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St。　Peter　had　bequeathed　them　the　keys　of　the　press　also　out　of

Paradise）　unless　it　were　approved　and　licensed　under　the　hands　of

two　or　three　glutton　friars。　　For　example：





　　　Let　the　Chancellor　Cini　be　pleased　to　see　if　in　this　present

　　　　　　　　work　be　contained　aught　that　may　withstand　the　printing。



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　VINCENT　RABBATTA；　　Vicar　of　Florence。



　　　I　have　seen　this　present　work；　and　find　nothing　athwart　the

　　　　　　　　Catholic　faith　and　good　manners：　in　witness　whereof　I

　　　　　　　　have　given；　etc。





　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　NICOLO　GINI；　　Chancellor　of　Florence。





　　　Attending　the　precedent　relation；　it　is　allowed　that　this

　　　　　　　　present　work　of　Davanzati　may　be　printed。





　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　VINCENT　RABBATTA；　　etc。





　　　It　may　be　printed；　July　15。



　　　　　　　　　　　　　FRIAR　SIMON　MOMPEI　D'AMELIA；

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Chancellor　of　the　Holy　Office　in　Florence。





Sure　they　have　a　conceit；　if　he　of　the　bottomless　pit　had　not

long　since　broke　prison；　that　this　quadruple　exorcism　would　bar　him

down。　　I　fear　their　next　design　will　be　to　get　into　their　custody

the　licensing　of　that　which　they　say　Claudius　intended；　but　went

not　through　with。　　Vouchsafe　to　see　another　of　their　forms；　the

Roman　stamp：





　　　Imprimatur；　If　it　seem　good　to　the　reverend　Master　of　the



　　　　　　　　Holy　Palace。





　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　BELCASTRO；　　Vicegerent。





　　　　Imprimatur；　Friar　Nicolo　Rodolphi；　Master　of　the　Holy　Palace。





Sometimes　five　Imprimaturs　are　seen　together　dialogue…wise　in　the

piazza　of　one　title…page；　complimenting　and　ducking　each　to　other

with　their　shaven　reverences；　whether　the　author；　who　stands　by　in

perplexity　at　the　foot　of　his　epistle；　shall　to　the　press　or　to　the

sponge。　　These　are　the　pretty　responsories；　these　are　the　dear

antiphonies；　that　so　bewitched　of　late　our　prelates　and　their

chaplains　with　the　goodly　echo　they　made；　and　besotted　us　to　the

gay　imitation　of　a　lordly　Imprimatur；　one　from　Lambeth　House；

another　from　the　west　end　of　Paul's；　so　apishly　Romanizing；　that

the　word　of　command　still　was　set　down　in　Latin；　as　if　the　learned

grammatical　pen　that　wrote　it　would　cast　no　ink　without　Latin；　or

perhaps；　as　they　thought；　because　no　vulgar　tongue　was　worthy　to

express　the　pure　conceit　of　an　Imprimatur；　but　rather；　as　I　hope；

for　that　our　English；　the　language　of　men　ever　famous　and　foremost

in　the　achievements　of　liberty；　will　not　easily　find　servile

letters　enow　to　spell　such　a　dictatory　presumption　English。



And　thus　ye　have　the　inventors　and　the　original　of　book…licensing

ripped　up　and　drawn　as　lineally　as　any　pedigree。　　We　have　it　not；

that　can　be　heard　of；　from　any　ancient　state；　or　polity　or　church；

nor　by　any　statute　left　us　by　our　ancestors　elder　or　later；　nor

from　the　modern　custom　of　any　reformed　city　or　church　abroad；　but

from　the　most　anti…christian　council　and　the　most　tyrannous

inquisition　that　ever　inquired。　　Till　then　books　were　ever　as

freely　admitted　into　the　world　as　any　other　birth；　the　issue　of　the

brain　was　no　more　stifled　than　the　issue　of　the　womb：　no　envious

Juno　sat　cross…legged　over　the　nativity　of　any　man's　intellectual

offspring；　but　if　it　proved　a　monster；　who　denies；　but　that　it　was

justly　burnt；　or　sunk　into　the　sea？　　But　that　a　book；　in　worse

condition　than　a　peccant　soul；　should　be　to　stand　before　a　jury　ere

it　be　born　to　the　world；　and　undergo　yet　in　darkness　the　judgment

of　Radamanth　and　his　colleagues；　ere　it　can　pass　the　ferry　backward

into　light；　was　never　heard　before；　till　that　mysterious　iniquity；

provoked　and　troubled　at　the　first　entrance　of　Reformation；　sought

out　new　limbos　and　new　hells　wherein　they　might　include　our　books

also　within　the　number　of　their　damned。　　And　this　was　the　rare

morsel　so　officiously　snatched　up；　and　so　ill…favouredly　imitated

by　our　inquisiturient　bishops；　and　the　attendant　minorites　their

chaplains。　　That　ye　like　not　now　these　most　certain　authors　of　this

licensing　order；　and　that　all　sinister　intention　was　far　distant

from　your　thoughts；　when　ye　were　importuned　the　passing　it；　all　men

who　know　the　integrity　of　your　actions；　and　how　ye　honour　truth；

will　clear　ye　readily。



But　some　will　say；　what　though　the　inventors　were　bad；　the　thing

for　all　that　may　be　good？　　It　may　so；　yet　if　that　thing　be　no　such

