The war between Charles I. and the Parliament, and the abolition of the royal authority, did not affect the censor ship, and the Long Parliament in the plenitude of its power maintained the practice just as the Star Chamber had done.
In March, 1642, an order of the Com mons House of Parliament appointed by name certain stationers of London to search for any lying pamphlets scandal ous to his majesty, or the proceedings of both or either House of Parliament, de molish and take away the printing presses, and apprehend the printers or sellers.
In June, 1643, was issued an order of the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament for the regulating of print ing, and for suppressing the great late abuses and frequent disorders in printing many false, scandalous, seditious, libel lous, and unlicensed pamphlets, to the great defamation of religion and govern ment. It enacts that no book, pamphlet, paper, nor part of any such book, pam phlet, or paper, shall from henceforth be printed, bound, stitched, or put to sale by any person or persons whatever, unless the same be first approved of and licensed under the hands of such person or per sons as both or either of the Houses of Parliament shall appoint for the licens ing of the same, and entered into the register-book of the Company of Station ers, according to ancient custom. And further on it authorises or requires the master and wardens of the said company, the gentleman usher of the House of Peers, the sergeant of the Commons' House and their deputies, together with the persons formerly appointed by the committee of the House of Commons for examination, to make from time to time diligent search in all places where they shall think meet, for all unlicensed printing-presses, and all presses any way employed iu printing of scandalous or unlicensed papers, pamphlets, books, &c., and to seize, deface, and destroy the same in the Common Hall of the said company.
It was in consequence of this order that John Milton wrote his 'Areopagitica ; a Speech for the Liberty of Unlicensed Printing,' addressed to the parliament of England, in which he shows that the system of licensing originated with the Papal Inquisition, and that it ought not to he adopted by a Protestant commu nity : he points out its uselessness and in justice, and observes that the order of parliament is only a revival of the former order of the Star Chamber. Milton's disquisition is a piece of close reasoning and eloquently written, but it had no effect upon parliament, which continued to sanctaon the restraints upon the press, even after the abolition of royalty. A warrant of the Lord-General
Fairfax, dated 9th of January, 1648, was addressed to " Captain Richard Law rence, Marshal-General of the Army under my command," in virtue of an order of parliament, dated 5th of Janu ary, 1648, to put in execution the ordi nances of parliament concerning scan dalous and unlicensed pamphlets, and especially the ordinance of the 28th September, 1642, and the order of the Lords and Commons, dated 14th June, 1643, for the regulating of printing. The marshal-general of the army is "re quired and authorised to take into cus tody any person or persons who have offended or shall hereafter offend against the said ordinances, and inflict upon them such corporal punishments, and levy such penalties upon them for each offence as therein mentioned, and not discharge them till they have made full payment thereof, and received the said punishment accordingly?' And he is fur ther authorised and repired to make diligent search "from time to time, in all places wherein he shall think meet, for all unlicensed printing-presses any way employed in printing scandalous and unlicensed papers, pamphlets, books, or ballads, and to search for such unlicensed books, papers, treatises, &c." The parliament of 1654 appointed a committee to watch all blasphemous pub lications, on whose reports several books, religious or controversial, were ordered to be burnt.
The parliament of 1656 appointed a committee to consider the way of sup pressing private presses and regulating the press, and suppressing and preventing scandalous books and pamphlets. The Protector Cromwell enforced these re straints in order to prevent the agitation of political questions. In October, 1653, the council at Whitehall ordered that no person shall presume to publish in print any matter of public news or intelligence, without leave and approba tion of the secretary of state. There appeared also an order of the protector and council against printing unlicensed and scandalous books and pamphlets, and for regulating printing. Cromwell how ever was disposed in general to rescue the victims of religious intolerance from the hands of their persecutors, the Inde pendents and the Presbyterians.