comoediae et tragoediae, in quibus, etiamsi docti mundi huius desiderent in comoediis illud acumen, eumque leporem, et sermonis venustatem, quem admirantur in Aristophanis, Terentii, Plautique fabulis: in tragoediis, grauitatem, versutiam, orationisque elegantiam, Sophoclis, Euripidis, Senecae: docti tamen ad regnum Dei, et qui viuendi Deo sapientiam discere student, non desiderant in his nostrorum hominum poematis doctrinam coelestem, affectus, mores, orationem, casusque dignos filiis Dei. Optandum tamen, vt quibus Deus plus dedit in his rebus praestare, vt id mallent ad eius gloriam explicare, quam aliorum pia studia intempestiuis reprehensionibus suis retardare: atque ducere satius, comoedias atque tragoedias exhibere, quibus si minus ars poetica, scientia tamen vitae aeternae praeclare exhibetur, quam quibus vt ingenii linguaeque cultus aliquid iuuatur, ita animus et mores impia atque foeda et scurrili mutatione conspurcantur.
vi. 1559. William Bavande.
[From A Woork of Ioannes Ferrarius Montanus touchynge the good orderynge of a Commonweale, translated from the De Republica bene instituenda Paraenesis, published by Ferrarius, a Marburg jurist, in 1556.]
[Extracts] f. 81. 'The laste of all [the seven handicrafts in a commonweal]
is the exercise of stage plaiyng, where the people use to repaire
to beholde plaies, as well priuate as publique, whiche be set forthe
partlie to delight, partlie to move us to embrace ensamples of vertue
and goodnesse, and to eschue vice and filthie liuyng' . . . f. 100v.
'Chapter viii, Concernyng Scaffolds and Pageauntes of divers games and plaies and how farre thei be to be allowed, and set forthe in a Citee. . . .
Plaies, set foorthe either upon stages, or in open Merket places, or els
where, for menne to beholde. Whiche, as thei doe sometime profite,
so likewise thei tourne to great harme, if thei be not used in such
sorte, as is bothe ciuill and semely in a citee, whiche wee dooe abuse,
when anythyng is set foorthe openly, that is uncleanlie, unchaste,
shamefull, cruell, wicked, and not standyng with honestie. . . . Soche
pastimes therefore muste bee set foorthe in a commonweale, as doe
minister unto us good ensamples, wherin delight and profite be
matched togither. . . . It is a commendable and lawfull thing to bee
at plaies, but at soche tymes as when we be unoccupied with grave and
seuere affaires, not onely for our pleasure and minde sake, but that
hauyng little to doe, we maie learne that, whiche shall bee our
furtheraunce in vertue. . . . There shall be no Tragedie, no Comedie,
nor any other kinde of plaie, but it maie encrease the discipline of
good maners, if by the helpe of reason and zeale of honestie, it bee
well emploied. Which then is doen, when, if thou either hearest, or
seest anything committed that is euill, cruell, vilanous, and unseamely
for a good manne, thou learnest thereby to beware and understandest
that it is not onely a shame to committe any soche thinge but also
that it shall be reuenged with euerlasting death. Contrariwise, if thou
doest espie any thing dooen or saied well, manfully, temperatly,
soberly, iustly, godlilye, & vertuously, thou . . . maiest labour to doe that
