Salomon writeth in his Prouerbes That God doth abhor all Mockers For this cause wee are to resemble the Phisitians which Hypocrates made to sweare that they should not bewray the secret and hidden falts and euills or rather follow the counsell of saint Peter 1 Pet. 2.1 That laying a side all malliciousnesse and all guile and dissimulation and enuy and all euil speaking as new borne babes we desire the sincere milke of the word that we may grow thereby But now to examine plaies according to the foure generall causes the Efficient Materiall Formall and Fynall cause of all things all men shal see the goodnesse that they containe in them or much rather the great euill wherewith they abound The Efficient cause of Plaies The Efficient cause of Playes I haue allready shewed in sundry places of this worke to be the Diuell chiefely by his owne command and secondarily heretofore by his heathenish agents first the Idolatrous Greekes and after the pagane Romaines and at present by his Ministers the almost-heathenish Poets Wherefore I will insist no longer heerein The Materiall cause of Plaies The Materiall cause or matter of Playes is their Subiect wherevpon they speake and entreat and that is two fould either Diuine or Prophane If Playes be of Diuine matter then are they most intolerable or rather Sacrilegious for that the sacred Word of god is to be handled reuerently grauely and sagely with veneration to the glorious maiesty of God and not with scoffes and iybes or with the iests of a Foole as it is in enterludes without any worship or reuerence to the same The word of our saluation the price of Christs blood the merrits of his life and passion the holy Scriptures were not giuen to be abusiuely acted on a Stage but to be Preached by his Godly Ministers it was not giuen to be mixed and interlaced with scurrilous and vncomely gestures laughters and vaine locutions but to be grauely handled and with veneration expounded in Gods assembly In Deut. 4.2 it is commanded to ad nothing nor take away ought from Gods word to the doers of which in the end of Iohns Reuelation there is added a greeuous curse Wherefore whosoeuer abuseth the word of God on Stages in Playes and Entertludes abuseth the Maiesty of God which shineth in the same and maketh a mocking stock of him and thereby purchaseth iudgement to himself And no maruel for the sacred word of God God himselfe is neuer to be thought on or once named but in Feare and Reuerence to the same All the whole company of Heauen Angells Archangells Cherubin Seraphin Thrones Dominations Virtues Principallities Potestates and all powers whatsoeuer yea the Diuells themselues doe tremble and quake at the naming of God and at his presence And doe these mockers and flouters of his Maiesty these dissembling Hypocrites thinke to escape vnpunished Beware therefore you Players warning to Players Hypocrites and like good coumptists cast vp your accounts before hand what will be your reward in the end Abuse God no more corrupt his people no longer with your dregs and entermingle not his blessed Word with your prophane vanities For in noe wise is it lawfull to mixe Scurrility with Diuinity nor Diuinity with Scurrility Theopompus mingled Moses Law with his writings and was therefore striken Mad. Theodictes began the like practise and the Lord strocke him Blinde And many others attempting the like deuises were all confounded and died miserably besides which what is their iudgement in the other world the Lord onely knoweth On the other side if the matter of playes be prophane then tend they to the dishonour of God and nourishing of vice both which are damnable So that whether they be diuine or prophane they are quite contrary to the word of grace and sucked out of the Diuils teates to nourish vs in Idolatry heathenry and sinne To discribe the matter of prophaine playes wee are to consider the generall kindes of Playes which is the Tragedy and the Comedy The matter of Tragedies is haughtinesse arrogancy ambition pride iniury anger wrath enuy hatred contention warre murther cruelty rapine incest rouings depredations piracyes spoyles roberies rebellions treasons killing hewing stabbing dagger-drawing fighting butchery trechery villany c. and all kind of heroyick cuils whatsoeuer Of Comedies the matter is loue lust lechery baudry scortation adultery vncleannesse pollution wantonnesse chambring courting ieasting mocking flouting foolery venery drabbery knauery cosenage cheating hipocrisy flattery and the like And as complements and appendants to both kindes of playes is swearing cursing othes and blasphemies c. Hence ariseth the formall cause or forme of playes which consisteth in the action and in the Actors The formall cause of Plaies The action is two-fould in word and in deede The action in word is lasciuious speches idle and vaine scoffing ieasting and foolery and cosenage knauery flattery and what soeuer els set forth in their coullors phrases and tearmes and with the grace elegancy and lustre of the tongue The action in deede is the setting forth of all enormities and exorbitances with the personating of the doers of them with false representations lying shewes