A Short View of the Immorality, and Profaneness of the English Stage Together with the Sense of Antiquity on this Argument

Stepping into the bustling world of late‑17th‑century London, this tract launches a fierce defence of public virtue against what its writer sees as the rampant licentiousness of the contemporary stage. He argues that playwrights and actors have turned the theatre into a marketplace for vice, using coarse language and scandalous plots that erode moral standards. The opening pages set the tone with vivid denunciations and a call for readers to reconsider the influence of dramatic entertainments on everyday life.

Drawing on the classics, the author contrasts the restrained elegance of Greek and Roman drama with the bawdy excesses of English productions. He cites Plautus, Terence, Sophocles and others to illustrate how ancient playwrights balanced wit with decorum, and he proposes that English writers adopt similar restraints in plot and speech. The essay weaves scholarly references with plain‑spoken warnings, offering a snapshot of the cultural clash that shaped the Restoration theatre.