The Players Scourge, Part 1 · Act 7 · Scene 7
SCENA SEPTIMA.
THe seventh Squadron is composed of sundry Pagan and Christian States, Nations, Magistrates, Emperors, Princes, who have excluded, censured, banished, suppressed Playes & Actors as the greatest mischiefes. If we look upon Heathen States or Nations, we shall find the fSee Act. 6. Scene 5. p. 455. to 458 & the Authours there quoted.ancient Lacedemonians, Athenians, Grecians, Romanes, Germanes, Massilienses, Goathes and Vandals: If upon Heathen Magistrates, Emperours, or Princes, we shall see gSee Act. 6. Scene 5… p. 448, 449, 458, to 466.Licurgus, Solon, Plato, Socrates, Themistocles, Scipio Nassica, Trebonius Rufinus, Iunins Mauricus, together with Augustus Caesar, Tiberius, Nero, Trajan, Marcus Aurelius, Domitiā, Iuliā, & the whole Roman Senate, excluding, suppressing, condemning Playes and Actors, as the occasions of much vic… and lewdnesse; the fomenters of whoredome, effeminacie, idlenesse, &c. the corrupters of the peoples mindes and manners; the authors of many tumults, discords, disorders; the causes of much prodigality, of many intollerable mischiefes in a state: as I have more largly manifested, Act. 6. Scen. 3.4, 5. to 20. on which you may reflect. If we looke on Christian States or Nations, wee shall discer…e the hSee Act. 6. Scene 5. p. 467. & Act. 7. Scene 2. p. 552. to 557whole State and Nation of the Iewes both before and since Christs time, together with iSee Act. 7. Scene 2. p. 552. to 574.all the primitive Christians, the kSee here Act. 5. Scene 8. p. 220.228. to 232. & Act 7. Scene 3. p. 636. & Andreas Fricius De Republica Emendanda, lib. 1. c. 17. & 21. p. 90.Waldenses, Albigenses, and French Protestants; the Cities of Geneva, Tigure, Basil, and the lSee Act. 6. Scene 5. p. 485. to 498.whole State of England in sundry Acts of Parliament, condemning, suppressing Playes and Players, as most prophane unchristian Spectacles, not tollerable in any Christian Republike: Witnesse Act. 6. Scene 3… 4, 5, 12. & Act. 7. Scene 2, 3, 4, 5. on which you may cast your eyes. If we desire any precedents of Christian Emperors, Princes, Magistrates; we have not only the examples of Noah, Melchizedeck, Abraham, Isaac, Iacob, Ioseph, Moses, Ioshuah, David, Solomon, Hezekiah, Iosiah, with other godly Patriarkes, Kings and Princes, recorded in the Scriptures for our Christian imitation; who were so farre from ch…rishing from approving Enterludes, Mummeries, Masques or Stage-playes, either in their Pallaces, Courts or Kingdomes (as too many Princes since have done) that we never read in Scripture, nor in any other Story whatsoever, that they were so much as once experimentally acquainted with them; mSee here p 466, 467. & 552. to 557. accordingly.the whole Iewish Nation (some few Apostates onelyonly excepted) oppugning them from time to time (and so by consequence th…se Patriarkes, Magistrates and Princes too.) as opposite to their religion, manners, lawes and government, as I have elsewhere largely proved: (Which me thinks should somewhat move all Christian Princes & Governors to abandon Stagep…aies now, since they can finde no King, no pious person in all the Bible, that ever harboured or beheld them heretofore:) But likewise the patterns of nSee Act. 6. Scene 5 p. 468. to 472. & Act. 7. Scene 3. p. 656. to 664.Constantine, Theodosius, Leo, Anthemius, Iustinian, Valentinian, Valens, Gratian, oSee Bochellus Decreta Ecclesiae G…ll. l. 4. Tit. 1. c. 39. & Tit. 10… c. 6. p. 549, 593.Charles the Great, Theodoricus, Henry, the 3. Emperour of that name, Philip Augustus King of France; our famous pSee Act. 6. Scene 5. p. 489. to 493.Queen Elizabeth, & her Counsel, with our London Magistrates, and Vniversities in her raigne, who all suppressed, inhibited Stage-playes, Sword-playes, and Actors, as unsufferable mischiefes in any Christian State or City. To these I might adde *Fredericus Lindebrogus, Codex Legum