SIR JAMES CAMBELS Clarks DISASTER, BY MAKING BOOKS, Showing that lying and scandalous pamphlets against King and Parliament are in great estimation, but Books of learning and Religion little regarded.  
Exemplified In a Compendious Letter To john Philpond in Suffolk.  
LONDON, Printed in the Climacterian year, 1642.   

Sir james Cambels Clerks DISASTER.  
Loving brother.  
I Am glad to hear of your welfare, and do not a little rejoice, that your letter hath given me a happy opportunity to unload the burden of my distracted mind, In that you desire to hear of my trade and employment, But for what reason you desire to know this I will not now inquire, for whether it be, that you hear of a place you think I may be capable of at Ipswich near you (If I were destitute) or whether it be out of your kind respects towards me to rejoice with me in my happiness as fellow servants ●ught to do, or for what cause soever else, It is not material, for you know that our late Master, Sir james Cambell brought me up to no Manual trade, But what Gods Providence, his goodness and my endeavours led me into, and that was to be his Clerk as he was a Justice of Peace, which you know was a happy design, and proved very beneficial, for surely I think it was God who put that motion into my mind, and gave strength to my weak abilities to perform whatsoever I took in hand against potent oppositions. And I do likewise humbly acknowledge. It was my Master's goodness to accept of my endeavours, and my Lady's kindness to solicit and allure him, who of himelfe was willing to do me good even to the day of his death, as it is well known. But my Booke-making whihc I learned of myself, against the counsel, and advise of my friends, proved as unhappy, and much more prejudicial than my Clarkeship was advantageous. Yet this use I will make of it. That God knowing the promptitude of my nature to Pride, Covetousness, and self conceit, to excercise my humility, patience, and con●entation, instead of credit and profit, which I expected by my labours, sent me contempt, and disdain from them whom I looked for favour and respect; and so many losses, That I know not how to numerate them. For first I lost Precious time which some said I might have spent much better. Secondly, I lost my Love who is lately married to another, But whether he was so Eager to have her for money, beauty or virtuous qualities he knows best, and you may guess. And last of all which grieves me most of all, is the loss of mon●y. For my Time, notwithstanding their say, I might have spent much worse than in such laborious and pious actions, tending to the glory of God, good of my Neighbours, joy and comfort of my own heart; And my Love may be aswell lost as found for aught I know. But money as the times are now is a matter of great consequence, and very hard to come by when it is departed from us. Therefore I hope you will not blame me, If I complain that I have lost at the least 20 l. out of my own stock in being at the sole charge to print my Annual World, sacred Poems Star, Meteor, and Pattern of Justice and mercy. Secondly, I believe if I had surceased from printing Books my Master would have bequeathed me 200. l. As appears by a note found near his will made in September 1641. And last of all I know not what I have lost out of my friends good will, for since I have printed, and published my Pattern of justice and mercy with my Meteor and Star, some look upon me very strangely. But yet I hope that the worshipful ex●cutors as they are Judiciously charitable, and nobly generous, so they will go forward as they have begun in the execution of this famous Testament, with such an unanimous cheerfulness that they need neither care nor fear though their actions were as apparent as the Snn-beams conspicuous in the view of all, which would be a rare quality in the Executors of dead men's wills, And as they have made use of my endeavours in the most troublesome business, so they will not utterly cast me out of their favour till the overplus of Sir james his estate be disbursed, notwithstanding, that malicious detractor (you know whom I mean) hath his name entered into their tripartite Indenture of Covenants as their cashier on purpose to defeat me. But I have of late given him such a bitter pill, which I hope will so clarify his turbulent humour that he shall not be able to wrong me. Therefore ●etting him alone To teach his Cat speak better language than her Master. You may cease to wonder that these things have distracted my mind, when you do seriously consider that there is a universal madness over the whole World, caused almost for as frivolous occasions as my Booke-making. For some are so severe against Popery that they seek to overthrow all good order and decency, esteeming the house of God no better than a barn or stable, so that instead of sincere devotion they endeavour to set up abominable profaneness; o hers again do so magnify ceremonies, and outward worship, that they would if they could put down all preaching the word of God, and instead of good sound Doctrine uphold formality, superstition, and Idolatry. And