Part 2

Here wee euidently and playnly see, in what estimation and regard daunses were among Pagans and infidels, which trulye could not iudge otherwise therof, I speake of them which had the best and more sound iudgement, and which were able to weigh and consider, as well the daunses themselues, as their so pretious fruites, and excellent effectes. 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. Now if men would refer it, or bringe it to bodily exercise, this would be very folishly done. 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. 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. Now, that so it is, the Prouerbe sayeth, De la panse, vient la Danse: from the panch commeth the daunce: [Sidenote: Math. 14. Mark. 6] And if we durst ioine therto whoredom their elder daughter, we shal find that she followeth after immediately. which thing we shall easily fynd, if we consider the most ordinary & common effectes of daunsing. what was the cause that Herode so lightly promised, to that goodlye daunser Salome, the daughter of Herodias, euen the one halfe of his Realme, and kingdome, but that by her vilanous, and shameles daunsing, shee had stirred up and set on fyre his concupiscence and lust who was already a villanous adulterer, and infamous whoremonger, so that the delighte and pleasure which he take therin, provoked him to be willing to make so excessiue and unmeasurable a recompence: Moreouer let us marke more narrowly in Genesis, that which is written of Dina the daughter of Jacob, and we shall find that daunses were partly the cause of her rauishing, or deflouring. For albeit, that in that place, there is no expresse mention made of daunses, yet so it is, that when it is sayde, that Dina went to see the daughters of the countrey or land, there is some appearance and likelihod that the daughters had this custome, to assemble themselues togeather in daunse, and that to the end, that in shewing the nimblenes of their body, their bewty, and wery conceyts, they might bee coveted and desyred of young men, as indeede Dina was by Sichem. 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.

By the way or meane of daunsing, the children of Israell, were willing to geue honour to an ydole, to a calfe of Gold, to a dead thing, and which they themselues had molten & framed after the imitation & manner of Pagans, which in such a sort & fashion serued their gods. Bee not these things sufficient to make a man flie daunses, & to prouoke a christian man to haue them in abomination, & to abhore them as things which haue ordinarilye, and commonlye serued to idolatry, and haue prouoked to whoredome, and haue chaunged and altered many daughters of good house and stocke, from the loue and fauour of their parentes, and finally haue caused infinite murthers: murthers I say, for in all the 3 peeces of Scripture before alledged, we euer fynd ther the death of some. In the daunse before Herod the death of John Baptist. In the rape or rauishing of Dina, Sichem, his father, & all his sobiectes, died there. In the worshipping of the golden calfe, where the children of Israel daunsed and leaped so nimblie, cherefully, & merily, before that their belly was full, there died then aboute three thousande in recompence of their ioy and gladnes. If then we would consider the issues, and effectes, which come from daunses, & the fayre or goodly fruites which they bring forth, we would neuer thinke, but that the heares would stand upright upon our very heades when the question is of daunsing.

It remaineth now to answeare them, who would serue themselues with certaine parcels and peeces of the scripture, in which mention is made, that the faithfull people haue daunsed. [Sidenote: Exo. 15 20.] First they alledge that which is written in Exodus, that Mary the prophetesse, the sister of Aaron, who after that God had ouerwhelmed and drowned Pharao & his army in the red sea, toke a taberet in hir hand, & being attended, or waited upon by other women, song with them a songe to the lord: as also Moses, and the children of Israel song another.

The like is founde in the booke of Samuel, after that Dauid had slaine Goliath, that many women came out of all the townes of Israel singing and daunsing before King Saule, with tabours, rebeckes, and other instrumentes of harmonie, or musicke.

But when these which loue to leape and daunse, seeing there is here spoken not only of daunses, but also of taberets and other musicall instrumentes, do thinke that they are already in the hall of leapinge or skipping, and do daunse according to the note and measures that the Minstrels and Pipers wil sound or play to them: inferringe that the holy scripture before alleged maketh for them, and that by it daunses are approued, they are indeede fouly deceaued and very farre of from their reckoninge, because that reckoning without the host, it was meete for them to reckon twyse.

For it is most certaine that there is as much difference betweene their daunses, and those which holy men haue used, as there is betwene mariage and fornication. I meane betweene chastity & whoredome. 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. And in which mens deede 3. pointes are to be considered and marked, which can not be at any hand found in the Prophane and wicked daunses of our tyme.

First the occasions which thrust them forwarde to do it, was such a great ioy which they had conceaued of the fauoure which God had shewed to them, that they coulde not conceale, or kepe hidden, but needes must manifest it, & let it abroad, by all the meanes and wayes that they could inuent or deuise. [Sidenote: Psal. 68.] Which thinge also Dauid declareth in the sixty and eight psalme, saying, the Lord hath geuen an argument, occasion or matter unto the women, who also haue song accordingly: It was then a solomne (as a man would say) or publicke thankes geuing, which they rendred, or gaue unto God, singing or setting forth him to be the author of their deliuerance. What fellowship, agreement, or likenes, can there bee, between the daunce of these holy fathers, and these which wee behold nowe at this day among christians. Is it a question when men daunce to acknowledge or confesse the graces & goodnesses of God, to thanke him therfore, reioicing themselues in him: When the lusty and fyne man should holde a young damosel, or a woman by the hand, and keeping his measures he shal remoue himselfe, whirle about, & shake his legges alofte (which the daunsers call crosse capring) for pleasure, doth not she in the meane while make a good threede, playing at the Moris on her behalfe: but I pray you: what can ther by there of God, of his worde, of of honestye in such folishnes: I holde my tounge, that is, I speake nothing of their wordes, amorous deuises, or deuises of loue, wanton communications or speeches or markes only knowen to the Ladye, or Gentlewoman. It is true, that a man will say to me, that he must reioyce and be mery, which thing also I graunt, but yet not with a worldly, dissolute, and leuse ioy.

