Selected quad for the lemma: book_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A77666
|
Sir James Cambels Clarks disaster, by making books, shewing that lying and scandalous pamphlets against the King and Parliament are in great estimation, but bookes of learning and religion little regarded. Exemplified in a compendious letter to Iohn Philpond in Suffolke.
|
Browne, Edward.
|
1642
(1642)
|
Wing B5107; Thomason E122_22; ESTC R19105
|
5,526
|
8
|
SIR JAMES CAMBELS Clarks DISASTER BY MAKING BOOKS Shewing that lying and scandalous pamphlets against King and Parliament are in great estimation but Bookes of learning and Religion little regarded Exemplified In a Compendious Letter To Iohn Philpond in Suffolke LONDON Printed in the Climacterian yeere 1642. Sir Iames Cambels Clarkes DISASTER Loving brother I Am glad to heare of your welfare and doe not a little rejoyce that your letter hath given me a happy oportunity to unload the burden of my distracted minde In that you desire to heare of my trade and imployment But for what reason you desire to know this I will not now inquire for whether it be that you heare of a place you think I may be capable of at Ipswich neere you If I were destitute or whether it be out of your kind respects towards me to rejoyce with me in my hapinesse as fellow servants â—ught to doe or for what cause soever else It is not materiall for you know that our late Master Sir Iames Cambell brought me up to no Manuall trade But what Gods Providence his goodnesse and my endeavours led me into and that was to be his Clarke as he was a Justice of Peace which you know was a happy designe and proved very beneficiall for surely I thinke it was God who put that motion into my minde and gave strength to my weake abilities to performe whatsoever I tooke in hand against potent oppositions And I doe likewise humbly acknowledge It was my Masters goodnesse to accept of my endeavours and my Ladies kindnesse to solicite and alure him who of himelfe was willing to doe me good even to the day of his death as it is well knowne But my Booke-making whihc I learned of my selfe against the counsell and advise of my friends proved as unhappy and much more prejudiciall then my Clarkeship was advantagious Yet this use I will make of it That God knowing the promptitude of my nature to Pride Covetousnes and selfe conceit to excercise my humility patience and conâ—entation insted of credit and profit which I expected by my labours sent me contempt and disdaine from them whom I looked for favour and respect and so many losses That I know not how to numerate them For first I lost Pretious time which some said I might have spent much better Secondly I lost my Love who is lâ—tely married to another But whether he was so Eager to have her for money beauty or vertuous qualities he knowes best and you may guesse And last of all which grieves me most of all is the losse of monâ—y For my Time notwithstanding their sayings I might have spent much worse then in such labourious and pious actions tending to the glory of God good of my Neighbours joy and comfort of my owne heart And my Love may be aswell lost as found for ought I know But money as the times are now is a matter of great consequence and very hard to come by when it is departed from us Therfore I hope you will not blame me If I complaine that I have lost at the least 20 l. out of my owne stocke in being at the sole charge to print my Annuall World sacred Poems Star Meteor and Patterne of Justice and mercy Secondly I believe if I had surceased from printing Bookes my Master would have bequeathed me 200. l. As appeares by a note found neere his will made in September 1641. And last of all I know not what I have lost out of my friends good will for since I have printed and published my Paterne of Iustice and mercy with my Meteor and Star some looke upon me very strangly But yet I hope that the worshipfull exâ—cutors as they are Judiciously charitable and nobly generâ—us so they will goe forward as they have begun in the execution of this famous Testament with such an unanimous cherefulnesse that they need neither care nor feare though their actions were as apparent as the Snn-beams conspicuous in the view of all which would be a rare quality in the Executors of dead mens wills And as they have made use of my endeavours in the most troublesome businesse so they will not utterly cast me out of their favour till the overplus of Sir Iames his estate be disbursed notwithstanding that malicious detractor you know whom I meane hath his name entred into their tripartite Indenture of Covenants as their cashier on purpose to defeate me But I have of late given him such a bitter pill which I hope will so clarifie his tuâ—bulent humour that he shall not be able to wrong me Therefore â—etting him alone To teach his Cat speake better language then her Master You may cease to wonder that these things have distracted my minde when you doe seriously consider that there is a universall madnesse over the whole World caused almost for as frivolous occasions as my Booke-making For some are so severe against Popery that they seeke to overthrow all good order and decency esteeming the house of God no better then a barne or stable