Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A05288
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A shorte treatise against stage-playes
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Leighton, Alexander, 1568-1649.
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1625
(1625)
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STC 15431.5; ESTC S118511
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9,971
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28
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Christ there were some four and fortie of the worthiest learnedst Fathers assembled at Carthage in the third councill that was holden there amongst whom was that worthie Augustinus and they decreed cap. 11. that the children of ministers or of others of the Cleargie should not be present at Stage-playes seeing none of the Laitie might be there Semper enim Christianis omnibus hoc interdictum est ut ubi blasphemisunt non accedant that is for all christians haue evermore beene forbidden to come in place where blasphemers are And the same religious Fathers then and there decreed also cap. 35. That the church should not tefuse to receaue the Stage-players into their fellowship if they repented and renounced that their trade of playing Whereby is evident that Stage-players in those former and purer times were generally excommunicated and cast out of the societie of the saintes Europe In Europe divers worthie and graue Fathers of the church called and summoned by Constantinus Magnus a little after the Nicene Councill to come together at Arles in France held two Councils there the first and shortly after the second In both which they decreed the excommunication of all Stage-players so long as they continued that trade of life And in the first Councill cap. 5. thus they say De theatricis ipsos placuit quandiu agunt à communione separari that is as touching Stage-players we thinke it good that whiles they continue in that trade of life they be kept from the communion And in the second Councill held there presently after they decree the same thing againe can 20. and almost in the same words But yet to giue in more evidence we may haue all the worthie Fathers of the Churches in Asia Africa and Europa assembled together in the sixt generall Council which was held at Constantinople approue that which at Laodicea in Asia and at Carthage in Africa was decreed against Stage-players For when Constantinus Pogonatus in the yeare 681 called that sixt general Councel at Constantinople against the Monothelites of those times as Zonoras Tomo tertio sheweth about fiue yeares after his sonne Iustinianus II. assembled the Fathers there againe as Gratianus dist 16. cap. 7. and the Centuriators of Magdeburgh Cent. 7. cap. 9. col 455. doe witnesse and can 20. they approue those two former Councils of Laodicea and of Carthage And thus we haue the judgement of all the orthodoxall and true Catholike Fathers of the churches throughout the whole world against Stage-players and Stage-playing with one consent Papists Secondly the Papists though they be favourers of Stage-playes and actors sometime upon the Stage as lately at Lions in France yet they cannot for verie shame justifie them but contrariewise condemne them in their writings And in their great Canon booke of Decrees compiled by Gratian they ratifie the four first generall Councils and all the other Councils made afterwards and conteyned in that greate booke of Decrees dist 15. cap. 2. 4. and dist 16. cap. 6. c. they approue by name the three Councils alledged before More particularly they approue that which was mentioned before of the Council of Laodicea de consecratione dist 5. cap. 37. and that which was decreed against Stage-plaies in the third Councill of Carthage de consecrat dist 2. cap. 96. and the canons of the sixt generall Councill de consecratione dist 3. cap. 29. Parlement Thirdly the Honourable Court of Parliament in this Land hath justly censured Stage-players as those that liue not in a lawfull trade to mainteyne themselues by as in the xiiij yeare of Elizabeth chap. 5. and in the xxxix yeare of Elizab. chap. 7. and in the second yeare of King Iames chap. vij Fourthly the civill law in pointing out those persons which are of evill note or name The civil Law sayth thus of Stage-players Pandect lib. 3. tit 2. Eos enim qui quaestus causa in certamina descendunt omnes propter praemium in scenam prodeuntes famosos esse Pegasus Nerva responderunt that is Pegasus and Nerva said that those were infamous which tryed masterie for gaine and all that came upon the Stage for a rewarde Also who list may reade somewhat to the same purpose Novel const 51. Heathens Fiftly the infidell Heathens howsoever they first devised them and after used them very much yet haue they disalowed them as Augustine de civitate Dei lib. 2. cap. 13. rehearsing the words of Scipio out of Tullie sheweth Quum artem ludicram scenamque totam probro ducerent genus id hominum non modo honore civium reliquorum carere sed etiam tribu moveri notatione censoria voluerunt that is The Romans accounting those playes and the whole Stage to be reproachfull when they valued the