Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	holy_a	speak_v	word_n	18,876	5	4.5025	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10279	Visions, or Hels kingdome, and the worlds follies and abuses, strangely displaied by R.C. of the Inner Temple Gent. Being the first fruits of a reformed life; Sueños. English	Quevedo, Francisco de, 1580-1645.; Croshawe, Richard.	1640 (1640)	STC 20561; ESTC S101544	51,980	226

VISIONS OR HELS KINGDOME And the Worlds Follies and Abuses Strangely displaied by R. C. of the Inner Temple Gent. Being the first fruits of a reformed life Longè vadit qui nunquam redit LONDON Printed by E. G. for Simon Burton at his Shop next the Mitre Taverne within Algate 1640. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFULL Sr. Thomas Metham OF Metham in the County of Yorke Knight Richard Croshawe dedicates these his first Fruits as the reall intentions of a reformed life To the Students Of the Innes of Court GEentlemen Matter is better than words If you bee noble worthy and ingenuous these many precipitations I here discover need no other effect than honest pity but if these endowments of the minde bee excluded either by the rashnesse of Youth an ill Tutour or by violent prodigality and licentiousnesse a worse Disciple My desire is that my serious lightnesse may arrow-like pierce your Consciences to an unfained repentance The more you are contristate the lesse will be your sorrow for to lament is here to rejoyce and such joy I wish may be accumulated on you and on all those that either love goodnesse or are estranged from it The reason why I present this Booke in chiefe to you after the interessed Dedication is because being my selfe of one of your Societies my observation and experiment hath made mee conjecture that these two should never bee unwelcome Advice and Delight The first whereof if my Booke doe not instruct yet mine owne deviation still knowne to many may seeing there is no stability in bubbling pleasure nor no true content without a religious returne so you have both precept and example And as for the latter it is better wisht than described Reade and judge The Honourer of your vertues Richard Croshaw To the Reader REader I am no Libeller what is here written is written for thy instruction and not to detract from any mans worth For I ingenuously protest there is not any one in particular living that I intend either by this or that what I have done was for mine owne recreation and had not beene now published but by entreaty Excuse therefore the errours in it since they proceed from him that is full of errour and if thou meanest to live contentedly learne to live well so shalt thou finde that Hell is here onely described that thou maist avoid it and the way set downe of the Damned to shew thee the path of Paradise Richard Croshawe The severall Visions 1. The Possessed Sergeant 2. Death and her Dominion 3. The last Iudgement 4. The Foole Amorous 5. The World in its Interior 6. Hell Errata pag. lin. errour correct 2 7 fomer former 16 2 shirts skirts 21 8 parching patching 47 17 entred suted 102 6   not VISIONS The first Vision OR The Possessed Sergeant VArious and inconstant is the life of Man sometimes lifted up with the height of prosperity where hee not onely sees but enjoyes all the pleasures of the world And by and by cast downe into the gulph of misery where hee findes such bitter fruits in the punishment of his ill governed wayes that there remaines not so much as a taste or relish of his fomer felicity Thus hath God weighed out these two conditions that none should presume there is any reall happinesse but in him onely nor any obscure adversity but by repentance may bring us unto him Such Meditations as these was I mastered by in a remote and farre Countrey when I could not choose but fall into a serious contemplation of mine owne vanity heartily desiring that I might finde out some way whereby I might lessen those calamities which by custome were almost growne hereditary Night grew on and sleepe seeing mee utterly destitute became herselfe a Friend and in slumber made mee conceive I was an Actor in this Vision Methought Curiosity that stirres up all men to things rare and new invited mee one Morning to behold the severall imbellishments of a famous Monastery whither I was no sooner come but I found the doore shut and beganne in my selfe to censure the peoples devotion who to that houre of day had neglected pious duties Yet least opinion might deceive me I enquired of one that stood at the Porch what the reason might bee of that unaccustomed privacy who telling me that the religious men had excluded all others that they themselves might better endeavour to expell the spirit out of one possessed encreased my desire to gaine admission which I had no sooner ruminated on but I espied one of the same Covent with whom I had formerly gained some acquaintance and to whom with some earnestnesse I manifested the obligements I should owe him if hee would admit mee a sight so unfrequent As Curtesie generally exceeds in all of that Brotherhood so in him it found a seat of eminency who staying not to dispute or by feigned complements to declare the difficulty made signes with a pleasing gesture that I should follow him and with a Key which hee tooke from his Girdle opening a private Doore granted my request before hee promised it But when I was got in I could not tell whether with more safety I should postulate a dismission backe or resolve to stay so full of horrour was the Object In the Chancell on the floore lay a man of a most hideous aspect his apparell torne hands bound eyes staring mouth extended and feet chained to the Raile about the Altar sometimes starting up and againe voluntarily flinging himselfe to the ground yelling shriking and howling as if the universall doom of punishment for sinne had been laid on him onely This and the feare I was strucken in made mee partaker of his unexpressible torture and to cry out O Lord what is this The Exorcist a holy Father that was diligent about him made answer It was a man possest with an evill spirit and had hardly spoke but the Tormentour tooke the word The Conjurer said hee lyes this is not a Man possest by a Devill but a Devill possest by a Man Discoursers take heed what you speake for in questions and answers you rather bewray your ignorance than knowledge Understand that wee Devils are not as I am now in the Bodies of Sergeants but by constraint and against our wils and therefore if you will name mee as you ought you must say that I am a Devill Sergeantiz'd and not a Sergeant Diaboliz'd which you may easily credit by this because all men speed better with us than with them since wee flie the Crosse fixt on the top of the Mace but they make use of it as an instrument whereby to doe mischiefe And though I must confesse there is a great correspondency betweene their Offices and ours in that they procure other mens hurt as well as wee and as wee desire there may bee none but wicked and guilty men in the World so doe they also Yet theirs is with a most eager greedinesse pricked forward through an hellish disposition and an avaritious desire