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A26139 The original and growth of printing collected out of history, and the records of this kingdome : wherein is also demonstrated, that printing appertaineth to the prerogative royal, and is a flower of the crown of England / by Richard Atkyns. Atkyns, Richard, 1615-1677. 1664 (1664) Wing A4135; ESTC R22866 21,864 35

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PER ME REGES REGNANT IUSTITIA STABILITUR SOLIUM SCRIPTURA ET LEGES SUNT FUNDAMENTA CORONAE CEDANT ARMA TOGAE THE Original and Growth OF PRINTING COLLECTED Out of HISTORY and the Records of this KINGDOME Wherein is also Demonstrated That PRINTING appertaineth to the Prerogative Royal and is a Flower of the Crown of England By RICHARD ATKYNS Esq White-Hall April the 25 th 1664. By Order and Appointment of the Right HONOURABLE Mr. Secretary MORICE Let this be Printed THO RYCHAUT LONDON Printed by JOHN STREATER for the AUTHOR MDCLXIV TO THE KINGS MOST Excellent Maiesty Most Gracious and Dread Soveraign THough I had the Honour to be very well known to His Majesty of ever Blessed Memory Your most Royall Father and to be a Sufferer in the loss of a considerable Estate for His most Just Cause yet I may not be so well known to Your Sacred Person however the same Duty that moved Me to fight for Him remains in Me to write for You not out of any Confidence in my Pen for I am the first shall judge that my Self but out of Conscience and Loyalty to my Soveraign for whose sake I resolve to hazard Censure rather than to be wanting in any Discovery that may tend to Your Majesties Interest and indubitate Right The least loss of Power in a Magistrate is a great Detriment to his Government and an Advantage to his Enemies the least Creep-Window robs the whole House the least Errour in War not to be redeem'd And as that ever Blessed late Martyr said when He gave his Watch of Government to be cleansed by the too-long Parliament the least Pin of it being left out would cause a Discord in the whole Therefore might Solomon well say Where the Word of a King is there is Power The King and Power being Relatives That Printing belongs to Your Majesty in Your publique and private Capacity as Supream Magistrate and as Proprietor I do with all boldness affirm and that it is a considerable Branch of the Regal Power will no Loyal Person deny for it ties and unties the very Hearts of the People as please the Author If the Tongue that is but a little Member can set the Course of Nature on Fire how much more the Quill which is of a flying Nature in it self and so Spiritual that it is in all Places at the same time and so Powerful when it is cunningly handled that it is the Peoples Deity That this Power which is intire and inherent in Your Majesties Person and inseparable from Your Crown should be divided and divolve upon Your Officers though never so great and good may be of dangerous Consequence You are the Head of the Church and Supream of the Law shall the Body govern the Head Men use to trust when they cannot avoid it but that there may be a Derivative and Ministerial Power in them with Appeal to Your Majesty I do with all Humility admit and propose Printing is like a good Dish of Meat which moderately eaten of turns to the Nourishment and health of the Body but immoderately to Surfeits and Sicknesses As the Vso is very necessary the Abuse is very dangerous Cannot this Abuse be remedied any other way then by depriving Your Majesty of Your Antient and Just Power How were the Abuses taken away in Queen Elizabeth King James and the beginning of King Charles his time when few or no Scandals or Libels were stirring Was it not by Fining Imprisoning Seizing the Books and breaking the Presses of the Transgressors by Order of Councel-Board Was it not otherwise when the Jurisdiction of that Court was taken away by Act of Parliament 17 Car. If Princes cannot redress Abuses can less Men redress them I dare positively say the Liberty of the Press was the principal furthering Cause of the Confinement of Your most Royal Fathers Person for after this Act every Male-content vented his Passion in Print Some against his Person some against his Government some against his Religion and some against his Parts the Common People that before this Liberty believed even a Ballad because it was in Print greedily suckt in these Scandals especially being Authorized by a God of their own making the Parliament finding the Faith of the Deceived People to be implicitely in them Printed the Remonstrance the Engagement to live and dye with the Earl of Essex the Covenant c. and so totally possest the Press that the King could not be heard By this means the Common People became not onely Statists but Parties in the Parliaments Cause hearing but one side and then Words begat Blows for though Words of themselves are too weak Instruments to Kill a Man yet they can direct how and when and what Men shall be killed In the Statute of 21 Jac. Printing keeps very able Company as Salt-Peter Gun-Powder Ordnance c. all which are Exempted from being Monopolies Not to be longer tedious I too much fear this late Act for two years compleats all the former Concessions of the late King I know it was done in hast and with a good Intent but by Your Majesties Gracious Leave and Pardon even then very considerable Persons in Your House of Commons were of Opinion they had nothing to do with it the Power of the Press being so wholly in Your Majesty Indeed Necessity that hath no Law was the cause of this Law viz. to hinder the Growth of Scandalous Books and Pamphlets but it hath fallen very short of the End for few or none of many Printed have bin brought in by the Stationers I have now discharged my Duty to Your Majesty and if I find I have so far prevailed upon Your Royall Goodness as to ask unconcern'd Councel what is best to be done I have my End I hope Your Majesty will have the Advantage So prayeth Your Sacred Majesties most Humble Servant and most obedient Subject RICHARD ATKINS TO The Right Honourable THE LORDS AND TO The Honourable THE COMMONS ASSEMBLED IN PARLIAMENT May it please your Honours I Have ever better understood mine own Disabilities then to desire to appear in Print where the Author stands as a Butt to be shot at by the sharp Arrows of every busie Critick and runs a most certain hazard and most uncertain Benefit But having been above twenty three years in Chancery and other Courts of Justice and spent more then One Thousand Pounds in vindicating the Kings Grant of Printing the Common Laws of England and His Lawful Power to grant the same and kept His Title alive even in the worst of Times when 't was reputed unlawful because the Kings I cannot refrain from defending it now the King is or ought to be restored to His Rights again especially since all Persons are invited by Order to speak their Minds freely concerning this Subject So that there is a Necessity upon me to speak now or for ever hereafter to hold my Peace this being probably the last time of Asking 'T is not unknown