The Scholars Purgatory Discovered, Title page – Preface
THE SCHOLLERS PVRGATORY, Discouered In the Stationers Common-wealth, And Discribed in a Discourse Apologeticall, asvvell for the publike aduantage of the Church, the State &, vvhole Common-vvealth of England, as for the remedy of priuate iniuryes.
By GEO: VVITHER.
Pro: 18. 13.
He that answeares his matter before he heare him, it is shame and folly vntounto him. Suffer him then that he may speake; and when he hath spoken, mock on, Iob. 21. 2.
IMPRINTED For the Honest Stationers.
The occasion and contents of this Apology.
THe Author of this ensuing Apology haueing the Kings Grant, concerning his booke (called the Hymnes & Songes of the Church) vniustly & malitiously opposed by the Stationers, who vnchristianly vilify & scandalize alsoe, the said Booke, to the contempt of his Maiesties powre, the hinderance of deuotion, the preiudice of the Authors estate, & the disparagment of his best endeauors: He doth here Apologize both for his Booke & Priueledge, shewing the true grounds of their spightfull opposition▪ discouering the Progresse of it, answearing such friuelous obiections as they hauehave dispersed, & discouering how iniurious alsoe, they are euen to the whole Common-wealth in many other particulers. It hath bene offred to the Presse, because it was otherwise impossible to divulge the same so vniuersally as they hauehave spread their scandalls; And it was directed alsoe to the most reuerend Conuocatiō, that the said Booke might be corrected or approoued of as the wisdome of that graue Assembly shall finde cause: & that the representatiue body of the Church of England, beholding a glimpse of the Stationers harbarous dispositions in misvsing this Author, might from thence take occasion to be informed, What other insolencyes & abuses they are guilty of, both to the disturbance of Christian vnity, & to the Common preiudice.
If the Printers hast, shall occasion any slipps, he desires that if his worke be legible he may be ex▪ cused▪ Soe, doth our Author likewise, if in the methode or language, any ouer sight be committed. For, haueing many other employments, and being constrayned to write it in hast (that it might bee imprinted before this present Session of Parliament were expired) there may be somewhat ouerseene perhapps, which needeth pardon. But as it is, he humbly offers to consideration▪ the said Apology; whose perticulers are these that follow.
1. First, an Induction; after which the Author haueing breefly touched vponupon those troubles, Imprisonments & expences, which compelled him to make some benifite of his owne books, sheweth why he gott his Hymnes confirmed vntounto him by his Maiesties Letters Patents, & what honest Course he tooke in procuring his Grant: Pag. 1, &c.
2. He sheweth how vniustly & ingratfully the Stationers therevpon opposed him; how vncivelly they abused him; how vnchristianly they vilified his Hymnes, rather as Censurers then sellers of Bookes: And a little toucheth vponupon the particuler vsur pations, In sinuations, Insolencyes, Auarice, & abuses of Bookesellers, Pag. 6, &c.
3. He declareth why he exercised his Muse in Diuinity: What reason he had to translate the Canonicall Hymnes into Lyrick verse; & that some of the Cleargy mooned him therevnto▪ He sheweth alsoe, to what end he composed the Spirituall Songs for the obseruable tymes: Of what nature that Booke is, which the Stationers oppose: And what they doe in particuler, rayle & obiect against the said Booke. Pag. 11, &c.
4. He proueth by diuerse Arguments that the said Hymnes are necessary, & not impertinent as the Stationers obiect: Then toucheth againe vponupon the abuses & grosse partiality of the Stationers, acquiteth himselfe of seeking his owne profitt (to the publike preiudice,) as his Aduersaries vntruly affyrme: and demonstrateth his Patent to be neither Monopoly, as the Stationers alleage (& as some of their Patēts are) but rather a benifite. Pag. 24, &c.
5. He setteth downe the Stationers peremptery claime to all Authors labors: refuting a Lawyers foolish judgment passed on their behalfes. Instanceth in what particulers they vsurpe larger Prerogatiues then they will allow the King: And then (haueing iust occasion) pointeth at their fraudulent & vnsufferable abusing of the people in their Mystery of Booke selling. Pag. 29, &c.
6. He particularizeth în what vnciuell termes the Stationers vilifie his Hymnes: How vniustly they disparage his expressions: And how impudently they vsually preferr & divulge those pernitious & impertinent things, whereby they themselues may receaue profitt. Pag. 33, &c.
7. He iustifies his expressions: Protesteth with what mind, what preparation, and with what Caueats he proceeded in that worke. And there withall mētioneth some of those difficulties which are in such a taske & speaketh somwhat cōcerning the metricall version of Dauids Psalmes now in vse. Pag. 35, &c.
8. He maintaines the lawfulnesse of vndertaking a worke of that nature, notwithstanding he is no profest Diuine, against those who obiect he hath intruded vponupon the Diuine calling; & glanceth at the ignorance and envy of those Obiectors. P: 39,
9. He discouereth how presumptuously they hauehave countenanced their detraction and opposition, by pretending that the Lo: Archb: of Cant: andothers are all affected to the said Hymnes & Grant. And it is made euident that they hauehave impudently abused the Lo: Archb: therein. Pag. 45▪ &c.
