Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	good_a	master_n	servant_n	6,134	5	7.3996	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91238	Pendennis and all other standing forts dismantled: or, Eight military aphorismes, demonstrating the uselesness, unprofitableness, hurtfulness, and prodigall expensivenes of all standing English forts and garrisons, to the people of England: their inability to protect them from invasions, depredations of enemies or pyrates by sea or land: the great mischiefs, pressures, inconveniences they draw upon the inhabitants, country, and adjacent places in times of open wars, when pretended most usefull: and the grand oversight, mistake, injury in continuing them for the present or furure [sic] reall defence of the peoples lives, liberties, estates, the only ends pretended for them. / Penned by William Prynne of Swainswick, Esquire, during his close imprisonment in Pendennis Castle. And now published for the common benefit, ease, information of the whole nation.	Prynne, William, 1600-1669.	1656 (1656)	Wing P4028; Thomason E896_5; ESTC R203277	28,770	45

the London Militia at VVhite-chapp●l to Guard both Houses whiles they sate at Westminster without auy other Guardians to secure them nearer hand It being both vanity and folly to fortifie only one inconsiderable part of a Town or Garrison and so if the Island if all therest be unfortified and lie alwaies open to all enemies Invasions without defence 4. That in all times of publick Peace or when and whiles there is no Enemy near it is Peace it self alone and want or absence of Enemies that secures the Peoples Nations Persons Estates from danger Plunder not Garisons or Field Armies which cannot universally protect their Lives or Goods in all places and at all times when there is any open War or Enemie in the Field as Peace alone always doth and will do still without cost or trouble Therefore it must needs be very ill Hu●bandry and no good State-●olicy in these or other times of Inland P●ace to keep up Land-Forces and Garrisons throughout the Nation at the Peoples intolerable costs now there is no Enemie at all in Arms amongst us to protect the Peoples Persons and Estates from spoil and danger when as our very Peace it self and want of armed Enemies doth and will absolutely secure them both without any charge at all or either of these costly Lordly Superfluous Guardi●n● which could not secure the greatest part of the Nation from the late Kings Forces Power and Plunder in times of ●●r nor yet the Kings Forts his Friends or Quarters from the Parliaments Forces 5. That in Times of open War no Garrisons throughout the Nation can secure themselves and those within them against a puissant Army or any Party stronger then these Garrisons which will soon * take them by Force Stratagem Composition or for want of Provision Ammunition and ot her Necessaries or by 〈◊〉 reachery or Mutiny within themselves unless timely relieved by a ●arching Field-Army able to raise their Seiges as late experience and all Histories attest Yea oft-times a small Party far less and nothing so numerous as those Garrisons by some Stratagem of War sodain Surprize or through security or negligence of the Garrison Soldiers or by the casual death of some eminent Commander unexpected forcing of a Passe or routing of some of the Garrison Soldiers in their Sa●l●●s and entring with them in their Retreat the successful springing up of some Mine the blowing up of a Magezine the stopping of all Provisions for their Relief advantage of Ground divisions amongst the Garrisons Treachery Bribery in Officers Soldiers Centinels or Townsmen and a thousand other Casualties have in all former ages and will hereafter do the like conquered sundry strong Garrisons throughout our three Nations and in all other parts of the World Besides no Garrisons in our Nation without the assistance of a Field Army either are or ever were yet able to protect themselves by their own strength against any powerful Enemies Seige who resolved for to gain them in times of War It can be therefore little less then apparent folly or frenzy for us to perpetuate and maintain them still at so vast a charge in these times of In-land Peace throughout the Nation to protect and secure the whole Land or Country about them being thus unable to defend and secure themselves in the heat o●●War from Foreign or Intestine Enemies 6. That Garrisons both in times of Peace and War are so far from being a benefit safeguard or protection to the whole Nattor or to the Inhabitants within them the Country about them and the Contributers towards them that in truth they are commonly their greatest Grievance Oppression Loss Damage Mischief and frequent occasions of their u●ter ruine both in Peace and War as shall be evidently demonstrated for our Soldiers State●-men and Nations future in formation and speedy suppression of these grandest Grievances by these particulars 1. In all times of Peace they put the whole Nation Inhabitants Country to an excessive prodigal expence of moneys which would be better imployed in relieving and setting poor people on work advancing Trade Manufactures Merchandize improving