Selected quad for the lemma: reason_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
reason_n	great_a	king_n	see_v	4,912	5	3.4745	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00307	An Epistle, or apologie of a true, and charitable brother of the Reformed Church in fauoure of Protestantes, papistes, & those of the Reformatio[n] for a more moderat course of proceeding in matters of religion by searchinge the Scriptures, & examining theire spirits for the sense, and true meaninge of them by a peaceable conference, & such easy meanes as weare practised in the apostolicall, and primitiue church for plantinge the faith, and rooting out of errour tending to vnitie of religion, loyaltie to the Kings Maiestie, increase of honoure to him & his posteritie, & good of the Commonwealth.		1605 (1605)	STC 10431.5; ESTC S2111	18,209	49

Arguile in the fielde gaue him the ouerthrovve Howbeit they fled before the face of the king when the came in person leauing theire houses contrey at his Maiesties deuotion England is much more diuided into sectes especially into three the Protestants only allowed by authoritie in the Realme the Papists who pretend antiquitie thirdly our selues who nolesse desire to reforme the Protestant abuses then they haue donne the Papistes The state of his Maie sties Dominiōs standing thus then as you see what wise man can wish him to stuire much against any For what man may iustly repine if he but only abstaine from violence We may very well content our selues that our king is of our faith will not suffer vs our doctrine to be either disgraced or defaced a temperat course with the Papistes may winne them to be as ready as others to withstand all foreine inuasions or home insurrectiōs if either of both vnder what pretext soeuer should happen And in like case as was our Portugall voiage or vpon any reuolt of the Indians or tumult in Fraunce ten thousand Papistes woulde doe more seruice in winning to them the inhabitāts of those partes being as they are affected in religion then thrice tolde so many of vs. Thus may you see what mildnes will doe howe lately Repentance may followe the greene vnripe heades of Roboams young vnaduised violent counsellours I will adde yet an example in the Monarchie of the Turke who gouerning himselfe only by the light of naturall reason as we may doe when it is without preiudice to the gospell set doune as a Maxime in policie to clime the better to that greatnes whereto he aspired not to force the conscience of his subiects nor euer to chainge vvith violence the Religion in such kingdomes as he might happily subdue Wherevpon some haue more easily yeelded vnto his conquest others oppressed by theire owne Princes perturbed with ciuill warres haue called the Turke vnto them made him lord of the wholle land which they woulde neuer haue donne if it had bene his custome to force any against his conscience in matters of Religion Luther himselfe being pressed by the warres of Charles 5. dealt earnestly with the Germans to call in the Turke hoping that vnder his gouernement he might more freely preach the gospell for the greater glory of theire nation theire Prince his aduancemēt the French doe best like the same course of toleration in Religion haue found by practise that they liue in peace with the exercise of both religions all most in all theire tounes not without greate hope that in reuolution of tymes theire king may haue thereby a more easy accesse vnto the empire or to other states as occasion falles The States of the vnited Prouinces haue offered him such an entry into theire contrey as he should neuer haue obtained if there had bene the least suspicion of forcing theire consciences in vaine should he ayme at the kingdomes of Nauarre Naples or the Dutchy of Millaine were he an enemy to theire Religion Why then might not our king take the like course for occasions or pretensions abroade his safety at home it being the readiest way to keepe al his forces vnited all his subiects in most dutiful affectiō towardes him his rovall yssue For whosoeuer considereth the multitude of his people theire valor howe easily they are leauied howe speedily imbarked for any contrey shal finde that our king may with greater reason aspire to the election of the Empire in case he did affect it then any other or some of his noble issue be chosen kings of Poland or be ready to imbrace any occasion offered for the encrease of this Monarchie The French king was glad to see our late Queene embarked in the warres of the lowe Contreies at vvhat time perchaunce by reason of his trobles she might haue recouered the Dutchy of Normandy perhaps the better parte of Fraunce as she was once resolud to haue donne by the aduise of Duke Cassimer she had gonne forwarde