Selected quad for the lemma: master_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
master_n	esquire_n	john_n	thomas_n	10,239	5	9.5089	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07463	The foreste or Collection of histories no lesse profitable, then pleasant and necessarie, dooen out of Frenche into Englishe, by Thomas Fortescue.; Silva de varia lección. English	Mexía, Pedro, 1496?-1552?; Fortescue, Thomas, fl. 1571.	1571 (1571)	STC 17849; ESTC S112653	259,469	402

THE Foreste or Collection of Histories no lesse profitable then pleasant and necessarie dooen out of Frenche into Englishe by Thomas Fortescue Aut vtile aut iucundum aut vtrumque ¶ Imprinted at London by Ihon Kyngston for Willyam Iones 1571. A VIRTVTE ORTA OCCIDVNT RARIVS Haec tua prima haec antiqua sunt non alia pene To the worshipfull Ihon Fortescue Esquire maister of the Queenes Maiesties greate Garderobe Thomas Fortescue wissheth continuaunce of health with increase of worshippe PAssyng hence into some the partes beyonde the sea not yet long since righe worshipfull of parte for myne experience to acquainte my self with the nature of straūgers to se their order and gouernment in the administration of the weale publique to see the soïle it self and the commodities therof to sauour of their language with others the semblable but chiefly for myne increase in the studie of good letters wherein as Englande lacketh not good schooles for that purpose so thought I theim lesse able yet in the other respectes to satisfie and aunswere my desire VVhere afewe monethes after myne arriuall the worlde grewe to bee suche so tumultuous and troublesome that no manne could assure hymselfe or promise him self safe beyng gates eche where were shutte tounes and holdes were fenced castles and fortes furnished all passeges straightly and diligently obserued the fieldes full of armed menne readie to the battaile and in fine throughout one onely face and countenaunce of hostilitie By meanes whereof the lawes were lockte vp as if thei neuer had been knowen iustice was then to none or sure to fewe menne ministred all artes Mechanicall and Sciences surceased euery corner full of cloase and whisperyng mutterers no manne from others malice or safe or well assured In schooles now were the chairesvoide of their learned doctours no man deliuered lawes from Iustinian the Emperour the solace of the sicke Hippocrates was then and Galene eke vnknowen the sciences exiled then the scriptures were not taught the tonges were all forgotten Philosophie the loue of wisedome there a straunger Besides these I nothyng speake of the greate nomber of houses churches chapelles and villages vtterly wasted and consumed with fire of the wilfull profusion of wine oyle corne and the semblable of the moste lamentable and marueilous penurie and want of necessarie victualles of the pitifull complainte of the indigente and neadie of the frownyng faces betwixt neighbour and neighbour of the little truste the maister had in his seruaunte the father eke in his childe or one manne in an other Thus therefore when all thynges grewe on to suche disorder when policie gaue rome and place to hostilitie when armes and armed menne had all thynges in possession when none liued voyde of feare when no state was assured then knewe I not what better to dooe or how better to spende the long and wearie howers then at tymes to busie my selfe in some lighte and pleasant studie By meanes whereof I chose to wade into this Foreste wherein I muste confesse I had suche present likyng as seldome my happe hath been or neuer to finde the semblable So hauyng then bothe redde hym and redde hym through againe with due consideration of the excellencie and great learnyng of the aucthour I thought I could not better spende that so wearie a tyme then in translatyng this Foreste into our naturall language to gratifie my countrie therwith to whiche not to our selues we liue still and still are borne Especially for that I knewe it written in three sunderie tounges in the Spanishe firste by Petrus Messia a gentlemanne of Siuile and thence dooen into the Italian and laste into the Frenche by Claudius Grugette late Citezein of Paris wishyng that wee were so labourous and so diligent that no thyng emongeste them were written whiche we with theim imparted not And yet I muste confesse that in this presente vertion diuers chapiters are lefte out of purpose and aduisedly not by ouersight by slouth or by negligence whiche I thought I might with as good warrante dooe as others some to adde or chaunge at their pleasure especially for that the matter so dependeth not one parte of the other that the firste without the seconde or the seconde without the thirde or that without theim bothe might please or contente in any thyng the reader For beyng as it is a collection of sunderie matters the lacke of one annoieth not or maihemeth not th' other yet for my full discharge and purgation herein I wishe that the skilled in the tounges at their leasure should cōsider what thei are how many of what weight or importance that whileste my desire was onely to giue that whiche was profitable and pleasyng therin I might not be thought more daintie then trustie to carue hym at my pleasure Neither would I againe be thought so rough and harde a censor with idle superfluitie to charge in oughte the aucthour whose vertues and learning I reuerence and honor And farther doe promise that if it maie be thought expedient at some tyme hereafter to collecte also the remnante In the meane season I beseche your worshippe to accepte herein my doynges garde and defende from wrong this little Foreste for whose cause onely I tooke it firste in hande of parte that if the reader conceiue herein any likyng that he therfore stande bounde to none but to you onely of part also to leaue you some small shewe or token of my poore minde readie alwaies and vowed to dooe you all kinde of seruice trustyng that you will as fauourablie accepte it as in cases not dissemblable hath been your wonted vsage whiche if I maie perceiue wherof I neuer doubted it shall cause me to attēpte some other thyng in tyme to come percase with my greater paine and laboure And this trustyng that this rude and simple vertion shall finde some grace and fauour with the indifferent reader shadowed especially with the countenance of your willyng and fauourable protection I ende wishyng you many and good daies in this world and in the other to come eternall ioye and felicitie Your worshippes where so it shall please you to vse or commaunde hym Thomas Fortescue TO THE GENTLE READER NEuer was I ignorante gentle reader to howe many daungers he willyngly expoposeth hymself that for thy sake taketh paine to publish any thyng in writyng so daintie and so diuers are the iudgementes of menne so prone to depraue and contemne the sweate of others How be it to dooe thee pleasure I would not leaue to hassarde my credite moste assured that I shall not please all and glad not withstandyng if I might content some The learned I truste will take all in better parte coueryng and excusyng whatsoeuer thei finde lesse absolute or perfecte knowing that there neuer yet wrote any so aduisedly who had not or at least neded not the file againe of some one other And as touchyng the others I no more dread their harde and sinister iudgement then I hunte or thirste in any thyng