ing such exercises as may be used within the house, or in the shadow (as is the old manner of speaking), as deambulations or moderate walkings; labouring with poises made of lead, or rather metal, called in Latin alteres; lifting and throwing the heavy stone or bar; playing at tennis; and divers semblable exercises." In another part of the same work, the author describes several of the games then in use, and the manner of using them. "There be divers manners of wrestling; but the best, as well for health of body as for exercise of strength is, when laying mutually their hands one over another's neck, with the other hand they hold fast each other by the arms, and, clasping their legs together, they enforce themselves with strength and agility to throw down each other."

Races or running he commends greatly, whence we may conclude it was a favourite pursuit at that period. Of swimming, he observes, “It is right profitable in extreme danger of wars; but because there seemeth to be some peril in the learning thereof, and also it hath not been of long time much used, specially among noblemen, perchance some readers will little esteem it." Riding seems to have been much practised and admired, and it is evident that some of the modern leaps on and off of horses were known to our ancestors, and exercised perhaps nearly to the same degree

of

of perfection as we see them at present by the professional riders of the Circus and Amphitheatre. Fencing, and the use of the battle axe, were then taught.

Dancing was a very favourite amusement with the worthy Elyot, who took great pains to prove St. Augustine merely meant to reprove the excesses of the exercise, and by no means to abolish it; he traces its history with great ability, and, after describing many ancient modes of dancing, adds, "In stead of these, we have now base dances, bargenettes, pauyons, turgyons, and rounds. And as for the special names, they were taken as they be now, either of the names of the first inventors, or of the measure and number that they do contain; or of the first words of the ditty, which the song comprehendeth, whereof the dance was made. In every of the said dances, there was a concinnity of moving the foot and body, expressing some pleasant or profitable effects or motions of the mind." Proceeding, Sir Thomas contrives to extract a moral from every step in dancing, which, we learn from him, was invariably commenced in his days by a low reverence from the whole party, with a long interval between it and the first step.

Dice he deprecates most feelingly-“O why should that be called a play which is compact of malice and robbery! Undoubtedly they that

!

write of the first invention of things have good
cause to suppose Lucifer, prince of devils, to be
the first inventor of dice-playing, and hell the
place where it was founden, although some do
write that it was first invented by Attalus." Let
who may be the inventor of dice, the evil conse-
quences of their use were not in the least doubt-
ful. "I suppose there is not a more plain figure
of idleness than playing at dice," says Sir Thomas.
"For, besides that therein there is no manner of
exercise of the body or mind, they which play
thereat must seem to have no portion of wit or
cunning if they will be called fair players; or, in
some company, avoid the stab of a dagger, if they
be taken with any crafty conveyance."
"How

many gentlemen, how many merchants, have in
this damnable pastime consumed their substance,
as well by their own labours as by their parents,
with great study and painful travail in a long time
acquired, and finished their lives in debt and pe-
nury! How many goodly and bold yeomen hath
it brought unto theft, whereby they have pre-
vented the course of nature, and died by the order
of the laws miserably." Cards and chess, more
innocent recreations, were in great estimation.

Archery was much practised, and is commended by Elyot, as it created exercise in the lower limbs by going a little distance a measurable pace: at rovers or pricks, it is at his pleasure that shoot

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C

eth

eth how fast or softly he listeth to go, and yet is the praise of the shooter neither more nor less; for as far or nigh the mark is his arrow when he goeth softly as when he runneth."

Mr. Douce, with equal assiduity and success, illustrated Shallow's mention of Sir Dagonet in Arthur's show in Shakspeare's play of King Henry IV. part 2.; and has by this means enabled me to add another item to the preceding observations. The gentleman just mentioned notices a work published in 1682, called "A remembrance of the worthy show and shooting, by the Duke of Shoreditch, and his associates the worshipful citizens of London, upon Tuesday the 17th of September, 1583." According to this book, Henry VIII., once at least, attended a shooting match with the long bow, at Mile-End, when Prince Arthur and his knights were contending for a prize: he afterwards made matches at Windsor, where, it is probable, one of his guard, named Barlo, excelled most of his antagonists. On some particular occasion, the King said to him, "Win thou all, and thou shalt be duke over all archers." Barlo succeeded; and Henry, performing his promise, termed him Duke of Shoreditch, the place where the man resided. A successor of the Duke's established a show on the day already referred to, which was exhibited in Smithfield and other parts of the environs with considerable magnificence,

when

when it is believed that firing as well as shooting at marks prevailed.

Many other authors mention the custom of shooting with the bow and arrow with great complacency and approbation; indeed, they seem to have thought a facility in this art in some degree necessary to preserve the civil liberties of the citizens of London. I shall not notice it, in this instance, as part of the national system of defence, but merely as an useful amusement and means of manly exertion. The fourth volume of my history of London contains an engraving of Finsbury fields in its antient state, abounding with buts for targets, from which an idea may be formed of still more remote periods. Yew, elm, and hazel, were used for making the bow, and many statutes have been enacted to provide for the importation of the first description of wood.

A special commission was issued by Charles I. in 1632, directed to the Lord Mayor, which required an immediate survey of all the grounds within two miles of London, "where the archers were time out of mind allowed to shoot ;" and if the person appointed found any encroachments on them "by reason of any ditching, hedges, or inclosures, to reduce such closes or fields to their former state." The same monarch had issued a commission early in his reign to enforce the statute of archery of 33 Henry VIII.; but he revoked