Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	very_a	young_a	youth_n	31	3	7.4158	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19643	The schoole of pollicie: or The araignement of state-abuses Directing magistrates, adorning the court, and beautifying the whole common-wealth.	Crosse, Henry.	1605 (1605)	STC 6071; ESTC S113496	92,346	156

bookes as hurtful to youth as Machauile to age a plaugh dangerous and as common as dangerous The lazie Monkes fat-headed Friers in whom was nought but sloath idlenes bred this contagion for lining in pleasure ease and not interrupted with cares they had time inough to vomit out their doltish rediculous fables this was the subtiltie of Satā thē Vaine bookes the spoile of many young wits to occupie Christian wits in Heathens foolery but now this age is more finer mens wits are clarified the dulnesse of that time is thrust out an other method is brought in fine phrases Inkehorn-termes swelling words bumbasted out with the flocks of sundry languages with much pollished and new-made eloquence with these daintie cates they furnish and set out their filthy and vicious bookes now what do they but tye youth in the fetters of lust keepe them in the thoughts of loue for do they not with glosing words tickle and stirre vp the affections to be conceited of some fond passion to be more vngraciously subtill and doo they not labour in vaine cunning to infect and poison delicate youth are not there idle Poems of carnall loue lust and vnchaste arguments the very nurses of abuse by which the minde is drawne to many pestilent wishes For when as young folkes haue licked in the sweete iuice of these stinking bookes their conuersation and manners are so tainted and spotted with Vice that they can neuer be so cleane washed but some filthy dregges will remaine behinde I may liken them to fawning curres that neuer barke till they bite or a gaye painted coffer full of toades and venemous beasts So in like manner many of these bookes haue glorious outsides and goodly titles as if when a man tooke them in hand he were about to read some angelicall discourse but within full of strong venome tempered with sweete honey now while the minde is occupied in reading such toyes the common enemie of man is not idle but doth secretly insnare the soule in securitie And some of good partes and beautified with no common gifts both of art and nature Good wits vaine writers not being ledde by the sun-shine of Vertue infect the puritie of wit with prophane inuention in some loose subiect as patrons of Vice and nurses of impietie and spend the blessednesse of time in vnnecessary babling Other base and seruile wits runne rashly into any sinfull argument and crowde to the prease with might and maine not so much regarding the generall hurt as some sixe-penny allowance na● euery triuiall mate and cashired Clarke will bewray his folly in print and with a tumultuous confusion of words lay out a deale of amorous prattle though he be as tedious to his reader as a muddie way to a wearie traueller Now what is to be found in these bookes but filthinesse and grosse ignorance as for learning there is none to be found in them which neuer came neare the shadow of learning themselues and as little wit but a fewe fine words of lust which are chiefly ment to bend the minde to wantonnesse yet are they led with this vaine suppositiō that if they haue bin luld a sleepe but one night on the Muses lap are able to publish any thing with well deserued commendations and I must needs say that I my selfe haue read in them and taken great delight in their foolish lyes but surely I could neuer find either goodnes or wit vnles Vice be Vertue or to tel a bawdie tale be wit Neuertheles I would not haue any man think that I inueigh against or discommend Poetrie for in al ages it hath bin thought necessarie but only against those abusers of Poesie who vnder the name title of Poets foist in their wanton lasciuious verses Modest Poetrie cōmendable The true vse of Poetrie standeth in two parts the one in teaching the way to Vertue the other to moue with delight therevnto for honest delight stirreth vp men to take that goodnesse in hand which otherwise would bee loathsome vnpleasant so that when it is bent to a good end and euery thing laide out in his due annalligie with some ioy the affections are thereby inuoked to a serious consideration to imitate that goodnesse wherevnto it is moued Those bookes that both delight and perswade with learned discretion out of which some wholsome document may be extracted though it be simple yet is it praiseable Disdaine not saith the wise Heathen the simple labour of an other though thou beest neuer so great especially if he speake good words Againe considering the diuersitie of mens minds and how diuersly they are disposed all honest delight is not to be disproued because euery man may finde both pleasure profit for as I say by a pleasant discourse the minde is more chearefully carried both to read meditate to muse and studie the memory more willing to holde that it hath conceiued So that Poetrie is no other thing but a liuely presentatiō of things ingeniously disposed wherby Vertue is painted out with such fresh colours that the mind is inflamed with her excellent properties Now whosoeuer shall discent from this true vse is no Poet but a vaine babler for what are all these scurrillous tales bawdie verses do these moue to Vertue with honest delight nay doo they not rather stirre vp bawdrie and beastlinesse for are they not full of Paganisme and ribald speeches to stirre vp the mind to shady idlenesse is this Poetrie verily they are as vnworthy the name of Poets as Chirrillus who had nothing to grace his verses by but onely the name of Allex. But if a man superficially slitely glideth ouer these pye-bald Pamphlets they are like a pleasing dream that mockes the mind with silken thoughts but if seene into with a sober iudgement hee shall finde in that faire beaten path many Adders Snakes lye in waite to byte him by the heele For if a view be had of these editions the Court of Venus A Legend of lyes the Pallace of Pleasure Guy of Warwicke Libbius and Arthur Beuis of Hampton the wise men of Goatam Scoggins Ieasts Fortunatus and those new delights that haue succeeded these and are now extant too tedious to recken vp what may we thinke but that the floud-gates of all impietie are drawne vp to bring a vniuersall deluge ouer all holy and godly conuersation for there can be no greater meanes to affright the mind from honestie then these pedling bookes which haue filled such great volumes and blotted so much paper theyr sweete songs and wanton tales do rauish and set on fire the young vntempered affections to practise that whereof they doo intreate who by reason of theyr infancie and imbicillitie of wit are soone seduced and with wine-puft eloquence doo so artificially lim out the life of vanitie as they easily take the impression of that which is portrayed out vnto them and on this rocke stands the ensigne of

