First the occasions which thrust them forwarde to do it, was such a great ioy which they had conceaued of the fauoure which God had shewed to them, that they coulde not conceale, or kepe hidden, but needes must manifest it, & let it abroad, by all the meanes and wayes that they could inuent or deuise. [Sidenote: Psal. 68.] Which thinge also Dauid declareth in the sixty and eight psalme, saying, the Lord hath geuen an argument, occasion or matter unto the women, who also haue song accordingly: It was then a solomne (as a man would say) or publicke thankes geuing, which they rendred, or gaue unto God, singing or setting forth him to be the author of their deliuerance. What fellowship, agreement, or likenes, can there bee, between the daunce of these holy fathers, and these which wee behold nowe at this day among christians. Is it a question when men daunce to acknowledge or confesse the graces & goodnesses of God, to thanke him therfore, reioicing themselues in him: When the lusty and fyne man should holde a young damosel, or a woman by the hand, and keeping his measures he shal remoue himselfe, whirle about, & shake his legges alofte (which the daunsers call crosse capring) for pleasure, doth not she in the meane while make a good threede, playing at the Moris on her behalfe: but I pray you: what can ther by there of God, of his worde, of of honestye in such folishnes: I holde my tounge, that is, I speake nothing of their wordes, amorous deuises, or deuises of loue, wanton communications or speeches or markes only knowen to the Ladye, or Gentlewoman. It is true, that a man will say to me, that he must reioyce and be mery, which thing also I graunt, but yet not with a worldly, dissolute, and leuse ioy.
The seconde pointe is, that euen as the people of Israell were instructed in the seruice of God by very many cerimonies, and outward manners or fashions, so when they would honor him, and geue him some duety which they did owe, they did not content themselues to do it with the harte, and with the mouth, but by and by they added, and ioyned there withall some outwarde gestures, to witnes that, which was within. Euen unto this present or hetherto we haue founde very little affinitye or agreement betweene the daunses of the auncient patriarches, and of good and religious people, and these, which we use at this present, or in these dayes.
It is certaine and true, that the daunsers of our tyme would very fayne make themselues equall with them, and be in the selfe same degree of honor: sauing notwithstanding, that they content not them selues to haue a shameles and villanous harte, but they will also discouer and lay open their own shame & villany, by dissolute gestures.
The third and last poynt sheweth us the fashion of the nations or people of the East, the outward gestures, and custome receaued among them, contrary herein to the westerne people. The reason is because euery nation hath alwayes some proper and particuler inclination, which another hath not. Moreouer those which draw nigh unto the East and South, are by reason of the heate, mor easie to moue themselues, and consequently to make or shew gestures, then they are which be in the East, or North who by reason of the cold be more heauy & weighty: From whence it commeth, that the Italian in his communications or speeches, but especially if he speake with an affection or good hart, intermingleth and useth so many gestures, that if an English man should see him a farre of, not hearing his words, would iudge him out of his wit or els playing some comedy upon a scaffold.
Let a man on the other side beholde an Almain or Germain in the Pulpit, and hee would thinke him benummed, and impotent, or lame in all his members or partes, of his bodie.
And to confirme this, lett us beholde and call to remembraunce, how the auncient Romains were remoued farr from the opinion and mind of the Greks. These, that is the Greekes, esteemed daunsing verye much, and all these which knew howe to helpe and comfort themselues with an instrument of musicke. The other, that is the Romains made very small account of both daunsyngs, and lesse of the daunsers themselues. Here appeareth the difference of Climates, and of such as dwell under those climates. From thence it commeth that the people of the East partes did breake and rent in peeces their garmentes when they had understanding of euil newes. Wherefore they did lye weltering and tumblinge upon the ground, put on sackcloth, put on ashes, or dust upon their heads, yea then, when they pretended to shew some repentance, and to manifest or set out an inward greefe: all which thinges would bee founde, and thought rediculous, foolish, and to bee laughed at amonge nations & peoples, on this side of them: And if that women should take tabourets in their handes, as we read that the women of Israel haue done: would not men thinke that they were out of their witt: which notwihstanding was not found in thought straung among the Israelites, because this was the custome of the nation and people. It is true, that a man may also referr the tabourets & other instrumentes of musicke to the ceremonies of Moyses law: which ceremonies haue bene abolished at the comming of Jesus Christ, in so much that at this day where we are under the Gospell, wee must use the same more soberly, and sparingly, & with greater modesty: but all that, hath nothinge common with the daunses of this present time or age.
