CHORVS.
YOu have seene now Christian Readers, the severall bitter fruits, and pernicious effects of Stage-playes,
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.
About this Item
- Title
- 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.
- Author
- Prynne, William, 1600-1669.
- Publication
- London :: Printed by E[dward] A[llde, Augustine Mathewes, Thomas Cotes] and W[illiam] I[ones] for Michael Sparke, and are to be sold at the Blue Bible, in Greene Arbour, in little Old Bayly,
- 1633.
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- Subject terms
- Theater -- England -- Moral and ethical aspects -- Early works to 1800.
- Cite this Item
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"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." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A10187.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 2, 2024.
Pages
Page [unnumbered]
most copiously anatomized in the precedent Act: and certainely uif ever any tree were discovered to be evill by its evill fruits, then Stage-playes, (whose variety of evill products surmounts all others) must be as bad, if not farre worse, then any. The fruits of Stage-playes (as is evident by the premises) are bad in respect of God, whom they sundry wayes dishonour: bad, in re∣gard of Church and State, whom they exceedingly pre∣judice and corrupt; bad in regard of the Composers. Actors, Spectators, and upholders of them, whose sinnes they multiply, whose manners they corrupt, whose time they wast, whose mindes they effeminate and de∣prave, whose hearts they harden, whose soules they contaminate, whose repentance they anticipate or de∣ferre, whose lusts they foster, whose damnation they hasten, whose everlasting torments they accumulate, and without repentance really procure. As therefore we tender the honour, love, and worship of our graci∣ous God; the happinesse, the welfare of our Church and State, the purity, tranqnility, salvation of our owne poore soules, of the soules of our brethren, our posterity•• which succeede us: Let us henceforth passe in irrepea∣lable sentence of condemnation against all popular Stage-playes, and bid an everlasting farewell to them; that so wee may avoyd these severall cursed fruits, and dangerous con••equences which they alwayes constant∣ly produce, together with all these imminent plagues and judgements which now without your speedy re∣pentance they are likely to pull downe on us, both to our temporall and eternall ruine.
Notes
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u
Matth 7.16.17, 18, 19, 20.
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See Act 6. thorowout.
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Citius ad precem judex flectitur, si à pravitate sua petitor corri∣gatur. Immi∣nente ergo t••ntae animad∣versionis gladio nos importunis flectibus insi••tamus. Qui simul omnes peccavimus, simul omnes mala quae fecimus, deploremus; ut districtus Iudex dum culpas nostras nos punire considerat, ipse à sententiae propositae damnationis parcat. Greg. Magnus. Epist ex Registro. lib. 11. cap. 3. Indict. 6. fol. 252. C.D.