Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
enemy_n	advance_v	army_n	battle_n	1,072	5	7.5648	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89620	Bellum Tartaricum, or The conquest of the great and most renowned empire of China, by the invasion of the Tartars, who in these last seven years, have wholy subdued that vast empire. Together with a map of the provinces, and chief cities of the countries, for the better understanding of the story. / Written originally in Latine by Martin Martinius, present in the country at most of the passages herein related, and now faithfully translated into English.; De bello Tartarico historia. English	Martini, Martino, 1614-1661.	1654 (1654)	Wing M858; Thomason E1499_2; ESTC R208642	67,043	251

were absent yet because that Province which used to be most plentifull was lean in Corn they could not make sufficient provision for six moneths siege for such an infinite multitude of people as were retired within the Walls Yet it held out most obstinately for the space of six moneths in which time though they were brought to hard shifts yet hoping alwaies for succour from their Emperor they would never submit to any conditions I dare not relate to what an excesse this Famin came too but it seems it surpassed the Famin of Hierusalem An unheard of Famin. a pound of Rice was worth a pound of Silver a pound of any old rotten skin was sold at ten Crowns dead mens flesh was sold publikely in the Shambles as Hogs flesh and it was held an act of Piety to expose the dead in the Streets for others to feed on who shortly were to be food for others but I will pass over conceal yet more horrible things than I have related This City lies towards the South side of that vast precipitate River which the Chineses call Hoang because the Streams alwaies appear of a yellowish saffron colour because the River is higher than the plain levell downs of a Leagues distance from the Town they built upon the River side a long strong Bulwark of great square stones to prevent all inundations The Emperours Army after long expectation came to relieve the Town and advanced as far as these Bulwarks and having considered the situation of the Country and Enemies Camp it was thought the fittest and easiest way to raise the siege without giving battail to let in the water upon the Enemies Army by some breaches made in that long Wall or Bulwark It was in Autumn when they took this resolution and the River by reason of extraordinary rains was swoln bigger than ever before and they making the Sluces or Inlets too great and the Breackes too wide gave way to such an Ocean of water as it overrun the Walls of the Town which were very stately and high involving not only many of the Enemies in its ruin and destruction The City of Caifung is drowned but also 300000. men and the City it self perished in those floods of water So the antient City which heretofore had been honored by the Emperor's Residence appeared no more a place of pleasure but a vast Pool or Lake for Monsters of the waters to inhabit for the houses of the Town were not over-run with water but also beaten down and also the Church of the Christians together with their Priest who was one of the Society of Jesus it was well known he might have saved himself but being there were many Christians perished he willingly chose to die with those he had gained The destruction of this City happened the ninth of Oct. 1642. about which time this famous Conductor of Theeves took the name of King The General of the Theeves takes the Title of a King with an addition of Xunvang which sounds as much as Prosperous and so was stiled Licungzus the prosperous and having in a manner taken all the Country of Honan into his Dominion he returned into the Province of Xensi He takes the Country of Xensi and wonn it wholy to his subjection When he came to Sigan which is the Metropolitan of Xensi he found some resistance from the Garrison but he took it in three daies and for a reward and encouragement to his Souldiers he gave it to them to pillage also for three daies space and then he gathered up all the Corn of the whole Province as well to keep all the Country in their duty to him as also to leave no Forrage for the Emperours Army And now thinking himself secure of the whole Empire he took the name of Emperour upon him Calls himself Emperour and stiled the Family wherein he thought to establish this Dignity Thienxunam as much as to say Obedient to Heaven By which Title he perswaded the Souldiers and the People that it was by the disposall of the Heavens that he should reign that he might deliver the people from the Emperours Avarice and extirpate those wicked Governours that so much vexed the people and deliver them from all their perfidious Plots For he knew well that this Glorious Title would be very acceptable to them of China who believe that Kingdoms and Empires come only from Heaven and are not gained by any Art or Industry of Man and that his actions might carry a face correspondent to his illustrious Title he began to use the People with all humility and sweetness The Theeves good Government not permitting any Souldier to wrong or iujure them only he persecuted all the Officers call'd Presidents which he could find and all those he put to death and as for those that had been Presidents because he found them rich he made them pay great Fines and let them live remitting all Taxes in the places he subdued severely commanding that the Subjects should be treated with all Civility and Curtesie So as all men applauding and loving so sweet and milde a Government easily submitted to his Power and Dominion but where the Governours use Tyranny there the Subject hath little care of Fidelity There were in the City two Priests which served the Christians that were Jesuits and suffered much in the saccage of the City but being afterwards known for Strangers they were used with all humanity In the mean time a third cause of this Empires ruin grew up in the Court The Prefects Discord was another cause of the ruin of China which was hatched in the Emperour Thienkius his time For that Emperour exalted an Eunuch called Gueio to such a height and power as he gave the absolute Power and soveraign Command into his hands and passed so far as allway to stile him by the name of Father This extravagant power caused much Envy Dissention and the banding one against another amongst the Governours Presidents Commanders and Counsellours and the Eunuch also added much to incense the flame by his indiscreet usage of the favour he possessed for if any man had touched him either in word or writing or expressed less respect unto him in conversation or behaviour or did not flatter the base fellow he would presently give order to put him to death though he were a very eminent person or at least degrade him from all Office or Dignity By which means he exasperated many and amongst the rest he offended the Prince Zunchinius who now by the death of his Brother without issue was come to be Emperour of China This Emperour knew that the Eunuch had moved Heaven and Earth to hinder his coming to the Crown but seeing he could not effect that at least he maintained a seditious faction against the great ones which finally proved the destruction of the Estate For these men banding in two factions studied more how to destroy one another than to

