much more difficultie then in prose that therby the carelesse mindes of vvanton persoÌ„s might be mooued to read or hear that vvhich othervvise they vvould neuer regarde Learned he hath shevved him selfe in that he hath confuted all obiections and confirmed his ovvne assertions by sufficient aucthoritie of holie scriptures and also by the iudgemeÌ„t both of ecclesiasticall and profane vvriters yea and by the lavves and constitutions made in generall counsailes and in our ovvne parliaments also Receiue thankfully therfore these our brothers labors so godly so painfull and so learned Imbrace veritie vve he not maried to custome but to Christ He neuer said I am custom But thus he hath said I am the vvay the truthe and the life Let vs therfore vvalke in him that vvhen our iourney shal be ended vve may enter vvith him into that endles rest vvherof the rest of the seuenth day is a figure And liue vvith him in that endles life that he hath prepared for vs vvhich God for his mercie sake graunt vs all to doo Amen ⧠Yours in Christe Robert Crowley A Dialogue between Custom and veritie concerning Dauncing and Minstrelsie Custome WHeÌ„ I beholde the discord great bout things of sundry kinde one thiÌ„g aboue the rest there is that runs oft in my minde Some fréend therfore I seek to finde to him the same to showe And it discust betwixt vs two the truthe therof to knowe Ah fréend wel met for one I wisht a matter to dissolue Wherof I greatly stand in dout and oft in minde reuolue Veritie If my small skil in any wise to you may profit bring In honest cause it shall not want therfore declare the thing Custome But first your name I doo demaunde and that the truthe be tolde Euen as you think herein and that you nothing doo with holde Veritie In trueth my name is Veritie the trueth therfore I tel And hate all lyes and flatterie though few doo like me wel Custome For to discourse my cause you are the chéefst that could be found For Custome I and you the trueth therof shall search the ground The knot that I would haue vntied is in the great dissent Of men conscerning dauncing which hear in haue right iudgement Veritie Your cause is hard to be discust and trueth therin to tel Gets many foes of all degrées Dauncing they like so wel Yet sith that trueth is great and dooth preuaile in spight of all Confirme thy cause if thou haue ought confute the same I shall Custome In this conflict and battel fearce in front shall Scripture be As Armor strongst that thou therwith dismaid the rest maist flée Sam. 6 26 That princely Prophet Dauid eke and king of Israell Did leap and daunce before the Arke as sacred Scriptures tell Veritie That noble king and man of God before the Arke did spring With dauncing leapes with all his hart but for no worldly thing But praisd the Lord which had him set on royall seat as King And eke because the mightie Ark they back again did bring And Micol which this humble king Sam. 6 2 did rashly scoffe and scorne Had this rewarde that of her womb no Childe at all was born Custome When Dauid Victor did return Sam. 18. and great Goliah kild With songes the women with daunce did méet him in the féeld Veritie They sung daunst and musick made not for their fleshly lust But for to sée that Giant quaild and lye now dead in dust Which did before blaspheme their God and sore their harts afright But ah alas in these our dayes in this daunce few delight Custom Exod. 15.20 Miriam Aarons sister and the women daunced and ioyd When Iewes did paue the sea as land and nothing them annoyed Veritie The cause of mirth as was before for that the Lord did saue His owne and did his foes all drown with waters surging waue Custome Likewise when Iephtha Captain stout with triumph home did fléet His daughter sole with Timbrell shril and daunces him did méet Also when Iudith had cut of proud Holofernes head Iudg. 11.34 The women daunced and in that dance she all the women led Veritie In bréef to these as to the rest Iudith 15. â— 13 this onely I reply To Iewes a common vse it was to ioy at victory â—uk 13.25 Because with musick daunce and song they praysd the high Gods name Ougt be no cloke for filthy rimes or wanton daunces shame Custome But what to that Saint Luke to vs dooth showe in Gospel plain When the lost Childe and prodigall returned home again His parents made great mellodie glad daunsing eke was heard I déem therfore that men may mirth and plesant daunce regarde Veritie Ah wher 's the parent that dooth daunce or mirth for his cause make To sée his sonne leaue his lewd life and wicked waies forsake Our custome is clene contrarie we laugh and mery be To sée them wanton proud vnchaste and liue in lechery And practice that which dooth vs make to stinck before the Lord For which except we doo repent we shall be clene abhord Custome The woord of God you wrest a wry to make your cause séem right From it I flée and for defence wil run