Jeremy Collier

“ For Priests, and Religion always stand and fall together; Now Religion is the Basis of Government, and Man is a wretched Companion without it. When Conscience takes its Leave, Good Faith, and Good Nature goes with it. Atheism is all Self, Mean and Mercenary. The Atheist has no Hereafter, and therefore will be sure to make the most of this World. Interest, and Pleasure, are the Gods he Worships, and to these he'll Sacrifice every Thing else. ”

“ That this glorious Religion so reasonable in its Doctrine, so well attested by Miracles, by Martyrs, by all the Evidence that Fact is capable of, should become the Diversion of the Town, and the Scorn of Buffoons! And where, and by whom is all this Out-rage committed? why not by Julian, or Porphirie, not among Turks or Heathens, but in a Christian Country, in a Reform'd Church, and in the Face of Authority! ”

“ For what is more provoking than contempt, and what Sin more contemptuous than common Swearing? what can be more Insolent and Irreligious, than to bring in God to attest our Trifles, to give Security for our Follies, and to make part of our Diversion? To Play with Majesty and Omnipotence in this manner, is to render it cheap and despicable. How can such Customes as these consist with the belief of Providence or Revelation? The Poets are of all People most to blame. They want even the Plea of Bullies and Sharpers. ”

“ Religion is insulted, and the most serious Matters turn'd into Ridicule! As if the Blindside of an Audience ought to be caress'd, and their Folly and Atheism entertain'd in the first Place. Yes, if the Palate is pleas'd, no matter tho' the Body is Poyson'd! For can one die of an easier Disease than Diversion? But Raillery apart, certainly Mirth and Laughing, without respect to the Cause, are not such supreme Satisfactions! A man has sometimes Pleasure in losing his Wits. Frensy, and Possession, will shake the Lungs, and brighten the Face ”

“ Clean Wit, inoffensive Humour, and handsom Contrivance, require Time, and Thought. And who would be at this Expence, when the Purchase is so cheap another way? 'Tis possible a Poet may not alwaies have Sense enough by him for such an Occasion. And since we are upon supposals, it may be the Audience is not to be gain'd without straining a Point, and giving a Loose to Conscience: And when People are sick, are they not to be Humour'd? In sine, We must make them Laugh, right or wrong, for Delight is the Cheif End of Comedy. ”

“ Thou liest sighing and hankering after the Play-house. Prethee recollect thy self: Thou knowest Death ought to be our Pleasure, And therefore I hope Life may be a little without it. Are not our Desires the same with the Apostles, To be Dissolv'd and to be with Christ. Let us act up to our pretentions, and let Pleasure be true to Inclination. ”

“ To those who are overgrown with Pleasure, and hardned in Ill Custom? Who have neither Patience to hear, nor Conscience to take hold of? You may almost as well feed a Man without a Mouth, as give Advice where there's no disposition to receive it. 'Tis true; as long as there is Life there's Hope. Sometimes the Force of Argument, and the Grace of God, and the anguish of Affliction, may strike through the Prejudice, and make their way into the Soul. ”

“ I'm mistaken if we have not Lewdness enough of our own Growth, without Importing from our Neighbours. No. This can't be. An Author must have Right done him, and be shown in his own shape, and Complexion. Yes by all means! Vice must be disrobed, and People poyson'd, and all for the sake of Justice! To do Right to such an Author is to burn him. I hope Modesty is much better than Resemblance. The Imitation of an ill Thing is the worse for being exact: And sometimes to report a Fault is to repeat it. ”

“ To put Lewdness into a Thriving condition, to give it an Equipage of Quality, and to treat it with Ceremony and Respect, is the way to confound the Understanding, to fortifie the Charm, and to make the Mischief invincible. Innocence is often owing to Fear, and Appetite is kept under by Shame; But when these Restraints are once taken off, when Profit and Liberty lie on the same side, and a Man can Debauch himself into Credit, what can be expected in such a case, but that Pleasure should grow Absolute, and Madness carry all before it? ”

