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vourite amusement with our forefathers; and, like all other pursuits, had its mutations of fashion. In the neighbourhood of the hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, Clerkenwell, there was a wrestling place before the reign of Henry VI., which demonstrates that it was practised to a considerable extent at one period.

But few instances, I believe, occur in our history of this exercise having been made the source of Royal recreations. In 1681, however, the King witnessed a wrestling match at Windsor, when the abbettors were the Monarch and the Duke of Albemarle a meadow below the castle was the scene of action, and the match was composed of twelve men on each side; the King's party wore red waistcoats, and the Duke's blue; a ring or inclosure was formed, and a space in it admitted the Royal coach; the Queen and her ladies viewed the contest from the terrace, but the Duke mixed with the crowd. The activity displayed on this occasion excited great applause, and only one of the number offered foul play, which the Duke punished by tripping up his heels.

The victory was gained by the blues; and they thus procured their employer 200 guineas, the wager depending: the sum of 10s. each were given to the King's men, and 20s. to the victors. "After which, the King's men challenged the Duke's at back-sword; in which exercise some being

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being unskilful, others were taken in to complete the number. This was performed with great skill and courage, but not attended with those barbarous circumstances which were usual with the Roman gladiators, who to shew the Emperor sport, sheathed their swords in one another's bowels; our most clement and gracious King abominating all acts of cruelty." The issue of this was only some broken pates, and the palm was again given to the blues.

The King's men being heated, and unwilling that the Duke's should thus carry a victory, resolved to have another trial with them, and challenged them at foot-ball, which being accepted, the goals staked out, and the ball placed in the middle, the Duke held up an handkerchief over the ball, the letting fall of which was the signal to give the start, and the handkerchief a reward to him that got the first kick, which was one of the Duke's men, who (in all three exercises) behaved himself so singularly active, that his Majesty took particular notice of him, and gave him a guinea. And, notwithstanding fortune still appeared on the Duke's side, his Majesty seemed highly pleased with that day's divertisement."— Loyal Protestant.

In the following August, John Goodwin, master of the art of wrestling, and Mr. Brush, master of that of defence, exhibited the following

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feats before the King at Windsor: Mr. D. Rea and Mr. Langley wrestled for 20 guineas, then ten others; after which, Goodwin had a trial of skill with Mr. Charles Monger his scholar, a match that particularly pleased the King; ten persons afterwards fought with swords, two of which used sharps, as they are called; and this, with the above instance, I take to be the first dawnings of the scenes I shall describe in the second part of this work, at Hockley in the Hole, &c.

Coleman's musick house, long known and frequented, with a large well planted garden, situated near Lamb's Conduit, was offered for sale in 1682, and probably was soon after demolished, as Ormond and other streets were built about that time.

Had the writer or writers of Poor Robin confined themselves to the usual bounds of decency, many little circumstances might have been collected from their work extremely useful to this. I must, however, acknowledge myself indebted for the information, that there was at that time much parade and jollity on May-day throughout London; the rich and gay visiting Hyde-Park in their best coaches and liveries, and the next class Gray's Inn walks; "but woe be to the hawthorn bushes that are full of blossoms! they are condemned, like a gentleman in a fray, to be rifled of their gay attire by every mechanic.

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"The play-houses in Moorfields, and the Beargardens on both sides of the water, are to be thronged with journeymen and apprentices; for whose entertainment they are providing all kinds of fooleries suitable to their capacities—lions, bears, bulls, dogs, apes, monkeys, baboons, and prize-players (the most ridiculous beasts of all), are this day exposed to the censure of every twopenny spectator, where he that is wounded is esteemed a bungler, and he that is not passeth for a cheat."

Fighting with the hands clenched is of such decided antiquity, that it would be folly to enlarge upon that mode of resenting real or supposed wrongs. Refinement afterwards converted it into an amusement, and gladiators beat each other to death for the entertainment of the Romans, who probably left us the art of boxing, though one of their least valuable legacies.

Vulgar disputes transmitted boxing through many an age; and now and then a brutal chief or feudal lord might be found to encourage sparring as a source of very peculiar pleasure: for instance, "Yesterday, a match of boxing was performed before his Grace the Duke of Albemarle, between the Duke's footman and a butcher; the latter won the prize, as he hath done many before, being accounted (though but a little man) the best at that exercise in England."Protestant Mercury, 1681.

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The Bear-garden is mentioned in 1681, where, we find, the ambassador from Morocco, the Duke of Albemarle, and others, witnessed the death of several dogs.

Fortunately for the character of our country, I have met with but one solitary instance of the deliberate torture of the useful and excellent animal the horse, and that occurred in April 1682. Notice was given in the papers, that, on the 12th of April, a horse of uncommon strength, and between 18 and 19 hands high, would be baited to death at his Majesty's Bear-garden at the Hope, on the bankside, for the amusement of the Morocco ambassador, many of the nobility who knew the horse, and any others who would pay the price of admission.

It seems this animal originally belonged to the Earl of Rochester, and, being of a ferocious disposition, had killed several of his brethren; for which misdeed he was sold to the Earl of Dorchester; in whose service committing several similar offences, he was transferred to the worse than savages who kept the Bear-garden.

On the day appointed, several dogs were set upon the vindictive steed, which he destroyed or drove from the area; at this instant, his owners determined to preserve him for a future day's sport, and directed a person to lead him away; but before the horse had reached London Bridge,

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