Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	body_n	life_n	power_n	13,082	5	5.0974	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90668	St Paul's late progres upon earth, about a divorce 'twixt Christ and the Church of Rome, by reason of her dissolutenes and excesses. With the causes of these present commotions 'twixt the Pope, and the princes of Italy. A new way of invention agreeable to the times. Published by James Howell, Armig.; Divortio celeste. English.	Pallavicino, Ferrante, 1615-1644.; Howell, James, 1594?-1666.	1644 (1644)	Wing P212; Thomason E1174_2; ESTC R203120	41,006	172

apparant to all the Vnivers the publick murmurings of people do grieve me Her infamy runs through the mouths and pens of every one though she study never so much to cover it Some call her a greedy Babylon others a nest of hypocrisie others the School of wickednes the refuge of all impieties the publick Brothell where without any modesty are practis'd the basest kinds of lusts in the world Can divine honor therfore cohabit with such an opprobrious Adultres without spotting it self The time was O Father that I drank the bitter cup of passion for my Spouse but now her deformities have so nauseated my stomack that I cannot swallow another I died then for her because I might rise up glorious again I will not live with her now because she daily practiseth the losse of my repute and honor I should become the scorne of people should I by a longer dissimulation beare with her Exorbitances Her demerits cannot admit any reconciliation I desire therefore a Divorce nor do I hope will your Majesty deny it me in regard the whole Trinity would be partaker of my dishonor SECT. III. The Almighty Father being perswaded by the reasons of the Son is disposed to satisfie him but to proceed with the wonted circumspection of divine Iustice he commands Saint Paul to transfer himself-to Earth to understand the complaints of Mortals and to forme a diligent Processe of the actions of the Roman Spouse accordingly And he speaks to him as followeth PAul great are the discomposures which arise from an unchast woman This very Heaven cannot glory it self to be free of them my only begotten Son himself is troubled and aggriev'd at the dishonest actions of the Church of Rome his Spouse I hop'd she had bin capable of reconcilement but He holds himself so much offended and finds her nature to be so perverted that he thinks her incorrigible therefore with a constant resolution he seeks a Divorce What can be denyed to my only Son specially when Iustice favoreth his reasons But I do not intend to determin any thing upon the busines so hastily though the Eternall Word cannot tell an untruth and though besides her loose carriage be not unknown to me The divine Iustice in the fulmination of it's punishments useth to proceed with much caution for the example of man Therfore to the end that our Decree may have a good foundation we command thee to betake thy self to Earth to hear what Mortals can say and to frame an exact proces of the life and carriage of the Roman Spouse The enterprise will prove somwhat difficult because she useth to smother her errors to persecut those men bitterly that write against her proceedings But we assure our selves that the approv'd vertue of Paul which heretofore knew how to support the persecutions of the wicked for the honor of Christ will not shrink awhit in this imployment SECT. IV. Saint Paul doth readily obey the Lord and descends to Earth in humane disguise He comes to Lucca where understanding the contumacy of thai Republick he would know the grounds of it for to commence the Preces and a Citizen answers him thus AMongst the Popes of our age Vrban the eight hath bin most Prodigall of Iubilees and Indulgences untill these his latter yeares But to shew peradventure that he hath jurisdiction no lesse over curses than over benedictions he hath at last by altering his stile put forth his hand to dart out Excommunications It was the fortune of this small Republick to beare the brunt of his first censure He thereby imitating those who use to try the vertue of poison first upon the lesser sort of animals The connivency wherby other Princes dissembled this our disaster gave him scope to thunder out the second against the Duke of Parma Nor must Christendome hereafter expect other then excommunications in regard if the affairs of this world use to succeed one another in equal vicissitudes it is necessary that Excommunications be as frequent as Jubiles have been Now touching the grounds of the papall distast with us they are already sufficiently manifested to the world I must say though very sparingly that the originall of every accident sprung from the insupportable licentiousnes of Church-men who did necessitat us to a just resentment It seem'd strange to the Roman Bishop that so small a Republick as ours durst resent the outrages of Ecclesiasticks who should rather comply with them considering that this State is too narrow to be capable of such insolencies And so persisting in an obstinat censure he chuseth rather to see our perdition hastned than the Exorbitances of his Clergy moderated But we being not conscious to have committed any delinquency which might deserve to exclude us from the face of God we comfort our selves in this case with the memory of Balaam who injustly curs'd the people of Israel Nor have we ever rested since to procure a right understanding by the interposition of persons of credit