Lands and supplying the Peoples particular occasions to all which and the better relief of maimed Soldiers their continuance is and will be still extreamly prejudicial They much impoverish grieve oppress discontent the People by endless Taxes Excises to maintain them by Billeting Quartering and oft-times Free-quartering the Garrison Soldiers on them by the frequent Mutinies Misdemeanors Abuses Outrages of Garrison Soldiers and Lordly imperiousnesse of their Governors and Officers over-topping over-ruling and sometimes abusing in many places the Nobility Gentry Ministry and civil Magistracy as well as common People and interrupting the course of Justice by protecting both themselves and their Soldiers from Arrests and Executions for just Debts Duties Trespasses to the People by entertaining listing and detaining children against their Parents Servants and Apprentices against their Masters Husbands against their Wives and Families good wills to their great grief and prejudice by keeping of many thousands of able young lusty men in meer idlenesse spending their time in eating drinking gaming whoring sleeping lewdnesse or easie uselesse duties day and night onely to gaze about them to call to one another Stand c. and to spend much Match and Powder to no purpose but to waste them and our Treasure in complements and in the mean time robbing the Nation of the benefit of their honest painful Labors in their Callings by their frequent running away upon discontents or misdemeanors● leaving their Wives Children and not a few great Bellies and Bastards on the Inhabitants and Countries charge running into their scores and debts for Quarters and Necessaries and then departing without payment of them by infecting the Inhabitants and Country with the Vices Errors Blasphemies Sins Corruptions diseases of the worst and deboysest Soldiers by occasioning many Murders Men-slaughters Blood-sheds quarrels Brawls Robberies Thefts Burglaries Dlsorders Oppressions Drunkennesse Idlenesse Gaming Whoring Swearing neglect contempt of Magistracie Ministry Cods publike Ordinances Sacraments Sabbaths Disturbances of our Ministers and publike Assemblies in and near the Garrisons by dangerous Practices to undoe or vex many innocent Persons which else would be prevented by hindring peoples free ingresse into and egresse out of Garrisons about their urgent occasions concerning which their Centinels Corporals Governors strictlie interrogate them ex officio and force them to dance attendance on them sometimes many hours space to extort Beer or Money from them before they can passe or repasse about their businesse by searching the Houses Studies seising the persons Letters Writings of divers persons by their own bare Authorities or others unlawful Warrants against all Law and the Peoples Native Freedom upon feigned pretences causeless jealousies idle rumors vain fears and sometimes secret conspiracies against their very lives and Estates which are made a prey to these Soldiers By sundry other abuses in seising their Arms Birding and Fowling Piec s Moneys Plate Horses Goods and

impresting their Horses Ploughs Carts upon needless or wrongful publike or private occasions and pretences In all which and sundry other respects they are extraordinary Grievances to the Nation Garrison'd places and Countrey adjoining even in time of Peace Therefore not to be continued upon any vain pretence whatsoever 2. In times of War when they are pretended most necessarie they are then most chiefly prejudicial pernicious destructive both to the whole Nation in general the Places Garrison'd the adjacent Country and all contributing towards them as these experimental Demonstrations will undeniablie evidence against the erroneous Opinions and Practise of all Pseud●-Politicians and Soldiers contrary Pretences wherewith they delude yea cheat the ignorant people For in times of actual Wars especially civil when they are most pernicious they bring a general mischief on the whole Nation and that in these respects 1. By length ning and drawing out their intestine Wars with the Plagues and Miseries attending them for many yeers space as our ancient and late Wars manifest by a tedious and successive Seige of their Garrisons till reduced to the great waste spoile destruction and impoverishing of the people the innumerable increase of fatherlesse children Widdows poor and maimed persons the slaughters deaths of thousands more then if there were no such Garrisons 2. By multiplying the Peoples Taxes Expences to furnish and maintain these Garrisons and raise pay a great Field Army besides for these Garrisons security which would be a sufficient safeguard to the Nation without them 3. By lessening the number weakning the strength substracting the Military Provisions with all other supplies and recruits of the Field Armies in whose good or bad successe strength or weaknesse the Safety or Ruine Preservation or Conquest of the Nation next under God doth alone principally consist and whose Victories or ill successes the whole Nation with all Garrisons usually do will and must of necessity follow their Garrisons being unable to defend them from Plunder total and final