"Dancing is for the most part attended with many
amorous
smiles, wanton compliments, unchaste kisses, scurrilous songs and
sonnets,
effeminate music, lust-provoking attire, ridiculous love pranks, all of
which savour only of sensuality, of raging fleshly lusts. Therefore it
is wholly to be abandoned of all good Christians. Dancing serves no
necessary
use, no profitable, laudable or pious end at all. It is used only from
the inbred pravity, vanity, wantoness, incontinency, pride, profaneness
or madness of men's depraved natures. Therefore it must needs be
unlawful
unto Christians. The way to Heaven is too steep, too narrow for men to
dance in and keep revel rout. No way is large or smooth enough for
capering
roisters, for jumping, skipping, dancing dames but that broad, beaten,
pleasant road that leads to Hell. The gate of Heaven is too narrow for
whole rounds, whole troupes of dancers to march in together. "
Histriomastix
(1632) (some dance
quotes here)