areopagitica-第3章

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chaplains。　　That　ye　like　not　now　these　most　certain　authors　of　this

licensing　order；　and　that　all　sinister　intention　was　far　distant

from　your　thoughts；　when　ye　were　importuned　the　passing　it；　all　men

who　know　the　integrity　of　your　actions；　and　how　ye　honour　truth；

will　clear　ye　readily。



But　some　will　say；　what　though　the　inventors　were　bad；　the　thing

for　all　that　may　be　good？　　It　may　so；　yet　if　that　thing　be　no　such

deep　invention；　but　obvious；　and　easy　for　any　man　to　light　on；　and

yet　best　and　wisest　commonwealths　through　all　ages　and　occasions

have　forborne　to　use　it；　and　falsest　seducers　and　oppressors　of　men

were　the　first　who　took　it　up；　and　to　no　other　purpose　but　to

obstruct　and　hinder　the　first　approach　of　Reformation；　I　am　of

those　who　believe　it　will　be　a　harder　alchemy　than　Lullius　ever

knew；　to　sublimate　any　good　use　out　of　such　an　invention。　　Yet　this

only　is　what　I　request　to　gain　from　this　reason；　that　it　may　be

held　a　dangerous　and　suspicious　fruit；　as　certainly　it　deserves；

for　the　tree　that　bore　it；　until　I　can　dissect　one　by　one　the

properties　it　has。　　But　I　have　first　to　finish；　as　was　propounded；

what　is　to　be　thought　in　general　of　reading　books；　whatever　sort

they　be；　and　whether　be　more　the　benefit　or　the　harm　that　thence

proceeds。



Not　to　insist　upon　the　examples　of　Moses；　Daniel；　and　Paul；　who

were　skilful　in　all　the　learning　of　the　Egyptians；　Chaldeans；　and

Greeks；　which　could　not　probably　be　without　reading　their　books　of

all　sorts；　in　Paul　especially；　who　thought　it　no　defilement　to

insert　into　Holy　Scripture　the　sentences　of　three　Greek　poets；　and

one　of　them　a　tragedian；　the　question　was　notwithstanding　sometimes

controverted　among　the　primitive　doctors；　but　with　great　odds　on

that　side　which　affirmed　it　both　lawful　and　profitable；　as　was　then

evidently　perceived；　when　Julian　the　Apostate　and　subtlest　enemy　to

our　faith　made　a　decree　forbidding　Christians　the　study　of　heathen

learning：　for；　said　he；　they　wound　us　with　our　own　weapons；　and

with　our　own　arts　and　sciences　they　overcome　us。　　And　indeed　the

Christians　were　put　so　to　their　shifts　by　this　crafty　means；　and　so

much　in　danger　to　decline　into　all　ignorance；　that　the　two

Apollinarii　were　fain；　as　a　man　may　say；　to　coin　all　the　seven

liberal　sciences　out　of　the　Bible；　reducing　it　into　divers　forms　of

orations；　poems；　dialogues；　even　to　the　calculating　of　a　new

Christian　grammar。　　But；　saith　the　historian　Socrates；　the

providence　of　God　provided　better　than　the　industry　of　Apollinarius

and　his　son；　by　taking　away　that　illiterate　law　with　the　life　of

him　who　devised　it。　　So　great　an　injury　they　then　held　it　to　be

deprived　of　Hellenic　learning；　and　thought　it　a　persecution　more

undermining；　and　secretly　decaying　the　Church；　than　the　open

cruelty　of　Decius　or　Diocletian。



　　　And　perhaps　it　was　the　same　politic　drift　that　the　devil

whipped　St。　Jerome　in　a　lenten　dream；　for　reading　Cicero；　or　else

it　was　a　phantasm　bred　by　the　fever　which　had　then　seized　him。　　For

had　an　angel　been　his　discipliner；　unless　it　were　for　dwelling　too

much　upon　Ciceronianisms；　and　had　chastised　the　reading；　not　the

vanity；　it　had　been　plainly　partial；　first　to　correct　him　for　grave

Cicero；　and　not　for　scurril　Plautus；　whom　he　confesses　to　have　been

reading；　not　long　before；　next　to　correct　him　only；　and　let　so　many

more　ancient　fathers　wax　old　in　those　pleasant　and　florid　studies

without　the　lash　of　such　a　tutoring　apparition；　insomuch　that　Basil

teaches　how　some　good　use　may　be　made　of　　Margites；　a　sportful

poem；　not　now　extant；　writ　by　Homer；　and　why　not　then　of　

