Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	country_n	great_a	time_n	6,961	4	3.2259	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44760	The trve informer who in the following discovrse or colloqvie discovereth unto the vvorld the chiefe causes of the sa[]d distempers in Great Britanny and Ireland / deduced from their originals ; and also a letter writ by Serjeant-Major Kirle to a friend at VVinsor.	Howell, James, 1594?-1666.; Kirle, Robert.	1643 (1643)	Wing H3122A; ESTC R30343	38,453	46

Holland and having commanded the Prince to attend him against his returne at Greenwich the Prince had beene surpriz'd and brought to London had not the King come a little before Thence he removed to Yorke where hee kept his Court all the Sommer But to returne to London the very next day after their Majesties departure the Countrey about especially Bucking hamshire being incited by the Citie and Parliament came in great swarmes and joyning with the London mechanicks they ruffled up and downe the streets and kept such a racket making the fearfullest riot that ever I believe was heard of in Parliament time so those Members which formerly were fled into the Citie were brought to the House in a kinde of triumph being garded by land and water in warlike manner by these Champions After this sundry troopes of Horse came from all the shires neare adjoyning to the Parliament and Buckingham men were the first who while they expressed their love to their Knight forgot their sworne oath to their King and instead of feathers they carried a Printed Pretestation in their hats as the Londoners had done a little before upon the Pikes point Per. This kept a foule noise beyond Sea I remember so that upon the Rialto in Venice it was sung up and downe that a Midsommer Moon though it was then midst of Winter did raigne amongst the English and you must thinke that it hath made the Venetian to shrinke in his shoulders and to looke but il favourably upon us since wee 'l have none of his currans But Sir I heard much of that Protestation I pray what was the substance of it Pat. It was penn'd and injoyn'd by the Parliament for every one to take and it consisted of many parts the first was to maintaine the true Protestant religion against all Popish innovations which word Popish as some think was scrued in of purpose for a loop-hole to let in any other innovation the second was to maintaine the Prerogative and honour of the King then the power and priviledge of Parliaments and lastly the propriety and liberty of the Subject for the two first parts of this Protestation the people up and downe seemed to have uttrly forgotten them and continue so still as if their consciences had beene tyed only to the two last and never was there a poore people so besotted never was reason and common sense so baffled in any part of the world And now will I goe to attend his Majestie at Yorke where as I told you before being loth to part with his Sword though he had half parted with his Scepter before by denying the Parliament an indefinite time to dispose of the Militia alleadging that as the Word so the thing was new He sends forth his Commissions of Array according to the old law of England which declares it to be the undoubted right and Royall Signiory of the King to arme or disarme any Subject The Parliament sends out clean counter-mands for executing the said Militia so by this clashing twixt the Commission of Array and the Militia the first flash of this odious unnaturall war may be said to break out The pulse of the Parliament beat's yet higher they send an Admirall to the sea not onely without but expresly against the Kings speciall command They had taken unto them a Military gard from the Citie for their protection without his Majesties consent who by the advice of the Lord Keeper and others had offered them a very strong gard of Constables and other Officers to attend them which the laws usually allow yet the raising of that gard in Yorkshire for the safegard of his Majesties person was interpreted to be levying of warre against the Parliament and so made a sufficient ground for them to raise an Armie to appoint a Generall with whom they made publike Declarations to live and die And they assumed power to conferre a new appellation of honour upon him as if any could conferre honour but the King And this Army was to be maintained out of the next contribution of all sorts of people so a great masse of money and plate was brought into the Guild-Hall the Semstresse brought in her silver Thimble the Chamber maid her Bodkin the Cook his Spoones and the Uintner his Bowles and every one something to the advancement of so good a worke as to wage war directly against the Sacred person of their Soveraigne and to put the whole Countrey into a combustion Per. Surely it is impossible that a rationall Christian people should grow so simple and sottish as to be so far transported without some colourable cause therefore I pray tell me what that might be Patr. The cause is made specious enough and varnished over wonderfull cunningly The people are made to believe they are in danger and a prevention of that danger is promised and by these plausible wayes the understanding is wrought upon and an affection to the cause is usher'd in by aggravation of this danger as one would draw a thred through a needles eye This huge Bug-bear Danger was like a monster of many heads the two chiefest were these That there was a plot to let in the Pope And to cast the civil Government into a French frame It is incredible to thinke how the Pulpits up and down London did ring of this by brain-sicke Lecturers of whom some were come from New England others were pick'd out of purpose and sent for from their own flocke in the Countrey to possesse or rather to poyson the hearts of the Londoners to puzzle their intellectuals and to intoxicate their braines by their powerfull gifts It was punishable to preach of Peace or of Caesars right but the common subiect of the Pulpit was either Blasphemie against God Disobedience against the King or Incitements to Sedition Good Lord what windy frothy stuffe came from these fanaticke braines These Phrenetici Nebulones for King James gives them no better Character in his {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} who may be said to be mad out of too much ignorance who neverthelesse are come to that height of prophanenesse and pride that they presume to father all their Doctrines all their non-sence raptures and ravings upon the holy Spirit Nor did the Pulpit onely helpe to kindle this fire but the Presse also did contribute much fewell What base scurrilous Pamphlets were cried up and down the streets and dispersed in the Countrey What palpable and horrid lyes were daily printed How they multiplied in every corner in such plentie that one might say there was a superfaetation of lyes which continue unto this day One while the King of Denmarke was comming over from the Sound another while the king of France had an huge Armie about Calais design'd for England another while there was an Armie of Irish Rebels comming over with the privitie of the King another while a plot was cried up and down to burne London another while there were subterranean invisible Troopes mustered under

