WHereas this Tyrannicall, abomina­ble, lewd, schismaticall, haeretical Army, are bent in a wilfull and forcible way to destroy all Lawfull Government; and to compasse those ends, have lately infringed the Priviledges of Parliament, being a thing con­trary to all Customes, Laws, Statutes, Examples, Pecedents and precepts, as I have at large discoursed in my last book, and brought a whole Army of proofs against them; (Origen, Philo Iud. Tertullian, Lactantius, Eusebius, Ambrose, Gregory, Augustine, Cyprian, Hieronimus, Basilius, Nazianzen, Athana­sius, [Page 4] Chrysostomus, Barnard, Tho. Aquinas, Hook Eccl. Calvin,) for it is easie to be proved by the Fathers, and all Christian Writers, That Authority Law­full is to be obeyed; I cannot yet be silent in a thing of so great moment; but must make known to the People of England, and to all the world, to all sorts of men, nay, to men and Angels, those exorbitant courses in which they persist still: It is not long ago, and therefore too lately to be so soon forgot­ten, how Colonel Pride and diverse others of the the Army did stop the Members of Parliament from doing of their duty in a most forcible, unlaw­full, seditious, mutinous, unexampled, and unpar­raleld way; among that multitude of faithfull Pa­triots and Parliament men, they seized also upon me, carryed me away by force, and restrained me of my liberty, for no offence, but onely endeavou­ring to discharge my conscience, which is a thing I shall alwayes do, without fearing any man, any arm of flesh, any Potentacie, Prelacy, superintendency, or power terrestiall or internall; and have done, witnesse my often sufferings from the Court, from the Lords, and from the Prelates, when I durst maintain the truth without fear of either King, Lords, Prelates, Presbyterians, or Independents. But I let this passe, having already at large written about that injurie; but now there is another fresh occasion, which hath incited my just indignation against this wicked and Tyrannicall Army, they did lately in a most inhumane, cruell, rough, and bar­barous manner take away the poor Players from their Houses, being met there to discharge the duty [Page 5] of their callings; as if this Army were fully bent and most trayterously and maliciously set to put down and depresse all the Kings Friends, not onely in Parliament but in the very Theaters; they have no care of Covenant or any thing else, but being most faedifragous would deprive the King of all his Rights and Prerogatives, which they are bound by the Covenant to maintain; and was it not alwayes an allowed Prerogative to Kings and great Princes to have Players for their Recreations, which I am verily perswaded they are as little able to answer for considering their Covenant, as for their other illegal action towards us in the Parliament.

But now I know what the malicious, ill-spoken, clamorous, and obstreperous people will object a­gainst me; namely, That I did once write a Book against Stage-plays, called Histrio-mastix, for which I underwent a cruel censure in the Starchamber. I confesse it is true, I did once so, but it was when I had not so cleer a light as now I have; and it is no disparagement for any man to alter his judgement upon better information, besides it was done long ago, and when the King (whose vertues I did not then so perfectly understand) governed without any controul, which was the time that I took the better to shew my conscience and courage, to oppose that power which was the highest, but had I truly known the King, I must confesse with sorrow, I should not have compared him to Nero the most wicked of the Roman Emperors (as I did in that book) for loving of Stage-playes; nor have given the Queen those bitter and cruell words of whore and strumpet, for [Page 6] playing a part in Mr Montagues Pastorall, but I have suffered for that long ago, and am now ready to suffer, in discharging my conscience, under what power so ever is now set up to Martyr me.

But that Playes are lawfull things, and are to be allowed as recreations for honest men, I need not quote many Authors to prove it, it will serve the turn, if I do but tell you that many good men have been Authors of Comaedies and Tragaedies; and ma­ny of them Christians (Buchanon, Grotius, Hensius, Barclaius,) there are also many ancient Comaedians and Tragaedians among the Heathen, which were men of no ill note, (Menander, Soploches, Aeschylus, Euripides, Aristoplanes, Terentius, Plautus, Seneca) and whereas I did quote many Fathers and other Ancient Christian Authors against Stage-playes, I confess I was not perfectly advised in all the cir­cumstances belonging to them, being not such Plays as were written and acted in England of late, for the Recreation of our most gracious King and Queen, and many of their best friends: and there­fore distinctions ought to be used in those cases; for all Plays are not of one nature; and vertues, mag­nanimity, chastity, sobriety, temperance, justice, modesty, goodness, &c. may be taught in Plays, and many men have been made the better for seeing of them. And whereas divers objections have been made against Stage-playes, for that many of them are profane, many of them have swearing and blas­pheming in them, many of them have cozening, cheating, legedemain, fraud, deceit, jugglings, im­postures, and other lewd things, which may teach [Page 7] young people evil things, and corrupt good maners, I do also my self speak against such Playes, and will not at all maintain them, much lesse would I be content to suffer in such a cause as that were. But that honest Playes may be tolerated, and not to be forbidden by any Army under heaven, I do maintain before all the world. It is true that some have ob­jected against Stage-Playes, that there is an unlaw­ful thing used in them, which is against a place in the Old Testament (and is urged by Dr Reinolds and other reverend men against Playes) namely, that men or boyes do wear the apparel of women, being expresly forbidden in the Text. To this I answer, first, that if this be all, it is a fault may be easily amended; and we may do in England, as they do in France, Italy, Spain, and other places, where those which play womens parts, are women indeed; and so there no offence against that place. But then again it may be objected, That that is more wanton then if boyes acted womens parts, and more apt to ingender loose thoughts; and I my self am of that opinion, And therefore do desire rather to maintain that tenent, That mens putting on of wo­mens apparel is not again the Scripture in a plain and ordinary sence; for it had a farther meaning, as one of the Rabbies affirms; for it was a custom of men in those days, when they prayed to Rimmon who was Mars, that they put on womens apparel, to seem like to Venus, and so to please that false god; and women, when they prayed to Ashtaroth who was Venus, put on mens apparel, to seem like to Mars, and so to please that goddesse. And there­fore [Page 8] I think, because this scruple is satisfied, I may conclude that good Plays, which are not profane, lewd, bad, blasphemous, or ungodly, may be act­ed; and that this wicked and tyrannical Army ought not to hinder, to impede, let, prohibit, or for­bid the acting of them; which I dare maintain to all the world; for I was never afrayd to suffer in a good cause.