Anonymous

“ The Byshops haue always accustomed to represse and beate downe vayne and wanton daunses: but there are at this day some, which are found in daunses, yea, and they themselues daunse with women, so farre of is it, that they reproue, correct, or amend such a greate vice. ”

“ Verily when we get or win the money, or the goods of our brother, it must be with the sweate of our face or browe, & that our laboure bringe him some profite, that is to be profitable unto him: and euen as we receaue his money or good: so must hee thorow our diligence and trauaile receaue some profite. ”

“ First of al I haue heard of some which denye daunses to be shamelesse and dissolute gestures, because that when they daunse, they do it not, but for a recreation of themselues and bodily exercise, yea that they use it as a certayne thing, which of itselfe is neither good nor euill. But let such people be answeared after this manner, that is to say, that their affection cannot so chaunge the nature of the thing, that it doth not alwaies kepe and hold fast, his proper or owne name. ”

“ Next all good men ought to wishe and desire that those which put their hande to (this is to say trauaile for) the reformation of maners, should do it with such good argumentes, that there shoulde remayne, or be left, but euen a very litle to be corrected and amended. ”

“ And indeede our Lorde hath stirred and raised up so perfect an age in al sciences & know= ledge, in which so many learned men, and of excellent learning and knowledge, haue so blessedly and diligently imployed them= selues to teach us the order and maner to liue well, some after one sort and fashion, and some after an other, that those which be not yet satisfyed, can not, or ought not, to lay the fault in any but in themselues. ”

“ Moreouer seeing yet men may exercise themselues in many other maners and sortes of exercises, hee, as mee thinketh openly sheweth, yet he hath not modesty, nor temperance, nor his health it selfe in estimation, yet is, he estemeth & regardeth not. &c. which choseth daunsing for his exercise. Daunses then were neuer heretofore otherwise accounted of, nether be at this present otherwise thought of, then mere vilany, & a most certaine, plaine, and evident testimony of the filthines & intemperancy of them which delighted themselues therin. ”

“ For be it that daunses were allowed or condemned, or els yet they were putt in the rowe of thinges indifferent men might easily iudge according to their opinion, that that should not bring great profit or hurt to our christian common wealth, seeing that ther are diuers pointes of greater weight and consequence, which trouble the spirits of manye learned men, & make afraide the consciences of the weake and simple ones: which poyntes haue verye much nede to be opened and made plaine, rather then to trouble a mans selfe to write agaynst playes and daunses. ”

“ Ther will be found an other manner & sort of people, who will make no accoumpte at all to mocke at this matter: as indeede the world is ful of mockers, and men without Godlines, without God, and without religion. Now as concerninge these persons, they deserue no manner of aunsweare at al, because they do as soone scoffe at the principall pointes of christian religion, and that which directly concerneth the seruice of God, as matters of lesse weight and importaunce. ”

“ For albeit ther is so much difference betweene the two parties, as betweene fayre gold and leade, yea so much indeed yet by her wifedome shee kept him backe, or made him to refrayne from striking, fighting, slaying, and casting the house out at the windowes, as we say, for the least flee, which came before his eies: yet so it is, that he obtayned and got her by the meane abouesayde: notwithstanding if ther fell out no worse by daunsing, this were somewhat to be supported, or borne withall. ”

“ Finally a short time after, men haue so far disordered themselues, and broken the bondes and limits of honesty, that men & women haue daunsed togeather, or as wee would say, in mingle mangle, and namely and specially in feastes and banquets, in so much that we see, that this wicked and ungodlye custome, hath stretched forth it selfe euen unto us, and hath yet, or already the sway at this daye, more then euer it had. ”

“ For the body of her owne health, requireth not to be so shaken, tossed, and as a man woulde say, hunted after meate, for feare to hinder digestion, as the Phisition placed it amonge their rules of diet. ”

“ Now that the sighte of all our senses is it which hath most force & strength to make us incline to uncleannes and filthynes, I will haue none other iudge but our Lord himselfe, when he hath uttered and spoken with his mouth, that hee which hath cast his eye uppon his neighbours wife, for to couet, desyre, and with her is already a whoremonger in his hart: [Sidenote: I John. 2.] ”

“ And in this our tyme and age, do not men daily see many such thinges, which daunses bring with them: The example by mee heretofore brought forth and alleged, ought to serue for an example to all great lords, to withdraw their daughters from such baites. But setting all the rest aside, do wee not see that duncing hath cost, this holy man, and great prophet of God so deare, that it hath taken away from him the head from aboue his shoulders. ”

“ Moreouer those which draw nigh unto the East and South, are by reason of the heate, mor easie to moue themselues, and consequently to make or shew gestures, then they are which be in the East, or North who by reason of the cold be more heauy & weighty: From whence it commeth, that the Italian in his communications or speeches, but especially if he speake with an affection or good hart, intermingleth and useth so many gestures, that if an English man should see him a farre of, not hearing his words, would iudge him out of his wit or els playing some comedy upon a scaffold. ”

“ For if it be, yet after feastes and banquets, men commonly set, or geue themselues to daunse, and after that men be full of wyne and good meates, they bee then prouoked & pricked forwarde, by the prickes of the flesh, to what end serue such manner of gestures, if not, to make manifest & set out their intemperency. ”

“ And if that women should take tabourets in their handes, as we read that the women of Israel haue done: would not men thinke that they were out of their witt: which notwihstanding was not found in thought straung among the Israelites, because this was the custome of the nation and people. ”

“ Secondlye, that it were more generall, that is to say, that it did wholly and altogeather forbidd daunses, as wicked and unlawful thinges: for if we be Christians indeede, we ought not to suffer, that some pore and blinde Pagans should surmount and ouercome us in honesty & modesty. ”

“ And euen as it is no maner of way permitted or suffered to committe whoredome, so our daunses and the usage of them may not be allowed nor receiued. But to cut it short, that is to say, to be short, wee can not gather that any appearaunce or shew of euil, or any signe of watonnes or dissolutenes, was euer found in the daunses of holy men, but altogeather contrariwise, they therein behaued themselues with such honor, fear, and reuerence towardes God, the whole matter it selfe beyng accompanied, with so great honesty and sobernesse, as nothinge more. ”

“ For beeing plunged into very thick, & as it were palpable dark nesses, after that they had forged and advised Gods according to their owne fantasy, they thought and supposed that they should bee delighted and pleased, with the selfe same delightes and pleasures, wherein, or wherewith they delighted themselues. ”

“ Whereupon wee neede not doubt hereof, but that it was the deuil which did guide and leade them, whom al superstition, false religion, and erronious doctrine pleaseth, aboue all thinges, speciallye when such a toy and trifle is accompanied with al wantonnesse and villanie. Now that such manner of doing, that is to say, custome of Pagans and heathen men, hath bene followed and practiced, by the children of Israel, after that hauing sacrificed to the golden calf; they gaue themselues to play, the scripture assureth us thereof, in the ii. ”

“ But as concerning others, whiche will preseuer and continue in their dissolutnes and loosenesse, the Lord withdraw and plucke them therefrom, when it pleaseth him, least they incurre or runne headlong into his wrath and vengeance, which hangeth ouer their heads, for that they haue obstinatelie and stubburnlie gainesaide and withstood, so manifest & plaine a truth. ”