Playes confuted in fiue actions prouing that they are not to be suffred in a Christian common weale, by the waye both the cauils of Thomas Lodge, and the play of playes, written in their defence, and other obiections of players frendes, are truely set downe and directlye aunsweared. By Steph. Gosson, stud. Oxon.

The 3 Action. (Book 3)

SUch ought to be the li∣berty of speach in eue∣ry well gouerned com∣monweale, that nei∣ther vertue might lacke an open friende, nor vice an enemy, & happy no doubt were wee in Engeland; if as vertue is ne∣uer commended in cloudes, so vice might bee touchte in the open Sun∣shine. But we are so generally giuen to flatter our selues•• and Parasites so ready to couer our faultes, that bée∣cause we loue our deformities wee de∣fend them, and had rather excuse them,

then shake them off. This makes ma∣ny writers willinger to praise some, without deserte, than to rebuke any, vpon iuste occasion, for, to commend men vnworthely, is taken for curtesie; to dispraise though ius••ly, is thought for the most parte a poynte of enuy. Neuerthelesse sithince tongues are gi∣uen vnto vs to speake, and eares vn∣to euery man to heare, that the one might teach, y^e other be ready to receiue good Counsell, and receiuing it, prac∣tise the same in life: according to the measure of those giftes that God hath giuen mee, I will speake somewhat farther against Playes, requesting my countrymen to open their eares as they do their bottles, and shake out the dust of contentiō that lyes within for corrupting good liquour when they haue it.

And because wordes many times are as fruitelesse as addle egges, when conception is weake and without life.

If any bée so captious as for the ex∣ercise of his witte to holde me Playe, and prepare him selfe to encounter

me in any one of mine actions or in all, I must callenge the lawes of the tennis co••rt at his handes, that is to take whatsoeuer I s••nd him, right; and returne it to, faire aboue the line. Whatsoeuer he be that looketh narrowly into our Stage Playes, or considereth how, and which ways they are represented, shall finde more filthines in them, thē Players dreame off. The Law of God very straight∣ly forbids men to put on womēs gar∣ments, garments are set downe for signes distinctiue betwene s••xe & ••exe, to take vnto vs those garments that are manifest signes of another ••••xe, is to falsifie, forge, and adulterate, con∣trarie to the expresse rule of the word•• of God. Which forbiddeth it by threat∣ning a curse vnto the same.

* 1.1All that do so are abhomination v••∣the Lord, which way I b••s••ch you shall they bée excused, that put on, not the apparrell onely, but the gate, the gestures, the voyce, the passions of a woman? All which like the wrea∣thinges, and windinge of a snake, are flexible to catch, before they speed;

and binde vppe cordes when they haue possession.* 1.2 Some there are that thinke this commaundement of God to be restrayned to them, that goe abroade in womens attyre and vse it for iugglinge, to shaddowe a∣dulterie.

These interpreters like vnto nar∣rowe mouthed vessels,* 1.3 will receyue nothing without losse, except it bee slenderly powred in a••cordinge to the straightnes of theire owne makinge. These men must vnderstande, that, that can beare noe excuse, which God condemneth, such is the integritie, vniformitie, and simplicitie of trueth y^t it is euer like it selfe, it neuer carri∣eth two faces in one hoode, that thinge is no where, nor a•• any time lawfull by the word of God which is not euer, and euery where lawfull.

Though the heathen Philosophers which knew not the trueth, because they were ignorant in God the fountaine of trueth accor••ing to theire owne fācies held one thing to be some∣time good, & sometimes ••••••il: yet will not God be mocked w^t Philosophers