those are the things that makes Nation to arise against Nation, and Kingdom against Kingdom now in these our days upon whom the ends of the World are come; for you shall hardly find two in one house of one mind, for either the Father is against the Son or the Son against the Father, Brother against brother or Servant against Servant, and all against Supreme authority both in the Church and state, And what ever others think to be the reason of these distractions, my weak judgement is, that it is chiefly for our pride and self conceit, though I will not exclude other sins; for we are so glutted with the heavenly Manna of Divine Doctrine, that now every boy or ignorant tradesman, that can read his hornbook or wr●te a scribbling character, assumes to himself a spirit of Revelation far greater than the Apostles of our blessed Saviour, not that I do disapprove any man woman or child, even the meanest capacities, to read, and search the Scripture, for I acknowledge myself to be no Scholar, Therefore let them be warned by me to take heed how they meddle with things above their capacities, lest they receive a worse punishment than I have for Booke-making: But yet let them learn of me to honour learning, and men of rare parts as they are men, though in religion Papists, Jews, or Turks, and much more if they bear the profession of the true Protestant Religion; and not for the infirmities of some few to vilify the persons, and despise the holy functions of many grave excellent learned men, whose shoe latchet they are unworthy to unloose: As it is now too common among us. And which is worst of all they are upheld, and maintained by a factious company, that you may better, and with less danger speak treason, and whisper rebellion against the sacred person of the King's Majesty, and his regal authority, then against such who instead of sound Doctrine, for their own applause, to ingratiate themselves into the good opinion of a confused multitude, preach sedition, and faction's, and under pretence of long prayers delude simple people, and I fear in time will devour Widow's houses, If their spreading growth be not timely cropped by authority, for they are already very stately and imperious, And it is to be feared these things will breed confusion both in Church and Commonwealth▪ but I hope when the head shall be united to the body, and when there shall be a right understanding between our Gracious Sovereign, and his Two houses of Parliament, there will be a thorough reformation of all things: And that such a blessed Union may speedily be accomplished, let you and I and all people pray God to divert those judgements from us which our sins have deserved, and continue his mercies to us especially the free preaching of the Gospel by able and sincere dispensors of the same, That pure learning may spring up in every Congregation as a Crystal River, and saving knowledge like a mighty stream to make glad and refresh all barren places in this Island, that so righteousness may flourish in our days, and peace so long as the Sun and Moon endureth. But this hath almost put me quite out of my intended discourse, which was to show you my unfortunate success by Booke-making, for I like that over adventurous son of Sol, and Clymene have almost set the frame of Heaven in a combustion, and stated the Sun Moon and Stars upon such improper objects as may cause amazement to the beholders; Therefore I acknowledge myself worthily punished for my Miscrosmus, I mean my Books which I compared to a little World seems to be at the period as was fo●e prophesied by the truth itself of this Vast universe, Mark 13. 24. & 25. verse, for my Sun is darkened, and my Moon gives but little light, my Star is fall'n from the Heaven wherein it was fixed, and the powers of my Heavenly meditations are shaken and esteemed of little worth; in plainer terms thus. You may perceive my Annual World I compared to the Sun: And because it is composed of brief Meditations upon those days, that commemorate the meritorious actions of our Bl●ssed Saviour, the lives and deaths of his Virgin Mother, and eminent Disciples, according to the celebration thereof set down in the book of Common Prayer, which some esteem the English mass book, Therefore says an new upstart Pharisaical sect, It is papistical and to be cast away as an Idol. Secondly, my Sacred poems I compared to the Moon, and because it is illustrated with the help of some learned Authors, this Hypocritical socieity, say it is light with darkness, holy things and vain unprofitable things mixed which are altogether inconsistent, And this dead fly hath made all my books of ointment unsavoury, for these kind of people deride, and contemn all learning that is not according to their humours, and had rather Sleep in the Church two or three hours to hear an extemporary nonsensitive vain babbling prayer, such as many of their holy brethren's are, whose vain Tautologies and Hyperbolical terms, both public and private, would make a profane man laugh, but a religious man weep, then continue one hour in joint prayer with the Congregation by a well composed form