Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
religion_n commodity_n language_n manner_n 38,993 5 11.0494 5 true
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
A29601 Britanniæ speculum, or, A short view of the ancient and modern state of Great Britain, and the adjacent isles, and of all other the dominions and territories, now in the actual possession of His present Sacred Majesty King Charles II the first part, treating of Britain in general. 1683 (1683) Wing B4819; ESTC R9195 107,131 325

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

of Nature than to describe the Plenty of an Island It hath indeed such a constant continuance of all sorts of necessary Food that the Famin which so often ravages other Countreys has scarce been felt here these four hundred years The usual and natural drink of the People is Beer Ale Syder Perry and in some places Metheglin or Mede As this Island affords its Inhabitants all necessary Food for the support of their Life so it yields them plenty of Rayment for their defence against the Injuries of the Weather For it produceth especially in the South part called England not only very fine Wooll making excellently lasting and well-conditioned Cloth but also such great abundance thereof as serves not only for the Cloathing of all sorts of People from the highest to the lowest but being manufactured into Cloth and Stuffs is dispersed all over the World but especially into High-Germany Muscovia Turky and Persia to the great benefit of its Inhabitants And as it thus abounds with Wool so hath it Linen made therein inferiour to none for its Goodness nor would it need supply thereof from elsewhere for any use whatever were the people but so industrious as they might be in sowing Flax and Hemp for the producing whereof they want not fitting Ground tho there be at present through their Sloth in neglecting to improve it much Linen imported to the shame and damage of the Nation The Abundance of Cattel here slain furnishes the People with great store of excellent Leather for all sorts of Uses insomuch that the poorest of them were good Leathern Shooes whereas in the neighboring Countries they either wear Wooden Shooes or none at all For building it wants not any requisite Materials being well stored with Timber Iron Brick Tiles Slate Lime Lead Glass and Stone of which our fine Portland Stone is not much inferior to Marble For fewel there is either Wood Sea-Coal or Pit-Coal almost everywhere to be had at reasonable rates and where this is wanting they burn Turfs or Peats For Shipping there is no where better Oak no where such Knee-timber as the Shipwrights call it or Iron to make serviceable Guns For War Journeys and Hunting for Plow Cart and Carriages there is such abundant plenty of Horses that Asses and Mules so frequently made use of in France Italy and Spain are here utterly despised Dogs it hath of all sorts sizes and uses amongst which the English Mastiff deservedly has the first Place from all others in the World a Dog bold and stout as a Lyon and yet when well bred gentle and manageable as a Lamb and therefore of singular use for the Defence of Families against the Attempts of Thieves and House-breakers It produceth likewise besides a mighty quantity of Tynn Lead and Iron some Brass and Copper and hath also Quicksilver Antimony Sulphur Black-Lead Orpiment red and yellow Allom Salt Hops Saffron Liquoris and divers other beneficial Commodities and has several Silver-Mines richer than those of Potosi in the West-Indies whence the King of Spain has most of his Silver those yielding usually but an Ounce and an half of Silver in an hundred Ounces of Oar and these ordinarily six or eight Ounces per Cent. But these Mines lying deep are hard to come unto which in Potosi is otherwise And as if all this were not sufficient it yieldeth Physick likewise to the Inhabitants having in it Hot Baths for the ease of Maims Bruises inward Aches and Paines and abounding in Medicinal Springs And altho there be not much Wine made here at present yet if we shall consider that Vineyards were heretofore common in most of the Southern and middle parts of England we shall easily be induced to attribute this Defect if it be any to the better improvement of our Ground and the cheap and easy Importation of that and other forreign Commodities the Advantages it hath from all parts of the World to take in Trade and Merchandize being so great as abundantly verifies that of the Old Poet Quicquid amat Luxus quicquid desiderat Vsus Ex te proveniet vel aliunde tibi In a word tho this Island is by some Countries in some things excelled yet if we consider the Salubrity of the Air free in a manner from violent Thunder and Lightning unwholsom Serenes and tempestuous Hurricanes and well-stored with Birds and Fowls the Fertility of the Soil rarely subjected to Droughts Inundations or destructive Earthquakes the Fields being laden with Corn the Pastures stockt with Cattel the Forrests Parks of which in England alone there are more than in all Europe besides Warrens and Woods stored with wild Beasts only for Recreation and Food the Amoenity and Utility of its Seas Rivers and Ponds covered with Ships and Boats and abounding with all sorts of Fish its Plenty of Metals and Minerals the strength of its Situation being so walled and guarded with the Ocean so well furnished with excellent Shipping and Sailors and so abounding with commodious Ports and Havens that it is rightly termed The Lady of the Sea we may well be permitted to affirm that for necessary Food and Raiment for pleasant and wholsom Living for Safety and Security it is hardly to be equalled by any Kingdom in the World and needs not fear the Force of any Neighboring Nation but that which over-powering us at Sea shall thereby deprive us of our strongest Bulwark and of an Island make us a Continent Not without reason therefore did an Antient Writer thus cry out Britain Thou art a glorious Isle extolled and renowned among all Nations the Navies of Tharsis cannot be compared with thy Shipping bringing in all precious Commodities of the World The Sea is thy Wall and strong Fortifications do secure thy Ports Chivalry Clergy and Merchandize do flourish in thee The Pisans Genoveses and Venetians do bring thee Saphires and Carbuncles from the East Asia serveth thee with Silk and Purple Africa with Cinamon and Balm Spain with Gold and Germany with Silver Thy Weaver Flanders doth drape Cloth for thee of thine own Wool Cascoign then under the Crown of England Thy Gascoign doth send thee Wine Buck and Doe are plentiful in thy Forests Droves of Cattle and Flocks of Sheep are upon thy Hills All the Perfection of the goodliest Land is in thee Thou hast all the Fowl of the Air. In plenty of Fish thou dost surpass all Regions And albeit thou art not stretched out with large Limits yet bordering Nations cloathed with thy Fleeces do wonder at thee for thy blessed Plenty Thy Swords have been turned into Plow-shares Peace and Religion flourisheth in thee so that thou art a Mirror to all Christian Kingdoms CHAP. III. Of the Inhabitants Of the Laws Religion Manners and Punishments of the Antient Britains Of their Language Stature Diet Attire Recreation Traffick Shipping Coins and Buildings Of their Arms and manner of Fighting Of their Computation of Time BRITAIN being a Country Inhabitants so rich in Commodities so beautiful