dreames. Whatsoeuer he simply pro∣nounceth, euill, can neuer be conditio∣nally good and lawfull. I trust they will not haue God which is y^e Author of all wisdome, al learning, all artes, to be ruder in setting downe to his peo∣ple the precepts of life, then Philoso∣phers are to giue to their scholers y^e pre¦cepts of arte. They study in teaching of theire auditours, to write generally and vniuersally, and shall God in his tables be tyed to specifications, parti∣cularities, and exceptions? no, no, the same God that saith thou shalt not co∣uet thy neighbours wife, saith thou shalt in no place, & at no time couet her; he y^• forbibiddeth thée to steale, cōman∣deth that thou neuer steale; and he that chargeth thée not to put on womens garments, chargeth thée in no place, and neuer to put thē on. Neuertheles we will wade somewhat further in this point, and sée whether by y^e Philo∣sophers them selues it may be suffred. I trust they wil graunt me that euery lye is sinne, for the deuill is the father of all lyes,* 1.4 as oft as euer he lyeth, he speaketh of his owne. Aristotle in the

thickest fogge of his ignorance concer∣ning God, pronounceth a lye to bee naught of it selfe, and to be fled. Let vs therefore consider what a lye is, a lye is,* 1.5 Actus cadens super indebi∣tam materiam, an acte executed where it ought not. This acte is di∣scerned by outward signes, euery man must show him selfe outwardly to be such as in deed he is. Outward signes consist eyther in words or gestures, to declare our selues by wordes or by gestures to be otherwise then we are, is an act executed where it should not, therefore a lye.

The profe is euident, the consequēt is necessarie, that in Stage Playes for a boy to put one the attyre, the ge∣sture, the passions of a woman; ••or a meane person to take vpon him the ti∣tle of a Prince with counterfeit porte, and traine, is by outwarde signes to shewe them selues otherwise then they are, and so with in the compasse of a lye, which by Aristotles iudgement is naught of it selfe and to be fledde.* 1.6 Some other there are that take grea∣ter occasion of stumbling at Gregory

Naziancen, Bucchanan, & such like, than euer those famous men did offer. It cannot bée denied that Gregory Naziancen one of the fathers of the Church, wrote a Playe of Christe; Bucchanan wrote an other of Iohn Baptist, to what ende? To be Plaid vpon Stages? neither Players nor their friendes are able to proue it.

How thē? As the beginning of poe∣trie in the bookes of Moses,* 1.7 & Dauid, was to sett downe good matter in nū∣bers, that the sweetenesse of the one might cause the other to continue, and to bee the déeper imprinted in the mindes of men: So Naziancen and Bucchanan perceiuing the corruption of the Gentiles, to avoyde that which is euill, and yet keepe that which is good, according to the true vse of Poe∣trie, penned these bookes in numbers with interloquutions dialoguewise, as Plato and Tullie did their Philoso∣phy, to be reade, not be played. For Naziancen detesting the corrup∣tion of the Corpus Christi Playes that were set out by the Papis••es, and inueighing against thē, thought it bet∣ter

to write the passion of Christ in nū¦bers him s••lfe, that all such as delight in numerositie of speach might reade it, not beholde it vpon the Stage, where some base fellowe that ••laide Christe, should bring the person of Christ into contempt.

So Bucchananus wrote his playe of Iohn Baptist for the kinge of Scots to reade, that beholding therein, the practise of Parasits in Herods court, The Tyranny of Herod powred out vpon the messenger of the Lord, & the punishment that followed: He might learne to gouerne his owne house, and beware what entrea••••e he giues to the Prophettes of God.

If it shoulde bee Plaied, one must learne to trippe it like •• Lady in t••e finest fashion, another ••••st haue time to whet his minde vnto tyranny that he may giue l••••e to the picture hee present••th, whereby they l••a•••••• to counterfeit, and so to sinne. There∣fore whatsoeuer such playes as con∣teine good matter, are 〈◊〉〈◊〉 out 〈◊〉〈◊〉, may be 〈◊〉〈◊〉 profite, but cannot be playd, wit••out i•• ma••ifest brea••h of

