Livelihood, and destitute of any Retreat where they might hope for a Provision, the Mischief to be apprehended from Vagrants, must certainly have been very alarming.
What next Claims our Observation is the memorable Act of 13 Car. 2. c. 33. intitled, 'An Act for preventing Abuses, in printing seditious, treasonable and unlicensed Books and Pamphlets ; and for regulating Printing and Printing Presses.' By this Act Printers are forbidden to publish any heretical, seditious, schismatical or offensive [1] Books, and all Books and Pamphlets are to be licensed by particular Licensers appointed according to the Nature of the Subject, and the Number of Printing Presses are hereby limited.
The Troubles which had subsisted in the late Reign, had given Birth to a free Spirit of political Inquiry, which this Statute was calculated to supprefs: And it is observable, that this Act is founded on a Decree of the Star Chamber[2], made in the Year 1637, which it copies without any material Variation, except, that by the Decree Offenders are to be punished as by the Honourable Court of Star Chamber, or the High Commission Court, shall be thought fit ; whereas by the Act they are to be punished by Disability to exercise their Profession, and such farther Punishment, not extending to Life or Limb, as the Justices of the King's Bench, or of Oyer and Terminer, &c. shall think fit. It is remarkable also, that the Preamble to this Decree of the Star Chamber takes Notice of divers Decrees and Ordinances made for regulating Printers and Printing, in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, which are said to have been defective in some Particulars. From hence we may see what early Attempts were made to restrain this invaluable Liberty. So intolerant is the Nature of Power, wherever lodged, that they who have loudest exclaimed against such Restriction as a Badge of Slavery, were no sooner inverted with full Sway, than they began to work on the same Principles of Oppression. About the Year 1644, the Parliament made Ordinances for restraining the Press, which were framed on the Plan of the above Star Chamber Decree ; and against which Milton published a Treatise, called Areopagitica[3].
This Act was last continued by 1 Jac. 2. c. 17. for seven Years from June 1685; but being incompatible with the noble Principles of the Revolution, it has never since been, and it is to be hoped never will be, revived [4].
The Appendix likewise contains some very curious Acts never before printed, to the Editor's Knowledge. Of these the first is, the Second of Henry V. for the Union
- ↑ The Word Offensive is a Word of dangerous Latitude : But the Words are copied liberatim from the Star Chamber Decree, of which mention will be made hereafter.
- ↑ This Decree is so scarce, that it is imagined there is only one copy Extant, which is preserved in a private Library.
- ↑ There is an edition of the Areopagiticia published by A. Millar in 1738, with a sensible and spirited Prface, by Mr. Thomson, Author of the Seasons
- ↑ It is impossble, however, on this Occasion to avoid lamenting the many flagrant Instances, wherein the Liberty of the Press has been lately abused by such wanton and indiscriminate Scurrility, as tends to make publick Censure lose its Effect, and render Men callous to the Stings of Reproof.
