Press-Muzzling

New Zealand Tablet, 24 September 1908, Page 23

Press-Muzzling

A speaker (reported in a Wellington politico-religious ordati) PorS y f '""f thC th ° Ught that thG Sixte^ h Popes made a law that translations of the Scripture into the XbilitTrr 10 " bC P^ ntCd UntU thCh " COrrCCt » CSS ' and S Z ? I , , a «ompany,hg notes and comments, wore duly cert Hied, to die satisfaction of the bishop 'of the pacef Th s veiy reasonable and proper restriction was, howe^^ mildnes itself compared with the severe- mualing of the p^s vl e h was practsed in the Reformed England of the day. ' Here or SueTW'h ° fSCCtiOn LL ° f «-■ Injun" ons of Queen Ehxabe h, which were published early in , s 9 :_' Item because there ,s a great abuse of the printers of books whS for covetousness chiefly regard not what they print, o S may have gain, whereby ariseth great disorder VpublicaTion 3 unfruitful, vain, and infamous books and paper's ; the Queers Majesty straitly -charges and commands, thaV, 0 manner of by her Majesty by express words in writing, or by six of he^ Privy Council, or be perused and licensed % the A^hbi hops of Canterbury and York, the Bishop of Londo,,, the chanceHors of both Universities, the bishop being ordinary aild Jrch i'iT'of t p ; acc> ; vhcre any sue " sbau be prfnteT oft; ,° f them> wh «?°f-«« ordinary of the. place* to be always

* (The italics are ours, and the spelling is modernised). The only exceptions to that sweeping censorship was- this • that it d.d 'not extend to any profane authors and works i^iny an rat orth 13 " bgen - hemOfOrC COmm °^ -ceived,or Sowed been seen and allowed by the -archbishop of Canterbury Or tho' bishop o{ London and. every one selling books printedico^ o this regulataon „to suffer three months' imprisonment.' Even o this day, we rather think, no one in England, may '. without hcenje, print a copy of th e. officia. wn ,J ad the shaker in question been aware of -these^things, he" :utbie p :: v : e bly have reserved his