Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	action_n	false_a	great_a	136	3	2.0658	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34769	The life of John Baptist Colbert, late minister and secretary of state to Lewis XIV, the present French king done into English from a French copy printed at Cologne this present year, 1695.; Vie de Jean-Baptiste Colbert. English	Courtilz de Sandras, Gatien, 1644-1712.	1695 (1695)	Wing C6599; ESTC R8430	128,103	270

The Life of Mons r. Colbert THE LIFE Of the Famous John Baptist Colbert LATE MINISTER and SECRETARY of STATE TO LEWIS XIV THE Present French King Done into English from a French Copy printed at Cologne this present Year 1695. LONDON Printed for R. Bentley in Covent-Garden J. Tonson at the Judge's-Head in Fleet-street H. Bonwick at the Red-Lion in St. Paul's Church-yard W. Freeman at the Bible against the Middle-Temple-Gatein Fleet-street and S. Manship at the Ship in Corn-hill 1695. THE Author's Preface WHatever may be said of the Performance there can be no Objections made against the Seasonableness of my present Vndertaking For if the Publication of this little Work had been longer delay'd it wou'd have been a hard Task for the Author to have acquir'd the Reputation of an exact Historian and every Reader wou'd have pretended a Right to dispute or at least to suspect the Truth of his Relation 'T is an obvious Remark That the Memory of even the most Publick Transactions is of a very tender Constitution and seldom or never retains its Integrity if care be not taken to preserve it while 't is fresh and unfaded in some measure resembling Summer Fruits that must be either hastily gather'd or eaten corrupted if I may be allow'd to borrow the Thought of a Modern Historian Besides the Vndistinctness which is the common Inconveniency of remote Views They who undertake to write an Account of a Man●s Life after a long Series of Years has in a manner set him out of our reach are oblig'd to depend on the Credit of an uncertain Tradition that confounds real with imaginary Events and not unfrequently suppresses the most remarkable Actions of the Person whose Memory it pretends to preserve In the midst of so much Confusion 't is impossible to avoid Mistakes For that which bears the nearest resemblance to Truth is frequently observ'd to be only a well-contriv'd Lye and oftentimes a seeming Fable after a diligent Enquiry is found to be a certain Truth The Life of great Persons is full of Contradictions and those Characters of em and Judgments concerning their Actions that are founded on the Idea they give of themselves on certain occasions rarely amount to more than false or at best uncertain Conjectures On the other side if I had publish'd this History sooner it might have been suspected of Flattery The Ministers of great Princes are no less terrible than their Masters and if ever an impartial Historian runs the hazard of an unjust and rigorous Treatment for a faithful Representation of the Management of Affairs 't is when he attempts to unskreen the Designs of those who are the present Dispensers of Rewards and Punishments If M. Colbert's Life had appear'd while his Sons were actually possess'd of the highest Posts in the Government the Reader might have justly suspected me of a Design to make my Court to the Children by writing a Panegyrick on the Father But the present Posture of Affairs leaves no room for any suspicion of that Nature and therefore I expect to be believ'd when I protest that the only Motive which engag'd me in writing the History of that Great Minister was my desire to acquaint Posterity with the most memorable Actions of his Life And as I began the Work without the least curb upon my Sincerity so in the prosecution of it I have confin'd my self to a scrupulous Observance of the Truth Nor have I been less careful to expose his Faults than to do Justice to his Perfections The Reader will easily perceive that I never take the liberty to wander from my Subject For he must not expect to find in this Treatise a continu'd History of the Reign of Lewis XIV but the Life of one of his Chief Ministers of State who sustain'd not the entire Burthen of the Government but was confin'd to the Management of certain particular Affairs And I have endeavour'd with all possible Exactness to trace him thro' the whole Course of his Life in the discharge of his peculiar Employments without taking notice of those general Affairs that were not properly a part of his Province any further than he had a share in ' em I cou'd not forbear adorning my Work with large and exact Descriptions of his Majesty's principal Buildings that were erected under the Inspection of this Minister For besides that Relations of this Nature are extremely agreeable to the Curious and Ingenious part of Mankind these admirable Works are so many convincing Proofs of the Activity Vigilance and indefatigable Diligence of him to whose Care they were committed The Discharge of so important a Trust might have been the entire and glorious Occupation of an ordinary Genius but it was the least part of M. Colbert's Task For besides he had the Management of Naval Affairs and of the King's Revenue which he still found means to encrease by some new Expedient He was also entrusted with the Care of promoting Trade and of improving ingenious Arts And 't is the duty of every Frenchman to acknowledge that the Industry and Politeness of our Artizans is an effect of the admirable Conduct of that Minister and that he depriv'd our Neighbours of the Servile Tribute which our wasteful Luxury paid to the Arts that flourish'd among ' em But our Gratitude to M. Colbert must not betray us into a disingenuous partiality Neither ought we to be so dazzled with the pleasing view of the shining part of his Life as to forget or dissemble his Faults For 't is certain that he never scrupl'd to commit any Act of Injustice that might serve to enrich his Sovereign and that notwithstanding his affected Probity and seeming Neglect of his own Interest he omitted no Opportunity to fill his Coffers by indirect Methods This is the dark and blemish'd Reverse of his Character and the truth of these Assertions will appear evidently to the attentive Peruser of the following Treatise To the History of M. Colbert I have added that of his Eldest Son the Marquess of Seignelay who succeeded him in the Offices of Secretary of State and of Commander and Great Treasurer of His Majesty's Orders At present there are none of his Sons alive but James-Nicholas Archbishop of Rohan and Lewis Colonel of the Regiment of Champaign BOOKS lately Printed THE Present State of Persia With a faithful Account of the Manners Religion and Government of that People By Monsieur Sanson a Missionary from the French King Adorn'd with Figures Done into English The Present State of the Empire of Morocco With a faithful Account of the Manners Religion and Government of that People By Monsieur de S. Olon Ambassador there in the Year 1693. Adorn'd with Figures The Life of the Famous Cardinal-Duke of Richlieu Principal Minister of State to Lewis XIII King of France and Navarre in Two Volumes 8vo Letters written by a French Gentleman giving a faithful and particular Account of the Transactions of the Court of France relating to the Publick