Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	great_a	lord_n	praise_n	6,095	5	8.0007	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51173	Megalopsychy, being a particular and exact account of the last XVII years of Q. Elizabeths reign, both military and civil the first written by Sir William Monson ..., the second written by Heywood Townsend, Esq. ; wherein is a true and faithful relation ... of the English and Spanish wars, from the year 1585, to the Queens death ; with a full account of the eminent speeches and debates, &c., in the said time ; to which is added Dr. Parry's tryal in the year 1584 ; all written at the time of the actions, by persons eminently acting therein.	Monson, William, Sir, 1569-1643.; Parry, William, d. 1585. True and plain declaration of the horrible treasons.	1682 (1682)	Wing M2465; ESTC R7517	94,931	102

Vnthankfulness Disobedience Hypocrisie and all other our Sins to turn from us thy heavy wrath and displeasure which we have justly deserved and to turn our hearts truly unto thee that daily we may increase in all goodness and continually more and more fear thy holy Name So shall be glorifie thy Name and sing unto thee in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs And thy enemies and ours shall know themselves to be but men and not able by any means to withstand thee nor to hurt those whom thou hast received into thy protection and defence Grant these things O Lord of Power and Father of Mercy for thy Christ's sake to whom with thee and thy Holy Spirit be all Honour and Glory for ever and ever Amen A Prayer and Thanksgiving for the Queen used of all the Knights and Burgesses in the High Court of Parliament and very requisite to be used and continued of all her Majesties loving Subjects O Almighty and most merciful God which dost pitch thy tents round about thy people to deliver them from the hands of their enemies we thy humble Servants which have ever of old seen thy Salvation do fall down and prostrate our selves with Praise and Thanksgiving to thy glorious Name who hast in thy tender Mercies from time to time saved and defended thy Servant ELIZABETH our most gracious Quéen not only from the hands of strange Children but also of late revealed and made frustrate his bloody and most barbarous Treason who being her natural Subject most unnaturally violating thy Divine Ordinance hath secretly sought to shed her blood to the great disquiet of thy Church and utter discomfort of our Souls his snare is hewen in pieces but upon thy Servant doth the Crown flourish The wicked and bloodthirsty men think to debour Iacob and to lay waste his dwelling place But thou O God which rulest in Iacob and unto the ends of the world dost daily teach us still a trust in thée for all thy great Mercies and not to forget thy merciful Kindness shewed to her that feareth thy Name O Lord we confess to thy Glory and Praise that thou only hast saved us from destruction because thou hast not given her over for a prey to the wicked Her Soul is delivered and we are escaped Hear us now we pray thée O most merciful Father and continue forth thy loving Kindness towards thy Servant and evermore to thy Glory and our Comfort kéep her in health with long Life and Prosperity whose rest and only refuge is in thée O God of her Salvation Preserve her as thou art wont preserve her from the snare of the Enemy from the gathering together of the froward from the insurrection of wicked Doers and from all the traiterous Conspiracies of those which privily lay wait for her life Grant this O Heavenly Father for Iesus Christs sake our only Mediator and Advocate Amen Io. Th. A Prayer used in the Parliament onely O Merciful God and Father forasmuch as no counsel can stand nor any can prosper but only such as are humbly gathered in thy Name to féel the swéet taste of thy Holy Spirit we gladly acknowledge that by thy favour standeth the peaceable protection of our Quéen and Realm and likewise this favourable liberty granted unto us at this time to make our méeting together which thy bountiful Goodness we most thankfully acknowledging do withal earnestly pray thy Divine Majesty so to encline our hearts as our counsels may be subject in true obedience to thy Holy Word and Will And sithe it hath pleased thée to govern this Realm by ordinary assembling the three Estates of the same Our humble Prayer is that thou wilt graff in us good mindes to conceive free liberty to speak and on all sides a ready and quiet consent to such wholesome Laws and Statutes as may declare us to be thy people and this Realm to be prosperously ruled by thy good guiding and defence So that we and our Posterity may with chearful hearts wait for thy appearance in Iudgment that art only able to present us faultless before God our Heavenly Father To whom with thée our Saviour Christ and the Holy Spirit be all Glory both now and ever Amen FINIS The Indictment Parry's answer to the Indictment Parry confesseth that he is guilty of all things contained in the Indictment Parry's Confession of his Treasons was read by his own assent A Letter of Cardinal di Como to Parry also read Parry's Letter of the 18th of February to the Lord Treasurer and the Earl of Leicester read The Queens Atturny requires Judgment Parry had for his credit aforetime said very secretly that he had been solicited beyond the Seas to commit the fact but he would not do it wherewith he craftily abused both the Queens Majesty and those tw● Counsellers whereof he now would help himself with these false Speeches against most manifest proofs Master Vice-chamberlains Speeches proving manifestly Parry's Traiterous intentions Parry reproved of false Speeches and so by himself also confessed The L. of Hunsdon's Speeches convincing Parry manifestly of his Treason The Lord Chief-Justices Speech to Parry The Form of the Judgment against the Traitor 2. Martii William Parry the Traytor Executed Parry Condemned for Burglary Pardoned of the Queen

