never so sovereign How many Questions of Aristotle's Problemes how many Chapters in Books of Physick may be found more guilty of such Obscenity then any Plays And if such passages in the Books be still suffered and not toâ— out why may not the like passages bâ— suffered in Plays and yet be born ouâ— For as there is good use of such Treatâ—â—ses in the Schole of Nature so there 〈◊〉 good use of such speeches in the Scholâ— of Manners and as in those it is thâ— Reader 's fault and not the Writer's 〈◊〉 in these it is the Spectatour's fault anâ— not the Player's if any evil or corruptâ—â—on be contracted by them And he that should forbear to go see a Play beâ—cause perchance he might hear somâ— scurrilous speeches may he not perhapâ— tarry away and hear worse at homeâ— For indeed this whole world is aâ— a common Stage where men anâ— beasts do play their parts and where men many times play the parts of beasts And I would know of this man whaâ— day he ever lived that he did not both hear and see as great Enormities really committed upon this great Stage as are heard or seen but feignedly represented on these lesser Stages And 〈◊〉 there not as great danger in seeing â—â—ces really acted as in seeing them onely â—â—ignedly represented in seeing them done 〈◊〉 â—arnest as in seeing them but done in â—â—â—â—st When vices are really acted they 〈◊〉 and as Copiâ—s and Examples which men â—â—e apt to follow but when they are onâ—â— feigned on a Stage they stand as Rocks â—ewed onely to be shunned When sins â—re actually committed they are as Pitchâ—hich â—hich toucheth us and must needs deâ—le us but when they are onely repreâ—ented they are but as Pitch seen in a â—lass which cannot defile us because â—ot touch us Where vices are really â—cted there men may be said to stand in â—he way of Sinners but where they are onely feignedly shewed there men may be rather said to sit and hear their Arraignment and Condemnation But Fol. 48. and 948. he would make us believe That all the attractive power in Plays to draw Beholders is meerly from scurrility as if it were no Play at least no pleasing Plaâ— without it Wherein besides his prejudice he may be made to confess his ignorance for lâ—â— him try it when he will and com himâ—self upon the Stage with all the scurriliâ—â— of the Wife of Bath with all the ribaldâ—â— of Poggius or Boccace yet I dare affirmâ— he shall never give that contentment tâ— Beholders as honest Tarlton did thougâ— he said never a word And what scurrility was ever heard to come from the mouths of the best Actours of our Timeâ— Allen and Bourbidge yet what Plays were ever so pleasing as where their Parts had the greatest part For it is not the scurrility and ribaldry that gives the contentmunt as he foolishly imagines and falsly suggests but it is the Ingeniousness of the Speech when it is fitted to the Person and the Gracefulness of the Action when it is fitted to the Speech and therefore a â—lay read hath not half the pleasure of a Play Acted for though it have the pleasure of ingenious Speeches yet it wants the pleasure of actionâ— and we may well acknowledgâ— that Gracefulness of action is the greatest pleasure of a Play sâ—eing it â—s the greatest pleasure of the Art of pleasure Rhetorick in which we may â—e bold to say there never had been so good Oratours if there had not first been Players seeing the best Oratours that ever were account it no shame to have learned the gracefulness of their Action even from Players Demosthenes from Satyrus and Cicero from Roscius Let him therefore keep his scurrility to himself and send his Proselytes to sit with his Hostess at Oxford whose Apophthegm was No mirth without Bawdrie as for us we are contented to see Plays in their best Garments and not in their foul cloaths in their graces and not in their faults But who are they in Plays that use such scurrilous and obscene speeches Hath not a Poet said well Tristia maestum Vultum verba decent IratuÌ„ plena minarum Ludentem lasciva feverum seria dictu Indeed if they were put into the mouths of Princes or Persons of gravity there were just cause of dislikeâ— but to be put into the mouths of scurrilous and base persons What hurt caâ— they do None to the Actours foâ— the decorum takes away their fault and makes that faultless which is decenâ— and less to the Spectatours for how can 〈◊〉 infect them to imitate the scurrility wheâ—â— they see it comely for none but scurrilous persons It