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work, a greater loffe of time levied upon his head, then to be made the perpetuall reader of unchofen books and pamphlets, oftimes huge volumes. There is no book that is acceptable unleffe at cer tain seasons; but to be enjoyn'd the reading of that at all times, and in a hand fcars legible, whereof three pages would not down at any time in the fairest Print, is an impofition which I cannot beleeve how he that values time, and his own ftudies, or is but of a fenfible noftrill fhould be able to endure. In this one thing I crave leave of the present licencers to be pardon'd for fo thinking: who doubtleffe took this office up, looking on it through their obedience to the Parlament, whofe command perhaps

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made all things feem eafie and unlaborious to them; but that this fhort triall hath wearied them out already, their own expreffions and excufes to them who make fo many journeys to follicit their licence, are teftimony anough. Seeing therefore thofe who now poffeffe the imployment, by all evident figns wifh themfelves well ridd of it, and that no man of worth, none that is not a plain unthrift of his own hours is ever likely to fucceed them, except he mean to put himself to the falary of a Preffe-corrector, we may eafily foresee what kind of licencers we are to expect hereafter, either ignorant, imperious, and remiffe, or bafely pecuniary. This is what I had to fhew wherein this order cannot conduce

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to that end, whereof it bears the inten

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I laftly proceed from the no good it can do, to the manifeft hurt it causes, in being firft the greatest difcouragement and affront, that can be offered to learning and to learned men. It was the complaint and lamentation of Prelats, upon every leaft breath of a motion to remove pluralities, and diftribute more equally Church revenu's, that then all learning would be for ever dafht and difcourag'd. But as for that opinion, I never found caufe to think that the tenth part of learning ftood or fell with the Clergy: nor could I ever but hold it for a fordid and unworthy fpeech of any Churchman who had a competency left

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him. If therefore ye be loath to dif hearten utterly and difcontent, not the mercenary crew of falfe pretenders to learning, but the free and ingenuous fort of fuch as evidently were born to ftudy, and love lerning for itself, not for lucre, or any other end, but the fervice of GOD and of truth, and perhaps that lafting fame and perpetuity of praise which God and good men have confented fhall be the reward of those whose publifht labours advance the good of mankind, then know, that fo far to dif truft the judgement & the honefty of one who hath but a common repute in learning, and never yet offended, as not to count him fit to print his mind without a tutor and examiner, left he should drop a fcifin,

a fcifm, or something of corruption, is the greatest difpleasure and indignity to a free and knowing fpirit that can be put upon him. What advantage is it to be a man over it is to be a boy at school, if we have only fcapt the ferular, to come under the fefcu of an Imprimatur? if ferious and elaborat writings, as if they were no more then the theam of a Grammar lad under his Pedagogue muft not be utter'd without the curfory eyes of a temporizing and extemporizing licencer. He who is not trufted with his own actions, his drift not being known to be evill, and standing to the hazard of law and penalty, has no great argument to think himfelf reputed in the Commonwealth wherein he was born,.

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