Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	call_v	grace_n	word_n	5,577	5	4.1119	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41737	The heroe of Lorenzo, or, The way to eminencie and perfection a piece of serious Spanish wit / originally in that language written ; and in English by Sir John Skeffington, Kt. and Barronet.; Héroe. English	Gracián y Morales, Baltasar, 1601-1658.; Massereene, John Skeffington, Viscount, d. 1695.; Walton, Izaak, 1593-1683.	1652 (1652)	Wing G1471; ESTC R6925	27,935	166

prodigall of her favours for the most par● shee intends no long continuance Felicity that 's grown old drawes near an end and extreme ill forttune is not far from a reverse The Moor Abul brother and Heir to the King of Granada and taken pri●oner in Salobrenia to ●eguile his miserie us'd sometime to play at Checks a true represen●ation of the game of for●une He was no sooner set down but in comes a Cor 〈…〉 yet to tell him he must prepare himself to die In 〈…〉 xorable death comes alwayes post The Moor de 〈…〉 ir'd him for a respite of 2 houres The Commissary ●hought it too long but yet granted him leave to play but his game He plaid and won both his life and the kingdome for before the game was ended another Post arriv'd with news of the Kings death whereby the Citty of Granada presēted him with their crow● There have been as many that have risen fro● the scaffold to the Crown as have descended fro● the Crown to the scaffo 〈…〉 the good morsells of fo●tune had never so good relish as when they w 〈…〉 season'd with an Agr 〈…〉 dulce of danger Fortune is not unli 〈…〉 pyrates that wait for ve●sels at sea till they 〈◊〉 fraught The counte 〈…〉 plot must be to anticipa 〈…〉 and take some port be times EXCELLENCIE XII Gracia de les gentes The love of the people IT is but a small conquest to gain the ūderstanding if the will be not won and t is a great matter to make a joint conquest of admiration with affection Many maintain their credits by plausible actions but they get not benevolence He must be born under a favorable constellation that obtains so universal a grace but the best part proceeds from our own diligence Others hold a contrary discourse when applause doe's not correspond to an equality of merits That which in one mans nature drawes affection like the adamant another hath it by a conspiracie or secretnes of practice I shall alwayes yeeld the superiority to that facultie that 's artificiall An Eminencie of perfections serves not to get the peoples affection although it be enough Affections are easily gotten where the understanding is suborned because affection follows good opinion The Duke of Guise that was as famous in misfortune as he was rich in the endowments of nature did very happily practise the way of gaining common favour He grew in greatnes by the favour of one King and grew greater by the emulation of an other I mean the third of the French Henries A name fatall to Princes in every Monarchy For in so great a subject the name deciphers Oracles The King one day askt some Lords that were about him what it was that Guise did to make himself so powerfull to bewitch the people An ingenuous Courtier and the chief of those that were present answered him Sir by dealing curtesies with both hands Those whom the influences of his curtesies reach not in a direct line they have it by reflexion and where his power extends not into action there he charms with good words If they invite him to a wedding he fails not to be there If to be a godfather he never refuses If to an enterrment he honors it with his presence He is Human courteous liberall endears all the world to him and speaks il of none In conclusion He is the king in their affections as your Majestie is in effect A happy grace if it had been in relation to his Prince and without which it was of no essence whatsoever the opinion of Bajazet were yet wee find that applause given to the minister cannot but enjealouse the Soveraign And to say truth the Grace of God and of the king and of the people are 3 graces of more beauty than those other 3 that were feigned by antiquity They hold hand in hand and are so streightly enterlaced that if any of them fayl let it be able to shew a good cause The most powerfull Charm to make ones self beloved is to love the vulgar are as violently carried away in their affections as they are furious in their persecutions The first thing that gets their love after a good opinion is curtesie and generousnes by means whereof th' Emperor Titus was called the delight of mankind The favorable word of a superior is as good as an obliging action from an equal and a curtesie from a Prince exceeds a rich present from the hands of a Citizen By forgeting Majestie but a while the Magnanimous Don Annoso lighting from his horse to relieve a country fellow that was in some danger conquer'd the fortified walls of Ga 〈…〉 which the battry of his Guns could not have done in many dayes He made his first entry at their hearts and presently after entred in triumph into their citty Some over-curious Criticks could find nothing so eminent among the merits of the great Captain that Giant of Heroes as the love of the people And I am of the same opinion that in a pluraliof perfections where each deserves a plausible renown this was the happiest There is also the favour of Historians to be had in ambition as much as Immortality because their pennes are the wings of renown They