10. He giueth reason; for his translating and publishing the sōg of Salomō ▪ in Lyrick verse. Setts downe the Stationers impious and scurrilous manner of traducing it. Expresseth somewhat of that Songs comfortable vse, with what may be said in answeare to them who think it ought to be restrained, for feare of being misapplyed. And haueing spoken somewhat concerning his owne proceedings, submitteth all to censure. Pag 49, &c.
11. He displaies the Stationers demeanor toward those who come to aske for his Booke. Setts forth the quality of those whom they hauehave drawne to passe their censures against it. Shewes how wilfully the Kings iniunction, & his pious intent therein hath bene reiected: And what inconueniences are likly to follow their insolencyes, if order be not taken. Pag 63, &c.
12. He vpholds his Hymnes for the obseruable tymes, against the Stationers & those whom they hauehave stirred vp to oppose them: Offers them to strictest examination▪ Shewes his Christian simplicity in cōposing thē; that they tend to the glory of God, and the furtherance of vniformity: That they were lawfully Authorized: That they are consanant to the word of God, the Doctrine of the Catholike Church, and to all the lawes and ecclesiasticall Ordinances of this Realme. Pag. 66, &c.
13. He intimates that it is probable his Hymnes are scandalized by none but such as are ill affected to the gouernment of our Church. Shewes that his prefaces hath vindicated all our Solemnities from those imputations of popery, Schismaticks hath cast vponupon them: Toucheth vponupon the pious vsefulnesse of the Churches Discipline: Illustrateth their impiety who seeke to disparage or abolish it, And specifieth in what places, & in what ridiculous manner the Stationers passe their virdicts vponupon his booke. Pag. 69, &c:
14. He setteth downe how barbarously the Stationers seeke to disparage all his Hymnes by reason of that for S. Georges day: How vnchristianly they misinterpreted his pious & warrantable intētion in composing that Hymne; & therevpon taketh occasiō to speake somewhat of the pious vse of that solemnity; of the most noble & most Christian order of S. George & the Patron thereof; to the honor of that institutiō, & in reproofe of the vulger & ignorant misconceits of his Reproouers. Pa. 76.
15. He humbly intreats that neither his youth, his calling, nor the vniust scandalls of his Aduersaries may preiudice what he hath well done: She wes why his writings & Actions are exposed to more scandalls then vaniest inventions bring on their Authors; protesteth what it is that made him thus endeauor to maintain his reputation; & professeth some what of his hopes & Resolutiōs. p: 84.
16. He displaies the true condition of his aduersaries▪ by shewing how nere they paralell Dauids enimies, & that they hauehave giuen him iust occasiō to take vp in a litteral sēce almost eueryevery bitter cōplaine wherby the Psalmist hath expressed the cruelty of a malitious multitude. P. 87
17. He expostulatheth concerning that vnequall dealing the world hath hitherto vsed towards him: And (taking it a little vnkindly that any of those who ought to cherish men in good employements, should do him iniury by a rash censure) Toucheth vponupon some others who together with the Stationers hauehave iniuriously & causelesly detracted from his labors. Pag. 89.
18. He nominateth many of those perticuler iniuries offred him by the Stationers. He describeth alsoe the powre, policy, & true condition of his opposers, with many of those dāgers, disadvātages, & incōueniences which their malice portend▪ And then shewes both how much he contemneth all they can bring to passe, & how he hopeth to conuert all their hate, mischeefes, & slanders; to his future profitt & commendation in their despight▪ Pag. 94.
19. He giues the reason of his hopes of preuailing; cōcicture… Gods good purpose in suffring him to be afflicted by these Adversaries, & his other troubles; apologizeth for that ouermuch sharpnesse▪ which he hath seemed to vse; & makes it probable, that he hath no vncharitable intentiō in any thing which he hath expressed in this booke. p. 103.
20. He renounceth to hauehave any purpose to Disparage or defame either the whole Corporation of Stationers, or any particuler member thereof, & that no other may abuse this Discourse to that end; he shewes alsoe, how all the reprehensions therein expressed, may be applyed to those only who are guilty, & how eueryevery man that is innocent, or sorry for his ouersight, may, if he himselfe please, be freed from all personall blame or scandall. Pag. 108.
21. To prevent their malice likwise, who would perhapps apply this Discourse to the generall disparagment of the Stationers Mystery; he hath added the definition of an honest Stationer; & the true Character of his contrary, whom he calleth a meere Stationer, & against whom, only, this booke is intended. Pag. 116.
22. He reconeth vp, some of those many inconueniences which the Vniuersities, the State, the whole Commonwealth, & the Church of God suffers, by the Disorders among those whom hee calleth meere Stationers; but reserueth their amplification to another Discourse, which he intendeth to publish if there be cause. Page 127.
23. And lastly (to shew he ha…h not aymed at the shame or ruine of any, but at their reformatiō only) he offers to discouer a profitable remedy for what he hath foūd to be amis…e; to the glory of God, the content of the King, the quiet of the State, the honor of learning, & to the credit & profit of the Stationers themselues. And these, amōg some other accidentall passages, are the cōtents of this Apology, p. 130.