Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A08246
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The blacke yeare Seria iocis.
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Nixon, Anthony.
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1606
(1606)
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STC 18582; ESTC S119501
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20,325
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40
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affection This is that time wherein aboundeth marueilous securitie By which ariseth not onelye inâ—ffable wickednesse against God but also a lamentable disorder and confusion in common-weales For if wee compare the time present with that which is past wee shall perceiue vice to haue come to his ripenesse and to raigne almost without controlement â—or notwithstanding God hath giuen vs discipline whereby we are taught to frame our affections to his will and to dwell in vnity according to his word what desire of good life or zeale in religion is there to be found Many a man thinkes himselfe sufficiently religious if hee can seemingly fashion himselfe to the frequenting of Sermons and repayring to ordinarie seruice and ceremonies when Fronte politus austutam vopido seruat sub pectore vulpem Many thinke well of themselues in making the Doctrine of loue peace and vnity the occasion of strife contention and heresie Many suppose they serue God well if knowing some of contrarie opinion though not in the chiefest point of Religion they doc condemne them with wordes and commit them with curses to the Deuils punnishment when they themselues in the meane time in a certaine spirituall pride and pust vp through a vaine opynion of learning doe take heart of grace Their aduersaries oftentimes defending the better part and more agreeable to the will of the highest And yet forsooth this must not be called the spirit of sinne but of Religion godly zeale Oh black time Oh dangerous daies Oh deuillish behauiour what neede many wordes we may now plainelye perceiue greatest vice to bee accounted chiefest vertue And those men to be moste extolled that with a superficiall shew of dissembled sanctitie can shadow their 〈…〉 rses when of all others for impietie they are moste worthily to be throwne downe and deiected Crafty and deceitefull are esteemed wise Couetous good Husbands Spend-thriftes liberal and rich men are deem'd the best men they haue promotions although by wicked meanes they attaine them yet Diues clarus erit fortis iustas sapiens etiam Rex quicquid volet As Horace said The rich man shall be Noble valiant vpright wise yea and a King and what he wil. And in another place Aurea nunc virè sunt saecula plurim 〈…〉 auro venit honos Auro conciliatur amor Auro pulsa fides Aura venalia iura Auram lex sequitur mox sinè lege pudor Scilicet vxorem cum dote fidemque amicos genus formam Regina pecunia donat Now are the braue and Golden daies now fame with golde we gaine And Gold can shew vs many meanes mens fauours to attaine By gold we heare the Mussicke sweete and lawes we buy with golde Law seekes for Gold and straite vnmeete our name by it is solde Yea wife with wealth and faith and friendes and kinne with comely hue Doth madame Money Prince and Queene moste mortall men endue And Boêtius lib. 1. ante prosam Vndè habeant cura est paucis sed oportet habere per scelus atque nefas Pauper vbique iacet How they doe get few men respect but ritches haue they must By hooke or crooke we dayly see the weake to wall are thrust These and the like vices both Poets and Philosophers reprehended in their daies wheÌ„ wickednes did but spring as they themselues haue testified Then how earnestlye is God to be desired that the times may now be bettered these euils redressed For albeit all manner of wickednesse hath in this age ascended verie high yet are they not so come to the toppe but that more horrid and mischeuous confusions then euer were may bee seene in Common-weales through euill gouernment We may continuallye perceiue that such as are Parasites and Flatterers that can temporize and sort their humors to be pleasing beate all then braines â—hough without desert learning or honesty and bend al their studies to be gracious in the eyes of the that are placed in the highest seate authoritie by which it falles out many times that for a season they are wel accepted euen of the best but good Magistrates can smell them out and will banish their companye knowing that friendship not to be of countenance that is not grounded on the respect of vertue It is therefore to be wished that all Christian Princes would carefullye commit these wordes to contynuall remembrance you shall know them by their frute Men doe not gather grapes of Thornes or Figges of Thistles And againe A naughty tree cannot bring forth good frute What 〈…〉 odnes then may bee looked for at their hands whose delight hath beene euer in the execution of euill How can they then be profitable to their Princes faithfull to their countrie or carefull of keeping Iustice and Lawes which in all their life haue beene faithlesse to the King of Kings and so farre from keeping of Iustice that they neuer had any sure knowledge of the same what agreemeÌ„t or good mixture can fire haue with water heate with cold equity with vnrighteousnes How can it be that men should haue a care of that countries prosperitie from which their hearts are alienated as if it were not their natiue soile Againe can men drowned in volumptuousnes whose studie is Quaerere vt absumant absumptarequâ—ere certant to seek that they may spend and striue to finde that is naughtily spent ambitious and louers of themselues with honestie preferre the Princes prosperitie before tbeir priuate profitte the Common-weales good before their own gaine So that to place such in authoritie if histories all times were noted is to betray the Prince ouerthrow the Kingdome and to yeild the simple sheepe to the crueltie of rauening â—olues But because in respect of this title to this small discourse it may perhaps bee expected that somewhat bee spoken of the late insolent and trayterous practise of Pearcy and his conspiracie which I confesse there hath aready been much learnedly written and for that among other coloured and shadowed courses for their Rebellion this principally was one namely to reforme religion and for his and their conscience sake whose Religion if they had any whereof they made outward shewe and profession was according to the Romish Church taught brought heather from the Shambles Slaughter-house of soules I meane the Church of Rome continued heere by Iesuites and Seminarie-Priestes who closely and in disguised manner steale into this Land and seduce and drawe many soules of men from the true loue and worship of God and his will and from their natiue loyaltie and obedience to their King and Countrie I haue in regard thereof set downe these speciall points ensuing by which the church of Rome is made so glorious which are stifly taught maintained by it that it may be iudged and censured whether it be the true Spouse of Christ or on the contrarie whether it be not the false Church and the apparant sinck and Synagogue of Sathan 1. First