rather teacheth theâ— to avoid and loath such speeches seeing they cannot but loath to be such persons For doth this man think thaâ— goers to Plays are such simple Ideotsâ— that when they see a beastly or prophane part acted before them they take it to be done for imitation Theâ— were the Lacedaemonians very fools who to make their children abhor Drunkenness would make their Slaves drunk of purpose and act the vice before them that seeing in others a deformity so hatefull they might learn in themselves to hate the deformity Sic teneros animos aliena opprobria saepe Absterrent vitiis The man had an Itch to be writing a Book and because he had not matter to make it good he was desirous at least to make it great he would have a great Club â—hough never so hollow Greatness he knew makes a shew and shews carry all in the Eye of the world Substance is but seldom understood and therefore not often much stood upon And it may be some pleasure to observe with what winds he blows up the bladder of his Book and what pretty tricks he useth to furnish his Table of Vain-glory with variety of Dishes He hath one trick which he useth in his Text and seems to have learned it from Egge-Saturday in Oxford to make diversity of meats with diversity of dressing As for example Take the word Effeminate this one word shall furnish him with four or five severall Dishes of Arguments against Plays as first Fol. 546. Plays effeminate mens minds and bodies therefore Plays are unlawfull This is one of his Dishes Fol. 167. The very action of plays is effeminate therefore plays are unlawfull This you must take for another Dishâ— Fol. 220. Plays are ever attended with effeminate and amorous Dancing therefore Plays are unlawfull This is another and I should cloy your stomacks too much if I should serve in all his Dishes of this kinde He hath another Trick which he useth in his citing of Authours and seems to have learned it from â—â—atho in Terrence where he counselleth Vbi nominabit Phaedriam tu continuo Pamphilam for where his Argument calls for Ludos in Theatro he thereupon brings in Ludos in circo Lâ—dos in foro Ludos in septis where the matter requires Testimonies against Tragedies and Comedies he presently brings
Theatrum Redivivum OR THE THEATRE Vindicated BY Sir RICHARD BAKER IN ANSWER to Mr. PRYN'S HISTRIO-MASTIX Wherein his groundless Assertions against Stage-Plays are discovered his miss-taken Allegations of the Fathers manifested as also what he calls his Reasons to be nothing but his Passions Comici finis est humanos mores nôsse atque describere Hierom. ad Furiam LONDON Printed by T. R. for Francis Eglesfield at the Marigold in St. Paul's Churchyard 166â— To the READER Courteous Reader AT length thou art presented with a small Piece which for many years hath been buâ—ied with its Renowned Authour It appeared not till now knowing very well that this late World hath been fitter for Bedlam then for sober and Rational Discourses The Authour wants not evidence for what he speaks though speak what he would if he named a Stage Play he was sure to meet with a Momus in every corner but some things have the ill luck to be condemned before they are heard Well Reader seeing we are by the providence of Heaven so happy as to be allowed the use of our own Eyes and Reason again Be as thou oughtest to be a Reader before a Judge For to condemn the innocent is equally to be condemned with acquitting the guilty The noble Authour of this Book seems fairly to design nothing more then Truth and especially in clearing the Sense of those two great Luminaries of the Church Saint Cyprian and Tertullian his Master in his Book De Spectaculis wherein his principal drift onely is to cry out against and severâ—â—y to condemn the mixtures of Idolatry with their publick Shews some intentions there were of annexing the Treaties of Tertullian and Saint Cyprian both to this Discourse that every man might see what the Authour of this Book saw in them But for some reasons that labour is respited It is very well known what Satyrical Invâ—ctives are thundred out against the â—heatre but their just Reasons are not yet produced it may be they are reserved for the second Volume of Hiâ—trio Mastix Indâ—ed some may be sâ—en against the abuses of it from which to reason against the thing it self would ingender a consequence of such large extent that we must eat our words or be weary of our â—ives For if we sit down by such a Conclusion