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Pseudo-Cyprian

Section 6

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Author: Pseudo-Cyprian

6. But now to pass from this to the shameless corruption

‹ Section 5 Section 7 ›

of

the

stage

.

I

am

ashamed

to

tell

what

things

are

said

;

I

am

even

ashamed

to

denounce

the

things

that

are

done

—

the

tricks

of

arguments

,

the

cheatings

of

adulterers

,

the

immodesties

of

women

,

the

scurrile

jokes

,

the

sordid

parasites

,

even

the

toga’d

fathers

of

families

themselves

,

sometimes

stupid

,

sometimes

obscene

,

but

in

all

cases

dull

,

in

all

cases

immodest

.

And

though

no

individual

,

or

family

,

or

profession

,

is

spared

by

the

discourse

of

these

reprobates

,

yet

every

one

flocks

to

the

play

.

The

general

infamy

is

delightful

to

see

or

to

recognise

;

it

is

a

pleasure

,

nay

,

even

to

learn

it

.

People

flock

thither

to

the

public

disgrace

of

the

brothel

for

the

teaching

of

obscenity

,

that

nothing

less

may

be

done

in

secret

than

what

is

learnt

in

public

;

and

in

the

midst

of

the

laws

themselves

is

taught

everything

that

the

laws

forbid

.

What

does

a

faithful

Christian

do

among

these

things

,

since

he

may

not

even

think

upon

wickedness

?

Why

does

he

find

pleasure

in

the

representations

of

lust

,

so

as

among

them

to

lay

aside

his

modesty

and

become

more

daring

in

crimes

?

He

is

learning

to

do

,

while

he

is

becoming

accustomed

to

see

.

Nevertheless

,

those

women

whom

their

misfortune

has

introduced

and

degraded

to

this

slavery

,

conceal

their

public

wantonness

,

and

find

consolation

for

their

disgrace

in

their

concealment

.

Even

they

who

have

sold

their

modesty

blush

to

appear

to

have

done

so

.

But

that

public

prodigy

is

transacted

in

the

sight

of

all

,

and

the

obscenity

of

prostitutes

is

surpassed

.

A

method

is

sought

to

commit

adultery

with

the

eyes

.

To

this

infamy

an

infamy

fully

worthy

of

it

is

super

added

:

a

human

being

broken

down

in

every

limb

,

a

man

melted

to

something

beneath

the

effeminacy

of

a

woman

,

has

found

the

art

to

supply

language

with

his

hands

;

and

on

behalf

of

one

—

I

know

not

what

,

but

neither

man

nor

woman

—

the

whole

city

is

in

a

state

of

commotion

,

that

the

fabulous

debaucheries

of

antiquity

may

be

represented

in

a

ballet

.

Whatever

is

not

lawful

is

so

beloved

,

that

what

had

even

been

lost

sight

of

by

the

lapse

of

time

is

brought

back

again

into

the

recollection

of

the

eyes

.

Notes

12
[It is painful to recognise, in the general licence of the press in our country, this very feature of a corrupt civilization,—a delight in scandal, and in the invasion of homes and private affairs, for the gratification of the popular appetite.]