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 5 Action.

I Thinke you maru••ile why so many famous men in both vniuersi∣ties, haue made open outcries of the incon∣ueniences bredde by playes, none of thē by printing haue taken the paines to write any full dis∣couery against thē, I especially, which neither in age, wisedme, nor authority may be compared to them, with lesse learning, and more presumption, hau•• taken the charge vpon my selfe. They hold this opiniō y^t playes are not to be suffred in a Christian commonweale, but they do not throughly prosecute the same, because that finding the eares of their hearers stopte with the deafe ad∣••er, they beginne to shake the dust frō their shooes against them, and followe the coūsell of God him selfe, which bid∣deth them throwe no pearles to swine. The thing they condeme, because it is euill; they beginne to bee mute be∣cause men are obstinate in opinions.

What then? am I the boldest in all th cōpany? no. Am I more zealous thē y^t rest? God forbid I should rob any, of those titles of vertue y^t they possesse, or challēge y^t to my selfe, which is due to them. What is the reason thē y^t I dare set in my foote before the rest? Because that if any of thē shoulde write againste playes, that occupy your pulpits with learned sermons, whose knowledge & authoryty heerein is great. If I say, they shoulde speake but one worde a∣gainst y^e sléepines of Magistrats which in this case is necessary to bee touchte, they shall séeme streight to swerue from the texte, to speake without booke, and to vtter a great deale more then needs. But I, though my speach bee some∣what more free then theirs, shalbe ex∣cused for wante of iudgement•• Sith I am rawe; or for childish aspiring, sith I am yonge. Beside this, hauing once already writtē against playes, which no mā that euer wrote plaies, did, but one, wh•• hath chāged his coppy, and turne•• himself l••ke y^e dog to his vomite, to play•• againe. And being falsly accused my ••elf•• to do y^e like, it is needfull for me to write

againe. These things w^t indifferēcy cō∣sideres, will persuade the reasonable, y^• I haue takē this enterprise vpō me, not only withou•• any malepart oue••hardi∣nes, but of necessity, because my experi∣ence hath taught as much as any, and made me able to say little lesse thē any. Therfore as I haue already discouered y^• corruptiō of playes by y^• corruptiō of t••eir causes, The Efficiēt, the Matter, t••e Forme, the end, so will I cōclude y^e Effects y^t this poyson works amōg vs. The diuel is not ignorāt how mightely these outward spectacles effeminate, & sof••ē y^e hearts of mē, vice is learned w^t beholding, sēse is tickled, desire pricked, & those impressions of mind are secretly cōueyed ouer to y^e gazers, which y^e plai∣ers do coūterfeit on y^e stage. As long as we know our selues to be flesh, behol∣ding those exāples in Theat••rs y^t are in¦cidēt to flesh, wee are taught by other mēs exāples how to fall. And they that came honest to a play, may depart infec¦ted. Lactātius douteth whether any cor¦ruptiō can be greater, thē y^t which is da••¦ly bred by plaies, because y^e expressing of vice by imitation, brings vs by the

shadow, to the substance of the sams. Whereupon hes affirmeth them neces¦sary to bee banished, least wickednes be learned, or with the custome of plea∣sure, by little and little we forget God. What force there is in the gestures of Players, may bee gathered by the Tale of Bacchus, and Ariadne, whiche Xenophon reporteth to bee Played at a banquette, by a Syracu∣sian and his boy, and his dauncing Trull. In came the Syracusian not vnlike to Prologue of our Playes, discoursing the argumente of the fa∣ble, then entred Ariadne, gorgeously attyred like a Bride, and sate in the presence of them all, after came Bac∣chus dauncing to the Pipe, Ariadne perceiuing him•• though shee neither rose to meete him, nor stirred from the place to welcome him, yet she shew∣ed by her gesture that shee sate vpon thornes.

When Bacchus beh••ld her, expres∣sing in his daunce the passions of loue, he placed him selfe somewhat néere to her, and embraced her, she with an a∣morous kind of feare and strangenes, as though shee woulde thruste him

away with the litle finger, and pull him againe with both her handes, somewhat timorously, and doubtful∣ly entertained him.

