Licensing of the Press Act 1662

IV. Merchants and Importers of Books to import the same into London only, unless special Licence;

and to present a true Catalogue thereof to the said Archbishop, &c.; and not to open Packages, nor Officer to pass the same,; (Penalty); before a Person duly appointed, and one of the Stationers' Company, be present.; If seditious, &c. Books found, to be brought to the said Archbishop, &c.; Proceedings against Offenders, &c.

And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid That every Merchant of Bookes and person and persons whatsoever who doth or hereafter shall import or bring any Booke or Books into this Realm from any parts beyond the Seas shall import the same in the Port of London only and not elsewhere without the special License of the Archbishop of Canterbury and Bishop of London for the time being or one of them who are hereby authorized to grant Licenses for that purpose and shall before such time as the same Booke or Books or any of them be delivered forth or out of his or theire hand or hands or exposed to sale give and present a true Note or Catalogue in writing of all and every such Booke [X1 or] Bookes unto the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Bishop of London for the time being or to one of them And no Merchant or other person or persons whatsoever which shall import or bring any Booke or Books into the Port of London aforesaid from any parts beyond the Seas shall presume to open any Dry Fats Bales Packs Maunds or other Fardels of Bookes or wherein Bookes are nor shall any Searcher Waiter or other Officer belonging to the Custom house upon pain of losing his or their place or places suffer the same to passe or to be delivered out of his or theire hands or Custody before such time as the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lord Bishop of London for the time being or one of them shall have appointed some Scholar or learned man with one or more of the said Company of Stationers and such others as they shall call to theire assistance to be present at the opening thereof and to view the same And if there shall happen to be found any Heretical Seditious Scandalous Schismatical or other dangerous or offensive Booke or Books or any part of such Booke or Bookes printed in English they shall forthwith be brought to the said Lord Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Bishop of London for the time being or to one of them or to some publick place to bee assigned and chosen by the said Lord Archbishop and Lord Bishop for the time being to the end the person and persons which importeth or causeth the said Offensive Books to bee imported may be proceeded against as an offender against this present Act And alsoe that such further course may be taken concerning the same offensive Booke or Books as by the said Lord Archbishop and Bishop for the time being shall be thought fitting for the suppressing thereof

Editorial Information

X1 Variant reading of the text noted in The Statutes of the Realm as follows: and O. [O. refers to a collection in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge]