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gags the English Presse never so severely. But on the other side that infection which is from books of

nese Empire to the northward. "The search of Cathay, after "China had been found, excited and misled our Navigators of "the 16th Century, in their attempts to discover the north-east passage." (Gibbon; Hist. ch. 64. n. 22.)

In Par. Lost there is a latent and unobserved allusion to the fruitless result of these exploratory Voyages: X. 291.

"Mountains of ice, that stop the imagin'd way
"Beyond Petsora eastward to the rich

"Cathaian coast."

The choice of Cataio, as better sounding than Cathay, might be brought for one instance of our Authour's solicitous attention to select euphonous words for this Oration: just as he preferred in his Poetry, Danaw to Danube; &c.

To support the diction in his Epic, he continually wrested our vernacular idiom full as far from all prescriptive forms of expression as its genius will admit, both in respect to phraseology and transposition. Another frequent part of his management was to elevate the tone of his blank verse by swelling words. He must have searched the maps with a curious eye in quest of sonorous and well-vowelled appellatives, like Petsora.

This artifice should have been more sparingly practised. His geographical digressions obtrude themselves too prominently, and disfigure the contexture of his Poem: while they are for the most part, extrinsic to the subject, and break the continuity of thought, like many of his illustrations from mythological Fable, and in consequence take from the spirit of the Poetry, by retarding the progress of the action.

We could have dispensed with the prolix and laboured specification of Cities, and Countries when the Angel Gabriel reveals the habitable world in a vision of Futurity to the view of the Father of Mankind. But probably our Poet would have alleged Homer as his authority for this muster-roll of proper names. He expatiates with far greater propriety in his enumeration of the Kingdoms of the Earth, which in the Wilderness the Tempter set in prospect before Jesus.

controversie in Religion, is more doubtfull and dangerous to the learned, then to the ignorant ; and yet those Books must be permitted untoucht by the Licencer. It will be hard to instance where any ignorant man hath bin ever seduc't by a papisticall Book' in English, unlesse it were commended and expounded to him by some of that Clergy: and indeed all such tractats whether false or true are as the Prophesie of Isaiah was to the Eunuch, not to be understood without a guide. But of our Priests and Doctors how many have bin corrupted by studying the comments of Jesuits and Sorbonists, and how fast they could transfuse that corruption into the People, our experience is both late and sad. It is not forgot, since the acute and distinct Arminius was perverted meerly by the perusing of a namelesse discours writt'n at Delft, which at first he took in hand to confute. Seeing therefore that

1 Seduc't by a Papisticall book, &c.] To supply the omission of a word dropped at the Press in the original Edition, Toland, Thomson, Birch, Baron, and Maseres, give any; but the particle a has at least equal propriety.

2 The acute and distinct Arminius was perverted meerly by the perusing of a namelesse discours writt'n at Delft, which at first he took in hand to confute.] Bayle relates the same circumstance: "Martin Lydius, Professor of Divinity at Franeker, judged him a 66 proper Person to answer a Writing, in which the Doctrine of "Theodore Beza, concerning Predestination, was opposed by

"

some Ministers of Delft. Arminius, in compliance with his "request, undertook to refute this Work; but, during the exami"nation, and while he was ballancing the Reasons on both sides, " he went over to the Opinion he was to refute, and even carried "it farther than the Ministers of Delft."-Under ARMINIUS.

those books, and those in great abundance which are likeliest to taint both life and doctrine, cannot be supprest without the fall of Learning, and of all ability in disputation, and that these Books of either sort are most and soonest catching to the learned, from whom to the common people what ever is hereticall or dissolute may quickly be convey'd, and that evill manners are as perfectly learnt without Books a thousand other ways which cannot be stopt, and evill doctrine not with Books can propagate, except a teacher guide, which he might also doe without writing, and so beyond prohibiting, I am not able to unfold, how this cautelous3 enterprise of Licencing can be exempted from the number of vain and impossible attempts. And he who were pleasantly dispos'd, could not well avoid to lik'n it to the exploit of that gallant man who thought to pound up the crows by shutting his Parkgate. Besides another inconvenience, if learned men be the first receivers out of Books, and dispredders both of Vice and Error, how shall the Licencers themselves be confided in, unlesse we can conferr upon them, or they assume to themselves above all others in the land, the grace of infallibility, and uncorruptednesse? And again, if it be true, that a wise man like a good refiner can gather gold out of

Cautelous-] too circumspect, over suspicious.

"Swear priests and cowards, and men cautelous."
Shakspeare; Jul. Cas.

the drossiest volume, and that a fool will be a fool with the best Book, yea or without Book, there is no reason that we should deprive a wise man of any advantage to his wisdome, while we seek to restrain from a fool, that which being restrain'd will be no hindrance to his folly. For if there should be so much exactnesse always us'd to keep that from him which is unfit for his reading, we should in the judgement of Aristotle not only, but of Salomon, and of our Saviour, not voutsafe him good precepts, and by consequence not willingly admit him to good Books; as being certain that a · wise man will make better use of an idle pamphlet, then a fool will do of sacred Scripture. 'Tis next alleg'd, we must not expose our selves to temptations without necessity, and next to that, not imploy our time in vain things. To both these objections one answer will serve, out of the grounds already laid, that to all men such Books are not temptations, nor vanities; but usefull drugs and. materialls wherewith to temper and compose effective and strong med'cins, which mans life cannot want. The rest, 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 Inquisition 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 self faster, then the pace of method and discours 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 answer'd, that this is a piece of prudence lately discover'd. To which I return, that as it was a thing slight and obvious to think on, so if it had bin difficult to finde out, there wanted not among them long since, 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 Burgomasters5, which they who otherwise

Hath almost prevented me, &c.] See ILLUSTRATION, D.

5 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 edicts to his ayrie Burgomasters, &c.] "Of high autority," i. e. Reputation; a Latin sense; so likewise City here, like Civitas with the Romans, involves the idea of a civil Constitution.

Dr. Taylor quotes the succeeding passage from Athenæus to show that Plato's code of Laws was held in no estimation by the Greeks. This MILTON probably had read and remembered.

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