a saying When your neighbours house is on fire by its light you may see in what danger your owne stands And was England so blinde as not to take warning by so many fearful combustions abroad When I took my leave last of her I left her in such a compleat condition of happinesse both in Court Countrey Citie and Sea that she was the envie of all Europe in so much that that Golden Verse might be fitly applied to her then Golden times Mollia securae peragebant otia Gentes The Court was never so glorious being hansell'd every yeer almost with a new Royall Off-spring the Gentrie no where more gallant and sportfull the Citizen never more gorgeous and rich and so abounding with treasure bullion and buildings that no age can parallel Commerce inward and outward was never at that height the Customes increasing every yeer to admiration the narrow Seas were never guarded with braver Ships nor the Navie Royall for number of Vessels and Magazines of all sorts of materials was ever so well replenished the Universities had never such golden dayes and lastly the Church did so flourish that amongst the rest of the Reformed Churches of Christendom I have heard her call'd the Church Triumphant Besides Ireland was arriv'd almost to the same degree of prosperitie for all the Arrerages of the Crown were paid and not a peny sent hence for many yeers to maintain the standing Armie there or for any other publique charge as formerly Traffique came to that monstrous height that in few yeeres the Crown-customes came to be five times higher In fine Ireland was brought not onely to subsist of her selfe but inabled to contribute towards the filling of the English Exchequer and to make some retribution of those vast expences the Crown of England hath been at any time these 400 yeers to reduce her to civilitie her bogs were almost all dri'd up and made good land her mudwals turn'd apace to Bricke in divers places so that one Sommer that I fortun'd to be there above 50. new Bricke-houses were built in one Town But it hath been the fate of that Island to be oftentimes neer a condition of a setled happinesse and yet to have some odde accident still intervene to crosse it In conclusion there wanted nothing to make England and her united Crownes so exactly blessed that she might have assumed the Title of one of the Fortunate Islands Good Lord how comes it to passe that she is now fallen into such horrid distempers and like a distracted bodie laying hands upon her selfe would thrust the sword of civill war into her own bowels I beseech you Sir impart unto me the true cause of this change for I know none so capable to do it as your selfe Patr. Infandum Peregrine jubes renovare dolorem First Sir in the generall you know that it is with the Regions upon Earth as it is with those of the Ayre● sometimes we have a clear azur'd skie with soft gentle ventilations and a sweet serenitie throughout the whole Hemisphete at other times we know the face of the Heavens is overcast with frownes with Frog vapours and thicke cloudes of various shapes which look like Monsters hovering up and down and break at last into thunder and fulgurations and so disquiet and raise a kinde of war in the Aereal Common wealth Just so in the Regions that are dispers'd up and down this earthly Globe peopled with men which are but a composition of the Elements you have sometimes a gentle calme of peace and quietude with a generall tranquillitie all the Countrey over at other times you have ugly mishapen cloudes of jealousies feares and discontentments do rise up which break out at last into acts of disobedience rebellion and furie And as those Aereall Meteors and Monsters above are ingendered of those watery fogges and mists which are drawn up out of fenny and rotten low grounds here upon earth so in the Region of the minde the ill vapours which ascend to the brain from rotten and impostumated hearts from desperate and male-contented humorists are the causes of all civill commotions and distempers in State But they have much to answer for in the world to come though they escape it in this who for any private interest or respect whatsoever either of Promotion Vain glorie Revenge Malice or Envie will embroyle and plunge their own native Countrey in any publike ingagement or civill war by putting a partition-wall betwixt their soveraigne Prince and their fellow Subjects Truly in mine opinion these may be called the worst kinde of Betrayers of their Countries but I am too farre transported from satisfying your request in relating the true causes of these calamities I will now fall to worke and bring you to the very source of them There is a packe of perverse People composed for the most part of the scummy and simplest sort multiplied in England who by a kinde of naturall inclination are opposite so point blanke to Monarchie in State and Hierarchie in Church that if they were in Heaven whither 't is to be feared they run a great hazard ever to enter it being a Rule that he who is rotten hearted to his King can never be right hearted to his Creatour I say if these men were in Heaven they would go near to repine at the Monarchicall Power of God Almighty himselfe and at the degrees of Angels and the postures of holinesse in the Church Triumphant They call every Crotchet of the brain tendernesse of conscience which being well examined is nothing else but a meer spirit of contradiction and disobedience to all higher Powers which posseseth them There are no Constitutions either Ecclesiasticall or Civill can please them but they could cast both into such a mould which their crack'd braines would fain devise yet are never able to bring to any perfection they are ever labouring to bring Religion to the dock to be new trimm'd but they would take down her fore-caste and scarce allow her the Kings Armes to adorn her they are great listners after any Court newes and pricke up their eares when any thing is spoken of King Queen or Privie Counsellour and are alwayes ready though upon loose trust to take up any report whereby they may whisper in Conventicles and corners and so traduce the Government These great Zealots use to look upon themselves most cōmonly through multiplying glasses which make them appear to be such huge Santons that it renders them not onely uncharitable in their opinions of others but Lucifcrian-like proud in their own conceit insomuch that they seem to scorne all the world besides believing that they are the onely Elect whose soules worke according to the motion of the Spirit that they are the Children of promise whose faces alone look towards Heaven they are more pleased with some new reach or fancie that may puzzle the pericranium than a Frenchman is with some new fashion in cloathing they are nearest to the nature of the Jew of