Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	charity_n	faith_n	temperance_n	1,943	5	10.7125	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04989	The resolued gentleman. Translated out of Spanishe into Englyshe, by Lewes Lewkenor Esquier; Chevalier délibéré. English	La Marche, Olivier de, ca. 1426-1502.; Lewkenor, Lewis, Sir, d. 1626.	1594 (1594)	STC 15139; ESTC S108201	70,399	158

discourse But this I assure you they shalbe such as I know not whether any antiquitie can bring forth the like In fine her Kingdome shalbe the secure Hauē of Afflicted Princes her Purse the royall maintenance of Distressed Kings and her powerfull Armes the yoking bridle of Ambitious Tirants As for the Princely magnificence of her Court her well expressed iudgement in the election of graue and honorable Counseylors her well employed rewardes on those that shalbe Vertuous and of merite her bountifull liberalitie and gratious enterteinment of Strangers her learning languages and skilfulnesse in royall knowledge of such artes and secrets as to her estate are fitting so vnable is my feeble speeche to aspire vnto the heigth of their worthynesse that forbearing to speake of things so farre aboue my reach I know no better way then to couer them vnder the vaile of silence leauing the large campe of her prayses to the excellent writers of that age wherein shee shall floorish her rarenesse being such that she shall with the highnesse of her vertue drawevp as the heate of the Sunne doth vapours from the earth the excellent wittes of her time to so high a pitch that the following ages among millions of other noble workes penned in her praise shall as much admire the writer but farre more the subiect of the fairie Queene as euer former ages did Homer and his Achilles or Virgill and his Aeneas such worthy rare and excellent matter shall her matchlesse and incomparable vertue yeelde them to ennoble their pennes to immortalize their fames As for me hauing now made you acquainted with the former Combats of which I made you promise though I haue in their recital perchaunce seemed somewhat prolixe yet yf you wil consider the perticularitie of the mentioned Princes I feare you shall rather haue occasion to blame my breuitie Hauing now as I say satisfied your desire and that truely without abusion or deceipt I wil now take my leaue of you because Atropos standeth in neede of my seruice As for your Combat neuer trouble your selfe with vrging it farther for I wil doubt you not sommon you thereunto in time and therefore I would wish you euen now to make yourselfe redie seeing the houre thereof cannot be but at hande At the ende of these speeches he tooke his leaue of mee and departed leauing mee in a strange confusiō betweene sorow of that which was past wonder of that which was to come my onely comfort being to thinke of that fortunate and golden age wherein the branches of these deceassed Princes shal liue especially that excellent matchlesse Empresse of the Ocean Herewith Memorie that had all this while attentiuely listened vnto these passed tragicall discourses seeing me still perseuer in my pensiuenesse vsed her best endeuours to comfort me and requested me seeing I had such prolongation and respite of time graunted me to returne and to take my lodging with her whyther she would cause the olde hermite Vnderstanding to be sent for of whom I might take good and firme counsayle against the doubtfull issue of this dangerous Combat which now of necessitie was shortly to betide me I willingly accepted her gentle offered enterteinement and turning my Horse was contented to folow her By the way she perceiuing my minde to be ouer-pressed with heauie and melancholy thoughtes endeuoured to remooue me from those sorowfull apprehensions by recording vnto me many passed pleasing Histories and allegories moralizing them all vnto my good and comfort So that passing on the way without tediousnesse we were soone arriued at her mansion whither Vnderstanding the good Hermite was sent for who redie and duetifull at her commandement was in my Chamber at my bedside so soone as the dawning of the next morning appeared I exceedingly reioyced at his comming because I knew him to be a counsayler voyde of al fraude and ful of vertuous consolation graue in his iudgement and sounde in his aduise God be thanked for his goodnesse that gaue me happinesse to haue his acquaintance and grace to bende my minde to folow the direction of his counsayles After many mutuall congratulations betweene vs he began to instruct me with many lessons all teaching the way how to liue and die well in which two onely poynts consisteth all the height and excellence of wisedome First quoth he who so euer he be that is to combat