set not out so much the favours of Nature as of the Soul That Phaenix Corvino the glory of Hungarie was us'd to say and practise it much better That the greatness of an Heroe consisted in two things by inuring his hand to Glorious Actions and to the Pen because Characters of Gold bind up Eternity EXCELLENCIE XIII Del Despeio We have no word to express Despeio the French call it Entregent the Chapter gives a definition and I must use the word Entregent THE Entregent is the Soul of every rare quality the life of all perfection the vigour of action the grace of words the charm of well-born spirits sweetly flattering the understanding and sets all expression upon the tenter hooks It is an enhaunsment of excellency It is the beauty of formality Other parts adorn nature but this improves those ador●ing parts insomuch as it is the perfection of perfection by a transcendent beauty and by an universal grace It consists in a certain ayriness in an unspeakable cheerfulness aswell in words as actions and passes even into discourse It receivs the best advantage from nature although it borrow something from observation It was never subject to directions nor to the precept of a superior although it were alwayes govern'd by art when it steales away the fancy 't is call'd an allurement when 't is not easily discern'd 't is call'd an ayriness If it be put on by courage 't is animosity If out of galantry or Gentiless 't is a sweetness of carriage If it be done with facility 't is addresse All these names have been given it out of a desire and difficultie of expressing it They do it wrong that confound it with facility for it leaves that far

reputation then the concealing our affectitions would get a soveraignty over our selves The weaknes of our Wills are the Syncopes of Reputation which if once they declare themselves the other strait perishes The first force serves only to suppress them the second to disguise them The first hath more of valour and the last of cuning He that renders himself to the weaknes of his will descends from a man to a brute but he that bridles his will keepes at least a Reputation in appearance To penetrate the whole Designes of others is a mark of eminent capacity but to be able to conceal a mans own is an incomparable superiority To discover passion to another is all one to open him a wicket to enter the fortress of our capacity And hence it is that politick spies raise all their battery and for the most part make all their assaults in Triumph The Affections being once discovered the entries and out-gates of the will are all understood beside a perpetuall power over us at all times The inhumanity of the Gentiles hath rank'd divers in the number of the Gods for less than a moiety of Alexander's heroick actions denying that predicament to the Laureat Macedonian of being added to the Deities Not assigning him a little place in Heaven that had occupyed so much of the World But why should they have been so sparing when they had so much to have been liberall of Alexander obscured the lustre of his Actions by his ungovern'd fury giving himself the lye after so many Triumphs in rendring himself to the weaknes of his Passions It avayled him little to conquer a World when he lost the patrimony of a Prince which was his Reputation Excessive choler and extreme covetousnes are the Scylla and Charibdi● the two Rocks of Reputation and Excellency Let an able man then take good heed to suppress his Passions or at least to dissemble them with so much dexterity that no countermine find a way to uncipher his will This quality shews men how to be wise though they were not and passes yet further to hide defects deluding the vigilancy of those that lye sentinell to surprize the careless dazlingthe eyes of those Lynxes that are alwaies busie in discovering the imperfections of others That Chatholick Amazonian after whom Spain had no reason to envy either Zenobia Semiramis Tomiris or Penthesilea might have bin the Oracle of these subtilties when she was to be brought to bed she shut her self up in the most retired room the most withdrawn chamber of the Palace where her inbred Majesty jealous of an inseparable gravity seal'd up her sighes in her Royal bosome without suffering so much as the least dolorous accent to pas from her and covered with a veyl of darknes those undecent gestures which the violence of pain might have extorted But she that in her wisdome made it so nice upon excusable pretences how much more scrupulous was she like to have beene in occasions of Honour The Cardinal Madruccio did not account that man a fool that acted a Folly but him that having acted one knew not how to smother it This perfection is only accessible by him that can keep silence 't is an inclination that 's qualified and perfects it self by Art It is an attribute of a divinity 〈…〉 Nature yet at 〈◊〉 〈…〉 ance EXCELLENCIE III. La meior prenda de un Heroe The chief quality of an Heroe GReat parts are requisite to make up a great entirenes and great qualities are necessary to raise the Frame of an Heroe Passionate men give it in the first place to the understanding to be the originall of all greatnes And as they do not admit of a great man without excesses of understanding So neither do they acknowledge a man to be of eminent understanding except he be great The most eminent of visible things is a man in respect of his understanding and consequently his victories are the