“ A fine Gentleman that has neither Honesty, nor Honour, Conscience, nor Manners, Good Nature, nor civil Hypocricy. Fine, only in the Insignificancy of Life, the Abuse of Religion and the Scandals of Conversation. These Worshipful Things are the Poets Favourites: They appear at the Head of the Fashion; and shine in Character, and Equipage. If there is any Sense stirring, They must have it, tho' the rest of the Stage suffer never so much by the Partiality. ”

“ They fancy the World goes wonderfully well when People make a Figure. When a Man is a Prince in his Fortune, but a Begger in his Vertue; Has a great many fine Things about him, but not so much as one good Quality to deserve them. When the Play-Houses go up, and Religion go's down. When Prodigality is admir'd, and Charity laugh'd at. When the Players can revel with the Rich Man's purse, And the Poor have scarse enough to keep Life and Soul together.——When God suffers these Things to flourish, we may be sure he is most Angry. ”

“ A Lewd Play with good Musick is like a Loadstone Arm'd, it draws much stronger than before.
Now why should it be in the power of a few mercenary Hands to play People out of their Senses, to run away with their Understandings, and wind their Passions about their Fingers as they list? Musick is almost as dangerous as Gunpowder; And it may be requires looking after no less than the Press, or the Mint. 'Tis possible a Publick Regulation might not be amiss. No less a Philosopher than Plato seems to be of this Opinion. He is clearly for keeping up the old grave, and solemn way of Playing. ”

“ And is it any wonder an Atheist should misbehave himself in point of Modesty? What can we expect less from those who laugh at the Being of a God, at the Doctrines of Providence, and the Distinctions of Good and Evil? A Sceptick has no notion of Conscience, no Relish for Virtue, nor is under any Moral restraints from Hope or Fear. ”

“ And what hope is there of Health when the Patient strikes in with the Disease, and flies in the Face of the Remedy? Can Religion retrive us? Yes, when we don't despise it. But while our Notions are naught, our Lives will hardly be otherwise. ”

“ There is no Vanity in necessary Defence. To wipe off Aspersions, and rescue Things from Mistake, is but bare Justice: Besides, where the Honour of God, and the Publick Interest are concern'd, a Man is bound to speak. To argue from a resembling Instance. He that has the Kings Commission ought to Maintain it. To let it suffer under Rudeness is to betray it. To be tame and silent in such cases, is not Modesty but Meanness, Humility obliges no Man to desert his Trust ”

“ It may not be amiss to observe that there are no Instances of debauching Married Women, in Plautus, nor Terence, no nor yet in Aristophanes. But on our Stage how common is it to make a Lord, a Knight, or an Alderman a Cuckold? The Schemes of Success are beaten out with great Variety, and almost drawn up into a Science. How many Snares are laid for the undermining of Virtue, and with what Triumph is the Victory proclaim'd? The Finess of the Plot, and the Life of the Entertainment often lies in these Contrivances. ”

“ And if so, a Discourse about Devils, will be no Fairy way of Writing. For a Fairy way of Writing, is nothing but a History of Fiction; A subject of Imaginary Beings; such as never had any existence in Time, or Nature. And if as Monsieur Rapin observes, Poetry requires a mixture of Truth and Fable; Mr. Dryden may make his advantage, for his Play is much better founded on Reality than He was aware of. ”

“ Being convinc'd that nothing has gone farther in Debauching the Age than the Stage Poets, and Play-House, I thought I could not employ my time better than in writing against them. These Men sure, take Vertue and Regularity, for great Enemies, why else is their Disaffection so very Remarkable? It must be said, They have made their Attack with great Courage, and gain'd no inconsiderable Advantage. But it seems Lewdness without Atheism, is but half their Business. Conscience might possibly recover, and Revenge be thought on; and therefore like Foot-Pads, they must not only Rob, but Murther. ”

