Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	act_n	person_n	power_n	4,318	5	5.0707	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96748	Epistolium-vagum-prosa-metricum: or, An epistle at randome, in prose and metre. To be delivered, to all whom it may concern; but, was first intended only, for two or three of the authors friends in authority (if he hath so many left) to mediate in Parliament, the redress of his destructive grievances; in the expression whereof, many particulars of publick concernment are interwoven. The author, is George Wither Esq; who, in writing this address, being transported beyond the sense of his personal sufferings, discovers by a poetical rapture, that whereon the peace of these nations depends; and, what is, and what vvill be, their sad condition; as also, what new-purgatories, and fiery-tryals, they are likely to pass, if God's mercy, prevents not: which that they may endeavour to obtain, their old remembrancer gives them, once more, a fore-warning; resolving, this shall be his last time, of sounding them an alarm.	Wither, George, 1588-1667.	1659 (1659)	Wing W3156; Thomason E763_6; ESTC R204085	47,030	31

EPISTOLIUM-VAGUM-PROSA-METRICUM OR An Epistle at Randome IN PROSE and METRE To be delivered to all whom it may concern but was first intended only for two or three of the Authors Friends in Authority if he hath so many left to mediate in Parliament the Redress of his destructive Grievances in the expression whereof many Particulars of Publick Concernment are interwoven When Justice raigns the Land doth flourish When 't is unthron'd the People perish The Author is George Wither Esq Who in writing this Address being transported beyond the sense of his Personal Sufferings discovers by a Poetical Rapture that whereon the peace of these Nations depends and what IS and what VVILL BE their sad Condition as also what New-Purgatories and Fiery-Tryals they are likely to pass if GOD's Mercy prevents not which that they may endeavour to obtain their old REMEMBRANCER gives them once more a Fore-warning resolving this shall be his Last Time of sounding them an ALARM When Disrespects to Wrongs doth Ruine adde He may be wise who seems a little mad And in that FIT speak things that needfull be To turn those men that are more mad then he Printed at London in the Year 1659. August 10. 1659. Epistolium-Vagum-Prosa-metricum OR An EPISTLE at Randome in Prose and Metre OUr English Proverb saith that Charity begins at home and this Divine Precept Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self implies that there ought to be in every man such a moderate and well-regulated self-love as may be a standing Rule whereby to regulate his love to other men Also from this saying of Paul He that provides not for his family is worse then an infidel I do collect that He who provides not for himself is worse then a Beast It is every mans duty in order to the preservation of his Country to preserve him also as much as he can who loves and studies the peace and welfare of it and I knowing no man living who affects the welfare thereof more then I do may be culpable perhaps of unfaithfulness to my Country by neglecting my own preservation Therefore that I may discharge the duty which I owe to my Country my Self and my Neighbours by taking timely care of my own preservation being at present in much hazard and by none else regarded I have sent abroad this wandring Epistle to fetch in aid which if it come into such hands as I purposed it should and to whom I did first and principally intend it then you who are now perusing it are none of those Idol-Gods who are insensible of those Prayers and Complaints which are presented unto them Or one of those men in honour without understanding who are like the Beasts that perish but one in whom I hope to finde that Candor and Humanity which renders men heedful and sensible of their Neighbours Grievances In that hope and on that account onely I am emboldned hereby to crave your furthering the presentation of that my Petition Narrative to this Parliament which if no other charitable hand shall first undertake it you shall receive in Writing to be presented to the House and also printed Copies of them for your private Information touching my Cause with two Preparatory Addresses directed to every Individual Member of the said Parliament if you give me an encouragement thereto after the receipt hereof as I hope you will for if there hath been offered to this Parliament any Grievances more considerable then mine all Circumstances and Consequences considered I will be contented they should cast my Cause out of their House and me out of this Commonwealth I am inforced to such a Whimsie as this because all my endeavours hitherto have been as ineffectual as if I had sollicited the Statues in Westminster-Abby or in White-hall Garden and because also I having lately made tryal finde no Member of Parliament willing to offer unto it a Petition at this busie time though a little longer delay may prove destructive to me injurious to many and dishonourable to this Commonwealth wherein Justice hath been already deferred as to a main part of my Grievances nigh 17 years For it will be no little dishonour nor a slight disadvantage thereto if at such a time as this a faithful servant to this Republick after so long and great sufferings as mine shall not seasonably be indemnified from dangers and damages soly occasioned by her defective Securities and unperformed Ingagements which will else destroy him especially when large Indulgencies are granted to her malicious Enemies and notorious Offenders Vouchsafe this Wanderer such respect as it shall deserve for it begs not contrary to Law hath a Pass under my hand who employed it onely to prevent those Provocations which may be occasioned by being slighted in a Personal Address and I will take order that it shall be no further troublesome then you please after it hath declared my Requests I am in a streight from which none under GOD can deliver me but the supreme Power of these Nations whereto though it be difficult to procure access by reason of those Insurrections which are now begun I am necessitated to attempt it and do conceive that the supreme Authority now in being is obliged to vouchsafe me Protection yea and Hearing and Relief in some measure even at this season which may seem unseasonable I act in matters concerning GOD and my Soul according to that measure of Illumination which he vouchsafeth by his Word and Spirit neither uncharitably judging or inwardly disaffecting them who do the like It is also my Principle to submit unto that civil Authority which hath the most visible Power and to be Active and Passive under it both for preservation of the Common-peace and of my private interests without much busying my self in examining how rightfully or by what means it got into the Throne considering how difficult it is for a private Person to discover the Mysteries of State with the many Intricacies wherewithal they are involved and how dangerous it is to dive into those Whirl-pooles wherein are so many contrary Fluctuations I content my self with such a Notion thereof onely as GOD brings to my knowledge who hath by his Word informed us that all Powers that be whatsoever they be are of him And as I am injoyned obedience by his Precepts to that which is in present being so I have the practise of the Apostles and of their Master CHRIST himself to warrant it who submitted to the Roman Monarchs in those times wherein they lived in all Civil Matters though they were Infidels cruel Tyrants and very wickedly obtained their Soveraignty I am carried into this Digression to prevent what I know is spoken privately to my disadvantage and therefore bear with my proceeding in it a little further According to this Principle I acted and suffered with a good Conscience whilst the supreme Power was divided betwixt the late King and Parliament so I did when it was soly in this Parliament and when GOD permitted