These three poyntes being dispatched we fynd and see cleerely, what affinity & agreement there is, betweene these twoo maners of daunses. [Sidenote: 2. Sam. 6.] Our daunsers do yet further alledge an other parcel or peece of the scripture written in the booke of the Kinges, where it is said, that Dauid leaped and daunsed before the Arke of the Lord. [Sidenote: Mark this you that folowe daunsing scholes.] But so far of is it, that this serueth them to mayntayne their daunses, that I would not wish to haue a more proper, fitt, playne, and agreeable place to confute them. For if Dauid hath had a like affection in his daunse, as they haue in theirs, that is to say, to please the gentlewoman and Ladies, as our daunsers endeuor, studye & deuise to please their minions and flattering dames, Michol his wife, had neuer mocked him. He might then haue daunsed more pleasantly, and after a fashion more agreeable to the flesh: and for trueth, hee might haue done it beyng light or nimble by nature, and able or meete to do al thinges.
But the answeare which he made his wife Michol, very well declareth, that hee pretended or purposed no other thinge but to set out by outward gestures, the greatnes of the ioy which he had conceaued in his harte, because of the presence of God. This was (sayd he) before the Lord which I haue done in this behalfe: it appeareth by this aunsweare, that his affection was not in or on the world, and that he cared not much for the iudgement of Michol, and of all other worldlings, because he would not please them, nor satisfy or feede their fine and goodly eyes, by his daunsing. Wherfore we must conclude that Dauid condemneth the worldlines of his wife, and such other as shee: yea in that that shee was punished by barrennes, which followed theruppon. It is an evident argument, that God approued or allowed the doing and saying of the Prophet.
[Sidenote: Note you that delight in your art of daunsing] Now if al they, which make daunsinge their god, would imprint this in their hart and understanding, they should receaue & use the same, rather to their condemnation, then to be so much without aforehead, that is to say, shameles, that they woulde abuse the scripture, to couer their uncleannes & infection. For this is a most detestable & abhominable sacriledge, to make the unspeakeable truth of God to serue our wicked and most shamefull affections. Adde thereunto that he will greeuously & sharply punish all such scoffers, and prodigall persons which do so much prophane the maiesty and excellency of his name, and that diuinity, which is contayned and expressed in the holy scriptures. [Sidenote: Isa. 5.20.] Moreouer, when we so disguise and chaunge the nature of thinges that we call good euil, and the euil good, we ought to assure our selues of the curse of God, pronounced by the prophet Isaiah, saynge: cursed (sayth he) be they, which say that euil is good, and that good is euil, which put darknes for light, and light for darknes, which geue sowre thinges for sweete, and sweete for sower & bytter. [Sidenote: Daunses not indifferent.] But I demaund or aske now, whether they which allow daunses, and place them among indifferent things, do not call good euil, and euil good: and by consequent do not inflame and kindle the wrath of God upon them themselues, and al their fautors or fauourers.
All which thinges beyng considered, I hope that diuers knowing what euil, and mischief there is in daunses, will giue them ouer and cast them away, thinking or supposing, that in that, that thei haue retained & fauoured them, euen unto this present, they haue rather done it thorowe ignoraunce, than thorowe stubburnesse or selfe will. But as concerning others, whiche will preseuer and continue in their dissolutnes and loosenesse, the Lord withdraw and plucke them therefrom, when it pleaseth him, least they incurre or runne headlong into his wrath and vengeance, which hangeth ouer their heads, for that they haue obstinatelie and stubburnlie gainesaide and withstood, so manifest & plaine a truth. * * *