so that insted of sincere devotion they endeavor to set up abhominable Prophanesse o hers againe doe so magnifie ceremonies and outward worship that they would if they could put downe all preaching the word of God and insted of good sound Doctrine uphold formality superstition and Idolatry And those are the things that makes Nation to arise against Nation and Kingdome against Kingdome now in these our dayes upon whom the ends of the World are come for you shall hardly finde two in one house of one minde for either the Father is against the Son or the Son against the Father Brother against brother or Servant against Servant and all against Supreame authority both in the Church and state And what ever others thinke to be the reason of these distractions my weake judgement is that it is chiefely for our pride and selfe conceit though I will not exclude other sins for we are so glutted with the heavenly Manna of Divine Doctâ—ine that now every boy or ignorant tradesman that can reade his hornebooke or wrâ—te a scribbling character assumes to himselfe a spirit of Revelation far greater then the Apostles of our blessed Saviour not that I doe disapprove any man woman or child even the meanest capacities to reade and search the Scripture for I acknowledge my selfe to be no Scholer Therefore let them be warned by me to take heed how they meddle with things above their capacities lest they receive a worser punishment then I have for Booke-making But yet let them learne of me to honour learning and men of rare parts as they are men though in relâ—gion Papists Jewes or Turkes and much more if they beare the profession of the true Protestant Religion and not for the infirmities of some few to vilifie the persons and despise the holy functions of many grave excellent learned men whose shooe latchet they are unworthy to unloose As it is now too common among
us And which is worst of all they are upheld and maintained by a factious company that you may better and with lesse danger speake treason and whisper rebellion against the sacred person of the Kings Majesty and his regall authority then against such who insteed of sound Doctrine for their owne applause to ingratiate themselves into the good opinion of a confused multitude preach sedition and factiâ—n and under pretence of long prayers delude simple people and I feare in time will devoure Widowes houses If their spreading grouth be not timely cropt by authority for they are already very stately and imperious And it is to be feared these things will breed confusion both in Church and Common-Wealth but I hope when the head shall be united to the body and when there shall be a right understanding between our Gratious Soveraigne and his Two houses of Parliament there will be a thorow reformation of all things And that such a blessed Union may speedily be accomplished let you and I and all people pray God to divert those judgments from us which our sinnes have deserved and continue his mercies to us especially the free preaching of the Gospell by able and sincere dispensors of the same That pure learning may spring up in every Congregation as a Christall River and saving knowledge like a mighty streame to make glad and refresh all barren places in this Island that so righteousnesse may flourish in our dayes and peace so long as the Sun and Moone endureth But this hath almost put me quite out of my intended discourse which was to shew you my unfortunate successe by Booke-making for I like that over adventurous sonne of Sol and Clymene have almost set the frame of Heaven in a combustion and stated the Sun Moone and Starres upon such improper objects as may cause amasement to the beholders Therefore I acknowledge my selfe worthily punished for my Miscrosmus I meane my Books which I compared to a little World seemes to be at the period as was foâ—e prophesyed by the truth it selfe of this Vast universe Marke 13. 24. 25. verse for my Sunne is darkened and my Moone gives but little light my Star is falne from the Heaven wherein it was fixed and the powers of my Heavenly meditations are shaken and esteemed of little worth in plainer tearmes thus You may perceive my Annuall World I compared to the Sunne And because it is composed of briefe Meditations upon those dayes that commemorate the meritorious actions of our Blâ—ssed Saviour the lives and deathes of his Virgin Mother and eminent Disciples according to the celebration thereof set downe in the booke of Common Prayer which some esteeme the English masse booke Therefore sayes an new upstart Pharisaicall sect It is papisticall and to be cast away as an Idoll Secondly my Sacred poems I compared to the Moone and because it is illustrated with the helpe of some learned Authors this Hypocriticall socieity say it is light with darkenesse holy things and vaine unprofitable things mixed which are altogether inconsistent And this dead fly hath made all my bookes of oyntment unsavory for these kind of people deride and contemne all learning that is not according to their humors and had rather Sleepe in the Church two or three houres to heare an extemporary nonsensitive vaine babling prayer such as many of their holy brethrens are whose vaine Tautologies and Hyperbolicall tearmes both