Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	church_n	good_a	true_a	1,044	5	4.3446	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19643	The schoole of pollicie: or The araignement of state-abuses Directing magistrates, adorning the court, and beautifying the whole common-wealth.	Crosse, Henry.	1605 (1605)	STC 6071; ESTC S113496	92,346	156

and loose liuing in so much as they do not perceiue to what ende they are aduanced aboue other men and made so rich among a company of beggers Many there be the more is the pittie that although God hath abundantly multiplyed his blessings vpon them that they cannot iustly say they want any worldly thing Hard-hearted Christians yet bee they so neere to holde fast that which they haue that they doo as it were single themselues from all common duties and lay aside that regarde of the publique good which theyr conscience and priuate abilitie doth instantly tye them vnto let vs note them a little who will sooner shift and wrangle off honest duties then they will they not brabble and sophisticate for verye small payments and will they not wrest and winde lawes to their owne sence if they may saue but a penny and beare the repulse of superiour rebukes thē to part with ought shall contradict their froward nature is this the dutie of good subiects do these seeke the peace of the state doth not the Heathen man say Non solum nobis nati sumus we are not borne for our selues alone but for our countrey also shall Christians be worser then Pagans Let this great dutie therefore be considered seeing thou hast store with-hold nothing that is due is not hee a caytiffe that will see his mother dye for hunger and he hath bread to relieue her if he would why the Common-wealth is thy mother euery poore Christian is thy brother wilt thou see them famisht before thy face and not succour them hauing inough Thou hast thy wealth to that end if thou couldest see it and vse it aright Neuerthelesse we see how men of good place and reckening will hide themselues in corners liue priuately onely to keepe their purses that they may be lyable to no imposition The Citie is extreamly pestered with Inmates and Idle families when the Countrey lies waste vnpeopled and crowde into Cities Boroughs and priuiledge places or like nonresidents rowle vp and downe from one lodging to an other to the intent that being vncertaine where to be had their states may be vnknowne and by this meanes both ouerthrowe hospitalitie defraude the Queene and Common-wealth of necessarie duties and depopulate the countrey Is it not a token of a couetous minde that men of good possessions and faire liuings should breake vp house and soiourne onely with one or two seruants that they may hoorde vp theyr rents when they are sufficientlye able to keepe a good house themselues surely it is a signe of a base condition Furthermore many wealthy Yeomen rich Farmers that are risen vp to goods inough doo tread the same path For wheras erst when they dwelt vpon their owne they kept good houses and were no small stay to the places where they liued are eyther couetous of some vaine-glorious title of gentilitie or otherwise so miserly greedie of wealth for one of the two I know not which thrust themselues in like maner into Cities Corporations and Liberties and yet holde theyr Farmes still in their owne occupying for they haue such long armes that they claspe many great liuings And also lying vpon the aduantage take Farmes ouer their neighbours heads ten yeares before their Leases be expired And what do they with these plurified liuings but place shepheards heards vnderlings and such thred-bare tenants in their stockes and that at such vnreasonable rents too that the poore snakes that dwell vnder them are driuen to weake shifts to fare hardly liue barely moyle and toyle the whole yeare to scrape vp theyr rent not sauing at the yeares ende for all theyr paines scarce the price of an old Frise Ierkin for theyr Lorde knowes better then they what profit will arise and how euery thing will fall out and if hee thriue vnder him then doth hee stretch and racke it to the vttermost till at last hee bring the whole gaine into his owne bagge and so by this means can hardly beare ordinarie charges much lesse doo workes of superrerogation being kept downe so cruelly by their greedie Land-lords Now these haue not onely theyr meanes brought in vnto them by the sweat of poore mens browes and sleepe in peace and securitie when others watch and labour a great blessing if rightly weighed but will closely and cunningly seeke to shift off all duties by withdrawing them into odde corners Oh that men of such abilitie should haue such Iron rustie hearts to hide their heads shut their hands and whip deuotion from their doores doo they not seeke to subuert and weaken the state as much as they can by with-holding that part of dutie required by the lawe of nature but the greedinesse of gaine causeth vnrelenting hearts for one would possesse all alone O how are men deceiued in their owne estate that being rich are yet euer poore because opinion is neuer satisfied whereas if we onely respect nature no man can be poore Natura enim vt ait Philoso paucis minimisque contenta nature is content with necessitie But to bring all this to a head though some bee carried with the streame of pride some with the flouds of desire some prodigall some pinching and though the couetous man gape for more more and like hell mouth neuer satisfied yet will they hide theyr plough-sores vnder the carpet of liberalitie as now and then to giue an almes against a good time as they call it to beate downe a hard opinion intimating thereby to bee good free-hearted men when all the yeare beside they scrape and clawe it from other by the excessiue prices of theyr badde commodities and by pinching them with many vncharitable gripes and yet will they hide theyr want of loue vnder Vertue and Religion and why so because it carrieth a generall good liking of all men for although many haue no religion at all nor one sparke of a vertuous man yet for all this wil they seeme to loue and embrace it intirely because of the vnspotted simplicitie they see in the true professors thereof and that chiefly because this outward shewe is some meanes to asswage the heate of sharp reprehensions and that vnder colour of this they may liue in some good report of the common sort for if they should not hide the malice within with a shewe of holinesse without but permit the rebellion to rush forth they would be hatefull to others and disquiet theyr owne peace to hold friendship therfore with the world it is expedient for them to be hypocrites and deceiuers and therefore will they performe many Christian duties and communicate with the Saints yea and crowde to the Church doore of true deuotion and both pray and vse good exercises in their families frequent Sermons yea and ride and goe six or seuen miles to heare a good Preacher are not these good things Cunning deceiuers and the very properties of a true Christian yes verily but all this is but done in pollicie to mocke the