Page:Iniquity of balls and stage-plays, discovered.pdf/7

[ 7 ] ronimo; O let me ſee Hie, onimo acted ! And ſo calling for a play inſtead of calling on God for mercy, cloſed her dying eyes, and had a fearful end, anſwerable to her miſerable Life. Several perſons were diſtracted with the viſible apparition of the Devil on the ſtage, at the Bell-ſavage-Play-houſe, in queen Elizabeth's days, while they were there beholding the hiſtory of Fauſtus, profanely acted.

To conclude, Balls and Plays bring always along with them an itching after amorous and laſcivious books and romances, idle viſits, over-coſtly, curious, vain and conceity dreſſings and decking of the body, to the walling of much precious time, and ſometimes to the ruining of their eſtates and fortunes by extravagance. And can any Chriſtians warrantably, and without ſin, rcereate themaſelves with beholding ſuch plays, which are attended with the waſte of ſo much precious time, ſo much extravagance, not to ſay wickedneſs. Is there no better, no more innocent and innoffensive way? or is this the only or the beſt way to recreate men ? to refine, ſharpen and poliſh their wits; to perfuade and prevail with them to hate and fly vice, and to love and follow virtue; to acquaint them from hiſtory with, to impreſs on them the remembrance, and to excite them to the imitation of, the noble and truely imitable actions of illuſtrious heroes, and other great men; to breed them to a ſuitable confidence; to make them eloquent and fine ſpokeſmen; and to help them to a becoming geſt in all actions, places, and ſocietics? the grave ſeers, and great lights of the church, did never ſee any ſuch thing in them; but on the contrary, have with common ſuffrage judged them to be the moſt effectual and compendious way to make men ſoft, diſſolute, and ſenſual; nay, even in a manner quite to emaſculte, if not to