TOURNAMENTS. 219 



we find them practised in England, about the year 

 ] 140, in the reign of Stephen, after which time 

 they became general all over Europe, particularly 

 in England, where they were displayed on all great 

 occasions. The spots most famous for them in 

 London, were the Tilt- Yard, near St. James**s 

 Park, and Smithfield ; which the neighbourhood of 

 the latter place confirms, by the names of the 

 streets, such as " Gilt-spur,"" " Knight-rider," and 

 so on. They are also known to have been prac- 

 tised on the spots now called Cheapside, Barbican, 

 and Bridewell ; and to have been exhibited in con- 

 siderable splendour in various parts of the country 

 besides, which a reference to the highly popular 

 novel Ivanhoe will show. These were the days 

 when " to witch the world with noble horseman- 

 ship" was one of the chief accomplishments of a 

 gentleman ; in which the management of the horse 

 and the lance was amongst the principal requisites 

 of knighthood ; when the contest, both in real and 

 in mimic war, was decided by the superiority of 

 such means ; the days of chivalry, in fact, which, 

 as a well-known historian says of it, in his portrait 

 of the character of a perfect knight, the accom- 

 plished Tancred, " inspired the generous senti- 

 ments and social offices of man, far better than the 

 base philosophy, or the baser religion of the times." 

 The manege, and more especially the high manege- 

 riding, is now nearly out of use. As Colonel Peters 

 observes : — " In the riding-houses, for mere plea- 

 sure, or military purposes, very little of the manege- 

 riding is requisite. The instructions for a manege 



