Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
fire_n	earth_n	nature_n	water_n	6,401	5	6.5273	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10664	Mythomystes wherein a short suruay is taken of the nature and value of true poesy and depth of the ancients above our moderne poets. To which is annexed the tale of Narcissus briefly mythologized	Reynolds, Henry, fl. 1627-1632.; Ovid, 43 B.C.-17 or 18 A.D. Metamorphoses.	1632 (1632)	STC 20939; ESTC S110647	35,783	124

like obuiouser kinde of truths in Nature as Hebe's stumbling and f●…lling with the Nectar bowle in her hand and thereby discouering her hidden parts to the gods as she serued them at their boord meaning the nakednesse of the trees and plants in Autumne when all their leaues are falne from them by the downefall or departure of the Spring which their H●…be or goddesse of youth as the Auncients called her because the Spring renewes and makes young all things meanes And with these the Inceste of Mirrha with her father meaning the Myrrh-tree which the Sun father of Plants inflames and making ouertures in it there flowes thence that odorous Sabaean gumme wee call Myrrhe meant by her child Adonis which interpreted is sweet pleasant or delightfull To omit I say these and the like triuialler though true obseruations in Nature and th●…t carry also so foule a face to the eye I would aske who can make those fights and cont●…ntions that the wise Homer faignes betweene his Gods and Goddesses to meane other then the naturall Contrariety of the Elements and especially of the Fire and Water which as they are tempered and reconciled by the aire so Iuno which signifies the aery region reconciles accords the warring Gods and next what in generall those frequent and no lesse scandalous brawles betweene Iupiter and his wife and sister Iuno can be made to meane other then those Meteors occasioned by the vpper and lower Region of the Ayres differing temperatures Or what all those his vnlawfull loues his compressing so many Dryads Nayads and Nereiads woodnymphes and waternymphes and the rest can meane other then meerely the Fires power vpon the Earth and waters a study of a higher nature and vaster extente then the first alledged and which Iupiters Inceste with his sister Ceres likewise meanes and is the same with the tale of the contention of Phaeton which is Incendium with the sonne of Isis which is Terra A Theame too infinite to pursue and no lesse a fault heere then perhaps a folly at all to mencion For besides the beeing a subiect vtterly vnfit to suffer a mixture with a discourse of so light a nature as this of mine where a slight touch at the generall mistake and abuse of Poesy in our times was only intended suppose a man should wheras I haue heere layd downe the faire sense of but two or three of the foulest of them be at the paines of running through all the Fables of the Auncients and out of them shew the reader and leade him by the fingar as it were who yet can discouer nothing but matter of Manners in them to the speculation of the entire Secret of our great God of Nature in his miraculous fabrick of this World which their god Pan or the vniuersall simple bodyes and seedes of all Nature gotten by Mercury or the diuine Will by which all things came to bee created meanes And beginning with Moses shew him how the Spirit of God first moouing vpon the waters a Mystery perhaps by few of our duller Modernes vnderstood though a Thales Milefius or Heraclius the Ephesian two Heathens could instruct them they faigne him vnder the name of Iupiter by compressing Latona meaning the shades or darkenesse of the first Chäos to haue begot on her Apollo and Diana which is the Sun and Moone when he said fiat lux lux fuit and carry him along from this beginning to the end and compleate knowledge of all Nature which as Moses darkely they no lesse darkely deliuered Suppose I say a man should take this taske vpon him I would faine know who they are that would be perhaps at least that were fit readers now a dayes of such a Treatise Because what one of a million of our Scollers or writers among vs vnderstands or cares to be made vnderstand scarse the lowest and triuiallest of Natures wayes much lesse seekes to draw by wisely obseruing her higher and more hidden workings any profitabler vse or benefit from them for their owne or the publike good then perhaps to make an Almanack or a diuingbote to take butts or crabs vnder water with or else some Douch waterbellowes by rarefying water into a comprest ayre to blow the fire withall Whenas if they could but from that poore step learne the way to get a little higher vp the right scale of Nature and really indeed accord