Young—William Gager's Defence of Academic Stage. 633 
Plaudite. 1 what Nero's ryotts weare that way, I can not iustly 
accownte; likely it is, thay weare very excessyve, that he would 
gyve so muche mony, as you speake of, to Gaptaynes of bandes, 
only to crye, excellent, excellent; besyde the rest of his charge, 
in settinge his Playes owte. there is no proportion, I knowe, be- 
tweene Nero’s abylytye, and owres. but if Nero <3p. 62> cowlde 
have as well spared suche huge su/ums of mony, which he spent 
that way often, as our House, with the cumpanye in it, and be- 
longinge to it (thanked be God) can, ons in many yeers, thirtye 
powndes; Nero showlde have byn wronged greatly beinge an 
Emperour to have byn noted of wastfullnes, and if ever he had 
any suche good mynde, he mought never the lesse have releeved 
the poore. And therfore, ad quid ista perditio est, Here** mala , 
Mome, vox est 2 ; servethe a turne well inoughe agaynst Momus. for 
thoughe I knowe there is an infinyte difference, betweene owres, and 
the action agaynst the which it was hypocrytically first vsed; 
yet I thinke it may also be applyed, agaynst eyther the nigardise, 
or the hypocrisye of any Momus , that shall condemne all expence, 
as cast awaye, that is somtyme, moderattly bestowed vpon 
honest sportes and pastymes, and not vpon the poore. a man 
may feast, and yet remember the affliction of Josephe toe. and 
monye may be spent on Playes, evne thirtye powndes, and yett 
the poore releeved, and no man the lesse liberall for them, or the 
more, if thay had not byn at all. for thoughe no cost can be so 
well bestowed, as that was vpon owre Savioure; yet it followeth 
not, that therfor no cost is at any tyme to be imployed vpon lawful 1 
1 Wherefore, vnlesse that vnthrift might haue aunswered Christ or anie 
other reproouer, Thou blamest me for wasting, but 1 wast none of thine: thou 
maist drinke with mee scotfree, if thou be a good fellowe, and welcome: I see not 
how your aunswere to Momus [Side-note, from Momus, lines 184-185: At 
sumptus ingens: at tibi gratis licet spectare, Mome, nemo te stipem rogat.] 
can be iustified, Thou sayest the charge is great; but thou mayest come, and 
looke on, Momus, and paye nothing, no man doeth aske thee a penie. And that 
which hee obiecteth, that it had bene better bestowed on the poore, [Side-note, 
from Momus, lines 89-90: Hue tantus iste sumptus, in pauperculos magis 
elocandus, rediit?] is as weaklie mett with: in that you replie. The charge, 
great to him, is meane Sc moderate to you; none will giue the lesse to the poore for 
that, none [p. 25] would haue given the more without it. [Side-note, from Momus, 
lines 187-190: Sumptus est ingens tibi; Nobis mediocris: nemo propterea 
minus fovebit inopes; absque eo nemo magis levabit.] For Nero, being tickled 
with desire of prayse, and louing to heare men approoue his playing on the 
stage with clapping of their hands, and crying out, Excellent, excellent, did 
choose a lustie bande of valiant youthes to doe it, whose Captaines hee gaue 
three hundred pound a piece, or better. This, if we consider the millions that 
he wasted in prodigall giftes, was lesse charge to him, supposing it amounted 
to three thousande pound, or foure, or fiue, or more, then three or fower, or 
hue, or a fewe more shillings is to some of yours. Yet the storie noteth it 
as part of his wastfulnes, and Nero peradventure was either lesse able or lesse 
willing to helpe the poore, by reason of that moony giuen for a Plaudite. 
[Overthrow, p. 24-25.] 
2 Momus, 11. 190-191. 
