Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	bed_n	cold_a	great_a	19	3	2.0984	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15046	The rocke of regard diuided into foure parts. The first, the castle of delight: wherin is reported, the wretched end of wanton and dissolute liuing. The second, the garden of vnthriftinesse: wherein are many swéete flowers, (or rather fancies) of honest loue. The thirde, the arbour of vertue: wherein slaunder is highly punished, and vertuous ladies nad gentlewomen, worthily commended. The fourth, the ortchard of repentance: wherein are discoursed, the miseries that followe dicing, the mischiefes of quareling, the fall of prodigalitie: and the souden ouerthrowe of foure notable cousners, with diuers other morall, natural, & tragical discourses: documents and admonitions: being all the inuention, collection and translation of George Whetstons Gent.	Whetstone, George, 1544?-1587?	1576 (1576)	STC 25348; ESTC S111731	150,826	258

more hast then néedes resortes Both hie and lowe the riche and poore of name Pro et contra for pence at euery barre In right and wronge the lawyers were at iarre In faith quoth I these men deserueth praise For Iustice cause which thus imployes their paine But I to hie a note their names did raise In right or wrong they still did gape for gaine And as I walkt I saw one wrapt in woe Which much complainde of matter de post facto Speake English man what meanes these words quoth I Oh syr hee said a quillet in the lawe Alas it is which makes mée howle and crie And looking backe another man I sawe Of whom I askt why hée did looke so glum Hée plagued was with plées of non est factum I smyling then to heare the clownish drone By néede inforst to talke hée wist not what But as I learnd the cause of all his mone More pittie sure a lawyers friend how that To pay him pence did enter into band The which hée seald and liuered with his hand But after catcht by craft the selfe same bill The former seale he falslie toke away An other seald the same which he did spill And vnsuspect the bond there downe did lay Which forfet once in law they fall at iarre The seale was off was pleaded then in barre There might I sée releasses finely framde Prouided yet that if such thinges were done Which latter wordes by former force were lamde Who so releast a faire thred then hée spunne With thousand toyes which I do here omitt Did cousening Craft within his capcase knitt I lately feard to sée the fearelesse blowes The proud attempes assayd by desperate men Here rouled bookes my manhoode ouer throwes I durst not bide the truncheon of a pen Yet well I markt how mercie bared sway The conquerd wightes were prisoners sent away But for this grace their raunsome sure was great The gaylor fléest the lawyer had a share If pence were spent cold yrons made him sweate Hard beds well payde poore chéere was costly fare Agréeued much extortion bare such sway To patience I mée thought these words did say Can cousening shiftes thus conscience foyle in sight Where is no right may hellhoundes thus extort Shall periurie condemne the guiltlesse wight And may it bee subor●ing should support The lewde in lies when grace is not their stay Can Iustice rule a right with parciall sway Content thy selfe quoth patience then to mée Good lawes are made to punish their amisse But pence their wronge doth couler oft wée sée And want doth ware the poore mans right I wisse And thus thou séest presented to thy sight The prouerbe old how might doth maister right Then out wée goe I glad to leaue this hell But soone wée shipt into as hard a vaine Where Usurie with bagges of gold did swell Who much complainde of penall statutes paine And ioynde with craft the same for to preuent Now this now that the myser doth inuent On casuall chaunce I may my monie lend Yet hassard small shall happen by my marte If I my wife my seruaunt child or friend Do goe to Powles and home againe reuert Then twentie in the hundred you shall pay This gaine is small forsooth doth Holdfast say Collusion then did catch him by the backe And feasde his pence which songe loth to depart To leuey mends the harmles went to wracke Thus salued was his sore by others smart Couetousnes went myching vpp and downe His iacket pilde and threadbare was his gowne But banckrowte sure did braue it with the best His cape of cloth with veluet linde within His hoase of silke with stitches straunglie drest More cost hée said more worship did him win But well I markt how soone this pride decayd his héeles he tooke when debtes should be defrayd Some kept their