and that Eufebian book of evangelic preparation, tranfmitting our ears through a hoard of heathenifh obfcenities to receive the gospel. Who finds not that Irenæus, Epiphanius, Jerom, and others difcover more herefies than they well confute, and that oft for herefy which is the truer opinion? Nor boots it to fay for these, and all the heathen writers of greatest infection if it must be thought fo, with whom is bound up the life of human learning, that they writ in an unknown tongue, fo long as we are fure thofe languages are known as well to the worft of men, who are both moft able, and moft diligent to inftil the poison they fuck, firft into the courts of princes, acquainting them with the choiceft delights, and criticifins of fin. As perhaps did that Petronius, whom Nero called his arbiter, the mafter of his revels; and that notorious ribald of Arezzo, dreaded and yet dear to the Italian courtiers. I name not him for pofterity's fake, whom Henry the eighth named in merriment his vicar of Hell. By which compendious way all the contagion that foreign books can infufe will find a paffage to the people far easier and fhorter than an Indian voyage, though it could be failed either by the north of Cataio eastward, or of Canada weftward, while our Spanish licensing gags the English press never so severely. But on the other fide, that infection which is from books of controversy in religion, is more doubtful and dangerous to the learned, than to the ignorant; and yet those books must be permitted untouched by the licenser. It will be hard to inftance where any ignorant man hath been ever feduced by any papistical book in English, unless it were commended and expounded to him by fome of that clergy; and indeed all fuch tractates, whether falfe or true, are as the prophecy of Ifaiah was to the eunuch, not to be "understood without a guide." But of our priests and doctors how many have been corrupted by ftudying the comments of Jefuits and Sorbonifts, and how faft they could transfufe that corruption into the people, our experience is both late and fad. It is not forgot, fince the acute and diftinct Arminius was perverted merely by the perufing of a nameless discourse written at Delft, which at first he took in hand to con

fute.

fute. Seeing therefore that those books, and thofe in great abundance which are likelieft to taint both life and doctrine, cannot be fuppreffed without the fall of learning, and of all ability in disputation, and that these books of either fort are most and fooneft catching to the learned, (from whom to the common people whatever is heretical or diffolute may quickly be conveyed,) and that evil manners are as perfectly learnt without books a thoufand other ways which cannot be flopped, and evil doctrine not with books can propagate, except a teacher guide, which he might alfo do without writing, and fo beyond prohibiting; I am not unable to unfold, how this cautelous enterprise of licenfing can be exempted from the number of vain and impoffible attempts. And he who were pleasantly difpofed, could not well avoid to liken it to the exploit of that gallant man, who thought to pound up the crows by fhutting his park gate. Befides another inconvenience, if learned men be the first receivers out of books, and difpreaders both of vice and errour, how fhall the licensers themselves be confided in, unless we can confer upon them, or they affume to themselves above all others in the land, the grace of infallibility and uncorruptedness? And again, if it be true, that a wife man, like a good refiner, can gather gold out of the droffieft volume, and that a fool will be a fool with the beft book, yea, or without book; there is no reason that we fhould deprive a wife man of any advantage to his wisdom, while we feek to reftrain from a fool that which being reftrained will be no hinderance to his folly. For if there fhould be fo much exactnefs always used to keep that from him which is unfit for his reading, we should in the judgment of Ariftotle not only, but of Solomon, and of our Saviour, not vouchfafe him good precepts, and by confequence not willingly admit him to good books; as being certain that a wife man will make better use of an idle pamphlet, than a fool will do of facred fcripture.

It is next alleged, we must not expofe ourselves to temptations without neceffity, and next to that, not employ our time in vain things. To both these objections one anfwer will ferve, out of the grounds already laid,

that

that to all men fuch books are not temptations, nor vanities; but useful drugs and materials wherewith to temper and compofe effective and ftrong medicines, which man's life cannot want. The reft, as children and childish men, who have not the art to qualify and prepare these working minerals, well may be exhorted to forbear, but hindered forcibly they cannot be, by all the licenfing that fainted inquifition could ever yet contrive; which is what I promised to deliver next: that this order of licensing conduces nothing to the end for which it was framed; and hath almoft prevented me by being clear already while thus much hath been explaining. See the ingenuity of truth, who, when the gets a free and willing hand, opens herself fafter than the pace of method and difcourfe can overtake her. It was the task which I began with, to show that no nation, or well instituted ftate, if they valued books at all, did ever use this way of licenfing; and it might be answered, that this is a piece of prudence lately difcovered. To which I return, that as it was a thing flight and obvious to think on, fo if it had been difficult to find out, there wanted not among them long fince, who suggested such a course; which they not following, leave us a pattern of their judgment that it was not the not knowing, but the not approving, which was the cause of their not ufing it. Plato, a man of high authority indeed, but leaft of all for his Commonwealth, in the book of his laws, which no city ever yet received, fed his fancy with making many edicts to his airy burgomafters, which they who otherwife admire him with had been rather buried and excused in the genial cups of an academic night fitting. By which laws he feems to tolerate no kind of learning, but by unalterable decree, confifting moft of practical traditions, to the attainment whereof a library of finaller bulk than his own dialogues would be abundant. And there alfo

