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made all things feem eafie and unlaborious to them; but that this fhort trial}

1

hath wearied them out already, their

own expreffions and excufes to them who make fo many journeys to follicit their licence, are teftimony anough. Seeing therefore thofe who now poffeffe the imployment, by all evident figns with themfelves well ridd of it, and that no man of worth, none that is not a plain unthrift of his own hours is ever likely to fucceed them, except he mean to put himself to the falary of a Preffe-corrector, we may eafily foresee what kind of licencers we are to expect hereafter, either ignorant, imperious, and remiffe, or bafely pecuniary. This is what I had to fhew wherein this order cannot conduce

to

to that end, whereof it bears the inten

tion.

I lastly proceed from the no good it can do, to the manifeft hurt it caufes, in being first the greatest discouragement and affront, that can be offered to learning and to learned men. It was the complaint and lamentation of Prelats, upon every leaft breath of a motion to remove pluralities, and diftribute more equally Church revenu's, that then all learning would be for ever dafht and difcourag'd. But as for that opinion, I never found caufe to think that the tenth part of learning flood or fell with the Clergy: nor could I ever but hold it for a fordid and unworthy fpeech of any Churchman who had a competency left

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him. If therefore ye be loath to dif hearten utterly and difcontent, not the mercenary crew of falfe pretenders to learning, but the free and ingenuous fort of fuch as evidently were born to study, and love lerning for itself, 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 whose publifht labours advance the good of mankind, then know, that fo far to diftruft the judgement & the honefty 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 fhould drop a fcifin,

a fcifin, or something of corruption, is the greatest displeasure and indignity to a free and knowing spirit 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 argument 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 fummons

all his reafon and deliberation to affist up him; he fearches, meditats, is induftrious, and likely confults and conferrs with 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,

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