Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	light_n	night_n	rule_v	2,456	5	10.2979	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28549	Summum bonum, or, An explication of the divine goodness in the words of the most renowned Boetius translated by a lover of truth and virtue.; De consolatione philosophiae. English	Boethius, d. 524.; Elys, Edmund, ca. 1634-ca. 1707.	1674 (1674)	Wing B3434; ESTC R7385	77,686	220

Prudence by the most profound Exercise of Wisedome in the Conquest of All Perturbations Lastly Prosperity enticeth men and drawes them away from the True Good Adversity drawes them back to it as it were with an Hooke And dost thou think this but a small thing that this Sharpe this Horrible Fortune makes thee Know who are thy Faithful Friends she hath Distinguisht the Certain and Doubtful Countenances of thy Companions At her Departure she carryed Her own Friends away with her Thine she hath left with Thee At how high a rate wouldest thou have purchac'd this when thou seemedst to thy selfe to be a Fortunate Man Cease now to looke any longer after the Riches thou hast Lost thou hast found the most Pretious Kind of Wealth viz. True Friends THE EIGHTH VERSE Philosophy praiseth true love and friendship THat the World so Constant is In Alternate Variety That so many Contraries Observe their League so Faithfully That the Sweet Day Queen of Light Sol in his Golden Chariot Drawes And that Hesperus brings Night That Night is Rul'd by Phaebes Lawes That the greedy Sea's restrain'd Least it 's proud Waves should seiz the Land Things thus to each other Chain'd Are held by LOVES Almighty Hand Who Rules the Heav'ns Earth and Seas If He let goe the Reins they run Straight from the safe way of Peace And Perish by Dissention He keeps Men in Vnity He Joyns in League far Distant Lands He confirms by Chastity The Sacred Force of Nuptial Bands He shewes True Friends how to prove That To Love is the Greatest Gain Happy Men if that same LOVE Which Raigns in Heav'n did in You Raign THE THIRD BOOK OF THE Consolation of Philosophy The FIRST PROSE Philosophy promiseth to explicate true felicity SHE had now ended her Song when the Sweetness of the Verse had fixed me in the deepest Attention Therefore after a short pause thus I spake O Soveraign Consolation of wearied Minds how much hast thou refreshed me both with the weight and importance of the Sense of this Excellent Song and the pleasantness of it's Aire so that for the future I shall not looke on my selfe as one that wanteth strength to grapple with any kind of Fortune Therefore I am not only not afraid of those Remedies which thou saidst were somewhat more Sharpe and piercing but I vehemently desire that thou wouldest impart them unto me Then quoth she I Thought so when thou didst so greedily receive my words in such profound Silence and with such earnest Attention and I expected that thou shouldest have this Temper and Disposition of Mind or which indeed is rather the very truth I wrought it in thee Such are the things that remain to be spoken of that when first we do but touch them with our Tongue they are very Tart and Biting but being receiv'd and swallow'd down they become exceeding Sweet and Delightsome But since thou sayst thou art so desirous to hear what I have to say how wouldest thou be Enflam'd if thou didst understand whither I design to Conduct thee Whither quoth I To True Felicity said she which thy Mind apprehends as it were in a Dream but it 's Sight being employ'd about Images and Phantasms it cannot have any clear Prospect therof Then quoth I Do I pray thee as thou hast said and shew without delay what is that True Felicity I will do it quoth she most willingly but first I will lay down in plain words that State and Condition with which thou art most acquainted that casting thine Eye the other way thou mayst clearly Discern the Nature of True Happiness THE FIRST VERSE False felicity must be forsaken that true happiness may be embraced WHoso will sow his ground first he free That ground from Stons and Thorns must That Ceres may Find a plain way Most sweet's the Hony that comes next When Tasts unpleasant have us vext We Joy to see the Stars Appear When Wind and Rain have left the Aire How Lovely is the Youthful Day When Lucifer hath chac'd away The dismal Shades Thou whose dull Eye Could never yet True Good descry Lift up thine Head thine Eye-sight shall be clear And thou shalt see That Instantly To him that Seeks for Truth Truth shall Appear The SECOND PROSE How all