PEOCEEDINGS, 1880. 

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3rd. 



J. E. Price, Esq., F.S.A., one of the Directors of the Anthropo- 

 logical Institute, gave a lecture on " Our Sports and Pastimes : their 

 Origin and Sui-vival." 



After a few introductory remarks, the Lecturer said : — The 

 origin of our games and amusements may be traced to far distant 

 lands. Among the ruins of the Palatine Hill at Rome may be 

 found the roughly-scratched diagram with which the Roman boy, 

 centuries ago, played the game the London boy now calls " hop- 

 scotch." Li the Museum of Etruscan Antiquities at Bologna, by 

 the side of the skeleton of a child, is its little tray of toy cups and 

 saucers, just such as a child of the present day uses for the tea 

 pariies of its dolls. The remark of Mr. Tyler that games of 

 children are, in their origin, sportive imitations of the serious 

 business of their seniors, is borne out by the popularity of archery 

 as a sport, which has survived the necessity of it as an art of war. 

 Among the reci-eations allowed by the will of Abraham Colfe, 

 to the scholars of the grammar school he founded at Lewisham are 

 mentioned " shooting with longbows, stool-ball, running, wrestling, 

 leaping, and other inoffensive exercises ; but money plays are not to be 

 suffered." 



The principal amusements of the Anglo-Saxons were hunt- 

 ing, hawking, and fishing. Within doors they played at games 

 resembling chess and backgammon, glee-men diverted them with 

 songs, and there were exhibitions of juggling and rope-dancing. 



About the 14th centmy, the game of cards was added to 

 our in-door amusements. Modern inquiry shows that this had its 

 origin in the East. At first the cards were painted or illuminated 

 by hand, and cost a considerable sum. Bezique, a popular game at 