with the Cardinall Nephewes that they would be pleas'd to appease his Holines displeasure expecting still a miracle from the words of some Asse but to this houre ther hath nothing come of it But the Barberini are in Armes and this temporall interest they think will inforce us to desire a reconciliation As for the rest which concernes the soul if an Excommunication hath power to cut us off from the union of the present Church why should we think it capitall to be separated from so infected a body and freed so by continuall examples of a sacrilegious life and from the despaire wherinto the Clericall Tyranny would plunge us Confiding therfore in the justice of our Cause and in the assistance of those wise Princes which cannot away with the ravenousnes of this Pope we hope to receive some fruit of the introducement of these censures in regard that if this cours would go on to be Master therby of anothers Estate the World may bewel assur'd that as Jubiles pass'd were pretexts for some new impost herafter Excommunication will serve for a pretext for some new rapine SECT. V. Saint Paul having understood the grievances of the Luqueses passeth on to Parma wher in the habit of a Fryer having gain'd the affection of the Duke he endeavours to understand from his mouth the disagreement which he hath with the Roman Church and the Duke answers him thus THe World hath already understood too much the causes of the quarrell I have with the Court of Rome being published not only by my Manifests but by the writings of other particular pens who have willingly protected the justice of my cause But since it pleaseth you good Fryer to heare from my own mouth the grounds of these traverses which have kept such a noise I will relate them unto you with that brevity of words which may suit more with the present encumbrances that trouble me than with the nature of the busines it self Know then that the particular urgencies of my House have erected already

Greek Churches are Sisters issued from one Father But the Greek is the first born and I know not by what wiles the Roman came to take away her birth-right For this cause they live in most grievous disgusts one with the other But the one enjoyes the possession of all her paternall goods wheras the other lives as Esau did excluded and under the dominion of another Touching the particular customs of the Roman Church I say nothing for he that censures her in this City shews he knows not his own danger and he who approves her carriage understands not the Law of Christ With such words the Greek satisfied my demands As touching the opportunity which was offer'd me to mingle speech with a French-man upon the same subject I understood his conceit thus The name of the Roman Church is reverenc'd by a great part of the Kingdome of France but the wisdome of our Governors hath never permitted the Pope to extend that excesse of pre-dominion beyond the Alps which he doth exercise in Italy for our policy is supported by particular Gallican Rites And the reason is because the French being naturally impatient and now that almost half France to withdraw it self from under the Roman yoake is infected with Heresie certainly if the Pope should exercise upon the consciences of that spritfull people the tyranny he doth exercise in Italy the rest of that great Kingdome would fall from him quite Such were the expressions of the Frenchman which did stir in me a curiosity by way of opposition to hear what the Spaniard would say Nor was it difficult for me to obtain my desire by meeting with a Nobleman of Sevill who frequenting the same Convent I entred into his friendship and he rendred me satisfied by such discours Friend to serve you I will speak beyond my custome of this Nation with all ingenuity of heart The reverence which the Spaniards do professe to the Roman Church may be considered in two manners inward and outward If you ask me of the inward reverence suppose it to be not unlike that of other people who have full knowledge of her customs The Spaniards being of a genius apt to esteem things as they are in value But if you ask me of the outward reverence know that the Spanish Nation in extern apparance shew themselves very observant of the Roman Church because that having found her alwayes most partiall to the interests of their Crowns they hold themselves oblig'd by termes of gratitude to correspond with her at least in outward observance My King knows well how available for the depressing of the suspected greatnes of his Subjects hath bin the pretext of the holy Inquisition He lives mindfull of that promptitude shew'd in the Court of Rome to deny an absolution to the House of Borbon untill he had conform'd it self to the Austrian satisfaction And lastly he knows how much to this very houre the pragmaticall Jesuits have serv'd him to dilate in every part with their own advantage the bounds of the Castilian Empire So that in contemplation of all these respects the Spaniards hold themselves oblig'd to reverence the Roman Church in exterior appearance at least though she were far worse then she is Here the Spaniard did terminat his period while my diligence which desisted not to procure all punctuall advertisements brought me to discourse with an English-man who gave this modest answer Sir I am declar'd an Enemy of the Roman Church therfore my words I presume can gain no credit with you but if you desire to know what respects this Church finds Northward read our Doctors and perchance