Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	french_a	great_a	king_n	16,597	5	4.3459	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28489	The theatre of the world in the which is discoursed at large the many miseries and frailties incident to mankinde in this mortall life : with a discourse of the excellency and dignity of mankinde, all illustrated and adorned with choice stories taken out of both Christian and heathen authors ... / being a work of that famous French writer, Peter Bovistau Launay, in three distinct books ; formerly translated into Spanish by Baltazar Peres del Castillo ; and now into English by Francis Farrer ...; Theatrum mundi. English	Boaistuau, Pierre, d. 1566.; Farrer, Francis.	1663 (1663)	Wing B3366; ESTC R14872	135,755	330

the regions of Babilon from thence it flew to Greece and thence to Rome putrifying after such a manner the aire that one third part of the people did not escape where it came but to leave the antient Histories and examine what hath happened since their time and in our dayes that we who do hold our selves to be Christians may learn to understand our own frailty the great miseries to which we are subject with the scourges great afflictions which God layeth upon us and that God when his anger is kindled against our offences and extreame iniquities le ts fly the most cruell Darts and Arrowes of his justice against these Creatures not omitting any kind of evils afflictions and torments whereby to execute his wrath and vengeance what better or greater proofe can we have of this then that which we saw in the year 1628. in the French Army which at that time beseiged Naples that men dyed before they thought they had been stricken with death and this curse or Pestilence did not light upon the common souldiers alone but executed its fury against the most choice commanders that the Lords Lautree of Vandemon of Moloac of Laval of the Chatrinera Grandmont and many other Persons of great quality who I cannot call to mind without teares the very same thing happened to the English when they took Buloigne from the French that there arose such Pestilential disease amongst them in the Citty that the living were not sufficient to bury the dead for which cause the King of England could not find a Souldier in all his Country would go thither voluntarily but such as were prest forced thither as offenders for the more fresh men entered so many more dyed so that every corner of the streets was infected and corrupted with the stench of the dead Corpes which lay in every part of the City A year after that King Francis of France marryed with Donna Leonoca de Austria there reigned in Germany such a mortall Plague that all that were smitten therewith dyed within twenty four houres swetting a most contagious humor and a most horrid stinking matter and although this evil begin at the West end of the Empire yet afterwards it extended it selfe throughout all Germany like a sweeping net that will catch all as it goes along for before it pleased God to send a remedy there dyed so many thousands that many Provinces remained deserted and uninhabited for so great was the putrifaction of the aire that it left neither Creatures alive and they write that at the same time that the Pestilence reigned with the like fury it was predominant in England in so much that with the venemous strength thereof it did not only overcome destroy men but the Birds forsooke their Nests Eggs and young ones the beasts their dens and Caves the Snakes and Moles went together in squadrons and companies not being able to suffer the venemous infection that had entred even into the bowells of the earth in the year 1546. the last day of May in Stife a city in Province began a most cruell and Pestilential contagion which lasted nine moneths and there dyed great multitudes of people of all sexes and ages in so much that all their Churchyards were so fill'd with dead Corps that there was no roome to receive any more the greatest part of those that were infected the second day became frantick and cast themselves into wells or else from windowes to others it gave a flux of blood from the nose with violence like a running stream the stopping of which ending the life was all at once it arived to such a height of dissolution that women great with child cast forth untimely births at four moneths both they and their innocent babes dyed being found full of tokens and on one side black and blew like brused blood in conclusion the contagion was so great that father 's left their children and the women forsooke their husbands mony and riches could not yeeld remedy to save the owners thereof from dying of famine because it was hard to get a peice of bread or a cup of water for money and if in case they could procure food for sustenance the Plague was grown so violent that many were taken away with the meat in their mouthes the fury of the evil was so great that only looking upon one that was stricken the infection instantly cleave to the party viewing and he dyed so great was the contagion of the disease and the corruption of the aire of the City to what member of the body the venemous breath or vapour did come there arose great sweling carbuncles mortally wounding sores Oh what a horrible and lamentable thing it was to heare the sad storyes that a Physician tells one who was ordered by the Governours to heal the sick this contagion saith he was so sharp and perverse that it could not be stopped with blooding Physick medicines or any cordialls whatsoever but it cut down destroyed and killed all it took hold of in so much as he that was stricken therewith could expect nothing but death for which cause there were several that when they preceived themselves wounded with this mortal infection they sowed themselves up in their winding sheetes there thou mightest see ten thousand lye after that manner expecting their last hour that forced divorce O sad parting of those two so loving consorts the Soul and Body all which he affirmed to have seen often done by many Persons of all degrees I my selfe in the year 1648. being in Spain where many hundred thousands dyed that year in several Provinces but living in the City of Sevill there breake out about March a fearfull contagion or Plague where I was visited therewith to omit the relation of every particular sad spectacle I saw dayly I shall only hint upon the principal passages by which ye may judge the rest there was every morning to be seen not a street without many dead Corps in it cast out not a house uninfected so that the most retyred Carthusian Fryers which came neer none dyed thereof the Birds dyed in the cages not for want of food but of the infection in one Hospital I was told by one that helped to bury the dead there that they all judged there dyed in one night four thousand persons it raged so much and carried away so many people that all their burying places being filled they were forced to load continually dead Corps in Carts and bury them in the common fields where they had four several burying places on each side of the City one afterwards I had occasion often to take particular notice of one of them where some of our English were buryed it was neer alone Church in the fields called St. Sebastiam over the door whereof I have many times read in Spanish but in large legible Characters without the bounds of this Church lieth buryed in fifteen graves forty and three thousand many judged that in above

