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

and　conscience　be　not　defiled。



　　　For　books　are　as　meats　and　viands　are；　some　of　good；　some　of

evil　substance；　and　yet　God；　in　that　unapocryphal　vision；　said

without　exception；　RISE；　PETER；　KILL　AND　EAT；　leaving　the

choice　to　each　man's　discretion。　　Wholesome　meats　to　a　vitiated

stomach　differ　little　or　nothing　from　unwholesome；　and　best　books

to　a　naughty　mind　are　not　unappliable　to　occasions　of　evil。　　Bad

meats　will　scarce　breed　good　nourishment　in　the　healthiest

concoction；　but　herein　the　difference　is　of　bad　books；　that　they　to

a　discreet　and　judicious　reader　serve　in　many　respects　to　discover；

to　confute；　to　forewarn；　and　to　illustrate。　　Whereof　what　better

witness　can　ye　expect　I　should　produce；　than　one　of　your　own　now

sitting　in　Parliament；　the　chief　of　learned　men　reputed　in　this

land；　Mr。　Selden；　whose　volume　of　natural　and　national　laws　proves；

not　only　by　great　authorities　brought　together；　but　by　exquisite

reasons　and　theorems　almost　mathematically　demonstrative；　that　all

opinions；　yea　errors；　known；　read；　and　collated；　are　of　main

service　and　assistance　toward　the　speedy　attainment　of　what　is

truest。　I　conceive；　therefore；　that　when　God　did　enlarge　the

universal　diet　of　man's　body；　saving　ever　the　rules　of　temperance；

he　then　also；　as　before；　left　arbitrary　the　dieting　and　repasting

of　our　minds；　as　wherein　every　mature　man　might　have　to　exercise

his　own　leading　capacity。



How　great　a　virtue　is　temperance；　how　much　of　moment　through　the

whole　life　of　man！　　Yet　God　commits　the　managing　so　great　a　trust；

without　particular　law　or　prescription；　wholly　to　the　demeanour　of

every　grown　man。　　And　therefore　when　he　himself　tabled　the　Jews

from　heaven；　that　omer；　which　was　every　man's　daily　portion　of

manna；　is　computed　to　have　been　more　than　might　have　well　sufficed

the　heartiest　feeder　thrice　as　many　meals。　　For　those　actions　which

enter　into　a　man；　rather　than　issue　out　of　him；　and　therefore

defile　not；　God　uses　not　to　captivate　under　a　perpetual　childhood

of　prescription；　but　trusts　him　with　the　gift　of　reason　to　be　his

own　chooser；　there　were　but　little　work　left　for　preaching；　if　law

and　compulsion　should　grow　so　fast　upon　those　things　which

heretofore　were　governed　only　by　exhortation。　　Solomon　informs　us；

that　much　reading　is　a　weariness　to　the　flesh；　but　neither　he　nor

other　inspired　author　tells　us　that　such　or　such　reading　is

unlawful：　yet　certainly　had　God　thought　good　to　limit　us　herein；　it

had　been　much　more　expedient　to　have　told　us　what　was　unlawful　than

what　was　wearisome。　　As　for　the　burning　of　those　Ephesian　books　by

St。　Paul's　converts；　'tis　replied　the　books　were　magic；　the　Syriac

so　renders　them。　　It　was　a　private　act；　a　voluntary　act；　and　leaves

us　to　a　voluntary　imitation：　the　men　in　remorse　burnt　those　books

which　were　their　own；　the　magistrate　by　this　example　is　not

appointed；　these　men　practised　the　books；　another　might　perhaps

have　read　them　in　some　sort　usefully。



　　　Good　and　evil　we　know　in　the　field　of　this　world　grow　up

together　almost　inseparably；　and　the　knowledge　of　good　is　so

involved　and　interwoven　with　the　knowledge　of　evil；　and　in　so　many

cunning　resemblances　hardly　to　be　discerned；　that　those　confused

seeds　which　were　imposed　upon　Psyche　as　an　incessant　labour　to　cull

out；　and　sort　asunder；　were　not　more　intermixed。　　It　was　from　out

the　rind　of　one　apple　tasted；　that　the　knowledge　of　good　and　evil；

as　two　twins　cleaving　together；　leaped　forth　into　the　world。　　And

perhaps　this　is　that　doom　which　Adam　fell　into　of　knowing　good　and

evil；　that　is　to　say　of　knowing　good　by　evil。　　As　therefore　the

state　of　man　now　is；　what　wisdom　can　there　be　to　choose；　what

continence　to　forbear　without　the　knowledge　of　evil？　　He　that　can

apprehend　and　consider　vice　with　all　her　baits　and　seeming

pleasures；　and　yet　abstain；　and　yet　distinguish；　and　yet　prefer

that　which　is　truly　better；　he　is　the　true　warfaring　Christian。



I　cannot　praise　a　fugitive　and　cloistered　virtue；　unexercised　and

unbreathed；　that　never　sallies　out　and　sees　her　adversary　but

slinks　out　of　the　race；　where　that　immortal　garland　is　to　be　run

for；　not　without　dust　and　heat。　　Assuredly　we　bring　not　innocence

into　the　world；　we　bring　impurity　much　rather；　that　which　purifies

us　is　trial；　and　trial　is　by　what　is　contrary。　　That　virtue

therefore　which　is　but　a　youngling　in　the　contemplation　of　evil；

