Histrio-mastix The players scourge, or, actors tragædie, divided into two parts. Wherein it is largely evidenced, by divers arguments, by the concurring authorities and resolutions of sundry texts of Scripture ... That popular stage-playes ... are sinfull, heathenish, lewde, ungodly spectacles, and most pernicious corruptions; condemned in all ages, as intolerable mischiefes to churches, to republickes, to the manners, mindes, and soules of men. And that the profession of play-poets, of stage-players; together with the penning, acting, and frequenting of stage-playes, are unlawfull, infamous and misbeseeming Christians. All pretences to the contrary are here likewise fully answered; and the unlawfulnes of acting, of beholding academicall enterludes, briefly discussed; besides sundry other particulars concerning dancing, dicing, health-drinking, &c. of which the table will informe you. By William Prynne, an vtter-barrester of Lincolnes Inne.

SCENA SEXTA.

THE 6. Objection in the defence of Stage-playes is this;* 1.1 which is as l 1.2 common as it is prophane: That Stage-playes are as good as Sermons; and that many learne as much good at a Play as at a Sermon: therefore they cannot be ill.

To this I shall answer first in the words of Mr. Phi∣lip Stubs,* 1.3 and of I. G. in his Refutation of the Apologie for Actors, p. 61. Oh blasphemy intollerable! Are ob∣scene Playes and filthy Enterludes comparable to the word of God the foode of life, and life it selfe? It is all one as if they had said; Baudry, Heathenry, Paganisme, Scurri∣litie and Divelry it selfe is equall with Gods word: or that Sathan is equipollent with the Lord. God hath ordained his word, and made it the ordinary meanes of our salvati∣on: the Divell hath inferred the other as the ordinary meanes of our destruction. God hath set his holy word and Ministers to instruct us in the way of life; the Divell instituted Playes and Actors to seduce us into the way of death. And will they yet compare the one with the other? If he be accursed, m 1.4 that calleth light dark∣nesse and darknesse light; truth falshood, and falshood truth; then à fortiori•• is hee accursed that saith, Playes and Enterludes are equivalent with Sermons, or compa∣reth

Comedies & Tragedies with the word of God; where∣as there is no mischiefe, almost, which they maintaine not. Thus they. But if Stage-playes be as good as Sermons (as many prophane ones, who heare and reade more Playes than Sermons, deeme them;) then Players cer∣tainly by the selfesame argument, are as good as Preach∣ers: and if this be so, what difference betweene Christ and Belial, Play-houses and Churches, Ministers and Actors? yea why then doe we not erect new Theaters in every Parish, or turne our Churches into Play-houses, our Preachers into Actors, since they are thus paral∣lels in their goodnesse? But what prodigious and more than stygean profanesse is there in this comparison? Who ever paralleld hell with heaven, vice with vertue, darknesse with light, Divels with Angels, dirt with gold? yet there is as great a disparity in goodnesse be∣tweene Playes and Sermons, as there is in these; the one being evermore reputed the n 1.5 chiefest happinesse, the other the * 1.6 greatest mischiefe in any Christian State. But this part of the objection is too grosse to confute, since the very naming of it is a sufficient refutation. I come therefore to the second clause: That many learne as much good at Playes, as at Sermons. And I beleeve it too; for had they ever learn'd any good at Sermons, (which would be altogether needles, if so much good∣nesse as is objected might be learn'd from Playes) they would certainly have learned this among the rest, never to resort to Stage-playes. The truth then is this; most Play-haunters learne no good at all at Sermons; not because Sermons have no goodnesse for to teach them, but because they are unapt to learne it: partly, p 1.7 be∣cause they seldome frequent Sermons, at leastwise not so oft as Playes: partly, because their eares are so dull of hearing, and their mindes so taken up with Play-house contemplations whiles they are at Church, that they mind not seriously what they heare: partly because the evill which they learne at Playes, overcomes the good they