deep　invention；　but　obvious；　and　easy　for　any　man　to　light　on；　and

yet　best　and　wisest　commonwealths　through　all　ages　and　occasions

have　forborne　to　use　it；　and　falsest　seducers　and　oppressors　of　men

were　the　first　who　took　it　up；　and　to　no　other　purpose　but　to

obstruct　and　hinder　the　first　approach　of　Reformation；　I　am　of

those　who　believe　it　will　be　a　harder　alchemy　than　Lullius　ever

knew；　to　sublimate　any　good　use　out　of　such　an　invention。　　Yet　this

only　is　what　I　request　to　gain　from　this　reason；　that　it　may　be

held　a　dangerous　and　suspicious　fruit；　as　certainly　it　deserves；

for　the　tree　that　bore　it；　until　I　can　dissect　one　by　one　the

properties　it　has。　　But　I　have　first　to　finish；　as　was　propounded；

what　is　to　be　thought　in　general　of　reading　books；　whatever　sort

they　be；　and　whether　be　more　the　benefit　or　the　harm　that　thence

proceeds。



Not　to　insist　upon　the　examples　of　Moses；　Daniel；　and　Paul；　who

were　skilful　in　all　the　learning　of　the　Egyptians；　Chaldeans；　and

Greeks；　which　could　not　probably　be　without　reading　their　books　of

all　sorts；　in　Paul　especially；　who　thought　it　no　defilement　to

insert　into　Holy　Scripture　the　sentences　of　three　Greek　poets；　and

one　of　them　a　tragedian；　the　question　was　notwithstanding　sometimes

controverted　among　the　primitive　doctors；　but　with　great　odds　on

that　side　which　affirmed　it　both　lawful　and　profitable；　as　was　then

evidently　perceived；　when　Julian　the　Apostate　and　subtlest　enemy　to

our　faith　made　a　decree　forbidding　Christians　the　study　of　heathen

learning：　for；　said　he；　they　wound　us　with　our　own　weapons；　and

with　our　own　arts　and　sciences　they　overcome　us。　　And　indeed　the

Christians　were　put　so　to　their　shifts　by　this　crafty　means；　and　so

much　in　danger　to　decline　into　all　ignorance；　that　the　two

Apollinarii　were　fain；　as　a　man　may　say；　to　coin　all　the　seven

liberal　sciences　out　of　the　Bible；　reducing　it　into　divers　forms　of

orations；　poems；　dialogues；　even　to　the　calculating　of　a　new

Christian　grammar。　　But；　saith　the　historian　Socrates；　the

providence　of　God　provided　better　than　the　industry　of　Apollinarius

and　his　son；　by　taking　away　that　illiterate　law　with　the　life　of

him　who　devised　it。　　So　great　an　injury　they　then　held　it　to　be

deprived　of　Hellenic　learning；　and　thought　it　a　persecution　more

undermining；　and　secretly　decaying　the　Church；　than　the　open

cruelty　of　Decius　or　Diocletian。



　　　And　perhaps　it　was　the　same　politic　drift　that　the　devil

whipped　St。　Jerome　in　a　lenten　dream；　for　reading　Cicero；　or　else

it　was　a　phantasm　bred　by　the　fever　which　had　then　seized　him。　　For

had　an　angel　been　his　discipliner；　unless　it　were　for　dwelling　too

much　upon　Ciceronianisms；　and　had　chastised　the　reading；　not　the

vanity；　it　had　been　plainly　partial；　first　to　correct　him　for　grave

Cicero；　and　not　for　scurril　Plautus；　whom　he　confesses　to　have　been

reading；　not　long　before；　next　to　correct　him　only；　and　let　so　many

more　ancient　fathers　wax　old　in　those　pleasant　and　florid　studies

without　the　lash　of　such　a　tutoring　apparition；　insomuch　that　Basil

teaches　how　some　good　use　may　be　made　of　　Margites；　a　sportful

poem；　not　now　extant；　writ　by　Homer；　and　why　not　then　of　

Morgante；　an　Italian　romance　much　to　the　same　purpose？



But　if　it　be　agreed　we　shall　be　tried　by　visions；　there　is　a

vision　recorded　by　Eusebius；　far　ancienter　than　this　tale　of

Jerome；　to　the　nun　Eustochium；　and；　besides；　has　nothing　of　a　fever

in　it。　　Dionysius　Alexandrinus　was　about　the　year　240　a　person　of

great　name　in　the　Church　for　piety　and　learning；　who　had　wont　to

avail　himself　much　against　heretics　by　being　conversant　in　their

books；　until　a　certain　presbyter　laid　it　scrupulously　to　his

conscience；　how　he　durst　venture　himself　among　those　defiling

volumes。　　The　worthy　man；　loath　to　give　offence；　fell　into　a　new

debate　with　himself　what　was　to　be　thought；　when　suddenly　a　vision

sent　from　God　（it　is　his　own　epistle　that　so　avers　it）　confirmed

him　in　these　words：　　READ　ANY　BOOKS　WHATEVER　COME　TO　THY　HANDS；

FOR　THOU　ART　SUFFICIENT　BOTH　TO　JUDGE　ARIGHT　AND　TO　EXAMINE　EACH

MATTER。　　To　this　revelation　he　assented　the　sooner；　as　he

confesses；　because　it　was　answerable　to　that　of　the　Apostle　to　the

Thessalonians；　PROVE　ALL　THINGS；　HOLD　FAST　THAT　WHICH　IS　GOOD。　

And　he　might　have　added　another　remarkable　saying　of　the　same

author：　　TO　THE　PURE；　ALL　THINGS　ARE　PURE；　not　only　meats　and

drinks；　but　all　kind　of　knowledge　whether　of　good　or　evil；　the

knowledge　cannot　defile；　nor　consequently　the　books；　if　the　will

and　conscience　be　not　defiled。



　　　For