Conquest if their Field Armies be quite routed or destroyed which would speedily end the Wars by Pitched Battels in the Field in a few dayes weeks months at furthest were it not for besieging and taking in Garrisons which through the Artifice of Mercenary O●ficers and Soldiers protract the Wars for many yeers and continue the Plagues and Miseries of war upon the Nation far longer then if there were no Garrisons in it as ancient and present experience must and will attest 2. They are in times of actual War most prejudicial to the Towns and Places Garrisond in these ensuing regards 1. By doubling trebling their Taxes Contributions Payments charges to new fortifie and furnish these Garrisons with Ammunition Artillery Cannons Provisions Magazines of all sorts augmenting their mercenary Guards and Soldiers by hundreds and thousands in some places to their great impoverishing and vexation and that oft times to betray them to the Enemy at last yea to lose those Garrisons in a few dayes or howrs which they have thus to their vast expence and trouble been fortifying furnishing guarding many moneths or yeers space together as the late Presidents of Bristol Hereford with other Garrisons belonging both to the King and Parliament in England Ireland Scotland and elsewhere demonstrate and the Histories of all Ages Countries testifie 2. By continual billetting quartering and free-quartering the Garrison Soldiers and Officers on the Inhabitants within or near the Garrisons to their great oppression vexation superadded to their Taxes oft times to their utter undoing 3. By drawing the Field-Forces likewise into them and free quartering them all the Winter long or when they are out of action for their better accommodation and safety to add to their former affliction and by continual uncessant qnartering of other marching Soldiers on them upon all expeditions parties sent out upon emergent occasions from which heavy Pressures ungarrison d places and Villages remote from Garrisons are either totally exempted or ten times more free then Garrisons which would be as free as they were they not made Garrisons 4. By exposing them to all the forementioned mischiefs and inconveniences of Officers and Garrison Soldiers in times of Peace doubled and trebled in seasons of Warre when the Soldiers are farre more unruly deboist injurious imperious over them in all kindes then in Peace 5. By inviting inducing or necessitating the Enemies Forces to besiege and inflict upon them the saddest Calamities and Plagues of War from which ungarrisoned Towns and places far from Garrisons are usually exempted or not so liable to especially in civil Wars To enumerate some particular miseries accompanying Seiges 1. Burning wasting destroying their own Suburbs Neighboring Houses Villages Orchards Gardens Trees in or near their Garrisons Walls or Works and that frequently by their own Officers and Garrison Soldiers to prevent the Enemies quartering in them or some annoyances from them or to contract their Works for their better and easier defence of what remaiins unburnt or unwasted to the undoing of hundreds and thousands left houslesse and harborless by this inhumane Policy as bad or worse then any Enemies rage as the sad late presidents of the firing the Suburbs of Bristol Excester Taunton Lincoln York Colchester and other Garrisons experiment with some stately Houses and whole Villages adjoyning to them To which may be added the like frequent furious devastations of them by the Enemies if spared by themselves Secondly Losse of all Trading Commerce and Markets during the Leaguers about them when they need them most of all Thirdly Perpetual Fears Alarms Disturbances Watchings Frights day and night continual hard military duties and skirmishes with the Enemy even by the Inhabitants themselves at their free cost notwithstanding their hired dear-waged Guardian Soldiers to secure them Fourthly Forcible seisures of the Inhabitants Houshold-Provisions of all sorts with their Beds Bedding Arms Money Plate to feed lodge arm pay their Mercenary Servants then in all things their most absolute Lording Masters who extort and will take from them and theirs all they have of purpose forsooth to protect them though those their protected Pay-masters and their whole Families starve lye cold or naked on the boards want money to buy them bread necessaries or lie sick in greatest distress Fifthly The losse of many of the Inhabitants lives by Assaults Granadoes Fire-works Sallies Shots wounds Famines Plagues Feavers and other Sicknesses usually accompanying Sieges and Wars by invented false accusations suspitions of holding intelligence with the Enemies or plotting to betray the Garrison to them by suddain fears frights discontents firing or beating down Houses springing of Mines and the li●e during their Seiges in many whereof if sharp or long or accompanyed with Plagues and Sicknesses above half the Inhabitants or more have frequently been quite consumed and the rest utterly undone though the Enemies left the Seige at last Sixthly The Wounding Maiming loss of Limbs of many of the Inhabitants multiplying of their poor Widows desolate Orphans by Seiges and