enacts, that no poet should so much as read to any private man what he had written, until the judges and law keepers had feen it, and allowed it; but that Plato meant. this law peculiarly to that commonwealth which he had imagined, and to no other, is evident. Why was he not elfe a lawgiver to himfelf, but a tranfgreffor, and to be

expelled

expelled by his own magiftrates, both for the wanton epigrams and dialogues which he made, and his perpetual reading of Sophron, Mimus, and Ariftophanes, books of groffeft infamy; and alfo for commending the latter of them, though he were the malicious libeller of his chief friends, to be read by the tyrant Dionyfius, who had little need of fuch trash to spend his time on ? But that he knew this licenfing of poems had reference and dependance to many other provifoes there fet down in his fancied republic, which in this world could have no place; and fo neither he himself, nor any magiftrate or city ever imitated that course, which taken apart from those other collateral injunctions muft needs be vain and fruitless. For if they fell upon one kind of ftrictness, unless their care were equal to regulate all other things of like aptness to corrupt the mind, that fingle endeavour they knew would be but a fond labour; to fhut and fortify one gate against corruption, and be neceffitated to leave others round about wide open. If we think to regulate printing, thereby to rectify manners, we must regulate all recreations and paftimes, all that is delightful to man. No mufic must be heard, no fong be fet or fung but what is grave and doric. There must be licenfing dancers, that no gefture, motion, or deportment be taught our youth, but what by their allowance fhall be thought honeft; for fuch Plato was provided of. It will ask more than the work of twenty licensers to examine all the lutes, the violins, and the guitars in every houfe; they must not be fuffered to prattle as they do, but must be licenfed what they may say. And who fhall filence all the airs and madrigals that whisper foftnefs in chambers? The windows alfo, and the balconies must be thought on; there are fhrewd books, with dangerous frontifpieces, fet to fale; who fhall prohibit them, fhall twenty licenfers? The villages alfo must have their vifitors to inquire what lectures the bagpipe, and the rebec reads, even to the ballatry and the gamut of every muncipal fidler; for thefe are the countryman's Arcadias, and his Monte Mayors. Next, what more national corruption, for which England hears ill abroad, than household gluttony; who fhall be the rectors of our

daily rioting? And what fhall be done to inhibit the multitudes, that frequent thofe houfes where drunkenness is fold and harboured? Our garments alfo fhould be referred to the licenfing of fome more fober workmafters, to fee them cut into a less wanton garb. Who shall regulate all the mixed conversation of our youth, male and female together, as is the fashion of this country? Who, fhall ftill appoint what shall be difcourfed, what prefumed, and no further? Laftly, who fhall forbid and separate all idle refort, all evil company? These things will be, and must be; but how they fhall be leaft hurtful, how least enticing, herein confifts the grave and governing wisdom of a state. To fequefter out of the world into Atlantic and Eutopian politics, which never can be drawn into use, will not mend our condition; but to ordain wifely as in this world of evil, in the midst whereof God hath placed us unavoidably. Nor is it Plato's licensing of books will do this, which neceffarily pulls along with it fo many other kinds of licensing, as will make us all both ridiculous and weary, and yet fruftrate; but those unwritten, or at leaft unconftraining laws of virtuous education, religious and civil nurture, which Plato there mentions, as the bonds and ligaments. of the commonwealth, the pillars and the fustainers of every written ftatute; these they be, which will bear chief fway in fuch matters as thefe, when all licenfing will be eafily eluded. Impunity and remiffnefs for certain are the bane of a commonwealth; but here the great art lies, to difcern in what the law is to bid restraint and punish⚫ment, and in what things perfuafion only is to work. If every action which is good or evil in man at ripe years were to be under pittance, prescription, and compulfion, what were virtue but a name, what praise could be then due to well doing, what gramercy to be fober, juft, or continent? Many there be that complain of divine providence for fuffering Adam to tranfgrefs. Foolifh tongues! when God gave him reafon, he gave him freedom to choose, for reafon is but choofing; he had been else a mere artificial Adam, fuch an Adam as he is in the motions. We ourselves esteem not of that obedience, or love, or gift, which is of force; God therefore VOL. I.

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