had it not bene laied cleerely before her eyes howe odious she had made herselfe vnto that nation by persecuting her subiectes at home with taxations torture to this purpose they published in print the seuere lawes which she had made against the Masse the Papists They that called in the Spaniard would haue yeelded more vvillingly to theire ancient Dukes of Normandy had thy not bene vvithdrawen vvith feare of loosing the exercise of theire Religion And if Fraunce should fall againe as it may into the like daunger vpon some nevve occasion vvere it not to be vvished that such partes theire of as vvoulde seeke to be vnder the gouernement of a strainger might fall rather into our hands then any other By this you may perceiue that the Marquis Rosne his conceipt vvas not to our disaduantage For they of the Religion in Fraunce in time of ciuill vvarres may giue vs an entry the other the rather for our alliance vvith many of theire Princes vvill giue vs a plancke to passe ouer for theire reliefe I dwell not in these examples as desirous of warre for I wish his Maiesty for his more assurance at home to strengthen himselfe abroade in ciuill amity with all with Fraunce with Spaine yea with the Pope himselfe for it is no wisedome to make light of any mans frendship I wish his Maiestie likewise to entertaine as he doth all his subiects vvith sweete behauiour to cutt of all occasions from foreine Princes to support his subiects or disunite his kingdomes which they neuer wisht to see so vnited in one His Maiesty therefore hath greate reason to cherish all indifferenly to put none out of his English Arke no more then Noah did out of his where as you knowe there were beastes of all kindes Ireland was a greate temptation to the Spantard the French take little pleasure at this mariadge with Scotland whence they were allwayes wont to haue reliefe when our armies were in Fraunce All things are best preserued by such meanes as they are begotten God hath made him our king without bloodshed and with such peace he may raigne more assuredly then by any force or violence The Turke as I haue said gott many kingdomes by tolerating theire Religions but when there arose a newe secte in his owne lawe passion presumption made him forget the Principle by which he grewe to be so greate so he lost by one reuolte the halfe of his Empire which nowe the Persian enioyeth whilest by Warre force he striued to gaine them The meanes to apease dissentions are not rough speeches nor hard vsages vvhich if in all quarells it be true as Salomon saieth then is it much more in matters of vnderstanding as are faith and Religion vvherein vvhensoeuer vvillfullnes is ioyned perswasion may perhaps preuaile alone but force vvithout reason neuer All violent proceedings engendre

being in company at a dinner vvas cast in M. Iuells dish hence it proceeded that the aunsvveares of the aduersaries the more they vvere forbid the better they were esteemed to the disuniting of many that were most earnest before with M. Iuell in his challenge as the lord Copley so they termid him D. Steeuens others And if it shall please his Maiestie that the said challenge by prosecuted triall made for the truth especially amounge the learned in the publique schooles and vniuersities that not in one pointe only but in all he shall giue greate satisfaction to euey one that in this tyme of so many sects hath care to finde the truth they that haue the truth shal be confirmed such as knowe it not shall more easily find it by such afree search inquisition Gamaliell is noted by Luke for a man of deepe iudgmēt and worthy Doctoure in the lavve of Moises commended much for his politique aduise giuen the high priest body of the Councell to take heede to themselues vvhat they entended to doe touching the Apostles vvho seemed to them to teach a nevve doctrine For. sayed he If this counsell or this worke be of men it will come to naught but if it be of God ye cannot destroy it least ye be found euen fighters against God And in this kinde he gaue certaine instances in Theodas Iudas of Galiley For as the truth cannot be ouercome so errours and haeresies cannor long stand but vvil at length of them selues perish it is certaine that heresies vvhich arise amoung Christians are as Augustine vvd noteth like the little brookes vvhich by greate shovvers svvel vp for a tyme so mightily as they seeme to be greate riuers runne vvith such violence that they beare avvay or shake very mayne foundations To passe ouer these torrents in theire pride it vvere too dangerous rash an attempt to seeke to hinder theire current vvere no les folly In patience these vvaters are vvith pleasure seene to fall because they proceede not from any trevve spring as Riuers doe So fareth it vvith