that things are unlawfull in their use because unlawfully abused we must neither eat nor drink nor sleep nor wear Cloaths becauâ—â— in all these and many more the badâ—ness of mankinde is such that it prompt them to unexcusable exorbitancies anâ— debaâ—cheries Good men have foundâ—ed much of their Rhetorick and thâ—â—â— loudest Declamations against Stageâ— Plays upon what others had formerlâ— said against them rather out of a sequaâ—tious credulity corresponding with whaâ— others have Magisterially determinedâ— then a due attendency either to the Prâ—nâ—ciples of Reasonâ— or Scripâ—uâ—â— Authority which ought to cast tâ—â— scales and put greater obligements upon the Consciences of reasonable Crâ—atures then the Conjâ—ctures oâ— Opinions of the gravest Mortals But â— must not forget my self and enter upâ—on Apologies for this learned Auâ—â—hours undertaking who hath soberâ—y and judiciously acquitted himsâ—lf I â—ave taken upon me onely to speak the â—rologue and to tell you upon what â—cene he lays his Discourse he needs â—o Epilogue to plead excuse for the â—cting of his Part And I make â—o doubt Reader if thou wilt but vouchsafe him a patient perusal but he shall aâ—so have thy Plaudite THE THEATRE VINDICATED OR AN ANSWER To Mr. PRINS HISTRIO-MASTIX WHo hath not heard of Sr. Francis Walsingham an Eminent Councellour in Queen ELIZABETH'S Time famous for his Wisdom in matters of State and more for his Piety in advancing the Gospel yet this was the Man that procured the Queen to entertain Players for her Servants and tâ— give them Wages as in a just Vocatiâ—on And would he ever have donâ— this being so religious a Man if he haâ— thought Plays to be prophane being sâ— great a States-man if inconvenient to thâ— State And now me thinks I havâ— said enough in defence of Plays But because not onely the Wisest Meâ— are sometimes mistaken and the Truth may be found amongst the meanest Saepe etiam est Olitor valde opportuna loquutus It will be fit to lay aside all consideration of the Persons that speak and onely to take into consideration and weigh the Reasons that are delivered It is true Mr. Prin is Plaintiff and it is a great advantage that an Accuser hath over a Defender not onely in that he speaks first which gets a possession as it were of the hearer's Hearts but because he hath commonly the pretense of some notorious Crime for his Foundation upon which every man naturally is apt to cast a Stone where the Defender must himself alone not onely pull down the Building and rase the Foundation but vindicate also both the Natural and the acquired Inclination and prejudice of the Hearers And especially the Accuser hath this advantage when he meets with a Common Place of some Vice to run upon for then he goes away amain with it and bears down all before him with O Tempora O Mores But most especially if the pretended Vice may seem to trench upon Religion for then the Defender is scarce heard speak for the multitude of voices that are crying out even in Heathenish Devotions Great is Diana of the Ephesians that whatsoever can be alledged in defence out of Reason is presently beaten back without reason But leaving these disadvantages to take their fortunes and having a clear conscience that I no way encroach upon the Bounds of true Religion I am the bolder to enter the Lists yet not so mâ—ch taking upon me to be a Champion of the Cause as onely undertaking to be a Wrestler with the Writer And this I willingly profess that I wrestle not with him as he is in his own Person for I know him not and he may be better then he seems to me but I wrestle with him onely as he appears in his Book which cannot be fuller of words and emptier of reason then it is And I think it fit to tell how far his Book hath wroughâ— upon me that where before the reading it I took Plays onely de bene esse as being in use after the reading it I found Plays Bene esse and fit to be in use For his Arguments being taken all up upon trust and not so much as weighed when he took them now that he comes to put them off again are found not onely not to be weight but not to be Silver and so where he intended by his Book to bring into detestation the seeing of Plays he hath rather brought into estimation the acting of them For when a man takes upon him to prove a Matter and then eitheâ— cannot or doth not prove it sufficiently it leaves not onely a vehement suspicion but a strong conceit in the Hearers minds that his Cause is not good And as the onely
