Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	air_n	fire_n	water_n	32,759	5	7.2266	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00472	The duetie of a faithfull and wise magistrate, in preseruing and deliuering of the eommon [sic] wealth from infection, in the time of the plague or pestilence two bookes. Written in Latine by Iohn Ewich, ordinary phisition of the woorthie common wealth of Breame, and newlie turned into English by Iohn Stockwood schoolemaister of Tunbridge. ...; De officio fidelis et prudentis magistratus tempore pestilentiae rempublican a contagio praeservandi liberandique. English	Ewich, Johann von, 1525-1588.; Stockwood, John, d. 1610.	1583 (1583)	STC 10607; ESTC S101800	118,209	274

an other but when that shall bee done there must needes bee a manifest or secrete contrarietie of qualities beetweene those thinges which dryue out one another For otherwise the one will not onely flye from the other but will rather come vnto it and will bee ioyned and knitte in felloweship more stronglye and neerelye For concord saieth Hyppocrates cleaueth vnto and dwelleth with concord But things disagreeing vse rebell fight and disagree among them selues It is also commōly said that like thinges are not onelye preserued with lyke but also increased and strengthned as fire vseth to be increased with oyle Naphta brimstone aumber woode heat with heate the Ague with rottennesse of humours the Dropsie with drinkinge of water Choler with the eating of Capons and the poyson of the plague as Marcill Ficinus saith with wooll And this contrarietie of qualities which I spake of whē as it proceedeth from an inborne qualitie which in diuers kindes of thinges is diuers and oftentimes hath manyfolde causes euen according vnto the nature of the place constitution of the ayre temperature and disposition of the subiect or thing it is in and finallye accordinge vnto the proportion of the poyson and agent cause it dooth woonderfully varie and maye rather bee vnderstoode by the falling out of the thing then by any stedfast reason What shal we saye then vnto the question put forth Is this cure done by any manifest qualitie For the nature of Dogges is drye and the rottennesse wherewith for the moste parte the plague is ioyned is sayde to bee a corruption in a moyst bodye Or shall we saye that the stench of Dogges putrifying is by a certaine secrete qualitie repugnaunt vnto the nature of the plague Truly I dare not say so in asmuch as this cannot be prooued so farre as I knowe by the authoritie of anye but onely by the custome of that countrey and the experience of that soyle agreeable namelye that there a certaine singular plague a singular nature of Dogs a singular temperature of menne a singular ayre and suche other thinges as are in this case required doe all agree in a certayne singular qualitie whiche in other partes of the woorlde in other natures of beastes and menne are not in al poynts so lyke Which cannot bee doubtefull vnto them whiche are indued but with reasonable experience of things For the poyson and infection of the Plague is not after one sorte in all times and places Men also and other kindes of lyuinge creatures doe greatlye differ within them selues There is suche a Plague as in whiche chiefly Fyshes dye sometymes fourefooted beastes sometymes Byrdes sometymes Mankinde and amongest mankinde somtimes Women more then Men and the younger more then the elder Hieronimus Cardanus a man moste skilfull in manye thinges maketh mention of a certaine plague at Basil with the whiche onelye the Heluetians and not the Spaniardes or Italians or Frenchmen whiche were in the same Citie were visited whiche truelye were to bee woondred at woorthyly vnlesse wee knewe the varietie of thinges to be endlesse and the greater parte as Aristotle the chiefe of Phylosophers confesseth to remayn alwayes vnknowne vnto vs. Therefore to conclude this doubte I thinke that wee ought rather to followe the authoritie of moste famous men as well olde as newe whiche haue handled this cause when the receyued custome of barbarous people of one straunge place by what experience soeuer in whiche place also peraduenture the laste doe not agree with the firste in one continuall course Wherefore sithence wee knowe that a great parte of suche deadlye mischiefe dooth depende on the corrupte rotten and infected ayre and that fire aboue all thinges dooth resiste corruption let vs rather vse fire followinge Hippocrates then these outragious stenches which maye greatly hurte euen those that are sounde Let our streetes shyne with fier let our ayre burne with fire the goodnesse of whose substance howe great and subtyle it is reade Albucasis the Arabian Chirurgian in the firste parte of his Chirurgerie Chapter 1. For the fire is moste pure and purifieth all thinges whereupon Eusebius in his church historie doeth witnesse that the Chaldees in olde tyme did woorshippe it as a mightye GOD. Water dooth cleanse but the outwarde parte and cannot washe the inner because it cannot pearse vnto them but fier when as by his force he goeth through all thinges leaueth nothing vntouched and when as it is by nature most pure as hath beene sayde it dooth also moste speedilye cleanse