and make a firme peace and agreement betweene all the discordant Elements and as the Fable of Cupids wrassle with Pan and ouercomming him teaches them the beginning of all Natures productions are loue and strife indeauour to irritate also and force this Pan or Simple Matter of things to his fit procreatiue ability by an industrious and wise strife and colluctation with him then they might perhaps do somewhat in Philosophy not vnworth the talking of No lesse then our common practitioners in Physick might better deserue their names then most of them do for to be a Physitian what is it but to be a generall Naturalist not meere transcriber and applyer of particular booke recipes if they would but practise by that Rule and Base of Nature the world was built vpon to make likewise and establish that Equality and concord betweene those warring Elements which are the Complexions in Mans body that one exceed not an other in their Qualities Or if they could but giue better instance of their acquaintance with the wayes of Phylosophy then in burdning and oppressing nature rather then otherwise as most of them doe with their crude Vegetable and Minerall Physicks for not vnderstanding the necessity or though they did yet not the Art of exalting and bettering their natures by correcting or remoouing their in-bred imperfections with that fit preparation that Nature teaches them The hidden workings of which wise Mistresse could wee fully in all her wayes comprehend how much would it cleare and how infinitely ennoble our blind and groueling conditions by exalting our vnderstandings to the sight as I haue before toucht of God or those inuisible things of God to vse S. Pauls words once againe which are cleerely seene being vnderstood by the things that are made and thence instructing vs not sawcily to leap but by the linkes of that golden chaine of Homer that reaches from the foote of Iupiters throne to the Farthe more knowingly and consesequently more humbly climbe vp to him who ought to bee indeed the only end and period of all our knowledge and vnderstanding the which in vs though but a small fainte beame of that our great blessed Sun yet is that breath of life that he breathed into vs to draw vs thereby fecisti nos Domine propeter te sayes the holy S. Augustine neerer to him then all irrationall Animalls of his making as a no lesse tenderly louing Father then immense and omnipotent Creator To whom as wee cannot giue too much loue and reuerence so neither can wee with too wary hands approach his sacred Mysteries in Holy Writ Howbeit I

Wanting the meane it selfe to satisfy I fainte and feele my death aproaching neere And more I grieue a thousand fold to dye That in my ruine that that is more deare Then life to mee must fall as well as I Deaths face were not so soure to looke vpon Might that sweete face suruiue when I were gone He weepes and to the water turnes againe Where he the weeping fain'd Narcissus viewes And eu'ry teare which the false faire eyes raine Th' impatience of his balefull woe renewes He striues to touch the lou'd cause of his paine Troubling the waters that his eyes abuse Then chafes and cryes if I may neither feele Nor heare at least let mee behould thee still He raues impatient of his harts vnreste His garment teares martyrs his haire and rendes it Then with his each bent sist his inn'ocent brest Beats but the weede he weares somewhat defends it He findes it and himselfe more to moleste Remooues the garment and starknak'd offends it With many ' a churlish blow and so betakes him Wholly to 's woe as one whose sence forsakes him The battr'ed juory brest shewes to the view Like halfe-ripe grapes apples halfe red or roses Strew'd on some lilly banke that blowing nue The virgin leaues to the warme Sun disclozes And such as though chang'd from the former hue Yet nought at all of his first beauty loozes But seemes though sore perhaps and akeing more As faire or fairer then it was before He stoopes againes to take an other sight Of the belou'd occasion of his woe The water shewes him soone the euill plight The flesh was in had boarne so many ' a blow He mournes to see 't and stody'ing how he might Heale and appeaze what he had injur'd so His armes though well he knowes the labour vaine He needes will plunge into the fount againe The water mooues he mournes the Shadow flyes He lets it settle and then lookes againe And now the fatall fire wherein he fryes His Sence consumes through too much sence of paine So th'ore that in a melting furnace lyes Growes warme then hot nor long doth so remaine But meltes the fire tyring vpon 't the whiles And fusible ' as the liquid water boiles The white and faire vermilion