Gods cōmaundement.* 1.8 Let the Au∣thor of the playe of playes & pastimes, take heede how he reasō y^e actiō, pronū∣tiation, agility of body are y^e good gifts of God.* 1.9 Ergo plaies cōsisting of these cannot be euill. The argument is faul∣ty, and followes not, for so might the Adulterer defend himselfe: the pricke of desire is naturally giuen vnto man by God, all sortes of apparell are his bles∣sings, Ergo to couet another mās wife, to put on the apparell of a womā can∣not be euill. Notwithstanding the one hath so little substance to vtter it selfe, the other so fewe sinewes in it, to giue it strength, that neither of both is to be allowe•••• Action, pronuntiatiō, apparel, agility, musicke, seuerally considered are the good blessings of God, nothing hurtfull of their owne nature, yet be∣ing boūd vp together in a bundle, to set out the pompe, the plaies, the inuētiōs of the Diuell, it is abhominable in the sight of God, & not to be suffred among Christiās, Euery streame hath a taste of the spring from whence it flowes, sweete or sower; euery branch is par∣taker of the quality of the ti••e wheron

it grewe, hote or cold; and euery play to y^e worldes end, if it be presented vp on the Stage, shall carry that brand on his backe to make him knowne, which the deuil clapt on, at the first be∣ginning, that is, idolatrie. The Godly can neuer like of that which in a dia∣meter is opposit to the crosse of Christ, whosoeuer is in the way of God behol∣deth no vanity, the perfect way of God is Christ, and shall we that professe y^e name of Christ be••old this vanitie? The preparation of Stages, appar∣rell, & such like as setteth out our plaies in shewes of pompe & state, is it that we wonder and gaze at, by Tullie it is flouted and laught to scorne, y^e state∣lynes of the preparation drownes y^e delight which the matter affords, ther∣fore he doubteth not but Marius could very willingly absent himselfe from it, what delight (saith he) hath the sight at 600. mules in Clytemnestra;* 1.10 or 3000. cuppes in the Troian horse, or varietie of footemen & horsmen in some skirmish, those things y^t made y^e cōmon people wonder, would ha•••• broght n•• ••elight at al to thée. Macrin{us} succeding

Antonius in the Romane empyre, & being at Antioche, gaue him selfe dai¦ly to beholding Playes, for which hee grewe into contempte among all his friendes,* 1.11 and is noted of infamy by He¦rodian.

The waste of expences in these spec∣tacles that scarce last like shooes of browne paper, the pulling on, and this study to prancke vp thēselues to please our eies, was longe agoe cōdemned by the heathē Cato, whose opiniō is regi∣stred to be this, that such carefulnes of our bodies, is a carelesnes of our ver∣tues. Shall Tullie, Herodian, Cato condemne this glittering, this pompe, this diligēce in setting foorth of plaies, for vanity, for wantonnes, for negli∣gence of honesty: and shall wee that ••••ūte of the law, of the Prophets, of y^e gospel, of God himselfe, so looke, so gaze, so gape vpō plaies, that as men y^t stare on the head of Maedusa & are turned to stones, wee freeze vnto yse in our owne follies? If the liues and exam∣ples of these heathēs haue no force to moue vs, whose wisedome when wee consider it, was so great, that they

coulde not bee deceiued in so plaine a case; whose vertu••s so notable, y^t they despised these vnsemely gaudes which y^e skumme of all people haue in admira∣tion; whose gouernment so politique, that riot and excesse was seuerely pu∣nished; yet let the commaundements of our God which are autentike; let the care of our soules that shall be iudged; let the thr••atnings of him that detesteth hipocrisie, pompe and vani∣tie, so strike our heartes, that we tremble & shi••er at the remembrāce of folly past, & gather vp our wittes vnto amending. Haue we sinned with the Gentiles in representinge of theire Playes? let vs learne with true Chri∣stians to abolish them, it is incident to euery man to fall, proper to the gracelesse to continue it, carry no saile against the winde, chaunge of course is a safe ••hade vnto the penitent.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Exod.
• * 1.2

  Obiection.
• * 1.3

  Answe••e.
• * 1.4

  Matthew. ••••••ico. ••. cap. 7.
• * 1.5

  Aqui part. Theolo. 2. Q. C X art. ••
• * 1.6

  Obiect.
• * 1.7

  Aunswere.
• * 1.8

  Obiection.
• * 1.9

  Answere
• * 1.10

  Epist. ad Maur.
• * 1.11

  Lib. ••.