learne at Sermons, and will not suffer it to take root with∣in them: and partly, because Playes and Sermons are so incompatible, that it is almost impossible for any man to receive any good at all from Sermons, whiles hee is a re∣sorter unto Stageplayes: Well therefore may they learne as much goodnesse from Playes as Sermons, because they never learned ought from either, but much hurt from both,q 1.8 the very word of God being a stumbling blocke, a meanes of greater condemnation, yea a savour of death unto death to such unprofitable hearers who reape no grace nor goodnesse from it. But to passe by this, if there be so much goodnesse learn'd from Playes, I pray informe me who doe learne it. If any, then either the Actors or Spectators: For the Actors, their goodnesse verily is so r 1.9 little, that it is altogether to be learnt as yet; and if ever they chance to attaine the smallest dram of grace (as they are never like to doe whiles they con∣tinue Players) it must be then from Sermons onely, not from Playes, which make them every day worse and worse, but cannot possibly make them better. For the Spectators, they can learne no good at all from Playes, because (as s 1.10 Isiodor Pelusiota long since resolved it) Players and Stageplayes can teach thē none. Never heard or read I yet of any whom Stage-playes meliorated or taught any good: all they can teach them, all they learne from th••m is but some scurrill jests, some witty obsce∣nities, some ribaldry ditties, some amorous wanton complements, some fantastique fashions, some brothel-house Courtshippe to wooe a strumpet, or to court a whore: these are the best lessons these schooles of vice and lewdnesse teach, or these their schollers learne: I shall therefore close up this objection with that of t 1.11 Mr. Stubs and u 1.12 I. G. in their forequoted places. If you will learne to doe any evill, skilfully, cunningly, covert∣ly or artificially, you neede goe no other where than to the Theatre. If you will learne falshood, cosenage, indirect dealing•• if you will learne to deceive, to play the hypo∣crite,

sycophant, parasite and flatterer: if you will learne to cogge, lie and falsifie; to jest, laugh, and fleere; to grin, nodde, and mow; to play the vice, to curse, sweare, teare, and blaspheme both heaven and earth in all kindes and di∣versities of oathes: if you will learne to play the bawd or curtesan; to pollute your selfe, to devirginate maides, to deflowre wives, or to ravish widdowes by enticing them to lust: if you will learne to drabbe and stabbe, to murther, kill and slay; to picke, steale, rob and rove: if you will learne to rebell against Princes, closely to carry treasons, to consume treasures, to practise idlenesse, to sing and talke of filthy love and venery; to deride, quippe, scorne, scoffe, mocke and floate; to flatter and smooth: to play the Divel, the swaggerer, the whoremaster, the glutton, the drun∣kard, the injurious or incestuous person; if you will learne to become proud, haughty and arrogant: Finally, if you will learne to contemne God and all his lawes, to care nei∣ther for heaven nor hell, and to commit all kinde of sinne and mischiefe with secrecie and art, you neede not goe to any other schooles: for all these good examples may you see painted before your eyes in Enterludes aud Playes. These, and these onelie are the great good instructions that either Actours or Spectatours learne from Stage-plaies; which make them fit schollers only for the Di∣vel, and traine them up for hell, x 1.13 where all Play-house goodnesse (unlesse God grants mercie and sincere repen∣tance) ever ends.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Object. 6.
• l 1.2

  See Mr. Stubs his Anatomy of Abuses, p. 104. & I.G. his Refutation of the Apology for Actors, p. 60, 61.
• * 1.3

  Answ. 1.
• m 1.4

  Isay 5.20.
• n 1.5

  Rom. 15.29. Luke 2.10, 11
• * 1.6

  See Act. 6. Scene 5.
• p 1.7

  See Act. 6. Scene 12. & 20 throughout.
• q 1.8

  Luke 2.34. Rom. 9.32, 33. 2 Cor. 2.15, 16, Heb. 6.7, 8.
• r 1.9

  See Act. 4. Scene 1.
• s 1.10

  Scenici nec unquam eos qui delinquant cor••igere in a∣nimum indu∣cunt, ne•• si ve∣lint, id possint. Mimica enim eorum ars na∣tura tantum∣modo ad no∣cendum com∣parata est. Epist. l. 3. Ep. 336. Bibl. Pa••r. Tom. 5. pars 2 p. 613. A
• t 1.11

  Anatomy of Abuses, p. 104, 10••.
• u 1.12

  Refutation of the Apology for Actors, p. 60, 61, 62.
• x 1.13

  See Act. 6. Scen. 12. & 20.