Selected quad for the lemma: master_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
master_n	duty_n	good_a	servant_n	6,329	5	7.1626	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15706	A briefe discourse of two most cruell and bloudie murthers, committed bothe in Worcestershire, and bothe happening vnhappily in the yeare 1583 The first declaring, how one unnaturally murdered his neighbour, and afterward buried him in his seller. The other sheweth, how a woman unlawfully following the deuillish lusts of the flesh with her seruant, caused him very cruelly to kill her owne husband.		1583 (1583)	STC 25980; ESTC S103645	7,848	26

¶ A BRIEFE DISCOVRSE OF TWO most cruell and bloudie murthers committed bothe in Worcestershire and bothe happening vnhappily in the yeare 1583. The first declaring how one vnnaturally murdered his neighbour and afterward buried him in his Seller The other sheweth how a woman vnlawfully following the deuillish lusts of the flesh with her seruant caused him very cruelly to kill her owne Husband ¶ Imprinted at London by Roger Warde dwelling neere Holburne Conduit at the signe of the Talbot 1583. To the reader THat the dayes of daunger and iniquitie are as now not onelie our own fraile nature maye sufficiently certefie vs but also the irksome examples and vnwonted prodigious spectacles euery day and houre almost apparant in our eies may driue frō vs anye doubt to the contrarie For if we enter into examination with our selues aswell of our negligence of duetie to our God as also our lacke of looue to our neighbour wee shall finde that we are not neither doo as the holie Euangelist wisheth vs when he saith 1. Iohn 4.7 Beloued let vs looue one an other for loue commeth of God and euerie one that looueth is borne of God and knoweth God But he that loueth not knoweth not God for God is Loue. And I find in Ecclesiasticus these words Three thinges reioyce me and by them am I beautified before God and men Eccle. 25.1 the vnitie of Brethren the looue of neighboures a man and wife that agree together Howe then can we otherwise iudge but that we are in that yron and crooked age wherein iniquitie should vaunt shew her selfe beeing made acquainted euery day with the lack of that heauenly ornamēt Loue the memory thereof almost defaced and puld vp by the roote in so greeuous and vehement manner that it may be hardly sayde to haue anie abiding amonge vs at all And that I may not wade into abundaunce of matter without due proofe to affirme anye thinge alleadged I praye you looke into these Tragicall accidents following whiche albeit they carrye terrour sufficient to forwarne the vnnaturall children of this worlde yet daylie doo fresh enormities spring vp able had nature so agreed to vrge the verie bowelles of the earth to yeelde foorth fearefull acclamations agaynst vs. Shall I with-hold to say that the father hath not procured the death of his owne naturall childe and the childe risen in like occasion agaynst his Father Shall I not saye the Husband hath abrydged the lyfe of his espoused Wife and mate she likewise committed the like vnnaturall acte on her Husband Hath not one Brother murdered the other one neighbour killed the other one frend been false to the other yea very nature turned agaynst it self These vnlooked for examples are daily before vs so that wee cannot shun the sight hearing of thē yet shal we passe them ouer with a slender or lighte regarde Oh my freends doo we not see the heauens frowne And why Because the sinnes of the earth hath fumed vp into the nosethrils of the Almightie with a sauour so yrksome vnsufferable that he cannot in Iustice but strike stiff-necked Pharao with the rodde of his furie yea and bereaue the earth of those beneuolent blessinges which he hath suffered it so quietly to enioye and so great abuse rendered vnto him for them Can wee reprooue the Father for disinheriting his Sonne when hee seeeth his dealynges such as deserueth nothing can we blame that maister who thrusteth his seruaunt foorth of his doores when he beholdeth his behauiour vnworthy of house-room Euen so can wee otherwise say that our heauenly father dooth vnworthily cast vs out of his fauour when in steade of looue we render him hatred for dutie negligence and for all his good gifts vngratious thanks Oh no let vs not enter into suche questioning with our selues for if we looke into our iniquitie thē into his mercie our daily falling from one sinne into an other and his so long fatherly forbearance we wil then quicklie returne frō the flesh pots of Aegypt and from our owne filthie and odious vomit and euerie one of vs say hartelie with the Psalmist Psal 51.3 I do knowe mine owne wickednes and my sinne is euer against me And likewise confesse with Danyel the Prophet Daniel 9.9.10 To thee O Lord God belongeth mercie and forgiuenes for wee haue gone away from thee and haue not harkened to thy voyce wherby we might walke in thy lawes which thou hast appointed for vs. It is high time that we should thus consider with our selues if wee but looke into the present occasions