yet they were forc'd to quit them and to retire into the Castle My Lord at last in despite of the Enemy gained the Market place where he found greatest Resistance from the Houses thereabouts and where it was that that Worthy Gentleman Sir John Wingfield was unluckily slain The Lord General Essex caused it to be proclaimed by Beat of Drum through the Town that all that would yield should repair to the Town-House where they should have promise of Mercy and those that would not to expect no Favor The Castle desired Respite to consider untill the morning following and then by one general Consent they surrend'red themselves to the two Lord Generals Mercies The Chief Prisoners Men and Women were brought into the Castle where they remained a little space and were sent away with Honorable Usage The noble treating of the Prisoners hath gained an everlasting Honor to our Nation and the General 's in particular It cannot be supposed the Lord Generals had leisure to be idle the day following having so great business to consider of as the securing the Town and enjoying the Merchants Ships Wherefore for the speedier dispatch they had Speech with the best men of the City about the Ransom to be given for their Town and Liberties 120000 Duckets was the Summ concluded on and for Security thereof many of them became Hostages There was likewise an Overture for the Ransom of their Ships and Goods which the Duke of Medina hearing of rather than we should reap any profit by them he caused them to be fired We found by Experience that the destroying of this Fleet which did amount to the value of six or seven Millions was the general impoverishing of the whole Country For when the Pledges sent to Sevil to take up money for their Redemption they were answered that all the Town was not able to raise such a Summ their Loss was so great by the loss of their Fleet. And to speak truth Spain never received so great an Overthrow so great a Spoil so great an Indignity at our Hands as this For our Attempt was at his own Home in his Port that he thought as safe as his Chamber where we took and destroy'd his Ships of War burnt and consumed the Wealth of his Merchants sack'd his City ransomed his Subjects and entred his Country without Impeachment To write all Accidents of this Voyage wete too tedious and would weary the Reader but he that would desire to know the Behavior of the Spaniards as well as of us many confer with divers English men that were redeemed out the Gallies in exchange for others and brought into England After we had enjoyed the Town of Cadiz a Fortnight and our men were grown rich by the Spoil of it the Generals imbarqued their Army with an intent to perform greater Services before their Return but such was the Covetousness of the better Sort who were inriched there and the fear of Hunger in others who complained for want of Victuals as they could not willingly be drawn to any farther Action to gain more Reputation The only thing that was afterwards attempted was Pharoah a Town of Algarula in Portugal a place of no Resistance or Wealth only famous by the Library of Osorius who was Bishop of that place which Library was brought into England by us and many of the Books bestowed upon the new erected Library of Oxford Some Prisoners were taken but of small account who told us that the greatest Strength of the Country was in Lawgust the chief Town of Argarula twelve miles distant from thence because most part of the Gentlemen thereabouts were gone thither to make it good expecting our coming This News was acceptable to my Lord of Essex who preferred Honor before Wealth And having had his Will and the Spoil of the Town of Pharoah and Country thereabouts He Shipped his Army and took Council of the Lord Admiral how to proceed My Lord Admiral diverted his course for Lawgust alleadging the place was strong of no Wealth always held in the nature of a Fisher-Town belonging to the Portugals who in their Hearts were our Friends that the winning of it after so eminent a place as Cadiz could add no Honor though it should be carried yet it would be the Loss of his best Troops and Gentlemen who would rather to die than receive Indignity of a Repulse My Lord of Essex much against his Will was forc'd to yield unto these Reasons and desist from that Enterprise About this time there was a general Complaint for want of Victuals which proceeded rather out of a desire that some had to be at home than out of any necessity For Sir William Monson and Mr. Darrel