[102] That all these works should not be wanting to posterity,
Prynne deposited the complete collection in the library of
Lincoln's-Inn, about forty volumes in folio and quarto.
Noy, the Attorney-General, Prynne's great adversary, was
provoked at the society's acceptance of these ponderous
volumes, and promised to send them the voluminous labours of
Taylor the water-poet, to place by their side; he judged, as
Wood says, that "Prynne's books were worth little or
nothing; that his proofs were no arguments, and his
affirmations no testimonies." But honest Anthony, in spite
of his prejudices against Prynne, confesses, that though
"by the generality of scholars they are looked upon to be
rather rhapsodical and confused than polite or concise, yet,
for antiquaries, critics, and sometimes for divines, they are
useful." Such erudition as Prynne's always retains its
value--the author who could quote a hundred authors on
"the unloveliness of love-locks," will always make a good
literary chest of drawers, well filled, for those who can make
better use of their contents than himself.
[103] Prynne seems to have considered being debarred from pen, ink,
and books as an act more barbarous than the loss of his ears.
See his curious book of "A New Discovery of the Prelate's
Tyranny;" it is a complete collection of everything relating
to Prynne, Bastwick, and Burton; three political fanatics, who
seem impatiently to have courted the fate of Marsyas. Prynne,
in his voluminous argument, proving the illegality of the
sentences he had suffered, in his ninth point thus gives way
to all the feelings of Martinus Scriblerus:--"Point 9th, that
the prohibiting of me pen, ink, paper, and books, is against
law." He employs an argument to prove that the abuse of any
lawful thing never takes away the use of it; therefore the law
does not deprive gluttons or drunkards of necessary meat and
drink; this analogy he applies to his pen, ink, and books, of
which they could not deprive him, though they might punish him
for their abuse. He asserts that the popish prelates, in the
reign of Mary, were the first who invented this new torture of
depriving a scribbler of pen and ink. He quotes a long passage
from Ovid's Tristia, to prove that, though exiled to the Isle
of Pontus for his wanton books of love, pen and ink were not
denied him to compose new poems; that St. John, banished to
the Isle of Patmos by the persecuting Domitian, still was
allowed pen and ink, for there he wrote the Revelation--and he
proceeds with similar facts. Prynne's books abound with
uncommon facts on common topics, for he had no discernment;
and he seems to have written to convince himself, and not the
public.
But to show the extraordinary perseverance of Prynne in his
love of scribbling, I transcribe the following title of one of
his extraordinary works. He published "Comfortable Cordial
against Discomfortable Fears of Imprisonment, containing some
Latin verses, sentences and texts of Scripture, _written by
Mr. Wm. Prynne on his chamber-walls in_ the Tower of London
during his imprisonment there; translated by him into English
verse," 1641. Prynne literally verifies Pope's description--
"Is there who lock'd from ink and paper, scrawls
With desperate charcoal round his darken'd walls?"
We have also a catalogue of printed books written by Wm.
Prynne, of Lincoln's-Inn, Esq., in these classes--
Before }
During } his imprisonment, with the motto _Jucundi acti
labores_. 1643.
Since }
[104] The interesting particulars of this interview have been
preserved by the Archbishop himself--and it is curious to
observe how Laud could now utter the same tones of murmur and
grief to which Prynne himself had recently given way. Studied
insult in these cases accompanies power in the hands of a
faction. I collect these particulars from "The History of the
Troubles and Tryal of Archbishop Laud," and refer to Vicars's
"God in the Mount, or a Parliamentarie Chronicle," p. 344, for
the Puritanic triumphs.
"My implacable enemy, Mr. Pryn, was picked out as a man
whose malice might be trusted to make the search upon me, and
he did it exactly. The manner of the search upon me was
thus: Mr. Pryn came into the Tower so soon as the gates
were open--commanded the Warder to open my door--he came into
my chamber, and found me in bed--Mr. Pryn seeing me safe
in bed, falls first to my pockets to rifle them--it was
expressed in the warrant that he should search my pockets.
Did they remember, when they gave this warrant, how odious it
was to Parliaments, and some of themselves, to have the
pockets of men searched? I rose, got my gown upon my
shoulders, and he held me in the search till past nine in the
morning (he had come in betimes in the morning in the month
of May). He took from me twenty-one bundles of papers which
I had prepared for my defence, &c., a little book or diary,
containing all the occurrences of my life, and my book of
private devotions; both written with my own hand. Nor could
I get him to leave this last; he must needs see what passed
between God and me. The last place he rifled was a trunk
which stood by my bedside; in that he found nothing but about
forty pounds in money, for my necessary expenses, which he
meddled not with, and a bundle of some gloves. This bundle he
was so careful to open, as that he caused each glove to be
looked into; upon this I tendered him one pair of the gloves,
which he refusing, I told him he might take them, and fear no
bribe, for he had already done me all the mischief he could,
and I asked no favour of him; so he thanked me, took the
gloves, and bound up my papers, and went his way."--Prynne
had a good deal of _cunning_ in his character, as well as
fortitude. He had all the subterfuges and quirks which,
perhaps, form too strong a feature in the character of "an
utter Barrister of Lincoln's Inn." His great artifice was
secretly printing extracts from the diary of Laud, and
placing a copy in the hands of every member of the House,
which was a sudden stroke on the Archbishop, when at the
bar, that at the moment overcame him. Once when Prynne was
printing one of his libels, he attempted to deny being the
author, and ran to the printing-house to distribute the forms,
but it was proved he had corrected the proof and the
revise. Another time, when he had written a libellous
letter to the Archbishop, Noy, the Attorney-General, sent
for Prynne from his prison, and demanded of him whether the
letter was of his own handwriting. Prynne said he must see
and read the letter before he could determine; and when Noy
gave it to him, Prynne tore it to pieces, and threw the
fragments out of the window, that it might not be brought in
evidence against him. Noy had preserved a copy, but that
did not avail him, as Prynne well knew that the misdemeanour
was in the letter itself; and Noy gave up the prosecution,
as there was now no remedy.
[105] Breviate of the Bishop's intolerable usurpations, p. 35.
[106] While Keeper of the Records, he set all the great energies of
his nature to work upon the national archives. The result
appeared in three folio volumes of the greatest value to the
historian. They were published irregularly, and at intervals
of time--thus the second volume was issued in 1665; the first
in 1666; and the third in 1670. The first two volumes are of
the utmost rarity, nearly all the copies having been destroyed
in the great fire of London.--ED.
[107] Hume, in his History, has given some account of this enormous
quarto; to which I refer the reader, vol. vi. chap. lii.
[108] Milton admirably characterises Prynne's absurd learning, as well
as his character, in his treatise on "The likeliest means to
remove hirelings out of the Church," as "a late hot querist
for tythes, whom ye may know by _his wits lying ever beside
him in the margin, to be ever beside his wits in the text_. A
fierce Reformer once; now rankled with a contrary heat."
[109] The very expression Prynne himself uses, see p. 668 of the
Histriomastix; where having gone through "three squadrons," he
commences a fresh chapter thus: "The fourth squadron of
authorities is the venerable troope of 70 several renowned
ancient fathers;" and he throws in more than he promised, all
which are quoted volume and page, as so many "play-confounding
arguments." He has quoted perhaps from three to four hundred
authors on a single point.