offered vnto vs and mark how busie the deuil is to woork mās vtter ouerthrow the rather by 2. greeuous horrible mischances which hath lately happened wherin may be seene how needefull it is for vs to call for the grace of our heauenly father to strengthen vs with such assured confidence that we fall not likewise into such euil but may shew such hartie repentance of our former offences as the verie wicked by our good example maye bee drawne to glorify the eternall GOD. ❧ A most cruel and bloody Murder cōmitted on New-yeares euen last past beeing the last day of December 1582. in the town of Esam in Worcester shire by one Thomas Smith a town dweller vpon his neighbor Robert Greenoll who when he had cruelly murdered him made a graue in his Seller there buried him IN Esam a hansome market Town in Worcester shire well known dwelled two youngmen who by their vsual trade were Mercers as in that country they call thē so that sell all kind of wares the one of them they called Robert Grenoll a bacheler of such an honest conuersatiō as he was not onely wel belooued in the Towne where he dwelt but also of those who had euerie market day accesse thither for their néedfull necessaries so that he was as wel customed as any occupier in the towne The other was called Thomas Smith of indifferēt welth likewise son to one of the most substātial mē in the towne ioyned in mariage with a gentlewomā of very good parentage so that he likewise was well thought on of most least This Thomas Smith séeing Greenoll haue so good vtteraunce for his wares and so well estéemed in ech companierif not vppon this cause alone though chiefly it bee accounted so he began to enuy the prosperous estate of him béeing his neighbour and frend and the Deuill so farre ruled the course of his enuious intent as nothing wold suffise the desire thereof but onely making away of Greenoll by death which though hee had no reason for yet suche was the perswasion of the euill spirite with him Manie platformes were laid a thousād deuises canuazed ouer by this lewde man which way he might woork the death of his frendly neighbor at last as the Deuill wanteth no occasions to helpe man forward to his own destruction so he presented Smith with a fit oportunity

one of them happened to espye a little péece of earth as it were new broken out of the grounde lying vnder the nethermoste staire which he taking vp said it were good to sée where any earth was latelye broken there about for if they chaunced to finde the place some thing might come to light woorth the beholding Vpon this councel they began all to looke earnestlye about the Seller if they could finde the place where that Earth had béene broken vp At last they remooued the Chests Dryfats where they felt the ground more soft then all the rest which caused them suspecting somewhat to fall to digging where presently they found Greenoll buryed not past six or seuen inches déepe and looking vppon him beheld how cruelly and vnnaturally he had beene murdered These newes brought to the Baylifs of the towne where Smith was kept till they returned not without great lamentation for this bloody déed of all that knew or heard thereof he was sent to Worcester Gaole wher he remained till such time as the crueltie of his vnneighbour like déede might be determined by Iustice When the Assises came the apparaunt truth of his offence layd before the Iudges he was condemned to the death which he suffered very lately since but yet by the earnest intreatie of his Fréendes who were of great wealth and credit the seueritie of the lawe was not altogether ministred for wheras he should haue béene hanged in chains he had more fauour shewd him he was hanged to death and after ward buryed Thus my Fréendes haue you heard the true discourse of this most bloody monstrous act accordinge as in great greefe with like sorowe for the deed him selfe dyd vtter it both vnto me and diners other being present Preachers and Gentlemen And truly thus much I must say for the mā truely he was both a hansome and well featured a Young-man as one shall lightly soe his Father as good wealth and one of the chiefs in the Towne of Esam and hee had béene marryed not past eight wéeks by crrbible reporte before he did the deed to a Gentls womā of very good Parentage who no donbt remaineth in great gréef for this vnlooked for mischaunce she being merty abroade with her Freends when her Hasoand at home conunitted this cruell deed I commit it to the Iudgement of all verfuous Women what a groefe it was to her when first she heard of these vnhappy newes But héere I may not make a final pause for that an other horrible and wicked déed committed in Iune last 1582. in the same Sheire constraineth me to speak somewhat thereof and for that I beheld the death of one of the partyes I am the more willing to passe it ouer in a bréefe discourse An other most cruel and bloody Murder committed in the same shire the same yeere as the afore-said AT a place called Cothridge about four myles distant frō Worcester dwelt an honest Hubsband-mā named Thomas Beast one