openlie committed that I looked when God in iustice would haue presentlie in his wrath haue cōfounded the beholders The Theatre I found to be an appointed place of Bauderie mine owne eares haue heard honest women allured with abhominable speeches Sometime I haue seene two knaues at once importunate vpon one light huswife whereby much quarel hath growen to the disquieting of manie There seruants as it is manifestlie to be prooued haue consented to rob their maisters to supplie the want of their harlots there is the practising with married wiues to traine them from their husbands and places appointed for meeting and conference When I had taken a note of al these abuses sawe that the Theater was become a consultorie house of Satan I concluded with my selfe neuer to imploie my pen to so vile a purpose nor to be an instrument of gathering the wicked togither It maie seeme I am ouer lauish of speech and that which I haue publiqulie expressed ofothers by mine owne knowledge might haue bene dissembled But I haue learned that he who dissembles the euil which he knowes in other men is as giltie before God of the offence as the offenders the selues And the Lord hath expreslie commanded in Exodus that we should not folowe a multitude to do evil neither agree in a controuersie to decline after many and overthrowe the truth I cannot therefore but resist such wickedness least I might seeme to maintaine them For he that dissembles vngodlines is a traitor to God Since therefore that the cause is Gods I dare presse forth my selfe to be an Advocate against Satan unto the rooting out of sinne For I am fully resolued in Gods truth to build so strong and fure a fundation against these sellers setters forth of sinne as neither they nor their adherents shal euer be able to ouerthrowe And my trust is that the godile wil ionie with me to the suppressing of those which fight against his worde waging their battel on the Sabboth daie the more conuenientile to destroie the soules of the children of God The cause is generalie to be defended for that the contention of the Aduersaries is about religion and therefore none can be discharged for bare saieng they consent not to the wicked For it is the part of euerie true soldier of lesus Christ with al power to withstand resist such as offer wrong to the maiestie of GOD by hindering the service which we owe unto him We are to be enimies unto the death against those uphiolders of wickedness and neuer to giue ouer the battel in so holie iust a quarel We see the wicked are alwaies readie to maintaine euil causes in these daies the worst men shal find bearers and bolsterers and be supported by those who by iustice are to supress them or at least to reforme their abuses which are intolerable If the wicked lurke together to vphold their lewdenes how much more ought the faithful to ioine themselues together to plucke downe vanitie I knowe my selfe a worme of al other the weakest to medle in these cases yet such is my desire to ouerthrowe their wickednes that I dare inflamed with the holie zeale of Dauid in the quarel of God unprouided both of armor and weapon with one poore sling resist the strength of their hugest Champion and endure the brunt of his fierce assalts doubting not but to finde some that wil stande with me to ouerthrowe the enimies of GOD and to pul downe those flags of defiāce which Satan hath set vp against the preaching of the Gospel to the decaie of the Church Let vs delaie no time deere brethren their doings are abhominable in the sight and eares of God and condemned of the righteous if therefore sentence against their euil workes be not executed speedelie The hartes of the children of men as Ecclesiastes saith wilbe fullie set in them to do euil If there were nothing to moue you it were great cause to stir vp your godlie furie and zeale to discommend plaies vtterlie but their abuses stretching further into the Common-wealth are by sufferance growen so huge that it is hard dealing with them as against foes for they are become priuate freends They are therfore to be delt withal by degrees For it is verie hard to roote out that frō our hartes be it neuer so great an abuse wherof we haue conceaued a good opinion Let therefore the Magistrate but repel them from the libertie of plaieng on the Sabboth daie For that is abuse which is generalie found fault withal allowed of none but those who are altogether destitute of the feare of God and without conscience To plaie on the Sabboth is but a priuiledge of sufferance and might with ease be repelled were it throughlie folowed The warrant which Magistrates haue to forbid plaies is great and passed vnto them by such a Prince whose auctoritie is aboue al auctories of earthlie gouernors God hath giuen vs an expresse commandement that wee should not violate the Sabboth daie and prescribed an order how it should be sanctified namelie in holines by calling into minde the spiritual rest hearing the worde of GOD and cessing from worldlie busines Wherevpon Isaiah the Prophet showing how the sabboth should be obserued saith If thou turne away thy foote from the Sabboth from doing thy wil on mine holie daie cal the Sabboth a delite to consecrate it as glorious to the Lord and shalt honor him not doing thine owne waies nor