Lame Giles Halting, Dedication
LAME GILES HIS HAVLTINGS OR, A BRIEFE SVRVEY OF GILES WIDDOVVES HIS Confutation of an Appendix, concerning Bowing at the name of Iesus.
Together with a short Relation of the Popish Originall and Progresse of this groundlesse novell ceremony: Wherein Mr. WIDDOVVES his manifold Forgeries, Oversights, and Absurdities are in part detected; and the point, Of bowing at the name of Iesus, together with that, of cringing to Altars and Communion-tables, is now more largely discussed.
By VVILLIAM PRYNNE, an Vtter-Barrester of Lincolnes Inne.
PROVERBS 26. 3. 5.
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the Asse, and a rod for the Fooles backe.
Answer a Foole according to his folly, lest he be wise in his owne conceit.
Horatius Sermonum lib. 2. Satyr. 3.
O major tandem parcas insane minori.
Imprinted for Giles Widdowes, MDCXXX.
To his much honoured Mother, the famous vnparalleld Vniversity of Oxford, WILLIAM PRYNNE, an vtter-Barrester of Lincolnes Inne, wisheth all Grace, Honour, Happinesse, and Tranquility.
MOST illustrious, most renowned Foster-Mother, (if it may be lawfull for me, a quondam-sonne of yours, even now to stile you so;) the tender regard I have of your unspotted fame, hath enforced me, out of my filiall duty, to acquaint you with some notorious Errours, and more than ridiculous Oversights of an Individuum-vagum-sonne of yours, come forth in print of late under your Authority, as same (I hopeaMendax fama noces. Propertiu…l. 4. Eleg. 2. p. 191. but lying) hath reported; which if you correct not in due season, (as I presume you will) are like to make the world beleeve, that Ignoramus, tobPlayers and Playes, (whom both Fathers and Pagan Authors rightly stile, the plague of soules) remove in times of pestilence from infected places where they have brought a plague, to places not infected. avoid the Plague, hath fled from Cambridge unto Oxford, this Vacation; and that you have given him, not onelyonly entertainment, but a new Commission, both to pen, to print, to act, and publish to the world, his*This is Mr. Widdowes 2. Booke. Second part. This Sonne of yours, which I meane, is one Giles Widdowes, acMark. 12. 42, 43. poore haulting widdow in truth for braines aud learning, of which hee never had two mites: of whom I cannot say asdActs 26. 24. Festus did of Paul, that too much learning did make him *He hath been once or twice distracted.mad, but want of wit. These Errours and Oversights of his, with which I here acquaint you, are contained in a new divulged Booke, much like the Authour; intituled, The lawlesse kneelesse schismaticall Puritan, &c. In confutation of which, I neede say no more to such as know him, but, that Giles Widdowes Rectour of St. Martins Church in Oxford, was the Authour; for whose use alone, (if wee may beleeve the Title) it is imprinted, there being nothing in it fit for other mens use, unlesse it be to make them laugh these winter-nights. It was my chance in my late passage through Oxford towards London, to heare, that this ridiculous Pamphlet, (which made mirth enough in writing) was newly preferred (and that by publike license) to the Presse, to make the Authour of it (no simple Ignoramus) a foole in print. Whereupon I repaired to the Printing-house, where I found the written Copie, (which I onelyonly turned over, not perused) so mangled, so interlined and razed by Mr. *So have I beene enformed, that he had the perusal of it.Page, and others who perused it before its approbation, that there was scarce one page in all the Coppie, in which there were not severall written Errours, Absurdities and Impertinencies quite expunged; and if all of them had had the signe of the Crosse upon their faces, as well as some, the Printer questionlesse should have had no worke When I beheld so many Errours crossed in the written Coppy, (perchance to please the Authour, who in his *Pag. 71. 