all thinges Wherefore when as at the laste iudgemente Christe shal most fullye purge all the whole worlde the scripture saieth that hee will come furnished not with water as in the tyme of Noah but with fier and finishe so mightie a woorke For by fire wee see all clowdinesse to bee scattered stronglye all superfluous moystures to be consumed y e ayre to be purged mā his heart to be kindled with gladnesse to witte the troublesome and grosse vapours beeing scattered and strength added vnto the wearyed members so that it is not sayde commonlye in vaine that as fier is a singular ornamente of the house so also it is commoditie of men to bee wyshed for in somuch that the Poet doeth not in vaine aske this question What more profit brings then fire And I if I should bee demaunded what is the chiefest thing in preseruinge a Towne from the infection of the Plague as hee to him that demaunded what was the chiefe poynte in an Oratour the firste seconde and thyrde tyme aunswered action so I by good right myght aunswere that the firste seconde and thyrde helpe is fire beecause that all the best beeing taught by reason and experience haue so set downe For fire is vnto ayre as a triacle which dryeth vp his rottennesse Moreouer drying vp is the chiefest thing wherein Galen sayeth the intention of healing of this sicknesse doeth consiste when as moystenesse wherein happeneth rottennesse and corruption is too much Aristotle also saieth that all the Elementes doe putrifie except fire Wherefore when as the ayre hath gathered corruption I meane such corruption as commeth of vapours or breathes myxed together and drawne out of the earth or the water which ayre like as the stomack in mā receyueth al kinde of meate and drinke so dooth it receiue the fumes and reekes of all thinges nothing can bee more profitable then fire which dooth not onelye assume as the ayre but rather consume all corrupte and rotten vapours For as that fire or heate or rather heating virtue suche as is in Zedoaria Baume Cinamom Angelica and manye other suche lyke cleanseth the naturall spirite of man and keepeth awaye pryuate infection so our artificiall fire of the which wee heere intreate sheweth forth his vse in the outwarde ayre and keepeth and driueth awaye the common infection with singular admiration and profit Wherefore leauing that naturall fire vnto Phisitions who are imployed about y e curing of

case it must needes bee that many manifest signes goe before Wherefore wee see the Astrologers many times to be fouly deceiued for want of due consideration of causes For how can they alwayes without errour obserue and marke so hidden natures of so many things and so diuers coniunctions and disiunctions of all the starrs Therefore forasmuch as it is not lawfull neyther altogether to shut out God nor rashly to make him the Authour of our errour and ouersight according vnto the iudgement of the most learned and graue men both Philosophers and Phisitions and also Diuines this may well bee affirmed that euerie pestilence in deede like as other diseases euen in the iudgement of Hypocrates and all aduersities are of God but yet notwithstanding haue not all one nature for there is one kinde of plague which may be said to come only from God and another naturall the thirde receiued by infection The plague from God when as it riseth either immediatly from God or by the ordinance of God as Alexand. Bened termeth it and by no ouersight of nature by no placing of the stars or through the threatening of no Ecclipse nor through the defaulte and rash headdines of men that is when as it is sent by the meere pleasure and wrath of God being angrie with men for their sinnes And this is a most heauie case and growing sodenly rageth verie hotly against those for we do not affirme the chastizing of the Lorde to bee like a bickering in the dark who are not marked the which we cannot auoid either by flying or medicines or ought to seeke to auoid but the way is only by supplication prayer and purgings It is also oftentimes to be perceiued by plaine and feareful tokens from God or by the voyce of God himselfe or his Prophete The naturall pestilence is that which commeth of causes by meanes and such as consist in nature This by some is thought to bee of three sortes either by meanes of the ayre or of the water or of the earth of others twofold which commeth in a maner all vnto one point namely common and priuate of the which the one is not properly called a common disease albeit manie times it bee the cause of a common disease that is of a common plague Nowe concerning that plague which happeneth by reason of the ayre or of the water or of the earth they say that it hath not God either the next or the proper cause although it haue him as her Lord to whom it is forced to obey at whose becke it is ruled Yet this plague many times doth so furiously rage that it wasteth away most famous cities most mightie prouinces and countries from whence it seemeth to haue the name Epidemia that is such a sicknes as haunteth a whole countrie or people destroyeth whole kingdomes vtterlye taketh awaye the former plight and countenance of a place blinde for the most part I speake after the maner of men vncertaine