Aristotle to finde a man which in prosperitie is not proud disdainful arrogaÌ„t such are many whome strength whome ritches whome Clyents whom authoritie whome fauour hath exalted for if dignitie and honour which seldome make men better bee oftentimes lincked to this diuelish behauiour what can be looked for else but many prodigious monsters hurtful to men execrable before God according to that Asperius misero nilest dum surgit in altum Yet howe sodenlye they haue consumed and come to fearefull ends there need not be called to minde any long fore-passed remembrance to testifie Many shall this yere haue their eyes so dazeled as they shall not knowe themselues many so pust with pryde as striuing beyond their compasse they shall crye peccaui in the Poultrye for their borrowed brauerie Manye shall bee troubled with that fault which Tully calles Defectum naturae cowardice or weakenes of spirrit that their finger shall no sooner ake but they must straite to the Physition so inrich him impouerish themselues and yet neuer be without diseases This yeare shall be Cares and griefe of minde And alteration of weather some where It shall be hard iudging for men that are blinde As by wandring the wrong way may appeare Of all things true friendship shall be most deare Mercury and Saturne in combust declare That Pick-thankes this yeare shall vtter much ware Great trouble by the heauens impressions Great mischiefe doone by wicked people Some worthy death by their owne confessions Take good heede of Guato and his Disciple Rents shall be raised double and triple Land lordes this yeare some good some bad Young women and Widdowes both wise and mad The poore shall be vext with such paine i' th purse As he that lackes money may also lacke meate The Vsurer shall haue the beggers curse Ambition shall striue for honours seate Mault shall cause many to sell their wheate The Cuckowe in Summer shall temper his throate To pipe mine Hostesse a merrie note Diuers shall be troubled with a defect and imperfection that proceedes from the corruption of nature namelye with Curiositie or a diligent inquisition of other mens faults and an extreame negligence in their owne Moale-hilles in other men shall seeme mountaines and craggye Rocks in themselues smooth rushes Other mens faultes shall bee before their eyes but their owne behinde their backes The reason why men iudge more quickly other mens follies then their own partly proceedes from Selfe-loue which blindeth them in their owne actions partly because they see other mens defects directly and their owne by a certaine reflexion For as no man knoweth his owne face because he neuer see it but by reflexion from a glasse and other mens countenances hee conceaueth moste perfectly because he viewes them dyrectly in themselues So by a certaine circle we winde about our selues whereas by a right liue wee passe into the corners of other mens soules at least by rash iudgements and sinister suspitions Galen to this purpose relateth Aesop who said euery man had a wallet hang'd vpon his shoulders the one halfe vpon our brest the other halfe vpon our backes the former was full of other mens faults which we continually beheld the part behinde loaden with our owne offences which wee neuer regarded Some shall haue too much familiaritie with scoffing gibing the which proceedes from pride and enuie and is hardly continued without dissention for men are not at all times apt to receiue iestes Many that in conuersing are for a time able to discourse wel shal after that time their oyle is spent thrust out all they haue on a sodaine and after become verie barren Such are they that at a Table wil haue all talke when others in place shall be silent that are better able then themselues to vse effectual speech in any matter propounded But these men are commonly neither witty nor humble for wittie men are seldome drawne drie in their conceipts and humble men will distill their knowledge according to their talents not aboue their reach Some shall haue such nimblenes in their choppes as they shall deuoure more at a meale then they are able to pay for in a month Some such a buzzing in their brayne as they shall not admitte good counsaile or admonition but shall esteeme better of their own vnstayed and headstrong resolution then the graue aduice of Time-bought experience To such is assigned a whip of nettles to scourge their Sic volo with Noli poenitentiam tanti emere If that will not serue the turne A pound of Hempe three Standers and three flattes Are very fit to make such mates new hattes Some shall be stopt in their heartes with such an Aconiton of obediencie as they shall bee vtterly obstinate to receiue the Antidote of grace and so be giuen ouer to a reprobate sence that they shal perseuet in vanitie without any touch or feeling of their follie Such without mature Repentance amendment shal neuer attaine that caelestiall land nor inioy that heauenly repast which Nemo nouit nisi qui accipit Many that are wicked and vnlearned impudent in face and egregious Parasites in behauiour shall be exalted to glorie when men famous as well for learning as religion shall be eyther condemned or of Sycophantes defaced or for some small occasion vnworthily disgraded As hapned to Beliserius who lost his eyes by Iustinian Darknes shall not abide the light nor ignoraÌ„ce through her Impudency refraine to set herselfe against learning and knowledge For as Quintilian doth witnesse Quo quisque minus valet hoc se magis attollere et dilatare conatur The least of power the more vaineglorious And againe Quo minus sapuit minus habeÌ„t pudoris The more foole the more impudent Some shall be blinde in their owne and politique in other mens matters some loue a bowling-alley better then a Sermon and suspect their wiues at home because themselues play false abroad Amongst all other euills by my speculation knowledge of this blacke there shall bee none more riâ—e then the Mumpsimus which shall so swell some womens lippes as they shall haue a longing desire to kisse others besides their Husbands Many shall haue their cheekes so monstrously swolne as although they be tempted with large fees yet they shall not haue power to speak in a iust cause This yeare shall breede diuers Monsters in our Nation whereof some shall haue such long tongues as they can keepe no counsell But whatsoeuer they heare they shall presently blab foorth often times make a matter worse in telling Some others shall haue such lightnesse in their braines that albeit they know little yet they shall meddle much and thrust themselues so farre into others affayres that for lacke oflooking into their owne they shall eyther daunce a Beggers Galliard or feele the price of such follies as follow Hadiwistes There shal be also such various wonders such strange inundations such miraculous comotions as such as want