al heresies teachers of erroure They destroy themselues at length though no force for the tyme can tame them the reason vvhereof is truly deliuerd by Christe in those vvordes Eueri plant which my heauenly father hath not planted shal be rooted vp By this then you see that violence is not the best means to plant or conserue the truth nor to destroy errour I coulde therefore vvish that an easier hand vvere caryed tovvards all of vvhat Religion soeuer and the rest left to God vvho knovveth best the season and meanes to compasse that vvich may be most for his glorie And if forrine examples may persuade aught we see how the French Kinge although he be nowe no more of the Reformed Religion findeth himselfe bound in common humanitie not to persecute them of the Religion because he found them allwaies faithfull vnto him ready to maintaine his title to the croune If this course of proceeding be esteemed honorable in him howe can any man iustly dislike that our king should mainteine in theire estate and dignity such of this realme of England as notwithstanding diuersitie of Religion vvere allvvaies ready to make good his Right and vvhen tyme serued receiued him vvith all ioy and gladnes And if for the faulte of a feavve the vvholle number vvere to be condemned our partie might exspect but smalle fauoure at his Maiesties hand amoung vvhom some haue bene found more forvvard against him then amoung them as may appeare by the late conspiracie wherein theire erroure was rather to chainge some proceedings then the King besides that the daunger thereof vvas by some of the Papists first discouered to the state And novve that this milde dealing is sufficiently proued not to be contrary to the vvorde let vs see a while vvhat course is best in humaine and ciuill policie The vvisest Princes greatest statesmen indure vvithin theire dominions in the case proposed diuers sects and sortes of Religion contrary to theire ovvne Let vs behold the experience as vvel of those that indure them as of those that haue bent theire sorces by violence to roote them out as first for example our late Queene vvas not of her self enclyned to force or constrayne the consciences of the Papists her subiects and vvith that moderat course vvhich she held in the beginning of her raigne she gained the generall good liking of all partes and liued in greate securitie of her personne But vvhen she vvas once dravvne by men of violent spirits to roote them out by losse of fortunes liberty life she found by experience that the more they vvere afflicted the more theire numbers daily increased her selfe put often in feare as vvel of insurrections at home as inuasions from abroade vnder coloure of relieuing men so grieuously oppressed The greatest force that euer she vsed to roote them out vvas about the yeare of our lord 1581. inquirie being made in the yeare follovving of the number of Recusants they vvere found by the bills of Sir Ovven Hopton then Lieuetenant of the Tovvre others in commission to haue increased in the circuite of that yeare ten for one She assaied an other vvay by banishment of some losse of good life of others yet left she at her death more papistes then vvhen she first began those violent courses besides huge numbers of close papists and theire vvell vvillers amoung vvhich are many of high calling vvho in reguard that it concerneth theire soules euerlasting life could not liue but vvith a most fearefull disgust The vvarres also vvhich haue bene cōtinued in Ireland against Oneale Desmound and Tirone haue bene tedious blooddy coastly all which might haue bene auoyded with carying a gentle hand ouer them suffering them according to theire religion vvhich notwithstanding is so firmely grounded in theire hartes as very fewe persons of marke doe at this tyme embrace the liberty of the gospell besides that the contrey hath bene in hazard to be lost planted vvith a potent enemye You will perhaps reply that in Scotland our brethren had better successe vvhen they tooke armes in the daies of his Maiesties mother for the spreading of the gospel yet you must confesse that it vvas but small discretion to set all vpon the vncertainty of a battaile Many like violent attempts haue bene practized in that Realme through zeale of Religion but by clemencie and moderation his Maiesty hath not only escaped the daungers but also made himselfe a peaceable master lord ouer them all imitating heerein that most renounced French king Henry 3. who perceiuing the fire of Ciuill warres to kindle betwene the king of Nauarre who was of the Religion the house of Loraine would breake neither with the one nor the other but fauoured them both so farre as in the end he made himselfe peaceably head of them both vvho afterwards vvholly depended