Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	france_n	king_n	war_n	17,303	5	6.8100	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B08674	A caveat to the three kingdoms:, or, A summary account of the most miserable and deplorable estate and condition of England in the reign of king John, occasioned by his bringing in infinite multitudes of foreign forces : together with the base treachery of Lewis, the French King's son, and his great men, intended against the barons, who invited him in to their assistance : very well worthy to be seriously considered by all true English-men at this time of day / translated out of Matthew Paris.	Paris, Matthew, 1200-1259.	1696 (1696)	Wing C1616; ESTC R171128	5,839	8

King and his most wicked Accomplices they heard likewise that their Wives and Daughters were exposed to scorn they sighing said These Things doth the Pope's most beloved Son in Christ who protects his Vassal in subduing so Free and Noble a Kingdom after this unheard of manner The King having divided his wicked Forces entring into the Northern Parts by setting Fire to the Seats of the Barons Tyranny driving away Preys of Cattel making Spoils wasting all things with the Sword contemning God nor regarding the Poor destroyed whatsoever came in his way For these Soldiers of Satan Ministers of the Devil and they also who were gathered together from the more remote Parts for this purpose like Locusts covered the Face of the Land It was a sufficient Cause of Death for the poor Inhabitants if they were but thought to have something and they which had nothing were constrained to confess they had something and he who had it not was grievously tormented as if he had to enforce him to pay the same These Murderers ran up and down blooded with human Slaughter Night-wanderers Incendiaries Sons of Belial with their drawn Swords that they might extirpate from Man to Beast all things necessary for humane Uses and with their drawn Knives throughly searched Towns Houses Church-yards Churches despoiled all People Fol 276. insomuch as they spared neither Women nor Children nor such as were Aged And what they could not consume themselves they set on Fire or otherwise rendred it unfit for Man's Use And such as were altogether unblameable calling them the King's Enemies Wheresoever they were found they were hastily cast into Prison fetter'd and at last forced to pay a most grievous Ransome The Priests also standing at the very Altars carrying the Sign of the Holy Cross in their hands or handling the very Body of our Lord venerable in their holy Vestments they thus standing at the Altars who ought to be respected for the sake of Religion were taken tormented despoiled wounded Nor was there any Bishop Priest or Levite who might pour fourth Wine or Oil into these Wounds so inflicted upon them Soldiers also and other Persons of what Condition soever they tormented in like manner hanging up some by the Reins and Privy-Members others by the Feet and Legs some by the Hands and Thumbs and Arms they did spit in the Eyes of these miserable Sufferers Salt mix'd with Vinegar not at all understanding that they were created after the Image of God and signed with the Character of Christ Others they forced either wholly to expire or scarcely to be able to draw their breath putting them in Vessels and upon Gridirons over hot burning Coals and then dipping their roasted Bodies in Water covered with Ice Assata Corpora that they might as it were with Hellish Torments pass from too much Heat into the extremity of Cold and whilst they miserably cried out in the mid'st of Torment and horribly groaned for the excessive Anguish of their Punishments no body pitied them nor did their Tormentors cease from exacting Money which these suffering Persons had not neither was any Credit given to them who were thus afflicted Some who had nothing promised great things that so at least for some very short time they might deserr the Cruelties which had been thus experienced This was a general Persecution in England whilst Fathers by their Children Brothers by their Brethren Citizens by their Fellow-Citizens were sold to be tormented Matt. Paris Fol. 278. Anno 18 Regis Johannis About this time when at length the Barons who had now lost all which was most desirable in this World and were utterly destitute of hope of better Fortune how of themselves they might recover their Losses were inwardly touched with grief of Heart and what to do they knew not Cursing the Subtilty Backslidings and Infidelity of the King and saying with repeated Sighs Woe be to you John thou last of Kings the Abomination of English Princes the Confusion of the English Nobility Oh England who art already laid waste and must yet still farther be wasted Oh England England who in the Eyes of all good Men hast hitherto been the chief of Provinces art now made Tributary not only made subject and reduced to Fire Famine and the Sword but must be governed by mean Slaves and Foreigners Since nothing can be more unfortunate than to be subjected to the Slavery of such