seeking thine owne wil nor speaking a vaine worde then shalt thou delite in the Lord and I wil cause thee to mount vpon the hie places of the earth and feede thee with the heritage of Iaakob thy father for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Here we see how the Lord requireth that this daie should be obserued and what rest he looketh for at our hands But alas how do we followe the order which the Lord hath set downe Is not the Sabboth of al other daies the most abused which of vs on that daie is not carried whether his affection leades him vnto al dissolutenes of life How often do wee vse on that daie vnreuerend speeches which of vs hath his hart occupied in the feare of God who is not led awaie to the beholding of those spectacles the sight whereof can bring but confusion both to our bodies and soules Are not our eies there carried awaie with the pride of vanitie our eares abused with amorous that is lecherous filthie and abhominable speech Is not our tong which was giuen vs onelie to glorifie God withal is not our tong there imploied to the blaspheming of Gods holie Name or the commendation of that is wicked Are not our hartes through the pleasure of the flesh the delight of the eie and the fond motions of the mind withdrawn from the seruice of the Lord meditation of his goodnes So that albe
of being so highlie esteemed of al sortes of men for that euerie man conceaueth of the goodnes or badnes of a thing according as it seemeth in his owne opiniō And therefore the thing which they discommend maie be both liked and allowed I confesse the iudgement of one or two is not to be allowed in such cases neuertheles the opinions of the rude multitude are not alwais the soundest which are mooued with vnconstant motions whereby manietimes they like of that which is most hurtful and dislike that which is most profitable because the one pleaseth their humors and the other restraineth their affections The censure therfore of them who carie best groūd from Gods worde and is most agreeable to reason most profitable for the Cōmon-weale least hurtful to our brethren and tending alwaie to the reformation of abuse is soonest to be allowed and followed Then whether this my iudgement to be admitted or no as being the soundest respecting the benefit of this our countrie I leaue it to the iudgement of the godlie wise and learned And that I maie seeme to write nothing without ground or to finde fault without cause I wil GOD to freend set downe nothing to prooue mine assertion good but what Scripture shal warrant examples confirme reason allowe and present experience ratifie Which mine arguments if anie by more colour of truth can ouerthrowe I am readie to recant and to allowe that for good which I can yet but condemne as wicked and thinke of al other to be the most intolerable abuse in our Cōmon-weale For otherwise I cannot thinke vnles I be constrained as Petrarch saith to iudge by other mens iudgements which who so doth iudgeth not of himselfe but reporters the opinion of others Manie run on their courses verie vainelie til it please God to cal them home by the Spirit of his grace vnto amendment of life For when it shal please him to touch the conscience of the wicked with repentance the whole state of their life doth alter from that it was before as maie appeare in S. Paule at his conuersion And assuredlie the Lord doth suffer vs manie-times to run past our selues that when he hath called vs home we maie become examples of virtue and godlines vnto others I confesse that ere this I haue bene a great affecter of that vaine art of Plaie-making insomuch that I haue thought no time so wel bestowed as when my wits were exercised in the inuention of those follies I might scarselie with patience heare anie man speake weare he neuer so learned godlie that thought to persuade me from them So far was I from receiuing of their good and godlie admonitions that I stopped mine eares and hardened mine harte against their counsaile Such is our peeuish nature we can like of nothing which doth dislike vs or seemeth contrarie to our vaine opinions And therefore it is God onlie that must turne our mindes otherwise wee shal neuer discerne profitable from hurtful things For able we have some about vs who counsaile vs the best seeke our profit yet for al that our nature is so peruerse froward that what is wel said wil take no place This found I by my selfe this I now perceaue to be in others but the Lordes purpose is good in al his dealings It might haue bene said of me then as it was written of the wicked that they considered not the waies of the Lord but after when it pleased God of his mercie to cal mee to the reading of his worde and diligent studie of the Scriptures I began to loath my former life and to mislike my owne doings and I was no sooner drawen with an hartie desire to returne vnto the Lorde but I found my selfe strengthened with his grace vnto good desires For the Lord neuer faileth them that seeke him Assuredlie his promise can neuer deceaue men but when they knock the gate shalbe opened vnto them and when thy seeke they shal find There is nothing more required in vs than a readie desire of wel doing who no doubt being trulie ingraffed in our minds shalbe so watered with the dewe of Gods