book of his laws, which no City ever yet receiv'd, fed his fancie with making many edicts to his ayrie Burgomafters, which they who otherwife admire him, wifh had bin rather buried and excus'd in the genial cups of an Academick nightfitting. By which laws he feems to tolerat no kind of learning, but by unalterable decree, confifting moft of practicall traditions, to the attainment whereof a Library of fmaller bulk then his own dialogues would be abundant. And there also enacts that no Poet fhould fo much as read to any privat man, what he had writt'n, untill the Judges and Law-keepers had feen it, and allow'd it: But that Plato meant this Law peculiarly to that Commonwealth which he had

I

imagin'd,

imagin'd, and to no other, is evident. Why was he not elfe a Law-giver to him-felf, but a tranfgreffor, and to be expell'd by his own Magiftrates; both for the wanton epigrams and dialogues which he made, and his perpetuall 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 Fyrant Dionyfius, who had little need of fuch trash to fpend his time on? But that he knew this licencing of Poems had reference and dependence to many other provifo's there fet down in his fan-cied republic, which in this world could have no place and fo neither he him-

felf, nor any Magiftrat, or City ever imitated that cours, which tak'n apart from those other collaterall injunctions muft needs be vain and fruitleffe. For if they fell upon one kind of strictnefse, unleffe their care were equall to regulat all other things of like aptnes to corrupt the mind, that fingle endeavour they knew would be but a fond labour; to shut and fortifie one gate against corruption, and be neceffitated to leave others round about wide open. If we think to regulat Printing, thereby to rectifie manners, we must regulat all recreations and paftimes, all that is delightfull to man. No mufick must be heard, no song be fet or fung, but what is grave and Dorick. There must be licencing dancers,

that

that no gefture, motion, or deportment, be taught our youth but what by their allowance shall be thought honeft; for fuch Plato was provided of; It will ask more then the work of twenty licencers to examin all the lutes, the violins, and the ghittars in every houfe; they must not be fuffer'd to prattle as they doe, but must be licenc'd what they may say. And who fhall filence all the airs and madrigalls, that whisper foftnes in chambers ? The Windows alfo, and the Balcone's must be thought on, there are fhrewd books, with dangerous frontifpices fet to fale; who fhall prohibit them, fhall twenty licenfers? The villages alfo must have their visitors to enquire what lectures the bagpipe and the

rebbeck

rebbeck reads ev'n to the ballatry, and the gammuth of every municipal fidler, for these are the Countrymans Arcadia's and his Monte Mayors. Next, what more Nationall corruption, for which England hears ill abroad, then houfhold gluttony; who fhall be the rectors of our daily rioting and what fhall be done to in-. hibit the multitudes that frequent thofe houses where drunk'nes is fold and har-bour'd? Our garments alfo fhould be referr'd to the licencing of fome more fober work-mafters to fee them cut into a-leffe wanton garb. Who fhall regulat all the mixt converfation of our youth,: male and female together, as is the fashion of this Country, who fhall ftill appoint what fhall be difcours'd, what

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