Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A78596
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The character or ear-mark of Mr. William Prinne bencher of Lincolnes-Inne. In which are contain'd many seasonable, and wholsome exhortations to the same: carpitq; & carpitur.
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1659
(1659)
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Wing C2032; Thomason E983_16; ESTC R207743
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3,405
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7
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THE CHARACTER OR EAR-MARK OF Mr. WILLIAM PRINNE Bencher of Lincolnes-Inne In which are contain'd many seasonable and Wholsome Exhortations to the same Carpitque Carpitur LONDON Printed in the year MDCLIX A CHARACTER OR EAR-MARK OF Mr. WILLIAM PRINNE T Was once a saying of the famous Aristotle that for a man to be afflicted it was Humanum to be derided 't was Turpissimum And upon that good Rule Mr. Prynne had spared me the labour of a studied derision if he had once shewed himself ingenuous in any thing save the Confession of his own shame which truly he has plentifully done very lately in a great number of peevish most unadvised Pamphlets A Man one wou'd think that might have learn'd the Consequence of seditious Scribling long e're this time if his guilt had taken half so deep an Impression upon his heart as his punishment hath left on his Head But his violent humour is now as it seems grown incorrigible he proclaims open hostility against all this side of the terrestrial Globe and appeares like an inhabitant of the Antipodes point blank against all men Ther 's a Martial Law amongst School-boyes that after the first blow given by one of the Combatants the other may fall on and defend himself though his standing on his own guard cost his adversary a Bloudy Nose or a Black Eye This Gentleman is the first that hath bidden defiance to us all and himself too his high spirit and animositie has incouraged him to make the first Onset and what quarter can he expect from either Enemy or Friend who asperses both and tells them to their faces he scorns them Certainly mighty is the Mans Courage who dares attempt these things great his prowesse invincible his valour to give you one proof of his Magnanimity for all do but reflect upon and well consider the grand Action or rather Passion of His life and tell me who more daring more potent more venturous than He who in the twinkling of an Eye Praesto while a man could say What 's this run his head thorow an Inch-thick board Often have I made it matter of admiration when I have seen an abusive Copy of Verses that hath been but the product of a green brain of a Malapert Youngster against his Schoolmaster in revenge of that severity which his own folly justly merited My wonder has been more increast when I have read a Libel penn'd against a Country Iustice of the Peace by an oppress'd or sportive Gentleman but for a Man an old Man a Lawyer Bencher of Lincolns Inne about the period of his days to raile at all Authority all kinds of Government to make himself diametrically opposite to whatsoever is called the Present power in good earnest I think there are more wondeÌ„rers at it than my single self Against Kings against Liturgy against Bishops against those that are against Kings Liturgy and Bishops pro and con con and pro for and against I lately perus'd a Paper the title whereof was this The names of the Lords of the Other House having read it over and over again I was somewhat troubled at his late Highnesse's oversight or forgetfulnesse in leaving out this Gentleman's name for without all peradventure THE LORD PRYNNE would have sounded very emphatically and He would have quitted himself in the discharge of that function very worthily which consists as I am inform'd altogether in exercising a Negative voice over all the good People of this Nation which I 'me sure he would have done from the highest to the lowest Negatives are indeed a good Periphrasis for the Deity yet very dangerous as I conceive for any man to a proâ—rine to himself or make a Monopoly on especially a Man that never was a Lord in this world nor ever is like to be one This is the Man the error of whose Judgement and impardonable instability is to be imputed to the losse of his two Biasses for if a Bowle's deviation from the Jack is occasioned hereby much more a rational Creature 's à fortiori This is the William whose passion is the Conquerour as Cleaveland sayes in another case This is the eminent Wit of all London abating onely one Creek which they call Billingsgate there indeed is a nursery almost as eloquently gifted as himself But among all the scurrilities and absurdities he is guilty of I am most of all offended at two things which constantly duely and inseparably accompany his writings 1. His Monstrous Title-Pages and 2ly His abhominable frightful