A compendious AND pathetical RETRACTATION FOR Book-Making. Very useful for these Distracted Times: By Edward Browne, sometime servant to Sir James Cambell Knight, and Alderman of London.  Eccles. 9.10. Whatsoever thy hand shall find to do, do it with all thy might: for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goest. 
London, Printed in the year, MDCXLIII.   

A Compendious and pathetical Retractation for book-making.  
SAlomon saith, There is no new thing under the Sun, for the thing which hath been, is that which shall be, and the thing which is done, is that which shall be done, Eccles. 1.9. Yet the Apostle Saint Paul saith, That all things are become new, 2 Cor. 5.17. Which contradiction, between the wisest of men, and divinest Apostle, next S. John, according to my understanding, may be thus reconciled: To earthly minded men there is no new thing in this terrestrial Globe, except God work a miracle, and create a new heaven and a new earth, which the heavenly minded man looks after, 2 Pet. 3.15. Whence it is, that God saith by the Prophet, Ezechiel 3.15. That he will make them a new heart, and a new spirit, yea, a new creature: according to the meaning of that in the 2 Cor. 5.17. Therefore our Saviour saith, That such a man will bring out of his treasure things new and old. In consideration whereof, I having little learning, but what I have gathered from modern and ancient Writers, have been bold to turn many of their divine Doctrines, and histo●ica●l Narrations, into a new mould, and made thereof An annual world. And not content therewith, I made a new heaven, and placed therein the Sun, Moon, and a Star, of such refulgent lustre, that it darkened the eyes of many earthly minded men. Whereupon, there arose such a cloudy mist out of my seeming gross ignorance, that those heavenly illuminations were wrapped up in a cloud of self-conceit. The meaning whereof, is more plainly thus: I having in my private devotions conversed with many rare men's works, framed a book of brief Meditations upon all the Holy days in the year, according to our Church liturgy, which I entituled, An annual world, or the world in the year; and therein showed, how those days may fitly have a correspondence with the seven Planets, fixed Stars and Elements, fit for private devotion. Which work I compared to the Sun, for as Sol illuminat Mundum, so those Festivities enlighten and stir up the devotion of all true zealous godly men. Whereto, I annexed brief poetical Meditations upon the Day in general, and all the days in the Week; which book, I compared to the moon, for I do humbly acknowledge, some expressions therein are borrowed from the radiant Sun of divine Du Bartas his Weekly days. But before these I had fixed a Star (Entitled, Liber Amoris) in a seeming bright firmament of favour, which was transformed into a Meteor of discontent; whereupon, arose flashes of lightning, with terrible thunder, from the countenance, gesture, and tongues of some maliciously instigated, and others malignantly affected to my honest endeavours. Wherefore, seeing the best of men, such as the Prophet David, a man after God's own heart, doth acknowledge, That sometime he spoke unadvisedly with his lips. And Austin, Origen, and other learned men, have made large Volumes of Retractations, which formerly they had spoke or writ; I that have little learning, and no way qualified with such spiritual gifts as those men were, may not think it any disparagement to make recantation of what I have done publicly amiss. And therefore, first, I confess it was not wisely done in me, to seek the favour and good will of a young damsel to be my wife, by making good Books. But for that folly, I have lost two or three hundred pounds, besides other worldly goods, which otherwise I might have had by the favour of great personages. Yet as I was foolish in that, so I know I did not amiss to show my honest intentions, and industrious endeavours in the good or well spending of spare time. Secondly, the matter of my Books consist in Divinity, Morality, and fancy. For my Divinity, though it is not so exquisitely performed, as by a learned quill it might have been, yet it shows the devotion of my soul; which was disesteemed by some maliciously affected to my honest endeavours, and such malignant parties at this time do abundantly multiply, and oppose themselves against all good order in Church and commonwealth. Secondly, for the Morality in my Meteor, I do acknowledge, it seems to be too satirically ridged in the applicatory part thereof privately exhibited, but if you would be pleased to consider the occasion as well as the thing, you shall not find it altogether so fault-worthy. In publishing the Abstract of all Sir James his Legacies, I do acknowledge that I have given my Lady and the executors just cause to be offended, especially my Lady, who forewarned me to do the same. And because, that it may come to the hands of some who know them not, and therefore may imagine, that there was some great strife between my late judicious Master and his virtuous Lady, because he therein hath bequeathed her little more than what was agreed upon at the time of their matrimonial Contract: which some say is a great disgrace to them both. But I would entreat them to be pleased to consider, That though therein my Master seemed to be over just, yet with the plentiful overplus of his estate, he hath showed himself to be so truly charitable, that what is defective in the one, may be supplied in the other. And therefore, in the opinion of all godly, judicious, learned men, such a famous Testament ought not to be smothered in oblivion, to stir up all rich men's hearts to make this their precedent for them to follow, according to my pattern of justice, and Mercy, and apology: for his charitable Legacies, though I doubt not of the performance thereof by the worshipful executors, yet I fear they may be overswayed by others, that seek to expulse me out of the service where I have been employed in the most troublesome business above the space of a year, and in a close manner disgrace me for revealing the secrets of the executors, whose actions ought to be so even and equal without partiality, that they may endure the trial of the most nicest and sharpest satirical quill. And therefore, I think my late honoured Master knew well what he did, when he left no Overseer but God, and consciences of the executors, in the disposal of those Legacies; for he knew my spirit was such, that, if I was so bold with him, on whom my livelihood and welfare in this world did depend, and whose goodness towards me then, I had as little cause to suspect, as I have of my Ladies now, having tasted thereof in such a measure, as my printed labours and manuscripts declare, I would not fear his Executors, though never so potent. Then why should I fear the greatest Lord in the Land or most Potent hypocrite in this City which shall find fault with any of my fantastical or rather satirical labours; for I have in that manner named none but such as will apply it to themselves.  