greatest This principall part is composed of two others a stock of judgment and an elevation of spirit which being met together in one subject form a Prodigy Philosophie hath prodigally assigned faculties to the memory and as much ●o the intellectuall parts Yet give the politick leave with better reason to admit a division betwixt ●udgement and wit betwixt the Synderisis and 〈…〉 cutenes of spirit Only this distinction of 〈…〉 telligences exceedes a 〈…〉 crupulous truth condemning so much multiplication of spirits to make a confusion betwixt the understanding and the will The Judgement is the Throne of Prudence and Wit the spheare of Acutenes But to judge whether the eminency of one or the mediocrity of the other should have the precedence will be a pleading to be held before the Tribunall of Sense and of every ones inclination I shall be of that womans mind who praying for her son said Hrjo bios te de entendimiento del bueno Courage and prompnes and subtilty of wit are like the Sun of the world in abridgment they are like the sparkes if they be not the very beams of Divinity Every Heroe hath had a share in the excesses of spirit The words of Alexander gave a lustre to his Actions Caesar was as prompt in his thoughts as he was in their Execution But when I endeavour to set a true value upon the true Heroes I find it doubtfull which was more eminent in St. Augustine the Majesty of his stile or the quicknes of his conceipt and in that famous Laurel which was given by Huesca to make a Crown for the Roman Empire Constancy and Subtilty were at strife which should have precedence The Promptitudes of the Wit are as happy as those of the Will are unfortunate they serve as wings to fly up to greatnes wherwith many have rais'd themselves from a Center of dust and basenes to the height of splendor The Grand Signior using sometimes for a diversion to appear rather uppon a Balcone in a garden before ordinary people than in a place of publick expectation the true prisons of Majesty irons of greatnes began one day to read a letter which the wind either in sport or to let him see there was a so●eraignty above his blew 〈…〉 ut of his hands and carry●d it among some scattered 〈…〉 eaves The Pages that at●ended being emulous to ●lease so great a Prince 〈…〉 an down the staires to ●each it up But one among the rest a Ganimede of in●ention that had practised 〈…〉 o support himself in the 〈…〉 yr threw himself down ●rom the Balcone to re●over the paper and suddainly again remounting with it presented it to the Grand Signior while the rest were but running down to fetch it And this to speak properly was a right remounting or raising himself to greatnes For the Prince sufficienly charm'd and flatter'd by so rare an action preferr'd the Page to the highest degree of his merit and so it becomes verified that subtilty of spirit if it be not in its own right possesed of

a Kingdom deserves to be a compagnion to those that are This is that which displayes our best abilityes it cries up reputation and raises the subject to as great a height as the foundation was layd deep The ordinary speeches of a King are refin'd and crown'd subtilties The great treasures of Monarchs have often perisht and come to nothing but their sententious and wise speeches are kept in the Cabinet and Jewell-house of Fame Some Champions have gotten more by a wise parley than by all the swords of their armed squadrons victory being for the most part an atchievement that waits upon a refined spirit It was the touchstone the trumpet of greatest honor to that King of wise men and wisest of Kings in that difference which was pleaded before him by the two harlots concerning their children So we see that subtilty contributes as much to the reputation of Justice He that is their Sun of Justice and sometimes asistant at the tribunal of the Barbarians The vivacity of that great Turke enters in competition with that of Salomon A Jew pretended to cut an ounce of the flesh of a Christian upon a penalty of Usury he urged it to the Prince with as much obstinacy as perfidiousness towards God The great Judge cōmanded a pair of scales to be brought threatning the Jew with death if he cut either more or less And this was to give a sharp decision to a malicious process and to the world a miracle of subtilty Quicknes is an Oracle in the greatest doubts A Sphynx in Aenigmaes a golden thred in a Labyrinth and corresponds most with the nature of a Lyon who reserves his greatest force till he be in the greatast danger But there are a sort of lost wits that are as prodigall of their spirits as of their fortunes To high designes they are like bastard Falcons but for base and mean undertakings they are Eagles If cruell men must be satiate with blood they must be with poyson in whom their subtilty abates by a contrariety of levity burying them in an Abyssus of scorn by making the world weary of their foolery Hitherto we have had the favours of Nature hereafter we expect the perfections of Art The first is that which begets spirit the second feeds and seasons it self with the salt of other mens wits and many times by an anticipated care and study upon divers Observations The words and actions of other men are to a fertile capacity like Seeds from whence springs a sharpnes of wit wherewith the spirit being enricht multiplies it self into a harvest of promptitudes with abundance of subtilty I take not in hand to advocate the cause