men desire happiness but many mistake it THEN with a stedfast Looke recollecting all her Thoughts into the depth of her Mind thus she began All the Care of Mortals which is exercis'd in the labour of various Studies and Designs Proceeds in Divers wayes but yet it Tends to One and the same End viz. to True Happiness And that is such a GOOD which when any man hath Attein'd unto his Desires can go no further Which indeed is the Chiefe and Soveraign of All Good things and conteineth in itselfe All the Good that is or ever can be To which if any thing were wanting It could not be the Soveraign Good because some thing would be left our of it which migh be Wisht or Desir'd 'T is manifest therefore that Bliss or True Happiness is a Perfect State consisting in the Collection of All Good things into One. This State as we have said All men desire to Attein unto by Divers wayes or Means For there is Naturally in the Minds of Men a Desire of the True Good but Error draws them aside to things that have but the meer Shew or Appearance of Good Some there are who believing that it is the Soveraign Good to want nothing endeavour with all their strength to Heap up Riches but others judging that to be the Soveraign Good which is most worthy of Veneration endeavour by the getting of Honors or Illustrious Titles to render themselves Venerable to their own Country-men Others there are that hold the Soveraign Good to consist in the Greatest Power or Dominion These men would either Raign themselves or they endeavour to be Next to Him that holdeth the Scepter And it seemeth to others that Glory or Renown is the Soveraign Good These make all possible speed to get a Glorious Name by the Arts of War or Peace But the greatest Number of men measure the Fruit of Good by Joy and Mirth These think it the most Happy State to overflow with Pleasure And some there are that exchange the Ends and Causes of these Goods viz. why they Desire them one for another as they who desire Riches that they may attein to Power and Dignities and have all the Means of enjoying such Carnal Pleasures to which they are most inclin'd or they who would fain be in Power that they may get Money or a Great Name To these and such like things is the Bent or Intention of Humane Actions and Desires Nobility and the Favour of the People seem to procure an Illustrious Name A Wife and Children are desir'd for the Pleasure and Delight men hope to receive from them But as for Friends which are the most Sacred kind of Goods we do not judge of them as apperteining

that abounds with the fruits of Reason and they do not free the minds of men from their Disease but rather make it by custome to become Pleasing unto them But if your flatteries should take from me any inconsiderable Person as your common Practice is I should bear it with less Indignation For my main design would suffer no dammage in the loss of such a one But this Man who had so long addicted himself to the Eleatick and Academick Studies But be gon ye Sirens that Please men to their Destruction and leave him to my Muses to be Cur'd and reduc'd to his perfect Health This Company being checkt after this manner cast their eyes on the ground and confessing their shame by their Blushes they depart very mournfully out of the room But I who had made my self allmost blind with weeping so that I could not discern who the Woman was that exercis'd such Authority was quite Astonisht and looking stedfastly on the ground speaking not a word I began to expect what she would do next Then she came neer and sate down on my Beds side and observing the Sadness of my Countenance she complains of the Perturbation of my mind in these words The SECOND VERSE Philosophy bewayleth the perturbation of Boetius his mind AH how the Mind sunk in deep woe Growes blind and leaving her own light Out to Darkness she bends her might When th' Winds of Earthly cares do blow And th' Waves of Grief roule to and fro This Man sometime did freely Tread The high Paths of th' Aetherial Plains He saw unspotted Phaebus's Head And could discern the Moons dark Stains He held fast in sare Reckoning Those Stars which often change their Course He searcht those Causes deep that bring Such storms to th' Ocean And what Force Makes that bright Star go down i' th' West Which riseth in the Ruddy East He studied to find out what 't was That made the Spring bring Flowers and Grass Whence 't is that in Autumn we see Grapes come to their Maturitie Those Causes which Nature did hide From others His Quick