vnconstant rouing all aboutes vntreateable raging without any law taking away whomsoeuer it meeteth without any regarde eyther of nobilitie or common sort infecting all things sometimes far wyde frō the East vnto the West yea rāging vnto beasts vnto trees vnto the fruits of trees of y e earth from whence commeth that starring whiche the Greekes call Astrobolismos or starre blasting and finally vnto fishes the elements being infected by y e noysom meeting as it is thoght of Saturne and Mars in the house of the virgin or of the Twinnes through the Ecclipse of the Moone or of the Sunne such other like added circumstances This miserable sicknesse commeth many times vpon mē so sodenly that many within the space of 10. or 20 houres without any ague amongest their doinges at home or abroad or their publike busines without any certaine signe either of vrine or pulse in the Church in the high way in publike offices yea sometimes in feastes O lamentable condition of mans nature are taken away in a short time vpon the sodaine being mery iocond and fearing nothing Wherefore in this kinde of pestilence they thinke this singuler remedie flie quickly far off come slowly again to be a most safe preseruatiue As for that plague which hath his originall and beginning from infection the same is gotten either by companying or lying together or by some disposition from the partie that is infected with it and commeth through the meere negligence of men albeit at sometimes it rage as hotly as the 2. former whē it lighteth vpō fit bodies that is such as abound with il humours or are prone vnto rottēnes as fire amōgst stuble and dayly taketh strength through the carelesnes of such as are vnwarie and despise good counsail and liueth by mouing it selfe and waxeth strong by spreading abrod so that of a priuate hurt there groweth a publike of a particular an vniuersal in the end like as of a smal spark a great fire and according to that saying of the Poet One naughtie man oft times dooth make a Citie whole be punished This kinde of common sicknesse was not knowen either vnto the Greekes or Arabians as Cardanus witnesseth with whome I easilie agree For when as they liued more temperately and in time sought the helpe of the Phisition and receiued the same and kepte companie warilye with such as were sicke they did the more easily let the spreading abroad of this sicknesse Which things standing so it may easily bee vnderstood after what sort the scripture reporteth the plague to bee sent vpon men by God and by what meanes he deliuereth such as obey his commandements from the same For I willingly graunt that no haire falleth from our head without his will that there is no euill in the Citie which the Lord hath not done But againe my iudgement is that these things come not alwaies immediately from God in such sort as he may be said to be the next cause of them naye they are to be saide more rightlie more properlie to grow from their owne and from such nature of next causes rather then in respecte of the prouidence of God Because that euerye thing is to haue his name from his inwarde or next groundes that is from his owne nature and not from outward causes For what if a dronken man should fall into the fire or into the water or through hauing his stomack ouerquatted with meate and drinke seeking to procure vomit shoulde breake a veine of the breaste and so come into a phthisicke will you rather laye this vnto GOD then vnto the intemperancy of this drunken sotte If a man liuing in idlenesse and dailie surfetting glutting him selfe vnseasonably and vnorderlie with too much and moiste meate wallowing in riotousnesse giuen wholy to whordome dauncinges bathes sleepe vsing one while the colde an other while the hot aire gathering great store of rawnes and fleam especially in the winter and in a cold countrie in

which stinck moreouer is not a little increased with the breath of sundry men and maye doe verie muche hurte to tender and weake natures and such as are not vsed to it Agayne none out of the infected and corrupted houses must bee suffered to accompanie the corse albeit custome require it neuer so muche likewise as wee haue before appoynted these thinges to bee diligentlie obserued The same is to bee iudged of heapes of children that are schollers who in some places are woont to be and sing at burials For they are alwayes in more daunger of taking the infected ayer by reason of their tendernesse of age and vnwary kynde of dyet All whiche thinges that they may by one way bee auoyded I leane vnto this opinion whereas I haue saide before also that all multitude of people is to bee shunned that this custome bee so long broken of vntill the publike sickenesse cease and asswage it selfe For the ceremonie is not so much to bee regarded that for it sake wee shoulde indaunger our health For ceremonies ought to serue vs and not we ceremonies And we haue byn long sithence perswaded that what soeuer of these thinges is done that it is not done for the helpe of the dead as our Auncetors haue fōdly beleeued but for the comfort of them that be aliue as S. Augustine speaketh in another place namely whilest they see that euen after death there shall some regarde be had of them and