house and durst not shewe their face Some were betrayde and came in cutthrotes handes Then plees of néede did purchase litle grace Past starting now they tyde in Darbyes bandes In prison vile of force must lye and rott Till they haue paid their debt and cost God wott Then forth wée goe into a paltrie towne Where vnderprops eche stagering house did stay I chaunste to méete a sillie countrie clowne Of whom I askt what wrought their townes decay Who aunswerd straight your mast●ips honour sees Yond goodly place that pluckt vs on our knées Yond stately walles our chiefest stones did steale UUhich were the stay vnto our féeble farmes For want of strength then did our houses reale And worse then that to worke our greater harmes Inclosures great so in our commons créepe UUhere kine wée kept wée scase can kéepe a shéepe Yet racked rentes increase our landlords gaine UUée moile wée toile wée worke both morne and Euen Our landlords reape reward for all our paine To pay our rentes and make the world euen Doe what wee can wée compasse very hard UUith farmers now the wonted world is mard UUhen hée did raise besides his Landlords rent Old gold good store to serue him at his néede The cribel loafe about his bord then went Salt béefe good souce their hungrie mawes did féede A stand of ale hée euer had in store UUell come gossipe a cruse of ale to the dore Then droyling Dicke and toyling Tom did sturre To mucke his ground to make a fatter croppe To serue his hogges poore Madge his maide did spurre For winters cold he hedge rowes large might loppe To ride abroade he seeldome lackt a mare And in this sort the fermers life did ware But now god wott our rentes we hardly pay To barlie crustes is turnde our cribel bread Where béefe brawne souce our hungers did allay On cruddes and chéese wée hungerly do féede A pecke of malte doth make him ale good store Wellcome gossip no drinke now to the dore Where Hicke and Tom his boyes about did moyle He delues hée digges he labours for his hire And Ioane his wife perforce herselfe doth droyle In steede of woode now pestrow makes good fire Where earst hée ridde abroade vppon his nagge For falling now on tenne toes hee doth lagge Thus Iohn Adroynes did wray the farmers woe And I mée thought did pittie much their want Quoth patience then now time doth serue to showe The cause why care thy heauie hart doth haunt Thou sayest thy want is weade with others wealth Thy harmes are payste with weighes of others health Good reason why thou viewdst in courtiers trade Both good and bad a like did gaine expecte A like not so ▪ the good by vertuous ayde The bad did s●●ke by traynes of false suspect The best to throw from grace despite to spell Whilst they by craft did catch such crummes as fell How hypocrites with shew of honest life In fauour créepes when goodmen be disdainde How souldiers winne the field with bloudy knife When cowards filch which their aduenture gainde How cutthrotes thriue where conscience beares no sway When simple men with want are

him vnto contempt will tourne Where haply else to try his wit them selues will him request To shewe his reasons and his mynde which side he liketh best For ofte the best the baser choose and leaues the high estate But knowes againe when to be strange lest he shuld proue checke mate In honest myrth is wisedome séene as time thereto doth fit For grauest heads must haue a meane for to refresh their wit Fewe wordes they say in order plaste the wise mans tale doth wray And silence is an answere fit the noddies toung to stay But ouer halte in séeking praise some myndes persuade the still Their knowledge silence will conceale what then auailes their skill When as betwéene the both extreames a modest meane doth lye For to direct the wise mans tong as néedes the vse shall try Against ingratitude PEriander of Corinth sometime prince A lawe ordainde ingratefull chuffes to paine Which was on proofe who could a churle conuince To reape rewardes vnrecompenst againe To leuie mendes he should no longer liue For why quoth he suche men deserues no grace As gladly take and grudge againe to giue A needefull lawe this shamelesse sect to chace For what may be a viler fault then this To be vnkinde to father or to friend Or how may men amend their foule amisse Which scornes the wights which dayly them defend A Farmer once a frozen snake did finde With pitie mou'd who layd her by the fire The snake reuiu'd did shewe her selfe vnkinde But what ensu'd he slue her for her hire A morall rule ingratefull wights to warne How thanklesse they do quite a friendly turne But out alas