either within List Barrier or Steccada he ought well to consider as well the qualitie of his owne forces as of those of his enemie and according thereunto to make his prouision of furniture and defence For rashly to enter vnprouided vnto so great an enterprise as it coulde not be but to the body dangerous so it woulde be to the soule doubtfull of which whosoeuer maketh a carelesse accompt may well be tearmed miserable and vnhappie And although that whosoeuer is honorably chalenged to single combat may make choyce of his weapons besides certaine other priuiledges that he hath both of time and place yet such is the necessitie and streight limitted condition of this your fight and Atropos your aduersarie so full of dishonorable aduantages that he will not geue you so much as warning when or where he meaneth to assayle you whether by water or by land whether in desart or in playnes whether in your bed or vppon your horse but perchaunce euen surprise you of a sodaine when you shalbe prouided neither of weapon nor defence able to auaile you Considering therfore the neere approching time of your combat and withall the entrapping stratagems and cautelous wily aduantages of your aduersarie I would wishe you in time to make prouision accordingly and that with such warie and heedefull circumspection that no sodainnesse be able to ouertake you which if you will follow these my instructions I doubt not but you shall easily performe with your endlesse honor and welfare First let al your Harnesse be tempered in true Repentance so fastly forged and beaten with the hammer that no deadly sinne be able to teint them nor ougly vice haue power to pierce thē Let your Vamplate be firmely steeled with a firme resolued purpose to perseuer in Well-dooing seeking in all your actions with a true religious zeale the seruice and glorie of God Let your Vambraces be of Vertuous Magnanimitie in not yeelding to fraile worldly pleasures and your Gantelets of perfect Charitie shewing the liuelinesse of your faith in the operation of your workes Aboue all let your Headpeece be of Temperance which though it be in the worlde a vertue rarely founde and litle set by yet it is a iewell most pretious and will in this enterprise highly stande you in steede Let your Cuisses be of patient Suffering your Poldrones of Diligence and your Greues of labour to do Well In this maner armed and all the peeces of your Armour combined togeather in Fayth such and so sure wilbe your foundation bearing the blessed signe of the

from sorow But returning to my discourse at the ende of the combat when I had seene the death of these three my so dearly honored soueraignes my eyes being drowned with teares and my soule with sorow vnwilling to ouer-liue so great a desastre I pulled downe my beuer and dreadlesse and carelesse what might happen nor looking nor fearing who came against me I rushed into the listes defying my aduersaries to come both or one or how they listed or dared Memorie seeing me thus altred feared least I had bin troubled with some passion of Despaire and therefore willed me to recommende my selfe vnto God which I did and constantly attended the comming of my aduersaries But by and by came vnto me a felow like a Heralde of litle stature with a blazon of prolongation his name was Sommons Great Atropos saith he that heere gouerneth hath commaunded me to tell thee that thy houre is not yet come and therefore willeth thee to stay till thou be called which shall not be long first In the meane time rest contented for there are now many other combats to be determined of greater worth and among the rest especially of fiue famous aduenturers whose names and particularities I desiring him to recount vnto me though sayd he some of these be things to come and the secretes of the destinies are not to be reuealed yet for this once I will satisfie thy request Know then that these fiue dismall conflictes I speake off heere to be tryed are such that the onely thinking of them breedeth an astonishing terrour both to Atropos and her Champions who hearing of the victorious conquestes that are and shalbe by these excellent aduenturers atchiued are fore-possessed with an incredible feare and amazement I will therefore tell thee first what each of the aduenturers is and then how prepared and armed they will come to this the last combat that euer they shall make And do not thinke that I do fable with thee in telling thee of things to come for I doe certeinly assure thee that the euent shalbe as I doe tell thee for Atropos is well acquainted with the Destinies who haue discouered the whole vnto her But because it greeueth me exceedingly to see thee so sorowful and sad I would yeeld willingly some comfort to thy perplexed