These intimations help us to conclude that the Jew- ish censers were unlike those of the classical ancients, with which the sculptures of Greece and Rome have made ns fiunlliar, as well as those (with perforated lids, and swnng by chains) which are used in the Church of Rome. It is observable that in all cases the Egyp-- tian priests had their costly incense made up into small round pellets, which they projected successively from between their finger and thumb into the censer at snch a distance that the operation must have required a pe- culiar knack, snch as could have been acquired only by much practice. As the incense used by the Jews was made up into a kind of paste, it was probably em- ployed in the same manner. See Sonneschmid, De ThymkBLerio tcmcHssiini (Viteb. 1723) ; Deyling, Ob- tervv. ii, 565 sq. ; J. 6. Michaelis, in the Mu$, Brem, li, 6 sq., and in Ugolini Thaaur, xi^ Wentz, in the Nova Biblioth, Brem, v, 887 sq. ; Zeibich, De titttrUndo aureo (Gerl. 1768); Kdcher, id, (Jen. 1769); Braun. Selecia aura^ p. 208 sq. ; Rogal, De thuribuUs (Regiom. 1724; also in Ugolini 7%es. xi). See Incbnse.
CENSER, in Roman Catholic worship. See Thu-
BIBLE.
Censorship of Books, supervision of publica- tions by means of a preliminary examination and au- thorization, under Church or state law. The design of censorship has always been to hinder the publica- tion of writings supposed to be dangerous either to the state or to religion (L e. under ^man Catholic au- thority, to the Churoh). The practice has been de- fended (1) by the example given in Acts xix, 9, where the ** books of curious arts" were burnt; (2) by the responsibility of the Church for the souls of the flock, liable to be destroyed by bad books ; (8) by the duty of teaching, which includes the withholding of bad doctrine as well as the furnishing of good.
Before the invention of printing, it was compara- tively easy to control the ciroula^on of manuscripts, and to destroy them when thought necessary. But the discovery of that art, and the spread of the Refor- mation in the sixteenth century, induced stronger measures and rules on the part of the Roman Church than had been known before, in order to prevent the " ' "'-'uon of heretical literature. A censorship was offi-
daUy established by the bull of Leo X, May 12,1518^ commanding the bishops and inquisitors to examine all works before publication, and not to tolerate any of heretical tendencies. The Council of Trent expresaljr prohibited the printing or reading of heretical boolEB in the terms following : ** No one shaU be permitted to print, or cause to be printed, any hooka relating to re> ligion without the name of the author ; neither shall any one hereafter sell such books, or even retain them in his possession, unless they have been first examined and approved by the ordinary, nnder penal^ of anatf^ ema, and the pecuniary fine adjudged by the laat Council of Lateran. And if they be regulars they shall obtain, besides this examination and approval, the license of their superiors, who shall exai^e tiie books accordmg to the forms of their statutes. Those who ciroulate or publish them in manuscript, without being examined and approved, shall be liable to the same penalties as the in*inters ; and those who posseas or read them, unless they declare the authors of them, shall themselves be considered as the author. The approbation of books of this description shall be given in writing, and shall be placed in due form on the titl»- page of the book, whether manuscript or printed ; and the whole, that is, the examination and Uie approval, shall be gratuitous, that what is deserving may be ap- proved, and what is unworthy may be rejected" (iSe»- gion IV), A committee was appointed to carry oat this law by proper enactments, which resulted in the Index Librcrum prokib'aonan^ or Index Ejjmrgaiorkmg and hi the establishment of the Comgrf^aHon tftke /»- dex as a perpetual censorship. The popes sought also to obtain the assistance of the civil authorities in the carrying out of the censorship, and we find that several German states published edicts in 1524, 1580, IML, 1548, 1567, 1577, etc. recommending a stricter control of the press. Still stricter regulations were afterwards enacted in Spain, Italy, and France. In 1522 the legate Chieregati maintained in the free town of No- rem Wg that it was right to take and bum all works printed without authority, and that the printers and publishers of such works were punishable. In most Roman Catholic countries thero arose a twofold cen- sorship, that of the bishops and that of the state. In many cases the two were united into one. The proceaa was simple : the censor or licenser read over the MS. to be printed, and, after striking out any objecUcnable passages, certified that the work might be printed. Hence, in old books, we see the word myprimatitr (let it be printed), followed by the signatures of the authori- ties. In England a censorship was established by act of Parliament m 1662, 18 Char. II, c. 88 : " An act for preventing the frequent abuses in printing sedi- tious, treasonable, and unlicensed books and pam- phlets, and for regulating of printing and printing- presses." This was a temporary act, renewed from time to time; and its renewal was refused in 1698, owing to a quarrel between the House of Commons and the licenser. Since that time there has been, gen- erally speaking, no restriction on what any man may publish ; and he is merely responsible to the law if in his publication he should commit any public or private wrong. On the Continent of Europe the censorship became generally less stringent after the conclusicm of the peace of Westphalia, although Leopold I and Francis II continued to enforce it. It was abolifhed in Denmark in 1770; Sweden, 1809; France, 1827; Belgium, 1880; Spain, 1838; Germany and AuFti^ 1848. — Pierer, Universal Lexikon, s. v.; €haml>en. Encyclopedia; Milton, Liberty of Unlicensed PrhOmg; Mendham, Literary PoUcy oftheCh. of Borne ; M *Crie, BeformaHon in Italy ^ ch. v. See Izn>BX (Expcboa-