were appointed to examine the Condition of every Ship and found seven weeks Victuals Drink excepted which might have been supplied from the Shore in Water and this put the Generals in great hope to perform something more than they had done The only Service that was now to be thought on was to lie in wait for the Carrecks which in all probability could not escape us though there were many Doubts to the contrary but easily answered by men of Experience But in truth some mens desire homeward were so great that no Reason could prevail with or persuade them Coming into the height of the Rock the Generals took Council once again and then the Earl of Essex and the Lord Thomas Howard offered with great earnestness to stay out the time our Victuals lasted and desired to have but 12 Ships furnished out of the rest to stay with them but this would not be granted though the Squadron of the Hollanders offered voluntarily to stay Sir Walter Rawleigh alleadged the scarcity of Victuals and the Infection of his Men. My Lord General Essex offered in the Greatness of his Mind and the Desire he had to stay to supply his want of Men and Victuals and to exchange Ships but all Proposals were in vain For the Riches kept them that got much from attempting more as if it had been otherwise pure want though not Honour would have enforced them to greater Enterprises This being the last Hopes of the Voyage and being generally withstood it was concluded to steer away for the North Cape and afterwards to view and search the Harbors of the Groyn and Ferrol and if any of the King of Spain's Ships chanced to be there to give an Attempt upon them The Lord Admiral sent a Carvel of our Fleet into these two Harbors and aparrelled the men in Spanish Cloaths to avoid Suspicion This Carvel returned the next day with a true Relation that there were no Ships in the Harbors And now passing all places where there was any hope of doing good our Return for England was resolved upon and the 8th of August the Lord Admiral arrived in Plymouth with the greatest part of the Army And the Lord General Essex who staid to accompany the St. Andrew which was under his Charge and reputed of his

to retain to our eldest Sons God blessed him with many earthly Benefits as Wealth Children and Reputation his eldest Son was called John after his Father and his second William like to your self and Brother but upon what displeasure I know not although we must judge the Son gave the occasion his Father left him the least part of his Fortune though sufficient to equal the best Gentleman of his Shire and particularly the ancient House called after his name His other Son William he invested with what your Uncle now enjoys Both the Sons whilest they lived carried the port and estimation of their Fathers Children though afterwards it fell out that the Son of John and Nephew to William became disobedient negligent and prodigal and spent all his Patrimony so that in conclusion he and his Son extinguished their House and there now remains no memory of them As for the second Line and Race of whom your Uncle and I descended we live as you see though our Estates be not great and of the two mine much the least which notwithstanding is the greater to me in respect I atchieved it with the peril and danger of my Life and you will make my contentment in the enjoyment of it the greater if it be accompanied with that comfort I hope to receive from you The next thing I will handle shall be Arms. Know that Wars by Land or Sea are always accompanied with infinite dangers and disasters and seldom rewarded according to Merit For one Souldier that lives to enjoy that Preferment which becomes his right by Antiquity of Service ten thousand fall by the Sword and other casualties And if you compare that of a Souldier with any other Calling or Profession you will find much difference both in the reward and danger Although Arms have been esteemed in all Ages and the more as there was greater occasion to use them yet you shall find they have been always subject to jealousies and envy Jealousies from the State if the General or other Officer grow great and popular subject to envy from Inferiors who through their perverse and ill dispositions malign other mens Merits The Advancement of Souldiers is commonly made by Councellors at home whose eyes cannot witness the Services performed abroad but a man is advanced as he is befriended which makes the Souldiers Preferment as uncertain as his Life is casual Compare the estate and advancement of Souldiers of our time but with the mean and mercenary Lawyer and you shall find so great a difference that I had rather you should become Apprentice to the one than make Profession of the other A Captain that will seek to get the love of his Souldiers as his greatest praise and felicity of all other vices must detest and abandon Covetousness he must live by spending as the Miser doth by sparing insomuch as few of them can obtain by War wherewith to maintain themselves in peace and where Wealth wants Preferment fails Souldiers that live in peaceable Islands as in England their Profession is undervalued because we see not those dangers which make the Souldiers necessary as others do where Wars are