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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31383	The holy court in five tomes, the first treating of motives which should excite men of qualitie to Christian perfection, the second of the prelate, souldier, states-man, and ladie, the third of maxims of Christianitie against prophanesse ..., the fourth containing the command of reason over the passions, the fifth now first published in English and much augemented according to the last edition of the authour containing the lives of the most famous and illustrious courtiers taken out of the Old and New Testament and other modern authours / written in French by Nicholas Caussin ; translated into English by Sr. T.H. and others.	Caussin, Nicolas, 1583-1651.; T. H. (Thomas Hawkins), Sir, d. 1640.	1650 (1650)	Wing C1547; ESTC R27249	2,279,942	902

threatned to cause them to be burnt alive if they obeyed not and that there was no God either in heaven or upon earth that should be able to deliver them out of his hands These gallant Princes not being able to endure this blasphemy answered constantly that the God which they served was the Sovereign Master of all Kings that nothing was impossible to his power that it was most easie for him to draw them out of a danger so evident but happen what would they would never be so base and cowardly as to betray their Faith and belie their Religion What cannot Resolution do What cannot Courage do What cannot true Piety do And what does not the Spirit of God That three children that were strangers amidst so many millions of Infidels that environed them as enraged wolves amidst the thundring angers of an inexorable King the horrible faces of hangmen whilst the flames of the fornace into which they were suddenly to be thrown flashed over to the horrour and trembling even of those that were without danger should stand as three rocks immoveable to all these violent shakings What menaces did this wicked King employ to make himself to be feared What sweetnesses and allurements to make himself be beloved And yet they remain inflexible to rigours and impregnable to caresses They are cast into those fiery coals that bore a true representation of hell to endure the sharpest of pains and they find there the most sensible of pleasures The fire forgets it self to be fire the fornace strows it self with flowers the gentle breathings of the South-winds temper the ardour of the flames and that which was the most rigorous of punishments becomes a Throne of honour upon which these three Champions speak as Oracles and all the Creatures change themselves into ears to hear them The King that was there present and that had seen them thrown in fast bound and manacled when he saw them walk all three assisted with a fourth that was the Angel of God in that great and horrible fornace as in a meadow enamell'd over with flowers demanded of his Princes whether they were not those same men that were newly thrown into the fire and whence it could come to passe that that Element should change its nature for them after it had devoured their executioners He draws near to the fornace he calls them by their names and commands them to come to him to see if they were not spirits loosed from the body They come forth he embraceth them he is in an extasie for joy and confesses with a loud voyce That the God of those Children is the true God and ordains that he that shall be so hardy as to blaspheme him should be punished with death and his house confiscated What triumph was ever so glorious as that of the true Religion that then made visible her grandeurs to the sight of all the Infidels in her Captivity and when one would have thought her dead wrote her praises in characters of fire The Nobles came about these three Princes considered their habits the hair of their heads their flesh their skin and found that every thing was intire Calumny changed her self into adoration rage into astonishment and those that were thought lost and reduced to nothing saw themselves consecrated by their punishments This should have converted the King and all his Nation to the worship of the true God and yet those chains that keep men bound in their Superstition for a long time and by deep rooted habits being almost indissoluble every thing remained in the same condition and this Prince blinded by the prosperity of his arms carried his ambitions to the highest point to which those of mortall men can mount whilst it pleased God to chastise him by a very extraordinary change A year before that the unhappinesse befell him he saw in a dream a tree of an immense heighth that seemed to him to cover all the earth with its branches the leaves thereof were pleasant the fruit most savoury the beasts of the earth fed under it and lived by the favours they received from it and upon it the little birds of the air made melodious consorts whilst on a sudden he saw an Angel descend from heaven and commanded that the Tree should be cut down her branches scatter'd her leaves shaken off her fruits destroyed that it should be tumbled down upon the grasse wet continually with the dew of heaven bound with a great iron chain and that there should be left onely some small root to spring up again in time to come but that it should lie seven years under ground before it should appear He was much affrighted at this Dream and made a second assembly of the Sages of his Kingdome that could not give any sutable Interpretation of it Daniel was call'd and the Dream related to him from point to point by the Kings own mouth from which he immediately discovered much misery for his Master There is need of a great force of spirit when one is to carry an afflicting Truth to a person that one loves and of whom one hath received great benefits One would have counsell'd Daniel to hold his peace to dissemble to elude the true sense by some appearing Interpretation yet he knowing that God had sent him to that Court not to vaunt himself in the honour of his offices and in the abundance of his riches but have a care of the salvation of his King and to heal the vanities of his spirit although that by interpreting this Dream according to the truth he should bring himself in danger of the ruine of his fortunes He disguised nothing but told him that it were to be wish'd that the effect of that Dream might fall upon his enemies but since that unhappinesse threatned him it would be better to endeavour to divert it then to invent artifices to suppresse it That he was that great Tree that lifted his branches as high as heaven and covered with his shadow the roundnesse of the earth that so many millions of men were in shelter under his protection and breathed by his favour but forasmuch as he had despised God and had entred into a great presumption of his sufficiency without considering that every thing came to him from on high that he should be separated from the conversation of men ranked with beasts that he should eat the grasse of the field as an ox and should be exposed to the rain and to all the injuries of the air living as a beast till such time as he should know that there is one most high God that rules over the kingdomes of Monarchs and gives them to whom he pleases but there being yet a root remaining to that overthrown Tree that there should be some recovery from that brutall life and that he should be put again into his Kingdome when he should know the power of the heavenly virtue This Daniel was a sprightly Courtier to tell a King that he should become