Margent As to the first of these Any Man now-a-dayes who but sees a single sheet in Quarto on a Booksellers stall be it but in transitu all-to-be-close-Printed in the Front he never makes further enquiry after the Author's name but presently makes as quick and nimble Conception of Him as a beggar does of an Ale-house when he spies a Red Latice or an Whoremaster of a Bawdy house when he sees a torn Smock hang out at the window The words in the Title page poor miscreants how they croud one another for elbow room truly in my judgement the great Bush to use the old Saw renders the wine suspicious and may well drive the Reader upon the Poers Interrogatory Quid tanto dignum tulit hic promissor hiatu What this same Promser ha's done To merit so much gaping on In general this may be affirmed that whoever shall trouble himself to read over all his works titles and all may ehance at the conclusion to meet with a fate parallel to that same good Fellow's who walking the streets early in a morning found a Pacquet curiously bound up and seal'd but having taken the labour to open the first paper of the bundle he finds another and another and a fourth fifth and sixt paper till at length he found in the midd'st of all what think you my Masters why even saving your presence a Surreverence Then for his Margent or Commentaries Tom Farnaby never cramm'd Persius worse than he loads himself Quotations Statutes figures c. which a man had better believe to be all as he sayes than turn over so many volumes to disprove him In a word I am almost so foolish as to approve of his two conceits who resembled His Text and Comment to a Calve's head and Poartenance or an Owle encircled with a multitude of little Birds But I beseech you Sirs why Mr. Prynne no Parliament man this bout why must he reply with Bacon's Brazen noddle TIME WAS why an excluded member Are they not all Keepers of the Liberty and does not hee assume to himself as much Liberty as any Freeman in England or t'other two Nations Truly all the reason that I hear of for it is that which exalted him January 30. 1637. meerly his tongue and pen the turbulencies of his language and abuse of his excellent parts The maintaining of a Paradox has been counted of old the gallantry of great Wits but then these Paradoxes were so qualified that their Author's Iudgement might plainly appear to be clean different from what he therein argued for discourse sake Certainly no man can be so farr besotted to suppose the offspring of his Invention produc'd at first probably out of a frolique to be in good sober sadnesse a truth a reality to be adhaered unto admir'd ador'd that a man ought to prize it beyond flesh and blood I am so charitable to believe His first Essay in this nature was intended only for an experiment of His Parts and Sophistry however it comes to passe now that hee seems to make that his Faith which was but once at best Opinion with the Melancholy Nobleman's Son who once acted the Beggar 's part in a Comoedy and ever after perswaded himself to be in his whole life what he had personated on the Stage for one hour And now what better recreation in the intervals over a pot of ale than to produce Mr. Prynn's Republican what better sport than to hear Mr. Needham's Emissaries to cry through the nose Mr. William Prynn's Good Old Cause rightly stated and the bad uncased c. All this while the whole series of all his designs aiming at Authority and the Pilots that sit at the Helm of State But what are they that bark at the Moon The busie fly makes many an attempt upon the candle till at last his singed wings compel him to an inglorious retreat The filth which a man spits at Heaven commonly lights on his own pale Mr. Camden tells a story concerning the antient Britons that at their first plantation in Armorica being forc'd to take wives of that Counrtry they were no sooner married but they cut their wives Tongues out to the end sayes he that their Children might not learn that Country language from their Mothers A stratagem truly very commendable I am not so cruel to wish the like doom to our Lawyer because 't is his most necessary implement but I could wish it restrain'd and bridled to prevent the hazard of our Childrens becomming as bad Shimei's as Himself A word or two in the Quakers tone William Prynne cease thy Scribling Plague not the Presse with rallery any more Obey the Magistrate Murther not the Law Maim not the Gospell Cease to speak ill of the Powers above thee Leave off thy reviling evill speaking thy factious seditious spirit Be humble be lowly lest a worse thing betide thee To conclude I wish him a through conviction of his infirmities and such a one as may render them as odious to himself as they are to all the VVorld of sober moderate men I wish him Repentance and if he be incapable of that I wish him once again a Pastboard Rongrace to protect his beauty from ranning by the Sun-beams when the State shall think fit FINIS