of judgment since she is able to say enough for her self EXCELLENCIE IV. Coracon de Rey. Heart of a King A Great head belongs to Philosophers a great tongue to Orators a great breast for Champions Armes for Souldiers Feet for runners Shoulders for them that carry burthens but a great Heart only for Kings It is one of Plato's Divinities and a text in favour of which many make the heart to contest with the understanding for a preheminence What avayles it that the Understanding go before if the Heart stay behind Invention easily conceives that which costs the heart full dear to execute with Honour Great effects proceed from great causes and wonders of action from a Prodigy of heart The issues of a Giants heart are Giants It presumes allwaies upon Enterprises worthy of its own greatnes aspiring alwaies to the most eminent Employments 〈…〉 was the heart of Alexander it was an arch 〈…〉 since in one corner of it the 〈…〉 contain 〈…〉 leaving 〈◊〉 for ●ix 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Caesars heart was likewise va●● which could find no difference betwixt all and nothing The heart is Fortunes stomach which with equal heat digests the two extremes A great belly is not cloyed with a great morsell it is not put out of its way by affectation nor made sour by ingratitude That which would starve a Gyant for hunger will prove a surfet for a Dwarf That miracle of valour the then Dauphine of France and after Charles the seventh when they told him of that sentence which was extorted from the Parlament of Paris by the two Kings one of France his father the other of England and his Adversary whereby he was declared uncapable of succeeding to the crown of Lillies He said undauntedly that he appeal'd his friends wondring at his speech askt him whither he answered again to the greatness of my Heart and the point of my Sword And his words were followed with answerable effects The Diamant that contests with Eternity sparcles not more among devouring Carbuncles than a Majestick heart in the middest of the violences of danger The Achilles of our time Charles Emanuel D. of Savoy made his way with only 4 of his own thorough the midst of four hundred of the Enemies Curiassiers satisfyed the admiration of the world by saying There was no better company in the greatest danger than that of a great Heart Excess of Heart supplies the defect of every thing else that being ever the first that arrives at difficulties and makes the Conquest They presented on a time to the King of Arabia a Damask Cimitar A rarity to please a warrier The Grandees that were about him fell to cōmend it not for ceremonie but with reason Some for the workmanship others for the temper Only some of them thought it was a little with the shortest The K. presently sends for the Prince his son the famous Jacob Almancor to have his opinion He came and considerd it and said that it was worth a Kingdome A prizing worthy of a Prince The King urgd him to know whether he could find no fault with it He reply'd that there was nothing in it that was not excellent why but Prince said the king these Cavaliers have censured it to be too short Then Almanzor laying hand upon his own for Cimitar said that there was no weapon too short a valiant man because by moving but one stepp forward his sword would be long enough and what it wanted of iron and steel would be supplyd in the generositie of his heart Magnanimity in injuries serves fitly to crown this subject with laurel It is the large crest and Character of great Hearts and Adrian shew'd us an excellent way to triumph over enemies when he said to the most cruel of his 〈◊〉 thou escap'd mee There is nothing can hold compare with that saying of Lewis of France Let not the king of France revenge the injuries done to the Duke of Orleans These are the miracles of the Courage of an Heroe EXCELLENCIE V. Gusto relevante A palate to relish no ordinary things EVery great capacitie is ever hard to be pleased The Gusto must as well be improv'd as the wit Both rais'd and improv'd are like Twinns begotten by capacity and coheirs of excellency Never sublime wit yet bred a flat or abject Gusto There are

behind it and goes as far before bravery and although all Entregent presuppose freedome yet it add's to perfection If actions have any thing of splendor the obligation is to Entregent for that sets them to the light Without this the best execution is dead and the greatest perfection unpleasing Neither yet retains it somuch of the nature of accident that sometimes it stands not for the principall It serves not only for ornament but for a prop to the most important affaires Wherefore if it be the soul of beauty It is the spirit of prudence If it be the breath of gentilesse it is the life of valor The Entregent gives asmuch Lustre to a Commander in war as his courage and in the person of a King it parallells prudence The freedome of Entregent is of no lesse use in the day of a battell than dextrousness and valor It makes a generall first master of himself and then of all that are under him The brave assurance of that Conqueror of kings that contender in honor with Alcides Don Fernando d'Avalos is never enough magnified let same resound his prayses upon the Theater of Pavy The Entregent discovers animosity asmuch in him that sits on horsback as in him that fits under a cloth of state It add's acuteness to pleading and graces the Orator in his chair Most Heroicall