THE CHARACTER OR EAR-MARK OF Mr. WILLIAM PRINNE Bencher of Lincolns-inn. In which are contained many seasonable, and wholesome Exhortations to the same:  Carpitque & Carpitur. 
LONDON, Printed in the year MDCLIX.   

A CHARACTER OR EAR-MARK OF Mr. WILLIAM PRINNE.  
'tWas once a saying of the famous Aristotle, that for a man to be afflicted, it was Humanum; to be derided, 'twas Turpissimum: And upon that good Rule Mr. Prynne had spared me the labour of a studied derision if he had once showed himself ingenuous in any thing save the Confession of his own shame, which truly he has plentifully done very lately in a great number of peevish & most unadvised Pamphlets. A Man, (one would think) that might have learned the Consequence of seditious scribbling, long ere this time, if his guilt had taken half so deep an Impression upon his heart, as his punishment hath left on his Head: But his violent humour is now (as it seems) grown incorrigible; he proclaims open hostility against all this side of the terrestrial Globe, and appears like an inhabitant of the Antipodes point blank against all men.  
there's a Martial Law amongst schoolboys, that after the first blow given by one of the Combatants, the other may fall on, and defend himself though his standing on his own guard cost his adversary a bloody Nose, or a Black Eye. This Gentleman is the first that hath bidden defiance to us all, and himself too; his high spirit and animosity has encouraged him to make the first Onset; and what quarter can he expect from either Enemy or Friend, who asperses both, and tells them to their faces he scorns them? Certainly, mighty is the man's Courage, who dares attempt these things; great his prowess; invincible his valour; to give you one proof of his Magnanimity for all; do but reflect upon, and well consider the grand Action, or rather Passion of His life, and tell me who more daring, more potent, more venturous than He, who in the twinkling of an Eye, Praesto, while a man could say What's this? run his head thorough an Inch-thick board.  
Often have I made it matter of admiration, when I have seen an abusive Copy of Verses (that hath been but the product of a green brain) of a Malapert Youngster against his Schoolmaster, in revenge of that severity which his own folly justly merited: My wonder has been more increased, when I have read a Libel penned against a Country justice of the Peace, by an oppressed or sportive Gentleman: but for a Man, an old Man, a Lawyer, Bencher of Lincoln's inn, about the period of his days to rail at all Authority, all kinds of Government, to make himself diametrically opposite to whatsoever is called the Present power, in good earnest I think there are more wondenrers at it than my single self. Against Kings, against Liturgy, against Bishops, against those that are against Kings, Liturgy, and Bishops; pro and con, con and pro, for, and against. I lately perused a Paper, the title whereof was this, The names of the Lords of the Other House: having read it over, and over again, I was somewhat troubled at his late highness' oversight or forgetfulness, in leaving out this Gentleman's name, for (without all peradventure) [THE LORD PRYNNE] would have sounded very emphatically, and He would have quitted himself in the discharge of that function very worthily, which consists (as I am informed) altogether in exercising a Negative voice over all the good People of this Nation, which I'm sure he would have done from the highest to the lowest. Negatives are indeed a good Periphrasis for the Deity; yet very dangerous (as I conceive) for any man to a pro●rine to himself or make a Monopoly on especially a Man that never was a Lord in this world, nor ever is like to be one.  
This is the Man, the error of whose Judgement, and impardonable instability is to be imputed to the loss of his two biases; for if a Bowle's deviation from the Jack is occasioned hereby, much more a rational Creature's à fortiori. This is the William, whose passion is the conqueror (as Cleaveland says in another case.) This is the eminent Wit of all London, abating only one Creek, which they call Billingsgate; there indeed is a nursery almost as eloquently gifted as himself.  
But, among all the scurrilities, and absurdities he is guilty of, I am most of all offended at two things, which constantly, duly, and inseparably accompany his writings, 1. His Monstrous Title-Pages, and 2ly. His abominable frightful margin: As to the first of these; Any Man nowadays who but sees a single sheet in Quarto on a Booksellers stall (be it but in transitu) all-to-be-close-Printed in the Front, he never makes further enquiry after the Author's name, but presently makes as quick, and nimble Conception of Him, as a beggar does of an alehouse, when he spies a Red Latice; or an Whoremaster of a Bawdy house, when he sees a torn Smock hang out at the window. The words in the Title page (poor miscreants!) how they crowd one another for elbow room! truly (in my judgement) the great Bush (to use the old Saw) renders the wine suspicious, and may well drive the Reader upon the Poers Interrogatory,  
Quid tanto dignum tulit hic promissor hiatu?  
