meete or dutifull that for an indifferent and light thing, a man
should geue an occasion of falling or stumbling to his neighboure: But
so farr of is it, that daunses should bee put in the rome and number
of thinges indifferent, that euery one ought to make an accompt of
them, and to holde them altogeather wicked, and unlawful: in so much
that I send all them againe back to their owne consciences, which say,
that in daunsing they haue not any impudent & shamelesse
affection. For the thing beyng so vilanous, and so infected of his own
nature, as daunsing is, it is impossible, that he which useth it,
should not bee infected, neither more nor lesse: then it is impossible
to touch any filthines, and not to bee once uncleane, infected, and
defyled.

[Sidenote: The beginning of daunses.] And that it is so, let us
somewhat, or a little serch and seeke out the beginning of daunses,
and we shal fynd that men cannot geue them a better nor more apt and
proper definition, then that which hath bene brought heretofore. For
if wee would in this matter refer our selues to them, which haue
written of the antiquities, as well of the Grecians as of the Romains,
yea, and that to some Poets, wee shall fynd how that daunses haue
taken their begynning, from Pagans and Heathen men, which haue then
first used them, when they did sacrifyce to their Gods. For beeing
plunged into very thick, & as it were palpable dark nesses, after that
they had forged and advised Gods according to their owne fantasy, they
thought and supposed that they should bee delighted and pleased, with
the selfe same delightes and pleasures, wherein, or wherewith they
delighted themselues.

Whereupon wee neede not doubt hereof, but that it was the deuil which
did guide and leade them, whom al superstition, false religion, and