also in misreporting touching my sufferings and actings in other particulars Therefore that culpable persons may be known as they are and honest men cleared from Causeless jealousies and aspersions as much as is possible I could wish if the Parliament thought it needful that a strict scrutiny might be made into every mans dubious actings wherein the Commonwealth hath been considerably concerned since the Civil Wars first began And likewise that an accompt may be given by every one who became extraordinarily rich while the Commonwealth was impoverished how and by what means he hath so enlarged his estate If what I have heard be true I am a wonderment in that respect beyond many other for I am told that a person of Quality and a neighbour of mine being in discourse with other Gentlemen concerning those who had increased their estates to admiration from a very poor condition was pleased to say thus How and got their estates I very well know said he naming two Parliament-men who had suddenly purchased very large possessions having very mean estates a little before but how George Wither became rich that quoth he I wonder at and cannot imagine To prevent therefore such wonderments let an inquiry be made beginning first as aforesaid with me and be carried on by a Precedendo until it hath gone round the Nation and I defie malice and all the world to charge me with what it can It may perhaps be further objected because I have heard somewhat tending that way to the rendring of your mediation for me to this Parliament the less effectual that during the time wherein Oliver Cromw●l by GODS permission usurped their power I was for a Single Person and endeavoured to maintain his Reputation in what I might magnified the Title of Protector as most honourable and pertinent to our well-doing It is true that I did so but my being of that judgment as our constitution then was merits no disfavor or neglect For I never was absolutely for or against a King or a Commonwealth with or wi●hout a Single Person but according as GODS extraordinary dispensations the present necessities the Law of Common-justice and the Peoples assent in Parliament made it expedient or not expedient nor otherwise then the most prudent of this Parliament lately seemed to judge thereof For either way a Government may be good or evil The United Provinces and some other Commonweals have well enough subsisted without a Single Person yet the Venetians the most flourishing Commonwealth and of the lengest continuance of any since Christ have their Duke without any visible disadvantage and the most famous Commonwealth of Israel had a Moses a Joshua and other Judges who successively exercised a single Authority Let that be considered as also that it is my Principle to uphold the Power which by GODS grace or permission is for the time being set over us and that I may as much as in me lieth preserve the Common-peace in a prudential way until Gods Probations are determined and his secret will is made manifest Let it therewith be considered likewise that in all my Addresses to Oliver Cromwel and in all things by me publickly or privately Written to him or done for him as the then Supreme-Officer I had evermore a care to offer unto his remembrance and to other mens that the power permissively onely vouchsafed was but Conditional and that if what was tacitely the condition thereof were not by him performed it would be at last the destruction of him and of his Family or of both without repentance and that likewise the preservation of the Peoples just Freedoms both spiritual and temporal being part of that tacite condition was by me insisted upon so far forth as it might be done in those times and to a person in his place without making all that to be ineffectual which I principally intended as would more evidently appear if all those Caveats and forewarnings were published which I exhibited unto him and others in private to that purpose without regarding how disadvantagious it would be to my personal interest as my affairs then stood and which were not a little hazarded and made more destructive by the boldness which I then assumed who neither basely flattered him for my own ends as many did nor ascribed any thing as due to him in the Place he possessed and exercised but in order to the Publick welfare and as he had been instrumental at the Peoples cost in conquering those for them who had formerly deprived them of their liberties For I did only commend those Actions of his which were in themselves commendable without justifying him in his personal deservings as to the intention otherwise then their outward appearances might induce me to hope of it and whether or no he was really such as he pretended could be certainly known to GOD and to himself only And whereas it may be yet further objected that in some passages of those Poems and Discourses which have been by me heretofore published or communicated in private I have averred or implied that the Power of this Parliament was necessarily interrupted in respect of us and justly also in respect of GOD whose justice and mercy have had thereby the more evident manifestations I do confess ingenuously that I was and still am of that judgement and do believe by the little sorrow and much rejoycing which generally appeared in the people both well and ill-affected thereunto at the time of their Interruption that most men were then of my opinion For it was not only undeniably evident that many proceedings were then carried on to the infringment of Common-right as well as to the multiplying of private Oppressions by the prevalency of some corrupt Members over-voting those who were faithful to their Trust But that a Malignant party among them had also brought in and were then continually bringing in so many qualified like themselves into their House and who were so industrious either to break the Army by dividing it or by raising up another against it that it would probably have restored the Common Enemies to their subdued Power or brought all to a destructive disunion and confusion among our selves Therefore GOD in justice to the one party and in mercy to the other made use of that which was perhaps corruptly designed by some for their own ends and converted it to bring his good purposes to pass particularly to prevent this Parliaments being everlastingly destroyed by some of its own Members To give them and others an extraordinary experiment by their Probations what they were in whom they confided how little trust there is in men exalted to honour how pious how honest or how mortified soever they are or pretend to be and to humble those who are now again restored that with thankfulness for his double mercy in their correction and restauration they may reforme in themselves and others hereafter that which was amiss heretofore To those ends and for such like GOD as he did