minde And this assure thy selfe the heauens doe neuer denie consolation to the comfortlesse and distressed As for the three ended princes whose vntimely deaths haue brought thee to such excessiue and immoderate sorow and these other with the particularitie of whose combats I haue promised to acquaint thee they shall leaue behind them such and so noble a succession that their losse shalbe to the whole worlde restored But especially the great English Monarch who among the rest of his royal issue shal leaue one so excellent a daughter so highly of the heauens blessed that besides the glorifying of the frozen poles and the fiery equinoctials with the trophes of her inuincible armes such shalbe the worldes wonder and admiration of her vertue that the greatest kings princes and estates of the worlde shall thinke it the greatest happinesse that may befall them to be shrowded vnder the faire spreading wings of her Imperious gouernment some of them falling downe at her sacred feete and flying into her realme for refuge as to an vnblemished Azyle and inuiolable sanctuarie But now to enterteine thee no longer with circumstances know that the first which in these listes is by Atropos so fearefully expected is the great and mighty princes Dōna Isabella Queene and enheritrix of Castile Her am I ere long time ouerpasse to sommon to the aduenture of this passage to which as euery mortall creature is subiect so shall shee not be disobedient but presently come into the field armed and accompanied as followeth Shee shalbe mounted vppon a triumphall Chariot accompanied with innumerable vertues contending betweene them selues which of them shoulde haue the chiefe possession and presidence within the royall harbour of her thoughts They shall attende on eache side of her Chariot singing in her honour immortall prayses Fayth and pure Zeale shalbe her Chariots guyde Foure Horses exceeding the snow in whitenesse therein denoting her puritie shall draw the same their names Wisedome Religion Hope and Charitie all being blessings and especiall graces of the highest her armour shalbe of Magnanimitie her Helmet of good Counsayle assisting her in gouernment The Sworde she shalbe gyrt withall shalbe of an accustomed vertue of hers called Natural Pitie the which she shall employ put in vre against Crueltie Her Speare shalbe of good Desart steeled with a head of hating Errour all her workes and cogitations being thereunto incessantly bent and directed her Shielde of Honestie and her Coat-armour of Aucthoritie before which vayne Pleasure and worldly Vanitie neuer dare appeare Vpon her arriuall her King at armes called Gouernment shall proclayme all the particularities of her estate name condition and cause of coming Presently will weerilesse Accident come foorth armed with a new and fryghtfull Harnesse of Amazement his Shielde of Dispayre therewith to bereaue the defendant of all hope to escape his Dart of Crueliie his battle Axe of Impossibilitie whose blow no soundnesse of health nor vigorousnesse of force shalbe able to withstande his Sworde shalbe of Passion his Dagger of Sorow And thus furnished shall he begin the combat halfe dismayed at the vertue fame and estate of so great an enemie onely encouraged by the perswasion of Furie that still incenseth him forwarde The gentle Princesse seeing him come shall presently dismount off her Chariot and with a well resolued constancie attende him opposing against his fiercenesse her Speare of good Desart But inexorable Accident no whit at all thereof esteeming shall in such sort vexe and pursue this noble Ladie that notwithstanding all the defence of her infinite vertues he shall in the ende depriue her of lyfe and the worlde of his chiefe ornament So that heere shall be seene the ende of the mightie and puissant Queene the very thought whereof forepossesseth my minde with griefe But so firme and vnuanquished shall her vertue be that it shall perpetually retayne her name and memorie in lyfe in despite of Atropos that gaue her death Fame and Glorie shall geue her Sepulture and though her body be by death vanquished yet with a farre more worthy conquest shall her ioyfull freed soule by the grace of Gods goodnesse winne eternall rest in the heauens At the ende of this wofull conflict shall a noble and heroyicall aduenturer present him selfe in the lystes by name great Philip heyre to Austria Burgundie to which by mariage with Donna Iohanna daughter to Ferdinande and the late remembred Q. Isabelle he shall adioyne the riche and mightie kingdome of Spayne Sicily Arragon and Naples Accident vnderstanding the arriuall of this matchlesse Prince shall presently mount vpon a fresh Courser called Outrage his Armour shalbe of cruell Chaunce of a