goods and enrolled the names of their citizens gaue not the honour of other citizens to Stage-players but razed their names out of their wardes or companies Suetonius taxeth Nero for a favorer of them and an actor among them Arnobius lib. 7. contra gentes appealing to the conscience of the Heathen sheweth that they disallow them and sayth thus of the Stage-players actores inhonestos esse jus vestrum judicavit that is your owne law hath adjudged the stage-playes to be no honest men And these judgements of men are sufficient to condemne Stage-playes as unlawfull and dishonest also as Cornelius Nepos sayth in his preface before the description of the noble Emperours The seauenth Reason Reason 7 II. THE seauenth and last reason is drawne from the judgments which God hath inflicted upon the Players and beholders 1. Philip king of Macedonia and father of Alexander the greate was slaine at a play by Pausanias as Diodorus Siculus writeth lib. 16. Plinius histor natur lib. 7. cap. 53. speaking of divers that dyed sodainly sayth that one M. Ofilius Hilarus a noble player of Comedies after he had played his part gallantly on the day of his birth and was vaunting at supper of his dayes worke died sodainly at the table 3. Paulus Orosius lib. 7. cap. 4. writeth that in the twelft yeare of Tiberius which was three yeares before Christ beganne to preach the Gospel publikely there were twentie thousand persons slaine by the fall of the Theater at Fidena in Italie 4. About thirteene yeares after Caius Caligula the Emperour was slaine at a play Ioseph antiq lib. 19. cap. 1. Suetonius in Caligula cap. 58. 5. About 150 yeares after Christs nativitie whiles the Playes were kept at Rome with great solemnitie for the space of three dayes and three nights together continually and without intermission a great parte of the citie was sette on fire and consumed And Phillip the Emperour was slayne at Varona and his sonne at Rome as it is reported by Sextus Aurelius Pomponius Laetus and Eutropius lib. 9. 6. Tertullianus in his booke de Spectaculis sayth that a Christian woman going to the playes was then possessed of a divell and when other Christians intending to cast the divell out of her demanded of him how he durst presume to assault one that beleeved in Christ the divell answered that he found her in his owne house and therefore had good right to seaze upon her Also he writeth in the same Booke and place that an other faythfull woman going also to behold the Playes had eyther a fearefull dreame or a vision the next night after wherein shee was checked for going to the Playes was warned of her death and dyed within fiue dayes after 7. Aventinus annal Bojorum lib. 7. writeth that about 1200 yeares after Christ three hundred men were slaine with hayle and lightning at Pisonium a cittie of Bavaria in the confines of Italie whiles they were there to behold the Playes 8. The same Author Aventinus annal Bojor lib. 7. writeth also that when Pope Nicholaus V. solemnized his rich Iubilie in the yeare 1450 with Stage playes fiue hundred threescore persons comming to Rome to behold the Playes were partly troden to death and partly drowned in Tiber. 9. At London in the yeare of Christ 1583 eight persons were slaine and more hurte by the fall of the theater 10. At Lions in France in the moneth of August in the yeare 1607 whiles the Iesuites were acting their Playes to the disgrace of true religion and the professors thereof the Lord from heauen continuing thunder lightnings for the space of two houres together slewe twelue persons presently and amased all the rest with great terrour and feare FINIS
on womans rayment for all that do so are an abomination to the Lord thy God For this change of apparell maketh the man effeminate and the woman manish as some can testifie if they would some haue confessed and the Heathen know Cyprianus lib. 2. epist 2. speaking of this change of apparell in Stage-playes sayth thus evirantur mares men loose their manhood c. Charondas made a law to the inhabitants of Thuria which is a citie in Greece described by Pausanias in Messenicis and by Strabo lib. 8. that if any man refused to goe to warres or being in the field cast downe his weapons and ranne away he should stand three dayes in the open market in womans apparell which argued effeminatenes in him as if formerly he had used it Diodor. lib. 12. Secondly they never come on the Stage in theire owne name but some in the name and person of a divell others of a foole others of a bawde others of a tyrant others of other men which beseemeth not a Christian neither proceedeth it of God nor is approved of God but is contrarie to Christian profession Tit. 2.12 Thirdly they sweare by the living God which is contrarie to the Law of God Exod. 20.7 or by heathen idols which is forbidden Exod. 23.13 or by both which is reproved Amos 8.14 Zephan 1.5 Fourthly they teach their hearers and beholders much sinne in the acting of their Playes as to sweare curse lye flatter cosen steale to play the bawde and the harlot with very many such other lewde lessons The fourth Reason Reason 4 8. THE fourth reason ariseth from the consideration of the hearers and beholders who being baptised