your curiosity will be fully satisfied Thus O Angell of God I endeavoured in Rome to bring to perfection the proces which was committed ●o my charge against the adultresse Spouse And passing one morning by a Church wher they were casting out a Devill I went in because of the noise and then the ill spirit knew my person and began to cry out her 's Saint Paul her 's Saint Paul Truly he is come in an ill time from Heaven to view the state of that Church for which he shed so much sweat Good Saint what motives brought him to this lower world Was it to see how his labours fructified Ah the pure grains of that Doctrin which his Eloquence sowed in the Vineyard of the Lord are turn'd to tares and become food for ravenous birds such as these are who stand about me now to disconjure me with their hideous noise Vpon this cry the Priests began to fix their looks upon me wherupon fearing to be discovered I softly retyred but the words took such impressions in the mind of the Exorcist that he did conjure the spirit by violent threats to manifest who I was who not being able to resist the violence confess'd I was Saint Paul who by resumption of humane shape he knew not why wandred now upon earth The Priest had no sooner knowledge herof but he presently found means to give notice to the Pope A little after my lodging being found out by Spies wherof the● are a multitude in Rome I suddenly perceiv'd a Courtier making towards me and breaking into these words O holy Paul in the name of Vrban the eight I come to do you reverence He is well inform'd of the condition of your being here He earnestly desires that you would please to favour his House with your presence for he is ambitious to have a stranger of so high a quality for his guest The Courtier O Angell of God spoke to me thus in very proper phrase for in these times Saints use to be call'd Strangers in the State Ecclesiastick whither I was astonish'd or no to see my self thus surpriz'd and discover'd judge you I thank'd his Beatitude in the best manner I could for his courteous offer and excus'd my self not to be able to receive that honor in regard I was of necessity to depart from Rome within a few houres when I had dis-intangled my self thus from the Courtier I cal'd my thoughts to counsell and feeling that my heart did presage me some sinister accident I resolv'd upon flight And I was gon but few paces further when the same Courtier came again and told me thus Vrban the eight doth remand me to you O holy Paul to second his first invitation but if in case you are resolv'd not to grace his Palace with your presence I have order to propose another request to you In your Epistles we read O Apostle of God certain passages which manifestly contradict the humors of our holy Father Vrban the eight he prayes you to mend them because it is not fitting that Paul should gain-say the will of Peters Successor And if you desire to know which are those passages one amongst the rest is that Let every soul be subject to the higher powers Vrban the eight would that from this so universall a proposition the souls of Popes should be exempted He thinking it not fitting that

me to traverse the world up and down in that manner I bethinking my self of Heaven answered my Country most gentle Sister is too far distant from this place and wherunto few of this Region arrive Touching the fancy that leads me thus to traverse up and down the world it is no other then a curiosity which often drawes youthfull lightnes to neglect their own profit and to regard others Foolish youthfulnes which canst not learn how to value thy Countries good but afar off then I added happy are they who never departing from within the Paradise of these holy wals seem as so many Angels alwayes appearing before the face of God She being as full of spirit as she was of beauty answered thus O how many os us would willingly change our Paradise for your Peregrination wherfore then do you complain so causlesly of your Travels which being no other then the motions of a civill life it cannot chuse but be so much the sweeter to elevated minds by how much the higher the motions of their souls are Behold the Sun behold the Planets which never staying still in one place delight to be continuall Travellers in the Vnivers I being much taken with the vivacity of her spirit replyed It is true Lady that the Sun and the Planets are in a kind of continuall peregrination but ther are in Heaven fixed Stars also which because haply they are more noble are superior to the other and consequently nearer to the Throne of the Almighty Those Nuns then who to serve God are alwayes permanent in one place like the fixed Stars may more then any other Mortals comfort themselves with an assurance that they are nearer God The beautuous mayden sigh'd at these words and then answered God I deny not dwels nearer to the fixed Stars but not to desperat souls And now you discover your self to be a true stranger that you are not acquainted with our miserable condition The cruelty of our parents and the rigor of our destiny hath penn'd us in here for ever the Church of Rome concurring herunto by admitting any pretext whatsoever bear with me Sir that I speak thus It is a hard fate to be borne to a perpetuall prison while 't is seen that all other living creatures have the whole world to solace themselves in And that prison which it seems the very Infants do fly from when they sally out of their mothers wombs before they have as it were