those varlets be so stearne That viper like they lawe and dutie spurne We dayly sée the parents painfull toyle Their restlesse care their children well to traine We likewise sée how thanklesse children spoyle Their parents goods or wish them dead for gaine The good man oft the friendlesse childe doth kéepe And fosters him with many a friendly grote who séekes his spoyle when he is sound asléepe Or giues consent to cut his maisters throte We sée some men aduaunst to honours hye By helpe of such which once did beare a sway Which quite forget what feathers forst them flye If founders theirs by froward chaunce decay The traitrous mate whose prince doth cal to grace Is subiect straight to sowe seditious strife No maruell then to root out such a race If Corinth king ordained losse of life But if in vre we nowe should put his doome Ingratefull gnufes each gallowes so would cloy That scarcely théeues to hang shuld haue a roome To ease the iust whom dayly they annoy Yet doubt I not some meanes would be preparde To cut them off for both may well be sparde The euill fortune of a couetous person and what profite ariseth by the death of a churle A Desperate wight his fortunes foule to frée By wilfull death to rid his cares did choose But as he trudgd to totter on a trée Untimely there his loathed life to loose A rare good hap a pot of golde he found The gold hée rapt his rope hée left behind Anon a carle came sheaking through the ground In stéede of gold a rope who there did finde Which haplesse sight so nipt him at the hart That loe for woe hée pissed where hée stoode At length quoth hée this cord shall cure my smart And so hée hung himselfe in fullen moode The sight were fayre if euery bough did beare Such kinde of fruites till caren churles were choakt Whose deathes inforce a thousand well to fare Their liues the poore as many wayes hath yoakt The wormes reioyce vppon a churle to gnawe The poore man then whom hée did pinch of yore Hath pennie dole and meate to fil his mawe Where scarcitie was forthwith appeareth store Pray for his soule the common people crie As for his life the world full well may spare His hordes of gold about the house then flie Catch who catch may his goods a hundred share His heapes of corne to euery market sailes Which close hée kept in hope of some deare yeare And where hée sparde the parings of his nailes His sonne may spend and make his friends good cheare If such increase comes by a carrens death Who would not wish a cord to stop his breath A briefe description of death DEath is a piller to the Prince true iustice to vphold A terrour to the trayterous mate his secretes to vnfould A stedfast stay to common weales a webbe of worldlings woe A father to the harmelesse wight vnto his friend a foe ¶ An Epitaphe vppon the death of Henrie Cantrell of Lincolnes Inne Gent. by his friend R. C. SIth vertuous life death neuer may depriue But liueth ay amidde the glorious crew Lament not then our Cantrell is aliue In heauen on highe with chaunged life a new Then death no dole sith life therein remaines But glad hee gone to blisse from worldly paines From wreake of woe from cutt of cares anoye From fainting frends frō dole of doubtful dome From vaine delights the counterfet of ioy From sobbing sighes whence sorrowes séedes do come From dread to die sith death doth cleare vs quit Lament not then good Henrie Cantrells hit The dalying dayes that here wée lead alonge On earthlie mould fills vp the sacke with sinnes Here mirth with mone is alwayes mixt amonge To sowre our swéete here fortune neuer linnes Hence pleasure parkes no ioy can here remaine No swalowed swéete not purgde with pills of paine Then laude the Lord lament no whit at all Though it hath pleasd his will and heauenly ●est From wretched vs this happie youth to call For sure I say his soule him liked best Thus best hée calls and leaues the worst alone His mercie such our heaped sinnes to mone Howe great a vice it is either for the vertuous or valiaunt man to accompanie himselfe with men of base condition when as acknowledging his dutie hee may aduenture into the companie of the best WHere vertue may or vallor one aduaunce To base his hap a loute to liue belowe Or credite seeke with men of meanest chaunce A fearefull hart a dunghill minde doe showe On thornes no grapes but sower flowes doth growe Euen so by sottes no fame but shame doth rise A faire catch for such to count thée wise The forward minde doth couet this at least To prease where hée is poorest of the traine And not to liue with those himselfe the best For sure hée shall a lowsie kingdome gaine Where vnder him do none but beggers raine By learninges lore who doth the idiot schoole In fine wil proue himselfe a passing soole The highest trées doth kéepe the vnder spray From Phoebus gleames from sugred dewes that fall So mounting mindes aloft doth beare the sway When meaner wittes doth liue belowe in thrall They sucke the swéete when sottes do gnawe the gall They wrong by might their will makes right a mome Who prickes at such but séeldome