But if some will be maliciously quarrelsome, and take it to themselves: Let them understand that I fear none of them; for I shall then prove them to be much more hypocritical, than my late judicious honoured Master was like Laban or Nabal, and so far from Scandalum magnatum, that it shall appear verbum veritatis, for if they seek utterly to abolish the Book of Common Prayer and then to erect an aristocratical or democratical Jurisdiction in this Kingdom which hath been so long governed under many royal Monarchs, or at least shall find fault with my industrious labour in my making of books which was only to clear myself of what I had writ in my Meteor, I protest and affirm that they are a company of hypocrites that do such acts: and therefore I thought good to mark them which so cause divisions in Church and State, according as is related in his majesty's Declarations and other men's writings, for many of them are such as the Apostle speaks of: 2. Timothy 3.6. Who creep into houses and lead captive silly women laden with sins led away with divers lusts ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. And truly I fear it is this kind of people that endeavour now as they did when my Master was living, to seek my utter ruin, merely for doing good as well to themselves as others, if they were not maliciously minded: for these my works of Christian fortitude, Pitety and devotion in my annual World and Sacred Poems. In my pattern of justice and Mercy, with my Star and Meteor, and in my Disaster; Paradox and Vindication for Book making, is approved and commended by two that are Knight Baronets, nine Knights and Aldermen of London, fifteen that are Aldermen, and others judicious and able Citizens of London, and eight or nine that are learned Divines scholars and writers of books in print, as by two Certificates under their hands may appear, which in justice and charity they would not deny: Yet I do believe if they had known I would have put them in print they would have refused their subscription, because these dangerous times they would not be seen to animate or encourage my angry and satirical quill: And for my Reverend patron he was so far from advising me, that he did utterly dislike and dissuade me from it as by his letter may appear; for since I have made my Disaster, I have not seen him, which grieves me to the very heart, that such men as he should be kept in obscurity, and not suffered to preach and write the word of God as in former times. For my Lady and other my friends have been so far for encouraging me, that they have threatened me to put me out of their service, and tell me in the words of Samuel, that obedience is better than sacrifice; & to harken then the fat of Rams: for who hath required these things at my hands: And who ever rejected the council of the wise and did prosper, with other such like exhortations which I did very well consider: But yet being continually upbraided for my works which my conscience telling me is well done, & therein is no wrong to any but such galled backs as found themselves pricked to the quick, I was not careful to answer them in verbal expressions, but in print for which I was wronged: And sure I think I am divinely called thereunto, and therefore it is better to obey God then man, whose breath is in his nostrils, and in time of danger or necessity like a broken reed, will rather grieve then help the spirit of the afflicted, as experience of this time makes too manifestly appear: for if God hath put a seasonable word into my heart that aims at his glory and good of other: shall I not write it? if God hath stirred up my spirit as he did the Prophet Daniels in the 45. and 46. verses of Susannas Story, shall I fear to say that I am clear of, or from all the innocent blood that hath been shed in this unnatural civil War? No I will not: for with Balaam the word that the Lord hath put into my heart that will I write though I might gain a house full of Gold, nay all Sir James his Legacies, I will not leave till I have vanquished all my malicious adversaries: And therefore to those that wish me to desist I speak in the words of our Saviour, Get thee behind me Satan, for thou savourest of the things of men and not of God. And to my friends I speak in the words of Saint Paul, what mean you to weep and to break my heart; for I am ready not to be bound only but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. And therefore entreat them only to pray that God would send me a quiet mind, for if they be righteous I am sure their prayer will prevail with God. And in time I shall have good success. And I could wish all England especially London would take my satirical labours as a warning piece discharged from a good conscience but not from the Cannon oath, &c. nor ordinances illegal, &c. For though they may seem to be fancies, dreams or chimaeras of my own brain, yet they may prove as fatal to some as Pharaoh's Bakers did, and to others successful as his Butlers. For I would that all people in the land did seriously consider, not only mine, but the resolved conscience of all true godly learned men such as Saint Paul, Rom. 13.1. That it is utterly unlawful, nay damnable to resist, much more oppose the higher powers, who are as Saint Peter describes them, First the King and those that are sent by him, and not those that set up themselves against him; Then there would not be such warlike preparations and bloody massacres against Parliamentary proceedings, free speaking, as now there is on both sides; for now an honest man, may not speak, much less write his mind freely according to the word of God, and the Protestation which I have taken, unanswerable by argument, as I praise God my works are, but he shall be counted a Malignant, and threatened to be plundered, pillaged or imprisoned, as by woeful experience it is too manifest. But I with Saint Paul having fought with beasts after the manner of men and overcome all my malicious adversaries: As barking of Dogs, grumbling of Cats, hissing of Serpents, and with David freed myself from the paw of the angry lion, & ravenous Bear, do not fear nor care for the crafty slights of the Fox, the malicious subtlety of the Wolf or tyrannical jurisdiction of any cruel tiger; but hope in time to overcome even great Goliath himself. And if I come into trouble for this my fancy, I am confident that the Lord in good time, will deliver me, according to that of the Psalmist, Though many are the troubles of the righteous, the Lord will deliver him out of them all; he keepeth all his bones so that not one of them is broken, evil shall slay the wicked, and they that hate the Righteous shall be desolate: But the Lord redeemeth the soul of his servant, and none that trust in him shall perish, Psal. 43.19.20. And therefore conclude with this heavenly Soliloquium of the prophet David, whose actions of conquest I desire to imitate, 1. Sam. 17.37. Why are thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me, hope thou in God, for I will yet praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God, Psal. 42. ult. The Lord grant us right understanding in all things.  
FINIS.