and himselfe banisht the territory for a difcourfe begun with his confeffing not to know whether there were gods, or whether not And against defaming, it was decreed that none fhould be traduc'd by name, as was the manner of Vetus Comedia, whereby we may gueffe how they cenfur'd libelling: and this course was quick enough, as Cicero writes, to quell both the desperate wits of other Atheists, and the open way of defaming, as the event fhew'd. Of other fects and opinions though tending to voluptuoufneffe, and the denying of divine providence they tooke no heed. Therefore we do not read that either Epicurus, or that libertine fchool of Cyrene, or what the Cynick impudence utter'd, was ever quef tion'd by the Laws. Neither is it recorded that the writings of thofe old Comedians were fuppreft, though the acting of them were forbid; and that Plato commended the reading of Ariftophanes the looseft of them all, to his royall fcholler Dionyfius, is commonly known and may be excus'd, if holy Chryfoftome, as is reported, nightly ftudied fo much the fame Author and had the art to cleanse a fcurrilous vehemence into the ftile of a roufing Sermon. That other leading City of Greece, Lacedamon, confidering that Lycurgus their Law-giver was fo addicted to elegant learning, as to have been the first that brought out of Jonia the fcatter'd workes of Homer, and fent the Poet Thales from Creet Creet to prepare and mollifie the Spartan furlineffe with his fmooth fongs and odes, the better to plant among them law and civility, it is to be wonder'd how mufeleffe and unbookish they were, minding nought but the feats of Warre. There needed no licencing of Books among them for they diflik'd all, but their owne Laconick Apothegms, and took a flight occafion to chafe Archilochus out of their city, perhaps for compofing in a higher straine then their owne fouldierly ballats and roundels could reach to: or if it were for his broad verses, they were not therein fo cautious, but they were as diffolute in their promifcuous converfing; whence Euripides affirmes in Andromache, that their women were all all unchafte. Thus much may give us light after what fort of Bookes were prohibited among the Greeks. The Romans alfo for many ages train'd up only to a military roughnes, resembling moft the Lacedæmonian guife, knew of learning little but what their twelve Tables, and the Pontifick College with their Augurs and Flamins taught them in Religion and Law, fo unacquainted with other learning, that when Carneades and Critolaus, with the Stoick Diogenes comming Embaffadors to Rome, tooke thereby occafion to give the City a taft of their Philofophy, they were fufpected for feducers by no leffe a man then Cato the Cenfor, who mov'd it in the Senat to difmiffe them fpeedily, and to banish all fuch Attick bablers out of Italy. But Scipio and others of the nobleft Senators withstood him and his old Sabin aufterity: honour'd and admir'd the men ; and the Cenfor himself at laft in his old age fell to the ftudy of that whereof before hee was fo fcrupulous. And yet at the fame time Navius and Plautus the firft Latine comedians had fill'd the City with all the borrow'd Scenes of Menander and Philemon. Then began to be confider'd there alfo what was to be don to libellous books and Authors; for Nævius was quickly caft into prifon for his unbridl'd pen, and releas'd by the Tribunes upon his recantation: We read also that libels were burnt, and the makers punisht by Auguftus. The like feverity no doubt was |
