26 O TFIE MAKKERr. AND CUSTOMS 



This people had ancieiiLly twenty-four games,- 

 The firft and principal of thefe were what they 

 denominated the fix f:c?/s of acfi-viiy: running, leap- 

 ing, fvvimniing, riding, and the difplay of flrength 

 in fupporting and hurling heavy weights. — To thefe 

 fucceedcd the four cxcrrlfcs of ^jscapom : archery, 

 throwing the javelin, hurling with a fling, and fen- 

 cing v/ith a fv/ord and tp.rget, or a two-handed 

 fvvord. The latter game included alfo playing with 

 the qiiarterflaff. — Next, came the three rural fports: 

 hunting, fifliing, and hawking : — then ^kiafeven do". 

 viejlic and literary games : poetry, playing on the 

 harp, reading Welih, finging a fong with the harp 

 and crwth, fmging 'dn ode in four parts with ac- 

 jcentation, heraldry, and embaify : — and, laftly, the 

 fcur hfer'ior games : chefs, draughts, or fhuffleboard,. 

 back-gammon*, a3id tuning the harp. 



In confequence of the dreadful confefts that took 

 place betwixt the Welfli and Englifh during the 

 rebellion of Owen Giyndwr, in the beginning of the 

 -fifteenth centuj-y, an a»3: paifed the Enghfh parha- 

 ment in 1401, by which any whole-born Welfliman 

 was 'prevented from purchafmg property, or being- 

 made a burgcfs in any of the Englifli towns ; nor 

 were this people allowed to hold any civil oiTices 

 whatever in England. Complaints were daily mad i 



* Our game o^ Imf I' gammon feems to have had its origin in 

 this. The words b.^ch and gawnion fignify in the Welfh Ian- 

 guage, rn inferior kir.d of b:;ttlf or conteil. 



