Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	lord_n	poor_a	title_n	806	5	9.6002	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51875	The loving husband and prudent wife represented in the persons of St. Eustachius and Theopista, martyrs / written in Italian by John Baptista Manzini and Englished by John Burbery.	Manzini, Giovanni Battista, 1599-1664.	1657 (1657)	Wing M556; ESTC R29503	56,382	213

up and down not dejected acknowledging every thing from Gods hand did comfort himself 'T is a favour he said patiently that the scourge we deserve for so many transgressions vents its fury on the shoulders of our fortune Let 's think on what remains since that which is past is irrevocable Let 's be thankfull to God for what he hath left us and thank him for what he hath taken away Was he not mercifull to us in suffering us to enjoy so much time Who knows if his depriving us of our Goods hath not been a greater favour than his giving them to us How many have lost their lives by being Masters of so many desperate fellows The name of God be praised we have still so much left us that living with much less we shall live with much more than is necessary Can we part with less than the lives of a few Slaves to have an occasion of conforming our selves to Gods will While he was thus reasoning with himself behold a panting Messenger arriv'd whose wan and sad face usher'd in his dismal news It grieves me my Lord said he to relate what will doubtless afflict you But the loss is as great as the tidings inevitatable All your Flocks of Sheep your Oxen and Horses are destroy'd by a sudden contagion and have left us as poor as confounded and amaz'd When God permits the Devil to command his Scepter is of fire He so fears his authority of destroying should be clipt that he undermines esteeming the time lost he employes in demolishing and battering To be poor on the sudden is a great thing with patience to support especially for him who is not obliged to Fortune but ows all he hath to his own virtuous ●●bours Nothing in this World we love ●ore than the fruits of our own labours We love them because they are commodious we love them because we got them hardly and we love them because they are our Children but yet for all this their loss would be supportable if we lov'd them not as testimonies and assurances of our virtue For this last blow which ruin'd entirely all the substance not onely the greatness of Eustachius his House what may we imagine he said whose onely hope was the sale of his Cattle or their profits at least would have repair'd the loss he had suffered by the death of his Slaves He said Praised blessed and thanked be God who hath eas'd me of the weight of so painfull a care Whom should I have trusted with the government of this Flock which onely was left me after my Serva●ts death to disquiet and tro●… me Dear Wife our God takes from us all impediments that we being freer and disengag'd from all affairs may attend his service and be thankfull to him Be he alwayes glorified and I beseech all the Angels together with all Creatures to thank him for me since I cannot perform it of my self God alone be my patrimony my treasure and substance by virtue of him my losses will not hurt me my gains not distract me not my miseries afflict me If my God be but with me what thing can I want But what should these poor persons do I should say Lords if the Pestilence had not kill'd too this title By selling the best furniture of their House and their Lands which for want of looking too were wholly out of order they both patiently supported and consum'd too their poor Family Their Friends quickly left them since 't is a usual fault in the world to fly away from thence whence Prosperity is departed Many blame Fortune for this and say she 's so cruel she would think she had left him too much whose poverty she hath decreed if she had not too depriv'd him of Friends But wise men do know this fault is our own and not the Stars Man is afraid to touch him whose condition is infected and cannot give us any thing but contagion or pretend but to our Goods The not being a good Friend to ones Friend makes us not count a Friend among our proper Goods else 't would be impossible we should think it a misfortune to part with any thing of our own for his sake whom we valued as one of the pretiousest Jewels we have His Followers deserted him because he wanted means to maintain them and he that cannot live of himself stands in need of another He was not cry'd up because he was not rich Acclamations and splendour go together and he that is wealthy may be prudent wise and valiant Every man did pity him but no man assisted him All knew he was innocently unfortunate but woe to him whose Innocence must onely relieve him He that could not help him desir'd it affectionately and he that could do it avoyded meeting with him for fear of being moved to pity Men fly from the miserable as from the infected with the Plague And though we all know what we do is the thing we would not have done to our selves yet interest so swayes us we had rather deserve cruelty by our avarice than purchase mercy by compassion Having spent what they had sold these Noble Persons began to be sensible of the outrages of shame which alwayes accompanies and torments us in adversity He that is unfortunate thinks every one derides him objecting his necessities as a punishment for his offences or accusing him of folly in the management of his fortune Their Noble Birth likewise reproach'd them with their present low condition They griev'd to be a disgrace unto those who had left them so well and though their new Religion had extinguish'd all ambition in them yet they thought it unhandsome to do any thing misbeseeming Nobility a gift of Heaven that swerves not from its principles of which the obligation to uphold it with honour and state is not the least In fine their last refuge was a firm resolution to retreat far from Rome where to be seen living in that manner was the greatest affliction their poverty made them suffer They thought that going where unknown they could have what was necessary would be a relinquishing the qualities at Rome which made even things of superfluity but necessary If to live in the luster of a Prince were as easy a thing as to live like an ordinary man Fortune would not have many Altars Solitude and Poverty they suppos'd would make them most happy O God with what tranquillity shall we enjoy our selves in a sacred peace exempt from the noyse and tumults of Followers who by reason of their many necessities are continually troublesome and importunate O God with what freedome may we being at liberty dive into the contemplation and service of that beloy'd Deity who seasons so sweetly to us our calamities And when in the greatness of the world and honours of the times were we sensible of the contentment of heart we have now among so many miseries which should grieve and afflict us Now I plainly see said Eustachius what terrestrial riches are

