THE 7 CHAPTER

Mynstrels, or common Players of Instrumentes being men unprofitable to a cômonweale, were neuer in old time paste holden

worthy of Priuîledge, or place of Townes men but with Puppet players, and Ënterluders, were reputed infamous, because they are Ministers of yaine pleasures enchaunting mens eares with poysoned songes, and with idie and efieminate pastimes corrupt noble wittes...

Ail Stages Ilayes, and Enterluders, Puppet shewes, and carelesse Boyes(as we call thein)with ail their sortes of people,whose priueipall ende is in fipeding the worlde with sightes and fonde pastimes, and Jugling in good earnest the money ont of other mennes purses into their owne hande, haue been alwayes noted of infamie euen in Rome, where, yet was libertie enogh to take pleasure in publike sportes. In the primitive Church they were cast ont from the communion of Ghristians, and neuer remitted untyll they had performed publike penaunce... Be it that by such people sometimes, may be expressed matter morall, and Christian doctrine : yet their good instruction is so corrupted with lestures of scurilitie, enterlaced with uncleane andWhorelike speache, that it is not possible to drawe any profite ont of the Doctrine of their Spirituall moralities. For that as they exihibite under laughing that which ought to bee taught & receyued seriouslye : so of niany thatgoo to assist them, thougli some are made merye in minde, yet none come awaye reformed in manners : being also an order indécent and intoUerable, to suiTer holy thinges to be handled by men so prophane, anddefiledby interposition ofdissolute wordes : which is as ifyou should suffer fayre and precious Jewells to bee set in quagmiers or lowle soyles : For my part I doubt not but it is a sinnc against the first table as well for that there is

contempt of that that is good, as aiso in place tohonor God, hisname istaken in vaine & many holye wordes recited without thought to dispose them once to edify : Great then is theerrour of the magistrate to geue sufferaunce to thèse Players, whether they be Minstrels, or Enterludours who on a scaffbld, Babling vaine newes to the sclauder (slander) of the world, put there in scofHng the vertues of honest men...: there often times are blowen abroade the Publike and secreete vices of men, sometlmes shrowded under honourable Personage, withe infinité other oiTences.

What impietye can be greater then thus to prophane the Sabboth daye... and what worse example in a commonweale then to turn other days of honest trauel into exercises wherein is learned nothing but abuses : yea what somptuous préparation apeareth in those playes to do honour to Satan, what vaine expensesprodigally and wickedlye employed, where would not be seene the hundreth part of such providence if there were question to releevethe extreeme necessity of the poore : How many yong men returne from thenceenflamed to whoredome? howe many Maides, côming thither with chast hearts, are seene to returne with corrupt wil euen ready to put it to eflect if the occasiô ofTered ? what man hath been euer so much profited by them, who (in his conscience) returned not in worse estate then when he went ? To be short, how often is the Maiestie of God offended in those twoo or three howres that those Playes endure, bolh by wicked wordes, and blasphemye, impudent Jestures, doubtful sclaunders, unchaste songes, and also by corruption of the willes of the Players and the assistauntes.

Let no man obiect heare that by thèse publike Plaies^ many for-

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beare to doo euill, for feare to bee publikely reprehôded, for whiche cause it is 8ayde,lheywere tollerated in Borne where euen the Ëraperours were touched though they were there in présence : Forit maye bee aunswered first, that in such disguised Plaiers geuen over to ail sortes of dissolucion, is not found a wii to do good, seeing they care lor nothing lesse then vertue : Secondlye that is not the meane to correct sinne : for that if it be secreete, it ought not to bee reuealed, but reformed by such meanes as Jésus Christ alloweth in his Gospell : and if by the Magistrate, why doth not the Bishop rebuke it publikely, and excommunicate the partye, if he protest not open penaunce : wherein (in defaulte of the Bishoppe)or if the offence be Ciuili the ofBcers ofthe Prince ought to pursue the correction, being for suche purposes speciallye instituted...

. . . Heare Ireproove not the Plaies of scollers in actions of comédies and tragédies, côroon and Christian, wherein in exercise oi moral doctrines, & much lesse of the hystorye of the Bible exhibited for good instructions & exhortacions to vertue, and by which they are prepared to a boldnesofspeache in ail honourable assemblies, enhabling their tong^es to readye and wel disposed éloquence. Such plaies are farre from meritof blâme, speciallyif they hold no comixture with the superstitions ofthe gentiles, nor other by ye Gods & Goddesses, which oftôtimes is performed in the name oflupiler, pertake nothing with the lascivious iestures & mirthof the Pag ans, More praiseworthy are the Plaies of scollers, if in theyr déclamations they ascribe rebuke to vice & give praise to vertue, contending alwaies in the côtroversy of learning as by disputation and compositiô... (p. i4i2-i/i6).

I wish that in place of Daanses at mariage, the time were supplied with some Comical or historical show of the auncient mariages of Abraham and Sara oïlsaac & /?e/>ecca and of the twoo Tobies and theyr Wiues, matters honest and tending much to edify the assistauntes. (p. i4o).

Vu

et permis d'imprimer

Le Vice Recteur de l'Académie de Paris,

GatARD.

Va et admis i soatenaDce.

En Sorbonne, le 2 août 1902.

Par le Doyen de la Faculté des Lettres de rUoiyersité de Paris,

A. Croiset.