Tragedies.  It hath heretofore been esteemed a lawfull exercise, and a tolerable profession in men of honor, namely in Greece.  Aristoni tragico actori rem aperit:  huic et genus et fortuna honesta erant:  nec ars, quia nihil tale apud Graecos pudori est, ea deformabat. [Footnote:  Liv.  Deo. iii. 1. iv.] “He imparts the matter to Ariston a Player of tragedies, whose progenie and fortune were both honest; nor did his profession disgrace them, because no such matter is a disparagement amongst the Grecians.”

And I have ever accused them of impertinencie, that condemne and disalow such kindes of recreations, and blame those of injustice, that refuse good and honest Comedians, or (as we call them) Players, to enter our good townes, and grudge the common people such publike sports.  Politike and wel ordered commonwealths endevour rather carefully to unite and assemble their Citizens together; as in serious offices of devotion, so in honest exercises of recreation.  Common societie and loving friendship is thereby cherished and increased.  And besides, they cannot have more formal and regular pastimes allowed them, than such as are acted and represented in open view of all, and in the presence of the magistrates themselves; And if I might beare sway, I would thinke it reasonable, that Princes should sometimes, at their proper charges, gratifie the common people with them, as an argument of a fatherly affection, and loving goodnesse towards them:  and that in populous and frequented cities, there should be Theatres and places appointed for such spectacles; as a diverting of worse inconveniences, and secret actions.  But to come to my intended purpose there is no better way to allure the affection, and to entice the appetite:  otherwise a man shall breed but asses laden with Bookes.  With jerks of rods they have their satchels full of learning given them to keepe.  Which to doe well, one must not only harbor in himselfe, but wed and marry the same with his minde.

OF FRIENDSHIP

Considering the proceeding of a Painters worke I have, a desire hath possessed mee to imitate him:  He maketh choice of the most convenient place and middle of everie wall, there to place a picture, laboured with all his skill and sufficiencie; and all void places about it he filleth up with antike Boscage [Footnote:  Foliated ornament] or Crotesko [Footnote:  Grotesque] works; which are fantasticall pictures, having no grace, but in the variety and strangenesse of them.  And what are these my compositions in truth, other than antike workes, and monstrous bodies, patched and hudled up together of divers members, without any certaine or well ordered figure, having neither order, dependencie, or proportion, but casuall and framed by chance?

     Definit in piscem mulier formosa superne.
     [Footnote:  Hon. Art.  Poet. 4.]

     A woman faire for parts superior,
     Ends in a fish for parts inferior.