wonderfull a scene have registred their Acts in the Annals of eterninity to present them to God as a pleasing sight to him who is in his own sphear when he shines among the flames of an enamour'd heart They supt but gaz'd more than they did eat the communication of their miseryes past refreshing them more than the delicatest meat though it had been drest by the skilfullest hand and with the rarest sauces in the world In the morning they went to the Army which rendevous'd together expected them waving with gladness acclamations and such joyfull applause that it plainly appeared the happiness alone of the Generall was the soul of that vast body considering his dignity but the heart if we consider their affections This day they were jocund and joviall and consumed the next in preparations to be gone the word being given through the Campe of their future dislodging Eustachius when the legions the baggage and prisoners were marcht away went directly to Rome in the midway to which he received advice that Trajan the just the valiant and couragious was dead which disturb'd in some sort the contentment of his heart Something should be said in the praise of his vertue if the name of Trajan had not been the greatest prayse the memorialls of that age could commemorate The Generall publisht the news to the Legions who wept not for his death for at the same time they heard of the succession of Adrian not was it lawfull or at least secure to weep when tears might maliciously be interpreted and said to be shed rather for the coronation of the one than the death of the other In those tyrannous times they lookt not nor spake without counsell and before they went abroad receiv'd information of the interests of the Prince to know what kind of Countenance they should wear through the City Eustachius arriving in Rome was receiv'd in that manner by the Emperour that he found no want of Trajan I relate not the ceremonyes at his meeting his prayses the concourses of people the Images Crowns and triumphall arches because in each place where vertue appears she draggs triumphs after her and he 's much more fortunate than valiant whose vertue can receive augmentation of glory by a triumph Adrian embraced commended and rewarded him augmenting his titles his riches and authority Adrian's whole discourse still concluded with the prudence the valour and fortune of Placidus Placidus was the Emperors right hand the apple of the eye of the Empire and a patterne for the Lords All lookt on him not only as a valiant Commander but a favorite He that of Placidus could dispose whose Genius was supposed predominant o're Adrians thought he could command the Prince Adrian made him often tell the story of his life and kist and hugg'd him often in his bosome and sometimes was so jealous and sometimes so delighted with him that he challenging a share in the fortunate successe of so raging a tempest said in the health of Placidus he ow'd his first triumph to the Gods Placidus dispatcht all affaires and calm'd and resolv'd all the Emperours cares and doubts But what wonder is' t that vertue should be lov'd and respected Placidus never went into the Royall Cabinet but learning and truth enterd with him necessary conditions for the Moses who is to be there to discourse with his God His Power never swell'd him at all and though in so short a space of time he attain'd to such greatness that his looks and command were held in the same veneration yet he more humble and more affable to all than before then onely shew'd his greatness when he had an opportunity to shew his magnanimity He had a heart of ashes and still thought upon his own vileness As the Bee that the wind should not carry him away he still carry'd in his hands the base stone of his condition He had not like Philotas need of shoes soal'd with lead to the end the winde of vanity should not raise him from the earth Death and the Cross were the Anchor and Mast which secured this Ship He knew well the feathers of birds that were offer'd up in holocausts were thrown on the dunghill and that the more the Syren of greatness allures the more needfull it is for Ulysses to be ty'd to the mast for his own preservation The greater his power was the more stil the followers or to speak better the fishers of Fortune extended their netts and toyl'd for his favour Every one believ'd he had stopt the rowling wheele of his fortune when he thought he was sure of his power Every one directed his motions to the splendour of this light which was reverenc'd by all as the North Star of this Heaven O with what ease do our eys deceive themselves Whither it be the nature of affection whose heat 's the less durable by being the more vehement or whither it be the nature of nature which having to every thing prescribed a mutation reduces that faster to the center which she hath with greater violence exalted to the summit Placidus had a fall Confide he in the favour of man who is a greater favourit more deserving and more necessary to his master than Placidus was to Adrian He fell but he fell into Paradise This is a fortunate precipice for he fell into the lap of eternall and incomprehensible felicity but yet t is a precipice for a terrible and dreadfull example of human mutability That a man for his vertue respected and for his condition most powerfull well spoken of by all desir'd by all Nations and victorious in all battailes whom his Countrey glory'd in the age he liv'd in honour'd and in whom the Prince said he was happy should set in an instant be examin'd by a hangman unjustly condemn'd and sentenc'd by that mouth which more than any other carest kist and made him renown'd is a thing so full of horrour that I hold the man mad who after so notorious an example will trust in his own prudence and think it sufficient to support him in the favour of man be he never so friendly or oblig'd The ancient Roman Emperors after any remarkable victory gave publiquely thanks to their Gods which they used to do with that pompe of apparrell and train of applauses that many times the altars had occasion to envy their bravery who offer'd Incense on them and still he was ador'd more devoutly that discharged the vow than he that had given the successe The pompe predesign'd for the glory of this sacrifice receiving the Period expected so long Adrian with bravery more becoming a magnificent oftentation than a devout and great gratitude repayred to the Temple to give the Gods thanks for the Empire so great and victory so glorious they propitiously had given him He went into the Temple attended and applauded by all his greatest Princes beginning his function with the accustomed piety of the fortunate who usually place all their devotion in the charge they are at