in places of Fathers and others against spectacles of Fencing against Bear-baiting against Horse-Races and such other Games as like to Plays as Chalk is to Cheese and by these and such like means he hath made a great bellied Book as if there were some goodly childe within it when being ript up and look'd into there is nothing to be â—ound but a very Timpany of wind and â—ater For after all his bustling and â—tir after all the Crambees of his Fol. â—65 four and fourty Tautological Arâ—uments it comes all but to this that â—n Plays are often used Speeches and other Circumstances effeminate idle scurâ—ilous obscene prophane and Heathenish â—nd therefore Fol. 447. corrupt mens manners infect their affections debauch â—heir dispositions and Fol. 321. generally indispose them to all goodness which is all nothing but either his miss-taking through ignorance or his enforcing through malice for though such Speeches are sometimes perhaps used yet the decorum in the Speaker the intent of the Speech the nature of the Example make them all warrantable and are so far from working the effects he speaks of that they rather rectifie the Iudgment qualifie the Affections moderate the Passions and generally dispose them to all Virtue that where we meant but onely to defend Plays he hath brought us now that we are forced to praise them and where we thought but oneâ—ly to keep them from taking wrongfuâ— disgrace we cannot keep our selveâ— now from giving them deserved comâ—mendations For what can be moâ—â— worthy our embracing then that whicâ— both intends our good and worketh â—â— us the good it intends and what dâ— Players intend by bringing in a Tyranâ— with words of death and hands imbrue in blood but to shew the deformity oâ— Tyranny to make us detest it And dâ— they intend this good to us and dâ— they not as well work it in us Certainâ—ly even this as forcibly as that apparently for seeing there are two principall Motives to Virtue Praise and Râ—â—ward and two things likewise that deterr from Vice Shame and Punishmentâ— what can be more forcible either to draw us to Goodness or to withdraw us from Vitiousness then where the examples of all these are most lively shewed and represented to us Certainly unless men be stark fools rather wilfully to run into Pudles and Quagmires then 〈◊〉 take a fair way when it is shewed â—â—em they cannot choose by such exâ—mples but be drawn to walk in the â—â—aths of Virtue And let him not say as â—ome have said that scurrilousâ— and proâ—hane speeches are very dangerous for â—â—fecting the hearers because Assuescenâ—o audire discunt facere By enâ—ring themâ—elves they learn to practise for this were â—ikely to be true if they onely heard â—uch speeches and ended there which â—s the fashion indeed of the common â—ctions in our life but here where we no sooner hear the words spoken but presently withall we see the shame and punishment that attends them certainly it would be very strange that by often hearing such speeches we should get a custom of following them and not rather by often seeing their disgraces get a custom of avoiding them And to this purpose there is in Seneca a pretty tale of the Poet Euripides who in one of his Plays having made a Speech of a high strain in magnifying of Riches the people grew so tumultuously angrie at it fearing least sucâ— speeches should make men in love witâ— riches and prone to covetousness that that they were ready to run upon thâ— stage and tear the Actour in piecesâ— that had spoken it till Euripides was faine himself to come out amongst them and intreat them to have patience and see the end for they should presently see the riches he so exacted to have such a down-fall in the miseries of his rich man Belâ—erophon that it should leave but little list in any man ever after to desire their company For the speech saith he was but to shew the Spectatours their own Errour but the event in Fact was to shew them the Truth it self When an Actour presents himself upon the Stage untill he speak he is but a picture and when he speaks he is but a Storie and therefore perhaps a Player is called Histrio quasi Historio for as one sayd well that a Judg is lex loquens a speaking law so we may say as truly that a Player is a speaking Picture or â— Historie in person and seeing we â—ow no hurt by a Picture and cannot 〈◊〉 commend Historie why should Plays 〈◊〉 condemned which are but a