Page:Iniquity of balls and stage-plays, discovered.pdf/3

 behold one another, are the occaſion of lewdneſs, and there they plot wickedneſs." Cyprian ſtiles theatres “the ſtews of publick chaſtity, the maſterſhip of obſcenity, which teach fins in publick, that men may more uſually and eaſily commit them in private. And, the that perchance came a chaſte matron, goes away a ſtrumpet from the Play-houſe." We may here notice what the ſatyrical poet Juvenal ſays to this purpoſe, Sat. 6. "That a man in his time could not pick one chaſte woman, whom he might ſafely love as his wife out of the whole Play-houſe, and that all women who frequent Stage-plays are, and forfeit their good names." It were good that our women who love and haunt ſuch plays, would conſider this; as alſo what is reported of Sempronius Sophus, a noble Roman, who divorced from his wife for this alone cauſe, that ſhe frequented ſtage-plays without his knowledge, which might make her an adultereſs; which divorce the whole Roman ſenate did approve (tho' it was the firſt they did approve) as being a mean to keep women chaſte. Tertullian calls the playhouſe, the chapel of vencry, the houſe of letchery, the conſiſtory of uncleanneſs. ''Gregor. Naz.'' calls ſtage-players the ſervants of lewdneſs, and ſtage-plays, the dishoneſt, unſeemly instructions of laſcivious men, who repute nothing filthy but modeſty. Auguſtine brands ſtage-plays with this black mark, "That they are ſpectacles of filthineſs, the overturners of goodneſs and honeſty, the chaſers a way of all modeſty any chaſtity: whoriſh ſhews, the art of miſchievous villaries, which even modeſt Pagans did bluth to behold." In another place he calls Theatres, cages of uncleanneſs, the publick profeſſions of wickedness, which to true religion is moſt abominable. And elſewhere he declares, That when the goſpel came