faded be That late imbellisht and adorn'd him so His eye the faint lidd couers heauily Each limbe growes slack and powrelesse Ecco although He loath'd and vs'd her so disdainefully Hath still accompany'de him in his woe And euer would repeate and answer make Well as she could to whatsoere he spake What sound his hands beating each other made Or when his bosome felt their battery She the like sound returnes he to the Shade Languishing cryes Behould for thee I dye For thee I dye answers th'inamour'd maide Remembring her owne cruell destiny At length he sadly sighes farwell and dyes Farewell sayes Eccho and no more replyes His ghost is to the shades infernall gon And carry'ng still his error with him there Lookes him in those pale streames of Acheron And wooes winnes himselfe and ne're the neere The Nymphes and hamadryads eu'ry one With the sad Nayads who his sisters were With shriekes cryes which they to heau'n inforce Strew their faire shorne haires on the bloudlesse corse Ecco that grieues no lesse then th' other do Confounds her lamentation lowd with theirs And would her tresses teare and her flesh too Had she them still but as she may she beares Her part in eu'ry sound of griefe and woe That from beat hand or wayling voice she heares If any weeping cry aymee he 's gone She sayes the same and multiplies the moane His fun'erall pile rounded with tapers bright The wayling Nymphes prepare without delay But the dead corse is vanisht from their fight And in the place where the pale carcasse lay A flowre with yallow seed and leaues milke white Appeares a fairer flowre Aprill nor May Yeelds for it keeps much of his beauty still Some call 't a Lilly some a Daffadill Obseruation vpon the Tale of Narcissus As not the least of the Fables of the Auncients but had their meanings and most of them diuerse meanings also so no lesse hath this of Narcissus which Ouid hath smoothely sung and I paraphrastically Engglisht after my owne way and for my owne pleasure Wherein I am not vnwilling to render withall what as I am taught a little by my owne Genius and more by better vnderstandings then my own the Fable was by the first deuizers therof made to meane And first for the Geographick parte the Sence thereof is I conceiue obuious enough The Tale tells vs the god Cephissus a great Riuer in Boeotia that running through the ager Atticus or Attick field as the place was aunciently called meetes and mingles his streames with the Water-nymphe Liriope a narrow brooke so named and hauing betweene them compassed a flat low ground almost Iland-wise before their falling together into the Phalerick gulphe they were fitly called the Parents of this Narcissus or Daffadill beeing a floure which besides the specificall nature it hath to grow and thriue best in waterish places the medowy groundes those waters encompassed did chiefely yeeld and abound in This Narcissus is fained to eschew and flye the companie of all women no lesse then of the Nymphe Ecco that is enamour'd and doates vpon him denoting by this auuersion of his the nature of the floure that beares his name for the daffadill or water-lilly the seedes thereof especially as the applyers of them in medcine haue obserued do powerfully extinguish the ability and desire of carnall copulation by ouercooling of the Animall seed no lesse then does Porcelane Lettuce Agnus castus Calamint White violetts and the like of that kinde From this his before mencioned quality and the ill effect it workes in mans body his name Narcissus which is segnities-slothe stupiditie lazinesse was by the Anncients not vnfitly giuen to this vegitable And they out of this consideration likewise faigned that Preserpine when Pluto rauished her away as she was gathering floures had her lap full of Narcissusses because lazy vnbusied women are most subject vnto such inconueniences And because slothfull vnactiue and vnindustrious mindes are for the most parte vncapable of producing any permanent substantiall or reall effects or frute in any kinde this fraile flowre therefore the symbole of such like imperfect and dificient inclinations was among the number of lost dead and soone-to-be-forgotten things by those Auncient inuestigators of Natures trueths particularly dedicated to their Infernall gods The Morall expounders of this Fable will haue it meane thus Ecco or Fame a faire voice loues and wooes Narcissus or Philautia but the selfe-louing man enamor'd like this Narcissus only on himselfe and blinde to all pleasures but those of the Sence despises and slightes the more to be imbraced happinesse of a lasting renowne and memory and therefore dying his fame and all of him dyes with him and he becomes only