compoâ—â—on made of these two A Historie is â—t condemned if recording the life of â—â—lian it set down his cruelty against â—â—ristians and his Blasphemies against â—â—rist And if an Historian may lawâ—â—lly write it may not we as lawfully â—â—d it and if we may lawfully read it â—ay not a Player as lawfully pronounce 〈◊〉 and what doth a Player else but â—â—ely say that without book which we â—ay read within Book A Player Acts â—â—e part of Solomon but is never the â—iser for acting his part why should he â—e thought the wickeder for acting the â—art of Nero or the more blasphemous â—or acting the part of Porphyrie Can â—here be a greater Blasphemy then to â—urse God yet Iobe's Wife perswaded â—im to do so and this is written where â—t may be read shall we therefore think â—t unlawfull to read the Story of Iob Can there be a more blasphemous speech then that which the Iews spaâ—â— of Christ that he had a Devil 〈◊〉 wrought his miracles by Belzebub Priâ—â—â— of the Devils yet the holy Evangelâ—â—â— have recorded this speech shall 〈◊〉 therefore think it unlawfull to reâ—â—â— their Gospells Can there be a moâ—â— prophane Speech then that of the Poâ—â— Ede lude Bibe Post mortem nulla Vâ—â—â—â—ptas Yet Solomon in his Ecclesiasâ—â—â— hath some such speeches shall 〈◊〉 therefore think it unlawfull to read 〈◊〉 Book of the Preacher And wâ—â—â— then if we may Parvis Componere magâ—â—â— shall Players be thought either Blaâ—â—phemous or prophane if sometimeâ— they utter such speeches under the peâ—â—son of another and indeed to speaâ— it plainly they cannot avoid the using and uttering such speeches if they wiâ—â— be Playersâ— For as he who would liveâ—â— pourtray a Devil or a deformed Monster must needs draw some gastly lines and usâ— some sordid colours so he who will deliniate to the life the notorious lewdness of people in the world is necessarily enforce◠〈◊〉 sâ—ch immodest phrases as may present it â—â—â—ts native uglyness else he should but conâ—â—â—le or masque their horrid wickedness that â—â—â—e may behold it not rip it open that all â—â—y abhor it and this is the onely reason of â—â—â—se more uncivil or seemingly immodest â—â—ssages that are here and there scattered 〈◊〉 this Discourse But in what Discourse â—â—ink ye even in this very Discourse 〈◊〉 Histrio-Mastix For these last eight 〈◊〉 nine lines are his own very words 〈◊〉 his Preface to the
In spongiam incubuit they are shrunk in the wetting And he makes me think of a Mad man of Athens who in all other points a sensible man onely in this one point distracted that standing by the Sea-side what Ships soever he saw pass by he presently thought them to be his own and would exceedingly rejoyce as if they were his Ships newly come home with rich prizes so this man in other matters for any thing I know well enough in his wits seems yet to have one corner of his Brains possessed with this madness that standing in his Library amongst his Books what good Authours soever he sees there he presently thinks them to be of his Opinion against Plays when Good manâ— there is no more to â—e found of his Opinion in any of their â—ooks then was found of this mad Atheâ—ian's goods in any of the Ships It were â—edious to examine them all if I shew â—ou his faults in some you may believe â—e in the rest but what need I require â—ou to believe me when you may turn â—o the places and take him tripping â—our selves For in the places he cites â—ither ye shall finde nothing at all of that â—e speâ—ks or nothing at all to the purpose he speaks of Try him in Seneca because he is likeliest to be next at hand He cites his one hundred and twenty second and one hundred and twenty third Epistles but in these two long Epistles there is not a word to be found concerning Plays He cites his seventh Epistle and there indeed he speaks of Spectacula but what not Plays but Earnest of which he saith Manè Leonibus Vrsis homines meridie spectatoribus suis objiciuntur He cites his Proeme to his Controversies there he hath a Line or two of the Effeminateness of young men in his Time but concerning Plays Nè verbum quidem He cites his twelfth Chapter De brevitate Vitae a place raâ—ther against himself for Seneca having there spoken of the Luxury of his Timâ— concludeth thuâ— I nunc Mimes multâ— mentiri ad exprobrandam luxuriam putâ— plura mehercule praetereunt quà m fingunt He cites the one and thirtieth and two and thirtieth Chapters of the seventh Book of his Natural