to reasons might Veritie Gods Gospell and his woorthy woord I neither wrest nor wring But as the text wil teach all those that wil attend reading Turn to the bookes weigh wel the woords where these recorded be That I the truthe hearin haue tolde moste plainly shalt thou sée TheÌ„ dauncing dames delight falles down in Gods woord hath no stay Now let vs heare what reasons reach too saue the same can say Custom First reason saith that daunces neat cause many men to catch A faithful wife with whome too liue yf they can wisely watch Veritie A woorser way who can deuise an honest Spouse to choose Then at such foolish fantasies where lewd life they doo vse Gods book bid'th man vse other meanes Pro. 31.30 if wife he minde to wed That she haue better qualities then traces fine to tread The Virgins vertues let him vieu if viewed he doo minde Tob. 4.12 In honest sort let him demaund chaste mariage may them binde Her Parents paths eke let him prye what life they long haue led What law they looue how they haue their tender babes vp bred Let parents in this case consent so better may they thriue A wary way he ought to woork which dooth begin to wiue What godly properties should prooue her fit to be thy mate Of sacred scriptures counsaile learne This cause they doo debate Where one by dauncing dooth obtain a spouse that may him make Twenty doo make deer fréends their foes while wiues they rashly take For making one and that by chaunce let many not be mard Let men therfore those honest meanes in wedding wiues regard Custome Again while they doo tread their trace and lightly leap about They from their mindes vaine fansies and
in haste She was alone she did not daunce with men as reade thou maist Then men with men must daunce eke the female kinde aparte If dauncing they wil vse aright to praise God in their hart Custome But some reply what foole would dauÌ„ce if that when daunce is doon He may not haue at Ladyes lips that which in daunce he woon Veritie By this their mindes they vtter plain what they in dauncing séek To féed their fansie and their lust not God in minde to kéep Such dauncing where bothe men and maides togither trace and turn Stirs vp the flesh to Venus games cause men with lust to burn If we the liuing God doo feare and dread his lawes to break What so might mooue vs vnto euil we should ne doo nor speak So if the causes we cut of theffect we take away In holy life our loouing Lord then better serue we may Lest I alone with daunce doo fight this battel should be thought Out of the woorks of woorthy men le ts sée what may be brought â—â—le 9.4.5 Sirach that sage in chapter ninth this counsail dooth thée giue In company with dauncing dame sée that thou doo not liue Gaze not vpon her beautie braue hear not her mermaides noyse Lest thou be snared and lest that she inchaunt thée with her voyce Bishops saith Augustine were woont vaine daunces to reprooue But they are now so far from it â— in psal that they to daunce doo looue Better he saith on Saboth rest it were all day to ditch Then on that day to be defilde ad frain cresermo with dauncing as with pitch Dauncing is a flattering deuil saith he a plesant sinne A poyson swéet destroying them that take delight therin O would that men their sinne could sée how daunce dooth them defile Though prict in pride and garnisht gay and they like wantons smile And Chrisostom that golden mouth for so his name may spell Where he of Iacobs wedding writes Chrisost in gen Hom. 56. et Hom. 48. this dooth he playnly tell Weddings thou heardst but there thou mightst no wanton dauncing hear Which daunces diabolicall he plainly calleth there The Bride and eke the Bridegroome is with daunce saith hée beguilde And the whole house and familie Idem in Math. 14. therwith also defilde And writing of Herodias her daughters dauncing nice Before the king which to her gaue Iohn Baptists head of price He faith that many now a dayes whom Christians men doo iudge Not halfe their kingdome for to giue nor others head doo grudge But their owne soules moste déer of all they giue to be destroyd While by their deuilish dauncing they are dayly sore annoyd Yea where that wanton dauncing is erected he dooth say The Deuil him self dooth daunce with them in that vngodly play I wish that dauncers then would way the Author of their sport Which is the deuil and that he dooth in daunce with them resort Let them that dauncing doo defend whose cause they plead regard For they are proctours for the deuil and he wil them reward Such as maintain this in their house Cap. 53. consider what a gest They entertain the deuil him self with whome is little rest The counsail of Laodicen saith Christians may not vse Vain daunces when they weddings make the ought on God to muse That Pastures pure to such vain sport should not giue their consent Tempore Theodorici Regis No not in béeing present there but should them selues absent Also the Counsail Ilerdense enacted a decrée That at the time of wedding there no dauncing vs'd should be Erasâ— Râ—â—â— lib. 