Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	add_v	faith_n	temperance_n	2,660	5	11.1051	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00662	Monophylo, Drawne into English by Geffray Fenton. A philosophicall discourse, and diuision of loue; Monophile. English	Pasquier, Etienne, 1529-1615.; Fenton, Geoffrey, Sir, 1539?-1608.	1572 (1572)	STC 10797; ESTC S121952	125,100	188

able to learne more in a moment of themselues than by the bookes or perswasions of all those smatterers of Philosophie altogither without experience that way And in the truth of your owne fancie and conscience I aske you seigneur Phylopolo to which of these two woulde you giue more fayth eyther to an Amadis of gawle figured by our Romaynes for a patterne of true and loyal loue or to Xenocrates who hauing not so much as a nose to smell the true sent of loue may rightly be compared to a stone for that vsing companie one night with a Gentlewoman singularly fayre was not of power so much as to touch hir notwithstanding hir delicate and intysing allurements And yet you will erect such one to prescribe vs preceptes of gouernment in thys Art wherein offering to passe further Charyclea intercepted him as not willinge to giue hym further libertye of speach till he had satisfied hir in one poynt And séeing sayth shée our mutuall talke of one to another séekes in this sort to succéede to matter of argument I will leaue the motion and pursute of your disputations grounded as it séemes to sift the cause of your proplexitie and referre to your good and wise discretions the resolution of that wherewith you séeme to torment your selues in vaine in which seigneur Monophylo it may be I will make my selfe one of your side but not in y processe which I promise to trie with you vnlesse you chaunge opinion And therfore the cause being no lesse graue in it selfe than requiring precise cōsideration let vs take breath a litle in this arbor afore I prefer the point wherein I meane to accuse you in the hearing and witnesse of these two Gentlemen who are to stande as Iudges if with wronge I beare part agaynst you and so entring the Arbor they made themselues seates of swéete hearbes and flowers wherein being set euery one at his ease according to the fauour and consent of the place Madame Charyclea with a countenaunce of pleasaunt anger roaued at Monophylo in this sort it is you seigneur Monophylo vpon whome I am to giue the charge if as they saye you supplie not the pageaunt with an other part because your last speache as I thinke tendes to a false blame of the good Philosopher Xenocrates as not to incline readily to the will of a woman notwithstanding she was fauoured with euery perfection in beautie woulde you maintaine that a man possessing suche happie place merits sinisterly if he depart eyther without doing sacrifice to his pleasure or adding execution to the aduauntage of his tyme and place what doe you knowe whether this Xenocrates had his heart consecrated to another Ladie and being so would you as you seeme make it a straunge and rare vertue or woonder at his chaste gouernement as to obserue loyaltie where he had alreadie pawnde his fayth or that he with honestie vsed abstinence where he coulde not vse appetyte without offence yea this triall passing naturall perill without staine approoues his vertue in respect of temperaunce duly requisite in a man and assures his affection to his former maistresse to whome he gaue neyther cause of iealous feare nor doubt of actuall wrong which shée pronounced with such modestie and behauiour of delight that the whole little troupe fell into a soft murmure or secrete whispering as of the dealings of that mortified Louer whose austeritie was not vnknowne to any of that felowship notwithstanding Phylopolo to satisfie hir demaunde preuented Monophylo and aunswered hir be it Madame sayth he that Monophylo tooke it so and that your sayings caried truth would you thinke notwithstanding that opinion to be erronious touching my selfe I would iudge him of slender wit and lesse discretion what profession of loue soeuer he published in any singular place who standing in possession of the tyme and oportunitie would let slip the occasion as being without the power or pollecie of man eftsoones to be recouered Libertie of speach sayth the Ladie discouereth truly the inconstancie of thoughtes and wordes pronounced for pleasure dissemble commonly the meaning of the minde euen lyke a light feather tossed with a voluntarie wind which rightly is verified in you in the matter of your opinion which I doubt not differs ynough from the consent and iudgement of your thoughtes But what say you seigneur Monophylo what fayth can you afoorde to his sayings Oh Madame sayth he God defend that my mouth should deliuer such speach yea if I were guiltie but in thought I woulde restore the fault with criminall penance and laying my selfe vpon the sentence of all Ladyes I would endure mortall punishment as a mylde iustice Neyther ment I to reprehende Xenocrates for such dealing if his deuotion were vowed to another saint seeing that as his vertue acquites him from blame so his constancie merites aboue the best as hauing made a singuler bequest of his heart he continued no lesse firme and stable than a harde rocke bestowed in the middest of deuouring waues And touching the phra●e of seign●ur phylopolo besides that I wype my handes of such iudgement yet in the testimonie of an vndefiled conscience I protest here to abhorre his opinion notwithstanding it be grounded vppon good and auncient lawes drawne out of the Registers of Venus Temple at Rome whose tenor bare expresse permission to execute our actuall will on all as occasion offered hauing also for my selfe the aucthoritie of custome setled by long distent of time into the mindes of men to the which it were lawfull for me to haue recourse if the lawe shoulde fayle me But I feare greatly sayth Chariclea that lawe neuer founde place in the Chapter house albeit it were enrolled in the temple of Venus nor published thorow the whole temple but onely to such as stoode on the ridge and battlements of the Churche and not to others who chose their residence within the heart and they eyther may pretende the law not to be generall or at least alledge ignoraunce to vnderstand it And touching your recourse to custome as you threaten you are not now to know that such corruption of maners gotten by an vsurped vse doe not merite the name of custome for so to shadow and couer our faultes by nature and worldly infection might we holde by the same reason that the vices wherevnto we are inclyned since the sinne of our first father haue woonne the name of custume lawfull and valable which speache so shaked phylopolo that fore bearing to offer any further question they founde matter ynough to treate vppon And therefore renuing the charge vpon Charyclea agaynst loyaltie I feare Madame sayth he that if you and I shoulde enter this combate the issue woulde stande so harde betwéene vs as the doubt woulde followe who shoulde glorie in the victorye séeing indifferent errors woulde rise on both sides And I thinke singularitie is no lesse displeasing to God than if a manne made diuision of his hart to many women séeing amongst