]72 RACING, WAGERS AND GAMING. 



measm-ing a Horse whicli was under the lawful height, 

 might seize and retain it for his own use {ii) ; the pastures 

 were to he driven once a year, and any unlikely-looking 

 beasts were to be killed (r) ; and the owner of every Horse, 

 Mare or Gelding infected with the Scab, at any time 

 pasturing on these grounds, was to forfeit ten shillings {ic). 

 An Act was also passed prescribing the number of stoned 

 troti'mg Horses for the saddle each man was to keep, ac- 

 cording to his degree (.r). However, these enactments do 

 not seem to have had the desired effect, as the breed of 

 Horses had sadly degenerated ; for Blundeville, who wrote 

 in the Beign of Queen Elizabeth, tells us that they con- 

 sisted principally of strong clumsy beasts, the few lighter 

 ones being weak and without bottom. 



It appears that in this Beign Races were first established 

 in various parts of England, and the first meetings were 

 held at Chester and Stamford, but there was no regular 

 system, and all sorts of Horses ran. The Prize was usually 

 a wooden bell adorned with flowers ; and this afterwards 

 was exchanged for a silver bell, and " given to him who 

 should run the best and furthest on Horseback on Shrove 

 Tuesday." Hence the phrase of " bearing away the 

 beir'(//). 



In this Reign also a variety of regulations were made 

 with regard to Qaming, some of which are in force at the 

 present day. The object of the legislature was to encour- 

 age Archery, and in a.d. 1511 it was enacted, that " all 

 sorts of men under the age of foiiy years" should "have 

 bows and arrows and use shooting," and that " imlawful 

 Games" should not " be used." This, however, was fol- 

 lowed by a much more comprehensive Act, which was 

 passed in a.d. 1541 ; namely, 33 Hen. 8, c. 9, being a 

 " Bill for the maintaining Artillery and the debarring 

 imlawful Games." It professes in its preamble to be 

 founded on a petition from the Bowmen and others con- 

 cerned in the making of implements of Archery ; and they 

 complained that " many and sundry new and crafty Games 

 and Plays, as Logetting in the field. Slide-thrift, otherwise 

 called Shove-groat," had caused the decay of Archery (s). 

 It made various regulations concerning the use of bows and 



(«) 32 Hen. 8, c. 13, s. 3. (y) Lib. U.K. "The Horse," 28. 



(r) Ibid. 8S. 6, 7. [z) 33 Hen. 8, c. 9 (now virtu- 



(m) Ibid. s. 9. ally repealed by 3 Geo. 4, c. 41, s. 4, 



{x) 33 Hen. 8, c. 5, now vii-tu- and 8 & S Vict. c. 109, s. 1), 8S. 1, 2. 



ally repealed by 21 Jac. 1, c. 28. See Appendix. 



