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	owe_v	parent_n	5,339	5	9.4563	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15642	Fidelia. Newly corrected and augmented, by George Withers of Lincolnes Inne Gentleman	Wither, George, 1588-1667.	1619 (1619)	STC 25907; ESTC S120231	23,315	60

vnreprou'd But being forc'd perforce by seeming friends With her consent she her contentment ends In that compel'd her selfe to him she gaue Whose bed she rather could haue wisht her graue And since I heare what I much feare is true That she hath bidden shame and fame adue Such are the causes now that Parents quite Are put beside much of their ancient right There feare of this makes children to with-hold From giuing them those dues which else they wold 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 lok't into Their carefull reach is chiefly to fulfill Their owne foule greedy and insatiate will Who quite forgetting they were ever yong 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 only for his pleasure Shall force his child to one he doth abhor From her he loues and iustly 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 Deuils fury and austerity Proceeds out of his care of our prosperity Would Parents in this age haue vs begin To take by their eyes our affections in Or do they thinke we beare them in our fist That we may still remoue them as they 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 ne're reacheth to To know where we shall loue vntill we do And when it comes hide it a while we may But 't is not in our strengths to driue't away Either mine owne eye should my chuser be Or I would ne're weare Hymens Liuery For who is he so neare my heart doth rest To know what 't is that mine approueth 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 wee 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 that now might seeme Worthy of note respect and such 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 these 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 is That beares an vncontrouled sway in this And nothing but it selfe 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 do How is it they are so forgetfull growne Of those conditions that were once their owne Do they so dote amidst their wits perfection To thinke that age and youth hath like affection When they do see 'mong those of equall yeares One hateth what another most endeares Or do they thinke their wisdomes can invent 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 do a kindnesse For as I would aduise no child 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 do them their right himselfe no wrong For if my Parents him I loath should chuse T is lawfull yea my duty to refuse Else how shall I lead so vpright a life As is enioyned to the Man and Wife Since that we see some time 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 ne're 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 tyranou'st command In hope that either for our hard endurance We should at last haue comfort in assurance Or if in our endeuours 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 too from the good of either We ruine them our selues and all together 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 prised Iewell Of liberty in choice 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 do And I haue Reason for 't and Conscience too No Parent may his Child 's iust suite 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 do it They shall haue no cause else to driue them to it Let them bring all forth that they can alledge We are both yong and of the fittest age If thou dissembledst not both loue and both To admit hinderance in our loues were loth T is preiudiciall 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

For were it so and any could assure it What would not some men part with to procure it But though thou weigh't not as thou oughtst to doe Thou knowst I loue and once didst loue me too Then where 's the cause of this dislike in thee Suruey thy selfe I hope there 's none in me Yet looke on her from whom thou art estranged See is my person or my beauty changed Once thou didst praise it prethee view 't agen And marke if 't be not still the same 't was then No false Uermilion dye my cheeke distaines T is the poore blood dispierst through pores vaines Which thou hast oft seen through my forehead flushing To shew no dawby colour hid my blushing Nor neuer shall Vertue I hope will saue me Contented with that beauty Nature gaue me Or if 't seeme lesse for that griefes ve●se hath hid it Thou threw'st it on me 't was not I that did it And canst againe restore what may repaire All that 's decay'd and make me far more faire Which if thou do I 'le be more wary than To keep 't for thee vnblemisht what I can And cause at best 't will want much of perfection The rest shall be supply'd with true affection But I do feare it is some others riches Whose more aboundance that thy minde bewitches So that base obiect that too generall aime Makes thee my lesser Fortune to disclaime Fye canst thou so degenerate in spirit As to prefer the meanes before the merit Although I cannot say it is in me 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 do thwart vs It cannot be the want of that will part vs. Yea I do rather doubt indeed that this The needlesse feare of friends displeasure is That is the barre that stops out my delight And all my hope and joy confoundeth quite But beares there any in thy heart such sway To shut me 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 binds Each child to learne and know his parents minds Yet sure I am so iust a Deity Commandeth nothing against Piety 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 compel'd to marriage yet Or father so vnkind thereto requir'd Deny'd his Child the match that he desir'd So that be found the lawes did not forbid it I thinke those gentler ages no men did it In those dayes 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 tye 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 maruaile many matches be Concluded now without their priuitie Since they through greedy Auarice misled Their interest in that haue forfeited For these respectlesse of all care do marry Hot youthfull May to cold old Ianuary Those for some greedy end doe basely tie The sweetest faire to foule 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 Nauters 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 elfe Vnlesse heauen pitty kils and damnes himselfe 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 civill warres were mou'd By such beginnings many a Citie lies Now in the dust whose Turrets brau'd the skies And diuers Monarkes 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 Do by the meánes of this suffer desires To kindle in their hearts vnlawfull fires Nay some in whose cold breast ne're flame had bin Haue onely for meere vengeance falne to sin My selfe haue seene and my heart bled to see 't A witlesse Clowne enioy a match vnmeet Shee was a Lasse that had a looke to moue The heart of cold Diogenes to loue Her eye was such whose every glaunce did know To kindle flames vpon the hils of snow And by her powerfull peircings 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