Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	world_n	write_v	youth_n	28	3	7.0866	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66772	A proclamation in the name of the King of kings, to all inhabitants of the isles of Great Brittain and especially to those who have hypocritically pretended to justice, mercy, honesty, and religion (as also to them who have lived in open prophaness and impiety) summoning them to repentance, by denouncing God's judgements, and declaring his mercy, offered in the everlasting gospel / warrantably proclaimed and preached by Geo. Wither ... ; whereto are added, some fragments of the same authors, omitted in the first imprinting of the book, intituled Scraps and crums, and a few which were collected since that impression, and during his imprisonment.	Wither, George, 1588-1667.	1662 (1662)	Wing W3181; ESTC R12240	34,610	74

But one thing which till now I thought not fit To mention I admir'd at and do yet Ev'n this That being of all else bereft The same Tools in my pow'r should still be left VVhereby offence was given and by which My Vindication will be further'd much It was a Mercy but sure not of men That I bereaved was not of my Pen When I was first restrain'd and also sent As many are to close Imprisonment Which at this time had greater mischief done Than all that I till now have undergone And this I here express not to outbrave Mans fury but that GOD may Glory have By that Assurance wherewith me he arms In present suffrings against future harms For that cause in this manner is reveal'd That which a wiser man would have conceal'd And though I somewhat over peremptory May seem yet when Truths honour and GOD's Glory Do lie at stake I know a servile speaking To be a foolish and uncomly sneaking Not onely disadvantaging the speaker But rendring also righteous Causes weaker All men to Casualties exposed be And things befall to others as to me Ev'n unto them who are above my sphear And were occasion of my lodging here When I had been above six months debar'd Of Liberty unpitti'd and unheard Accus'd for Libelling because I had A private Recapitulation made Of what I knew as well by sight as fame And for which yet unheard confin'd I am Five Persons of no mean degree were sent To be my Fellows by Imprisonment Within this Jayl and at this present are Charg'd with suspition of no less Crimes here Than Theft and Murder And there 's one among That number which at this time doth belong To that Society which I am said To have defam'd and therefore here was laid Though I in private only had declar'd In genral terms what common fame aver'd And which now seem not so incredible As they were thought nor things impossible Yet with unfeignedness desire I do They may be guiltless found if they be so And quit without endeavouring to smother Two Crimes by perpetrating of another For guilt to cover and damn Innocents Is not in these dayes without Presidents And Presidents although not worth a straw By some are made equivolent to Law Their Youth I greatly pitty though the Rage Of my Oppressors pitty not my Age Nor care to what straights I may be exposed Whilst here despis'd of all I am inclosed Now they and I until we shall be try'd All scandalous conjectures must abide And if upon the Test their Act appears Mistook why may not mine as well as theirs Mistaken be since I more likely am Than they by Prejudice to suffer blame And have lesse outward means of vindication From an unjust and causless imputation But they and I shall have when our time 's come That which GOD hath appointed for our Doom He will be Righteous though men are not so Whatere He pleases therefore let Him do We by the Justice which will then be done Shall know what 's likely to ensue thereon To other men who live in expectation Of Justice or of due Commiseration And if with meekness upon GOD we rest That which threats worst things will produce the best They whom I have displeas'd may now be merry For I have scribled until I am weary And shall perhaps no more be troublesome This way when what 's conceiv'd to light shal come But then permit them from thenceforth to do What they intend till they are weary too In this mode I have little more to offer To say or do but down to lye and suffer Assur'd that if no good effects that have Which I have writ A Poem in my Grave Compos'd and hither sent would be no more Effectual than my Writings heretofore I have exprest enough to men of Reason Who know when sober Truths come forth in season Now therefore if GOD please let them who shall Desire them take Pen Credit Life and all But let them therewith know that they will be So dealt withall as they shall deal with me 'T is now known what I 've done what I can say And what I suffer but not what I may Qui jacet in Terrâ non habet undé cadet The World can him undo no more Whom she hath quite undone before But he whom GOD shall smile upon May lose all yet not be undone A few Lines more I 'le add I hear some say This will occasion rending quite away All Liberties at once and many think That henceforth neither Paper Pen nor Ink Will be allow'd me nor a Visitant Which may supply me with what I shall want Yea that I may be thither sent where none Shall see or hear what must be undergone And that nought can be hop'd for but Perdition In such a place and such a sad condition Yet this I fear not For there is no place On Earth or any such distressed case As no Redress admits There 's not alone For ev'ry Grief a Cure for ev'ry one In ev'ry Country But each man about him Hath also that within him or without him Which known and by GOD's aid applied cures All Maladies and all Distemperatures The greatest Tyrants pow'r extends not to All those things which he hath a Will to do Nor is there any Misery or Place Whereby I can be shut up from GOD's Grace What more I may now or hereafter bear Increases not my terrour or my care Nay so far am I from the dread of that Which may befall in such a sad estate That when I think on what the Rage of men Shall do at worst And what GOD will do then It keeps me pleas'd For to deliver me What ere betides a thousand wayes hath he He that can make safe passage through the seas And through a Fiery Furnace if He please Pre-apprehensions gives me of that Grace Which will vouchsafed be in such a Case Joseph was long in Prison yet GOD sent A means to free him from Imprisonment In such a mode that if within our Creed It be 't will very well deserve our heed The World can neither bring me to dispair Nor me deprive of Hope Faith Love or Prayr Nor take away or unto me restore Ought making my Assurance less or more GOD clothes the Lillies and doth Sparrows feed He can turn Stones to Bread if there be need And could I down to Hell by men be driven When I came thither I should find it Heaven The Bugbears wherewithall the World assays To skare me could not in my childish dayes Affright me I was exerciz'd in youth For loving Honesty and writing Truth With strict Imprisonments and made ere since A Stone to very many of offence Kickt to and fro till thereat many broke Their shins at least yet harm I never took GOD hath preserved me now fifty years In his Work in all troubles wants and fears From Poverty and Shame in worst of times From mine own Follies Vanities and Crimes From Famines