holie spirit that it wil increase and growe vp in vs to a more ful grouth and perfection When I came to a streit examination of my life which I had vainelie consumed in those exercises and that I began to cal mine old doings into question and to trie them by the true tuch of Gods word I found what I counted for gold to be but drosse vile and of none account hauing the propertie to make their fauorers of their owne nature Then to the end that others should not be deceaued with that wherewith my selfe was ouertaken I thought it my part to laie open to al mens eies the horrible abuse aswel of plaies as of the Inactors the disorder of their Auditorie that the abuse being perceaued euerie man might reforme himselfe be weaned from their wickednes or otherwise that the Magistrats being informed might take such good waies that the intolerable exercise of plaies might be vtterlie put downe For I am verilie persuaded that if they may be permitted stil to make sale of sinne we shal pul on our heads Gods vengeance to our realme bring an vtter confusion What I shal speake of the abuse by plaies of my owne knowledge I know maie be affirmed by hundreds to whome those matters are as wel knowen as to my selfe Some citizens wiues vpon whom the Lord for ensample to others hath laide his hands haue euen on their death beds with teares confessed that they haue receiued at those spectacles such filthie infections as haue turned their minds from chast cogitations and made them of honest women light huswiues by them they haue dishonored the vessels of holines and brought their husbandes into contempt their children into questiō their bodies into sicknes and their soules to the state of euerlasting damnation Such is the nature and inclination that we run whether affection leades vs and are withdrawen by companie And therefore as Dauid saith VVith the godlie thou wilt showe thy selfe godlie with the vpright man thou wilt showe thy selfe vpright VVith the pure thou wilt shewe thy selfe pure and with the froward thou wilt showe thy selfe froward The repaire of them that are honest to those places of euil resort makes their owne good life to be doubted of for that the place breedes suspicion aswel of good as of bad For who can see man or woman resort to an house which is notoriouslie wicked but wil iudge them to be of the crewe of the wicked and vngodlie The most honest wife is the soonest assalted and hath such snares laid to entrap her as if God assist her not she must needes be taken When I gaue my selfe first to note the abuse of common plaies I found mine harte sore smitten with sorowe sinne did there so abound was so
euil And then doubtles the Lord wil blesse them in their enterprises Let not therefore the intercession of the mightie mooue the Magistrate to staic his sworde from doing iustice on the wicked The parcialitie which is vsed in these daies for fauor makes these yonkers to become bolder by reason of those liberties which are granted them They vphold themselues by the countenance of their maisters as if their auctoritie were a warrant sufficient for them to do euil and to beare them out against good orders Let not the abuse of the Sabboth proceede further and further and in the meane while the iudge be a looker on daring not for feare to reforme their disorder til al be out of order Alas that priuate affection should so raigne in the Nobilitie that to pleasure as they thinke their seruants and to vphold them in their vanitie they should restraine the Magistrates from executing their office what credite can returne to the Noble to couÌ„tenance his men to exercise that qualitie which is not sufferable in anie CoÌ„mon-weale wheras it was an ancient custome that no man of Honor should reteine anie man but such as was excellent in some one good qualitie or other whereby if occasion so serued he might get his owneliuing Then was euerie noble maÌ„s house a Common-weale in it selfe but since the reteining of these Caterpillers the credite of Noble men hath decaied they are thought to be couetous by permitting their seruants which cannot liue of theÌ„selues and whome for neerenes they wil not maintaine to liue at the deuotion or almes of other men passing from countrie to countrie from one Gentlemans house to another offering their seruice which is a kind of beggerie Who in deede to speake more trulie are become beggers for their seruants For coÌ„monlie the goodwil men beare to their Lordes makes them drawe the stringes of their purses to extend their liberalitie to them where otherwise they would not By such infamous persons much time is lost and manie daies of honest trauel are turned into vaine exercises Wherein is learned nothing but abuse poore men liuing on their handie labor are by them trained vnto vnthriftines scholers by their gaudes are allured from their studies Thus the people are robbed youth corrupted the Sabboth prophaned and of al these euils who are counted the vpholders but the Noble who of right should establish the lawe of the Roman Traiane who commanded that no plaier iester nor iugler should be admitted in his Common-weale to pick the purses of his subiects but that they should either learne some occupation to mainteine themselues in their owne houses or otherwise be banished