Questions wherein is not a word that makes against Plays onely he complains that Plays were then in more request then the study of Philosophy He cites the twelfth thirteenth and fourteenth Chapters De vita beata but in all them of Plays Altum silentium And is not this man now the very mad man of Athens I might say here Et crimine ab uno disce omnes But try another take Macrobius He cites his first and seventh Chapters of his Saturnalia but in the first not a word of Plays in the other he shews how wonderfully Augustus Caesar graced certain Players of his Time Laberius and Publius Pylades and Hylas as if he should Quote us a place on purpose to give himself the â—ie He cites Valerius Maximus who tells â—ndeed of Sempronius Sophus that he put â—way his Wife for going to Plays withâ—ut his privitie but this was not for â—oing to Plays but for going without â—is privitie and is thus far rather for the â—eputation of Plays that it was not unâ—ommendable for women to go to Plays so they went with their husbands or in other good company with their â—rivitie And is not this man still the mad man of Athens He cites the two and twentieth Epistle of the fourth Book of Plinie but there a Judgment only â—s passed against an Agon Gymnicus an Exercise of naked Wrestlers and what is this to Plays He cites Socrates and thinks he hath wisdome on his side because he was judged the wisest man by the Delphian Oracle but was Socrates a fit man to condemn Plays for Obscenity who as Salvianus relates would have no Man to have any Wife of his own but all Women to be in common and what were this but to betray the City whilst he defends the Suburbs For where this Opinion is held lawfullâ— what obscenity can be held unlawfullâ— He must therefore either renounce Salvianus his Testimony and so he shall lose the blessing of one of his Fathers or else renounce Socrates his Iudgment and so he shall lose the Ring-leader of one of his Squadrons He cites Plato but he is taken from him by one that will hold him in spight of his great words the thriceâ— Worthy Sidney who proves plainly that Plato banish'd not Players out of his Common-wealth for any of the reasons by this man alledged but because the Poetâ— of his Time filled the world with a wrong Opinion of the Gods and he would not have the Youth depraved with such Opinions whereof now without further Law Christianity hath taken away all the hurtfull belief And so he can have no help from any of these but he must be the mad man of Athens still And as for Cicero and the learned Emperour Marcus Aurelius you shall heaâ— them presently speak so much to hiâ— face that if none else would prove him to be the mad man of Athens yet they themselves will be the men shall do it But these are but single and private men Fol. 713. He can shew whole Cities and Nations that banished Players And did they not Physicians also and Philosophers and Mathematicians Yet in many Cities they were kindly entertained they were Civitate donati enfranchised and made Free Citizens and some of them grew to that wealth that is incredible as it is recorded of one Aesop an Actour of Tragedies that he left his Son so rich that he fed upon Pearl and was served at his Table in Silver Dishes But mark how this man can play the ambidexter At first it was a good Argument against Plays because they were the Customs and delights of Heathen People now it must serve for an Argument against them because they were rejected and banished by Heathen People that we need not wonder how his Book comes to be so vast and voluminous seeing with the same breath he can boâ—h kindle and blow out the fire the same thing both affimed and denied he can equally make to serve his turn And where he tells us of great Princes and mighty Emperours both Heathen and Christian that are on his side what should we speak of any Heathen Emperours after him who had none before him the great Augustus as worthy to shut up the leaves of this contentious Discourse as he was to shut up the doors of the Temple of Peace And him we have already shewed by places of the man 's own directing to be directly against him but to leave no place of doubt how firmly Augustus is on our side hear what Suetonius Tranquillus saith of him Spectaculorum assiduitâ—te varietate magnificentiâ omnes antecessit In the daily frequenting and in the variety and magnificence of setting forth Plays he exceeded all men Indeed the man Fol. 459. labours much