Selected quad for the lemma: state_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
state_n	earl_n	lord_n	scotland_n	1,700	5	9.4213	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30142	Letters write [sic] to a friend by the learned and judicious Sir Andrew Balfour ... containing excellent directions and advices for travelling thro' France and Italy, with many curious and judicious remarks and observations made by himself, in his voyages thro' these countreys, published from the author's original m.s.	Balfour, Andrew, Sir, 1630-1694.	1700 (1700)	Wing B552; ESTC R5283	102,544	331

LETTERS Write to a Friend By the Learned and Judicious Sir Andrew Balfour M. D CONTAINING Excellent Directions and Advices For Travelling thro' FRANCE and ITALY With many Curious and Judicious Remarks and Observations made by Himself in His Voyages thro' these Countreys Published from the Author 's Original M. S. EDINBURGH Printed in the Year M.DCC. To the Most Illustrious Most Potent and Noble EARLE ALEXANDER Earle of Murray Lord Doun and Abernethy c. Sometime Lord High COMMISSIONER And Principal SECRETARY of State For the Kingdom of Scotland My Noble Lord IN all Ages discerning and serious Men who knew best to allow and distinguish things and Persons have made it their great Complaint That the present Generation did degenerat from the former And that the Generality of Men were too apt and ready to pursue bad Courses And some thinking Persons now are easily induced to believe that the Days we live in the World is not much mended This notwithstanding no Time hath been known how dissolut soever wherein some worthy vertuous Men have not appeared who have studied to improve Natural and Moral Enduements and to pursue Vertue preferring that way to base Interest and selfish Ends. And it is well known that even at this Time when many great Duties are easily superceded there are here and there some Persons who worthily act upon the Principles of Honour Conscience and Vertue maugre all Discouragements Among whom Your Lordship even in your Solitude moves and acts in a very high and conspicuous Sphere to that Measure of lovely Vertue and Splendor that Your Friends and Wellwishers admire and your Enemies if You have any can find no matter of Censure If there were many such in the Nation it would be no hard mater to retrieve bring in Vogue again these adequat Qualities and Vertues which often have rendered many of our Countrymen endued therewith famous and illustrious both at Home and Abroad In the mean Time it is to be wish'd that each man would labour to reform Himself and his own Ways conforming them to these excellent Rules And that certainly at length would make and advance a laudable Reformation indeed But it is to be feared that this would rather prove an abortive Wish than that it shall have its wisht for Effect albeit to have it so with the World it should be a part of our dayly Prayers and come in continually to Our Letany My Lord Whilst You are Enjoying Your self and are solaced with the Comfort of a good Conscience in Your Retirement making your self an Example of Vertue and a Patern of Honour and Goodness to those who observe you and your Actions I humbly address Your Lordship not desiring to interrupt Your Repose but to afford You a litle divertisement for some of your vacant and Recreating Minuts By Offering to Your Lordships Perusal these following Sheets and Begging Your Patronage thereto And I judge I have little Reason to despair of your Favour and Acceptance since Your Lordship was Pleased to shew a more than Ordinary Affection and Kindness to the Author my Father And therefore I hope this little Tract wil give Your Lordship some Content and for others I am bold to say I hope well for many Persons of great Honour and Judgement have since my Father the Authour's Death been sollicitous to get written Copies from the Original which was indeed perfected by My Father in his Own Time without any Design to make it publick But my Father's M. S. with all his Books being committed to a certain Person he without my Privity gave out Copies to Knowing Inquisitive Persons as of late I came to understand and now these Copies abounding abroad and most if not all being defective or incorrect to Prevent my Father's being abused I now send a True Copy abroad unto the World and let it See the Light And go it must under your Lordships Patronage for I am confident the Design will succeed the better and the Book will be the more acceptable to these who Love and Desire the Knowledge of such curious Maters Nor shal I diffide its Fate being first wellcome to Your Lordship to whom I hereby address the same most humbly and heartily and not in course ingyring upon a Patron as the custom sometimes is Thus begging Your Lordships Pardon for my Presumption I do intreat from your Lordship the Honour to be accounted My Noble LORD Your Lordships most humble Most Faithfull most Devoted And Obedient Servant M. BALFOVRE TO THE READER IT is needless to show the many advantages may be had from Travelling since all are convinced of it and the VVisest of Men in all Ages have thought this the best way to improve themselves thus as Homer the Greek Master showes us Vlysses followed this Method Qui Domitor Trojae multorum providus Vrbes Et Mores hominum inspexit latumque per aeqour Dum sibi dumsocijs reditum parat aspera multa Pertulit And such a one Homer drew his Son Telemachus whose adventures have of late been Painted by an excellent Pen with all the advantages requisit for the education of a good Man and Excellent Prince Indeed the World is a Theater in which we may see not only the different productions of Nature but also all the Arts Mysteries of Government and all the wayes of improving Nature by Art and every Climate affords new Scenes for improving Geography Natural and Civil Historie Medicine Commerce and all the Mechanick Arts. Medicine certainly is much improved this way for thus Galen writes he sailed to Lemnos Cyprus and Palestina of Syria on purpose to see foreign Plants and rare Ores and Mineralls The following Letters give you some account to this purpose of these Countries in Europe viz. England France and Italy which for Politeness Civility for Grandeur and Magnificence for Arts and Inventions and the Publick incouragements of them farr excelleth all the rest The Author of them Sir Andrew Balfour Doctor of Medicine spent some fifteen Years in his Travels Residence in these Countries He was a Man of an Excellent VVit and of a Ripe Judgement and of a most taking behaviour He had improven himself to the best advantage with all the learning taught in the most famous Vniversities of these Countries had acquired their Languages and Conversed with the most famous Man then alive The particular Curiosity He had to learn every thing that might enrich his mind with knowledge was in his youngest Years favoured with the Example and Instruction of his eldest Brother 30 Years elder than himself the Famous Sir James Balfour Lyon King at Arms who had a Curious Bibliotheck had Collected in his Cabinet many Curious Products of Nature and pieces of Art and took delight to cherish this early Curiositie of his youngest Brother With this Disposition proficiencie in the Learning then taught in his Native Country He begun his Travels which in so long a Tract of time he employed that way