any sense of life we are constrain'd to endure after that nature hath given-us the perfect use of sense and life and the knowledge of our own miseries the destiny of that Mortall must needs be a hard one who is born to live in restles infelicity This Cloyster which surrounds our liberty is not as you imagine a Paradise for in Paradise there dwels no discontentment It is rather a Hell where in the flames of inextinguishible desire the naturall affections of our humanity are condemn'd to be tortur'd every minute I will not stand to expresse the cause why our Parents are so inhumanly cruell unto us for it is too well known that for to spare that dowry which is due to our sex they condemne us 'twixt these wals to be depriv'd for ever of any worldly delight for no other cause but because we are borne women Yet you must know that the shutting us thus by force between these stones cannot deprive us of those carnall affections which may well be cover'd but not quench'd in that religious habit which you see about us Nor can this kind of life conduce to Heaven considering ther is no concurrence of the will which is so acceptable to the all-knowing Lord We are rather destinated to an Abisse by a cours clean contrary to our genius being bereft also of that common priviledge which other souls use to have to go to Hell what way they please In ancient times it was the custom to slay the Victimes first and then sacrifice them to good because haply the principall Seat of the corporeall affections lying in the bloud 't was not held convenient to offer his divine Majesty any Holocaust which was not first purg'd by effusion of that bloud from all earthly passions But this is not observ'd in us by our Parents who do make sacrifices of us with all our bloud and passions about us then how can we beleeve that it is gratefull to God and being not gratefull to him consider in what a despair our souls are plung'd in which see themselves shut out of the world here without any assurance to enter Heaven herafter in regard we have not power to extinguish our naturall affections and so are in danger to precipitat our selves headlong into Hell through a kind of suppos'd innocence If Christ died to reduce us to such a hard condition O how better were it for us that he had not died Be not offended O stranger at these words for the toungs of the damned can bring forth nothing but blasphemies Yet we know that Christ hath no hand in this our hard condition for his death had for it 's principall object the freedome and enlargement of souls not their captivity The Popes are most in fault by yeelding to the cruell covetousnes of our Parents to transvert the keyes of Paradise iuto the keyes of a prison It was not Christ no it was the impiety of Herod that by reason of the humanation of our Saviour caus'd so many Innocents to be slain Behold we are in a case equall to theirs because we being yet innocent children under a mark of holines we are segregated and cut off from the society of the living ther being no difference 'twixt us and them but that they died before buriall and we are buried before death Nor can our innocency or our fears prevaile any thing nor are those priviledges sufficient which nature hath granted these faces of ours for which peradventure you stiled us Angels to implore from others piety any succour having found the Church of Rome so ingratefull while we consider that the time was when Saint Peter was freed by an Angell out of prison but now clean contrary Angels are cast into prison by the Successors of Saint Peter But whither doth the violence of a just passion transport me thus to rave Helas the name of Angels doth not suit with our condition and lesse with our operations For although we are brought Innocents hither yet we cannot preserve our selves long in this Monastick life from the motions of desperat passions The Religion which clap'd us in here is not ador'd but detested by some of us vanity and feminine wantonnes is here in the height Here dwels curiosity in exces and desire of knowledge in worldly matters without end Ambition envy discord and hatred is never wanting amongst us Lastly her 's observ'd neither constitution Law or vow but out of pure necessity and unavoydable violence But what shall I say of that mayden chastity for the conservation

wherof we are principally penn'd in here I leave that for you to imagine it being not permitted to femal modesty to make any further expressions in this kind I only tell you this that we procure all means possible to outrage and abuse it and not without reason for if this chastity hath bin the principall thing that hath retrench'd our Liberties in this manner we ought to aym and bend our chiefest forces to be reveng'd of our chiefest Enemy And here this beautuous Nun blush'd and broke the thread of her discours I confssse unto you O holy Paul that if I had a breast capable of terrene affections I would doubtles have tenderly resented the misery of this discontented soul but compassion is vain wher ther is no power to comfort therfore I held it expedient to take my leave that I might not imbitter her passions any further so at my departure I said when I came in hither O most beautuous Nuns I look'd upon you as on so many Seraphims but hearing the state of your hard condition I find you to be the unhappiest creatures that live under the Law of Christ Were it permitted me to help you I promise you I would batter down these wals and give you that liberty