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BVt those wicked spirits, whō these mē take to be gods, were desirous to haue such beastly stories spred abroad of thē, (though they themselues had neuer acted any such thing) only to keep mens mindes inueigled in such bestiall opini∣ons, as it were in snares, or nets, and by that meanes to draw them to predestinate
damation for company: whether it bee true that such men as those that loue to liue in errors, doe select for gods, did themselues commit any such things (for which the diuills set themselues out to be adored, by a thousand seuerall trickes of hurtfull deceite:) or that there were no such things done at all, but onely, those malicious and suttle diuills doe cause them to bee faigned of the gods, to the end that there might bee sufficient authoritie, deriued as it were from heauen to earth, for men to commit all filthinesse by. Therefore the Grecians, seeing that they had such gods as these to serue, thought it not fit to take away any li∣berty from the Poets in vsing these stage-mockes and shames: •…•…dt is they did either for feare least their gods should bee prouoked to anger against them, in case they went about to make themselues into more honest moulds then they were, and so seeme to preferre themselues before them; or els for desire to bee made like their gods, euen in these greatest enormities. And from this imagi∣ned conuenience came it, that they hold the very (a) actors of such plaies, to bee worthy of honours in their Cities. For in the same booke Of the Common-wealth; (b) Aeschines, of Athens, an (c) eloquent man, hauing beene an Actor of Tra∣gedies in his youth, is sayd to haue borne office in the Common-wealth. And Aristodemus (d) another actor of Tragedies was sent by the Athenians vpon an Embassage to Phillip, about especiall and weighty affaires of warre and peace. For they held it an vnmete thing (seeing they saw their gods approue of those actions, and artes of playing,) to repute those worthy of any note of infamy, that were but the actors of them.
THe very (a) actors] Aemilus Probus speaking of the Greekish fashions saith. In those coun∣tries it was no disgrace for any man to come vpon the stage, and set himselfe as a spectacle to the people: which wee hold for partly infamous, and partly base and vnworthy of an honest man. (b) Aeschines] An •…•…rator of Athens, enemie to Demosthenes hee acted Tragedies vpon the stage. And therefore Demosthenes in his Oration de Corona calles him 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, An apish trage∣dian, * 1.1 or a tragicall ape. Quintilian saith hee was Hypocrita, that is Histrio, a stage-plaier. Plutarche (in 10. Rhetoribus) saith hee was an Actor of Tragedies: So saith Philostratus also in his booke De sophistis, and that he did not leaue his country through con∣straint, or banishment, but beeing iudged to bee ouercome in a contention by •…•…tesiphon, hee went away vnto Alexander, who as then was Emperor of Asia: but hearing that hee was dead before he came at him, hee bent his course for Rhodes, and liking the sweet aptnesse vnto study that that soile afforded, hee settled himselfe there. Aeschines himselfe in an Epistle hee wrote to the Athenians, seemes to affirme, that hee had giuen ouer his stage-playing before hee bore any place in the Common-wealth (c) an eloquent man] That hee was most eloquent, is most plaine: as also that his voice was sweete, and full: and some there are that asigne him next dignity vnto Demosthenes: nature gaue him more worth then industry: Some say hee was scholler vnto no man: but of a sudden from a scribe hee became an oratour, and that his first oration was against Phillip of Macedon: and hereby hee got such fauor and credite amongst the people, that they sent him Embassadour to the same King. Others asigne him Plato, and Isocrates for his Maisters, and some Leodamas: This Rhodian Rhetorik•…•…; was a certaine meane, betweene the Asian and the Athenian. Aeschines inuented and taught it in his schoole at Rhodes after his retirement thether (d) Aristodemus another actor] This man as Demosthenes writeth, went Embassadour to King Philippe with Demosthenes himselfe, and Aeschines. This * 1.2 is hee, who, when Demosthenes asked him what fee hee had for pleading, answered, a talent: I but (quoth Demosthenes) I had more for holding of my tongue. Critolaus repor∣teth this.
Aschines.
Aristode∣mus.