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A77666
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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.
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Browne, Edward.
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1642
(1642)
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Wing B5107; Thomason E122_22; ESTC R19105
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5,526
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8
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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