that gallant man who thought to pound up the crows by fhutting his Parkgate. Befides another inconvenience, if learned men be the first receivers out of books & difpredders both of vice and error, how fhall the licencers themselves be confided in, unleffe we can conferr upon them, or they affume to themselves above all others in the Land, the grace of infallibility, and uncorruptedneffe? And again, if it be true, that a wife man like a good refiner can gather gold out of the droffieft 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 wife man of any advantage to his wifdome, while we seek to restrain from a fool, that which being

-reftrain'd

reftrain'd will be no hindrance to his folly. For if there fhould be so much. exactneffe always us'd to keep that from him which is unfit for his reading, we should in the judgement of Ariftotle not only, but of Salomon, and of our Saviour, not voutfafe him good precepts, and by confequence not willingly admit him to good books; as being certain that a wife man will make better ufe of an idle pamphlet, than a fool will do of facred Scripture. 'Tis next alleg'd we must not expose ourfelves to temptations without neceffity, 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 fuch books are not temptations,

nor vanities; but ufefull drugs and materialls wherewith to temper and compofe effective and ftrong med'cins, which mans life cannot want. The reft, as children and childifh 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 Inquifition 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 almoft prevented me by being clear already while thus much hath bin explaining. See the ingenuity of Truth, who when the gets a free and willing hand, opens her felf fafter, then

the

the pace of method and difcours can overtake her. It was the talk which I began with, To fhew that no Nation or well inftituted State, if they valu'd books at all, did ever ufe this way of licencing and it might be anfwer'd, that this is a piece of prudence lately dif cover'd, To which I return, that as it was a thing flight and obvious to think on, fo if it had bin difficult to finde out, there wanted not among them long fince, who suggested fuch 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 ufing it. Plato, a man of high autority indeed, but leaft of all for his Commonwealth, in the I book

T3

book of his laws, which no City ever yet receiv'd, fed his fancie with making many edicts to his ayrie Burgomasters, which they who otherwife admire him, wifh had bin rather buried and excus'd in the genial cups of an Academick nightfitting. By which laws he seems to tolerat no kind of learning, but by unalterable decree, confifting most of practicall traditions, to the attainment whereof a Library of smaller bulk then his own dialogues would be abundant. And there also enacts that no Poet fhould fo much as read to any privat man, what he had writt❜n, untill the Judges and Law-keepers had feen it, and allow'd it: But that Plato meant this Law peculiarly to that Commonwealth which he had

I

imagin'd,