8 Comrrl4nd. vpon the C ommanc!etmeots. offer/4s fente to Demetrius King ofAfia dice ofgoldein reprochio.ltitn,becaufehee 'fed dicing. And an other faith flatly thus, that )aantoaleatoreflzniartenceleor, tarns° nequior eft , The ceenninger that a dicer is in his arte themar feraan a f :ridly keo is. .The Publu s. Poet layeth it downeamongft the Cankers that confume men & make them beggers; Dice , Wine ; and Women. What fhoulde I fay ? Take awe boók :inhande :of an heathen man,and it is a wonder, if you finde not Come thing againfi dicing. Nowe conic from the hcathenstoChrifüans, and fee cum, agreate oinking. Aafie beginnech and is not afraid to lay plainely Akan!,iustenu?Damon, The dj,jl De ciue. Dc,. fisfl found ant the game ofdicing. Lyra detefüng it feckethtomakeother iner. doe as 1' 4' 1'ptono much by diuers 'Talons. It coueteth ( faith hee) an othermans goods greatly , it is a migthie meanes of deceite, it paflèth vfurie, it caufethlying, fwearing, brauling,and manie idle wordes, it is an offence to the godly,it breaketh the la tocs , it mifpendeth the time , and what not ? Olde Cham er fo tong agoe (et his fentcnce downe againfi this exercife, and fparesoot to difplay the venues of it in this manner e 7) icing ( faith bee ) is eerie mother of leafinges, And ofdeceit and curfedforfwearings, :t . Blafphemse of God,man flaugbter,andmy/4%2r,, Of bartaile, nanghtineffe, and other moe. Iris rcproofe and coon nary to honour, For to bebolde a common dicer. And ewer thehigher he is in elate, The morello is holden d±folate. If thou a Prince doftvfehazardie !n altgouernaneeand polite ie, He if by a common opinion, Holden Jeffe m reparation. Lords might finds other matter of play, Honest snongh to dritee the day away. But dart other fpeeches mee thinkes it is a marueillous laying ofSirThcmas Elms, and ought very greatly to moue vs, who alftrmeth that if a man heare one to bee a dicer, and knoweth him not, by and by bee iudgeth him to bee a light and vain per. fon,andofnocrediteoraccount. Conderagaine the decrees ofCounlailcs, and fee hew with one heart they haue hated it. The firft counfell of Cozflantinople detern»- Can, qo, ned thus , That no man whether he be clearke or layman from that time forward Mould play at dice. If he did beeing a clergie man,he was depriued, and ifa lay man he was excommunicated. The counlell of Eliber,s concluded, that ifaCbritiian man did play at-dice her fhould be forbidden the communion and neuer admitted againc till 'he left it,and not vnder a yeare then elf°. Two godly Sinodsat Roche/! & Nimanx in Fiance by the Paflours, Elders,&Deacons of the reformed Churches in that king - deme,vttetly condemned it. Amongft theCanons called theApofhles Canons this is one, that ifa ininifter, Elder , or Deacon ,giuehimfelfctodice, cardesor+irunken- nes,if hee did not ( adtnonifhed) ceafe from it ,hefhouldebedepriued. The ciuilland canon laws they fay arelo againfi it, as that if a man fhould be beaten of him that he plaicd withal or robbed at home wisilefi he were a playing, hee mayhaue nobcnefite of la we or iufiice in that cafe. And if any man conftrained or allured anothertoplay with him, hee fhoulde bee imprifoned or call into the quarries to digge.Genena con- dcmncth thevery making ofDice in their Citie. Left of all perufe the flatutes ofthis our ovine countrey, and I befeech you marke the liking they haue (hewed of dicing. In the twelfth yeare ofRicbardthe fecond all vnlawfull games were forbidden, and by namedicing generally. In the twentie one yeare of Henry thefourth,dieers taken were emprifoned fixe dales. And ifanie head magifirate , as Maior , or Sheriffe made not diligent fearch for them,they forfeited fortie fhillings: If the Confiable were neg. ligent, be loll fixe fhillings and eight pence.In the feauenteenth yeare of Edward the fourth , they that kept dicing boules were to haue three yeares imprifonment and twentie pounds fine. - Plaiers at dice inchofehonks two yeares imprifonment and . tonne
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