Pestilences raging War And Tyrants worse than those three Judgments are Without dismay ev'n when it so befell That men in greatest pow'r sped not so well In plain terms I did often represent Their failings to the late Long Parliament Yet scap't their fury though I could not scape Their Fraud nor Partnership in that mishap Which their Improvidence occasion'd then Both to themselves and many better men But that will for my welfare prove at last As certainly as that which in time past I told them would befall is at this day Fulfill'd upon them ev'ry sev'ral way And will continue till their Fiery Tryal Hath brought men to that real self-denial Which them will qualifie to carry on The Work which GOD intendeth shall be done I likewise did presage to Oliver In bold words to his face and without fear What would at last befall him and I knew Though he dissembled it what would ensue For such plain-dealing yea I soon did find By what course my destruction was design'd But whilst he thought I thought my self befriended GOD taught me to prevent what he intended That I might suffer as now at this time What gives more cause of glorifying Him By these Experiments confirm'd I am My GOD will alwayes be to me the same That he hath been and ratifie that Truth In my old Age that I believ'd in Youth By making that which likely seems to double My sorrows to help others in their trouble VVith constancy and patience to sustain Their Burdens whilst upon them they remain And peradventure they will be so wise VVhose Indignation yet upon me lies That when they heed what GOD for me hath done And may do they 'l consider so thereon That they who were my Foes my Friends will be And save themselves by their deliv'ring me GOD can effect this for me if He please For He doth many stranger things than these But let Him do his Will VVhat ere is done He is my Trust and Him I 'le rest upon If such a Famine as is threatned comes There will be need of such like Scraps and Crums But these to none can toothsome be unless They thirst and hunger after Righteousness For they will relish unto all men els Like fleshless bones or fishless Oyster-shels Perhaps to some few they will serve instead Of Physical Receipts in time of need If carelesly they be not cast aside But prudently and seasonably apply'd To that end they endeavoured to save them From being lost by whose means ye now have them They Relicts are of that continual Feast My Conscience makes me and probatum est To ev'ry one of them subscribe I may For I have proved them by night and day They are but part of larger Meditations Thus worded for my daily Recreations For whilst to write them down I did assay The greatest portion of them flew away VERSES written by Mr. George Wither upon three Trenchers with Oker during his close-Imprisonment and carried to the Lieutenant of the Tower by the said Prisoners Keeper George Wither close Prisoner to the Lieut. of the Tower SIR I have been a Prisner now six times For no worse faults than just Reproofs of Crimes Nigh fifty years acquainted with the pow'r Of Jaylors and shall shortly know the Tower To be the best or else the worst of all Confinements which did hitherto befall All my defensive Arms are took away Now therefore I assume such as I may And since my Lot affords no better Tools A Trencher mark't with Oker Lead or Coals Shall be my Buckler Sword and Advocate To you in this my much opprest estate These long experience taught me to provide When such a strait was likely to betide And if you take them from me you will do More than your Order doth oblige you to Or Charity allows for I 'm not free To come to you nor will you come at me Though wise and good and honourable men Have thought me worth a visit now and then When I was in the much despised Jayl Of Newgate some from thence were freed by Bail Though charg'd with Theft Murder and I may Expect that Priviledge as well as they But kissing goes by favour and I lack The Silver Key which way thereto doth make And by the want whereof I find this place Affords not unto me the common grace Allow'd to Rogues nor so much as a Slave In Turky or in Barbary may have For they have Bread and Water at the least And Place assigned them wherein to rest VVithout extorting more than can be had Unless their Flesh could into Coyn be made VVhereas the Mercy which this place affords In Age and Sickness had been naked boards And stones for bread had not my Wife by giving VVhat Charity bestow'd to keep her living Prevented for a week what was design'd To me thence-forward if we caanot find Enough beforehand weekly to bring in And save the stripping of me to the skin By which means that Impeachment now intended May not be drawn up till my Life is ended So they will lose their labour who assay To mould my Punishment another way VVhich I conceiv'd would more vexation be To some than all my Suffrings are to me Prisners should gently used be if mild Not currishly oppressed and revil'd For though neglected we have still a Law VVhereby such Jaylors may be kept in awe Know Sir that much abuse to me is done Which is not an Abuse to me alone But likewise to your self and to the nature And priviledge of ev'ry humane creature For which cause being willing to prevent Both your Dishonour and my Detriment I this way have contrived to declare My mind and that I my Affronts can bear Though to my knowledge since my name was Wither I was not Villain call'd till I came hither Nor from ought for preserving healthy debarr'd Though oft my usage hath been very hard The mercy of preceding times was such That Prisners here were not opprest so much For all Close-Prisners for what Crime soere Accus'd suppli'd with all things needful were In their degrees ev'n a● the Princes cost Which Priviledge though now it seemeth lost Custom had made so legal● when due That till of late it was de●y'd to few And whensoever claim'd your Predecessors If they denyed it we●● thought Transgressors They who infring'd 〈◊〉 Custom first did bring Dishonour to the Nation and the King Them closely imprison who have nought To feed them and thereof then take no thought Is worse than killing them yea such a sin As hath by ●nfidels abhorred bin Where 's nothing left there nothing can be got And to oppress because men have it not Is an inhumane and a brutish evil That 's found in none but an incarnate Devil Sir by profession you a Christian are And I hope this mind is from you so far That you all civil usages will daign So long as in your keeping I remain A Cat no more can yeeld you but her skin If Sheep