that there is hope of another life which may comfort in vs this sorowful departing But if any wil pretend and alleadge the duety of charitie the whiche by this meanes may seeme to be diminished and as it were withdrawen from the poorer sort they shal easily be pacified when as they shall see the same order to be obserued in all As for such as moued with a singuler zeale shall more earnestly vrge and cal for this olde custome in them their zeale is to be praysed but knowledge is to be required They must be instructed therefore that they may learne in what thinges the duetyes of sincere godlinesse and chastity doe consist That the true honour true burial customes is the praise of vertues and remembraunce of valiaunt deedes done the which albeit it be lawfull in deed to solemnize with outward shewes yet is it not alwaies expedient To be short that the publike health is more to bee regarded thē zeale of a few priuate persons that I say not the will of superstitious men not rightly instructed for too hot zeale and ioyned w t ignorance is superstition And these thinges as we haue saide the Preseruers must commaund diligently to be kept whereunto also they shall adde this that neither the chesting of them nor the carying of them foorth to their graue be done eyther too slowly or too hastily For the one may bring danger of increasing the infectiō to wit by carrying of ill vapours or reekes frō the rottē carkasse somtimes also intollerable sauours and doth greatly hurt the hole the other hath sometimes beene hurtfull vnto them that haue been thought to bee dead but were not yet dead in deede We know saith Alex. Benedictus some to haue been drawne to their graue by the handes of the buriers half aliue others of the Nobles to haue been put into their sepulchres whose life as yet lay hid in the corners of the hart One of the noble matrones so buried namely at Venice a little while after was seene dead who notwithstanding sitting vp and remoued from her place among the dead carkasses had reuiued whereof her torne haire and brest rent with her nailes were a great token Alas howe often beeing aliue among the dead did shee call vppon the goddes in vaine The same hath been tolde mee of a certaine other the whiche beeing great with childe at Padway and thoughte to bee dead and buried a little while after in the very sepulchre brought foorth aliue two twinnes who w t their crying admonishing the keepers of the Churche in the night of their miserable case together with their mother were deliuered from the daunger And least any man shoulde maruaile that they coulde remaine aliue who coulde not choose but be choked by reason of being kept from drawing of the ayre let him know that it is the manner of the Italians that worshipful houses haue peculiar places in the churches to wit large cellars and vauted in the which they lay their dead put in no coffins nor couered with earth The like in maner is manifest that by y e testimonie of a publike table painted and hanged vp at the Church of the Apostles concerning a certaine woman of Coloine who albeit shee were chested and couered with earth yet deliuered by chaunce and returning vnto her husband liued with him a long time after For when as hee which buried her minded in the night time by digging vp the graue to fetch away a ring which was left vpon her finger being buried with that stirring and pulling her poore soule beeing raised vp againe whiche was thought to haue beene departed from her body whereas it was but only in a sowne reuiued Last of all at Tholossa in Aquitania I knewe a poore fellowe who being buried after the same sort but beeing neither put in a coffin nor couered with earth returned againe vnto life which falsly hee was thought to haue lost when as hee was rather taken in a long traunce at that time when as many dyed daylie of y e plague What shall I say more It is no easie matter among so many dangerous great euils not to commit some folly ouersight Wherefore wee must deale both wisely and courteously least whilest wee goe about to saue the life of the one wee rashly betray the life of the other Of a Church yarde to bee placed without the Citie and of the manner of building of the same Chap. 5. THere remaineth that we speake something also of the place of buriall the which in respect of y e rest wherein we waite for life euerlasting with God his blessed Angels or bodies being laid in the earth is called a sleep Chamber or as we vsually speake a church yard of the which when as it is the opinion of all Phisitions in a manner that there doe arise from thence infectious and corrupt exhalations or reekes whiche doe infect the ayre and wonderfully increase corruption insomuch y t also in the keeping of a healthfull diet they would haue mens houses to be farre from church yards this care also must be taken in hand by y e Preseruers of health that laying their heads and purses together they builde church yardes in a place most fit for that purpose without the Citie Whiche thing besides the profit shall not a litle make also for the publike decencie comelines the keeping back of profaning and abusing the same farre vnbeseeming christian Cities vntollerable as it is eloquently grauely some