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 QVARTA.

FOurthly, as the grosse effeminacie,* 1.1 even so the palpable vanitie, the ridiculous folly of acting Playes; doth ma∣nifest them to be evill; as this nineteenth Play-affronting Argument will evince.

That whose very action, in its best acception, is but ridi∣culous folly and vanity, l 1.2 must certainly be vnseemely, yea, unlawfull unto Christians.

But such is the very action of Stage-playes.

Therefore, they must certainly be unseemely, and un∣lawfull unto Christians.

The Major is evident: First, because the Scriptures con∣demne m 1.3 all vanity, and n 1.4 follie; together with o 1.5 all vaine, all foolish actions, persons, speeches, words, gestures, as dangerous, and pernicious evils, p 1.6 which draw men by degrees to greater sinnes, q 1.7 to serious mischiefes; commanding men with all * 1.8 not to returne againe to folly, s 1.9there being wickednesse and

madnesse in it,t 1.10 to abandon-folly and vanities, which v 1.11 promote not the eternall beatitude of their soul••s: x 1.12 to depart from the presence of a foolish man, when as they perceive not in him the lips of knowledge. Secondly, because y 1.13 vanitie and folly are the very matter, seminaries, and seeds of sinne, of wickednesse, there z 1.14 being nothing worse then they.

The Minor, as it is evident by the concurrent testimony of the fore-quoted Fathers, Acts 3. Scene 7. so it is such an experimentall knowne truth, that it were lost labour for to prove it. For what else is the personating of the Clownes, the Fooles, the Fantastickes, the Lovers, the Di∣stracted, discontented, lascivious, furious, angry persons part, but professed vanitie, or ridiculous affected folly? Yea, what else is the whole action of Playes, but well perso∣nated a 1.15 vanity, artificiall folly, or a lesse Bedlam frenzie? He who shall seriously survay b 1.16 the ridiculous, childish, in∣confiderate, yea, mad and beastly actions, gestures, speeches, ha∣bits, prankes and fooleries of Actors on the Stage, (if he be not childish, foolish, or frentique himselfe) must needs deeme all Stage-players children, fooles, or Bedlams; since they act such parts, such pranks, yea, use such gestures, speeches, ray∣ment, complements, and behaviour in Iest, which none but children, fooles, or mad-men, doe act, or vse in earnest. There is c 1.17 ••o difference at all betweene a fool••, a fantastique, a Bedlam, a Whore, a Pander, a Cheater, a Tyrant, a Drun∣kard, a Murtherer, a Divell on the Stage (for his part is oft-times acted) and those who are such in truth, but that the former are farre worse, farre more inexcusable than the latter, because they wilfully make themselves that in sport, to foment d 1.18 the more then childish folly, of some vaine

Spectators, which these others are, perchance from naturall necessity, or at least from colourable grounds? e 1.19 Flendas dixerim, an ridendas ineptias? The foolery, the ridiculous∣nesse of acting Playes is such, that I know not whether men should more bewaile it, or deride it. Sure I am, though ••ew Spectators can finde teares to deplore the sin••ulnesse, yet most of them can afford laughter to deride the vanity, the folly of acting Playes. Since therefore * 1.20 vanitie and folly are the genuine proper objects of derision, and mens voluptuous smiles; the laughter Playes occasion, (which is their chie••est end,) is a sufficient evidence of their excessive folly; and so ground enough for Christians, for all men to condemne them as vanities, as fooleries, as g 1.21 Clemens Alexandrinus, and other Fathers doe at large declare.

And thus much for the first considerable thing in the manner of acting Stage-playes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Argument. 19.
• l 1.2

  Rerum enim ridicularum vel ridendatū potius actio∣num imitato∣res exigendi sunt à nostra republica. Cum enim verba omnia à cogi∣tatione & moribus ema∣nent, fieri non potest, vt verba aliqua emit∣tantur ridicula quae non pro∣cedunt a mo∣ribus ridiculis. Sermo ••nim est fructus cogitationis. Si ergo qui risum movent exterminandi sunt a nostra republica, longè a••est, vt nobis permittat risum movere. Ab••urdum enim esset quorum auditores esse prohibitum est, ••orum inveniri imitatores: multò autem esset ab∣surdius, studere vt ips•• sis ridiculus. Clemens Alexandr•• Paedag. l. 2. c. 5.
• m 1.3

  See Act. 3. Scene 7. Iob 7.3. c. 31.5. Prov. 30.8. Eccles. 1.2. c. 7.15. c. 9.9.
• n 1.4

