which Nasica did wisely hold fit to be fore-seene and preuented, by not condis∣cending to the abolishing of so strong, so powerfull, and so ritch a citty of their enemies: thereby to keepe luxurie in awfull feare: that so it might not become exorbitant, and by that meanes also couetousnesse might be repressed. Which two vices once chained vp, vertue (the citties supporter) might flourish, and a liberty befitting this vertue might stand strong. And hence it was, out of this most circumspect zeale vnto his country, that your said high Priest, who was chosen by the Senate of those times for the best man, without any difference of voices, (a thing worthy of often repetition) when the Senate would haue built (a) a Theater, disswaded them from this vaine resolution: and in a most graue oration, perswaded them not to suffer the (b) luxurie of the Greekes to creepe into their olde conditions, nor to consent vnto the entrie of forraigne corrup∣tion, to the subuersion and extirpation of their natiue Romaine perfection, working so much by his owne onely authoritie, that the whole bench of the iu∣dicious Senate being moued by his reasons, expresly prohibited the vse of (c) those mooueable seates which the Romaines began as then to vse in the behold∣ing of Playes. How earnest would hee haue beene to haue cleansed the citie of Rome of the (d) Playes themselues, if hee durst haue opposed their authoritie whom he held for Gods, being ignorant that they were malitious Diuels: or if hee knew it, then it seemes hee held that they were rather to bee pleased, then despised. For as yet, that heauenly doctrine was not deliuered vnto the world, which purifying the heart by faith, changes the affect, with a zealous piety to desire and aime at the blessings of heauen, or those which are aboue the heauens, and freeth men absolutely from the slauery of those proud and vngracious Deuills.
L. VIVES.
BVilt a (a) Theater.] Liuie in his 48. booke, and Valerius Maximus de Instit. antiq. write that Ualerius Messala, and Cassius being Censors, had giuen order for a Theater to bee built, wherein the people of Rome might sitte and see playes. But Nasica laboured so with the Senate, that it was held a thing vnfit, as preiudiciall to the manners of the people. So by a decree of the Senate, all that preparation for the Theater was laide aside, and it was de∣creed that no man should place any seates, or sitte to behold any playes within the citie, or within a mile of the walles. And so from a little while after the third Affrican warre, vn∣till the sacke of Corinthe, the people beheld all their playes standing, but as then Lucius Memmius set vp a Theater for the Playes at his Triumph, but it stood but for the time that this triumph lasted. The first standing Theater Pompey the Great built at Rome of square stone (as Cornelius Tacitus writeth, lib. 14.) the modell whereof hee had at Mytilene, in the Mithridatique warre. Cauea here in the text, signifieth the middle front of the Thea∣ter, which afterward was diuided into seates for the Gentlemen, seuered into rankes and galleries. Some-times it is taken for the whole audience, as Seruius noteth vpon the eight of the Aeneads. (b) The luxurie of the Greekes,] the Grecians had Theaters before the Romaines many ages, and the very Greeke name prooues that they came first from Greece. For Theater is deriued of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which is, spectare, to behold. (c) Those moueable seates] standing but for a time. For such Theaters were first in vse at Rome before the standing, the continuing Theaters came in and were made with mooueable seates, as Tacitus saith, and the stage built for the present time. (d) The Playes themselues] Such as were presented vpon the Stage: whereof, in the next booke we shall discourse more at large.