practised And the good success in our Wars hath been such as makes us attribute our Victories not so much to Valour as to Chance I confess the base and ill behaviour of some Souldiers hath made themselves and their Callings the less esteemed for the name of a Captain which was ever wont to be honourable is now became a word of reproach and disdain Souldiers may have Reputation but little Credit Reputation enough to defend their Honours but little Trust in Commerce of the World and not without cause for their security is the worse by how much the danger of death is the greater Learning is as much to be preferred before War as the trade of a Merchant before that of the Factor By Learning you are made sensible of the difference betwixt Men and other Creatures and will be able to judge between the good and the bad and how to walk accordingly By Learning you attain to the knowledge of Heavenly Mysteries and you may frame your Life accordingly as God shall give you grace By Learning you are made capable of Preferment if it concur with Virtue and Discretion and the rather because you are a Gentleman by birth and of good Alliance which I observe next to Money in this Golden Age is the second step to Advancement For one that is preferred by Arms there are twenty by Learning and indeed the Souldier is but a Servant to the Learned for after his many fought Battels and as many dangers of his Life he must yield account of his Actions and be judged corrected and advanced as it shall please the other You may wonder to hear me extoll Learning so highly above my own Profession considering the poor Fortune I shall leave was atchieved by Arms it is enough therefore to persuade you what I say is not conjectural but approved for if I did not find this difference the natural affection of a Father to a Son would make me discover it to you that you may follow that which is most probable and profitable Good Son love Souldiers for your Countries sake who are the Defenders of it for my sake who have made Profession of it but shun the practice of it as you will do Brawls Quarrels and Suits which bring with them perplexities and dangers There are many things to be shunned as being perillous both to Body and Soul as Quarrels and occasions of them which happen through the enormities and abuses of our Age. Esteem Valour as a special virtue but shun Quarrelling as a most detestable vice Of two evils it were better to keep company with a Coward than a Quarreller the one is commonly sociable and friendly the other dangerous in his Acquaintance and offensive to Standersby He is never free from peril that is conversant with a Quarreller either for offence given to himself or to others wherein he may be engaged A true valiant man shall have enough to do to defend his own Reputation without engaging for others nor are all valiant that will fight therefore Discretion makes a difference betwixt Valour and Desperateness Nothing can happen more unfortunate to a Gentleman than to have a Quarrel and yet nothing so ordinary as to give offence it draweth with it many mischiefs both to Body and Soul being slain he is danger of damnation and no less if he kill the other without great repentance He shall perpetually live in danger of revenge from the Friends of the Party killed and fall into the mercy of the Prince and Law where he liveth but if for fear and baseness he avoid and shun a Quarrel he is more odious living than he would be unhappy in dying Drinking is the foundation of other vices it is the cause of Quarrels and then follows Murders It occasions Swearing Whoredom and many other vices depend upon it When you behold a Drunkard

did offer unto him upon opinion once conceived of his fidelity towards her as though his wicked pretence had been as he protested for her service a most liberal Pension Besides to the end that he might not grow hateful to the good and well-affected Subjects of the Realm from whom he could in no sort have escaped with safety of his life if his devilish purpose had been revealed her Majesty did conceal the same without communicating it to any creature untill such time as he himself had opened the same unto certain of her Council and that it was also discovered that he sought to draw the said Nevil to have been a party in his devilish and most wicked purpose A very rare Example and such as doth more set forth the singular goodness and bounty of her Majesties Princely nature than commend if it be lawful for a Subject to censure his Soveraign her providence such as ought to be in a Prince and person of her Majesties wisdom and quality And as the goodness of her Majesties nature did hereby most manifestly shew it self to be rare in so extraordinary a case and in a matter of so great peril unto her own Royal Person so did the malice of Parry most evidently appear to be in the highest and extreamest degree who notwithstanding the said extraordinary grace and favour extended towards him did not onely perswade the said Nevil to be an Associate in the said wicked Enterprize but did also very vehemently as Nevil confesseth importune him therein as an Action lawful honourable and meritorious omitting nothing that might provoke him to assent thereunto But such was