35 



Gaming was carried to excess after the 

 Restoration, and the public cock-pits, like other 

 places open to the world, were the haunts of 

 bad characters ; hence the inclusion of cock pits 

 in Charles II's law (16 Car. 11., c. 7) of 1664 

 against "disorderly and excessive gaming." 

 This was an endeavour to suppress cheating 

 and " welshing " at cards, dice, tables, tennis, 

 bowls, " kittles " (skittles), shovelboarcl, cocking, 

 horse-racing, dog matches and foot-races 



Any person who " by unlawful devise or ill 

 practice" should win money over these sports 

 and games was to forfeit thrice the amount of 

 his winnings 



O 



LONDON COCKING UNDER CHARLES II 



Samuel Pepys gives an occasional glimpse 

 of the sport as he saw it in the public cock-pits 

 of London. These being open to all by pay- 

 ment it is not surprising that the crowd and its 

 behaviour invited criticism. On 2 1 st December, 

 1663, he writes : 



" Being directed by sight of bills upon the 

 walls, I did go to Shoe Lane to see a cock 

 fighting at a new pit there, a sport I was 



