And first
touching Church-ales, these be mine assertions, if not my proofes:
Of things induced by our forefathers, some were instituted to a good
vse, and peruerted to a bad: againe, some were both naught in the
inuention, and so continued in the practise. Now that Church-ales
ought to bee sorted in the better ranke of these twaine, maybe
gathered from their causes and [70] effects, which I thus rasse vp
together: entertaining of Christian loue, conforming of mens
behauiour to a ciuill conuersation, compounding of controuersies,
appealing of quarrels, raising a store, which might be concerted
partly to good and godly vses, as releeuing all sorts of poore people,
repairing of Churches, building of bridges, amending of high wayes;
and partly for the Princes seruice, by defraying at an instant, such
rates and taxes as the magistrate imposeth for the Countries defence.
Briefly, they tende to an instructing of the minde by amiable
conference, and an enabling of the body by commendable exercises.
But I fearing lest my friend would runne himselfe out of breath,
in this volubilitie of praising, stept athwart him with these
obiections: That hee must pardon my dissenting from his opinion,
touching the goodnesse of the institution: for taken at best,
it could not be martialled with the sacred matters, but rather with
the ciuill, if not with the profane; that the very title of ale was
somewhat nasty, and the thing it selfe had beene corrupted with such
a multitude of abuses, to wit, idlenes, drunkennesse, lasciuiousnes,
vaine disports of ministrelsie, dauncing, and disorderly
night-watchings, that the best curing was to cut it cleane away.
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