all the miserable betook themselves unto him unto the number of 400. men which entrenched themselves in a fortresse going forth every day for to rob to maintain themselves thereby In the midst of all these misfortunes the good Prince kept alwayes in his heart a true love of his countrey and knowing that the Philistims had laid siege before Keilah he failed not to go to help it and to deliver it although this ungratefull city was intened to deliver him to Saul if he had enclosed himself therein the which he would not do having consulted with the Oracle of God but retired himself to the desert of Ziph whither Jonathan that The visit of Jonathan secret and and very profitable to David burned with a great desire to see him came to find him secretly and they were for some time together with unspeakable expansions of heart This good friend comforted him and assured him that he should be King after his father and for himself he would be content to be his second which sufficiently witnessed the wonderfull modesty of this Prince and the incomparable love that he bore to David But the Ziphims men for the time that would provide for their own safety sent their deputies to Saul to advertise him that David was retired into their quarters and if it pleased him to follow him they would deliver him into his hands At the which Saul was exceeding joyful and entred the chase to entrap him compassing him on every side and hunting him like a poor deer chased by men and dogs with great out cries The danger was very manifest and David in great hazard to be taken had it not been for a happy message it may be procured by Jonathan that advertised Saul that the Philistims had taken the field and made great waste upon his lands at which he returned to bring remedy thereto deferring his former design till another occasion In the mean while David ran from desert to desert The rudenesse of Nabal towards David with his troops and was hardly able to live which made him have recourse to Nabal a rich man and that had great means entreating him for some courtesie for to maintain his people which had used him with very great respect defending his house his flocks and all his family against the spoilings of robbers This Nabal that was clownish and covetous answered the deputies of David that he knew not the son of Jesse but that he was not ignorant that there were evil servants enough which were fled from their masters and that he was not in case to take the bread from his hired servants for to give it to high-way men This word being told to David incensed him so much that he was going to set upon his house for to rob and sack it But Abagail the The wisdome of Abigail his wife wife of Nabal better behaved and wiser without busying her self to discourse with her husband that was a fool and drunk caused presently mules to be loaden with provision necessary for the men of war and went to meet David to whom she spake with so great wisdome comelinesse and humility that she turned away the tempest and stayed the swords already drawn out of the scabbards for to make a great slaughter in her house David admiring the wisdom and goodnesse of this spirit of the woman married her after the death of her husband It is so true that a good deed bestowed on a high A good deed done to a great one afflicted is of much value person in time of his affliction and when he hath most leasure to consider it is a seed-sowing which in its time brings forth and bears fruits of blessednesse After that Saul had driven back the Philistims he returns to the pursuit of David accompanied with three thousand men with a purpose to take him although he should hide himself under ground or should fly through the air And indeed he crept up rocks unaccessible David furiously pursued by Saul which were not frequented by any but by wild goats and as he passed that way he entred into a cave for some naturall necessity where David was hid with a small number of his faithfullest servants which failed not to tell him that this was the hand of God which had this day delivered his deadly enemy into his hands and that he should not now lose time but to cut him off quickly whilst that he gave him so fair play and this would be the means to end all those bitternesses wherewith his life was filled by the rage of this barbarous Persecutour This was a strong temptation to a man so violently His generousnesse in pardoning his enemy very admirable persecuted and whose life was sought by so many outrages Neverthelesse David stopping all those motions of revenge resolved in his heart by a strong inspiration of God never to lay his hands upon him which was consecrated King and contenting himself with cutting off the skirts of his coat he went out of the cave after Saul and crying with a loud voice he worshipped him prostrate on the earth holding in his hand the piece of his casock and saying to him Behold my Lord my Father and my King the innocence of my hands and do not believe them any more which filled you with suspicions of poor David you cannot be ignorant at this time that God hath put you into my power and that I could have handled you ill by taking away your life have saved mine own But God hath kept me by his holy grace from this thought and hath preserved you from all evil I never yet had any intent to hurt your Majesty having alwayes reverenced and served it as your most humble servant and subject whiles that you cease not to pesecute me and to torment my poor life with a thousand afflictions Alas my Lord what is it that you desire Against whom are you come forth with so great furniture of Arms and Horses against a poor dead Dog a miserable little beast I beseech the living God to judge between us two and to make you to know the goodnesse of my cause One may avouch that great and glorious actions The greatnesse and benefit of clemency of Clemency do never hurt Princes but that often they do place or keep the Crown upon their heads God and Men concurring to favour that goodnesse that approches so near to the highest Saul was so amazed with this action that he ran to him and embraced him weeping and said to him This is a sure sign O David which I acknowledge at the present and whereby I know for certain that you must reign after me so great a goodnesse not being able to be rewarded but by an Empire I do pray and conjure you onely to have pity on my poor children after my death and not to revenge your injuries upon them hereupon he swore to him to deal with him afterwards peaceably But as this spirit was unequall