〈◊〉 contâ—â—munâ— Cap. What minde so sad so stable and so constant and so wel In order that the wanton daunce the sound that pipers yel The swinging armes and feminine singing would not infect And mollyfy and ouercome except men these reiect Lodouicus Viues saith Etudâ— lieris tianâ— cap. 1â— voluptuousnes and daunce The kingdome of blinde Cupid and of Venus doo aduaunce Maâ—l matuâ—â— They that any care haue had of honest grauitie Haue filthy dauncing clene condemnd Bullit Math. in maides especially Vnshamfast dauncing is the root of filthy wantonnes Gualtâ—â—at 〈◊〉 Hom. â— And dauncing vnto vs did come from gentiles heathnishnes Dauncing the chéefest mischéef is Caâ— in in his 8 seta v. Cap. 2â—â— in it there is vnchaste Behaueour to whordome it intiseth men to haste The fondest of all other things is dauncing not vnlike Cornel Agrippâ— To maidens saue on instruments to this men vse to strike So that if vanitie did not commend such vanitie More ridiculous then daunce no sight should séem to be For if a man remooue him self from place where they doo skip And stop his eares from sound of pipe and see them onely leap He would suppose them to be mad like men not wel in wit To sée them leap towards heauen eke the ground thump with their feet Plead for this play the best they can a wanton play it is 5. 19. And wantonnes who so dooth vse of heauenly ioyes shall misse Iustinian this law did make â—nian dice de feâ—â—in seâ—â—e fest we wil not haue men giue Them selues vnto voluptuousnes wherfore for men to liue Lawful it shall not be in feast dayes any daunce to vse Whether for pleasure or for lust but they shall it refuse Salust dooth say in his story although an Ethnick he Sempronia was taught to sing and daunce more passingly Then doeth an honest matron séem and there he dooth them call The instruments and snares wherby men vnto royal fall Cicero would no honest man Lib. 3. de offiâ—â—s in common place to daunce Although he therby might attain to great inheritaunce Gabin a dauncer-pinned fine accused was to be To muren as a fault was laid in Asia daunced he In solitude or modest feast no man with sober head Except parhaps he frantick be wil trifling daunces tread Bothe Christians and heathnish men I many mo might cite Let these suffise in wanton daunce that men should not delight If Sirach neither Augustin Chrisostom nor Councel Nor Salust nor yet Cicero nor such as I the tell Can thée withdraw from deuillish dauÌ„ce in few woords then attend That thou maist learn of wanton dauÌ„ce â—at 14.6 what sometime was the end Herod with wanton wenches grace bewitched did rashly sweare And vowd a vow vnséemly for a king in royall chear Half of his kingdome he did graunt if she the same would craue But she intised by mother chose Iohn Baptists head to haue And sinne to sinne the king did ad for dauncing damsels sake By killing Iohn most cruelly whose head the wench did take The like to others may be fall in dauncers which delight Beware betimes preuent this euil of dauncing flée the sight Sith cruel murther dooth procéed and filthy whoordome spring And many euilles of dauncing come le ts leaue that deuilish thing Gal. 5.24 For if
for all that come to play And minstrels for the dauncing dames and youths that goe so gay Yf they some larned men would haue to teach their ghestes what gaine They haue by Christ his birth and death and take them selues some paine To heare the same Christyde aright then should these men obserue And while they féed the body not suffer the soule to sterue But ah alas this séems to men agréeuous charge to be Then to procure by whome we may the light from darkenes sée To further their saluation what so men doo bestowe They count a charge but nothing déer for that which bringeth wo. Like vnto Esops cock God graunt we may not fooles remain Before the péerlesse pearle of price Stil to prefer the grain Custome SoÌ„e think when weddinges feast is kept where many men doo méet That youthful yéers in plesant daunce may nimbly mooue their feet Veritie That feast is signe that man hath chosen 1. Cor. 7.2 a wife so to liue chaste To vnchaste and adulterous life vain dauncers other haste For this estate of mariage men should praise and thank the Lord Those fleshly wicked woorkers of them ought clene to be abhord When man and wife doo firmly ioyne and faithful promise make Oh let not vs like faithlesse whoores our husband Christe forsake Custome If daunce with sinne be so replete and vertues shine doo dim Mens wits of late are very quick and they in knowledge swim For dauncing hath béen long in vse mong men of learned skil They found no fault but thought it wel why then count you it il Veritie Gods gifts they are not tide to time nor any age of men He powers them foorth