grace But all in league their dealings lewde beware For then they do the diuell and all of scare The reporter The Philosopher Diogenes sayth that Nature to this intent bestowed two eyes and two eares and but one toung on any man that he should heare and sée more then he should speake And sure who soeuer vnaduisedly slaundereth another hurteth him selfe In matters of controuersie who so feeleth his suite colde straight séeketh by pretie traines to take some aduauntage of his aduersaries wordes to whiche effect the craftie churle complained on for any notable cousenage to knowe the compleynants secretes worketh meanes to bring him into extreame passions of choler who being greatly wronged will not onely giue knowledge by what countenaunce and in what court he will trounse the defendant for his deceit but lightly vnaduisedly voweth to strike him or calleth him craftle knaue cousening churle c. Wherevpon the defendant to worke the compleynants discredite declareth to some iustice of account in what daunger of life he stoode in the compleynant being mischiefously ruffenly disposed hauing colour of wrōg for slaūderous words he claps such vnkynde actions on the compleynant that will he or nyll he he enforceth him to agréement who so is so wronged may take warning to temper his toung by Plasmos penance who being hugely abused gaue out hard yet true speaches of one of his aduersaries not withstanding by his owne negligence together with the extremitie of Lawe he payde roundly for recompence who to discharge his stomache of griefe a ●orrie amendes in fayth blamed his toung as followeth P.P. Inuectiue against his toung THy rash reuenge O tatling toung I rue Although with truth thou slaundredst late thy foe The prouerbe olde by proofe I finde too true Who fightes with words doth wound him selfe with woe The ciuil lawe so fauours fame and name As strumpets knowne by wantons oft resort Are sildome put to any open shame Les open sight makes proofe of Venus sport Who so is toucht with any foule abuse Though common speach the same for truth confirme The common lawe the guiltie will excuse If proofe by oth ne makes the knowledge firme Thus wanton fylthes and wily churles are scus'd If secretly they worke their foule amis Yet néedely they which are by these abus'd Must haue a meanes to vse reuenge ywis Where oft their toung is first addrest to fight Whose furious threats forewarnes their foe of yre Which knowne he straight doth séeke to match their might And first begins their griefes for to conspire My selfe by such makes proofe this tale is true Who wéend to feare with threatning words my foe At which he smilde preuenting what he knewe Woulde be a m●ane to worke his ouerthrowe Yea worse then that he tryst me for me toung With actions houge for slaundering of his fame For which my purse an honest quest so stuong That euer since in faith it hath béene same Thus losse to me no hurt to him at all O babbling toung thy rash reuenge hath wrought Else blowes in lawe had giuen him cause to brall Of both the best though best reuenge be naught For bobs do feare when words not ioynd with déede In wrangling mynds more ●nackred thoughts doth bréede The reporter I may now without offence enter into the plaine discourse of Plasmos following for tunes and inuentions for I haue hetherto layde the cause of his miseries vnto his youthfull vnthriftinesse the which I confesse was an instrument but there were ouerthriftie executioners of his harde fortunes whose names and doings for that it was supposed some of them were aliue according to my commission I haue lefte vnreported wishing them well to fare vpon their recompence and repentance Nowe returning againe vnto P. Plasmos estate who being wrapped in a thousand miseries and mischiefes barde of the benefit of his owne liuing to worke his quietnesse forsaken of friends in his distresse daily tormented with his enimies vnkind vexations looking vnto the condition of his former life his exercises and studies and finding his life full of lewdnesse his exercise to be dallying dauncing and suche counterfet delightes his studie Wanton