out of Rome But now such like men vnder the title of their maisters or as reteiners are priuiledged to roaue abroad and permitted to publish their mametree in euerie Temple of God and that throughout England vnto the horrible contempt of praier So that now the Sanctuarie is become a plaiers stage and a den of theeues and adulterers It was ordained in Rome by that aforesaid Emperor that the Romans should obserue but 22. holie daies throughout the whole yeere For he thought without al doubting that the gods were more serued on such daies as the Romans did labor than on such daies as they rested because the vices were moe then which they did commit than the sacrifices they did offer And trust me I am of that opinion that the Lord is neuer soâ—l serued as on the holie-daies For then hel breakes loase Then wee permit our youth to haue their swinge and when they are out of the sight of their maisters such gouernment haue they of themselues that what by il companie they meete withal il examples they learne at plaies I feare me I feare me their harts are more alienated in two houres from virtue than againe maie wel be amended in a whole yeare But let vs leaue to speake hereof and returne we to the further abuse of these plaies which is in breach of the first Table of the coÌ„mandements Is it not expreslie commanded of God in Deuteronomie That we should not take his Name in vaine either by swearing rashlie or falslie Are we not flatlie warned if wee doe infringe the same that he wil not hold vs giltles yet how wel this commandement is kept at plaies no man which resortes to heare them but can report How often is the sacred and reuerend Name of God blasphemed on the stages without regard of his iudgements Is not he held the gallantest rufler that can rap out the most disguised othes to tempt the Lord withal As who should saie it were allowable to sweare so it were done couertlie As if it were none offence to resemble the wicked and that to dissemble were commendable Christ hath willed vs not to sweare at al but these felowes thinke they maie iugle with God as they do with the world Therefore to verefie their false-hoodes they take the names of Iupiter Saturne Iuno such like prophane Gods as they are called and Goddesses of the Gentils and that they thinke they maie doe lawfulie But if that be not lawful which by the Scripture is not warranted I dare auar that that swearing is as odious as the other and as plainlie forbidden by the worde of God As we maie read in Exodus where among other things that God setteth downe for the Israelits to do he giueth this vnto them as a principal charge that they make no mention of the names of other Gods that they open not their lips to speake of them or to sweare by them or otherwise And herevpon Dauid saith That the sorowes of them which offer to another GOD shalbe multiplied their offerings of bloud saith he wil I not offer neither make mention of their names with my lips How then can these men excuse them-selues that they haue not offered this sacrifice of bloud when they not onelie name those prophane gods in their mouthes and take them as witnesses of their falshood shal wee not saie they haue confented to idolatrie I refer their cause to be considered of the learned my self maie not passe beyond my latchet but this much I dare affirme that these men which dallie with God with their blasphemous swearings are not out of the danger of his indignation and without repentance shalbe no partakers of Christ nor of his merites For al their othes what are they but open reproches against the Name of God When these men sweare as they sweare at aduenture doth it not declare that they regard not the Name of GOD which ought to be holden holie in our sight VVho so sweareth vainlie by the Name of the Lord defileth it The Israelitish womans sonne for blaspheming the Name of the Lord was stoned to death How is it my deere brethren that we can heare the Name of the Lord vttered from the mouth of these blasphemers without casting downe our
yong boies inclining of themselues vnto wickednes trained vp in filthie speeches vnnatural and vnseemelie gestures to be brought vp by these Schoole-masters in bawderie and in idlenes I cannot chuse but with teares and griefe of hart lament O with what delight can the father behold his sonne bereft of shamefastnes trained vp to impudencie How proane are they of themselues and apt to receiue instruction of their lewde teachers which are the Schoolemasters of sinne in the schoole of abuse what do they teach them I praie you but to foster mischiefe in their youth that it maie alwaies abide in them and in their age bring them sooner vnto hel And as for those stagers themselues are they not commonlie such kind of men in their conuersation as they are in profession Are they not as variable in hart as they are in their partes are they not as good practisers of Bawderie as inactors Liue they not in such sort themselues as they giue precepts vnto others doth not their talke on the stage declare the nature of their disposition doth not euerie one take that part which is proper to his kind doth not the Plough-mans tong walke of his plough the Sea-faring man of his mast cable and saile the Soldier of his harnes speare and shield bawdie mates of