Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	world_n	write_v	year_n	249	4	4.2508	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38569	Seven new colloquies translated out of Erasmus Roterodamus as also The life of Erasmus / by Mr. Brown.; Colloquia. Selections. English	Erasmus, Desiderius, d. 1536.; Brown, Thomas, 1663-1704.	1699 (1699)	Wing E3209; ESTC R20336	72,450	140

himself Lucian for a Copy to Write after If what some Ecclesiastical Writers have reported of him be true that he Apostatized from the Christian Religion he made it some amends however by his admirable Dialogues for 't is a plain Case that the Primitive Fathers batter'd the Pagan Theology with Artillery drawn out of his Magazines and entered the Garrison through the Breaches which he had made to their Hands He Raillies with the Air and Gayety of a Gentleman and at the same time Writes with all the Iustice of a Philosopher whenever his Argument requires it and this happy mixture of Serious and Ridicule makes him so eternally entertaining that the Reader still rises from him with a Gust Far be it from me to defend him in every Particular but this Testimony is due to him even from an Enemy and if I have dwelt so long upon him 't is to be considered that Erasmus who Translated part of him into Latin made him his Pattern and indeed has Copied his Graces with such Success that 't is difficult to say which of the two is the Original 3. Both of them had an equal Aversion to Sullen Austere designing Knaves of what Complexion Magnitude or Party soever Both of them were Men of Wit and Satyr and employ'd it as Righteously as the old Heroes did their Arms in beating down the crying Grievances of their Times in Deposing Superstition the worst of Tyrants and disarming Hypocrisie the basest of Vices But the Hollander according to the Genius of his Country had more of the Humourist in him than the Syrian and in all Parts of Learning was infinitely his Superiour It was Lucian's Fate to live in an Age when Fiction and Fable had Usurp'd the Name of Religion and Morality was Debauched by a set of sowr Scoundrils Men of Beard and Grimace but scandalously Lewd and Ignorant who yet had the Impudence to Preach up Virtue and Stile themselves Philosophers perpetually clashing with one another about the Precedence of their several Founders the Merits of their different Sects and if 't is possible about Trifles of less Importance yet all agreeing in a different way to dupe and amuse the poor People by the Fantastick Singularity of their Habits the Unintelligible Iargon of their Schools and their Pretensions to a severe and mortified Life This motly Herd of Iuglers Lucian in a great Measure helpt to Chase out of the World by exposing them in their proper Colours but in a few Ages after him a new Generation sprung up in the World well known by the Name of Monks and Friars differing from the former in Religion Garb and a few other Circumstances but in the main the same individual Impostors the same everlasting Cobwebspinners as to their nonsensical Controversies the same abandon'd Rakehells as to their Morals but as for the mysterious Arts of heaping up Wealth and picking the Peoples Pockets as much Superiour to their Predecessors the Pagan Philosophers as an overgrown Favourite that cheats a whole Kingdom is to a common Malefactor These were the Sanctified Cheats whose Follies and Vices Erasmus has so effectually lashed that some Countries have intirely turn'd these Drones out of their Cells and in other places where they are still kept up they are Contemptible to the highest Degree and obliged to be always upon their Guard 4. Before I dismiss this Parallel it may not be amiss to observe that Erasmus has so Religiously imitated Lucian that perhaps he has carried it to Excess and Copied his Master even to a Fault I mean in the frequent use of old Adagies most of which tho' Poinant enough in Lucian's Time have lost all manner of Relish with us and therefore I have wholly omitted them in my Translation or Substituted others that are better understood in their room This I know will be call'd false Doctrin by a modern Grammarian who pretends that a Man may cite them in his Works without being guilty of the Sin of Pedantry and justifies his Assertion by the Examples of Cato Tully Plutarch and Lucian 'T is true indeed those worthy Gentlemen frequently use them and were no Pedunts for doing so but with the Doctor 's leave I will make bold to affirm that what they might commendably use who lived upon the spot where these proverbial Expressions grew and cou'd tell the History of them without the help of a German Commentator wou'd be rank lowsie Pedantry for us to follow them in who either know nothing of the true occasion or if we do live at too great a distance of time to be much affected with the Wit of them The Ruff and Farthingale of venerable Memory were no doubt on 't a very laudable Dress when they were the common Fashion of the Town but should any Lady at this time of day out of her singular Respect to Queen Elizabeth wear them in the Mall or the side Box I am afraid she wou'd be soon laught out of this Ridiculous Affectation of Antiquity I own that true Wit will be eternally so to the end of the World but the Garniture and Trimming of it under which Class we may reckon Proverbial Allusions and the Similies in our Comedies depend much on the Humour of the Times and the Genius of the Country and still vary with the Age so that what passes for a Iest in France or Holland we see is received but indifferently with us in England who don't understand the true Rise of it nay what pleases us now I dare engage will not find that welcome twenty Years hence But it has been the constant Fault of the Grammarians in all Countries of the World that in order to force a Trade they must affect to Write so Learnedly that is so obscurely that they want another Grammarian to explain them to the generality of their Readers and the Reason of it is plain because they Write not to Instruct but to make a Pompous tho impertinent show of their own Learning I have already observed that Erasmus drew abundance of Enemies upon himself by his Writings some of whom Attacked him because he touched them in their most sensible Part their Interest Others out of Vanity that it might be said they had enter'd the Lists with a Person of his Reputation And lastly some out of down-right Malice and Envy The Monks who had Bellies one wou'd have thought large enough to have some Bowels in them cou'd never forgive him for exposing their Luxury and Avarice their pretended Visions and Revelations with the rest of their pious Artifices The Lutherans had a Quarrel to him because he was not one of their Party and perhaps Erasmus who spared the Follies of neither side might disgust them by making bold now and then with their great Patriarch of Wittemberg I remember I have some where Read that when Erasmus was told that Luther out of his great desire for an Armful of Consecrated Flesh had Married and got the Famous Catharine Bora with Child he shou'd