason to their will For who hath read in all the Sacred-writ Of any one compeld to marriage yet What father so vnkinde thereto requir'd Denide his Childe the match that he desir'd So that he found the Lawes did not forbid it I thinke those gentler ages no men did it In those daies therefore for them to haue bin Contracted without licence had been sin Since there was more good Nature among men And euery one more truly louing then But now although we stand obliged still To labour for their liking and good-will There is no duty whereby they may tie vs From ought which without reason they deny vs For I do thinke it is not onely meant Children should aske but Parents should consent And that they erre their duty as much breaking For not consenting as we not for speaking It is no maruell many matches be Concluded now without their priuity Since they through greedy Auarice misled Their interest in that haue forfeited For some respectlesse of all care doe marry Hot youthfull May to cold old Ianuary Some for a greedy end doe basely tie The sweetest-faire to soule-deformitie Forcing a loue from where 't was placed late To re-ingraffe it where it turnes to hate It seemes no cause of hindrance in their eyes Though manners nor affections sympathize And two Religions by their rules of state They may in one made body tolerate As if they did desire that double stemme Should fruitfull beare but Neuters like to them Alas how many numbers of both kindes By that haue euer discontented mindes And liue though seeming vnto others well In the next torments vnto those of hell How many desprate growne by this their sinne Haue both vndone themselues and all their kinne Many a one we see it makes to fall With the too-late repenting Prodigall Thousands though else by nature gentler giuen To act the horridst murthers oft are driuen And which is worse there 's many a carelesse else Vnlesse Heauen pitty kils and damnes his selfe Oh what hard heart or what vnpittying eyes Could hold from teares to see those Tragedies Parents by their neglect in this haue hurld Vpon the Stage of this respectlesse World 'T is not one Man one Family one Kinne No nor one Countrey that hath ruin'd bin By such their folly which the cause hath prou'd That forraine oft and ciuill warres were mou'd By such beginnings many a City lies Now in the dust whose Turrets brau'd the skies And diuers Monarchs by such fortunes crost Haue seene their Kingdomes fir'd and spoil'd and lost Yet all this while thou seest I mention not The ruine shame and chastity hath got For 't is a taske too infinite to tell How many thousands that would haue done well Doe by the meanes of this suffer desires To kindle in their hearts vnlawfull fires Nay some in whose could breast nere flame had bin Haue onely for meere vengeance falne to sin My selfe haue seene and my heart bled to see 't A wit-lesse Clowne enioy a match vnmeet She was a Lasse that had a looke to moue The heart of cold Diogenes to loue Her eye was such whose euery glance did know To kindle flames vpon the hils of Snow And by her powerfull piercings could imprint Or sparkle fire into a heart of flint And yet vnlesse I much deceiued be In very thought did hate immodestie And had sh'enioyd the man she could haue lou'd Might to this day haue liued vn-reprou'd But being forc'd perforce by seeming friends With her consent she her contentment ends In that compel'd her-selfe to him shee gaue Whose Bed shee rather could haue with● her Graue And since I heare what I much feare is true That shee hath hidden shame and fame adue Such are the causes now that Parents quite Are put beside much of their ancient right Their feare of this makes children to with-hold From giuing them those dues which else they would And these thou see'st are the too-fruitfull ils Which daily spring from their vnbridled wils Yet they forsooth will haue it vnderstood That all their study is their childrens good A seeming Loue shall couer all they do When if the matter were well look't into Their carefull reach is chiefly to fulfill Their owne foule greedy and insatiate will Who quite forgetting they were euer young Would haue the Children dote with them on dung Grant betwixt two there be true loue content Birth not mis seeming wealth sufficient Equality in yeares an honest fame In euery-side the person without blame And they obedient too What can you gather Of Loue or of affection in that father That but a little to augment his treasure Perhaps no more but onely for his pleasure Shall

force his Childe to one he doth abhor From her he loues and justly seeketh for Compelling him for such mis-fortune grieu'd To die with care that might with ioy haue liu'd This you may say is Loue and sweare as well There 's paines in Heauen and delights in Hell Or that the Diuels fury and austerity Proceeds out of his care of our posterity Would Parents in this age haue vs begin To take by their eyes our affections in Or doe they thinke we beare them in our fist That we may still remoue them as wee list It is impossible it should be thus For we are rul'd by Loue not Loue by vs And so our power so much ner'e reached to To know where we shall loue vntill we doe And when it comes hide it awhile wee may But 't is not in our strengths to driu't away Either mine owne eye should my chuser be Or I would ner'e weare Hymens Liuery For who is he so neare my heart doth rest To know what 't is that mine approued best I haue my selfe beheld those men whose frame And outward