At this the beholders beganne to shoute, when Bacchus rose vp, ten∣derly listing Ariadne from her seat••, no small store of curtesie passing be∣twene them, the beholders rose vp, e∣uery man stoode on tippe toe, and see∣med to houer ouer the praye, when they sware, the company sware, when they departed to bedde; the company presently was set on fire, they that were married posted home to theire wiues; they that were single, vowed very solemly, to be wedded. As the stinge of Phalangion spreadeth her poyson through euery vaine, when no hurt is seene; so amorous gesture, strikes to the heart when no skinne is raced. Therefore Cupid is painted with bowe and arrowes, because it is the propertie of lust to wound alooffe. Which being welll weighed, Sainte Cyprian had verie good cause to com∣pl••••ne, that players are spots to our manners, nouri••hers of vice, and cor∣rupters

of al things by their gestures. The godly Father knowing the pra∣ctise of playing to be so euil, and the in∣conueniences so monst••ous that gr••w thereby•• thinkes the maiestie of God to be stayned, y^• honour of his Church defaced, when players are admitted to the table of the Lord. Neither was this the opinion of Saint Cyprian a∣lone, but of the whole assembly of lear∣ned fathers in the councell held vnder Constantius the emperor.

Greate is the hardnes of our heartes when, neither fathers, nor counsels•• nor God himselfe strikes vs with any shame of that, which euery good man is ashamed to remember. Mine eyes throughly behold the manner of The∣aters, when I wrote playes my selfe, & found them to be the very markets of bawdry, where choise w^tout shame hath bene as fr••e, as it is for your money in the royall exchaung, to take a short stocke, or a longe, a falling bād, or a french ru••••e. The first building of Theaters was to rauish the Sabi∣nes, and y^• they were continued in whordome euer after, Ouide con∣••esseth

in these wordes. Scilicet ex illo solēnia more Theatra núc quo{que} formosis insidiosa manēt

As at the first, so nowe, Theaters are snares vnto faire women. And as I tould you long agoe in my school•• of abuse, our Theaters, & play houses in London, are as full of secrete adul∣terie as they were in Rome. In Rome it was the fashion of wanton yonge men, to place them selues as nigh as they could to the curtesans, to present them pomgranates, to play with their garments, and waite on them home, when the sport was done. In the play∣houses at London, it is the fashion of youthes to go first into the parde, and to carry t••eire ••ye through euery gal∣lery, thē like vnto rauens whe••e they spye the carion thither they ••ye, and press•• as ne••e to y^e farrest a•• they can. In stead of pō••granates they giue thē pippines, they dally w^t their garments to passe y^e time, they minister talke vpō ••l occasions, & eyther bring thē home to theire houses on small acquaintāce, or ••••ip into tauerns whē y^• plaies are dō••. He thinketh best of his painted sheath,

& taketh himselfe for a iolly fellow, y^• is noted of most, to be busyest w^t women in all such ••laces. This open corrup∣tion is a pricke in the eyes of them that see it, and a thorne in the sides of the godly, when they heare it. This is a poyson to beholders, and a nurseris of idelnesse to the Players.

Most of the Players haue bene ey∣ther men of occupations, which they haue forsaken to lyue by playing, or common minstrels, or trayned vp from theire childehoode to this abho∣minable exercise & haue now no other way to gete theire liuinge. A common weale is likened to the body, whose heade is the prince, in the bodie: if any part be idle, by participation the damage redoundeth to the whole, if any refuse to doe theire duetie, though they be base, as the guttes, the gall, the bladder, howe daungerous it is both to the bodie, and to the heade, euerie man is able to coniecture.

We are commaunded by God to a∣bide in the same calling wheirein we were called, which is our ordinary vocation in a commonweale. This

is the standing, which as faithfull soul∣diers we ought to kepe, till the Lord himselfe do call vs from it. Be we neuer so base or meane in the sight of men, yet k••eping our standing, liuing in our vocation, doing our duetie, we haue this comforte, that God is our captaine, God is our guide, it is giuen vs of God, yéelding our selues obedi∣ent to him, we can not but glister in his sight.