was the disengagement of that French Theseus Henry the fourth who by the golden threed of his Entregent found a way to free himself out of that intricate labyrinth The Entregent hath no lesse influence upon the politick And therefore upon the credit of that spirituall Monark of the world I come to ask this question Whether there be not another world to govern EXCELLENCIE XIV Del natural imperio THis primacy is interested in another quality so subtile and separate from Common apprehensions that it were in some hazard to be flung up for a transcendent if curiosity had not cautioned for it Wee see a certain in-born and naturall souveraignty in some men which seems to spakle in them and upon others by a secret influence a power of domination which wins it self an obedience without help of exterior precepts or any art of persuasion Caesar being taken prisoner at sea by certain pyrates that were Ilanders presently became the master of them He being conquerd commanded and they Conquerors obey'd By ceremonie he was a Captive and in reality of soveraigntie became their Lord One man like him does more execution with one stern look than others with all their industrie Their reasons have an occult vigor which prevailes more by sympathie than by any thing that 's visible The proudest mind submits to their domination without knowing why or how and the freest judgement renders it self without constraint Such persons among men have as great an advantage as Lyons among creatures because they have a share in the princiapll quality which is domination All creatures acknowledge the Lyon by instinct of nature and doe him homage by way of prevention before they have examined his valour So to those Heroes other men give them respect by way of advance without staying to take an inventory of their habilities This is an Excellency deserving a Crown and being match'd with a great understanding and height of courage it can be said to want nothing why it should not form a Primum Mobile in politicks This soveraign quality was in the person of Don Hernand Alvarez Duke d'Alva as in a throne A lord more by privileges of nature than of curtesie He was great born to be greater for in his ordinary discourse He knew not how to disguise a naturall imperiousness It holds great difference from a measur'd and borrow'd gravity from an affected tone of voyce which is a very fift essence of odiousness and though being naturall it might be born with yet it comes very neer to tedious importunity The distruct which it hath of it self rayses contradictions upon every design And if once it come but to lose confidence it falls off to be the skorn of the world It was th' advise of the great Cato and suitable to his severity that a man should not only respect but be in fear of himself He that loses himself to himself His fear gives licence to others and by his own permission he makes himself to be easily abused EXCELLENCIE XV De la sympathia sublime IT is a perfection in one Heros to hold sympaphye with another If a plant sympathize with the sun it grows among others to a Giantlik● height and the flower of it is the Crown of the garden Sympathie is one of those prodigious things which nature hath seald up but th' effects of it are matter of astonishment and subject of admiration It consists in a parentage and kinred of hearts as all Antipathy is in a divorce of wills Some give it the originall from a correspondence of tempers others from a supernall alliance in the stars The first aspires as high as doing of miracles the other produces monstruosities They are but the wonders of sympathie those which common ignorance calls charms and vulgar spirits will have them to be enchantments The most accomplisht perfection suffers scorn from antipathie and the most deformed fowlnes is thought a perfection with sympathie Even betwixt father and son it pretends a jurisdiction and exeqcutes every day something of power trampling upon laws and defeating the privileges of nature and policy The antipathy of a father takes away a kingdome and a sympathie gives one There is nothing which the merits of a sympathie cannot obtain it perswads without eloquence it compasses whatsoever it desires by presenting the symptomes of naturall Harmony An eminent sympathie is the Character it is the starr that inclines to Heroicity although some be of the nature of adamant that maintains antipathy with the diamant and holds sympathie with Iron It is a monstruosity in nature to be in love with dross and to hate things of splendor Lewis the 11th was a Monster among kings He had an antipathie to greatnesse more by nature than art He was so wedded to his own principles that he lost himself in the dreggs of the Category of Policie Active sympathy if it have any thing of sublimity raises the subject but the passive more if it be Heroicall It is more precious than the great stone in the ring of Giges and in power it is stronger than the chains of the Thebane It is easy to have an inclination in observance of great men but it is not so easy to be like them in a Correlation The Heart sighes and speakes alowd many times when it is not answered with an Eccho of correspondency In the School of Love this is the A. B. C. where the first lesson is of sympathy let it then be a dexterity of discretion to know and comprehend perfectly the passive sympathie make use of this naturall Charm and let Art supply the defects of Nature it is an