Thought espie'd This Man now wants the Minds clear Light His Neck 's prest down with Chains the Weight That He lies under and the Pain Makes Him looke down to th' Earth again The SECOND PROSE Philosophy enquireth of Boetius his disease BUT sayes she this is a time to apply Medicines and not to make Complaints Then looking very earnestly on me thus she speaks Art Thou He who being nourisht with my Milk and brought up with my stronger Meats didst arrive to the strength of a Manlike Understanding But we bestow'd such Armes on thee which if thou hadst not wilfully thrown away would have serv'd for thy Defence against any Opposition whatsoever Dost thou know me why holdest thou thy peace is it Shame or Stupidity that hath seized on thee I had rather it were Shame but as I perceive Stupidity hath made thee Silent And when she observ'd that I was not only silent but in a manner quite Dumb she layd her hand softly on my brest and Ther 's no Danger sayes she he 's in a Lethargie the common Disease of deluded minds He hath forgot himself a little hee 'll easily come to himself again if he shall once understand who I am Which that he may do let us clear his sight a little that has been dark'ned by the thick Dust that arises from his Intention on Earthly things When she had spoken these words with a part of her Garment folding it in her hand she wip'd the Tears from mine eyes THE THIRD VERSE How Boetius began to recover his knowledge and memory THen did that Darkness from Me fly at length Mine Eyes regain their wonted Strength Just so as when the Boystrous winds arise And stormy showers disturbe the skies The Sun 's obscur'd and whilst no Stars appear Night 's spread or'e all the Hemisphear If Boreas sent from th' Thracian Cave display His speedy Force and Free the day From Darksome Clouds Sol's Beams straight pierce the Skies And strike with wonder our glad Eyes The THIRD PROSE How the persecution of Wise men is no new or strange thing EVen so the Clouds of my excessive Melancholy being dissolv'd I recover'd the sight of Heaven and came to my right mind again so that I saw plainly who she was that had begun to worke such a Cure upon me When I had fixt mine eyes on her I perceiv'd that she was my Nurse PHILOSOPHY in whose House I was brought up from my youth And what quoth I art Thou the Mistress of all Virtues come from on high to the uncomfortable Place of mine Exile hast thou a mind to undergoe such false Accusations as have been brought against me What quoth she should I forsake thee my Son and not bear a part of the Burthen that is lay'd on thee for my sake But it cannot be that Philosophy should deny her Company to an Innocent man wheresoever he goes Should I be affraid of any false Accusation and Startle at it as if some strange thing had happen'd unto me For is this the first time that Wisedome hath been brought into Danger amongst Wicked and Pervers Manners Even in Ancient Times before the Dayes of our Plato have we not Fought a great Fight against the Rashness of Folly and Ignorance And whilst He lived did not His Master Socrates obtain a glorious Victory over an Unjust Death by my Assistance Whose Inheritance whilst the Epicureans and Stoicks Endeavour'd to seize on every one for his own party and lay'd hold on Me as a part of their Prey though I cry'd out and strove against them they cut this Garment which I had woven with mine own hands and having thus taken some pieces of it they went their way each of them conceiting that he had gotten the whole to himself Some of them because they seem'd to goe in my Habit were Overborn through the error of the prophane Multitude being judg'd to be of my Family If so be that thou art ignorant of the Banishment of Anaxagoras the Poyson of Socrates and the Torments of Zeno because they were not of thine own Country yet thou couldst not but have heard very much of Canius of Seneca of Soranus and other such like Excellent Men whose Memory is very fresh to this Day and full of Renown Whom no other thing brought to their Destruction but that through a punctual Observance of my Discipline they allwayes shew'd an Aversion from the Designs of Wicked People Therefore ther 's no reason it should seem strange unto thee if we are Tost with a continual Tempest in the Sea of this World whose Principal Aim is to do those things which are most Displeasing to the Worst of Men Whose Army though it be exceeding Numerous yet is it very Despicable because it has no Leader but they run to and fro according to the motions