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 VNDECIMA.

THe 11. fruit of popular Stage-playes, is this; that [ 11] they fill mens mouthes with idle, frothie, scurri∣lous, lewde, prophane discourses, complements, Histo∣ries, Songs, Iests, r 1.1 which are odious unto God, yea execrable to all chaste, all modest Christians. Stage-playes s 1.2 are the Lectures, the Marts, the common treasuries of all ribal∣dry, scurrility, prophanesse; which furnish their Actors, their Auditors with such plentifull variety of corrupt, irreligious, atheisticall, unchristian and gracelesse dis∣courses, which they communicate to others upon all oc∣casions, that they scarce ever speake of holy things. This Ovid himselfe confesseth; informing us; t 1.3 that men sing those ribaldrous songs, and utter those amorous verses, discourses at home, which they have learned at the Play-house. What Se∣neca writes of the words of flatterers and lewde compa∣nions, I may well apply to Actors. u 1.4 Their speeches doe much hurt. For if they doe men no present harme, yet they leave the seeds of evill in their mindes, and an evill afterwards to a∣rise, followes them even then when as they are departed from them. For as those who heare some pleasant consort carry away with them the sweetnesse of the song in their eares, which hin∣ders their thoughts, and suffers them not to be intent upon seri∣ous

things: so the obscenities of Stage-players (x 1.5 which men are aptest to remember, as most agreeable to their lusts, where as they are extraordinary forgetfull of all the good they heare) sticke longer by men then whiles they heare them. Neither is it an easie matter to shake their pleasant sound out of their mindes: for it followes them, it stayes with them, and recoiles backe againe into their mindes and tongues after some little space. Therefore the eares are to be kept shut against such evill speeches, and that verily against the very first: for when they have made a beginning and gotten entrance, they will make a further attempt. y 1.6 Lactantius, z 1.7 Chrysostome, a 1.8 Clemens A∣lexandrinus, and b 1.9 BB. Babington informe us; That Play-haunters carry away with them the Idaeaes and similitudes of the lewde representations they behold in Stage-playes, which sinke deepe into their mindes; that they sucke in the venome of Stage-playes with great delight, & practise the speeches, the con∣vayances of love, which there they see and learne: And having once polluted their speech with the language of the Theater; (for I will never, writes BB. Babington, call it polishing,) they are never better then when they have company to bestow their tales, and Stage-greetings upon: And for this reason among others, they dislike of Stage-playes. As these recited Authors, so our owne experience can suffragate to the truth of this effect: For who so vaine, so frothie, so prophane, so atheisticall, blasphemous, lascivious, scurrilous; who lesse holy, gracious, or edifying in their ordinary discourses, then Players and Play-haunters? * 1.10 whose tongues are tipt with oathes, execrations, ri∣baldry, lascivious tales, amorous songs, wanton histo∣ries, unseemely jests, adulterous insinuations, invective taunts and scoffes against holinesse, sobriety, chastity, modesty, grace, and goodnesse; with the very language of the Stewes, of Atheists, of Pagans, not of Christians. Seldome shall you heare from such mens mouthes any religious discourses, any conference of God, of Christ, of the Scriptures, of grace, of glory, of practical divinity, of sin, of faith, of repentance, of the meanes or signes of

grace and salvation, any praysing or blessing of God for his mercy to us in his Sonne; any bewayling of their owne sinfull conditions, or of thei•• slavery under sinne: any exhortation unto goodnesse; any dissuations from any sinne; or the like; c 1.11 the principall things that Christi∣ans should conferre off: Their tongues are so accustomed to the theames, the flattering Eloquence, and phrases of the Theater; so taken up with the relations of the things they heare or see at Stage-playes; that they cannot relish the d 1.12 language of Canaan, the dialect of Heaven, * 1.13 nor brooke the Scripture phrase, (whose plainesse they deride and scorne:) much lesse can they spare any vacant time to habituate their unholy lips, to season their f 1.14 uncircumci∣sed hearts and eares, with holy conference. It is Gods owne command to Christians: g 1.15 That they should put a∣way all vaine, all evill speaking: that no corrupt communicati∣on should proceed out of their mouthes, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may administer grace to the hea∣rers: h 1.16 That fornication and all uncleanesse should not be so much as once named among them, as becommeth Saints: Nei∣ther filthinesse, nor foolish talking, nor iesting, which are not convenient, but rather giving of thankes. i 1.17 That their speech should be alwayes gracious seasoned with salt: k 1.18 And that his Words and his Commandements should be alwayes in their hearts; to teach them diligently unto their Children: to talke of them (not of Play-house passages, or such vaine fruit∣lesse trifles) when they sit in their houses, and when they walke by the way, and when they lie downe, and when they rise up: that they should binde them for a signe upon their hands, and that they should be as frontlets betweene their eyes: and that they should write them upon the posts of their house, and upon their gates; that so they might l 1.19 meditate and discourse of them day and night upon all occasions. But alas our Stage-playes

incorporate themselves so firmely, m 1.20 and sinke so deepe into our Actors and Play-h••••nters mindes, that they quite invert these sacred precepts; suppressing those hea∣venly Christian conferences which they command; reviving and advancing those vaine lascivious discour∣ses which they prohibite. This the fore-quoted Au∣thors; this present experience testifie. Wherefore I shall end this Scene with this short Syllogisme, being a 37. Argument against Stage-playes.* 1.21

