The theatre: Sources

Rich young men with nothing to do are always at the theatre. That's where they mix with the tramps, thieves, and tricksters who meet there to plot their crimes. And the plays they see are full of wickedness and cheating. Those who watch are soon persuaded to copy what they see.

Apprentices and servants waste their time at the theatre, neglecting their work. People who should know better go there instead of to church. On top of all that, theatres can make you ill - it's easy to catch an infection in the crowd.

Letter written by a Puritan Lord Mayor of London in 1597

Going to the theatre does young people no harm. If they don't go they might get up to worse mischief elsewhere. Most of the plays set a good example - they tell about the brave actions of the men of the past. And if you do see cheats and liars on the stage, they always come to a bad end.

Written in 1592 by Thomas Nashe, a writer who hated Puritans

Walter Robson: Crown, Parliament and People; Oxford University Press, 1992/2002, page 94