Extracts from the Records of the 



in these pastimes was permissible only "in their masters' houses or 

 in their masters' presence " — while, as for bowls, no manner of person 

 was at any time to disgrace himself by such wanton wickedness " in 

 open places out of his garden or orchard upon the pain for every 

 time .... to forfeit vis. vi'iid." 



So commissioned and so empowered, a conscientious magistrate 

 must frequently have found himself face to face with the stern ne- 

 cessity of relegating to a righteous doom the irreclaimable quoit- 

 player and backsliding bowler. Such an one may Alfred Hawkins 

 have been, of Norton Bavant, who, at Trinity, 22nd Elizabeth, on 

 a charge of unlawful gaming (the full enormity of which is not 

 disclosed), stood in contempt of an indictment, which, howerer, ap- 

 pears to have been removed by Royal writ to the court above. 



At Michaelmas in the following year : — 



" Willm Wood of Fleet street of the Citie of London hat maker, Eobert Car- 

 penter of Oxfordsheer [admirable exactitude] carpenter & Edmond Carpenter of 

 Oxfordsheere hath confessed that they have used certaine games called Trole- 

 madame [Autolycus comes to mind] and ryffling of disshes & plattes in the 

 countie of Wiltes being unlawfull and cossyning games And therupon the said 

 pties are comitted to the Shreife untill they have founde suerties for their good 

 behaveour & to appear at the next quart r sessions." 



Seend and Hilperton must have been incurably addicted to bowl- 

 ing, for at the Trinity Sessions, 29th Elizabeth : — 



" William Wilkins and John Somner of Seen on a presentment for unlawful 

 games &c were fined iis. and iijd. to dischardge all Seen Sf Hilp r ton men for 

 bowling, vj of them by Mr. Brouncker pd to me 2s. therfore." 



At the same sessions three other offenders were fined 2s. 6d. each, 

 and in a later year a misguided reveller who forgot himself to the 

 extent of unlawfully tippling before he unlawfully bowled, was con- 

 demned to forfeit xijd. for each of these forbidden pleasures. 



Ralph Haggard fared better. He appeared in person at the 

 Easter Sessions, 44th Elizabeth, and in answer to a presentment 

 against him made at the preceding Warminster Sessions by James 

 Minterne (an active prosecutor, who is expressly stated to be suing 

 under the Act of Henry the Eighth) successfully pleaded a general 

 pardon. 



