604 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. 
treatise of defence of academic drama and academic per¬ 
formances. The complete document stands as follows 1 : 
Wheras, in the beginninge of your late letter, 2 or rather treatyse 
to me, Mr. J. Rainoldes, you wryte, that you are muche to thanke 
me for my letters , & Tragedye; it is as muche, at the most, as 
thay deserved; but that you add, you are so to doe the more, 
for enlarginge the answere to Momus , for yours , and others askinge , 
why thinges by hym obiected , weare not answered , I ame rather 
the more to thanke you, for your takinge it in so good parte. How- 
beit, I would be very sorrye, that the comparyson, which in the 
behalfe of others, you drawe from owre Savioure, 3 should houlde 
agaynst me: for he indeede when he was smytten, might trulye 
saye, if I have spoken evill , beare witness of the evill; but if well , 
why doste thou smyte me? because he undoutedlye had sayde 
nothinge but reason, and therfore was most vniustly smytten. 
but for my obiections agaynst owre Playes, attrybuted to Momus , 
no man can rightely saye to me, if owre reasons be naught , discouer 
theire naughtines; if good , why doe you Mome vsl for firste, the 
obiections, in owre case, and agaynst vs, are most vntrwe, and I 
hope no man lyvinge shall soundely prove the contrarye: next, 
there is no man smytten by me, and therfor I shoulde be wronged 
if I shoulde be asked suche a question, withoute cause. I say, no 
man is smytten by me (muche lesse you, or any of yours) but 
onlye Momus , whoe can never iustly in suche sorte chalenge me, 
nor any man for hym. as for They, and Vs, I assure you I doe not 
knowe whome you meane by them, nor very well what, for when 
I wrote vnto you, that I had enlarged the answere to Momus , 
because I understood that you and others shoulde aske, why thos 
thinges weare not answered, that weare obiected ; by others, I did not 
meane suche, as I perceyve by you there are, which shoulde 
mislike owre Playes, but others of my frendes, that heeringe the 
obiections, towlde me, that thay coulde have wisshed, thay had 
byn then answered, leste any shoulde thinke thay had byn vttered 
in good erneste, or leste thay shoulde seeme to some, to carry a 
1 In elucidation of Gager’s text I print in the foot-notes pertinent 
passages from Rainolds’ letter of July 10. 
2 I am much to thanke you, Maister D. Gager, for both your letters, and your 
Tragedie: the more, for that you haue enlarged the answer to Momus (as you 
signifie) because you understood that I & others should aske why those thinges 
were not aunswered which were obiected. [Overthrow of Stage-Playes, p. U 
3 In deed, as our Savior when he was smitten by one for speaking nought but 
reason, saide. If I have spoken evill, beare witnesse of the evill; but if well, why 
doest thou smite me? so they, whose obiections against playes you attributed to 
the person of Momus, Sc thereby noted them as vniust reproovers, might 
iustlie say in my iudgement; If our reasons be naught, discover their naughtines; 
if good, why doe you Mome usl [Overthrow, p. 1.] 
