tion'd by the Laws. Neither is it recorded that the writings of those old Comedians were fuppreft, though the acting of them were forbid; and that Plato commended the reading of Arif tophanes 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 stile of a roufing Sermon. That other leading City of Greece, Lacedemon, confidering that Lycurgus their Law-giver was fo addicted to elegant learning, as to have been the first that brought out of Jonia the scatter'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 ftraine 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 promiscuous 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, refembling 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 there by occafion to give the City a tast 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 speedily, and to banish all fuch R 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 last in his old age fell to the study 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 also 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 alfo that libels were burnt, and the makers punisht by Auguftus. The like feverity no doubt was was us'd if ought were impioufly writt'n against their efteemed gods. Except in thefe two points, how the world went in Books, the Magiftrat kept no reckning. And therefore Lucretius without impeachment verfifies his Epicurism to Memmius, and had the honour to be fet forth the fecond time by Cicero fo great a father of the Commonwealth; although himfelfe difputes against that opinion in his own writings. Nor was the Satyricall fharpneffe, or naked plainnes of Lucilius, or Catullus, or Flaccus, by any order prohibited. And for matters of State, the story of Titus Livius, though it extoll'd that part which Pompey held, was not therefore fuppreft by Octavius Cafar of the other Faction. But that |