Corps as many Servants Women and Horses with Bows and Arrows as may fit to atend and serve them in the next life Though now since they conquered China they have left off this barbarous custome being reprehended and corrected for it by the Chineses themselves After this superstitious Vow advancing his revenging Arms he besieged Leaotung The chiefe City of Leaoyang besieged and taken which was the chief City of the Province of Leaoyang with 50000 men But the City was defended by exceeding many men who generally were all armed with musquets The Tartars had nothing but their Scymetars with Bows and Arrows which they discharge with strange dexterity Art But because they chiefly feared the musquet bullets they resolved by a Stratagem to make that unknown Instrument less hurtfull to them than their Enemies did imagin A Stratagem against musquets For the Tartarian King commanded such as made the first onset to carry a thick hard board for their Shield which was as good to them as a wooden Wall these men were seconded by other Companies who carried Ladders to climb up the Walls and the Horse came up in the Rear In this manner he set upon the City in four quarters and received the discharge of their Musquets against his Wooden wall Then in a moment the scaling ladders being applied before they could charge again they were upon the Walls and enterd the City for such is the quickness and nimbleness of the Tartars in which they excel all Nations and in which also they place their chief art that in a trice they either prevail in their Designs or retire and the little skill the Chineses had in the use of Musquets was no small hinderance to the War For the Tartars quickness and nimblenes not giving them time to charge again being astonished with the suddain inundation of armed men they presently fled which way soever they could but being pursued by the swift Tartarian Horse most of them perished in the taking of this great City This City being taken the Tartar like a Torrent over-run many others of less note Many other Cities taken but amongst others he took that noble City Evamgning and over-runing most speedily the whole Country of Leaotung he entred the Province of Pekin and coming within seven Leagues of the very Imperial City He durst not advance fearing the Enemy might compas or surround him because he heard that a world of men came in to help their distressed Prince But the Tartar struck such a terrour into the hearts of all the Countries he had passed as both Souldier and Citizen leaving their Houses left the empty walls to the Tartarians possession knowing the Tartar to have that custom and practice to destroy and put all to fire and sword that did resist and only pillage the Cities that submitted How the Tartars used their conquered Towns leaving the Citizens alive and under a milder Government By which means having collected a world of Riches he returned to Leaotung victorious And because his Southsayers had perswaded him that the standing of the old Walls were unfortunate he beat them down and compassed them about with new fortifying them with new Munitions and there proclamed himself Emperour of China The Tartar calls himself Emperour of China An. 1618. For although as yet he had taken nothing of China but only the skirts of the Eastern Country of the Province of Leaotung yet in his hopes and aspiring thoughts he had devoured the whole Kingdom wherefore he was called in the China language Theienmingus in the third year of his Reign which was in that of one thousand six hundred and eighteen In this year some in authority about the Emperour Vanley demanded the banishment of the Priests who did then preach the Christian Religion to that Nation But the Emperour who in his heart loved Christianity and those particularly that first planted that Religion amongst them gave no ear for a long while to their Demands But at length overcome by the importunity of a chief Commander who had ever been a sore Enemy to Christian Religion and was called Xinchio it was ordeined and proclamed that all those Fathers that did propagate Christian Religion should be banished the Kingdom Upon which some of them were secretly concealed in several Provinces by some Christian Governours God punished China for their persecution of Christians others being taken were carried in great Cages to Macao where being shut up day and night suffered extremely whilst others also be-being whipt out of the Country rejoyced to suffer somthing for his sake whose name they bore and that which added more affliction to all these miseries was the Emperour Vanley's Prohibition to all his to profess Christian Religion But upon this occasion the Christians of China who from the horrid wilderness of Infidelity had been brought to the pleasant Pastures of Christianity gave illustrious examples of their Faith Constancy but the longer Narration of this glorious persecution is reserved for another place I only touch it here to admire the Divine Providence of God who raised so sharp War against China when they neglected Christian Peace and permited at the same time these Tartars to take so deep a root in this Empire of China as afterward grew to that height as both to extirpate the Royal Family of the Taiminges together with the Kingdom at the very same time they went about utterly to destroy all Christianity But it happened in this as ordinarily it doth for by this very persecution Christian Religion grew to that height and greatness that the Church glories to behold and unless God vouchsafe to lend a potent helping hand the vast Kingdome of China is utterly overthrown In the mean time the Chineses were very solicitous to expell this Enemy from the bowells of their Country and first they selected very chief and eminent men for Commanders and Governours then they gathered an Army of six hundred thousand choise Soldiers The King of Corea also sent to the Emperour of China twelve thousand with this potent Army therefore they went out in the begining of March MDCXIX to give Battail to the Enemy The Tartars resolved to meet them with an undanted courage and for a good while the event and victory was very doubtfull but in the end the Army of China was wholly routed and their chief Commanders with fifty thousand men were all slain The Tartars according to their custome prosecute the victory with all quickness and diligence for the same day they took and sacked two Cities which they burned After this they over-run that whole Country and came to the very Walls of Pekin the Emperours Court but durst not venture to besiege it because they knew besides the infinite number of Canons it contained there was lodged fourscore thousand Souldiers in it But the Chineses confess that there was such a fear and consternation in the City that the King thought to have left that City and gone into the Southern