publique and private would make a prophane man laugh but a religious man weepe then continue one hower in joynt prayer with the Congregation by a well composed forme intermingled with reading Chapters and singing of Psalmes which me thinkes is a heavenly harmony But these folke would have all things done in spirit yet their actions shew that they are meere flesh except it be in gadding to Sermons to be reputed holy for observe who are more proude and stately who more deceitfull and covetous and who more incontinent and malicious then this my malignant party who to magnify their owne worth to ingratiate themselves into great mens favour for popular applause and to uphold to boulster their pride covetousnesse and base lacivious meetings in private Conventicles care not how they disparage the industrious labours of others which they are not able with all their pretended sanctity to mend But I hope these hypocriticall Râ—und-heads of late so called but under that tearme I would not involve honest judicious round dealing men such who walke within compasse of their owne circumference whose actions as lines are drawne from the Word of God their center but such who are wise in their owne conceite whose minds like footeballs or bubbles of Sope in the Aire are throwne and tossed too and fro with every winde of Doctrine such who under pretence of Religion deride and contemne all good order in Church and Common-Wealth and doe so labour to overthrow the known Monarchicall and Hierarchicall state of the Kingdome that they have almost brought up an Anarchicall government shall shortly receive a just reward for their demerits aswell as those that labour to bring up a tyrannicall Jurisdiction in the established government which they likewise doe now endeavor to uphold and would attaine unto if all power were in their owne hands and I feare worse But letting them passe in the third place you may consider how my Star is fallen from the Heaven wherein it was fixed for like foolish Iearus I have attempted with the waxen wings of a vaine hope and as you may thinke an unadvised pride to ascend and fix my selfe in a bright firmament of favour am cast downe into an Oâ—â—an of contempt and disdaine according to these Verses In these my Bookes of fruitlesse prose and rime You may behold a picture of this time Wherein we live for first from low degree My Masters favour had exalted me But my aspiring minde did higher fly To things above my reach presumptuously For craft and cunning was in sharp'nd bright Who for my labour paid me fell despite Therefore pray cease to wonder that my fall Is now so low for I assure thee all That thinke by pride selfe-love and vaine conceite To make themselves most famous and most great Shall be defeated in their enterprise As t is apparent in all peoples eyes By Strafford Bishops and Gentility Whose falls as low as they aspired high And I my selfe have had a wofull fall In Credit profit yea and Bookes and all Fourthly and lastly because I did too boldly frame a flaming Meteor I feared some tempestuous accident to fall upon me according to the malignant aspect of some fiery spirits And therefore lest some sharpe witted Orator should by eloquent â—hethorique such as Lawiers use or that flattering Sycophant should by colloguing insinuation or some spirituall minded body should in Hiprocriticall sincerity oversway my judicious loving friends good opinion of me and of my endeavors I did lately joyne all my labours of love together in one volume with marginall notes and annotations and offered them to the presse because I am unwilling to be condemned by a partiall jury such as those three above specified But no executioner I meane a Stationer or Printer had the heart to undertake the worke and in excuse thereof told mee That such a book as that of thirty or forty sheets of paper is not like to sell in this age were the matter never so good but if it had beene a lying and scandalus pamphlet of a sheete of paper that could produce a Scripture text or some reviling tearmes against Monarchy and Hierarchy to uphold an Anarchy they would have embraced my profer for it is like such would have proved vendable ware if I could obtain an Order or a Vote upon it Therefore I am inforced to keepe those my labours by me for 30 or 40. l. is more money now then I can well spare upon such a dead commodity Thus have I briefely declared my disaster by making bookes yet I hope this last booke of Iustice and mercy will by such time this Kingdome is in a settled peace cause all the rest of my workes to cast forth a little glimmering light to the praise and Glory of God good of my Neighbour and joy and comfort of my owne soule at the houre of death in the day of judgement and all the dayes of my life Now for my Trade and Imployment as I have continued with my Lady 18 yeares and upwards so I doe intend God willing to remaine with her one or two yeares longer at the least except I be by force expulsed and then you shall heare my mournfull lamentation in the meane time I thanke you for your â—inde remembrance of me in retribution whereof I commend my due respects unto you and will never cease to be London 7. Octob. 1642. Your Assured Friend and Christian Brother Edward Browne FINIS