Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	henry_n	king_n	queen_n	22,548	5	7.7438	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62397	The discovery of witchcraft proving that the compacts and contracts of witches with devils and all infernal spirits or familiars are but erroneous novelties and imaginary conceptions : also discovering, how far their power extendeth in killing, tormenting, consuming, or curing the bodies of men, women, children, or animals by charms, philtres, periapts, pentacles, curses, and conjurations : wherein likewise the unchristian practices and inhumane dealings of searchers and witch-tryers upon aged, melancholly, and superstitious people, in extorting confessions by terrors and tortures, and in devising false marks and symptoms, are notably detected ... : in sixteen books / by Reginald Scot ... ; whereunto is added an excellent Discourse of the nature and substance of devils and spirits, in two books : the first by the aforesaid author, the second now added in this third edition ... conducing to the compleating of the whole work, with nine chapters at the beginning of the fifteenth [sic] book of The discovery.; Discoverie of witchcraft	Scot, Reginald, 1538?-1599.; Scot, Reginald, 1538?-1599. Discourse concerning the nature and substance of devils and spirits.	1665 (1665)	Wing S945A; ESTC R20054	529,066	395

as one that of late hath written against Prophesies saith It is no marvel that when the familiars that speak in trunks were repelled from their harbour for fear of discovery the blocks almighty lost their senses for these are all gone now and their knavery is espyed so as they can no longer abuse the world with such bables But whereas these great Doctors suppose that the cause of their dispatch was the coming of Christ if they mean that the Devil dyed so soon as He was born or that then he gave over his occupation they are deceived For the Popish Church hath made a continual practice hereof partly for their own private profit lucre and gain and partly to be had in estimation of the World and in admiration among the simple But indeed men that have learned Christ and been conversant in his Word have discovered and shaken off the vanity and abomination hereof But if those Doctors had lived till this day they would have said and written that Oracles had ceased or rather been driven out of England in the time of King Henry the Eight and of Queen Elizabeth his Daughter who have done so much in that behalf as at this hour they are not only all gone but forgotten here in this English Nation where they swarmed as thick as they did in Boeotia or in any other place in the world But the credit they had depended not upon their desert but upon the credulity of others Now therefore I will conclude and make an end of this matter with the opinion and saying of the Prophet Vain is the answer of Idols For they have eyes and see not ears and hear not mouths and speak not c. and Let them shew what is to come and I will say they are gods indeed BOOK IX CHAP. I. The Hebrew word Kasam expounded and how far a Christian may conjecture of things to come KAsam as John Wierius upon his own knowledge affirmeth and upon the word of Andraeas Masius reporteth differeth little in signification from the former word Ob betokening Viticinari which is To Prophesie and is most commonly taken in evill part as in Deut. 18. Jerem. 27. c. howbeit sometime in good part as in Isa 3.2 To foretell things to come upon probable conjectures so as therein we reach no further then becometh humane capacity is not in mine opinion unlawful but rather a commendable manifestation of Wisdome and Judgement the good gifts and noble blessings of GOD for the which we ought to be thankful as also to yield due honour and prayse unto him for the noble order which he hath appointed in nature praying him to lighten our hearts with the beams of his wisdome that we may more and more profit in the true knowledge of the workmanship of his hands But some are so nice that they condemn generally all sorts of Divinations denying those things that in nature have manifest causes and are so framed as they foreshew things to come and in that shew admonish us of things after to insue exhibiting signs of unknown and future matters to be judged upon by the order law and course of nature proposed unto us by God And some on the other side are so bewitched with folly as they attribute to creatures that estimation which rightly and truly appertaineth to God the Creator of all things affirming That the publick and private destinies of all humane matters and whatsoever a man would know of things come or gone is manifested to us in the heavens so as by the Stars and Planets all things might be known These would also that nothing should be taken in hand or gone about without the favourable aspect of the Planets By which and other the like devices they deprave and prophane the ancient and commendable observations of our fore-fathers as did Colebrasus who taught That all mans life was governed by the seven Planets and yet a Christian and condemned for Heresie But let us so far forth embrace and allow this Philosophy and Prophesying as the Word of God giveth us leave and commendeth the same unto us CHAP. II. Proofes by the old and new Testament that certain observations of the Weather are lawful WHen God by his Word and Wisdom had made the Heavens and placed the Stars in the firmament he said Let them be for signs and for seasons and for dayes and years When he created the rainbow in the clouds he said it should be for a sign and token unto us Which we find true not only of the flood past but also of the showres to come And therefore according to Jesus Sirachs advice Let us behold it and prayse him that made it The Prophet David saith The heavens declare the glory of God and the earth sheweth his handy work day unto day uttereth the same and night unto night teacheth knowledge It is also written That by the commandement of the the holy one the Stars are placed and continue in their order and fail not in their watch It should appear that Christ himself did not altogether neglect the course and order of the heavens in that he said When you see a cloud rise out of the west straightway you say a showre cometh and so it is And when you see the southwinde blow you say it will be hot and so it cometh to pass Again When it is evening you say fair weather for the skie is red and in the morning you say today shall be a tempest for the skie is red and lowring Wherein as he noteth that these things do truly come to pass according to ancient observation and to the rule Astronomical so doth he also by other words following admonish us that in attending too much to those observations we neglect not specially to follow our Christian Vocation The Physician is commended unto as and allowed in the Scriptures but so to put trust in him as to neglect and distrust God is severely forbidden and reproved Surely it is most necessary for us to know and observe divers rules Astological otherwise we could not with opportunity dispatch our ordinary affairs And yet Lactantius condemneth and recounteth it among the number of Witchcrafts from whose censure Calvin doth not much vary The poor husbandman perceiveth that the increase of the Moon maketh Plants and living creatures fruitful so as in the Full Moon they are in best strength decaying in the wane and in the conjunction do utterly wither and fade Which when by observation use and practice they have once learned they distribute their business accordingly as their times and seasons to sow to plant to prune to let their Cattel blood to cut c. CHAP. III. That certain observations are indifferent certain ridiculous and certain impious whence that cunning is derived of Apollo and of Aruspices I Know not whether to disallow or discommend the curious observation used by our elders who conjectured upon