Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A70055
|
Dialogues of the dead, ancient and modern. The second part Dedicated to Lucian in Elysium.; Nouveaux dialogues des morts. Part 2. English.
|
Fontenelle, M. de (Bernard Le Bovier), 1657-1757.
|
1685
(1685)
|
Wing F1410A; ESTC R27298
|
39,775
|
144
|
Man seem to be a Compound of Contraries Par. All this will not much trouble a Mans Brain Some slight Reflections some merry Conceits that are many times ill applied such as these indeed deserve no great esteem but how must a Man strain his Thoughts to treat of higher Subjects Mol. You come back again to your Genius's and I keep to my Sots However though I have done nothing but labour in these Matters so exposed to the Eyes of the whole World I can foretel you that my Plays will last longer than your sublime Writings All is subject to the Changes of the Mode the Productions of the Mind are not secure from the Fate of Clothes I have seen I know not how many Books and several sorts of Writing buried with their Authors like as in some Parts of the World they bury with the deceased every thing they most delighted in whilst they lived I perfectly know what may be the Revolutions of the Empire of Learning and besides all this I dare warrant the continuance of my Pieces I can tell you the Reason of it He that will paint to last for ever must paint Sots Third Dialogue Mary Stuart David Riccio D. Riccio NO I shall never be satisfied with my Death M. Stuart Me thinks though it was good enough for a Musician The chiefest Lords of the Court of Scotland and the King my Husband too were fain to plot against thee and never such Measures were taken nor so much ado made to put any Prince to death D. Ric. A Death so glorious as that was not intended for a poor Player on the Lute whom Poverty had driven out of Italy into Scotland You had better have let me pass away my Days in quiet as one of your Musicians than raise me to the Dignity of a Minister of State which doubtless did shorten my Life M. Stu. I should have never believed that thou wouldest prove to be so little sensible of my Favours towards thee Thou alone didst sit every day at my Table with me was that but a small distinction Believe me Riccio a Favour of that kind was no prejudice to thy Reputation D. Ric. It did me no other harm but that I was to die for receiving it too frequently Alas I sate Cheek-by-Joul with you at Dinner when I saw the King come in attended by the Gentleman that was chosen out to be one of my Murderers because he was naturally the frightfullest Scot that ever was born besides he had been newly cured of a Quartan-Ague which made him look more frightfully I can't tell whether he bestowed any Blows upon me but as much as I can remember the very fright he put me in struck me dead M. Stu. I honour'd thy Memory so far as to make thee be entombed with the Kings of Scotland D. Ric. I am entombed with the Kings of Scotland M. Stu. Nothing more true D. Ric. I have been so little sensible of the good that did me that you now tell me the first News of it But O my Lute was I so unlucky as to forsake thee and mind nothing but how to govern a Kingdom M. Stu. Thou complainest Know then that my Death was a thousand times more unfortunate than thine D. Ric. Oh! but you were born in a Condition that was subject to great Turns and Changes but for me I was born to die in my Bed Nature had settled me in the best Condition in the World no Estate of mean Extraction something onely of a Voice and a little Wit to play on the Lute M. Stu. Thy Lute does still stick in thy Stomach Well then thou didst meet with one unlucky Moment but before that how many pleasant Days didst thou enjoy What wouldst thou have done if thou hadst never been other than a Musician Thou wouldst have been weary of so low a Condition D. Ric. I would have sought my Happiness in my own self M. Stu. Go thou art foolish Thou hast spoiled thy self since thou hast been dead either by thy idle Reflections or by the Conversation thou hast had with the Philosophers that are here 'T is a likely matter indeed that Men should be happy in their own selves D. Ric. They want onely to be persuaded they may be so A Poet of my Country did describe an Enchanted Castle wherein Lovers of both Sexes do seek for one another with great concern and eagerness they meet together at every turn and never know one another There is a Charm of the same nature upon the Happiness of Men They have it in their Thoughts and do not know it it offers it self a thousand times to them and they wander afar off to seek it out M. Stu. Lay aside the Jangling and Chymeras of Philosophy When there is nothing to help to make us happy are we of a disposition to take the pains to be so by our Reason D. Ric. Yet Happiness does very well deserve as much as that from us M. Stu. We should labour in vain our Reason and It can't agree together We cease to be happy so soon as we feel the Strifes we are put to to be happy If any one did feel how each Part of his Body does labour to keep it self in good temper do you think he would be well in health For my part I should take him to be sick Happiness resembles Mans Health he must have it in him without his own putting in and if Reason does contribute any Happiness to him it is like Health that is maintained by force of Remedies and is always very weakly and uncertain Fourth Dialogue The Third False Demetrius Descartes Descartes SUre I should know the Northern Countries almost as well as you I passed a good part of my time in Holland where I did nothing but play the Philosopher and at last I went and died in Suede still a greater Philosopher than ever Demetrius I see that according to the Relation you make me of your Life it has been very easie it was wholly applied to Philosophy I was far from living so quietly Desc 'T was your own fault How come you to think of making your self Great Duke of Muscovy and of taking those ways to compass your Design as you did You undertake to pass for Prince Demetrius who has Right to the Crown and you have already before your Eyes the Example of two False Demetrius's who having taken that Name upon them one after the other were found out what they were and perished most miserably You ought at least to have bethought your self of some newer Cheat It is not likely that that which had been already worn out of date should take effect Dem. Betwixt you and I the Muscovites are no such Wits They are so weak as to pretend to be like the ancient Greeks but God knows what Ground they have for it Desc Yet they are not such Sots as to let themselves be bubbled by three False Demetrius's one after another I am sure that when you began to take