and Ignorance to exercise their railing rhetorique vpon. But it will here be hastily answer'd, that the Writers of these dayes are other things; that not onely their manners, but their natures, are inuerted, and nothing remaining with them of the dignity of Poët, but the abused name, which euery Scribe vsurpes; that now, especially in Dramatick, or (as they terme it) Stage-Poëtry, nothing but Ribaldry, Profanation, Blasphemy, al Licence of offence to God, and Man, is practisd. I dare not deny a great part of this, and am sory I dare not: because in some mens abortiue Features (and would they had neuer boasted the light) it is ouer-true. But that all are embarqu'd in this bold aduenture for Hell, is a most vncharitable thought, and vtterd, a more malicious slander. For my particular, I can, and from a most cleare conscience, affirme, that I haue euer trembled to thinke toward the least Prophanenesse; haue loathed the vse of such foule and vn-washd Baudr'y, as is now made the foode of the Scene.
lvi. 1608. William Crashaw.
[From The Sermon preached at the Crosse, Feb. xiiij. 1607 (1608, 2nd ed.
1609). Crashaw was preacher at the Inner Temple and father of Richard
Crashaw, the poet. The hypocrites, Nicholas Saint-Tantlings and Simon
Saint-Mary-Oueries, are characters in The Puritan (1607). John Selden
says in his Table Talk (1689; ed. Reynolds, 134), 'I never converted
but two, the one was Mr. Crashaw from writing against plays, by telling
him a way how to understand that place, of putting on woman's apparel,
which has nothing to do with the business'; cf. infra, s.v. Selden (1616).]
P. 169. 'Now there are also besides these two great Babels, certaine
other little pettie Babylons, namely, incurable sinnes amongst vs,. . .'
P. 170. '2. The vngodly Playes and Enterludes so rife in this nation:
what are they but a bastard of Babylon, a daughter of error and
confusion, a hellish deuice (the diuels owne recreation to mock at
holy things) by him deliuered to the Heathen, from them to the
Papists, and from them to vs? Of this euill and plague, the Church
of God in all ages can say, truly and with a good conscience, wee
would haue healed her. [Quotes Tertullian and others.]. . . All this
they are daily made to know, but all in vaine, they be children of
Babylon that will not bee healed: nay, they grow worse and worse,
for now they bring religion and holy things vpon the stage: no
maruel though the worthiest and mightiest men escape not, when
God himselfe is so abused. Two hypocrites must be brought foorth;
and how shall they be described but by these names, Nicolas S.
Antlings, Simon S. Maryoueries. Thus hypocrisie a child of hell must
beare the names of two Churches of God, and two wherein Gods name
is called on publikely euery day in the yeere, and in one of them his
blessed word preached euerie day (an example scarce matchable in
the world): yet these two, wherin Gods name is thus glorified, and
our Church and State honoured, shall bee by these miscreants thus
dishonoured, and that not on the stage only, but euen in print.'
Complains of profaneness, atheism, blasphemy, and profaning of
Sabbath 'which generally in the countrie is their play day'. Calls
on magistrate, lest God take the matter into his own hand.