killing stabbing hanging and fighting actiue demonstration of cosenage whorish enticeing all kinde of villany and hypocrisie with embracing clipping culling dandling kissing all manner wanton gestures and the like The forme that consists in the Actors is the parts they play And these are ioyntly both in Tragedies and Comedies Tiranous Kinges and Queenes ambitious Potentates Nobles Peeres vniust Iudges Magistrates Officers couetous Cittizens spend-all Gentlemen Gods Goddesses Fiendes Furies Diuells Hagges Ghosts Witches Magitians Sorcerers Trechers Murtherers Swaggerers Knaues Drabs Queans Whores Baudes Courtezans Rogues Villaines Vagsbonds Theeues Rouers Pyrates Cosoners Cheaters Brokers Banckrupts Hyppocrites Sycophants Parasites Flatterers Talecarriers Makebates Lecherous old men Amarous young men Wanton maides Lasciuious dames Vnhonest wiues Rebells Traytors proud hauty arrogant incestuous wicked persons Whoremasters Gluttons Drunkards Spend-thrifts Fooles Madmen Iesters Iybers Flouters Mockers and finally contemners of God his lawes and the Kinges and blasphemers of his holy name with such like of infinite variety That if there were nothing els but this it were sufficient to withdraw a good Christian from beholding of them For as often as they goe to Theaters to see Playes they enter into Venus Pallace and Sathans Synagogue to betray and insnare their owne souses And therefore these Players through the parts they act carrying the note and brand of all kinde of cursed people on their backs wheresoeuer they goe are to bee hissed out of all Christian Kingdomes if they will haue truth and not vanity Christ and not the Diuell to dwell among them The finall cause or end of Playes particulerly toucheth their vse and qualities wherein I am to answer three maine obiections The Finall cause of Plaies The first obiection The first obiection is that they instruct men what vices to auoid what ordinances to obserue what
inuentions Suetonius Tranquillius in the life of Augustus declareth that in Rome there was a very pleasant iesting-Plaier called Epifanius who to shew the Emperour pleasure and hoping to haue a good reward went to the Pallace at one time in the attire of a Page and at another time in the habit of a Roman matron and so truely counterfeited euery thing that it seemed to bee the very persons whom he acted But the Emperour was so highly displeased with what the Actor had done that forthwith he commanded him to be whipt about the Theater three times And when he complained that the Emperour commanded vagabonds to be whipt but once and he thrice Augustus answered Thou art worse then a Vagabond once they shal whip thee for the iniury thou hast don to the persons thou didst represent the second time for the presumption thou hadst to act thy folly in my presence and thirdly for the time thou hast lost and made others to loose in beholding and hearing Don Antony de Gueuara in his diall of Princes hath this History That in Rome their iesters Comedians became so dissolute that they were occasion of slander among the people Which scene and considered and withall that they liued as loyterers and fooles the Senate of Rome determined amongst themselues to banish them all out of the common-wealth On this execution of these loyterers sprung diuers dissentions among the people For the Princes which were good cast them out and those which were euill called them in So that one of the tokens to know a vertuous or vicious Prince in Rome was to see whether hee maintained these Players among the people Cornelius Tacitus annalium lib. 1. Recordeth that in the Raigne of Tiberius there was a very great sedition in Rome by reason of the Players licentiousnesse And after he hath shewed the Ryot which by their meanes was committed he saith Actum est de easeditione apud Patres dicebanturque sententiae vt Praetoribus ius virgarum in Histriones esset It was debated among the Senators concerning that sedition and their sentence of it was That there was a law for the praetors to make the Players taste of the whipping post By this we may see that the Romane Histrions or players were not onely excluded all honors euen the least that might bee in the Citie as is before declared but they were also counted for Rogues vpon any offence subiect to the lash of the whip Like vnto which by the lawes of this Realm of England also they were mustred in the Catalogue of the seuerall kindes of Rogues and Vagabonds and ought so to be punished wheresoeuer they be taken if they had their deserts such as trauell the countries with playes and enterludes making a trade of it As oftentimes our London Players when the infection is in the Citie make an occupation in trauelling the Countreys and ranging from Fayre to Fayre and from Citie to Citie And what difference is there between the one sort the other but euen none at all For both alike excheat mony frō the communaltie for round summes of siluer giue them nothing but multitudes of vain and foolish words Thus haue I sufficiently prooued out of good Historie the indignitie wherewith Play-Poets Players and Theaters were branded by the wisest men and greatest Princes of the world