bawdie matters Aske them if in their laieng out of their partes they choose not those partes which is most agreeing to their inclination and that they can best discharge And looke what euerie of them doth most delight in that he can best handle to the contentment of others If it be a roisting bawdie and lasciuious part wherein are vnseemelie speeches that they make choise of them as best answering proper to their manner of plaie maie we not saie by how much he exceedes in his gesture he delightes himselfe in his part by so much it is pleasing to his disposition and nature If it be his nature to be a bawdie plaier and he delight in such filthie cursed actions shal we not thinke him in his life to be more disordered and to abhor virtue But they perhaps wil saie that such abuses as are handled on the stage others by their examples are warned to beware of such euils to amendment In deed if their auctoritie were greater than the wordes of the Scripture or their zeale of more force than of the preacher I might easilie be persuaded to thinke that men by them might be called vnto good life But when I see the word of truth proceeding from the hart and vttered by the mouth of the reuerend preachers to be receaued of the most part into the eare and but of a fewe rooted in the hart I cannot by anie means beleeue that the wordes proceeding from a prophane plaier and vttered in scorning sort interlaced with filthie lewde vngodlie speeches haue greater force to mooue men vnto virtue than the wordes of truth vttered by the godlie Preacher whose zeale is such as that of Moses who was contented to be raced out of the booke of life and of Paule who wished to be separated from Christ for the welfare of his brethren If the good life of a man be a better instruction to repentāce than the tong or words why do not plaiers I beseech you leaue examples of goodnes to their posteritie But which of them is so zealous or so tendereth his owne saluatiō that he doth amend himselfe in those pointes which as they saie others should take heede of Are they not notoriouslie knowen to be those men in their life abroade as they are on the stage roisters brallers il-dealers bosters louers loiterers ruffins So that they are alwaies exercised in plaieng their parts and practising wickednes making that an art to the end they might the better gesture it in their partes For who can better plaie the ruffin thā a verie ruffin who better the louer than they who make it a common exercise To conclude the principal end of all their interludes is to feede the world with sights fond pastimes to iuggle in good earnest the monie out of other mens purses into their owne hands What shal I saie They are infamous men and in Rome were thought worthie to be expelled albe there was libertie enough to take pleasure In the primatiue Church they were kept out from the Communion of Christians and neuer remitted til they had perfourmed publike penance And thervpon S. Cyprian in a certaine Epistle counseleth a Bishop not to receiue a plaier into the pension of the Church by which they were norished til there was an expresse act of penance with protestation to renounce an art so infamous And thus much for those plaiers Some haue obiected that by these publique plaies manie forbeare to do euil for feare to be publiquelie reprehended And for that cause they wil saie it was tolerated in Rome wherein Emperors were touched though they were present But to such it maie be answered first that in disguised plaiers giuen ouer to al sortes of dissolutenes is not found so much as a wil to do good seing they care for nothing lesse than for virtue Secondlie that is not a good meanes to correct sinne For that if it be secret it ought not to be reuealed openlie but by such meanes to be reformed as Christ himselfe alloweth in his Gospel If saith he thy brother trespasse against thee speaking of those secret particular sinnes which are not open and made knowen to others go and tel him his fault betweene thee and him alone if he heare thee thou hast wonne thy brother But if he heare thee not take yet with thee one or two that by the mouth of two or three witnesses euerie worde maie be confirmed And if he wil not vouchsafe to heare them tel it vnto the Church which is to those ancient expert men of the Iewes which were appointed to reforme manners and execute discipline For those assemblies of ancient Fathers did represent the Church because they had the charge thereof appointed vnto them and if he refuse to he are the Church also let him be vnto thee as an Heathen man and a Publicane You see then that euerie fault being priuatelie knowen is to be kept secret and not to be openlie vttered to the defamation of the offender And that on the otherside if it be a matter openlie knowen it is to be put to the reprehension of the Magistrate and not of the plaier whose reprehension is as vnreuerend and odious as the reprehension of a Magistrate is decent and commendable The antiquitie of plaieng is likewise often vsed for an argument to proue it allowable But the custome of euil is not to be maintained because of antiquitie Gods truth is not to be oppressed vnder that color what examples of antiquitie soeuer do serue to maintaine wickednes I am not bounde to allowe of them