Morgante；　an　Italian　romance　much　to　the　same　purpose？



But　if　it　be　agreed　we　shall　be　tried　by　visions；　there　is　a

vision　recorded　by　Eusebius；　far　ancienter　than　this　tale　of

Jerome；　to　the　nun　Eustochium；　and；　besides；　has　nothing　of　a　fever

in　it。　　Dionysius　Alexandrinus　was　about　the　year　240　a　person　of

great　name　in　the　Church　for　piety　and　learning；　who　had　wont　to

avail　himself　much　against　heretics　by　being　conversant　in　their

books；　until　a　certain　presbyter　laid　it　scrupulously　to　his

conscience；　how　he　durst　venture　himself　among　those　defiling

volumes。　　The　worthy　man；　loath　to　give　offence；　fell　into　a　new

debate　with　himself　what　was　to　be　thought；　when　suddenly　a　vision

sent　from　God　（it　is　his　own　epistle　that　so　avers　it）　confirmed

him　in　these　words：　　READ　ANY　BOOKS　WHATEVER　COME　TO　THY　HANDS；

FOR　THOU　ART　SUFFICIENT　BOTH　TO　JUDGE　ARIGHT　AND　TO　EXAMINE　EACH

MATTER。　　To　this　revelation　he　assented　the　sooner；　as　he

confesses；　because　it　was　answerable　to　that　of　the　Apostle　to　the

Thessalonians；　PROVE　ALL　THINGS；　HOLD　FAST　THAT　WHICH　IS　GOOD。　

And　he　might　have　added　another　remarkable　saying　of　the　same

author：　　TO　THE　PURE；　ALL　THINGS　ARE　PURE；　not　only　meats　and

drinks；　but　all　kind　of　knowledge　whether　of　good　or　evil；　the

knowledge　cannot　defile；　nor　consequently　the　books；　if　the　will

and　conscience　be　not　defiled。



　　　For　books　are　as　meats　and　viands　are；　some　of　good；　some　of

evil　substance；　and　yet　God；　in　that　unapocryphal　vision；　said

without　exception；　RISE；　PETER；　KILL　AND　EAT；　leaving　the

choice　to　each　man's　discretion。　　Wholesome　meats　to　a　vitiated

stomach　differ　little　or　nothing　from　unwholesome；　and　best　books

to　a　naughty　mind　are　not　unappliable　to　occasions　of　evil。　　Bad

meats　will　scarce　breed　good　nourishment　in　the　healthiest

concoction；　but　herein　the　difference　is　of　bad　books；　that　they　to

a　discreet　and　judicious　reader　serve　in　many　respects　to　discover；

to　confute；　to　forewarn；　and　to　illustrate。　　Whereof　what　better

witness　can　ye　expect　I　should　produce；　than　one　of　your　own　now

sitting　in　Parliament；　the　chief　of　learned　men　reputed　in　this

land；　Mr。　Selden；　whose　volume　of　natural　and　national　laws　proves；

not　only　by　great　authorities　brought　together；　but　by　exquisite

reasons　and　theorems　almost　mathematically　demonstrative；　that　all

opinions；　yea　errors；　known；　read；　and　collated；　are　of　main

service　and　assistance　toward　the　speedy　attainment　of　what　is

truest。　I　conceive；　therefore；　that　when　God　did　enlarge　the

universal　diet　of　man's　body；　saving　ever　the　rules　of　temperance；

he　then　also；　as　before；　left　arbitrary　the　dieting　and　repasting

of　our　minds；　as　wherein　every　mature　man　might　have　to　exercise

his　own　leading　capacity。



How　great　a　virtue　is　temperance；　how　much　of　moment　through　the

whole　life　of　man！　　Yet　God　commits　the　managing　so　great　a　trust；

without　particular　law　or　prescription；　wholly　to　the　demeanour　of

every　grown　man。　　And　therefore　when　he　himself　tabled　the　Jews

from　heaven；　that　omer；　which　was　every　man's　daily　portion　of

manna；　is　computed　to　have　been　more　than　might　have　well　sufficed

the　heartiest　feeder　thrice　as　many　meals。　　For　those　actions　which

enter　into　a　man；　rather　than　issue　out　of　him；　and　therefore

defile　not；　God　uses　not　to　captivate　under　a　perpetual　childhood

of　prescription；　but　trusts　him　with　the　gift　of　reason　to　be　his

own　chooser；　there　were　but　little　work　left　for　preaching；　if　law

and　compulsion　should　grow　so　fast　upon　those　things　which

heretofore　were　governed　only　by　exhortation。　　Solomon　informs　us；

