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him. If therefore ye be loath to difhearten utterly and difcontent, not the mercenary crew of false pretenders to learning, but the free and ingenuous fort of fuch as evidently were born to ftudy, and love lerning for itfelf, not for lucre, or any other end, but the fervice of GOD and of truth, and perhaps that lafting fame and perpetuity of praise which GOD and good men have confented fhall be the reward of those whofe

publifht labours advance the good of mankind, then know, that so far to diftruft the judgement & the honcfty of one who hath but a common repute in learning, and never yet offended, as not to count him fit to print his mind without a tutor and examiner, left he should drop

a fcifm,

a fcism, or something of corruption, is the greatest displeasure and indignity to a free and knowing fpirit that can be put upon him. What advantage is it to be a man over it is to be a boy at school,` if we have only fcapt the ferular, to come under the fefcu of an Imprimatur ? if ferious and elaborat writings, as if they were no more then the theam of a Grammar lad under his Pedagogue muft not be utter'd without the curfory eyes of a temporizing and extemporizing licencer. He who is not trufted with his own actions, his drift not being known. to be evill, and ftanding to the hazard of law and penalty, has no great argu-: ment to think himfelf reputed in the Commonwealth wherein he was born,

for

for other then a fool or a foreiner. When a man writes to the world, he fummonsup all his reafon and deliberation to affift him; he fearches, meditats, is induftrious, and likely confults and conferrswith his judicious friends; after all which done he takes himself to be inform'd in what he writes, as well as any that writ before him; if in this the most confummat act of his fidelity and ripeneffe, no years, no induftry, no former proof of his abilities can bring him to that state of maturity, as not to be still miftrufted and fufpected, unleffe he carry all his confiderat diligence, all his midnight watchings, and expence of Palladian oyl, to the hafty view of an unleafur'd licencer, perhaps much his

younger,

younger, perhaps far his inferiour in judgement, perhaps one who never knew the labour of book-writing, and if he be not repulft, or flighted, muft appear in Print like a punic with his guardian, and his cenfors hand on the back of his title to be his bayl and furety, that he is no idiot, or feducer, it cannot be but a dishonor and derogation to the author, to the book, to the priviledge and dignity of Learning. And what if the author fhall be one fo copious of fancie, as to have many things well worth the adding, come into his mind after licencing, while the book is yet under the Preffe, which not feldom happ'ns to the best and diligenteft writers: and that perhaps a dozen times in one book. The Prin

ter

ter dares not go beyond his licenc't copy; fo often then muft the author trudge to his leav-giver, that those his new infertions may be viewd; and many a jaunt will be made, ere that licencer, for it must be the fame man, can either be found, or found at leifure; mean while either the Preffe muft ftand ftill, which is no fmall damage, or the author loose his accurateft thoughts, & fend the book forth wors then he had made it, which to a diligent writer is the greatest melancholy and vexation that can befall. And how can a man teach with authority, which is the life of teaching, how can he be a Doctor in his book as he ought to be, or else had better be filent, whenas all he teaches,

all

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