Antiquarum p. 1163.Lodovicus the Emperour, who by his publike Edicts (agreeing verbatim with the the 7. & 8. forequoted Canons of Synodus Turon…nsis 3. p. 589, 590.) inhibited all Ministers all Clergy men from Stage-playes, hunting, hauking &c. Together with qSee Bochellus Decreta Eccles. Gall. l. 7. cap. 22, 25. p. 581.Charles the 9. and Henry 3. of France, (who by their solemne Lawes and Edicts prohibited all Stage-playes, all dancing on Lords-dayes, or other solemne annuall festivals, …nder paine of imprison…ment, and other penalties to be inflicted by the Magistrates;) and our owne most gracious Soveraigne Lord, King CHARLES; who together with the whole Court of Parliament, in the first yeare of his Hignesse Raigne, enacted this most pious Play-condemning Law, (intituled, r1 Car. cap. 1.An Act for publishing of divers abuses committed on the Lords day, called Sunday.) Forasmuch as there is nothing more acceptable to God, than the true and sincere worship of him, according to his holy will, and that the *See 5. & 6. Ed. 6. cap. 3. Which enioyns men to spend the Lords day onelyonly & wholly in hearing and reading of Gods word, in prayer and praises unto God, and such other religious duties.holy keeping of the Lords day, is a principall part of the true service of God, which in very many places of this Realme hath beene, and now is profaned and neglected by a disorderly sort of people, in exercising and frequenting Bearebaiting, Bull-baiting, ENTERLVDES, COMMON PLAYES, and *Which includes Dancing, Dicing, Bowling, Cards, and all other games and sports, which are unlawfull on this day. See all the forequoted Councels, Canons, and Imperiall Constistutions, Act. 7. Scene 3. & Act. 5. Scene 8. p. 240. to 244. & Dr. Featly his Handmaid of Devotion Edit. 2. p. 498. accordingly.other unlawfull exercises and pastimes, upon the Lords day. And for that many quarrells, bloodsheds, and other great inconveniences have growne by the resort and concourse of people going out of their owne parishes to such disordered and unlawfull exercises and pastimes, neglecting Devine service both in their owne parishes and elsewhere. Be it enacted by the Kings most excellent Majesty, the Lords spirituall and temporall, and the Commons in this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same; That from and after 40 dayes next after the end of this Session of Parliament assembled, there shall be no meetings, assemblies or concourse of people out of *This clause extends to all who goe out of their parishes to unlawfull sports or pastimes.their owne parishes on the Lords day within this Realme of England, or any the Dominions thereof for any sports or pastimes whatsoever: nor any Bull-baiting, Beare-baiting, ENTERLVDES, COMMON PLAYES, or other unlawfull exercises or pastimes used by any person or persons *This clause extends to all who use any unlawfull sports or pastimes within their owne parishes.within their owne parishes: and that every person or persons offending in any the premises shall forfeit for every offence 3 shillings 4 pence: the same to be employed and converted to the use of the poore of the Parish where such offences shall be committed. And that any one Iustice of the peace of the County… or the chiefe Officer or Officers of any Citie, Borough or Towne Corporate where such offence shall be comitted, upon his or their view, or confession of the partie, or proofe of any one or more witnesse by oath, which the said Iustice or chiefe Officer or Officers by vertue of this act shall hav… authority to minister, shall finde any person offending in the premises; the said Iustice or chiefe Officer or Officers, shall give warrant under his or their hand and seale to the Constables or Churchwardens of the Parish or Parishes where such offence shall bee committed, to levie the said penalty so to bee assessed, by way of distresse and sale of the goods of every such offendor, rendring to