Comedies Tragedies and discourses acknowledging the●e 〈◊〉 the instruments of his mishap sought if the refourming of these abuses would be a meane of his better fortunes so that vsing one day the reading of scripture for his studie and lighting on the 102. Psalme intituled Domine exaodi orationē meam imploying his Muse vnto a more better vse then of yore he made his humble submission vnto the highest for the release of his miseries as followeth IN gayle of griefe in clos●e of worldly friendes forlorne Thy mercy Lord to ease my mone vnto my prayers turne Hide not thy heauenly face from him that lies in thrall High time and tide good God it is to heare my plaint cast My dayes consume with griefe my myrth is maid with mone My hart doth wast like withred grasse my graue I am one My flesh with thoughts doth fret in shew I am a ghoste I drencht in bale my foes in blisse I harmd of hap they bost The world cōmends their welth spites my withered woe Yea dooms my doings by my dole theirs by delight in showe Thus wrongd and scornd I am which crosse I do imbrace Attending when thy mercy Lord my miseries shall chace Which ioyne with iustice thine to foyle my foes in sight So shall I praise and others feare thy maiestie and might The reporter Plasmos in time wringing him selfe out of all the troubles and mischiefes that his enimies had wrapt him in and seing his estate for his troubles so sufficient as with good gouernment he might liue in indifferent good credite On the contrarie part seing some of his enimies through their lewdnesse starke beggers and other some of them to dye soudenly and miserably as well to giue God thankes for his deliuerie as for the ouerthrowe of his enimies made this sonet following TO thée O Lord with hart and voice I sing Whose mercy great from dole to sweete delight From mone to myrth my troubled spirite did bring Yea more thy yre hath foyld my foes in sight They liue in want that flourisht late in wealth They grone with griefe yea lacke both help helth Their conscience guilt doth gall them through their gaine And yet they waste more faster then they winne Thus swéete prou'd sowre their pleasure turnd to paine Yea liuing dyde to thinke vpon their sinne Their shadowes feard so souden was their fall But more their death when destenie did them call Their mone amasd a thousand wretches moe Who sight and shrynkt through motions of deceit To heare report this thundring threat to throwe Foule fall the fraude to bréede our bale a baite A bitter swéete that rots ere it be ripe A liuing care to souls a deadly stripe But how with hap the pikes of harme I past Of murdrous mates of myndes on mischiefe set ▪ Whose snares

Our worldly mindes from loue of worldlie ioyes But if wée still will wallowe in our sinne The plagues are sharpe with which he vs destroyes To stay whose wrath I hould the next way is While wée haue space to sorrowe our amis Death comes God wot euen like a myching théefe With conscience cleare some wardes his wily blowe And some againe hee gawls with soudaine gréefe Whose thoughtes of sinne doth worke their double woe Had I but wayde the halfe that now I wray My coemates endes had made mée fitt for death But that is past this is my onely stay Gods mercie salues at latter gaspe of breath And yet thereof let no man hope to farre Presumptious sinnes of all the greatest are The reporter It séemeth by the deposition in Caphos complaint that the direction from time to time as concerning the afore reported cousenage came from some subtile head But whose deuise or direction soeuer it were there is yet an other a lawyer it séemeth by the order of his complaint that findes his conscience infected with Lyros Frenos and Caphos fellowship who likewise attached with death you may suppose with a troubled minde to wreast out this following complaint Pimos complaint at the houre of his death AYe mée quoth hée the case is altered quite My wylie skill that chaungde the sense of lawe My cunning Pleas that made a wronge seeme right Are nowe the bones whereon my conscience gnawe They force mée graunt the good from euill I knewe The good I left the euill too late I rue The common lawe the which I studied longe I finde condemnes mée wretch of many a crime The lawe it selfe how so we wreast it wronge Of God his lawe was founded in the prime Then since in one they both agrée in troth Abuse of one must be abuse of both And sure the one I turned as I list If I were wrong'd the lawe amends could make If I did wronge ▪ the lawe such power mist The case was chang'de the wronged might go packe Such helpes I had such