Quipergit quae vult dicere audret quae non vuli The end of the Second Booke A Refutation of the Apology for Actors And of the wonderfull abuse of their impious qualitie THE THIRD BOOKE HItherto haue I proceeded in Refutation and opposition of Master Actors Apologie Omitting nothing worthy of notice which I haue not touched or shall not touch in this my last treatise And now that I haue declared the abhominable originall with Ancient and present indignitie of Players I come lastly to handle the vse of their qualitie wherein according to my former method after I haue conuinced M. Actors Arguments and affirmations with Reasons and negations I will set downe the most abhominable abuse and impious qualitie of them Tragedies and Comedies saith he out of Donatus had their beginning a Rebus Diuinis from Diuine sacrifices It 's true they were first instituted of Diuels and for Diuels and therefore as things first consecrated to Diuels ought to be abandoned Next M. Actor sets downe his definition of a Comedie for which hee should haue alledged his Author because he saith it is according to the Latins But suppose it were of his owne braine gathered from Ciceroes saying I know not where which he afterward alledgeth thus A Comedy is the Image of truth Well then to disprooue his definition I must confute Cicero And that thus Whatsoeuer is the Image of truth is like vnto truth For Images are said to be like vnto what they represent But a Comedieis not like vnto truth Ergo It is not the Image of Truth My Assumption I confirme thus A Comedy is not like vnto truth because it is wholly composed of Fables and Vanities and Fables and Vanities are lyes and deceipts and lyes and deceipts are cleane contrarie to truth and altogether vnlike it euen as vertue is vnlike to vice Wherefore my Assumption being true my conclusion is also firme But beside this refutation of his Definition I will lay downe another in opposition of it gathered out of the workes of Atheneiu Thus Playes are the fruit of vintage and drunkennesse consisting of sundry impieties Definition of Playes comprehending euill and damnable things wherein is taught how in our liues and manners wee may follow all kinde of vice with Art For they are full of filthy words and gestures The riches of Playes such as would not become very lacques and Courtezans and haue sundry inuentions which infect the spirit and replenish it with vnchaste whoorish cosening deceitfull wanton and mischieuous passions besides which inconueniences Stage-Players doe oftentimes enuy and gnaw at the honor of an other and to please the vulgar people set before them lyes and teach much dissolution and deceitfulnes by this meanes turning vpside downe all discipline and good manners Herevpon Tully complaineth all in vaine who being to speak of Comedians and Poets when he came to them saith The clamer and approbation of the people when it is ioyned with these Poeticall fictions as the testimony of some great and learned matter oh what darknesse doth it inuolue a man in what feares it inflicts what lust it inflames Thus S. Augustine alledgeth the sentence But the whole sentence I take it is out of the third of Cicero's Tusculane Questions where speaking of the causes which corrupt the seeds of virtue naturally sowne in vs he saith Heervnto also Poets may be added who pretending a great deale of doctrine and wisedome are learned read heard and borne away in the mind of euery man But when that great maister the multitude is added also and the whole company swarming on euery side vnto vices then chiefly are wee
infected with depraued opinion and drawne from our very expresse nature Next M. Actor recites a verse against them which condemne Playes Oderunt hilarem tristes tristemque iocosi It is true for grauity and leuity two contraries cannot consist in one But what said the Lacedemonian concerning this I know we Greeks are better weeping with our Sages then are the Romans laughing at their fooles After this hee will seeme to answer an obiection which because it is but a peece of an obiection extorted both it and his answere I will omit The obiection is that the Romanes in their time and some in these dayes haue abused Playes but they hauenot only abused them for they are abuse it selfe as I shall instance further heereafter and euer were After this againe hee saith Playes are in vse as they are vnderstood Spectators eyes may make them bad or good O right excellently well said In what a doubtfull case would the vse of playes then stand if none but fooles as commonly they all are or none but blindmen were their auditors the one kind could not vnderstand the other could not see and consequently neither giue right iudgement of them For the one could not vnderstand what vice to auoid the other could not see acted to the life what magnanimious vertue for to follow But to leaue this forked argument and with more plaine reasons to touch his meaning I Deny his maxime For allthough this Axiome Omne accipitur secundum modum accipientis bee true euery thing is receiued according to the capacity of that which receaueth yet it extendeth it self not so farre as M. Actors intention For then