It is said that for writing this comedy, wherein the authors were accused of reflecting on the Scots, they were committed to prison, and were in danger of losing their ears and noses. They however received pardons, and Jonson, on his release from prison, gave an entertainment to his friends, amongst whom were Camden and Selden. In the midst of the entertainment his mother drank to him, and showed him a paper of poison, which she intended to have given him in his liquor, having first taken a portion of it herself, if the sentence for his punishment had been executed.
34.
A relation of the state of religion, and with what hopes and policies it hath beene framed and is maintained in the severall states of these westerne parts of the world. (By Sir Edwin Sandys.) London, 1605.
This book was printed without any author's name, and generally passed as the production of Sir Edwin Sandys; but it appears from a subsequent edition published at the Hague in 1629, that the first impression of 1605 (at least so it is alleged) "was but a spurious stolne copy, in part epitomized, in part amplified, and throughout most shamefully falsified and false printed from the author's original, in so much, that the same knight was infinitely wronged thereby, and as soon as it came to his knowledge that such a thing was printed and passed under his name, he caused it (though somewhat late, when it seemes two impressions were for the most part vented) to be prohibited by authority, and as many as could be recovered to be deservedly burnt, with power also to punish the printers." This is referred to in a letter from Chamberlain to Carleton, of November 7th, 1605, preserved among the Domestic State Papers, where the writer says, "Sir Edwin Sandys' books burnt." There were subsequent editions in 1632, 1638, and 1687.
35.
The Interpreter, or Booke containing the signification of words: wherein is set foorth the true meaning of all, or the most part of such words and termes, as are mentioned in the lawe writers, or statutes of this victorious and renowned kingdome, requiring any exposition or interpretation. Collected by John Cowell, Doctor, and the King's Majestie's Professour of Civill Law in the Universitie of Cambridge. Cambridge, (1607.)
On February 24th, 1609, this book was referred to in the House of Commons by Sir Edwin Sandys, as "very unadvised and undiscreet; tending to the disreputation of the House, and power of the common laws;" and on the 27th of the same month a Committee was formed to consider the book and to report thereon to the Lords.[16] On March 25th, 1610, a proclamation was issued prohibiting the buying, uttering, or reading of this book, in these terms:—
"This latter age and tymes of the world wherein wee are fallen, is soe much given to verball profession, as well of religion as of all comendable morall virtues, but wanting the actions and deedes agreable to soe specious a profession, as it hath bredd such an unsaciable curiosity in manye men's speritts, and such an itching in the tonges and penns of most men, as nothing is left unsearched to the bottome, both in talking and writing. For, from the verie highest misteries in the Godhead, and the most inscrutable councells in the Trinitye, to the verie lowest pitt of hell, and the confused actions of the divills there, there is nothing nowe unsearched into by the curiositie of men's braynes; men not being contented with the knowledg of soe much of the will of God as it hath pleased him to reveale, but they will needes sitt with him in his most privie closett, and become privye of his most inscrutable councells, and therefore it is noe wonder that men in theis our dayes doe not spare to wade in all the depest misteries that belong to the persons or state of kinges or princes that are Gods upon earth, since wee see (as wee have alreadye saide) that they spare not God himself; and this license that everie talker or writer nowe assumeth to himself is come to this abuse, that manye Phormios will give councell to Hanniball, and manye men that never went out of the compasse of cloysters or colleges will freelie wade by their writings in the depest misteries of monarchie and politique government. Whereuppon it cannot otherwise fale out but that when men goe out of their element and meddle with thinges above their capacitie, themselves shall not onlie goe astray and stumble in darknes, but will misleade alsoe divers others with themselves into manye mistakings and errors, the proofe whereof we have lately had by a booke written by Doctor Cowell, called the Interpreter. For he being onlie a civillian by profession, and uppon that large ground of a kynd of dictionarie as it were, following the alphabet, haveing all kynd of purposes belonging to goverment and monarchie in his waye, by meddleing in matters above his reach he hath fallen in manye thinges to mistake and deceave himself; in some thinges disputing soe nicely uppon the misteries of this our monarchie that it may receave dubtfull interpretations, yea in some poynts verie derogatorie to the supreame power of this crowne; in other cases mistakeing the true state of the parliament of this kingdome and the fundamentall constitutions and priviledges thereof, and in some other poynts speaking unreverently of the comon lawe of England and of the workes of some of the most famous and antient judges therein; yt being a thinge utterlie unlawfull to anye subject to speake or write against that lawe under which he liveth, and which wee are sworne and are resolved to mayntayne. Wherefore uppon just considerations moveing us hereunto for preventing of the said errors and inconveniences in all tymes to come, wee doe hereby not onlie prohibitt the buying, uttering, or reading of the said bookes, but doe alsoe will and straightlie comaund all and singuler persons whatsoever whoe have or shall have anye of them in their handes or custodie, that uppon payne of our high displeasure and the consequence thereof, they doe deliver the same presentlie uppon this publication to the Lord Maior of London, yf they or anye of them be dwelling in or neere the said cittie, or otherwise to the Sheriff of the county where they or anye of them shall reside, and in the twoe universities to the Chauncellor our Vicechauncellor there, to the intent that further order maye be given for the utter suppressing thereof. And because there shalbe better oversight of bookes of all sortes before they come to the presse, wee have resolved to make choice of commissioners that shall looke more narrowlie into the nature of all those thinges that shalbe putt to the presse either concerning our authoritie royall, or concerning our goverment or the lawes of our kingdome, from whom a more strict accompt shalbe yelded unto us then hath beene used heretofore. Witnes our selfe at Westminster, the fyve and twentith daye of March.
"Per ipsum regem.[17]"