Young—William Gager's Defence of Academic Stage . 613 
have allredye answered as it weare by the waye, by whome the 
rest of your authorityes also, and all your examples may receyve 
theire trwe, though shorte answere. ffor first I denye, that the 
Romans ever iudged, omnes scenicos infames, because Playes weare 
somtyme, as in a common plauge, instituted ad placandos Deos , 
and weare provided by greate Officers, of the common treasure; 
and so they are referred ad religione m, et deuotionem. somtyme 
thay weare sett owt at the pryvat cost of them that stood to the 
people for great Offices, or generally for the honor and sollace of 
the cytye; and so thay are referred to magnificence, for magnifi- 
centia is a goodly vertue, <1p. 47> et versatur circa sumptus amplos , 
non turpes aut infames , because it is a vertwe; but. circa qusecunque 
in Rem Publicam honestse laudis studio conferuntur; amonge the 
which Aristotle 1 reckonethe, Ludos splendide facere. neyther is it to 
be thought, that Msopus and Roscius , beinge bothe men of that 
fame, favor, wealthe, and entyre famyliarytye with the best, and 
wisest in theire tymes, weare reputed as infamous persons, what 
should I speake of so many Circi, Theatra, Amphitheatra, buylded 
by the greatest and bravest Romans, with so huge charge and 
sumptuousnes? which thoughe thay weare wonte vpon fowle 
abuses, or some other occasion, as you write, overthrowne by the 
Romans them selves, yet evne thos playes, for which thay weare 
abolished, weare ex eo genere, of whom thay might have sayde 
(as C. Tacitus dothe of Astrologers ) quod in ciuitate nostra et 
vetabitur semper , et retinebitur. howsoever, I can not thinke, that 
eyther thay woulde have suffered suche thinges to be donne at all, 
if thay had iudged them ill; or to be performed by infamous per- 
sonns, beinge matters of that state and magnificence, and, as 
thay thought, of that devotion, and necessytye. it weare not 
harde for me to heape vp many thinges to this purpose, but my 
desyre is no furder to approve theire iudgment heerin, then servethe 
for the necessarye defence of oure selves, and owre dooinges. Next 
I denye that we are to be termed Scenici, or Histriones, for cum- 
minge on the Stage once in a yeere, or twoe yeere, sevne, ten, or 
somtyme twentye yeeres. as he is not a wrastler that somtyme to 
prove his strencthe, tryethe for a fall or twoe, nor he a fencer, 
that somtyme takethe up the cudgells, to play a vennye; nor he a 
danser, that sometyme leadethe the measures or dansethe a 
galliarde; nor he a minstrell or a ffidler, that sometyme playethe 
on an instrument before manye; as I have often seene all thes doone 
by gentyllmen, withoute the leste suspition of discreditt or dis- 
honestye. and yet if a man shoulde doe thes thinges vsually and 
in evry place, I thinke he might be noted to be a wrastler, a ffencer, 
a danser, and a ffidler. Besyde we differ from them in the manner 
Gager’s side-note: Arist. Ethi. 1. 4. c. 5. 
