Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	good_a	king_n	prince_n	3,500	5	5.4628	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05575	Tvvo bookes of constancie. Written in Latine, by Iustus Lipsius. Containing, principallie, A comfortable conference, in common calamities. And will serue for a singular consolation to all that are priuately distressed, of afflicted, either in body or mind. Englished by Iohn Stradling, gentleman; Iusti Lipsi de constantia libri duo.	Lipsius, Justus, 1547-1606.; Stradling, John, Sir, 1563-1637.	1595 (1595)	STC 15695; ESTC S120692	104,130	145

signe giuen killed them euery man vsing the like cruelty against all the residue whereby hee lefte vtterlie without an inhabitant that populous cittie kinge Mithridates by one letter caused to be murthred 4 score thousand citizens of Rome that were dispersed ab●oade throughout Asia about their marchandise and other affaires Volesus Messala being Proconsul of Asia slue with the sword 300. in one day then walking proudly among y e corpses with his hands cast abrod as though he had atchiued a worthy enterprise cried out Oh kingly deed I speake onely of prophane and wicked heathens But behold also among those that are in name consecrated to the true God Theodosius the prince most mischieuously and fraudulently calling together at Thessalonica 7000. innocent persons as it were to see plates sente in souldiors among them and slue them Then the which facte there is not any more impious among the impieties of the old tirants Goe to now my cuntry men of Belgica and complaine of the tyrannie and trechery of prin●es in this age CHAPT XXV The tyranny of our time is extenuated Shewing that the same is a thing incident either to the nature or malice of men And that both externall and internall oppressions haue benne in old time FInally thou dooest accuse moreouer the tyrannie of these times and the oppressions of body and minde It is not my purpose ambitiously to extoll this our age or to afflicte and grieue it For what good woulde come thereof I will speake of that that maketh for my purpose of comparison When were not these euills rife And where not Name me any age without some notable tirannie or any cuntry if thou canst doe so let me abide the danger of this hazarde I will confesse that we be the most wretched of all wretches Why houldest thou thy peace I see the old taunting by-word is true That all good princes may be written at large in the compasse of our ring For it is natu●ally geuen to mens dispositions to vse imperial authority insolently neither can they easily keep a meane in that thing which is aboue mediocritie Euen we our selues that thus complaine of tiranny do beare in our brestes some seede thereof and many of vs doe not want wil to performe it but ability The serpent being be nummed with cold hath yet his poyson within him but doth not cast it out So is it with vs whom only imbecility keepeth back from doing harme and a certain coldnes of Fortune Geue strēgth giue fit opportunity or instruments and I fear me that they which now are so querulous against mightie men will be most vnruly themselues Wee haue examples in the common course of our life See how this father tyrannizeth ouer his children That master ouer his seruants Another scoole-master ouer his schollers Euery one of these is a Phaleris in his kind And they do stirre vp waues as much within their riuers as kinges doe in their great Seas Neither are other liuing creatures free from this natural disposition Among whom many do exercise their cruelty vpon their like in kind both in the aire earth and water As it is wel said of Varo So little fish to great ones are a praie And sillie birdes the greedie hauke doth slay Thou replyest yet that all these are only oppressions of the body But now this passeth all the rest that we endure also seruile oppression of our mindes Is it so indeed Of our mindes Take heed this bee not spoken more enuiouslie than trulie Hee seemeth vnto mee to knowe neither himselfe nor the celestiall nature of the mind which thinketh it may be oppressed or constrained For no outwarde force can euer make thee to will what thou will not or to beleeue that thou beleeuest not A man may haue power vpon this bonde or fetter of the minde but not ouer the mind it self A tyrant hath power to loose it from the body but not vnloose the nature therof Such things as bee pure euerlasting and of fierie nature set nought by al external violent handling But saist thou it is not lawfull for mee to expresse my mind freely Be it so herein thy tongue alone is bridled not thy mind Thy iudgment is not restrained but thy acts But this is a strange course neuer before herd off Alas good man how art thou deceiued How many could I recount vnto thee who for their vnaduised tongues haue suffred punishment of al their senses vnder tyrantes Howe many of them haue indeuoured to force constraine mens iudgments yea their iudgments I say in matters of religion The kings of Persia and of the East made it an ordinary custome to be adored And we know that Alexander assumed to himselfe the same diuine honor his own plaine countrey men the Macedonians misliking it Among the Romanes that good and moderate prince Augustus had his Flamines Priests in al prouinces yea in priuat houses as a God Caligula cutting off the heades frō the images of their heathen gods caused the likenes of his own to be put in their steeds and with a ridiculous impietie he erected a temple instituted priests and most exquisit sacrifices in honor of his own maiesty Nero would needs be taken for Apollo and the principall citizens were by him put to death vnder this pretēce because they had neuer sacrificed before the heauenly voice As for Domitian he was commonly called our God and our Lord what vanity Lipsius or impietie wer it to speak ought at this day against any king I purpose not to sail nerer this gulf wherinto no stormy winds of ambition shal euer draw or driue me for the reward of silence is void of danger I wil alleadge only one testimony concerning all this matter of seruitude in old times that out of thy familiar writer which I wold haue thee well to mark Tacitus writing of Domitians time hath thus We read that it was made a matter of death whē Petus Thrasea was praised vnto Arulenus Iusticus or Priscus Heluidius to Herennius Senecio Neither extended this cruelty vnto those authors only but also to their books the Triumuiri hauing the charge committed vnto them to see the monuments of those excellent wittes burned in open viewe of the people and in the market place Forsooth they supposed by that fire vtterlie to abolish or suppresse the speaeh of the people of Rome the libertie of the Senate and the consciences of all mankind Expelling more ouer al professors of wisdom and banishing al good arts to the intent that no honest thing should remaine in vre Surely we haue giuen a notable experiment of patience And as the olde ages haue seene the verie highest degree in libertie so haue wee felt the vttermost extremitte in seruitude The verie societie of speaking and hearing being taken from vs by straight inquisitions We should also haue lost our memorie with our voice if so be it