that　much　reading　is　a　weariness　to　the　flesh；　but　neither　he　nor

other　inspired　author　tells　us　that　such　or　such　reading　is

unlawful：　yet　certainly　had　God　thought　good　to　limit　us　herein；　it

had　been　much　more　expedient　to　have　told　us　what　was　unlawful　than

what　was　wearisome。　　As　for　the　burning　of　those　Ephesian　books　by

St。　Paul's　converts；　'tis　replied　the　books　were　magic；　the　Syriac

so　renders　them。　　It　was　a　private　act；　a　voluntary　act；　and　leaves

us　to　a　voluntary　imitation：　the　men　in　remorse　burnt　those　books

which　were　their　own；　the　magistrate　by　this　example　is　not

appointed；　these　men　practised　the　books；　another　might　perhaps

have　read　them　in　some　sort　usefully。



　　　Good　and　evil　we　know　in　the　field　of　this　world　grow　up

together　almost　inseparably；　and　the　knowledge　of　good　is　so

involved　and　interwoven　with　the　knowledge　of　evil；　and　in　so　many

cunning　resemblances　hardly　to　be　discerned；　that　those　confused

seeds　which　were　imposed　upon　Psyche　as　an　incessant　labour　to　cull

out；　and　sort　asunder；　were　not　more　intermixed。　　It　was　from　out

the　rind　of　one　apple　tasted；　that　the　knowledge　of　good　and　evil；

as　two　twins　cleaving　together；　leaped　forth　into　the　world。　　And

perhaps　this　is　that　doom　which　Adam　fell　into　of　knowing　good　and

evil；　that　is　to　say　of　knowing　good　by　evil。　　As　therefore　the

state　of　man　now　is；　what　wisdom　can　there　be　to　choose；　what

continence　to　forbear　without　the　knowledge　of　evil？　　He　that　can

apprehend　and　consider　vice　with　all　her　baits　and　seeming

pleasures；　and　yet　abstain；　and　yet　distinguish；　and　yet　prefer

that　which　is　truly　better；　he　is　the　true　warfaring　Christian。



I　cannot　praise　a　fugitive　and　cloistered　virtue；　unexercised　and

unbreathed；　that　never　sallies　out　and　sees　her　adversary　but

slinks　out　of　the　race；　where　that　immortal　garland　is　to　be　run

for；　not　without　dust　and　heat。　　Assuredly　we　bring　not　innocence

into　the　world；　we　bring　impurity　much　rather；　that　which　purifies

us　is　trial；　and　trial　is　by　what　is　contrary。　　That　virtue

therefore　which　is　but　a　youngling　in　the　contemplation　of　evil；

and　knows　not　the　utmost　that　vice　promises　to　her　followers；　and

rejects　it；　is　but　a　blank　virtue；　not　a　pure；　her　whiteness　is　but

an　excremental　whiteness。　　Which　was　the　reason　why　our　sage　and

serious　poet　Spenser；　whom　I　dare　be　known　to　think　a　better

teacher　than　Scotus　or　Aquinas；　describing　true　temperance　under

the　person　of　Guion；　brings　him　in　with　his　palmer　through　the　cave

of　Mammon；　and　the　bower　of　earthly　bliss；　that　he　might　see　and

know；　and　yet　abstain。　　Since　therefore　the　knowledge　and　survey　of

vice　is　in　this　world　so　necessary　to　the　constituting　of　human

virtue；　and　the　scanning　of　error　to　the　confirmation　of　truth；　how

can　we　more　safely；　and　with　less　danger；　scout　into　the　regions　of

sin　and　falsity　than　by　reading　all　manner　of　tractates　and　hearing

all　manner　of　reason？　　And　this　is　the　benefit　which　may　be　had　of

books　promiscuously　read。



But　of　the　harm　that　may　result　hence　three　kinds　are　usually

reckoned。　　First；　is　feared　the　infection　that　may　spread；　but　then

all　human　learning　and　controversy　in　religious　points　must　remove

out　of　the　world；　yea　the　Bible　itself；　for　that　ofttimes　relates

blasphemy　not　nicely；　it　describes　the　carnal　sense　of　wicked　men

not　unelegantly；　it　brings　in　holiest　men　passionately　murmuring

against　Providence　through　all　the　arguments　of　Epicurus：　in　other

great　disputes　it　answers　dubiously　and　darkly　to　the　common

reader。　　And　ask　a　Talmudist　what　ails　the　modesty　of　his　marginal

Keri；　that　Moses　and　all　the　prophets　cannot　persuade　hi