Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	earth_n	look_v	lord_n	6,719	5	3.8059	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49903	Parrhasiana, or, Thoughts upon several subjects, as criticism, history, morality, and politics by Monsieur Le Clerk ... ; done into English by ****; Parrhasiana. English	Le Clerc, Jean, 1657-1736.	1700 (1700)	Wing L823; ESTC R16664	192,374	324

like the Fellow who having given the Name of the South-wind to the North-wind defended himself by saying That in truth it was the South-wind brat that he was then endeavouring to get home again But let us see what follows Illi indignantes magno cum murmure montis Circum claustra fremunt Celsâ sedet Aeolus arce Sceptra tenens mollitque animos temperat iras Nî faciat mania ac terras coelúmque profundum Quippe ferant rapidi secum verrántque per auras Angry with being locked up in this manner they rage with a great noise about the Mountain that confines them But Aeolus who sits on a high Eminence with a Scepter in his Hand softens and moderates their Indignation If he did not do so they wou'd carry away with them the Sea the Earth and Heaven like so many Balls thro' the Air. This is what we may properly call To throw the House out of the Windows Can it be supposed with any manner of probability that the Winds that arise from the Earth and brush over its Surface wou'd blow it the Lord knows whether if some body did not look after them Besides whither wou'd they blow it What! to the imaginary Spaces or the Intermons of Epicurus What is this Heaven that the Winds wou'd carry through the Air Some Interpreters say That 't is the Air itself But what can be more ridiculous than to say That the Wind carries the Air thro' the Air that is to say that the Air moving from a certain Quarter is carried cross itself If we are to understand the celestial Bodies to wit the fix'd Stars and Planets 't is not only a gross mistake in Phisics worse than the idle Dreams of Epicurus but a monstrous Hyperbole I know it may be replied That Virgil considers the Winds as Persons nay what is more as Gods but whatever is feign'd of those sorts of Gods whom the Mythologists call Physical Gods ought to be founded upon the Nature of the things that are deify'd Thus take it in what sense you please 't is evident that we cannot excuse this Passage He still adds Sed pater omnipotens speluncis abdidit atris Hoc metuens molémque montes insuper altos Imposuit regémque dedit qui foedere certo Et premere laxas sciret dare justus habenas But the almighty Father Jupiter fearing this hid them in black Caverns and over them set massy high Mountains Besides this he gave them a King who by his Order knew how to hold in and let loose the Reins according to certain Laws As if two or three small Mountains were able to keep in those Deities that with the Breath of their Mouth cou'd blow Heaven and Earth whither they pleased and as if a thing so changeable as the Winds so far as we know any thing of this Nature cou'd be subjected to Laws However these magnificent Expressions that Virgil uses in this place hood-wink the Reader to that degree that he does not perceive the absurdity of this Fiction There are several more in Homer which I will not examine having no intention to make a compleat Critic upon these two celebrated Poets or indeed any other I know that what they call Probable and Wonderful in Poetry signifies another thing than what we commonly call by that Name We look upon it in Homer and Hesiod as Wonderful but not exceeding the Bounds of poetical Probability that there are more † Hom. Iliad Lib. XVIII Hesiod in Clypeo Herculis Sculptures upon one Buckler in basso relievo than can be imagined to be crouded in a Space a hundred times as big that these Sculptures move and speak as if they were so many living Persons nay that some of them hang in the Air and fly about the Bucklers like Flies yet don't stir from it To excuse the Ridiculousness of these Fictions 't is pretended that these Bucklers were wrought by a God but who ever saw the Gods work Miracles in this nature All this had pass'd for absurd idle stuff had it been written in Prose but we admire it in Verse for the beauty of the Expression just as we admire Grotesque Figures upon Marble for the fineness of the Sculpture This set Virgil upon imitating these Poets in his description of Aeneas's Shield which is to be found in the eighth Book of the Aeneis tho' it is not altogether so extravagant Theocritus has attempted the same thing upon a wretched wooden Cup in his first Idyllium where he likewise represents things which Sculpture cannot express But that we may be the better able to conceive the Ridiculousness of this poetical Probability let us hear what Aristotle says of it in his Art of Poetry altho' he pretends to defend the Poets and to give them Rules † Chap. XXV We follow the Version of M. Dacier We ought says he to use the Wonderful in Tragedy but much more in an Epic Poem which is this respect goes as far as the Unreasonable For as in an Epic Poem we don't see the Persons that Act all that exceeds the bounds of Reason is very proper to produce the Wonderful in it For Example what Homer tells us of Hector 's being pursued by Achilles wou'd be ridiculous upon the Theatre for no one cou'd forbear laughing to behold the Greeks on one side without making any motion and Achilles on the other who pursues Hector and gives the Sign to his Troops But this is not seen in an Epic Poem Now the Wonderful is always agreeable and for a proof of this we find that those that relate a Story commonly add to the Truth that they may better please the Hearers This is well enough when we don't carry Matters farther than they 'll bear but when we go to the Vnreasonable we make ourselves ridiculous to those that love to use their Reason in every thing that is to all wise Persons A Poet says he a little lower ought rather to choose things Impossible provided they have the air of Probability than the Possible that are incredible with all their Possibility I own that all that is Possible is not credible but whatever is Impossible in my Opinion is much less so 'T is to no purpose to say That what is impossible to Men is not so to the Gods and so that when the Gods intervene those things that are impossible to Men become probable A Man that has not debauch'd his Tast by a blind admiration of Antiquity cannot digest this foolish profusion of Miracles for the sake of Trifles of which Homer is so full None but the † Inhabitants of the Isle of Scheria in the Ionic Sea Phaeacians whom Vlysses banter'd as he pleas'd without fearing to of he ca●l'd a Liar for his pains cou'd divert themselves with reading these ridiculous Miracles were they not told with all the agreeableness imaginable I mean as to the Expression Another thing which contributes very much to surprize our Reason in reading the

