iii. 4.  Let them take their pleasures then, and as [5159] he said of old, “young men and maids flourishing in their age, fair and lovely to behold, well attired, and of comely carriage, dancing a Greek galliard, and as their dance required, kept their time, now turning, now tracing, now apart now altogether, now a courtesy then a caper,” &c., and it was a pleasant sight to see those pretty knots, and swimming figures.  The sun and moon (some say) dance about the earth, the three upper planets about the sun as their centre, now stationary, now direct, now retrograde, now in apogee, then in perigee, now swift then slow, occidental, oriental, they turn round, jump and trace, [Symbol:  Mars] and [Symbol:  Mercury] about the sun with those thirty-three Maculae or Bourbonian planet, circa Solem saltantes Cytharedum, saith Fromundus.  Four Medicean stars dance about Jupiter, two Austrian about Saturn, &c., and all (belike) to the music of the spheres.  Our greatest counsellors, and staid senators, at some times dance, as David before the ark, 2 Sam. vi. 14.  Miriam, Exod. xv. 20.  Judith, xv. 13. (though the devil hence perhaps hath brought in those bawdy bacchanals), and well may they do it.  The greatest soldiers, as [5160] Quintilianus, [5161]Aemilius Probus, [5162]Coelius Rhodiginus, have proved at large, still use it in Greece, Rome, and the most worthy senators, cantare, saltare.  Lucian, Macrobius, Libanus, Plutarch, Julius, Pollux, Athenaeus, have written just tracts in commendation of it.  In this our age it is in much request in those countries, as in all civil commonwealths, as Alexander ab Alexandro, lib. 4. cap. 10. et lib. 2. cap. 25. hath proved at large, [5163]amongst the barbarians themselves none so precious; all the world allows it.

[5164] “Divitias contemno tuas, rex Craese, tuamque
        Vendo Asiam, unguentis, flore, mero, choreis.”

[5165]Plato, in his Commonwealth, will have dancing-schools to be maintained, “that young folks might meet, be acquainted, see one another, and be seen;” nay more, he would have them dance naked; and scoffs at them that laugh at it.  But Eusebius praepar.  Evangel. lib. 1. cap. 11. and Theodoret lib. 9. curat. graec. affect. worthily lash him for it; and well they might:  for as one saith, [5166]"the very sight of naked parts causeth enormous, exceeding concupiscences, and stirs up both men and women to burning lust.”  There is a mean in all things:  this is my censure in brief; dancing is a pleasant recreation of body and mind, if sober and modest (such as our Christian dances are); if tempestively used, a furious motive to burning lust; if as by Pagans heretofore, unchastely abused.  But I proceed.

If these allurements do not take place, for [5167]Simierus, that great master of dalliance, shall not behave himself better, the more effectually to move others, and satisfy their lust, they will swear and lie, promise, protest, forge, counterfeit, brag, bribe, flatter and dissemble of all sides.  ’Twas Lucretia’s counsel in Aretine, Si vis amica frui, promitte, finge, jura, perjura, jacta, simula, mentire; and they put it well in practice, as Apollo to Daphne,