THE REV. JOHN RUSSELL. 37 



The worthies of those counties adhered, with 

 better taste, to their ancient and manly game 

 of wresthng, which they rightlv regarded as 

 testing to the utmost the strength, skill, and 

 courage of the combatants ; but, at the same 

 time, exhibiting none of the brutality that invari- 

 ably characterized every pugilistic encounter. 



During the summer season, but especially 

 at that period of it between the hay and corn 

 harvest, when the cereals were assuming a 

 golden hue, and the orchards bending under 

 their burden of fruit, there was scarcely a large 

 village in the West which did not offer its 

 prizes, and enjoy annually the time-honoured 

 spectacle of a game at wrestling, the players 

 coming from all parts to contend for the 

 mastery. 



I have heard Russell relate that, on a cer- 

 tain Sunday while at church in Cornwall, he 

 saw a man posted just outside the churchyard 

 gate ; six silver spoons were stuck into the 

 band of his hat, and there he stood, shouting at 

 the top of his voice: " Plaize to tak' notiss. 

 Thaise zix zilver spunes to be wrastled vor next 

 Thursday, at Poughill, and all gen'lemen wrast- 

 lers will receive fair play." The man, with the 

 spoons in his hat, then entered the church, went 

 up into the "singing gallery," and hung it on a 

 peg, from which it was perfectly visible to the 

 parson and the greater part of his congregation. 



