SIXTEENTH CENTURY.
437
of a Red Herring.* He was educated at Cam- bridge, and was, for almost seven yeais a member of St. John's college. Mr. Oiffoid observes, that Nash had an inexhaustible vein of caustic raillery, never yet surpassed. In 1699 it was ordered " that all Nasfaes bookes and Dr. Har- vey's bookes be taken wheresoever they may be found, and that none of the same bookes be ever printed hereafter."
1600, Nuv. 2. Died, Richard Hooker, an eminent English divine, author of an excellent ■work, entitled the Laws of Eccletiattical Polity^ in eight books folio. Ot Hooker and his work, pope Clement VII. said, " this man indeed de- serves the name of an author. His books will get reverence by age; for there is in them such seeds of eternity, that they shall continue till the last fire shall devour all learning." Richard Hooker was some time master of the temple, but he voluntarily quitted that station for the sake of studious retirement, in which he wrote his famous Ecclesitutical Polity. The epithets he is nsuaUy distinguished by are those of the judicious and the learned ; and they are epithets to which he has an undoubted title. There is reason to believe that it has been regarded as a model, by a Locke and a Hoadley. He was bom in the year 1 553.
1600. Dtenumologie, in form of a dialogue, divided into three books. By king James v I. Edinburgh.
James was at all times more desirous of stretching his kingly prerogative than to exercise it justly; and he evinced the same notions to literature, for he ordered all hookt to he himt that were written against his opinions. Such was the fate of Scot's Ditcovery, tec.
The reign of James the Sixth of Scotland and First of England, may be said to have been the witchcraft age of Great Britain. Scotland had always been a sort of fairy land ; but it remained for that sagacious prince, at a time when know- ledge was beginning to dispel the mists of super- stition, to contribute, by his authority and writ- ings, to resolve a prejuoice of education into an article of religious belief among the Scottish people. He wrote and published a Treatite on Damonologie ; the purpose of which was, to " resolve the doubting hearts of many, as to the fearful abounding of those detestable slaves of the devil, witches or enchanters." The authority of scripture was perverted, to show not only the possibility, but certainty, that such " detestable slaves" do exist; and many most ridiculous stories of evil enchantment were adduced to establish their " fearful abounding." The trea- tise, which is in the form of a dialogue, then proceeds to treat of the punishment which such crimes deserve:
- This punphet contains an account, perhaps the eazli-
est, of Great Yarmoath, in Norfolk, the haven of which, he tells us, cost abov e ^aO,ooo repairing in the last twenty- eight years. This was very scarce, even in the time of ilr Hans Sloane.
t Hoolcer's taws of eeelenastical polHHe. London : printed by John Windet. isg3. Folio. Another edition tppcued by the same printer, Ifioi.
" P. Then to make an ende of our conference, sence I see it drawis leatt, what forme of punish- ment think ye merites this magiciens and wit- ches? For I see that ye account them to be all alike gyltie.
E. (The king) They ought to be put to deathe. According to the law of God, the citil and im- perial law and the muuiciple law of all Christian nations.
P. But what kind of deathe I pray yon f
E. It commonlie used to be fyre, but there is an indifferent thing to be used in every country, according to the law or custome thairof.
P. But aught no texe, age, or rank to be ex- e%utd ? E. None at all.
Such, in fact, was the cruel and barbarous law of James's native cotmtry ; and such became the law also of England when he succeeded to the throne of Elizabeth. The absurdity of such a law, so long since consigned to universal exe- cration, stands in need of no illustration ; but it may furnish instruction, and show the state of society before the art of printing had cleared the mist of supeistition from the eyes of igno- rance.
1600. The house of commons took into con- sideration the following patents and monopolies:
To Edward Daroy, a patent for cards.*
To John Spilman, a patent to make paper.
To Ricbara Watkins and James Roberts, a license to print almanacks.
To Richard Wrighte, to print the Hittory of Comeliut Tadtut.
ToJohnNorden, to print Speculum Britannue.
To sir Henry Singer, touching the printing of school bookes.
To Thomas Morley, to print songs in three parts.
To Thomas Wight and Bonham Norton, to print law books.
The following curious recitation of charters, decrees, grants, and privileges, giving monopo- lies of the labours of the press to various bodies and individuals, with a curious note upon the subject, as given by Mr. Rowe Mores, copying all his quaintnessof style and printing: —
Pleasant enough it is to contemplate the gra- dations by which the dispersion of knowlMge amongst the people hath been effected, en et ecce !
By restraints on thefounden — ^by restraints on the printers — ^by exclusive patents for making paper — by exclusive patents for printing Biblet, tettamenti, and comm. pr. books, necnon omnes libros qvoscunq ; quos tn templis hujus regni uti mandavimus autpostea rnandah. — a lumping pa- tent! — for the Bible with annotations — ^for the N. Test. — for psalters — for primers — for cate- chisms — for prayer books, ana, to bring devotion to iVs focus, for " living-voice of metre-psalm."
For the Pandect — for the statutes — for statute
- On the mentioning of the monopoly of cards, sir
Walter Rawleigih blushed. Upon readini; of the patents, Mr. Hackweil, of Lincoln's Inn, stood up. and asked, Is not bread there f Bread, quoth one ; bread, quoth another ; this voice seems strange, quoth another. No, quoth Mr. Hackett, if order be not taken herein, Bread will be there before the next parliament, lie-
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