Selected quad for the lemma: friend_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
friend_n	appear_v	great_a	time_n	915	5	3.1574	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53091	The Character of a rebellion, and what England may expect from one, or, The designs of dissenters examined by reason, experience, and the laws and statutes of the realm	Nalson, John, 1638?-1686.	1681 (1681)	Wing N91; ESTC R4252	19,653	22

THE CHARACTER OF A REBELLION And what ENGLAND May expect from one OR The Designs of Dissenters Examined by REASON EXPERIENCE And the LAWS and STATUTES OF THE REALM LONDON Printed for Benj. Tooke 1681. The CHARACTER of a REBELLION AND What England may expect from one c. HE does not deserve the name of an Englishman who in a time of Common and Imminent Danger dare not stand up for his King his Religion his Country Laws Liberty and the most Excellent Constitution of Government in the whole World And that all these are in the most apparent hazard even from those People who pretend to be the great Opposers of Popery and Arbitrary Government I appeal not only to the Swarms of Insolent Scandalous Seditious and Malitious Pamphlets which of late have made the Press and the whole Nation groan and are one of the greatest Grievances and Pests of the Commonwealth but to that general fear which the Insolence of Factious Dissenters hath raised and thereby given too just ground for apprehensions of their breaking out into Rebellion and Insurrections I am satisfied that they lay a great stress upon the Policy of this Invention to incourage their Party and frighten their Opposers by the frequent boasts of their Strength Numbers and what may follow if they be not gratified how dangerous it is to disoblige them and I believe they had much rather compass their Designs by these artifices than run the Chance and Risque of a Decision by the Sword and I know also that many of the principal Engineers have more of the Fox than of the Lion and are better at the Encounters of the Tongue and Pen than of the glittering Steel but yet I think no Enemy ought to be Esteemed contemptible and the very first Essayes towards Rebellion ought to be encountered it being not impossible but Law and Reason may baffle and subdue them before they take the Field and it will be a very happy Combat where nothing is spilt but Ink. It cannot discourage me that of late some Mercenary Pens and Designing Persons have countenanced the notorious Enemies of the Establisht Government with the Character of the only true Protestants and that Libelling has been esteemed a Virtue if not a part of their Religion Lying and Defamation the scandals of good Moral Heathens have been adopted into Christianity while such as durst adventure to assert or appear in defence of the Government and known Laws were loaded with all the invidious Reproaches of Billingsgate Invention and most certainly with the name of Papist I have a Veneration for men of Sense but cannot but despise those little writing Things who are but one degree advanced above Apes and Monkeys that chatter and bite as they are set on And certainly a more contemptible piece of Senceless Detraction was hardly ever invented on this side Bedlam than to affirm that the Papists are contriving to subvert the Government and pretend to be Zealous against them as all honest men are against whoever shall attempt that and at the same time to brand all such as vigorously appear for it against both Papists and Phanatiques with the title of Papists But Polititians move great Wheels by little ones and the King and Government must be disarmed by this Popular Odium of all their true Friends under the Notion of Papists that so they may come under the Guardianship and Protection of these true Protestant Dissenters and is it possible to Conjecture they would not then be in good hands I may be mistaken but I believe I am not single in my Opinion that they would be in Salva Custodia according to the English of Jaylors And after all the repeated Affronts both to his Sacred Majesty and Persons of the most Eminent Characters and Loyalty in the Nation they must not be reproved or censured for fear of dis-uniting Protestants or forcing them to Rebel But truly if they proceed in these Methods as they seem incorrigible they must excuse us if we cannot contribute our assistance to such an Union as must terminate in our Ruin The Laws have ever Esteemed them as well as the Papists Enemies to the Peace of the Nation and we know their Principles are inconsistent with the Ancient Constitution of the Monarchy and both their past and late Actions have proved them true to their dangerous Principles and the Character which Learned Grotius gives of them That they subvert St. Paul's Rule of Subjection and therefore that no Crowned head can be longer secure from their practices than while they want Power and if Sedition Rebellion Murther Rapine Sacriledge Usurpation Injustice Oppression Tyranny Cruelty Persecution exercised by Dissenters during their Empire as is attested and avowed by their own Records and justified in Print be recommendatory Qualifications to trust them again with our Lives Liberties Laws Estates and Religion judg all ye People Nay had they no other Crime besides Ingratitude I think that such a Compendium of all that is ill that they need not be painted more black than that has made them and for that let his Majesties Gracious and Generous Act of Oblivion witness both their former Guilt and present Ingratitude If they had not offended the Laws and were not obnoxious to Justice why did they stand trembling after his Majesties wondrous Restauration till they got the Security of that Act for which yet the King out of the Abundant Excellency of his Nature and Unexampled Clemency seemed no less solicitous than the Criminals and how they have requited his Royal Bounty in all their late Actions is an Ingratitude that not only England but all Europe is with Astonishment a witness of The King like a Just and Excellent Prince who like Heavens Monarch delights in Mercy suspends the Rigors and Severities of the Penal Laws against them this they construe to be Fear and not Favour and improve it to a confidence to demand their abolition not without menacing insinuations upon refusal he assures them he will Govern according to Laws to obviate a notorious Calumny spread abroad by them among his People of a Design of introducing Arbitrary Rule and that he will neither act Arbitrarily nor permit others to do is this is so far from giving satisfaction that it is highly displeasing the Laws themselves are Uneasie and to Govern by them burthensom and unsupportable and indeed it is impossible to please those with any thing who are resolute to receive no satisfaction unless they may have all Whither these Procedures must lead us we need not to consult the Oracle When the Quicksilver rises so high in the Weather-glass of State it is not difficult to conjecture some blustring may follow And indeed the methods which these People have made use of are too well known to leave us in suspense if Providence does not interpose what will be the End They have so far Exceeded the Limits of their Duty and have so accustomed themselves to affront the Government by the repeated