Th'overthrow of stage-plays, by the way of controversy betwixt D. Gager and D. Rainoldes…Th'overthrow of stage-playes, by the way of controversie betwixt D. Gager and D. Rainoldes…

finally to pretend, that being assaulted by one who sought your life, you were compelled to enter a long combat with him, when you grant straightways upon the end thereof that no man did assault you; it was a post only, whereon you set a helmet to make it seem a man, that so by valiant foining at it, and hacking of it, you might get the credit of having slain an enemy, and left him in the place as dead as a door nail. The ^dPhysicians note, that such as are diseased with that kind of hungry sickness, which I mentioned, have a greedy appetite to be eating still: but being unable to keep that they have eaten, do cast it up by vomit; and then eat more, and vomit again; and eat eftsoons, and vomit. How like a distemper you are fallen into, through desire of swallowing up & contradicting all that I had written, which yet your want of strength to hold and maintain doeth force you to regorge and yield: your going onward in this course bewrayeth further. For I, to show how all reprovers of plays are noted as unjust reprovers by your tale of Momus, declared out of Aristotle, that it was devised to check such as reprove unjustly the best and perfectest works of the most wise and skilful. You reply that you brought him not in so much in that sense that Aristotle speaketh of, as a reprover of the best and ⟨p. 51⟩perfectest works of the most wise and skilful; for I never took (say you) either our selves, or our plays to be such: but as we commonly take him as a carper, and a pincher at all things that are done with any opinion of well doing. Wherein with one breath you overthwart, and grant, the purport of my speech. You overthwart it in saying that you brought Momus in, as we commonly take him; & opposing this point to the point I mentioned, Not in that sense that Aristotle speaketh of, but thus: You grant it in confessing that you brought him in also in that sense, though not so much in that sense: which I said not you did so much, but only that you did it. And albeit herein by gainsaying me with your, Not, and But, you may seem to charge me with saying that you brought him in so much in that sense: yet you meant rather by cunning interlacing of those words, so much, closely to discharge your mouth of a morsel, which you had taken in, and felt it overhot and burning.

finally to pretend, that being assaulted by one who sought your life, you were compelled to enter a long combat with him, when you graunt straightwayes vpon the ende thereof that no man did assault you; it was a post onelie, whereon you sett a helmet to make it seeme a man, that so by valiant foyning at it, and hacking of it, you might gett the creditt of having slaine an enemie, and left him in the place as dead as a doore naile. The