according to the discretion of fooles and blind men if Playes were euill as they are not to be thought otherwise by their good accepting of them they were good which how absurd a reason it is let all men iudge Besides which if their were any good in Playes yet for the euill which is greater they are not tollerable And wee are taught not to doe good if any euill may ensue thereby For good when it is the occasion of euill ceaseth any longer to bee good but is turned into sinne For euill and the occasion of euill are vnder the same predicament of sinne Next M. Actor inferreth many vocations and institutions of life wherein men liue amongst which there hath beene some bad and thereupon demaundeth whether the generall shall be condemned for the particulars sake I answer no But the Genus of playes comes not vnder the protection of this reason because they are wholy euill as more at large I will shew towards the end of my discourse Next M. Actor proceeds in the vse of Playes and shewes first that they are an Ornament to the Citty But I thinke the saying of Valerius Maximus of more authority then this who saith Playes were neuer brought vp Sine Regni rubore without shame to the Kingdome Secondly hee sheweth and to the disgrace of his mother-tongue that our English was the rudest language in the world a Gally-mafry of Dutch French Irish Saxon Scotch and Welsh but by Play-Poets it hath beene refined But doth he not forget that whiles they adde Greeke Lattine and Italian they make a great mingle-mangle Nay before the Conquest by Bastard William that the French came in our English tongue was most perfect able to expresse any Hebruisme which is the tryall of perfection in Languages and now it will very hardly expound a Greeke Lecture For after that the French had once corrupted it it was but of late yeares that it could recouer a common Dialect againe Since which againe it hath indeed beene more refined but thereby it is become more obscure and vsed amongst few for the simple vulgar people cannot vnderstand it And a plaine man can scarce vtter his mind for want of Phrases as I may say according to the fashion But what refinednesse is in our language it 's not from Poets but from other learned mens writings from whom they borrow all the refined words they haue Thirdly he affirmes that Playes haue taught the ignorant knowledge of many famous Histories They haue indeed made many to know of those Histories they neuer did by reason they would neuer take the paines to reade them But these that know the Histories before they see them acted are euer ashamed when they haue heard what lyes the Players insert amongst them and how greatly they depraue them If they be too long for a Play they make them curtals if too short they enlarge them with many Fables and whither too long or too short they corrupt them with a Foole and his Bables whereby they make them like Leaden rules which men will fit to their worke and not frame their worke to them So that the ignorant instead of true History shall beare away nothing but fabulous lyes Next M. Actor hath striued wonderfully in shewing the particular vses of playes which I will reserue to condemne with all their qualities toward the latter end of this book And proceed next to shew the absurdities of M. Actor in his 3. Histories of strange accidents that haue happened at playes which make more against him then for him if they were well considered according to Gods iust iudgement and not M. Actor's vaine application The first and last History concerning treacherous murthers committed by vntrusty wiues vpon their husbands hee applyeth to playes because at plaies their first discoueries were intimated But it was farre otherwise for these bloody-minded wines lay long in their sinnes without repentance God for a great while vsing mercy and patience towards them But when he saw them to persist in their inflexible stubburnnesse that in stead of suing to him for grace and remission of their sinnes they prouoked him to greater anger and in stead of coming to the temple there to pray to haunt Sathans Sinagogue there to see sport and seed their pleasures hee euen tooke them napping in the Diuells Sanctuary that where they thought to conceiue much mirth from vanity there they might bee prickt in conscience and receiue the beginning of their sorrow at last to bring them to repentance that God might saue their soules though in his iustice hee brought their bodies to destruction The other History of the flight of some rouing Spaniards from a towne in Cornewall vpon striking vp of an alarme at night by the Players on the stage hee applyeth likewise vnto playes But farre rather it is to bee attributed to Gods mercy who carefully kept watch for the towne and not the Players Hee I say while they were secure at their pleasures and feared least when they had greatest cause turned their present enterlude to a good vse being euill of it selfe as sometimes hee vseth the Diuels themselues for his instruments thereby to teach them to be more wary another time and not to entertaine againe the cause of like security and sparing the towne for the good that were absent and not ruinating it for