and　knows　not　the　utmost　that　vice　promises　to　her　followers；　and

rejects　it；　is　but　a　blank　virtue；　not　a　pure；　her　whiteness　is　but

an　excremental　whiteness。　　Which　was　the　reason　why　our　sage　and

serious　poet　Spenser；　whom　I　dare　be　known　to　think　a　better

teacher　than　Scotus　or　Aquinas；　describing　true　temperance　under

the　person　of　Guion；　brings　him　in　with　his　palmer　through　the　cave

of　Mammon；　and　the　bower　of　earthly　bliss；　that　he　might　see　and

know；　and　yet　abstain。　　Since　therefore　the　knowledge　and　survey　of

vice　is　in　this　world　so　necessary　to　the　constituting　of　human

virtue；　and　the　scanning　of　error　to　the　confirmation　of　truth；　how

can　we　more　safely；　and　with　less　danger；　scout　into　the　regions　of

sin　and　falsity　than　by　reading　all　manner　of　tractates　and　hearing

all　manner　of　reason？　　And　this　is　the　benefit　which　may　be　had　of

books　promiscuously　read。



But　of　the　harm　that　may　result　hence　three　kinds　are　usually

reckoned。　　First；　is　feared　the　infection　that　may　spread；　but　then

all　human　learning　and　controversy　in　religious　points　must　remove

out　of　the　world；　yea　the　Bible　itself；　for　that　ofttimes　relates

blasphemy　not　nicely；　it　describes　the　carnal　sense　of　wicked　men

not　unelegantly；　it　brings　in　holiest　men　passionately　murmuring

against　Providence　through　all　the　arguments　of　Epicurus：　in　other

great　disputes　it　answers　dubiously　and　darkly　to　the　common

reader。　　And　ask　a　Talmudist　what　ails　the　modesty　of　his　marginal

Keri；　that　Moses　and　all　the　prophets　cannot　persuade　him　to

pronounce　the　textual　Chetiv。　　For　these　causes　we　all　know　the

Bible　itself　put　by　the　Papist　must　be　next　removed；　as　Clement　of

Alexandria；　and　that　Eusebian　book　of　Evangelic　preparation；

transmitting　our　ears　through　a　hoard　of　heathenish　obscenities　to

receive　the　Gospel。　　Who　finds　not　that　Irenaeus；　Epiphanius；

Jerome；　and　others　discover　more　heresies　than　they　well　confute；

and　that　oft　for　heresy　which　is　the　truer　opinion？



Nor　boots　it　to　say　for　these；　and　all　the　heathen　writers　of

greatest　infection；　if　it　must　be　thought　so；　with　whom　is　bound　up

the　life　of　human　learning；　that　they　writ　in　an　unknown　tongue；　so

long　as　we　are　sure　those　languages　are　known　as　well　to　the　worst

of　men；　who　are　both　most　able　and　most　diligent　to　instil　the

poison　they　suck；　first　into　the　courts　of　princes；　acquainting

them　with　the　choicest　delights　and　criticisms　of　sin。　　As　perhaps

did　that　Petronius　whom　Nero　called　his　Arbiter；　the　master　of　his

revels；　and　the　notorious　ribald　of　Arezzo；　dreaded　and　yet　dear　to

the　Italian　courtiers。　　I　name　not　him　for　posterity's　sake；　whom

Henry　VIII。　named　in　merriment　his　vicar　of　hell。　　By　which

compendious　way　all　the　contagion　that　foreign　books　can　infuse

will　find　a　passage　to　the　people　far　easier　and　shorter　than　an

Indian　voyage；　though　it　could　be　sailed　either　by　the　north　of

Cataio　eastward；　or　of　Canada　westward；　while　our　Spanish　licensing

gags　the　English　press　never　so　severely。



　　　But　on　the　other　side　that　infection　which　is　from　books　of

controversy　in　religion　is　more　doubtful　and　dangerous　to　the

learned　than　to　the　ignorant；　and　yet　those　books　must　be　permitted

untouched　by　the　licenser。　　It　will　be　hard　to　instance　where　any

ignorant　man　hath　been　ever　seduced　by　papistical　book　in　English；

unless　it　were　commended　and　expounded　to　him　by　some　of　that

clergy：　and　indeed　all　such　tractates；　whether　false　or　true；　are

as　the　prophecy　of　Isaiah　was　to　the　eunuch；　not　to　be　

UNDERSTOOD　WITHOUT　A　GUIDE。　　But　of　our　priests　and　doctors　how

many　have　been　corrupted　by　studying　the　comments　of　Jesuits　and

Sorbonists；　and　how　fast　they　could　transfuse　that　corruption　into

the　people；　our　experience　is　both　late　and　sad。　　It　is　not　forgot；

since　the　acute　and　distinct　Arminius　was　perverted　merely　by　the

perusing　of　a　nameless　discourse　written　at　Delft；　which　at　first

he　took　in　hand　to　confute。



Seeing；　therefore；　that　those　books；　and　those　in　great

abundance；　which　are　likeliest　to　taint　both　life　and　doctrine；

cannot　be　suppressed　without　the　fall　of　learning　and　of　all

ability　in　disputation；　and　that　these　books　of　either　sort　are

most　and　soonest　catching　to　the　learned；　from　whom　to　the　common

people　whatever　is　heretical　or　dissolute　may　quickly　be　conveyed；

and　that　evil　manners　are　as　perfectly　learnt　without　books　a

thousand　other　ways　which　cannot　be　stopped；　and　evil　doctrin