when he thinks good bothe how to whom and when Iob. 32.7 Long custome ought to be no rule Ma. 5.21 Ier. 6 1â— therby our liues to frame Except it be the way of trueth then may we vse the same By multitude your argument if you doo minde to prooue Bothe God and godlynes alwaies the smaller sort doo looue Noe and his familie were few saued in pinetrée Ark When all the world beside for sinne were drownd with waters dark When iust Lot and his daughters two were sau'd from firye slame The Sodomits and many were consumed with the same Elyas séemd alone to be sinne then did so abound And to be short in number few the Godly haue béen found The way that leads to life is straight and few therin doo trace Brode is the way that leads to hell there many run their race â—â—c 1.4 â—ech 20. Our Fathers steps and multitude to follow we denay â—xod 23.2 â—su 24.25 Where they from law of God haue erd Els follow them we may Though soÌ„e which séem Clerks of great skill and others to excell with dauÌ„cing holde against Gods woord they may not beare the bell Though other all one far surpasse yet being but a man If from right way he tread a wry we may not follow than Respect of persons set aparte and iudge with vpright minde Whose proof on woord of God is ground and therto doo incline The Scribe and the proude Pharise was thought a learned wight And Christe vnlearned yet in déed Christe had the trueth and light Philosophers were counted wise and Paule a foole was thought Yet Paule said trueth and taught them Christe which hath vs déerly bought Let not the lofty countenaunce of men whom many praise Nor noble birth nor worldly welth dasle thine eyes alwaies Let woord of God the tuchstone be and not the face of men To trye who hath in this discourse the trueth set down with pen. If that the noble Berreans Acts. 17.11 or such like now did liue They rightly would discusse this cause and best to trueth would giue If by right rule of Gods good woord this cause might squared be Such trifling daunces clene abhord then shortly should we sée Custome Though this thy parte thou hast wel proou'd that it dooth firmly stand From dauncing yet I wil not yéeld nor giue thée vpper hand Though all my proof thou hast disproou'd and I no proof can bring This shift I haue say what thou wilt I wil beléeue nothing Veritie Sith thou art froward and selfwild gainst trueth and reason bent To talk with them whom reason ruleth a while is mine intent God hath with reason you indued let reason yéeld to right With equall ballance weigh this cause and in the trueth delight Of sundrie sorts of daunce we read and eke wherof it sprung But we wil talk of that which dooth to this discourse belong plato lib. 3. de legibus There is a daunce calld Choria which ioy dooth testify An other called Pyrricha which warlike feats dooth try For men in armour gestures made and leapt that so they might When néed required be more prompt for publique weal to fight An other instituted was for onely pleasures sake Which fleshly foolish is and vaine Solinu this daunce should no man make Some from Sibilles priestes affirm this dauncing first did spring Some from the Préests of Mars some from Hiero Sicil king Some say from Ethniks olde it came Polid. Viirgil de inuen â—â—tam lib. 2. cap Rodolph Gualtetâ— in Mar. 51. ca. 6. Chrisost mat hor but Chrisostom dooth tel How that this daunce did first procéed from Sathan Prince of hel Theffects cannot be good that from such causes doo procéed Therfore I wish all godly men of this to take great héed All kinde of daunce is not misliked but men should vse it wel By gift of God in ioynts of man Agillitie dooth dwel In comely manner if he mooue apt measures if they trace With mean in time without offence it is a séemly grace As songes so daunces may be vsed to praise Gdds holy name So Dauid daunst and many mo and we may doo the same Psal 148 For as almightie God hath made all things his praise to tell So chéefly man who o'er the rest on earth as king dooth dwell For mortall man with reasons might high things to comprehend God hath indued that his good Lord to knowe he should attend What he in inward hart dooth knowe and constantly beléeue Other to tel a tung he hath but God the praise to giue As tung and voyce so members all Gods woorthy praise to sound In sundrie sort created were â—sal 15â— as is in Scripture found The Princely Prophet dooth prouoke with sound of Trumpet shrill With pleasant lute and warbling harp and pipe that plaieth not il With Cimbals loud dauncing swift By all meanes that we can Our gracious God to magnify before the face of man But in this daunce this must we note that men should daunce alone And eke the women by them selues thus seperate eche one When Dauid dauÌ„ced no womeÌ„ dauÌ„ced with him as scriptures tel No men did daunce with Miriam if thou doost mark it wel When Iephthas daughter did with dauÌ„ce her Father méet