Idolatry and antitheatricalism

The Contents of the several Chapters following.

1 THat the eie is the instrument of wantonnesse, gluttony, and covetousnesse.
2 Howe Idolatry hath a kinde of necessary dependance vpon the eye.
3 How pride is begotten and nourished by the eye.
4 That often seeing is the meanes to drawe both things and persons into contempt.
5 How curiositie and prying into other men busines is bred & maintained by the eye.
6 Of bewitching by the eye.
7 How the generall rebellion of the body is occasioned by the eye.
8 How the eye was the chiefe occasion of originall sinne and of examples in all those mischiefes which formerly are proved to arise from it.
9 Of the false report which the ey makes to the inner· faculties in the apprehension of naturall things.
10 A generall discourse of the delusion of the eye by artificial meanes, a also by the passions of the minde.
11 Of the delusion of the sight in particular by the immed[...]e working of the divell.
12 Of the delusion of the sight by the inchantments of sorcerers.
13 Of the delusion of the fight by the exocismes of onirers.
14 Of the delusion of the sight by the knavery and imposure of Priests & Friers.
15 Of the delusion of the sight by the distemper of the braine.
16 Of the delusion of the sight by the smooth carriage of Hypocrits.
17 Of the delusio~ of the sight by stratagems of warre.
18 Of the delusio~ of the sight by painting.
19 That the eies serue not only as trecherous porters & false reporter in naturall & artificiall things but also as secret intelligencers for discovering the passions of the mind, and diseases of the body.
20 Of the insinit diseases & casualies which the eie it self is subiect vnto.
21 That the eye is not so vsefull for the gathering of knowledge, as is pretended; whether we conside it absolutely in it selfe, or respectiuely in regard of hearing.
22 Containing an answere to an obiection that man alone hath therefore givn him an vpright figure of bodie to the ende hee might behold the heavens.
23 Setting downe at large the hindrances of the eie in the service of God.
24 That supposing the sigh did not hinder· yet is it proued that it furthr litle in the matter of religio~; together with the particular answers to sundry obiections.
25 That the popish religion consists more in eye-service then the reformed.
26 That the sight of the creature helpeth s little in the true knowledg of God.
27 That the eye of the sence failing, that of the vnderstanding & spirit wx more cleare.
28 Treating of the divers priviledges of blind men.
29 That blind men need not co~plain of the want of pleasures, especially the sense of many giefes, being by blindnes much lesned, which is proved by the strong impression of those obiects which to the inner faculties are presented by the eye.
30 That blind men need not co~plaine of their disability in serving the co~mon wealth which is proued by some reasons but chiefly by examples in all kindes.
31 A conclusion of the whole discours by way of meditation or soliloquie.

From Gosson: Playes Confuted in Five Action (1582)

so we giue thakes for the benefits we receiue, that we make the~ ye fountaines of al our blessings, wherin if we thinke as we speake, we commit idolatry, because we bestow yt vpo~
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the idols of ye Gentils, which is proper to God; if we make a diuorce betwene the tongue & the heart, honouringe the gods of ye heathens in lips, & in iesture, not in thought, yet it is idolatrie, because we do yt which is quite co~trary to ye outward profession of our faith. God tearmeth himselfe to be iealous, & iealosie misliketh the smallest iestures or signes of familiaritie, that are giuen to strangers. If Sidrach Misach, & Abednago had not knowne this, they might haue vailed and bended, to the Kings idoll, but because ye outwarde shew, must represe~t yt which is within, they would not seeme to be, that they were not: whose example is set dowe as arule for vs to followe. A bodie would thinke it to be somewhat tollerable, to sitt at the table of Idolators, or to eat of ye meate that hath bene consecrated vnto idols, whe~ we throw not our bodies downe before the~, yet is not yt to be suffred among Christians, as I proued before by ye Apostles, much les ought this to be suffred among vs, yt any should take vnto the~ yt names of ye idols, and iette vpon stages in theire attire, contrary to the counsel of Saint
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Iohn which exhorteth vs to kepe our selues fro~ idols, whrein he doth not onely forbid the worshipping, but the representing of an idoll. So subtill is the deuill, that vnder the colour of recreation, in London, and of exercise of learning, in the vniuersities, by séeing of playes, he maketh vs to ioyne with the Gentiles, in theire corruption. Because the sweete numbers of Poetrie flowing in verse, do wo~derfully tickle the hearers eares, the deuill hath tyed this to most of our playes, that whatsoeuer he would haue sticke fast to our soules, might slippe downe in suger by this intisement, for that which delighteth neuer troubleth our swallow. Thus when any matter of loue is enterlarded though the thinge it selfe bee able to allure vs, yet it is so sette out with sweetns of wordes, fitnes of Epithites, with Metaphors, Alegories, Hyperboles, Amphibologies, Similitudes, with Phrases, so pickt, so pure, so proper; with action, so smothe so liuely, so wanto~; that the poyson creeping on secretly without griefe chookes vs at last, and hurleth vs downe
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in a dead sleepe. As the Diuell hath brought in all that Poetrie can sing, so hath hee sought out euery streine that musicke is able to pipe, and drawe~ all kind of instruments into that compasse, simple and mixte.