His saintly delicacy, if not his Christian charity, is displayed in the following "grievance" and "remedy:"
"There are some other cases wherein the law also is said to be somewhat defective: as
"That there is no law against lascivious gestures, wanton and filthy dalliance and familiarity, whorish attire, strange fashions; such as are naked breasts, bare shoulders, powdering, spotting, painting the face, curling and shearing the hair; excess of apparel in servants and mean people.
"It is offered to consideration,
"1. That the justices of the peace at their Quarter Sessions >may binde any such to the good behaivour.
"2. That for a whorish attire, something of note be written upon the door of her house to her disgrace, there to continue till she wear sober attire."
The character of this puritanical reformer's liberality may be estimated by his proposed remedies for the abuses of the press. As his party were in power, there was no longer any occasion for free discussion. Milton was opposed to such canting reformers as Sheppard, and maintained the liberty of unlicensed printing.
"It is objected,
"That there are disorders in printing of books, for which there is no remedy.
"It is offered for this to consider of these things:
"1. That printing-houses be reduced to a number.
"2. That no books be printed but be first perused.
"3. That no dangerous books be printed here, carried beyond sea, and brought in hither.
"4. That the right of every mans copy be preserved.
"5. That every man shall licence his own book and be answerable for it."