  Iob 4.18. cap. 42.8. Psal. 38.5. Psal. 69.5. Prov. 5.23. c. 15.2.14. c 19.3. c. 24.9. Eccles. 1.17. c. 2.3.12••
• o 1.5

  Isay 9.17. Ier. 4.22. c. 5.4.21. Psal. 5.5. Psal. 74.18.22. Psal. 75.4. Psal. 26.4. Iudges 9.4. 2 Chron. 13.7. Prov. 12 11. c. 24.9. c. 28••19. Ezech. 13.3. 2 Sam. 13.13. c. 24.10. Lam. 2.14. Mat. 12.36, 37. ••ph. 5.4. 2 Pet. 2.8. Titus 3.9.
• p 1.6

  Si vanitatis culpa nequa∣quam cautè compescitur, ab iniquitate protinus mens in cauta devoratur. Greg. Magn•••• Moralium. l. 10. c. 13, 1••, 15. & l 21 c. 6. v••d. Ibid.
• q 1.7

  Hae nugae seria ducun•• in mal•••• H••race de Arte Poetica l. p, 312.
• * 1.8

  Psal. 85.8.
• s 1.9

  Eccles. 7.25.
• t 1.10

  See m and n.
• v 1.11

  Vane occu∣paris in his ô cor sapiens, quae vanita••es vanitatum sunt; quia tu his neque ad beatitudinem indiges, nequ•• ad immortali∣tatem. Bernar•• De Interiori Domo cap. 25.
• x 1.12

  Prou. 14.7.
• y 1.13

  Vanitates vi∣tae mancipant vitijs: mate∣ria sunt de••i∣ctorum, mini∣ster culparum, seminarium pecca••orum. Chrysost. Quod Adam pr••latus sit omni crea∣tu•••••• sermo. Tom. 1. Col. 444. C.D.
• z 1.14

  Nihil peius vanitate. A••∣brose De A∣braham. lib. 2. cap. 10.
• a 1.15

  Pantomi∣••um aspicis? vanitas est? &c. Ambrose E••ar. in Psal. 118. Oc••on. 5. He August. De C••vi••. Dei. l. 1. c. 32. stiles Playes Licentia vanitatum.
• b 1.16

  Quorsum abeant sani? creta an carbone notandi? AEdificare casas, plostello adjungere mures, Ludere par impar, equitare a••undine longa. Si q••em delectat barbatum amentia verset. Si puerilius his, de∣lirus & amens, Dictatur meritò. Quid discrepat istis histrio? Horace Sermonum. lib•• 2 Satyr. 3.
• c 1.17

  Ille sinistrorsum, hic dex••rorsum abit. Vnus vtrique error, sed varijs illu∣dit partibus; hoe to Crede modo insanum, nihilo vt sapientior ille qui de••ides. Ho∣••ace, Ibidem.
• d 1.18

  Nunc tibicinibus, nunc est gauuisa Tragaedis, Nutrice pu••lla v••lut fi¦luderet infans•• Horace Epist. l. 2. Epist. 1. p. 280.
• e 1.19

  Bernard ad Gulielmum Abbatem A∣pollog.
• * 1.20

  Stulta per se sunt ridicula: Ridiculum est etiam omne quòd apertè fingitur. Qu••nt••lian•• Instit. Orator. l. ••. ••. 4. p. 380. Quoniam lu∣dus est inter ••ucunda, & omnis remissio animi, & risus inter jucunda, necesse est eti∣am ridicula jucunda esse•• & homines, & orationes, & opera•• Aristot. Rhet••r. l. 1. c. 11 p. 81. Democri∣tus omnes derid••bat, quia dicebat omnes insaniri. AElian. Variae Histor. l. 4. c. 20.
• g 1.21

  Si enim ridiculam figuram suscipere, quemadmodum in pompis videntur nonnulli, in animum minim•• induxerim••s, quomodo internum hominem magis ridiculam sustinere ••iguram jure passi fuerimus? Et si personam nostram, non nostra quidem sponte, in ma∣gis ridiculosam vn quam converterimus, quomodo in verbis sluduerimus esse & videri ridiculi, id quod est omnium quae sunt in homine longe precio cissimum, n••mpe rationem ac sermonem ludibrio habentes? Ridiculum est ergo haec exe••cere, quando quidem nec huiusmodi ridiculorum hominum Oratio digna est quae audiatur, per haec nomina ad turpia facta assu••faciens. Paedagog•• l. 2. c. 5.