whether in reverence to the man or for fear to precipitate the death of such a Minister of the State by too hasty an execution demanded counsel of Fannius his Captain what in this case he ought to do who did advise him to execute the command of the Emperour and this was done by a sloth fatall to all of the Conspiracy some Ladies onely excepted who shewed themselves more courageous then the Senatours and the Cavalliers Howsoever he having not the heart to carry these heavy tidings did deliver his Commission to a Centurion who informed him with the last of all necessities Seneca without troubling himself desired so much liberty as to make his Will which was refused him On which he turned to his friends and said That since it was not permitted to him to acknowledge their merit that he would leave unto them the very best of all he had which was the Image of his Life in which if they would please to call to mind how he had passed it in so many commendable Exercises they should enjoy for their recompence the reputation of a faithfull and a constant friendship And this he spake not out of arrogance but as it were by the authotity of a Father when he bids his last Farewell unto his Children recommending to them to imitate him in what he had done well and so said S. Paul to his Disciples Be you imitatours of me as I am of Jesus Christ This made their hearts to melt and they began all to weep but he did endeavour to wipe away their tears mingling sweetnesse with reproaches What do you mean he said where are the Precepts of Philosophy where is that Reason so long prepared against all the chances of humane Life who is he that can be ignorant of the cruelty of Nero and who did not see that after the death of his mother and his brother there nothing remained but to adde unto it the murder of his Master and Governour After this Discourse which served for them all he embraced his wife gave her his last farewell and having fortified her against the terrours of the present dangers he did intreat and conjure her to moderate her grief and to sweeten the sorrows of her dear husband by the consideration of his life which was without reproach He loved most tenderly that virtuous Lady and did not cherish his own life but for her sake saying sometimes That he would spare himself a little the more becaus● in an old man there lived a young woman who deserved that he should take care for her and being not able to obtain from his dear Paulina that she should love him more fervently her love being in the highest degree of perfection she should obtain from him that he should use himself for her sake with the more indulgence This fair Lady observing all that had passed said That there was no longer life for her after the death of him whom she loved above all things in the world and that she would keep him company in the other world On that word he stood a little in a pause and would not contradict her as well for the glory of the action as for the love which he did bear her and for the fear he had to leave so dear a person to the affronts of an enemy be therefore said unto her My dear Love I have shewed you the sweetnesse and the allurements of life but I see you preferre unto it the honour of a generous death I will not envy the example of your Virtue and although the constancy in our death shall be equall in us both yet yours shall be alwayes more glorious then mine for you contribute unto it a courage which is above your sex Having said this they caused their veins to be opened by one hand in the presence one of the other and because the body of her husband was attenuated by great abstinence and the bloud did issue but slowly from him he gave order that there should be a new incision made in the veins of his legs and of his feet The poor old man did endeavour to put himself all into bloud and indured cruel dolours but more in the body of his dear wife then in his own which was the reason that he caused her to be conveighed into another chamber to mitigate a little the sorrows which one had for the other in beholding themselves to die with so much violence It is a wonderfull thing that this great man had so untroubled and so ready a spirit in so fatall an act He called his Secretary to whom he did dictate his last Thoughts which were full of a generous constancy In the mean time Nero having no particular hatred against Paulina and considering that the death of so innocent a Lady would but render himself and his cruelty more abhorred did command that her veins should be stopped and the bloud stanched which it appeared that she suffered to her greater grief both by the short time that she out-lived her husband and by the inviolable faith which she did bear unto his ashes and she looked ever after as she were some prodigy such abundance of bloud and so much spirits she had lost Seneca was yet remaining in the tedious pangs of death when upon advice he demanded poyson of his Physicians which had no operation at all his members being already cold and his body shut up against all the forces of the poyson He caused himself therefore to be carried to a Bath and taking some of the warm water he sprinkled his servants with it that stood about him saying according to Cornelius Tacitus That he offered that water to Jove the deliverer after which words he entred into the stove and was stifled with the vapour that did arise from it Many grave Personages have conceived that he died a Christian and though it is no easie matter to perswade those to this opinion who are possessed with another and who speak but with little consideration on this subject yet there are not wanting grounds to prove the truth thereof Flavius Dexter a most antient Historian who hath composed a small Chronicle from the Nativity of our Saviour unto the fourth Age affirmeth in expresse terms that in the sixty fourth year Seneca entertained good thoughts of Christianity and that he died a Christian although not a declared one S. Hierome in the Book of Ecclesiasticall Authours doth put him in the number of Saints that is to say of those who acknowledge and confesse Jesus Christ Tertullian a most grave Authour saith that he was one although not openly S. Augustine in the City of God alledgeth many excellent passages of a Book which Seneca undoubtedly did write against the Superstition of the Pagans in which he overthrows all the Heathenish Religion of Rome although he doth not vigorously perswade them to change it for fear of troubling the Estate This Book was afterwards condemned and burned by the Enemies of our Religion The holy Doctor doth