the said offendors the overplus of the monie raised of the said goods so to be solde. And in default of such distresse, that the party offending be se… publikely in the stockes by the space of three houres. Which Act, being to continue unto the end of the first Session of the next Parliamēt, only: was since recontinued by the Statute of 3. Caroli cap. 4. and so it remaineth still in force: So that if it were as diligently executed, as it was piously enacted, it would suppresse many great abuses (both within the letter and intent, which is very large) that are yet continuing among us to Gods dishonour, and good Christians griefe in too many places of our Kingdome; which our Iustices, our inferiour Magistrates might soone reforme, would they but set themselves seriously about it, as some here and there have done. If then all these Pagan, these Christian Nations, Republickes, Emperors, Princes, Magistrates, have thus abandoned, censured, suppressed Playes and Players, from time to time, as most intollerable pernicious evi…s in any State or City, how can, how dare we now to justify thē, as harmelesse, cōmendable, or usefull recreations? What, are we wiser, are we better than all these Pagan Sages; than all these judicious Christian Worthies, who have thus abandoned, suppressed Playes and Actors, out of a long experimentall knowledge of their many vitious lewd effects? Or are we ashamed to be like our ancestors in judgement, in opinion, as wee are in tonsure, complement, habit and attire in this age of Novelties, which sOmnia debitum ordinem deserunt, hoc est luxuriae proprium, ga…dere perversis, nec tantum discedere a recto sed quam longissime abire. Res sordida est, trita ac vulgari via viver…. Talis horum contraria omnibus non regio sed vita est. Causa tamen praecipua mihi videtur huius morbi vitae communis fastidiū. Quomodo cultu se a caeteris distinguunt, quomodo elegantia caenarū, mundiciis vehiculorum, sic volunt etiam seperare temporum dispositione: nolunt solita pe…care, quibus peccandi praemium infamia est. Seneca Epist. 122.likes of nothing that is old or common, (though tIllud melius et verius quod antiquius. Tertullian De Praescript: adversu… Hare…icos lib. et Vincentius Lerin…nsis adversus proph…nas H…reticorum no…itates.such things commonly are the best of all,) that wee thus undervalue the resolutions of all former ages in this ca…e of Playes and Players, preferring our owne wits and lusts before them… O let us ashamed now at last to countenance, to pleade for that, which the very best, the wisest Heathen, yea Christian Nations, States and Magistrates of all sorts, have thus branded and cast out as lewd, as vitious, as abominable in the very highest degree; & let us now submit our judgments, our practise, lusts and foolish fansies to their deliberate mature experimentall censures, abominating, condemning Playes and Players, if not exiling them our Cities coasts and Countrey, as all these have done: arming our selves with peremptory resolutions against all future Stage-playes, with this 52 Play-oppugning Syllogisme, with which I shall terminate this Scene.
Argum. 52.That which the ancient Lacedemonians, Athenians, Graecians, Romans, Germanes, Massilienses, Barbarians, Gothes and Vandals… the whole Iewish Nation of old; divers Christian Countries, and Citties since: together with many Pagan, many Christian Republickes, Magistrates, Emperours, Princes in severall ages and places, have censured, abandoned, rejected, suppressed, as a most pernicious evill, as a very seminary of all vice and wickednesse; must certainly be sinfull, execrable, and altogether unlawfull unto Christians: Witnesse, Rom. 13.6. c. 13.1. to 8. 1 Pet. 2.13, 14.
But such is the case and condition of Stage-playes: as the premises, and Act. 6. Scene 5. &c. most plentifully evidence.
Therefore they must certainly be sinfull, execrable, and altogether unlawfull unto Christians.
CHORVS.