the out-side of these glorious entertainments we should be really perswaded that they alone do enjoy the pleasures and delights of this life and that all others live in perpetual anguish and trouble but if we make a further entrance into these things with a just ballance weight and with a true Rule try them we shall finde the same things which we count as steps to the heighth of felicity and which will make them arive to the top of happiness in this life These are the instruments and preparations of Vice by which they become to be more unfortunate and miserable of what validity are their rich garments and furniture gallant and honourable services and delicate Viands with all which they cannot defend themselves from the falsities and poysons which may be mixed in them by those about him We have experience thereof in our dayes Doth not Plataria write That one Pope was bewitched in his senses with a paper that was given him by a Servant for a private use to wipe Others have been poysoned by the smoak of Torches and Candles We read in ancient Histories that some Emperors durst not lie down to take their repose at night till first they had searched the Beds and diligently looked into all corners and retirements in their Bed-chambers for fear of being murthered when they were sleeping and changed their Lodging often The History of our Times can declare the like of that Tirant CROMWEL who was a diligent searcher as above-mentioned and often few of his own family knew where or in what Room he lay What a terrible gnawing and continual troublesome waking Worm is a guilty Conscience Others there are who never would consent a Barber or Chirurgeon should come near their Faces to shave their Beards least they should cut their Throats The Kings of our Times are so jealous that they dare not eat a bit without a Taster Were it not better saith Julius Caesar Dye at once then live subject to so many jealousies and fears But what felicity can any man enjoy that hath so many thousands of men at his charge under his government and protection He must watch and hear the complaints and petitions and seek the welfare of all inviting with his clemency and liberality some to be good and forcing others to be so with rigour and justice He must not be less solicitous to procure and maintain the peace and quiet of his people then couragious and valiant to defend them from the assaults in roads and treacheries of their Enemies without setting down many other the like calamities and eares which attend and surround the Royal Crowns and Scepters of Kings and Princes they command all but for the most part one or two governs them Pogio Florentino in a Discourse which he makes concerning the wicked Princes and their infidelity they commonly suffer themselves to be governed or led on by three sorts of people with which they converse which are most pleasing to them and which are most familiar with them and approved by them To begin with Flatterers which deserve the first place and because they are Capital enemies to the truth they bewitch their Souls and poyson their dispositions with such pestiferous and dangerous potions of tiranny folly and vice that all their Subjects feel the smart thereof They call their folly and rashness prudence their cruelty Justice their dissolute luxuries and uncleanness gentle sports If they are covetous they say they are provident If they are prodigal they call them liberal so that there is no vice in a King or Prince which they know not how to mask paint and glose under colour of some vertue The second are the Master-builders and inventers of Taxes Excises and Impositions the which sleep not day nor night to invent some new strange way to get money out of the common people for their Lords and Masters These invent new Dignities and Honours to be bought These take away diminish and cut them short again These petition for confiscations and condemnations against other men all their study diligence and care is to gather together win obtain and procure the Lands Goods and Inheritances of the poor people There is another kinde of men which under the pretence and covert of good do make of themselves honourable Hypocrites who have their aspect and reach so large that they are alwayes entrapping and discussing other mens lives and actions seeming to be Reformers and Enemies to vice they denounce against some good men and raise lies against others These approve such wickednesses and not onely are cause of mens loosing their Estates but many times of their lives who have deserved no such punishment for what alleadged against them neither from God nor Man for which cause the Ancients held a custome as He●odiano relates to condemn for Devils and Enemies of their common weal after their deaths those Princes which in their Reins had ill governed the people and basely spent their Revenues as England may dearly lament in our age but then there was no King in Israel Also they were wont to congregate in their Temples with their Heathen-priests to petition their Gods not to take such Rulers into their Society or Community but to condemn them to infernal Furies to be tormented and chastised This custome was not onely anciently used but of latter years yet not amongst true Christians they had certain proper Curses and Execrations against such wicked protectors of the people as Antonio de Guevarra denotes who was Choronist to the Emperor of a Vice-Roy of Sicilia upon whose Tombe in revenge of his many Tirannies and base abuses they writ as followes Qui propter nos homines et propter Nostrum salutem Descendit ad inferos Truly by this little I have written mayest thou see the miseries and perplexities with which Royal Scepters are encompassed these Thornes are hidden under covert of these beautiful Crownes of Gold and seeming Rose-Beds of Government the which often are and ever ought to be green fresh and beautiful without withering that they may afford content savour and sent to all be a continual light and good example like a bright shining Lamp to the whole World for if they are infected with any muddy Vice if any necessary thing be wanting to a Lamp it presently burns sadly and dim a man had rather be in the dark then have such a light like the wickedness of princes How much the greater or how much the more sinful their Vices are so much the more are they worthy to be reprehended and reproved for them for as Plato sayes It 's not onely one sin to them in the action but a second sin and more dangerous in the Example so that if it is a hard thing for any man to be good as Hesiod said it is sure a greater difficulty for a prince to be so for the aboundance of delights pleasures and honors which they enjoy are rather Fewel to encrease then Water to asswage the burning heat of Vice