What this same Promser has done  
To merit so much gaping on?  
In general this may be affirmed, that whoever shall trouble himself to read over all his works, titles, and all, may ehance at the conclusion to meet with a fate parallel to that same good Fellow's, who walking the streets early in a morning, found a packet, curiously bound up, and sealed, but having taken the labour to open the first paper of the bundle, he finds another, and another, and a fourth, fifth, and sixt paper, till at length he found in the midst of all, what think you my Masters? why, even (saving your presence) a sir-reverence.  
Then for his margin, or Commentaries, Tom Farnaby never crammed Persius worse than he loads himself, Quotations, Statutes, figures, &c. which a man had better believe to be all as he says, than turn over so many volumes to disprove him: In a word, I am almost so foolish as to approve of his two conceits who resembled His Text, and Comment, to a Calve's head and Poartenance; or an owl encircled with a multitude of little Birds.  
But I beseech you Sirs! why Mr. Prynne no Parliament man this bout? why must he reply with Bacon's Brazen noddle, TIME WAS? why an excluded member? Are they not all Keepers of the Liberty? and does not he assume to himself as much Liberty as any Freeman in England, or tother two Nations? Truly all the reason that I hear of for it, is that which exalted him, January 30. 1637. merely his tongue, and pen, the turbulencies of his language, and abuse of his excellent parts. The maintaining of a Paradox has been counted of old the gallantry of great Wits; but then, these Paradoxes were so qualified, that their Author's judgement might plainly appear to be clean different from what he therein argued for discourse sake. Certainly no man can be so far besotted to suppose the offspring of his Invention (Produced at first probably out of a frolic) to be in good sober sadness a truth, a reality, to be adhaered unto, admired, adored, that a man ought to prize it beyond flesh and blood: I am so charitable to believe His first Essay, in this nature, was intended only for an experiment of His Parts, and Sophistry, however it comes to pass now that he seems to make that his Faith, which was but once at best, Opinion: with the Melancholy Nobleman's Son who once acted the Beggar's part in a comedy, and ever after persuaded himself to be in his whole life, what he had personated on the Stage for one hour. And now what better recreation in the intervals over a pot of ale, than to produce Mr. Prynn's Republican? what better sport than to hear Mr. Needham's Emissaries to cry through the nose, Mr. William Prynn's Good Old Cause rightly stated, and the bad uncased, &c. All this while, the whole series of all his designs aiming at Authority, and the Pilots that sit at the Helm of State. But what are they that bark at the Moon? The busy fly makes many an attempt upon the candle, till at last his singed wings compel him to an inglorious retreat. The filth which a man spits at Heaven, commonly lights on his own pale.  
Mr. Camden tells a story concerning the ancient Britons, that at their first plantation in Armorica, being forced to take wives of that Counrtry, they were no sooner married but they cut their wife's Tongues out, to the end (Says he) that their Children might not learn that Country language from their Mothers. A stratagem truly, very commendable: I am not so cruel to wish the like doom to our Lawyer, because 'tis his most necessary implement; but I could wish it restrained, and bridled, to prevent the hazard of our children's becoming as bad Shimei's as Himself.  
A word or two in the Quakers tone; William Prynne, cease thy scribbling; Plague not the press with raillery any more; Obey the Magistrate; murder not the Law; Maim not the gospel; Cease to speak ill of the Powers above thee; Leave off thy reviling, evil speaking, thy factious, seditious spirit; Be humble, be lowly, lest a worse thing betide thee.  
To conclude; I wish him a through conviction of his infirmities, and such a one as may render them as odious to himself, as they are to all the world, of sober, moderate men. I wish him Repentance, and if he be incapable of that, I wish him once again a pasteboard Rongrace, to protect his beauty from ranning by the sunbeams, when the State shall think fit.  
FINIS.