YOV have seene now Courteous Readers 7 severall Squadrons of unanswerable Authorities encountering Stage-playes and Actors, and giving them such an onset, as I hope will put them with their Patrons quite to route, so that they shall never be able to make head againe; their forces being so weake, so few, that they cannot bring one Councell, one Father, one ancient, one moderne Christian or Pagan Writer of any note into the field, to maintaine their cause, against this army-royall of Play-condemning Authorities, which I have here mustered up against them. It is not their long since conquered and confuted vHis Play of Playes.Lodge or xHis Apology for Actors.Haywood (two scribling hackney Players, their onelyonly professed printed Play-Champions that I know of,) who can withstand their all-conquering troopes; which either severall, or united, are impregnable; able to over-power to vanquish all the forces, that the whole world can raise agai…st them. Let it therefore be your wisdome now at last to take the best, the strongest side, not onelyonly in quality, but in number too. Stage-playes and Actors, (as the foregoing Scenes declare;) have bin oppugned, condemned in all ages, all places, by all sorts of men; Iewes and Gentiles, Greekes and Barbarians, Christians and Pagans; Emperours, Magistrates, people, Writers of all sorts, have bent, not onelyonly their hearts and judgements, but their very hands, their tongues, their pens and power against them: Yea those who are dead and rotten long agoe, still fight against them in their surviving workes: yPhilippus Lonicerus, Turcicae… Historiae, l. 1. f. 34. b.(Licet ossa jacent, calamus bella gerit:) and they will one day rise up in judgement (as they doe now in armes) against us, if we submit not to them. Let us, O let us not therefore be any longer beso …e, befooled with these lewd stigmatized Playes or Actors, as we have beene in former times; but since all Ages, all Nations, (yea those who loved them best and most at first, to wit, thezSee Act. 6. Scene 5. Greeks and Romans) together with all primitive and moderne pious Christians, Fathers, Councels, Writers, have thus unanimously, successively condemned, renounced them, let us abominate and reject them too. It was the branded infamie of the Iewes, a1 Thess. 2.15.that they pleased not God, and were contrary to all men: and will it not be ours too, if all these Authorities will not sway us? If Scriptures, Councels, Fathers; if Christian, if Pagan Writers, Nations, Citties, Republickes, Emperours, Magistrates, Kings, and Edicts thus severed, thus united, will not stir, nor draw us from our Stage-playes, Play-houses and Actors, what then can we conclude of our selves but this; bRom. 1.24. to 29.2. Thess. 2.11, 12.that God hath given us over to an impenitent heart, a reprobate sence, a cauterized conscience, if not to strong delusions, to beleeve, to affect these lying Playes and Fables; that we all might be damned, who will not beleeve the truth, which all these Witnesses have confirmed; but take pleasure in unrighteousnesse, in ungodly Playes and Actors, cSee Act. 6. Scene 19, 20.which leade their followers to destruction, and without repentance plunge them into hell for ever, amids those filthy Divels, whose disavowed pompes and workes, they deeme their chiefest pleasures. Let us therefore earnestly pray to God, to open our eares, that we may heare: to incline our hearts that we may beleeve, what all these testifie and averre of Stage-playes; that so now at last we may take our finall farewell of them, dSee Act. 6. Scene 12. & 20.as all true penitent Christians have done before us, and never returne unto them more, to Gods dishonour, the Republickes dammage, or our owne eternall ruine; concluding from henceforth of all Stage-playes, all amphitheatricall Spectacles, as Prudentius, that worthy Christian Poet, did many hundred yeares agoe:
ePrudentius Contra Symmachum l. 1. Bib. Pat. Tom. 4. p. 612. B. & Lipsius de Amphitheatro lib. c. 20.Heu! quid vesani sibi vult ars impia ludi?
Hae sunt deliciae IOVIS INFERNALIS; in istis
Arbiter obscuri placidus requiescit Averni.
And then we neede no more, no other arguments to disswade us from resort to Stage-playes, when we shall thus adjudge them, the chiefest delights of the infernall Divel Iove, who rests well pleased, well delighted with them, as too many carnall Christians doe; who will one day rue it, when it is too late, if they now repent it not in time.