very well reputed among his Neighbours aswell for his house keeping as also for his Godly and honest behauiour This afore named Thomas Beast kept a hansome Yongman to his seruant called Christopher Tomson to whome by the wicked instigation and prouocation of the Deuill the good Wife of the house vsed far better affection then to her owne Husband Often times they would carnally acquaint thē selues together till lust had gotten so much power of the Woman as she began altogether to loathe and dislike her Husband and preferre the fleshly dealings of her new companion so much as she must néeds séeke practise the death of her Husband The Neighbours not suspecting but credibly perceiuing the common and vnhonest behauiour of this wicked woman her lusty Yonker began so much to dislike thereof as if came at last to her Husbāds eares who as wel to slake the rumor of the Prople as also the pleasure these two vnhonestly enioied gaue his Seruaunt warning to anoyd his howse who packed vp his clothes and was departing But that this filthie desirous Woman so much preuayled in the matter with her Husband that her Companiō departed not but taryed still At length so great grew the hatréd of this harlot against her Husbād as she must néeds haue Christopher her sweet dallying Fréend to dispatch the life of him wherto a great while he would not consent perswading her stil from it so much as in him lay But it grew to such an issue at the last as she must néeds haue her will and Christopher must not deny her thereof for she coniured him by the looue that he bare her and if any way he would witnesse his affection vnto her to manifest it in the killing her Husband for quoth she with mony and fréends I will warrant thée to saue thy life and then thou and I will liue merrily together Oh most horrible and wicked Womon a womā nay a deuill stop your eares you chaste graue matrones whome Gods feare dutie true looue to your Husbands and vertue of your selues hath so beautified as nothing tā be more odious vnto you then that such a gracelesse strumpet should be found so much to dishonor your noble sexe Well when neither intreatie nor all the faire meanes Christopher could vse to subuert this deuilish desire sollemnely at the eating of a Posset the night before he did the deede he promised her faithfully to accōplish her will On the morrowe when his Maister was in his feeld at the plow he takes a long pike staffe on his necke wherwith he would goe doo the deed but his wicked Mistresse missiking the weapon saying that it was nothing fit for the purpose deliuered him a Forrest Bil which she her self had made very sharp for the same infent and said Be sure to hit him right and thou shalt speed him I warrant thée so that he shal neuer tell who did hurt him Christopher taketh this Bil on his back comes into the feeld to his Maister where he began quarrelingly to say vnto him after this manner Seeing you are willing I shall serue you no lōger giue me that which is my dutie so fare ye wel with other woords of quarrell that he vsed about the sum of the mony but his Maister graūted him so much as he demaunded and turning from him to open his pursse to giue him the mony Christopher strooke at him with the Bil in such cruel manner that there he killed him After the déed was done he fled but not farre before he was takē when presently he exclaimed on his Mistres how she was cause that he cōmitted the deed wherupon they were both sent to Worcester Gaole where very often shee would sollicite her swéet Christopher with mony hand kerchers nosegaies and such like amorous and loouing tokens and he besotted in his naughtie affection would shape all his conditions to please her the more to witnes his dissolute folly he made a triumphe as it were in carrying a locke of her haire about him would sit kissing and delighting in any token she sent him besyde one day he desired the Iaylor that if he were a Man or one that regarded the extreme afflictions of those whom the tirāny of looue possessed that he wold doo so much for him to rip foorth the hart of him cleauing the same in sunder he should there beholde the liuely Image of his swéet mistresse to whom as the théefest Iewell he had hee destred him to make a present of that pretions token When time came that Iustice should determine of these twaine béeing worthily found guiltie and condemned shee was adiudged for an example to all lighte and lasciuious women that shee should bee burned Christopher to bée carried to the place where he did the déed there to be first hāgrd dead afterward to be hanged vp againe in chaines The Assises béeing holden at Esam shee was laide vpon an hurdle so drawne to the place of Execution which was without the lown there béeing boūd to the stake the fire made to burne about her her wertched carkas was soone dissolued into athes Christopher Tomson he was carried back again to Worcester where he likewise for an example to all lewd liuers was drawne on an hurdle about the Eittie so conuayed to Cothridge where according to his iudgment he hangeth in chaynes FINIS