quillets of delay That all séemde true that subtile I did say But now I am attached to appeare Afore a Iudge at no mannes faultes that winkes The diuell declares how I haue liued here My conscience guilt giues euidence me thinkes To learne the lawe sith studie I did vowe For breach of lawe I am indited nowe Before my God mée séemes I charged am For ayding those with credite coyne and skill Whose lewde deceites deserued whippes of shame And that to make me guiltie of their ill Consentientes your lawe sayth Io●e doth say Et agentes plectentur pari pena My guiltie minde confesseth streight the act False Frenos fraud was boulstered vp by mée Condemnde of this streight comes an other fact I wronged men against all equitie When lawe doth say Hoc facias alteri In right and wronge quod vis tibi sieri This bitter doome giuen by the doome of lawe Mae sinnefull wretch as guiltie striketh mute The men I wrong'd within my conscience gnawe ▪ I spared none through pittie nor through sute What lawe did giue since I for vauntage tooke In breach of lawe should I for fauour looke O noe I must in proper person pleade Plaine not guiltie or guiltie of the crime No forreine Plea may now delayaunce bréede Untrauerst goes the Venu and the time No aduocate or letters here may serue The Iudge is bent to iudge as I deserue I guiltie am I must of force confesse By ignoraunce these faultes yet would I scuse But I vile I that had men in distresse And did their Pleas of ignoraunce refuse Mee thinkes that God doth rule mée ore with this Non excusat ignorantia iuris And thus I lye with deadly sicknes pinde Yea more my soule beseng'd with sinnefull gréefe The more I séeke to pacifie my minde The further off I wretched finde reléefe My dealinges great or rather great deceite Fall out so lewde as I no count can streight Do what I can the cause that causde my ioy When fleshe and bloud was fedde with worldly gaine Is nowe the cause that causeth my annoye Now feare of hell in place of fleshe doth raigne The soule and fleshe impugnes the other so As what likes one doth worke the others w●e What meane wée then sith th' one wée must displease To serue the flesh that beares no lasting sway And leaue the soule that couets still our ease Who foyling flesh in heauen doth liue for aye What worser match can any creature make Incerta then pro certis thus to take O sinfull wreth had I this ende foreséene I had not nowe come short vpon account I would haue lik't and lou'd the merrie meane Which euer doth to reckoning best amount For violents do sildome long indure They alwayes come from fortune most vnsure O wicked man had I séene heauen in thought Had I seru'd God like as in shewe of zeale I had not thus for poore mens liuings sought Nor purchast hell for lande for others weale Had I well wayde how tickle was my life I had ere this appeasd my conscience strife Or had I thought O most vnhappie wight Looke what I gaue that measure should I reape I sure had giuen to euery man his right This wicked world had not luld me asleape I had not then bene carelesse of my end My soule had watcht deathes furie to defend But oh in me the contrarie was plaste I was intyste on baytes of sinne to feede Which charm'd receits séemde suger swéete in taste But oh they say sweete meate sowre sauce doth néede Néede or not néede I proue the prouerbe true My brittle ioyes my endlesse woes do brue My conscience loathes what liked well my life My conscience rues the gaine I got by guile My conscience féeles the woes of wrangling strife My conscience wéepes at that my life did smile My conscience bléedes through that life thought a blisse My conscience wailes what life thought not amisse Well sith my life this wretched woe hath wrought Would God my life nay death through foule abuse Were noted so as all men might be taught By scriptures rule their talents here to vse And specially about their studies wall For lawyers héed would God were writ my fall Through sight whereof no doubt they would refuse To fish for gaine with nets of foule deceit To worke delayes they would no pleadings vse They sure would thinke they had account to straight My vexed mynde at death still in their eye Would will them liue as they did dayly dye If to such good my souden fall would proue Would life would last to tell a larger tale But how it proue in vaine for life I moue Death nowe assaults and wretched I must vale My breath doth fade the bell doth sound away From whence I came I néedes must turne to clay The reporters conclusion as touching the report of Paulus Plasmos aduentures and Lyros Frenos Caphos