Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	esq_n	john_n	sergeant_n	9,708	5	12.4888	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93394	Satans temptation, and Gods preservation: or Satans policy and Gods mercy most lively and amply set forth in the discovery of the several temptations, desertions, troubles, and afflictions, that have accompanied the life of Robert Smith of Ludshelf, alias Litchfield, in the county of Southampton, gent. Wherein is discovered the method that Satan took in the several gradations thereof. With an accompt of the life of the author. Published for the benefit, comfort, and support, of any of Gods servants, that now are, or shall be, cast into such a deplorable condition.	Smith, Robert, fl. 1685.	1685 (1685)	Wing S4163; ESTC R231576	19,074	94

Day and longest Night of the Year It may be Presaging a long Night of Affliction that was to follow I was the Seventh Son of my Parents they having Nine Children two Daughters first and Seven Sons after my self being the last an Omen also it may be of something Remarkable My Father was Minister of that place a Man of no mean Birth my Grand-Father being a Member of the Common-Council of the City of London and Alderman of his Ward But my Father was Cheated of his Estate by his after Father-in-Law Lord Danvers of Glimpton in the County of Oxon. My Grand-Mother descended of an Honourable Family My Fathers Preferment as Vicar of Titcombe was but Mean but his Parts not so having given Probation thereof in his Eighth Sermon at St. Maries in Oxon before Bishop Vsher and Dr. Prideaux who both gave him their commendatory Thanks His Degree Master of Arts Quotemporary and Chamber-Fellow with Dr. Featly in Corpus Christi Colledge in Oxon. His Knowledge was not little in the Tongues especially in the Greek which gave encouragement to several Honourable Families to commit the Tuition of their Sons to his Boarding Instruction Hungerfords and Pyles By which Augmentation of maintenance he was enabled to breed two of his Sons to and at the University Ludshelf in the County of South-hampton the one Rector of this place my self as a third intended by him for the same who by his Instruction had made some good Progress thereunto and whom he as himself said intended for the Study of Physick being a Seventh Son and so having some affinity to that Worthy Profession And in regard my Fathers Means and Fortune was but short and narrow though at that time possest of a good Parsonage of 120 pound Banghurst in the County of South-hampton or 140 pound per annum which by reason of Age and Inability of Body and Mind he thought fit to resign to my Brother to Officiate reserving but little to himself I was at first Inforc'd though Young to the Teaching of a Private School for some short time and the hopes of my Fathers intended Design was now at a period Arguments were by my Brother to ease himself of charge propounded viz. That Learning as times then stood would become of little Credit much less Preferment That a Trade would be better more certain and durable by which I was perswaded to Steer my course for London where Lying in a Taylors House which also in those times was a Solicitor a Man of strong Natural Parts and having a great Faculty in Sueing of Attorneys and others upon Indirect practices But lying sometime without Imployment and Money growing short his Wife taking notice thereof and of my Youth seduced me to a Living with her Husband which I did to avoid a worse condition for about the space of one Year not two not so much as a Servant as a Companion my little use of a Pen conducing much to his advantage being an Illiterate Man But this way began to be uneasie as not suitable to my Humour and Education so paying of him Ten pound which Friends had Lent me I acquitted my self of that condition and endeavoured to find out another and at last a Friend of mine intending the change of his own Imployment recommended me to succeed him in the attendance of a Person of Quality Nath. Stephens of Easton in County Gloucest Esq one of the Knights of the Shire for the County of Gloucester who understanding me to be the Son of a Divine used me with more Respect A Barrester at Law he was one of his Sons and Son in Law being Eminent Practicers the one at the Exchequer-Bar Serjeant Stephens Sir John Stowel the other in his Chamber for whom I did some business in the way of Clerk-ship wherein I took such delight that I endeavoured an Improvement thereof in the several Hands both Long and Short Reading Books of Presidents observing the Practice of the several Courts in Westminster-Hall Living near thereunto and having much leasure time I spent much of the same I wish more in Reading and Study for the space of Four years but having as all men by Nature have the Seeds of Pride and Ambition I changed my Station not my Condition those short liv'd Juncto's in the Oliverian times frustrating my hoped for Atcheivements At length by the recommendation of a Gentleman of Quality Sir Rich. Knightly of Fawsly in the County of Northhampton I was preferred to the service of an honourable and prudent Gentleman and of a great Estate a Barrester also at Law and one whose Abilities in divers Parliaments not Oliverian and Council of State not Safety was to most known Men sufficiently known throughout the Kingdom with whom I lived about Six years who after some continuance with him intrusted me with matters of no small weight and whose confidence of my Fidelity was so great that tho I several times importun'd him with all imaginable earnestness to take my Accompts would not be prevailed with to do the same which after his Death proved to me no little Grief as then wanting his Ratification and Attestation who was onely Privy to the Transaction He being Dead all the hopes of my Preferment was Buried with him of which I could not if he had Lived but promise my self probable hopes he being by the Lord Cancellor Hide and Viscount Herefords means introduced into his late Majesties favour who declared his Kindness to him And I might be the more encouraged to cherrish these hopes because my immediate Predecessor but one had in three Years time not gained less then 1500 pounds in being Clerk to that Committee of which he was Chairman for Exchange of Prisoners The life of Man being thus uncertain as Hodie Rex Cras Cadaver all dependencies thereon are vain which makes men of low degree Vanity and men of high degree a Lye Psalm 62.9 and it is in vain to put confidence in Princes or in the Sons of Men. This Honourable Gentleman and my Beloved Master being Dead I had amongst others committed to me the care of his Embalming in order to his Interment in the Country and being willing to satisfie my Curiosity in the opening of his Body from whence as I conceived some Vapours affected my Head And altho I continued with my Lady some Months after yet my condition was full of dolour and uncomfortable tho carried off with as much strength as Nature could afford My Ladies desired stay being at an end I withdrew my self to a Friends house in St. Martins Lane near Covent-Garden where being in a discomposed Sleep I heard a fluttering noise as if it were in the Chimney and a voice as by me understood saying Where is your Doctor Manton now A Man by me held in great Veneration for his Learning publick Abilities and good Life though it may be not without Errors from which no Man can pretend an exemption My Distemper growing higher