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and of Mr. Prynn's compiling, and brought to this court, and consideration taken of it, the court would proceed without a party against Mr. Prynn. And here Mr. Attorney recited a precedent of one that wrote a book, and it was brought to the council. It was demanded, who was the accuser? answer was made, the book was the accuser: shall the heretic go unpunished? This book is Mr. Prynn's doing, he doth put his name to it, he swears that he did write it all.
"Then for the time of compiling it; seven or eight years ago it was compiled, and it is grown seven times bigger than at the first. Mr. Prynn, about eight years since, shewed it to Dr. Goade, who told him such good causes of dislike, as would have made any reasonable man give it over. About seven years ago he came to Dr. Harris, to desire his opinion of the book; and he told him it was unfit and unworthy to come to the press. In the parliament-time, before the year 1630, he gave some part of it to be printed; but it came not to Mr. Buckner till long after. Sparkes said, he would print any thing in parliament-time.
"Now we are to consider two things, from the first compiling and printing of this book, to the last: first, how it grew in volume; for, after it was delivered to the press, it hath grown up with divers things, which then were impossible to be known at that time, when it was delivered to the press; which appeareth by this. In 1628 was the parliament, and in 1631 St. George began to look abroad into the world. This man bestows eight whole pages upon St. George, for being so bold to look out. He saith, that St. George the Arian was a Cappadocian, though born in Cilicia, a part or province of Cappadocia, &c. and that St. George's advocate was an Englishman, born in Gloucester; and that St. Basil the Great was bishop of Cœsarea in Cappadocia; the native country of St. George the Arian. Certainly, he could not tell that St. George would then remove himself abroad, or in the country of Gloucester, &c. at that time: but this man did go on according to the occasion in 1628. A woman, in 1628, acted a part of a stage-play at Blackfriars; he spends many pages about this.
"We all know what time the dearth was, three years ago: he taketh occasion not to pass it over. He maketh a long discourse of plays, masques, &c. in the late penurious times, how they were as expensive as the wars were. This is toshew how by pieces it did grow bigger from time to time.
"All stage-players he terms them rogues: In this he doth falsify the very act of parliament, for, unless they go abroad, they are not rogues. The same term he giveth unto scholars acting. Mr. Prynn had a purpose, not only in this to fall upon stage-plays, but upon the body of the commonwealth; and to infuse it into men's minds, that we are now running into paganism and gentilism. He falleth upon those things that have not relation to stage-plays, music, music in the church, dancing, new-year's gifts, whether witchery, or not. Witchery, church ceremonies, &c. indistinctly he falleth upon them; then upon