intermingled with reading Chapters, and singing of Psalms, which me thinks is a heavenly harmony; But these folk would have all things done in spirit, yet their actions show that they are mere flesh, except it be in gadding to Sermons to be reputed holy, for observe who are more proud and stately, who more deceitful and covetous, and who more incontinent and malicious than this my malignant party, who to magnify their own worth, to ingratiate themselves into great men's favour for popular applause, and to uphold & to bolster their pride, covetousness and base lascivious meetings in private Conventicles, care not how they disparage the industrious labours of others, which they are not able with all their pretended sanctity to mend. But I hope these hypocritical Roundheads (of late so called) but under that term I would not involve honest judicious round dealing men, such who walk within compass of their own circumference, whose actions as lines are drawn from the Word of God their centre, but such who are wise in their own conceit, whose minds like footeballs or bubbles of Soap in the Air, are thrown and tossed too and fro with every wind of Doctrine, such who under pretence of Religion deride and contemn all good order in Church and Commonwealth, and do so labour to overthrow the known Monarchical, and hierarchical state of the Kingdom that they have almost brought up an anarchical government, shall shortly receive a just reward for their demerits aswell as those that labour to bring up a tyrannical Jurisdiction in the established government, which they likewise do now endeavour to uphold, and would attain unto if all power were in their own hands; and I fear worse. But letting them pass in the third place you may consider how my Star is fallen from the Heaven wherein it was fixed, for like foolish jearus, I have attempted with the waxed wings of a vain hope and (as you may think) an unadvised pride to ascend, and fix myself in a bright firmament of favour am cast down into an O●●an of contempt and disdain, according to these Verses.  

In these my Books of fruitless prose and rhyme,  
You may behold a picture of this time  
Wherein we live, for first from low degree  
My Master's favour had exalted me,  
But my aspiring mind did higher fly  
To things above my reach presumptuously,  
For craft and cunning was in sharp'nd bright  
Who for my labour paid me fell despite,  
Therefore pray cease to wonder that my fall  
Is now so low, for I assure thee all,  
That think by pride, self-love, and vain conceit,  
To make themselves most famous and most great,  
Shall be defeated in their enterprise  
As 'tis apparent in all people's eyes,  
By Strafford, Bishops and Gentility  
Whose falls as low as they aspired high.  
And I myself have had a woeful fall,  
In Credit, profit, yea and Books and all.   
Fourthly and lastly, because I did too boldly frame a flaming Meteor, I feared some tempestuous accident to fall upon me according to the malignant aspect of some fiery spirits: And therefore lest some sharp witted Orator should by eloquent rhetoric such as Lawyer's use, or that flattering Sycophant, should by colloguing insinuation, or some spiritual minded body should in Hiprocriticall sincerity oversway my judicious loving friends good opinion of me and of my endeavours, I did lately join all my labours of love together in one volume with marginal notes, and annotations, and offered them to the press, because I am unwilling to be condemned by a partial jury such as those three above specified. But no executioner I mean a Stationer or Printer had the heart to undertake the work, and in excuse thereof told me, That such a book as that of thirty or forty sheets of paper is not like to sell in this age were the matter never so good, but if it had been a lying and scandalus pamphlet of a sheet of paper that could produce a Scripture text, or some reviling terms against Monarchy, and Hierarchy to uphold an Anarchy, they would have embraced my proffer, for it is like such would have proved vendable ware, if I could obtain an Order or a Vote upon it: Therefore I am enforced to keep those my labours by me for 30 or 40. l. is more money now then I can well spare upon such a dead commodity. Thus have I briefly declared my disaster by making books, yet I hope this last book of justice and mercy will by such time this Kingdom is in a settled peace, cause all the rest of my works to cast forth a little glimmering light to the praise and Glory of God, good of my Neighbour, and joy and comfort of my own soul at the hour of death in the day of judgement, and all the days of my life. Now for my Trade and Employment as I have continued with my Lady 18 years and upwards, so I do intent (God willing) to remain with her one or two years longer at the least except I be by force expulsed, and then you shall hear my mournful lamentation, in the mean time I thank you for your ●inde remembrance of me, in retribution whereof, I commend my due respects unto you and will never cease to be  
London 7. Octob. 1642. Your Assured Friend and Christian Brother Edward Browne.  
FINIS.