it till towards the middle of the same Age and about the end of the former To shew how little a stress we ought to lay upon these Theological Reflexions the above-mention'd Historian who never fails to attribute the Advantages of the Spaniards to a particular Favour of Heaven which declared itself against Heresie is obliged shamefully to turn the Tables when he comes to speak of the Victory which the English obtained over the pretended invincible Armada of the Spaniards and to reason in the following manner † Towards the end of Lib. IX Dec. 2. 'T is reported that Queen Elizabeth went to Church in a Triumphal Chariot in the midst of the Colours of the vanquished Enemy and that she ordered the Spoils of the Spaniards to be hung up there after she had given Thanks to God for this Victory who had been as she believed so favourable to her upon this Occasion Whereas at that very time when she made it be believed that he most favour'd her he shew'd that he was incensed against her since he permitted her to abuse this good Success to confirm Heresie the Yoke of which she might have shaken off both for herself and for her Kingdom to her great Advantage if she had been overcome Besides the Winds and Tempests did not give the English much reason to magnifie themselves and they had no reason to believe themselves better Men because they were more fortunate unless they conclude that we ought to prefer the Impiety of Saracens and Turks to the Piety of the Christians since these Barbarians have often beaten the best prepared Forces of the Christians This last Reflexion is very true But if Strada had remembred it all along where he speaks of the Victories of the Spaniards he might very well have spared a great deal of impertinent Rhetoric to shew the favours of Heaven towards the Catholics in the Advantages they gained over their Enemies This it is to have two Weights and two Measures to pretend that Providence favours one side when it gives them Victory and that it is angry with the other when it treats them after the same manner However I am of Opinion that one may safely say that in case the Spaniards had succeeded in their design'd Invasion of England Strada wou'd have said That God had changed the Winds in their favour and blessed a Fleet which went to exterpate Heresie in that Kingdom It will perhaps be offer'd in favour of Strada and other Historians who write in this manner of whatsoever party they are that it is not possible they should believe that Religion not to be true which they follow and consequently that they should not look upon every thing as a favour of Heaven which serves to establish it For my part I don't in the least hinder them from thinking so but I maintain that these Reflexions ought not to be allow'd a place in History when 't is no part of our Business to render to our Religion what we owe to it but to instruct all Mankind if we are able by Truths which cannot be contested on any side Let them believe what they please as for what concerns their own particular but let them censure none except it be upon Principles of good Sense or of Religion that are acknowledged even by those whom they censure No Man ought to be blamed for not doing what he believes he ought not to do according to his own Principles so long as he retains them altho' these Principles are false If we can blame him 't is for receiving Falsities without examination but it belongs to Divines to enter into this Dispute and not to Historians who don't treat of the Errours but of the Actions of Men. Besides this these Historians that are so partial in the matter of Religion are extremely subject to give an advantageous turn to all the conduct of that Party which supports what they believe to be the Truth to say no worse of them I don't speak of the Varilla's and Maimbourgs and other Liers of that stamp who have renounced all Truth but even of more moderate Historians It were to be wished that when they begin to write their Histories they had forgotten the Party which they espoused in the present Divisions of Christendom that they might have been able to speak of their Disputes and Differences as Men wou'd do that were not at all concern'd in them The Love of a Party as reasonable as it may appear to be makes us always lean somewhat towards it when we come to relate any thing that is disadvantagious to the good Cause If I might here be allowed to describe the Idea which I wou'd have an Historian frame to himself of the Divinity in relation to those Events that are comprehended in History I wou'd tell him that he ought to consider God as the common Father of all Mankind who looks down with compassion upon their Errours and their Vices but contents himself with giving them Laws which they may observe or violate without his intervening to make them be obey'd by Rewards or by sensible Pains during this Life reserving it to himself to display his Justice when he shall have judged that Mankind has continued long enough upon the Earth As these Sentiments can be called in question by no Man an Historian ought to look upon what we call Happiness or Unhappiness in the things of this Life as Accidents that neither denote the Anger nor the Approbation of Heaven and to draw no Consequences in this respect either to the Advantage or Disadvantage of any Party whatsoever Altho' God has discovered to Mankind by Reason and by Revelation what is agreeable to him yet he has accompanied neither the one nor the other with so great a Light that it should be impossible for us to take that for Reason or Revelation which is not really so He permits Men to dispute upon these Principles and without doubt he likewise looks upon them with pity yet for all that he does not draw the Curtain if I may so speak which conceals him from our Eyes and appear in an uncontestable manner to come to decide our Controversies He will do that whenever he sees it convenient in the mean time 't is every one's Duty to remember that he is a Man subject to Errour as well as another and equally submitted to this last Judgment of the Creator of the World None among us Christians disagree about these Principles and Historians in particular ought to remember them more than any other Men. If they thought seriously of them they wou'd not be ready to make such sharp and violent Invectives against the speculative Errours of other Men even supposing them to be Errours Strada for example had not declaimed so eagerly against Heresie as he does upon all Occasions and principally in his † In the beginning of Lib. II. Dec. 1. History when he assigns the Causes of the Wars of the Low-Countries where he employs all his