Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
lord_n knight_n sir_n viscount_n 16,070 5 12.0091 5 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A15466 A briefe discourse of vvarre. VVritten by Sir Roger VVilliams Knight; vvith his opinion concerning some parts of the martiall discipline. Newly perused Williams, Roger, Sir, 1540?-1595. 1590 (1590) STC 25733; ESTC S120635 36,291 65

There is 1 snippet containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

A Briefe discourse of Warre Written by Sir Roger Williams Knight VVith his opinion concerning some parts of the Martiall Discipline Newly perused Imprinted at London by Thomas Orwin dwelling in Paternoster Row ouer against the Signe of the Checker 1590. TO THE MOST HOnorable my singular and best Lord Robert Earle of Essex and Ewe Vicount Hereford and Bourghchier Lord Ferrers of Chartley Bourghchier and Louayne Master of the Queenes Maiesties horse and Knight of the most noble Order of the Garter Roger Williams wisheth increase of all Honor and Vertue MOst honorable Lord hauing busied my self more than two yeares in writing sundrie actions that passed in our daies especiallie the great actions of the Netherlanders since the first arriuall of Duke D' alua vntill the late sieges of Sluce and Bergis hauing resolued to print and dedicate them vnto your Lordship diuers occasions perswades me to craue pardon for a time assuring your Lordship if health and libertie permits leaue to present them vnto your selfe in the French tongue hoping by those meanes to bee rightlier iudged than I haue been hethervnto In troth but for the negligence of a seruant that lost part of my discourses I would not haue printed any thing without the whole wherefore I haue taken boldnes to present your Lordship with some of my lost papers humblie desiring you to accept them as from a Souldier that hath but smal skill in writing or inditing but could I doo better assuredlie it should bee vnto your selfe and shall bee in any thing I can performe Beare with my faults be assured of my loue and command my life next vnto my sacred Soueraigne deare Countrie Your Lordships most bounden to serue Roger Williams To all men of Warre in generall NOble Souldiers of what qualitie soeuer where I discourse of the vertues and vices that aduanceth and ouerthroweth all actions all that hath their honor to lose may claime part of the vertues neither needes any to bee grieued at the vices vnlesse they condemne themselues guiltie the greatest Captaines of Europe can witnesse that I robbed neither superiour nor companion of his right much lesse hath been euer my thoughts to wrong any generall action the which all or the most of you that knowe me will beare witnesse when my Netherlanders discourses with others comes out I thinke Gonsalua was called the last graund Captaine but I perswade my selfe neither he nor any other before him had euer carried that name without the seconding of a number of braue companions The most worthiest Caesar although hee was highly ambitious notwithstanding in his Commentaries written by himselfe hee imputed part of his honour vnto his Lieftenants and Officers Wherefore should not others doo at the least the like being not worthie to be compared vnto the basest sort of his followers no honorable minds can bee free from honorable ambition but the ambitiō may be such let the minde be neuer so great if hee robbs the honor of his companions he wrongs himselfe and imbates his action Few men of iudgement but knowes it impossible for one man to conduct an Armie without Officers vnpossible for any state to knowe the worth of their Captaines without being in action with great enemies but for that triall the Parisians Gauntois Antwerpians and such would onelie place squadrons in battailes chuse grounds march in what order you would arme men in good order fortifie and discourse with other matters to the shew as though they had been great masters of Campes but when they were tried with the furie of expert executioners their warres prooued but May-games Although I perswade myselfe my Discourse bee Vnpleasant with small iudgement notwithstanding being perswaded by honourable good friends I tooke courage to print it true it is no action ought to be printed without the consent of sundrie Actors or at the least by one Principall which ought to signe his workes with his name otherwise wee finde the most Actors wronged and robbed of the most of their reputation some with enuie or malice others with glorious ambition sometimes you haue most honorable quiet Estates wronged with ambitious follies libells the which are hardlie knowne and found out but being signed by the author deserues hee well the honour is his if ill the shame shall be his Men of Warre ought to bee more open hearted more liberall and more affable than any other profession although their secrets ought to bee but vnto fewe their hearts must be open vnto the multitude and liberall to confesse good deserts as well as with their purses although their resolutions be agreed on by two or three notwithstanding the more affable they shewe themselues vnto the multitude the greater will be their voges and loues Some tearme men wise for not speaking many words true it is idle speaches are windes and a disgrace vnto the speaker but bee they to good purpose the more hee speakes the greater is his praise You must thinke to repeate great actions it requires many words to perswade the fewe expert companions to offend or defend a fewe words will serue but to animate or disswade the rude multitude the more words and the oftner the better Wee doo finde the most Conquerours were greatlie aduanced with the orations of their Orators as well amongst the seruilest sort as the rude multitude without speaches the wise can not be discerned from the foolish nor without triall of gouernement against equall enemies the perfects Captaine cannot bee knowne from the most ignorant Otherwise ignorance will condemne Generalls their followers and actions let them bee euer so great although themselues neuer carried places of reputation either in field or towne nor commanded more than ouer their owne seruants saying wee haue knowne great Potentates Campes and Courts Let no man bee so simple to iudge them worthie to condemne great actions or their actors without being imployed in their great affaires it is hard for men to gouerne themselues well harder to gouerne a few more harder to gouerne many much more a great multitude some can gouerne a houshold and cannot gouerne a towne some can gouerne a towne and not a whole countrie A man may be sufficient to conduct a priuate companie and not sufficient to command a Regiment likewise sufficient for a Coronell and not for a Generall But whether it be for policie or Armes it is an error to thinke men without triall worthie to bee compared vnto the others tried in what place soeuer great or small Diuers play Alexander on the stages but fewe or none in the field Our pleasant Tarleton would counterfeite many artes but hee was no bodie out of his mirths Many haue a vertue few hath many none haue all the most men lookes into their fellowes faults but fewe lookes into their owne beare with mine I will beare with thine loue mee I will loue thee let vs loue each other and God will loue vs all on that condition noble superiours Roger Williams wisheth to you all honour