Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
fire_n	body_n	earth_n	element_n	4,634	5	9.8975	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17451	A discourse concerning the drayning of fennes and surrounded grounds in the sixe countreys of Norfolke, Suffolke, Cambridge with the Isle of Ely, Huntington, Northampton, and Lincolne	H. C.	1629 (1629)	STC 4270; ESTC S115722	18,918	23

Riuers Draynes Goates Sluces Bankes and such like costly workes of Sewers so much to be lamented so impossible to be any other wayes preuented then by a generall drayning of the seuerall Leuels wherein those Lands respectiuely doe lye Next it would be remembred that in winter when the Ice is stronge enough to hinder the passage of Boates and yet not able to beare a man the Inhabitants vpon the Hards and the Bankes within the Fennes can haue no helpe of Food no comfort for Body or Soule no Woman ayd in her Trauell no meanes to baptize a Child or to administer the Communion no supply of any necessitie sauing what those poore desolate places can afford Moreouer it hath beene the policie of this State to demolish all places of defence sauing those that be in the hand of the Soueraigne power this onely remaineth whether we know in the Barrons Warres the Rebels vpon the naturall strength of the place and aboundance of prouision there resorted as into a Fastnesse and to which purpose it might serue againe if God and the wisedome of our Gouernours were not watchfull at the Helme What should I speake of the health of mens bodyes where there is no Element good The Aer Nebulous grosse and full of rotten Harres the Water putred and muddy yea full of loathsome vermine the Earth spuing vnfast and boggie the Fire noysome turfe and hassocks such are the inconueniences of the Drownings But if a man would attend the manifold and great profits of Drayning it were not hard to muster a royall Army of them Consider first the quantitie of the Pen-Leuels valued at 500000 Acres Mr Camden accounts it from the edge of Suffolke to Waynflet in Lincolneshire 68 Miles and that is by the Stringe but if you reckon the Bow of the Fenne which runneth vp on both sides Witham till you come within a Mile of Lincolne as rotten a peece as any of the rest we may well call it 80 Miles in length in bredth it is much 30 more 20 seldome so little as 10 Miles a goodly Garden of a Kingdome yea a little Kingdome it selfe as much and as good ground it is supposed as the States of the Low-Countreys enioy in the Netherlands For the riches of the soyle if it were gayned from the waters much may be said Compare it with high ground who will not preferre a leuell Medow Compare it with the grounds in the same tract which lye but a yard higher then it ordinarily let for 20. shil an Acre and vpward not about Ely and other good Townes onely but at Thorny-Abbey my Lord of Beaford lets betweene 3 and 400 Acres of rising ground vpon which the Abbey stands for 300. li. per annum whereas the rest of his Lordship of Thorny containing 16 or 17000 Acres of drowned ground is esteemed as it now lyeth of little or no value yet it appeareth by the Historie of William of Malmesburie vouched by Mr Camden who liued about 1200 yeeres since that in his time it represented a very Paradise for that in pleasure and delight it resembleth Heauen it selfe in the very Marishes bearing Trees that for their straight talnesse and the same without knots striue to touch the Starres A Playne there is as euen as the Sea which with greene grasse allureth the eye so smooth and leuell that if any walke along the Fields they shall find nothing to stumble at There is not the least parcell of ground that lyes wast and void there here you shall find the earth rising somewhere for Apple-trees there shall you haue a Field set with Vines which either creepe vpon the ground or mount on high vpon poles to support them c. For in those dayes Vineyards were verie frequent in England The like may be said of the Abbey of Crowland of the great Lordship of Whittlesea and of all the rest that consist of part dry and part drowned Land yet those dry drowned Lands are of the same nature and where there is any difference the drowned is the richer as appeared in the two extraordinarie dry yeeres 1619 and 1620 when the edges of the drowned Fenne being dry yeelded twice as much grasse as the rising grounds did I shall speake of a strange thing yet was it related by a Gentleman interested in the place and of good credit Borrough great Fenne containeth about 7000 Acres this Fen is vsually so much surrounded that the dry places and all are not well able to beare the Inhabitants Cattell in those two yeeres it was all dry and yeelded such aboundance of Foather that they receiued for a great part of Summer 50. li. a day for the ioysting of Cattell as they call it out of the high Countreys The like may be imagined to be the condition of all the rest of the Fens especially if the ground be smooth and free from Hassocks I will giue you an instance There is a banke in Thorny of a Mile long or more cast vp out of two Draynes of the most mirie Fens which lying somewhat high as being a Horse-way from Thorny-Abbey to Peterborough is growne into verie fine and feeding grasse And here to proue the Richnesse of the Fen-soyle let it be obserued that where water stands all the Spring in barren Land there will be no grasse at all not so much as where for want of raine the Sunne burneth the soyle and this is a certaine argument of Sterile or leane Earth But where though the waters stand the Earth notwithstanding bringeth forth Fruit it is an argument of a fat and lustie soyle and so much the fatter by how much the Fruit is courser and larger for all grounds that will afford nourishment to Grasse will not suffice sap enough for Sedge or Reed but on the contrarie that which will beare Reed or Sedge in any quantitie is able to yeeld sap enough for aboundance of Grasse So great a quantitie therefore of rich Land being gayned would meruailously increase support the multitude of his Maiesties subiects wherein consisteth the glorie and strength of a Kingdome Adde hereto the augmentations of his Highnesse Reuenews for there are in the Fen if I remember a right 16 Mannors belonging to the Crowne on the South-side of Boston besides the great Honour of Bullingbrooke on the North containing about it by estimation 60000 Acres of Fen-Land which was lately let for 18. li. a yeere to Sr Vincent Skinner besides his Customes Subsidies Prouisions Casualties c. What should I remember the profits which would accrew to the Common-wealth the aboundance of prouision for victuall Flesh Fish and whit-meats the breed of Horses seruiceable both in Peace and for Warre the rich and necessarie Merchandizes of Wooll Hydes Tallow Hempe Rape and such like the transportation of the commodities of the Countrey from place to place for the vse of the neighbour-parts the ease of Trauellors who now are faine to make compasse iournies to auoid the ouerflowings the conuoy of his Maiesties Armies