The seconde pointe is, that euen as the people of Israell were instructed in the seruice of God by very many cerimonies, and outward manners or fashions, so when they would honor him, and geue him some duety which they did owe, they did not content themselues to do it with the harte, and with the mouth, but by and by they added, and ioyned there withall some outwarde gestures, to witnes that, which was within. Euen unto this present or hetherto we haue founde very little affinitye or agreement betweene the daunses of the auncient patriarches, and of good and religious people, and these, which we use at this present, or in these dayes.

It is certaine and true, that the daunsers of our tyme would very fayne make themselues equall with them, and be in the selfe same degree of honor: sauing notwithstanding, that they content not them selues to haue a shameles and villanous harte, but they will also discouer and lay open their own shame & villany, by dissolute gestures.

The third and last poynt sheweth us the fashion of the nations or people of the East, the outward gestures, and custome receaued among them, contrary herein to the westerne people. The reason is because euery nation hath alwayes some proper and particuler inclination, which another hath not. 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.

Let a man on the other side beholde an Almain or Germain in the Pulpit, and hee would thinke him benummed, and impotent, or lame in all his members or partes, of his bodie.

And to confirme this, lett us beholde and call to remembraunce, how the auncient Romains were remoued farr from the opinion and mind of the Greks. These, that is the Greekes, esteemed daunsing verye much, and all these which knew howe to helpe and comfort themselues with an instrument of musicke. The other, that is the Romains made very small account of both daunsyngs, and lesse of the daunsers themselues. Here appeareth the difference of Climates, and of such as dwell under those climates. From thence it commeth that the people of the East partes did breake and rent in peeces their garmentes when they had understanding of euil newes. Wherefore they did lye weltering and tumblinge upon the ground, put on sackcloth, put on ashes, or dust upon their heads, yea then, when they pretended to shew some repentance, and to manifest or set out an inward greefe: all which thinges would bee founde, and thought rediculous, foolish, and to bee laughed at amonge nations & peoples, on this side of them: 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. It is true, that a man may also referr the tabourets & other instrumentes of musicke to the ceremonies of Moyses law: which ceremonies haue bene abolished at the comming of Jesus Christ, in so much that at this day where we are under the Gospell, wee must use the same more soberly, and sparingly, & with greater modesty: but all that, hath nothinge common with the daunses of this present time or age.

These three poyntes being dispatched we fynd and see cleerely, what affinity & agreement there is, betweene these twoo maners of daunses. [Sidenote: 2. Sam. 6.] Our daunsers do yet further alledge an other parcel or peece of the scripture written in the booke of the Kinges, where it is said, that Dauid leaped and daunsed before the Arke of the Lord. [Sidenote: Mark this you that folowe daunsing scholes.] But so far of is it, that this serueth them to mayntayne their daunses, that I would not wish to haue a more proper, fitt, playne, and agreeable place to confute them. For if Dauid hath had a like affection in his daunse, as they haue in theirs, that is to say, to please the gentlewoman and Ladies, as our daunsers endeuor, studye & deuise to please their minions and flattering dames, Michol his wife, had neuer mocked him. He might then haue daunsed more pleasantly, and after a fashion more agreeable to the flesh: and for trueth, hee might haue done it beyng light or nimble by nature, and able or meete to do al thinges.

But the answeare which he made his wife Michol, very well declareth, that hee pretended or purposed no other thinge but to set out by outward gestures, the greatnes of the ioy which he had conceaued in his harte, because of the presence of God. This was (sayd he) before the Lord which I haue done in this behalfe: it appeareth by this aunsweare, that his affection was not in or on the world, and that he cared not much for the iudgement of Michol, and of all other worldlings, because he would not please them, nor satisfy or feede their fine and goodly eyes, by his daunsing. Wherfore we must conclude that Dauid condemneth the worldlines of his wife, and such other as shee: yea in that that shee was punished by barrennes, which followed theruppon. It is an evident argument, that God approued or allowed the doing and saying of the Prophet.

[Sidenote: Note you that delight in your art of daunsing] Now if al they, which make daunsinge their god, would imprint this in their hart and understanding, they should receaue & use the same, rather to their condemnation, then to be so much without aforehead, that is to say, shameles, that they woulde abuse the scripture, to couer their uncleannes & infection. For this is a most detestable & abhominable sacriledge, to make the unspeakeable truth of God to serue our wicked and most shamefull affections. Adde thereunto that he will greeuously & sharply punish all such scoffers, and prodigall persons which do so much prophane the maiesty and excellency of his name, and that diuinity, which is contayned and expressed in the holy scriptures. [Sidenote: Isa. 5.20.] Moreouer, when we so disguise and chaunge the nature of thinges that we call good euil, and the euil good, we ought to assure our selues of the curse of God, pronounced by the prophet Isaiah, saynge: cursed (sayth he) be they, which say that euil is good, and that good is euil, which put darknes for light, and light for darknes, which geue sowre thinges for sweete, and sweete for sower & bytter. [Sidenote: Daunses not indifferent.] But I demaund or aske now, whether they which allow daunses, and place them among indifferent things, do not call good euil, and euil good: and by consequent do not inflame and kindle the wrath of God upon them themselues, and al their fautors or fauourers.

All which thinges beyng considered, I hope that diuers knowing what euil, and mischief there is in daunses, will giue them ouer and cast them away, thinking or supposing, that in that, that thei haue retained & fauoured them, euen unto this present, they haue rather done it thorowe ignoraunce, than thorowe stubburnesse or selfe will. 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. * * *

Prayse be to GOD.

[Stamp: Lambeth Palace Library]