614 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. 
of owre playing, in the ende, effectes, and other circumstances, 
as in the examination of your examples shall appeere. the which 
as you have alleaged to illustrate your authorytyes, as beeinge the 
men whom thay properly speake agaynst; so if I shewe that we 
are not to be likened to them, neyther your authorytyes, nor 
your examples shall towche vs. ffirst therfor I saye, we differ from 
them alltogether in the manner bothe of settinge owte Playes, 
and of actinge them, thay did it with excessyve charge; we thriftely 
warely, and allmost beggerly; thay acted theire Playes in an other 
sorte then we doe, or can, or well knowe howe; but so exquisytly, 
and carefully, that we may seeme, compared with them, eyther 
for skill, or diligence, rather Recitare, which you doe not dislike, 1 
then Agere, bothe which differences, in theire furniture, and action, 
I could easely prove vnto you, but that I knowe, you knowe them a 
greate deale better then I, and I desyre to be shorte. <1p. 48.> 
Next, we are vnlike them in the ende and effectes of Playinge. 
for they came vpon the stage neyther of a devowte mynd toward 
their false Godds, nor of a magnificent towardes the peeple (for 
eyther of thes had byn then in them thought commendable) but 
of a lewd, vast, dissolute, wicked, impudent, prodigall, monstrous 
humor, wherof no dowte ensued greate corruption of manners in 
them selves, to saye nothing heere of the behowlders. We con- 
trarywise doe it to recreate owre selves, owre House, and the 
better parte of the Vniversitye, with some learned Poeme or other; 
to practyse owre owne style eyther in prose or verse; to be well 
acquaynted with Seneca or Plautus; honestly to embowlden owre 
yuthe; to trye their voyces, and confirme their memoryes; to frame 
their speeche; to conforme them to convenient action; to trye what 
mettell is in evrye one, and of what disposition thay are of; wherby 
never any one amongst vs, that I knowe, was made the worse, 
many have byn muche the better; as I dare reporte me to all the 
Vniversytye. of whome some of them, have lefte vs suche domesticall 
examples and preceptes of well speakinge, as if many that dislike 
suche exercises, and others, and owre selves, had followed; so many 
solecismes in vttrance shoulde not be committed so often as there 
are. Lastly, we differ from them in many other circumstances, 
as namely thay frequented the Stage; we doe it seldome, somtyme 
not in seavne, ten, or twentye yeers; thay on the publick theater, 
not of the Citye only, but of the whole worlde; we in a pryvate 
house, and to a fewe, men of vnderstandinge; thay weare men 
growne, one of them three score yeers owlde, knightes, of noble 
houses, Patricij; and one of them Emperour of the worlde; in vs 
beinge yunge men, boyes, poore Schollers, all thes thinges are 
quyte contrarye. Therfor to comm to particular comparison as 
1 See below, p. 612 note 1. 