Vassals We have read of many Kings and inferior Princes who have fought even until Death for the Deliverance of their Countreys under their Obedience but thou John of unhappy Memory to future Ages that this your Land which from all Antiquity hath been free might be enslaved hast bestowed thy Thoughts and Pains to draw others with thee into Bondage not unlike the sliding of a Serpent hast first withdrawn thy self from this Firmament being become of a most free King a Tributary a Farmer and a Vassal of Slavery Thou hath link'd this most Noble La●d to perpetual Bondage never to be free'd from these servile Fetters unless He who had Compassion over us and all the World when anciently they were enslaved under the yoke of Sin taking pity shall at some time or other condescend to deliver us And what shall we say of thee O Pope Who being the Father of Holiness the Pattern of Piety the Tutor of Justice and the Guardian of Truth oughtest to shine for an Example to the whole World Art thou consenting to such an One Dost thou praise and defend such an One But it is for this reason that Thou defendest this Exhauster of English Money and the Imposer upon the British Nobility who inclines himself to thy side that all things may be swallowed up in the Gulph of Roman Avarice At length it was decreed that they would elect some powerful Person to be their King by whose means they might be restored to their ancient Possessions believing that none could reign more cruelly than John and framing this sorry Argument Fortuna miserrima tuta Nam Timor Eventûs deterioris abest When Fortune has her utmost Malice spent We cannot then dread any worse Event And when for some time they had hesitated whom to Elect they at last agreed in this that they would set over them Lewis the Son of Philip the French King and advance him to be King And their Reason was because that if by the means of Lewis and his Father the foreign multitude with which King John was surrounded being the greatest part of them their Subjects should desert him when he should likewise be deprived and destitute of his own Forces at home he himself would remain in a manner alone without Power and making a Virtue of Necessity would hearken to more wholesome Counsels And afterwards this Resolution being pleasing to them all they sent by solemn Messengers namely the Lord S. Earl of Winchester and Robert Fitzwater to King Philip and Lewis his Son Letters Sealed with the Seals of all the Barons earnestly beseeching the Father that he would send his Son into England that he might reign and the Son that he would come forth to be Crowned Lewis having accepted of their Invitation comes over for England and being joined by the Barons at London who making War upon King John and his Party in which Lewis and the Barons prevailed Matt. Paris Fol. 287. Anno 1216. Not long after which it fell out that the Viscount of Molun a Nobleman of the Kingdom of France who came over into England with Lewis was dangerously sick in the City of London who perceiving that his Death was near at hand desired to discourse with such of the Barons of England as were remaining in the City of London for the Safeguard thereof and he confessed in the hearing of them all telling them I am grieved at your Desolation and Subversion because ye are ignorant how many Dangers hang over ye For Lewis hath sworn and sixteen more Earls and Barons of the Kingdom of France with him that if it shall be his Fortune to subdue England and to be Crowned King he would condemn to perpetual Exile all those who now serve in the VVar under himself and those who are the Followers of King John as Betrayers of their Master and would extirpate all their Race out of the Land And that you may not doubt of this I my self who now lie in continual expectation of Death do as I hope my Soul shall be saved affirm unto ye that I was one of those who with Lewis have sworn it VVherefore I now earnestly advise ye that for the future ye provide for your Safety and that these things which now I have related unto ye be kept secret And having thus said this Nobleman forthwith expired And when these Words were spread among the Barons they were very much grieved to find themselves thus every way distressed For Lewis had given their Lands and Castles which he had in divers places subdued to French-men which they murmured at and that which troubled them the more was that he gave out as if they were Traitors and it farther encreased their Sorrow to find that they were every Day excommunicated and deprived of all Earthly Honour whereby they fell into the greatest Affliction both of Body and Mind Many of them therefore had Thoughts of returning to be obedient to King John but they were much afraid whether he whom they had so much provoked to hate them by their Revilings would receive them upon their Repentance But by the timely Death of King John which shortly after happen'd and the setting up his Son to be King to whom the Barons resorted the villainous Design of Lewis and his Adherents became abortive as the Historian tells us FINIS