Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	work_n	world_n	zeal_n	140	3	7.4528	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31469	The perjur'd husband, or, The adventures of Venice a tragedy : as 'twas acted at the Theatre-Royal in Drury-Lane, by His Majesty's servants / written by S. Carroll.	Centlivre, Susanna, 1667?-1723.	1700 (1700)	Wing C1671; ESTC R17979	32,609	50

THE Perjur'd Husband OR The Adventures of Venice A TRAGEDY As 't was Acted at the Theatre-Royal in Drury-Lane By His Majesty's Servants Written by S. Carroll LONDON Printed for Bennet Banbury at the Blue Anchor in the New Exchange in the Strand 1700. To His Grace WRIOTHESLY Duke of Bedford May it please your Grace T Is the just Prerogative of true Greatness to be universally admir'd by all and one so Eminently possest of it as your Grace can no more escape the Tribute of our Praise and Admiration than you can cease to deserve it not that 't is in the power of any one or even the Applause of Multitudes to reach half your Merit yet may we be allow'd according to the proportion of our poor stock to throw in our Mite and not be frightned from the hopes of your Grace's Patronage by considering the unworthiness of the Offering for were none but worthy Offerings made the Gods themselves wou'd lose their Sacrifice and they that deserve most our Praise shou'd have it least because 't is hardest to give them their due And 't is impossible my Lord this Poem shou'd find Sanctuary any where but in the umbrage of your favour for the Eyes of all Mankind are so fixt upon your Grace that 't wou'd be a disappointment to the publick to lay at any others door what is so much your due And tho I hit not a Wildair for the humour of the Town in my Play I may boldly say I have copied the greatest part of mankind in the Just Admiration of your Grace Your particular Art in appearing Free Complaisant and Conversible without quitting a Noble Greatness proper to your self makes us at once approach you with Freedom and with Awe Your Goodness that makes you stoop to your Inferiours loses nothing by being view'd near at hand but is the more admir'd for it and thus we consider your Grace arriv'd at the height of Greatness without a mortifying reflection on the lowness of our own condition nor does the world envy the truly Great who by their Goodness and Affability make Mankind partake of their Felicity I may plead Prescription in excuse of this presumption and tell how Poets in all ages have pretended a Right to lay their Works at some Nobleman's feet but I 'd rather submit to your Grace's Goodness for if I have offended 't is a fault of the best kind and proceeds from too much Zeal to let the World know how much I am My Lord Your Grace's most Obedient and Devoted Humble Servant Susanna Carroll TO THE READER I Should not trouble my Reader with a Preface if Mr Collier had taught Manners to Masks Sense to Beaux and Good Nature to Criticks as well as Morality to the Stage the first are sure to envy what they can't equal and condemn what they don't understand the Beaux usually take a greater liberty with our sex than they wou'd with their own because there 's no fear of drawing a Duel upon their hands the latter are a sort of rude splenatick Men that seldom commend any thing but what they have had a hand in These Snarling Sparks were pleas'd to carp at one or two Expressions which were spoken in an Aside by one of the Inferiour Characters in the Drama and without considering the Reputation of the persons in whose mouths the language is put condemn it strait for loose and obscure Now with submission to better Judges I cannot believe that a Prayer-Book shou'd be put into the hands of a woman whose Innate Vertue won't secure her Reputation nor is it reasonable to expect a person whose Inclinations are always forming projects to the dishonour of her Husband shou'd deliver her Commands to her Confident in the words of a Psalm I heartily wish that those that find fault with the liberty of my stile wou'd be pleas'd to set a Pattern to the Town by Retrenching some of their Debaucheries for Modesty thrives best by Example Modest Language from the truly Vertuous is expected I mean such as will neither act ill nor suffer ill to be acted It is not enough that Lucy says she 's honest in having denied the Brutal part who ever thinks Vertue centers in that has a wrong notion of it no Vertue is a tender Plant which cannot live in tainted ground Vertue is what the air of Flattery cannot blast nor the vile sordid dross of Gain poyson and she that can withstand these two shocks may be stil'd truly vertuous I ask my Reader 's pardon for my bluntness but I hope none of my Sex so qualified will condemn me for exposing the Vices of the seeming Religious I fear there is but too many hit by the Character of Signora Pizalta I wish for the sake of the reverse party there were fewer or they better known since the malicious world are so apt to judge of peoples Inclinations by the company they keep which is sometimes Authentick but not always an Infallible Rule I shall say little in Justification of the Play only desire the Reader to judge impartially and not condemn it by the shroeness of its Life since the season of the year ne're promis'd much better success It went off with general Applause and 't is the opinion of some of our best Judges that it only wanted the Addition of good Actors and a full Town to have brought me a sixth night there having been worse Plays within this twelve-month approv'd of THE PROLOGUE By a Gentleman Spoken by Mrs Oldfield SUch dreadful Laws of late gainst wit are made It dares not in the City show its head No place is safe each Cuckold turns Informer If we make merry it must be in a corner And here 's to night what doubly makes it sweet A private Table and a Ladys treat At her reflections none can be uneasy When the kind Creature does her best to please ye Humbly she sues and 't is not for your Glory Tinsult a Lady when she falls before ye But since no humane Wit can stand the Test With Gorman and the Champion of the West She 'll fill the Lists and then you cannot slight her With honour safe for she 's a Fair Inviter Expect no favour but at honour's call Defy's the boldest Britton of you all Whate're's her fate she 's sure to gain the Field For Women always Conquer when they yeild EPILOGUE By Mr B Spoken by Mr Jo. Haines TOo long the Poets brought before the Bar Have with their bold Accuser wag'd the War They now plead Guilty And Confess the Stage Has been immoral and debauch'd the Age. Nay They will mend But wish that in their station All Men were pleas'd to forward Reformation First let no Politicians with vain Fears About succeeding Kings create new Jars Let Lawyers now no more perplex the Laws Nor with malicious Quibbles split a Cause Let Magistrates consider 't is but fitting That as they take down Bills they 'd put down cheating Let our young Heroes who would be