If we grudge at the wisedome of our maker, and disdaine the calling•• he hath placed vs in, aspyring some∣what higher then we shoulde, as in the body; when the feete woulde be•• armes, the armes would be eyes; the guttes would be veines, the veines would be nerues; the muscles would be flesh, the flesh would be spirit, this confusion of order weakens the head: So in a commonweale, if priuat men be suffered to forsake theire calling be∣cause they desire to walke gentleman like in sattine & veluet, w^t a buckler at theire heeles, proportion is so broken, vnitie dissolued, harmony con••••ūded, y^• the whole body must be dismembred

and the prince or the heade can not c••u••e but sicken. Wherefore I hope y^e wise will accompt it necessarie, that such as haue lefte theire occupations, eythe•• be turned to the same againe, or cut of from the body as putrified mē∣bers for infe••••ing the ••est. Let them that haue no occupation at all, aske God forgiuenes for the time so euill spent, and apply them selues spéedely to liue within the compasse of a com∣mon weale. Let them not looke to liue by playes, the litle thrift that fol∣loweth theire greate gaine, is a mani∣••••st token that God hath cursed it, that which is gotten ouer the deuils ••acke, is, spēt vnder his belly; it c••mes running, and departes flying with th•• winges of an Egle in the aire. I haue showed you loui••g countrymen y^e cor∣ruptiō & incōueniences of your pla••es, as the s••lendernes of my learnings would affor••e, being pulde from y^e v∣niuers••tie before I was ••i••e, & withe∣red in y^e countrie for want of saap••: if you prefer y^• opinion of Lodge or any such like be••ore y^e infallabe testimo••y of your own•• senses, if I which for the

loue I beare to your soules, & the du••∣tie that I owe vnto my God, haue plainly declared what I reade by stu∣dy, or finde by practise, concerning plaies, not as a picte Orator that with g••eatest skill; but as a welwiller, y^• w^t smallest ieoperdie might speake my mind; If your preachers wh••se lear∣ning's wonderful; zeale, vnspeakable; if y^e auncient fathers of y^e church, which haue lookte very narrowly into the cause & in anguish of heart set downe theire iudgement; if the counsels of fa∣thers which are not the Oracles of a∣ny one man but debated substantially by the heades of many, if the word of God, which is the finger y^t pointes you out the way, which is the trumpete y^t giueth y^• surest soūd, which is y^e square, vnto which you must be fashioned, which is the w••itten voyce of the God of Israell challenginge credit of it selfe, may not perswade ••ou to leaue your plaies, the succese of my labour wil be leane, & y^e hope of your amē••ment ster∣••ed to death: but if you be such as I take you for, glad to be taught, vnwil∣ling to perish, louers of the Gospel,

haters of libertie, champions in earth for the right of Christ, callēgers to the deuill and all his workes, no spirit of sleepe shall be muffle your eyes, no fat of sel••e will, or ignorance shall couer your heartes, no parasite shall flatter you, in your sinne, no Lodge, no playmaker, no Epicu••e, no A••heiste, shall make you to surfette with these delightes.

Playes are the inuentions of the deuil, the offrings of Idolatrie, the pompe of worldlinges, the blossomes of vanitie, the roote of Apostacy, the foode of iniquitie, ryot, and adulterie. detest them. Players are masters of vice, teachers of wantonnesse, spurres to impuritie, the Sonnes of idlenesse, so longe as they liue in this order, loath them. God is mercifull, his winges are spred to receyue you if you come betimes, God is iust, h••s bow is bent & his arrowe drawen, to sē•• you a plague, if you stay•• too longe.

FINIS.

Notes

• Lib. 6. cap.
• ••y••apoe
• Epist. lib. 2. ••••. ••.ad Dona••
• ••pist: lib: ••. ••p. 10 ad Eucrati∣••m.
• Concil: Arela∣••c••s: 2.20.
• Art. amand.