reft, as children and childish men, who have not the art to qualifie and prepare these working mineralls, well may be exhorted to forbear, but hinder'd forcibly they cannot be by all the licencing that Sainted Inquifition could ever yet contrive; which is what I promis'd to deliver next, That this order of licencing conduces nothing to the end for which it was fram'd; and hath almost prevented me by being clear already while thus much hath bin explaining. See the ingenuity of Truth, who when she gets a free and willing hand, opens her felf faster, then the pace of method and difcours can overtake her. It was the task which I began with, To shew that no Nation, or well instituted State, if they valu'd books at all, did ever use this way of licencing; and it might be anfwer'd, that this is a piece of prudence lately discover'd, To which I return, that as it was a thing flight and obvious to think on, for if it had bin difficult to finde out, there wanted not among them long fince, who suggested such a cours; which they not following, leave us a pattern of their judgement, that it was not the not knowing, but the not approving, which was the cause of their not using it. Plato, a man of high autority indeed, but least of all for his Commonwealth, in the book of his laws, which no City ever yet receiv'd, fed his fancie with making many edicts to his ayrie Burgomasters, which they who otherwife admire him, with had bin rather buried and excus'd in the genial cups of an Academick night-fitting. 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 smaller bulk then his own dialogues would be abundant. And there also enacts that no Poet should so much as read to any privat man, what he had writt'n, untill the Judges and Law-keepers had seen it, and allow'd it: But that Flato meant this Law peculiarly to that Commonwealth which he had imagin'd, and to no other, is evident. Why was he not elfe a Law-giver to himself, but a tranfgreffor, and to be expell'd by his own Magistrats

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both for the wanton epigrams and dialogues which he made, and his perpetuall reading of Sophron Mimus, and Ariftophanes, books of groffeft infamy, and also 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 licencing of Poems had reference and dependence to many other provifo's there fet down in his fancied republic, which in this world could have no place: and fo neither he himself, nor any Magiftrat, or City ever imitated that cours, which tak'n apart from those other collaterall injunctions must needs be vain and fruitleffe. For if they fell upon one kind of strictneffe, unlesse 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 pastimes, all that is delightfull to man. No mufick must be heard, no fong be fet or fung, but what is grave and Dorick. There must be licencing dancers, that no gesture, 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 ghittarrs in every houfe; they must not be fuffer'd to prattle as they doe, but must be licenc'd what they may fay. And who shall silence all the airs and madrigalls, that whisper foftnes in chambers? The Windows also, and the Balcone's must be thought on, there are shrewd books, with dangerous Frontifpices fet to fale; who fhall prohibit them, fhall twenty licencers? The villages alfo must have their visitors to enquire what lectures the bagpipe and the rebbock 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 shall be the rectors of our daily rioting? and what shall be done to inhibit the multitudes that frequent thofe houses where drunk'nes is fold and harbour'd? Our garments also should be referr'd to the licencing of some more fober work-masters to see 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 shall still appoint what fhall be discours'd, what prefum'd, and no furder? Lastly, who shall forbid and feparat all idle refort, all evill company? These things will be, and must be; but how they shall be left hurtfull, how left enticing, herein confifts the grave and governing wisdom of a State. To fequefter out of the world into Atlantick and Eutopian polities, which never can be drawn into use, will not mend our condition; but to ordain wifely as in this world of evill, in the midd'st whereof God hath plac't us unavoidably. Noris it Plato's licencing of books will doe this, which neceffarily pulls along with it fo many other kinds of licencing, as will make us all both ridiculous and weary, and yet fustrat; but those unwritt'n, or at least unconftraining laws of vertuous education, religious and civill nurture, which Plato there mentions, as the bonds and ligaments of the Commonwealth, the pillars and the sustainers of every writt'n Statute; these they be which will bear chief fway in fuch matters as thefe, when all licencing will be easily eluded. Impunity and remiffenes, for certain are the bane of a Commonwealth, but here the great art lyes to difcern in what the law is to bid restraint and punishment, and in what things perfwafion only is to work. If every action. which is good, or evill in man at ripe years, were to be under pittance, and prescription, and compulsion, what were vertue but a name, what praise could be then due to well-doing, what grammercy to be fober, juft, or continent? many there be that complain of divin Providence for fuffering Adam to tranfgreffe, foolish

tongues! when God gave him reason, he gave him freedom to choose, for reason is but choosing; he had bin else a meer artificiall Adam, fuch an Adam as he is in the motions. We our felves esteem not of that obedience, or love, or gift, which is of force: God therefore left him free, set before him a provoking object, ever almost in his eyes herein confifted his merit, herein the right of his reward, the praise of his abftinence. Wherefore did he creat paffions within us, pleasures round about us, but that these rightly temper'd are the very ingredients of vertu? They are not skilfull confiderers of human things, who imagin to remove fin by removing the matter of fin; for, befides that it is a huge heap increafing under the very act of diminishing though some part of it may for a time be withdrawn from fome perfons, it cannot from all, in fuch a univerfall thing as books are; and when this is done, yet the fin remains entire. Though ye take from a covetous man all his treasure, he has yet one jewell left, ye cannot bereave him of his covetoufneffe. Banish all objects of luft, shut up all youth into the fevereft difcipline that can be exercis'd in any hermitage, ye cannot make them chafte, that came not thither fo; fuch great care and wisdom is requir'd to the right managing of this point. Suppose we could expell fin by this means; look how much we thus expell of fin, fo much we expell of vertue for the matter of them both is the fame; remove that, and ye remove them both alike. This justifies the high providence of God, who though he command us temperance, juftice, continence, yet powrs out before us ev'n to a profufenes all defirable things, and gives us minds that can wander beyond all limit and fatiety. Why should we then affect a rigor contrary to the manner of God and of nature, by abridging or fcanting those means, which books freely permitted are, both to the triall of vertue, and the exercise of truth. It would be better done to learn that the law must 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 reftraint 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 that continu'd Courtlibell 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 service a man would think, wherein this order should 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 shall not be vain and fruftrat, behold a new labour, Lords and Commons, ye must repeal and profcribe all scandalous and unlicenc't books already printed and divulg'd; after ye have drawn them 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 overseers, and those no vulgar men. There be alfo books which are partly usefull and excellent, partly culpable and -pernicious; this work will ask 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 perfectly according to the model of Trent and Sevil, which I know ye abhorre to doe. Yet though ye should condifcend to this, which God forbid, the