drawn away by that Idol Lucre How many Italians forsaking Italie the Queen of countries only for greedinesse of gaine haue remooued their dwellings into France Gerusanie yea euen into Sarmatia Howe many thousande Spaniards doth ambition draw daylie into another worlde from vs These arguments prooue inuinciblie that the band whereby we are linked thus to our countrie is but external and accidentall in that it is so easilie broken by one inordinate lust Moreouer Lipsius you are greatlie deceiued in describing this countrie of ours For you tye it verie narrowlie to that natiue soyle where we were borne and had our education with other like friuolous allegations from whence you labour in vaine to picke out naturall causes of our affection towards her And if it be the natiue soyle where wee were borne that deserueth this title of our countrie then were Brusseilles only my countrey and Isscanum yours and to some other man a poore cottage or cell yea vnto many not so much as a cottage but a wood or els the open field what thē Shal my good wil affection bee shut vp within those narrow wals Shal I settle my disposition loue vpō one town or house as my country what folly were that You see also that by your description none are happier than those that are borne in the woodsand open fields which are alwaies flourishing seldome or neuer be subiect to desolation or wasting No no our country is not as you take it But it is Some one state or as it were one common Ship vnder the regiment of one prince or one lawe which I confesse we ought to loue to defend and to die for it yet must it not driue vs to lament waile and dispaire Well said the Poet. A happie quarrell is it and a good For Countries cause to spend our dearest blood He saith not that we should weep and lament but die for our countrie For we must so far foorth bee good common-wealths-men that we also retaine the person of good and honest men which we loose if we betake vs to childish and womanlike lamentations Last of all Lipsius I woulde haue thee learne this one hidden and deep mysterie that if we respect the whole nature of man all these earthlie countries are vaine and falsly so tearmed except only in respect of the body and not of the minde or soule which descending downe from that highest habitation deemeth all the whole earth as a gaole or prison but heauen is our true and rightfull countrey whether let vs aduance all our cogitations that wee may freelie say with Anaxagoras to such as foolishlie aske vs whether we haue no regarde to our countrie yes verelie but yonder is our countrie lifting our finger and mind vp towards heauen CHAPT XII The third affection bridled which is Commiseration or pittying being a vice It is distinguished from Mercie Howe and how far forth we ought to vse it LAngius with this conference hauing scattered abroade some darke mystes from my mind I bespake him thus My Father what by admonitions and what by instructions you haue done mee great good so that it seemeth I am now able to moderate my affection towardes the natiue soyle or common-wealth wherein I was borne But not towards the persons of my fellow-citizens and countrymen For how should I not bee touched and tormented with the calamities of my countrey for my countreymens sake who are tossed in this sea of aduersities and doe perish by sundry misfortunes Langius taking my tale by the end This is not quoth he properlie sorrowe but rather commiseration or pittying which must be despised of him that is wise and constant whom nothing so much beseemeth as steddinesse and stedfastnes of courage which he cannot retaine if he be cast downe not only with his owne mishaps but also at other mens What Stoyical ●ubtilties are these said I. Wil you not haue me to pittie an other mans case Surelie it is a vertue among good men and such as haue anie religion in them I denie that said Langius and I trust no good man will be offended with me if I purge the mind of this maladie for it is a verie daungerous contagion and I iudge him not far from a pitiful state that is subiect to pittying of others As it is a token of naughtie eyes to waxe watry when they behold other blear eyes so is it of the mind that mourneth at euerie other mans mourning It is defined to be The fault of an abiect and base mind cast downe at the shew of anothers mishap What then are we so vnkind and voyd of humanitie that we would haue no man to be moued at anothers miserie Yes I allowe that we be mooued to help them not to bewaile or waile with them I permit MERCY but not pittying I call MERCY An inclination of the minde to succour the necessitie or miserie of another This is that vertue Lipsius which thou seest through a cloud and in steed whereof PITTY intrudeth her selfe vnto thee But thou wilt say it is incident to mans nature to bee mooued with affection and pittie Be it so yet certainlie it is not decent and right Thinkest thou that anie vertue consisteth in softnesse and abiection of the minde In sorrowing In sighing in sobbing together wish such as weep It cannot be so For I wil shew thee some greedy old wiues and couetous misers from whose eyes thou maist sooner wring a thousand teares than one small pennie out of their purses But he that is trulie mercifull in deed wil not bemone or pittie the condition of distressed persons but yet wil do more to helpe and succour them than the other He vvil beholde mens miseries with the eye of compassion yet ruled and guided by reason He will speake vnto them with a sad countenance but not mourning or prostrate He will comfort hartelie and help liberally He vvill performe more in vvorkes than in words and will stretch out vnto the poore and needy his hand rather than his tongue All this will he doe with discretion and care that he infect not himselfe with other mens contagion and that as Fencers vse to say hee beare not others blowes vppon his owne ribbes What is here sauouring of inhumanitie or churlishnesse Euen so all vvisdome seemeth austere and rigorous at the first view But if you consider thoroughlie of it you shall finde the same to be meeke gentle yea more milde and amiable than Venus her selfe Let this suffice touching the three fore rehearsed affections vvhome if I haue in part expelled from thee it will greatly auaile me to get the victorie in the battell that shall ensue CHAPT XIII The former impedimentes or lettes being remooued wee come in good earnest to the extenuating or taking away of publike euils which is assayed by foure principall arguments Firste here is spoken of Prouidence which is prooued to be in and ouer all