law muft needs be frivolous which goes to restrain things, uncertainly and yet equally working to good, and to evill. And were I the choofer, a dram of well-doing fhould be preferr'd before many times as much the forcible hindrance of evill-doing. For GOD fure efteems the growth and compleating of one vertuous perfon, more then the refraint of ten vitious. And albeit what ever thing we hear or fee, fitting, walking, travelling, or converfing, may be fitly call'd our book, and is of the fame effect that writings are, yet grant the thing to be prohibited were only books,

it

appears that this order hitherto is far infufficient to the end which it intends.

Do we not fee, not once or oftner, but

weekly

weekly that continu'd Court-libell against the Parlament and City, Printed, as the wet sheets can witnes, and difpers't among us, for all that licencing can doe? yet this is the prime fervice a man would think, wherein this order fhould give proof of it felf. If it were executed, you'l fay. But certain, if execution be remiffe or blindfold now, and in this particular, what will it be hereafter, and in other books. If then the order fhall not be vain and fruftrat, behold a new labour, Lords and Commons, ye muft repeal and profcribe all fcandalous and unlicenc't books already printed and divulg'd; after ye have drawn thein up into a lift, that all may know which are condemn'd, and which not; and ordain

that no forrein books be deliver'd out of cuftody, till they have bin read over. This office will require the whole time of not a few overfeers, and thofe no vulgar men. There be alfo books which are partly, ufefull and excellent, partly culpable and pernicious; this work will afk as many more officials, to make expurgations and expunctions, that the Commonwealth of learning be not damnify'd. In fine, when the multitude of books encrease upon their hands, ye must be fain to catalogue all those Printers who are found frequently offending, and forbidd the importation of their whole fufpected typography. In a word, that this your order may be exact, and not deficient, ye must reform it perfect

ly

ly according to the model of Trent and Sevil, which I know ye abhorre to doe. Yet though ye fhould condiscend to this, which God forbid, the order ftill would be but fruitleffe and defective to that end whereto ye meant it. If to prevent fects and fchifms, who is fo unread or fo uncatechis'd in ftory, that hath not heard. of many fects refufing books as a hindrance, and preferving their doctrine, unmixt for many ages, only by unwritten traditions. The Chriftian faith, for that was once a fchifm, is not unknown to have spread all over Afta, ere any Gofpel or Epiftle was feen in writing. If the amendment of manners be aym'd at, look into Italy and Spain, whether those places be one fcruple the better, the honefter,

U 2

honefter, the wifer, the chafter, fince all the inquifitionall rigor that hath bin executed upon books.

Another reafon, whereby to make it plain that this order will miffe the end it feeks, confider by the quality which ought to be in every licencer. It cannot be deny'd but that he who is made. judge to fit upon the birth, or death of books whether they may be wafted into this world, or not, had need to be a man above the common measure, both ftudious, learned, and judicious; there may be elfe no mean miftakes in the cenfure of what is paffable or not; which is alfo no mean injury. If he be of fuch worth as behoovs him, there cannot be a more tedious and unpleafing Journeywork