into the name of Christ are brought into danger of gods wrath and their owne condemnation in as much as they are partakers of the sinnes of the Players and of the Playes in approving them And whatsoever brings men into these dangers must needs be evill And besides the approbation which maketh them guiltie they learne sinne for as sayth Cyprianus lib. 2. epist 2. adulterium discitur dum videtur they learne to commit adulterie when they heare and behold such immodest and unchaste words and gestures upon the stage And many goe honest thither which returne home dishonest Iob made a covenant with his eyes that he would not looke on a maide Iob 31.1 David desired God to turne away his eyes from regarding vanitie Psal 119.37 The fift Reason Reason 5 9. THE fift reason may be taken from consideration of these eight fruits or effects which follow Stage-playes First the Stage-players get their living by an ungodly unlawfull trade never approved by God when they shall stand at the barre of Gods judgement they shall be speachles and cast into utter darkenes where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth except they repent and forsake their wicked trade betimes whiles the Lord granteth space to repentance Secondly the hearers receaue much hurte by them as was noted in the fourth reason and if it be true which is reported whoredome is sometimes committed at that place and at that time Thirdly the better sort of men which are governours of families receaue domage when some of their families resorte to Stage-playes for sometimes their goods are stollen to mainteine Lewdnes sometimes their daughters or maide-servants are defiled or stollen away and maried without their governours consent or privitie Fourthly the word of God and the ministers thereof are now and then taxed and taunted Fiftly the Lord himselfe is there blaspheamed ordinarily Sixtly the poore in the church of Christ are hindred from some reliefe dist 86 c. 8 which otherwise they might haue for the prodigalitie lavished upon Stage-players restrayneth the liberalitie that might and ought to be bestowed upon the poore Seauenthly there is losse of pretious time which should be spent in Gods service by those that are hired to be diligent labourers in his vineyard and not be wickedly mispent in such sinfull sportes seeing everie one both young and olde must giue account to God of his labours and of his time spent in this life The Holy Ghost sayth Ephes 5.16 Redeeme the time for the dayes are evill but some men say Let us haue pastime that is any sinfull course whereby we may passe away mis-spend the short time which we haue in this life that the day of death judgment and condemnation may come speedily upon us before we repent and before we consecrate our selues wholly to God Peter sayth It is sufficient for us that we haue spent the time past of this life after the lustes of the Gentiles walking in wantonnes lustes drunkennes in gluttonie drinkings and abominable idolatries 1 Pet. 4.3 And if any be otherwise minded the Lord in his time will either convert or confound him Eightly whereas the life of a Christian effectually called should be spent continually in fighting against all kinde of sinne in crucifying the old man and in renewing the inner man dayly these Stage-playes quench the spirit and destroy the new man as also on the other part they foster cherish and mainteyne the old man as all those that haue the spirit of Christ know and feele But if any man haue not the spirit of Christ the same is not his Rom. 8.9 The sixth Reason 10. Reason 6 THE sixt reason may be taken from the opinion and judgment of all sortes and states of men by whom these Stage-playes haue been disalowed Orthodoxal Protestants First all orthodoxall Protestants of all ages and times which maintayned the generall doctrine of the Catholike church haue censured Stage-playes as unlawfull from age to age hitherto To reporte and repeate their severall judgements out of their owne writings or out of histories is more then I can performe it would make a greate volume it would be tedious to reade and perhaps not so necessarie Wherefore it seemeth rather convenient to call a greate number of them together out of all the places of their dwellings and as it were out of all the world that they all may be heard to speake altogether with one consent and voyce But because it would be a verie tedious and troublesome thing for so many so reverend and so old aged Fathers to travell so farre it is more convenient and reasonable to spare their labours so much as may be and call them together at three severall times and in three severall places of their habitations that is to call those of Asia to meete together in Asia those of Africa in Africa and those of Europe in Europe Asia In Asia about two and twentie of the most reverend Fathers of those times met together in Laodicea somewhat more then 300 yeres after Christ and holding a councill there decreed cap. 54. that none of the Cleargie should be present at Stage-playes And the Centuriators of Magdeburg haue inserted this whole Councill in their laborious and worthie historie Cent. 4. cap. 9. col 834. Afrike In Africa more then 400 years after