weekly that continu'd Court-libell against the Parlament and City, Printed, as the wet fheets can witnes, and difpers't among us, for all that licencing can doe? yet this is the prime fervice a man would. think, wherein this order fhould 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 fhall not be vain and fruftrat, behold a new labour, Lords and Commons, ye must repeal and profcribe all fcandalous 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 overfeers, and those no vulgar men. There be alfo books which are partly usefull and excellent, partly culpable and pernicious; this work will afk 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 thofe 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 muft reform it perfect

ly

ly according to the model of Trent and Sevil, which I know ye abhorre to doe. Yet though ye fhould condifcend to this, which God forbid, the order still would be but fruitleffe and defective to that end whereto ye meant it. If to prevent fects and fchifms, who is fo unread or fo uncatechis'd in story, that hath not heard of many fects refufing books as a hindrance, and preferving their doctrine unmixt for many ages, only by unwritten traditions. The Chriftian faith, for that was once a fchifmn, is not unknown. to have spread all over Afia, ere any Gofpel or Epiftle was feen in writing. If the amendment of manners be aym'd at, look into Italy and Spain, whether those places be one fcruple the better, the honefter,

U 2

honefter, the wifer, the chafter, fince all the inquifitionall rigor that hath bin executed upon books..

Another reafon, whereby to make it plain that this order will miffe the end it feeks, confider by the quality which ought to be in every licencer. It cannot be deny'd but that he who is made judge to fit upon the birth, or death of books whether they may be wafted into this world, or not, had need to be a man above the common meafure, both ftudious, learned, and judicious; there may be elfe no mean mistakes in the cenfure of what is paffable or not; which is alfo no mean injury. If he be of such worth as behoovs him, there cannot be a more tedious and unpleafing Journeywork

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 certain 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 prefent 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 U 3

made