personages had nought of blame They had what might their good proportion grace The much more mouing part a comely face With many of those complements which we In common men of the best breeding see They had discourse and wit enough to carry Themselues in fashion at an Ordinary Gallants they were lou'd company and sport Wore fauours and had Mistresses in Court And euery way were such as well might seeme Worthy of note respect and much esteeme Yet hath my eye more cause of liking seene Where nought perhaps by some hath noted beene And I haue there found more content by farre Where some of those perfections wanting are Yea so much that their beauties were a blot To them me thought because he had them not There some peculiar thing innated That beares an vncontrouled sway in this And nothing but itselfe knowes how to fit The minde with that which best shall suit with it Then why should Parents thrust themselues into What they want warrant for and power to doe How is it they are so forgetfull growne Of those conditions that were once their owne Doe they so dote amidst their wits perfection To thinke that age and youth hath like affection When they doe see 'mong those of equall yeares One hateth what another most endeares Or doe they thinke their wisedomes can inuent A thing to giue that 's greater than Content No neither shall they wrap vs in such blindnesse To make vs thinke the spight they doe is kindnesse For as I would aduise no childe to stray From the least duty that he ought to pay So would I also haue him wisely know How much that duty is which he doth owe That knowing what doth vnto both belong He may doe them their right himselfe no wrong For if my Parents him I lothe should chuse T is lawfull yea my duty to refuse Else how shall I leade so vpright a life As is enioyned to the Man and Wife Since that we see sometime there are repentings Eu'n where there are the most and best contentings What though that by our Parents first we liue Is not life misery enough to giue Which at their births the children doth vndo Vnlesse they adde some other mischiefe to Cause they gaue being to this flesh of our Must we be therefore slaues vnto their power We nere desir'd it for how could we tell Not being but that not to be was well Nor know they whom they profit by it seeing Happy were some if they had had no being Indeed had they produc'd vs without sin Had all our duty to haue pleas'd them bin Of the next life could they assure the state And both beget vs and regenerate There were no reason then we should withstand To vndergoe their tyrannou'st command In hope that either for our hard endurance We should at last haue comfort in assurance Or if in our endeauours we mis-sped At least feele nothing when we should be dead But what 's the Reason for 't that we shall be Inthral'd so much vnto Mortality Our soules on will of any Men to tye Vnto an euerlasting misery So farre perhaps to from the good of either We ruine them our selues and altogether Children owe much I must confesse 't is true And a great debt is to the Parents due Yet if they haue not so much power to craue But in their owne defence the liues they gaue How much lesse then should they become so cruell As to take from them the high-prized Iewell Of liberty in choyce whereon depends The maine contentment that the heauen here lends Worth life or wealth nay far more worth then either Or twenty thousand liues put all together Then howsoeuer some seuerer bent May deeme of my opinion or intent With that which followes thus conclude I doe And I haue Reason for 't and Conscience to No Parent may his Childes iust sute deny On his bare will without a reason why Nor he so vs'd be disobedient thought If vnapprou'd he take the match he sought So then if that thy faith vncrazed be Thy friends dislike shall be no stop to me For if their will be not of force to doe it They shall haue no cause else to driue them to it What is it they against vs can alleage Both young we are and of the fittest age If thou dissembledst not both loue and both To admit hinderance in our loues are loth 'T is prejudiciall vnto none that liues And Gods and humane Law our warrant giues Nor are we much vnequall in degree Perhaps our Fortunes somewhat different be But say that little meanes which is were not The want of wealth may not dissolue this knot For though some such preposterous courses wend Prescribing to themselues no other end Marr'age was not ordain'd t' enrich men by Vnlesse it were in their posterity And he that doth for other causes wed Nere knowes the true sweetes of a marriage bed Nor shall he by my will for 't is vnfit He should haue blisse that neuer aym'd at it Though that bewitching gold the Rabble blindes And is the obiect of all Vulgar mindes Yet those me-thinkes that graced seeme to bee With so much good as doth appeare in thee Should scorne their better-taught desires to tye To that which fooles doe get their honour by I can like of the wealth I must confesse Yet more I prize the man though mony-lesse I am not of their humour yet that can For Title or Estate affect a Man Or of my selfe one body deigne to make With him I lothe for his possessions sake Nor wish I euer to haue that minde bred In me that is in those who when they wed Thinke it enough they doe attaine the grace Of some new honour to fare well take place Weare costly cloathes in others sights agree Or happy in opinion seeme to bee I weigh not this for were I sure before Of Spencers wealth or