“ Is there no Diversion without Insulting the God that made us, the Goodness that would save us, and the Power that can damn us? Let us not flatter our selves, Words won't go for Nothing. Profaness is a most Provoking Contempt, and a Crime of the deepest dye. To break through the Laws of a Kingdom is bad {96}enough; But to make Ballads upon the Statute-Book, and a Jest of Authority, is much worse. Atheists may fancy what they please, but God will Arise and Maintain his own Cause, and Vindicate his Honour in due time.
To conclude. Profaness tho' never so well corrected is not to be endured. ”

“ But Homer and Virgil had other Sentiments of Matters: They were governed by the Reason of Things, and the common usage of the World. They knew the Priesthood a very reputable Employment, and always esteem'd as such. To have used the Priests ill, They must have call'd their own Discretion in question: They must have run into impropriety, and fallen foul upon Custom, Manners, and Religion. Now 'twas not their way to play the Knave and the Fool together: They had more Sense than to do a silly Thing, only for the Satisfaction of doing an ill one. ”

“ What can be a juster Reason for indignation than Insolence and Atheism? Resentment can never be better shown, nor Aversion more seasonably exerted! Nature made the Ferment and Rising of the Blood, for such occasions as This. On what unhappy Times are we fallen! The Oracles of Truth, the Laws of Omnipotence, and the Fate of Eternity are Laught at and despis'd! That the Poets {81}should be suffer'd to play upon the Bible, and Christianity be Hooted off the Stage! Christianity that from such feeble beginings made so stupendious a progress! That over-bore all the Oppositions of Power, and Learning ”

“ He that would be safe from their Satir must take care to disguise himself in Vice, and hang out the Colours of Debauchery. How often is Learning, Industry, and Frugality, ridiculed in Comedy? The rich Citizens are often Misers, and Cuckolds, and the Universities, Schools of Pedantry upon this score. In short, Libertinism and Profaness, Dressing, Idleness, and Gallantry, are the only valuable Qualities. As if People were not apt enough of themselves to be Lazy, Lewd, and Extravagant, unless they were prick'd forward, and provok'd by Glory, and Reputation. ”

“ Obscenity in any Company is a rustick uncreditable Talent; but among Women 'tis particularly rude. Such Talk would be very affrontive in Conversation, and not endur'd by any Lady of Reputation. Whence then comes it to Pass that those Liberties which disoblige so much in Conversation, should entertain upon the Stage. Do the Women leave all the regards to Decency and Conscience behind them when they come to the Play-House? Or does the Place transform their Inclinations, and turn their former Aversions into Pleasure? Or were Their pretences to Sobriety elsewhere nothing but Hypocrisy and Grimace? ”

“ He questions whether Instruction has any thing to do in Comedy; If it has, he is sure 'tis no more then its secondary end: For the business of the Poet is to make you laugh.Ibid. [323] Granting the Truth of this Principle, I somewhat question the serviceableness of it. For is there no Diversion to be had unless Vice appears prosperous, and rides at the Head of Success. One would think such a preposterous, distribution of Rewards, should rather shock the Reason, and raise the Indignation of the Audience. To laugh without reason is the Pleasure of Fools, and against it, of something worse. ”

“ If your Servants or your Childrens Tongues run Riot, they presently smart for't. And yet at the Play-House you are quite another Thing. These little Buffoons have a strange Ascendant! A luscious Sentence is hugely welcome from their Mouth: And instead of Censure, they have thanks and encouragement for their Pains. Now if a Man would be so just as to wonder at himself, here's Madness, and Contradiction in Abundance. ”

“ I'm sorry to see Art so meanly Prostituted: Atheism ought to have nothing Charming in its Retinue. 'Tis great Pity Debauchery should have the Assistance of a fine Hand, to whet the Appetite, and play it down.
Now granting the Play-House-Musick not vitious in the Composition, yet the design of it is to refresh the Idea's of the Action, to keep Time with the Poem, and be true to the Subject. For this Reason among others the Tunes are generally Airy and Gailliardizing; They are contriv'd on purpose to excite a sportive Humour, and spread a Gaity upon the Spirits. ”