Young—William Gager’s Defence of Academic Stage. 629 
and to this daye doe thinke well of them, to whome it weare a 
greate reproche, at any tyme to have byn acquaynted with thinges 
of so vyle, and base qualytye, and muche more, still to allowe of 
them. Wheras I sayde that there was no more tyme spent vpon 
owre Playes then was convenient, you replye 1 that It may be there 
was, evne some tyme that shoulde have byn spent in heeringe Sermons, 
the very day that my Vlysses Redux came vpon the Stage. It may be 
there was not; and for any thinge that can be proved, or for any 
thinge that any man needed to be hindred from Sermons that daye 
for my Vlysses, it was not so in deede. sure I ame, that the gentel- 
man that playde Vlysses , was at Sermon, and divers Others of 
the actors, as if neede were thay coulde prove, perhapps the 
rather, to avoyde suche a scandall. if any were awaye, thay might 
have other cause so to doe, thoughe (the more the pittye) it is 
no vnusuall thinge, for many other students, as well as owres, 
sometyme to mysse a sermon, and it may be, that some of them 
that mysliked owre Playes, weare not there them selves; it may be 
the same Sonday night thay were wurse occupyed then owre 
actors were; it may be, preventinge vs, playinge Momus parte 
in good ernest, which we afterwarde did but for pastyme. and yet 
that accusation touchethe my poore vnfortunate Vlysses only, 
not the other twoe. The sayinge of S. Cyprian agaynst a Stage- 
player, or of Phxdria of hym selfe to Parmino, can not be iustly 
vsed agaynst vs. for he schoulde doe vs grete contumelye, that 
should thinke, or saye, that eyther we are maisters not of teachinge 
but of spillinge children; or that bothe tyme, and owre younge 
men weare cast awaye all together by thos exercises. But it is 
no marvayle that you implye so ill a conceyte of them, if you 
dowte that, as I answered Momus, owre actors can shewe greater 
frute of their tyme well spent, then any that is bredd vp in Momusses 
discipline can. for you pray God that thay maye 2 , as dowtinge it 
1 S. Cyprian writing of a stage-player who made boyes effeminate by in¬ 
structing them how to play the wemen, and to expresse & counterfeit vnhonest 
wanton gestures, saith, he was a maister not of teaching but spilling children. 
Whose words put me in minde that the losse of time should not haue bene 
obiected so much against your playes: seeing some of the players (if they were 
like the youthes whom Cyprian speaketh of) might reply as Phsedria; when 
Parmeno did tell him that his gift bestowed on Thais would bee lost, Ego 
quoque una pereo, quod mihi est carius: ne istuc tam iniquo patiare animo. 
There was no more time spent about them (you say) then useth to be spent in 
sports, sleepe, talke, and learned releasing of the minde from studie. [side-note, 
from Momus, lines 170-174: Nihil studiis remissum est publicis: id fabulis. 
Tempus tributum est quod solet tribui jocis, Sommoqize colloquiisqize doctoque 
otio.] It may bee that there was: euen some time that should haue bene spent 
in hearing Sermons the very day that your Vlyssis redux came on the stage. 
[Overthrow, p. 21.] 
2 You adde that your actors can shewe greater fruite of their time well spent 
then any that is bredde up by Momusses discipline can. [Side-note, from Momus, 
lines 174-176: Bene collocati temporis fructum chorus praestare noster, Mome, 
maiorem potest, quam disciplina quispiam Momi editus.] I pray God they 