the singular goodness of Almighty God who even from her Majesties Cradle by many evident Arguments hath shewed himself her onely and especial Protector that he so wrought in Nevil's heart as he was moved to reveal the same unto her Majesty and for that purpoce made choise of a faithful Gentleman and of good quality in the Court unto whom upon Munday the 8th of February last he discovered at large all that had passed between Parry and him who immediately made it known to her Majesty whereupon her Highnesses pleasure was That Nevil should be examined by the Earl of Leicester and Sir Christopher Hatton who in the evening of the same day did examine him and he affirmed constantly all which he had before declared to the said Gentleman In the mean time her Majesty continued her singular and most Princely magnanimity neither dismaid with the rareness of the Accident nor appaled with the horrour of so villanous an Enterprize tending even to the taking away of her most gracious life a matter especially observed by the Counsellor that was present at such time as Parry after his return did first discover unto her Majesty his wicked purpose who found no other alteration in her countenance than if he had imparted unto her some matter of contentment which sheweth manifestly how she reposeth her confidence wholly in the defence of the Almighty And so her Majesty following the wonted course of her singular Clemency gave order that Parry the same Munday in the evening though not so known to him should be sent to Mr. Secretaries house in London he being then there who according unto such direction as he received from her Majesty did let him understand That her Highness in respect of the good will she knew he bare unto the said Parry and of the Trust that Parry did outwardly profess to repose in Mr. Secretary had made especial choice of him to deal with him in a matter that concerned her highly and that she doubted not but that he would discharge his duty towards her according unto that extraordinary devotion that he professed to bear unto her And thereupon told him that her Majesty had been advertised that there was somewhat intended presently against her own Person wherewith she thought he could not but be made acquainted considering the great Trust that some of her worst-affected Subjects reposed in him and that her pleasure therefore was That he should declare unto him his knowledge therein and whether the said Parry himself had let fall any speech unto any person though with an intent onely to have discovered his disposition that might draw him in suspition as though he himself had any such wicked intent But Parry with great and vehement protestations denied it utterly whereupon Mr. Secretary the rather to induce him to deal more plainly in a matter so important declared unto him That there was a Gentleman of Quality every way as good or better than himself and rather his Friend than Enemy that would avouch it to his face Yet Parry persisted stubbornly in his former denial and justification of his own innocency and would not in any respect yield that he was party or privy to any such Motion Enterprize or intent And being lodged that night at Mr. Secretaries house the next morning he desired earnestly to have some further speech with Mr. Secretary which granted Parry declared to him that he had called to remembrance that he had once some speech with one Nevil a Kinsman of his so he called him touching a point of Doctrine contained in the Answer made to the Book entituled The Execution of Justice in England by which book it was resolved That it was lawful to take away the Life of a Prince in furtherance of the Catholick Religion But he protested that they never had any speech at all of any Attempt intended against her Majesties Person Which Denial of his at two sundry times after so much light given him doth set forth most apparently both the Justice and Providence of God His Justice for that though he was one of a sharp conceit he had no power to take hold of this Overture thereby to have avoided the danger that Nevil's Accusation might bring him into by confessing the same as a thing propounded onely to feel Nevil's mind whom before he had reported unto Master Secretary he found a person discontented and therefore his Confession might to very great purpose have served to have cleared himself touching the intent His Providence for that of his great Mercy he would not suffer so dangerous and wicked a member to escape and to live to Her Majesties peril The same day at Night Parry was brought to the Earl of Leicester's house and there eftsoons examined before the said Earl of Leicester Master Vice-Chamberlain and Master Secretary He persisted still in his denial of all that he was charged with Whereupon Nevil being brought before him face to face justified his Accusation against him He notwithstanding would not yet yield to confess it but very proudly and insolently opposed his Credit against the Credit of Nevil affirming that his No was as good as Nevil's Yea and as by way of recrimination objected the Crime to Nevil himself On the other side Nevil did with great Constancy affirm all that he had before said and did set down many probable Circumstances