their glory if smoothly and pithily they can trick vp a tale of some beastly prapus of lawlesse lust and rip vp the genealogie of the Heathen gods to carrie the minde into wonderment ô how they will diue into the bottome of their braine for fluant termes and imbossed words to varnish theyr lyes and fables to make them glib and as we vse to say to goe downe without chewing which as poyson doth by litle and litle disperse it selfe into euery part of the body From hence riseth so much foolish idle prattle the Seruing-man the Image of sloath the bagge-pipe of vanitie like a windie Instrument soundeth nothing but prophanenesse and some are so charmed as they spend their whole life in vaine reading because they see in thē as in a glasse their owne conditions now such vaine fragments as fit their humors they sucke in and squeese out againe in euery assembly It is too true that one such wanton to ye dooth more breed Vice then twentie godly treatises can induce to Vertue nor twentie Sermons preached by the best Diuine in Englād doth not so much good to moue to true doctrine as one of these bookes do harme to intice to ill liuing they corrupt good learning subuert all sanctimony and by a tedious pratling ouer-sway the memory from that good purpose whervnto it ought to be imployed not informing the iudgement in matters worthy to be learned From whence then creepeth in this pestilence but out of these vaine bookes for euery mischiefe by litle litle crawleth vpon the good manners of men which vnder some shewe of goodnes is suddenly receiued which by a voluntary admittance at the first becōmeth habituall especially when the spirituall faculties are defiled with much conuersatiō in so much that many that hold places in sacred assemblies become affected to their phrases Metaphors Allegories and such figuratiue and suparlatiue termes and so much vaine eloquence as they yeeld no fruite at all to their auditors but driue them into amazement with a multitude of Inkehorne-termes scummed from the Latin and defused phrases as they flye aboue the commō reach when the most profitable and best affected speech is that that is most congruable and fitly applied to the intendment vnderstanding of the hearers by familiar and ordinarie termes not sophisticall darke and obscure nor too base and barbarous but such as are animated by their present abilitie to speake more then other men and be addicted to affectation haue commonly a dearth of iudgement sildome edifie but gallop ouer prophane writers to shewe theyr vaine reading Demosthenes beeing called to declaime against the rude multitude that had assembled themselues in the Forum of Athens answered he was not yet readie if he that had Facaecia ingenij the very soule of wit durst not speak in a serious matter without preparing himselfe before how cā such that come far short of him in promptnes of naturall wisdome presume to handle holy things so rashly with humane learning for it is an impudent boldnesse for a man to take vpon him to teach others that which he before hath not bene taught but I may speake as Tully spake of the Orators of Rome Sed tamen videmus quibus extinctus Oratoribus quam in paucis spes quanto in paucioribus facultas quam in multis sit audacia We see saith he what noble Orators are put out of the way and how in fewe a hope remaineth in fewer a skill but in many a boldnesse that dare set vpon any thing To returne doo not these idle pernicious bookes poyson the well disposed manners of youth and macerate and kill the seedes of Vertue that begin to bloome for doo they not vse more vaine eloquence then confidence in matters of wisedome So that all that which they do is but to make a mutinie Men need not sowe for weedes for they growe fast inough so we are polluted inough by kinde though we be not more defiled by custome thus do they proceed like cankers to eate off the tender buddes Neither do they want some Mecenas to Patronize their witlesse workes and to haue some applause bend the scope of theyr argument to fit their dispositions Vaine workes wel rewarded yea and many times thrust their dedications vpon men of graue and sober carriage who will not sticke to recompence their idle labours Now if the principall scope of all our actions and counsels ought to be to some good ende and that it must needs passe as a Maxime that nothing can be good but that wh●ch moueth to Vertue thē it must cōsequētly follow that all prophane and lasciuious Poems are as an infectious aire that brings a generall plague because they striue against honestie And if Plato sawe so great cause to shut them out of his common-wealth as noysome to the peace and tranquillitie thereof what ought our Platonists to do sith they more abound heere then euer they did there or if we had but the zealous affections of the Ephesians we would loathe the price of so great iniquitie and sacrifice them at a stake though they were of neuer so great value But happily it will be demaunded how Ladies Gentlewomen c. should spend the time and busie their heads as though idlenesse were not a vice badde inough of it self without fire to be added and as though there were not a Bible and many good bookes wherein they might be vertuously exercised Of good wits well imployed what good would ensue by setting out the praises of the immortall maiestie that giueth hands to write and wittes to inuent what matter might they not finde both honest and necessary in which they might first want words to vtter then matter worthie to be vttered especially those that are not only by their outward felicitie freed from troubles and perturbation of minde imbracing content in the bosome of peace the nurse of Sciences but are also inabled and sufficiently gifted to publish any thing of worth ô how willing is Vertue to crowne them with honour But this contagion ought seriously to be considered by men of riper iudgement and by such as haue authoritie to suppresse the abuses for is it not lamentable that a Pamphlet discoursing nought but Paganisme should be so vendible and vertuous bookes want sale the one bought vp thicke and three fold the other lye dead for there commeth forth no sooner a foolish toye a leaud and bawdy ballad but if sung in the market by the diuels quirristers they flocke to it as crowes to a dead carkasse buying them vp as Iewels of price be they neuer so ribauld filthie or dorbellicall but bookes of Christianitie of modest argument that tend to rectifie the iudgment lieth stil in the Stationers hand as waste paper not so much as looked after so that by this we may plainly see what a froward generation we are fallen into where in such bookes as are most hurtfull and daungerous are most deuoutly coueted But if they would obserue