Those things which banish all holy conferences, all pious discourses out of their Actors and Specta∣tors mouthes, and furnish them with all variety of idle, vaine, unprofitable, lascivious, scurrilous, pro∣phane, atheisticall, irreligious phrases, Play-house conferences, and Stage-discourses, must question∣lesse bee unlawfull, yea abominable unto Christi∣ans: as the alleadged Scriptures testifie.

But this doe Stage-playes; as the premises and ex∣perience manifest.

Therefore they must questionlesse bee unlawfull, yea abominable unto Christians.

Notes

• r 1.1

  Ephes. 4.29. cap. 5.3.4. Psal. 45.2.
• s 1.2

  See Act 3. Scene 1. & Act 7. Scene 3.4.
• t 1.3

  Illic & can∣rant quicquid dedicêre thea∣tris. Inde joci veteres obscae∣naque verba canuntur. Nec res hac Veneri gratior ulla fuit. Ovid Fasto∣rum. l. 3 p 51.55
• u 1.4

  Horū sermo multum nocet. Nam etiam si non statim of∣sicit, semina in animo relinquit, sequitur{que} nos etiam cum ab illis discesserimus, resurrecturū postea malū. Quemadmodū qui audierunt symphoniam ferunt secum in auribus modulati∣onem, ac dulcedinem cantus, quae cogitationes impedit, nec ad seria patitur intendi: sed adulatorum & prava laudantium sermo diutius haeret quàm auditur: nec facile est, ••nimo dul••em sonū excutere, prosequitur & durat, & ex interuallo recurrit. Ideo claudendae sunt aures malis vocibus, & quidem primis; nam cum initium secerunt, admissae{que} sunt, plus audent. Seneca Epist. 123.
• x 1.5

  Discit enim citius, memi∣nit{que} libenti∣us illud Quod quis deridet, quā quod pro∣bat & venere∣tur. Horace. Epist. l. 2. Ep. 1. p. 286. See here, pag. 424.
• y 1.6

  De Vero Cultu. c. 20.21.
• z 1.7

  Homil. De David. & Saule Tom. 1. Col. 510. D. See here p. 424.
• a 1.8

  Paedagogi. lib 3. cap. 11.
• b 1.9

  Exposition on the 7. Com∣mandement. pag. 67.
• * 1.10

  See The 3. Blast of Re∣trait from Playes & The∣aters; and Ma∣ster Gosson, his Schoole of A∣buses, & Playes Confuted: to this purpose.
• c 1.11

  Deut. 6.6, 7, 8, 9. Psal. 71.24 Psal. 77.11, 12. Psal. 105.1, 2. Psal. 119.13, 16.27. Psal. 145.10, 11, 12. Psal. 9.11. Psal. 22.22, 31. Psal. 66.16, 17. Psal. 2••.7.
• d 1.12

  Isay 19.18.
• * 1.13

  Assueti enim dulcibus & po∣litis, siv•• orati∣onibus, sive carminibus divinarum lit∣terarum sim∣plicem com∣munemque sermonem pro sordido, asper∣nantur. Id e∣nim quaerunt quod sensum demulceat. La∣ctantius De Ve∣ro Cultu. cap. 21. Ita{que}, miser ego lecturus Tullium, jeju∣nabam, post noctium cre∣bras vigilias, post l••chrymas, quas mihi praeteritorum recordatio peccatorum ex imis visceribus eruebat; Plautus sumebatur in manus, si quando in memetipsum reversus, Prophetas legere caepissem, sermo horrebat incultus. Hi••rom. Epist. 22. cap. 13.
• f 1.14

  Ier. 9.25, 26.
• g 1.15

  Ephes. 4.29, 31.
• h 1.16

  Ephes. 5.3, 4.
• i 1.17

  Col. 4.6.
• k 1.18

  Deut. 6.6, 7, 8, 9. c. 11.18, 19.20.
• l 1.19

  Psal. 1.1, ••.
• m 1.20

  Persuadet enim quicquid suave e••t, & a∣nimo penitus dum delectat, infidet. Lactan∣tius, De Vero Cultu. cap. 21.
• * 1.21

  Argument 37.