which others take from you but since 't is not lawfull for any to do so comfort your selves at least that Heaven is reserv'd for your suffrances And although you protest not to suffer for Christ yet Christ is so mercifull that he can give beatitudes to those Cyreneans who carry his Crosse though forc'd therunto And I dare assure you that if you cannot gain Heaven as Virgins you shall gain it at least as Martyrs SECT. XVIII Paul being arriv'd in Messina doth imbark himself for Jerusalem in the mean time the Angell carrieth the Letter to the Princes and so takes his flight to Heaven wher having received new Orders he descends in Ierusalem and retrieves Saint Paul to whom with the divine Commission he declares the affairs of Italy in this manner I Return O holy Paul from the execution of your Commands I come to give your curiosity an account of the Estate of Italy and to your desires an information of the divine will Know then that I did invisibly represent to the hearts of Christian Princes the contents of your Letters and I found them so dispos'd to take your sword from the hand of Vrban the eight their eyes being opened to foresee their own danger that I had more need to advise them of the means than excite them to the enterprize The Pontificiall Army did display their Colours already upon the Frontiers of Modena and imperiously demanded passage to go on to the ruine of Parma when the demand was understood by the confining Princes upon a sudden the spirit of a sleeping resentment was seen to stir Flying Couriers did immediatly fly up and down and upon a sudden as it were in a moment a league was miraculously concluded against the insolent pretences of the Pope Now let every one know the difference 'twixt the present army of the Church and the ancient Army of the people of Israel for at the marching of the one the Sea it self divided to let it passe but at the marching of this all the world seem'd to close together to hinder the passage Don Tadeo one of the Popes Nephews had the supreme direction of this Church-Army but with martiall dignity ther joyns not alwayes that generosity which ariseth from birth or experience Don Tadeo that was not us'd to other atchievments than to those of Castro wherin he had no opposition when he heard the report of this League he turn'd his back wherby he discover'd the nature of a thief rather than of a souldier In the interim the Duke of Parma could not contain the vigor of his innated hereditary courage within such short narrow bounds but he unites his Cavalry and puts spurs to his horse and so entreth like a whirlwind into the Papall Territories in scorn of the Barberini and so on towards the wals of Rome The generous Prince expected that either Front or Rere on the Enemies side would have appeared but at his voice all vanish'd as it were Nor could the Inhabitants of the State Ecclesiastick imagine what became of their militia nor the militia what became of Don Tadeo nor Don Tadeo what became of his heart or whither it was fled when God wrought a kind of miracle For the Duke who a little before found himself at the last period of an irreparable ruine entreth triumphantly with three thousand Horse only into the Enemies Countrey He incamped the first night not far frm Vrban Fort which questionles had it been capable of motion had followed Don Tadeo when he fled but because of it's naturall immobility it could not stir an inch from it's own trenches therfore it stood quiet and without the least noise for feare the Duke should over-hear nor was any soul seen to peep out all the while From the felicity of this beginning the spirit of the Duke being heightned he resolv'd to push on to the very wals of Rome to present to the Pope the crying of-spring of his immoderat passions all Forts and Towns at the Dukes approach did open their gates to receive him ratther for a Father then a Foe And alalthough the Country could not choose but be damnified by the march of such a tumultuary unfurnish'd Army yet the vassals of the Ecclesiastick state are accustom'd to such hard usage from their own Governors that the dammages which the hostile Troops did them seemed but light The Duke with unexpected fortune advanceth towards Rome wher he found nothing but fear and confusion I want words to set down the strange effects that the tydings of his approach did produce Questionles the Castle of St Angelo had not bin capacious enough to hold all those that ran into it unles the hearts of the fugitives had bin much lessen'd and shrunk The Pope and the chiefest of Rome began for more security to stowe into the said Castle their tresure and all their costly movables adorning as one may say that Capitoll with the triumphs of their cowardize wher valour was us'd to hang up the Trophyes of her victories In fine a just sword is formidable what hand soever doth weld it That Rome which in ages pass'd could look Hannibal and the Gaules in the face doth now fall into a shaking palsie at the approach of three thousand Horse only which came to vindicat the affronts done to the Farneses In this confusion ther was not one that would offer to propose the facing of the Enemy every one was so busie to stand upon his gard Ev'ry gate seem'd a Diocesse each having some Bishop appointed to keep it And such was the timorousnes of the Romans that finding themselves not able to secure their City with wals and bastions they went to do it with Breviaries for all preparations rais'd and regulated with fear