72.Booke hath made the Signe of the Crosse a necessary Ceremony, he meanes (I take it) for to crosse out his Oversights;) I expected none at all in the printed pages; on which I had no sooner cast mine eyes, but I espied divers Bedlam Errours, and those so grosse, that I thought such visible notorious malefactours (whose very faces did proclaime their guiltinesse, though their tongues were mute) could never passe through an Vniversity presse, and not be pressed quite to death. Whereupon taking pitty on the crazie Authour, with whose many knowne infirmities I was of olde experimentally acquainted, whiles I was a resident in Oriell colledge; and withall compassionating the oversight of the Licenser, who for feare of crossing out all the Booke, (as hee had crossed out very much) permitted such foule grosse Errataes to passe uncrossed; (perchance because the Anti-puritan Authour was here turn'd puritan, *I heare that Mr. Widdowes was very angry with Mr. Page, for crossing out so much of his book as he did.in good earnest, and would not suffer these Infants of his pure braine to be baptized with the Crosse, for which hee deserves a Censure:) For the anticipation of that great scandal & disreputation which I presaged might light on you, Deare Mother, for giving the least shew of approbation … ridiculous erronious toyes as these; as soone as I arrived at London, I wrote two Letters, the one to your present Vice-Chancellour; the other to your Sonne, Giles Widdowes. wherein I informed them privately of these ignorant absurd Mistakes, which were like to fly abroad in print; advising them to correct them in due season, before they were divulged, for feare they should eclipse your honour, and blurre their owne repute. The Copies of which Letters I shall here set downe, that so your selfe and others may take notice, how fairely, how sincerely I have dealt both with you and them; and so see what cause I have to write thus to you in print, to cleare both my owne and your reputation.
The Letter I wrote to Mr. Vice-Chancellour, (in which I inclosed a short Survey of Mr. Widdowes his Errours, in this his Confutation of my Appendix, was this.
SIR, the reverend respect I beare unto my much honoured Mother, the Vniversity of Oxford, and to your selfe as her Vice-Chancellour, hath induced me to present you with the inclosed short Survey of Mr. Widdowes his Answer to my Appendix, authorized by you for the presse, (as friends informe me) through which it hath well-nigh passed: In which there are so many grosse mistakes; so many false, absurd, impertinent Quotations; so many illiterate, ridiculous brainsicke passages, exposing the frenticke Authour to the lash, if not your selfe the Licenser, and the Vniversity her selfe (whose Vice-Chancellour … …thorized, and whose Sonne hath penned, hath published so vaine erronious a Booke) to unexpiable disgrace: that though they give an infinite advantage to my cause, (which needes no Patron but it selfe;) yet I have chosen rather to advise you privately as a friend, in time for to correct them before they flie abroad, in print, then to hazard your owne, or the Vniversities reputation, in suppressing, in repenting the publication of them, when it is too late. For mine owne part, I desire not to crush Mr. Widdowes his Infant in the cradle, as though I feared it, there being nothing in it worthy the Presse, much lesse a Reply: but my desire is to conceale his knowne weaknesse, (if not the Vniversities and your owne Oversight) by a timely discovery of his authorized grosse mistakes; which if they should take printed wings, and fly about, (as they are almost ready to forsake their nest) I shall be forced in my owne defence, to passe such a publike Censure on them, as will not onelyonly scare the oft distracted Authour out of his crazy wits, but draw perchance some blot of disreputation on your selfe, who should not suffer such cackling …raying wild-geese as these, to fly Cum privilegio from our Oxford presses. Thus referring this short inclosed Survey of a whole field of tares, and wild-oates, (which I would wish you to mow downe in time) unto your grave consideration; I commend you with my best well-wishes unto Gods direction: Resting
Lincolnes Inne. October 20. 1630. The unfained tenderer of your owne, and the Vniversity of Oxfords reputation, WILLIAM PRYNNE.
The Survey inclosed in this my Letter, (which I shall now intitle, Lame Giles his haultings; Or, The Brainlesse All-knee Superstitious Anti-puritan) was this which followeth.