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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
state_n	esq_n	john_n	principal_a	1,046	5	11.6278	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42746	Miscellaneous letters and essays on several subjects philosophical, moral, historical, critical, amorous, &c., in prose and verse : directed to John Dryden, Esq., the Honourable Geo. Granvill, Esq., Walter Moile, Esq., Mr. Dennis, Mr. Congreve, and other eminent men of th' age / by several gentlemen and ladies.	Gildon, Charles, 1665-1724.; Moyle, Walter, 1672-1721.; Dryden, John, 1631-1700.	1694 (1694)	Wing G732; ESTC R14504	119,130	250

Miscellaneous LETTERS AND ESSAYS On several SUBJECTS Philosophical Moral Historical Critical Amorous c. in Prose and Verse DIRECTED TO John Dryden Esq The Honourable Geo. Granvill Esq Walter Moile Esq Mr. Dennis Mr. Congreve And other Eminent Men of th' Age. By several Gentlemen and Ladies LONDON Printed for Benjamin Bragg at the White-Hart over against Water-Lane in Fleetstreet 1694. TO THE HONOURABLE Sir JOHN TRENCHARD Their Majesties Principal Secretary of State And one of the Lords of their Majesties most Honourable Privy Council Honour'd Sir I am so far from being Apprehensive of the Censure of any thinking Man for Dedicating a Book of this Nature to a Man of your Station that I 'm satisfyed I shou'd have injur'd your Merit in choosing any other Patron for That in which the Glory of the ENGLISH NATION is in some Degree defended for tho' I confess the States Man according to our Modern Notion has little to do with the ensuing Discourses yet I 'm very sure the TRUE ENGLISH MAN a Name I know you far more value must extreamly interest you in them for the Patriots Zeal ought to extend to the Glory as well as Happyness of his Country so that you must be pleas'd to shelter with your Protection a Piece that aims at a Vindication of our known RIGHT and HONOUR which are impiously invaded and as weakly as ignobly betray'd to a Foreign People by a biggotted Veneration for a former Age. But Poetry Sir will appear from the following Essays to be a Prize we ought no more to surrender to Foreign Nations than our Courage or Liberty For Greece and Rome who have given us the noblest Examples of the Latter have been the most famous for the Former And as we are not inferior to either of those Common-Wealths in the Honor of Arms or the Wisdom of our Laws so I can never yield them the precedence in Poetry Nor is this Glory I plead for a meer Noitionary Fantout which affords no Benefit to the Public as is evident from its very Nature and Design as well as the Authority of the Wisest Nations who have Esteem'd POETS very necessary as well as very Honourable Members of the Common-Wealth This Athens thought when on the loss of Eupolis in a Sea Fight she decreed that no Poet shou'd for the future ever venture himself in the War least by one Fatal Blow a Treasure should be lost an Age cou'd not repair for POETS were not born ev'ry Day But this Veneration which Greece paid the Poets is built on the innate Excellence of their Art Pleasure is the Sovereign Aim of all Men 't is that which the Soul naturally and justly desires and for which 't is made and what the greatest Stoic persues for 't is impossible for any Man to desire Pain Now Poetry do's not only make Pleasure its Medium but its Aim and so employs the surest Means to obtain the noblest End Majestic and delightful Numbers surprizing and noble Thoughts and Charming Expressions awake all the Faculties of the Soul to receive the Mighty Lessons it imparts which all terminate in the most Solid and Rational Pleasure For they either establish some Virtue by a great Example or by the same punish some Vice or redicule and lash some Folly that may be injurious to our Happyness the Establishment of which on the Basis of Virtue and Wisdom fixes us in the sweet Enjoyment of the Greatest and most lasting of Pleasures As a farther Proof of Poetry's being a Friend to and promoter of Virtue and an Enemy to Vice 't is observable that all the Heroes and Men of Virtue of Antiquity lov'd and encourag'd Poetry and that the worst of Princes and greatest TYRANTS always persecuted and hated the Poets as their known and most dangerous Enemies for they wou'd spare no Vice in the most powerful Offenders Lucan fear'd not in the time of the greatest Tyrant of the Caesars to extoll Cato the most obstinate Stickler for his Countrys Liberty against the first of 'em and he chooses rather to condemn Providence for the success the destroyers of the Liberty of Rome met with than not praise Cato for dying with his falling Country Victrix causa dijs placuit sed Victa Catoni The POETS indeed have been the bold Persecutors of Vice in all Ages and have ever rewarded Virtue with Immortality They are beneficial to Posterity by conveying to it the most prevailing Motives Illustrious Examples so that he that is a generous Patron of the MUSES is a Benefactor to Ages to come as well as to the Present Carmen amat quisquis Carmine Digna gerit is a certain Truth For the very Motives for performing Vertuous Actions hold for the care of those that make them eternal viz. the good of Others the public Benefit To which Sir your whole Life and Endeavours having been zealously applyed I cannot doubt but you will by your patronizing Poetry compleat the noble end of your Honourable Ambition Then may Posterity see in YOU Sir such a pattern of Fortitude Temperance Wisdom Justice Bounty and all other Virtues that make a Man truly Great that copying You alone wou'd make e'm all Happy and Good I 'm too unskilful a Dawber to dare to venture on drawing so noble an Image as both your private and public Life compose I can never reach up to that Generous Constancy to your Friends i●… the midst of your Sufferings which has to my knowledge rais'd some to Wealth if not Content How can I ever hope to give the least Idea of your present Character when your Love for the Public Good transports you from private Repose to Business and the fatigues of State that more than those only whom youknow may share in the Blessings of your Administration An ungenerous Self-interest separate from the Public Good has been observ'd to prevail over most Statesmen which made the World put su●…●…st distinction betwixt the S●… and the Patriot as to mak●… 〈◊〉 ●…cileable but You Sir 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 general an Observatio●… 〈◊〉 we all 〈◊〉 that in you the Patriot and Statesman are eminently united Your Soul is too Large too Noble to be wretchedly confin'd to so narrow a Game as the Chase of your own priv●…te Happiness without regard to the public or rather you are so True an English-man that you cannot be Happy unless your Country be so too and 't is not your own private Stores but the Public that gives you Content for your Goodness is exalted so near to Perfection that it cannot but be communicative we are so sensible of this that we unanimously wish your Power to do Good were as boundless as we know your Will We might then hope a long wish'd Union in those Minds whose Variance with each other has produc'd a common Misery and till that be effected we have alass but little Hopes of any settl'd Happiness But what is worst there is but small prospect of that till Men have learn'd your Virtue Sir of sacrificing all