United States or Malta ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !


For albeit, that in that place, there is no expresse mention made of daunses, yet so it is, that when it is sayde, that Dina went to see the daughters of the countrey or land, there is some appearance and likelihod that the daughters had this custome, to assemble themselues togeather in daunse, and that to the end, that in shewing the nimblenes of their body, their bewty, and wery conceyts, they might bee coveted and desyred of young men, as indeede Dina was by Sichem.

And moreeuer this is not all, to haue respect or regard onely of a mans owne selfe, but we must loke also to our neighbours, who is he which dare assure or warrant him selfe & others, that when he daunseth, or after that he hath daunsed he hath not prevoked & stirred up the lust of the flesh in some one of the standers by: But yet it is so, the effect & sute declareth it, because that the daughter and sister of the County or Earle of A. was so enamoured or rauished with the loue of a very simple and base gentleman whom she had seene daunse in the courte, and it printed so wel, that is, toke such deepe impression and roote in her hart, and understanding, that against the will of Father and Mother, parentes and friends shee maried him.

It must be not admitted that the Christians, which either goe or come to mariages, leape or daunse, but that chastlye & soberly they sup or dyne, and as it is seemly and conuenient for christians. Likewise in the yeare 676. there was holden & kept the sixt councell of Constantinople, where daunses were forbidden, principally to women as greatly hurtfull.

For if it be, yet after feastes and banquets, men commonly set, or geue themselues to daunse, and after that men be full of wyne and good meates, they bee then prouoked & pricked forwarde, by the prickes of the flesh, to what end serue such manner of gestures, if not, to make manifest & set out their intemperency.

But when these which loue to leape and daunse, seeing there is here spoken not only of daunses, but also of taberets and other musicall instrumentes, do thinke that they are already in the hall of leapinge or skipping, and do daunse according to the note and measures that the Minstrels and Pipers wil sound or play to them: inferringe that the holy scripture before alleged maketh for them, and that by it daunses are approued, they are indeede fouly deceaued and very farre of from their reckoninge, because that reckoning without the host, it was meete for them to reckon twyse.

Saluit in his Oration against Catilina, speaking of a certaine woman, named Sempronia, sayeth that shee could daunse more delicately and fynely, then did appertaine to an honest and good woman. Cicero much reprocheth and upbraydeth, yea and constantly obiecteth, to Gabinius the studying and practisinge of daunses, as an infamous thing.

In the daunse before Herod the death of John Baptist. In the rape or rauishing of Dina, Sichem, his father, & all his sobiectes, died there. In the worshipping of the golden calfe, where the children of Israel daunsed and leaped so nimblie, cherefully, & merily, before that their belly was full, there died then aboute three thousande in recompence of their ioy and gladnes.

First of al I haue heard of some which denye daunses to be shamelesse and dissolute gestures, because that when they daunse, they do it not, but for a recreation of themselues and bodily exercise, yea that they use it as a certayne thing, which of itselfe is neither good nor euill.

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.