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all he delivers, is but under the tuition, under the correction of his patriarchal licencer to blot or alter what precisely accords not with the hidebound humor which he calls his judgement. When every acute reader upon the first fight of a pedantick licence, will be ready with these like words to ding the book a coits distance from him, I hate a pupil teacher, I endure not an instructer that comes to me under the wardship of an overseeing fift. I know nothing of the licencer, but that I have his own hand here for his arrogance; who shall warrant me his judgement? The State Sir, replies the Stationer, but has a quick return, The State shall be my governours, but not my criticks; they may be mistak'n in

the

the choice of a licencer, as easily as this licencer may be mistak'n in an author: This is some common stuffe ; and he might adde from Sir Francis Bacon, That fuch authoriz'd books are but the language of the times. For though a licencer should happ'n to be judicious more then ordnary, which will be a great jeopardy of the next fucceffion, yet his very office and his commission enjoyns him to let paffe nothing but what is vulgarly receiv'd already. Nay, which is more lamentable, if the work of any deceafed author, though never so famous in his life-time, and even to this day, come to their hands for licence to be Printed, or Reprinted, if there be found in his book

one fentence of a ventrous edge, utter'd

in the height of zeal, and who knows whether it might not be the dictat of a divine Spirit, yet not fuiting with every low decrepit humor of their own, though it were Knox himself, the Reformer of a Kingdom that spake it, they will not pardon him their dash: the sense of that great man shall to all pofterity be loft, for the fearfulnesse, or the presumptuous rashneffe of a perfunctory licencer. And to what an author this violence hath bin lately done, and in what book of greatest consequence to be faithfully publisht, I could now instance, but shall forbear till a more convenient season. Yet if these things be not resented seriously and timely by them who have the remedy in their power, but that such iron moulds as these

:

these shall have autority to knaw out the choisest periods of exquifiteft books, and to commit fuch a treacherous fraud against the orphan remainders of worthiest men after death, the more forrow will belong to that haples race of men, whose misfortune it is to have understanding. Henceforth let no man care to learn, or care to be more then worldly wife; for certainly in higher matters to be ignorant and flothfull, to be a common stedfast dunce will be the only pleasant life, and only in request.

And as it is a particular disesteem of every knowing person alive, and most injurious to the writt'n labours and mo

numents of the dead, fo to me it feems

an undervaluing and vilifying of the whole Nation. I cannot set so light by all the invention, the art, the wit, the grave and folid judgement which is in England, as that it can be comprehended in any twenty capacities how good foever, much leffe that it should not paffe except their fuperintendence be over it, except it be fifted and strain'd with their

whole

strainers, that it should be uncurrant without their manuall stamp. Truth and understanding are not fuch wares as to be monopoliz'd and traded in by tickets and statutes, and standards. We muft not think to make a staple commodity of all the knowledge in the Land, to mark and licence it like our broad cloath, and our wooll packs.

What is it but a fervitude like that im

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