Page:The lives of the poets of Great Britain and Ireland to the time of Dean Swift - Volume 4.djvu/142

132 Creeds, and Impoſitions in Matters of Religion, printed 1676.

Our author’s next work was An Account of the Growth of Popery, and Arbitrary Government in England; more particularly from the long prorogation of November 1675, ending February 15, 1676, ’till the meeting of Parliament July 15, 1677, printed in folio 1678. Our author in a letter dated June 10, 1678, wrote thus; ‘There came out about Chriſtmas laſt here, a large book concerning the Growth of Popery, and Arbitrary Government. There have been great rewards offered in private, and conſiderable, in the Gazette, to any, who would inform of the author, and Printer, but not yet diſcovered. Three or four printed books ſince have deſcribed (as near as was proper to go, the man being a member of Parliament) Mr. Marvel to be the author, but if he had, he ſurely could not have eſcaped being queſtioned in Parliament, or ſome other place.’ This book was ſo offenſive to the court at that time, that an order was publiſhed in theſe words,

‘Whereas there have been lately printed, and publiſhed ſeveral ſeditious, and ſcandalous libels againſt the proceedings of both Houſes of Parliament, and other his Majeſty’s Courts of Juſtice, to the diſhonour of his Majeſty’s government, and the hazard of the public peace; theſe are to give notice, that what perſon ſoever ſhall diſcover unto one of the ſecretaries of ſtate, the printer, publiſher, author, or hander to the preſs of any of the ſaid libels, ſo that full evidence may be made thereof to a Jury, without mentioning the informer, eſpecially one libel, entitled An Account of the Growth of Popery; and another called A Reaſonable Argument to all the Grand Juries, &c. the diſcoverer ſhall be rewarded as follows; he ſhall have fifty pounds for ſuch diſcovery as aforeſaid,