199 
G A 
Scljeoie purfiied 5 meafures planned.-r-This Teems to be 
the prefent ^ame of that crown, and that they will begin 
no other ’till they fee an end of this. Temple .—Solemn 
coniells, esliibited as fpeftacles to the people.—-The 
games are done, and Csfar is returning. Skakefpeare. 
Milo, when entering the Olympic 
Wills a huge ox upon his flioulderscame. Denham. 
To GAME, ?2. ['^aman, Sax. ] To play at any fport. 
To play wantonly and extravagantly for money. 
The invention of games^ for the double purpofe of re¬ 
creation and of health, and of thus giving vigour both to 
body and mind, ranks among the moft ancient, as well as 
moft laudable, of the innocent exercifes and amufements 
qf mankind. The firlf games would be naturally of the 
athletic kind, and of the moft inoffenfive and harmlefs na¬ 
ture ; but as fuperior ficill in the fports and paftimes thus 
^arly adopted, would quickly beget jealoufy and envy 
between competitors,. the trial of ftrength, by wreftling 
^nd boxing, would in confequehce follow, and mutt have 
exidedat a very early period of the world. Hence Mr. 
Bryant, in his Analyfis of Ancient Mythology, me.ntions 
Cercyon of Megara, Hercules, and Pollux, as famous 
wreftlers, verfed in all the exercifes and feats of the ath- 
fetae, from whofe cuftoms were derived the Ifthmian, 
Nemean, Pytliic, Olympic, and Delian, games, which 
were folemnifed by tlie ancient Greeks with infinite pomp 
and magnificence. In thefe games were exhibited run¬ 
ning, leaping, wreftling, boxing, and throwing the quoit, 
which all together were termed xevraOAov. Befides thefe, 
there were horfe and chariot races; and contentions alfo 
in oratory, poetry, and niufic: for particulars of whicb,, 
lee under each of the above-mentioned titles in this work. 
From thefe feftivals of the Greeks, the Romans unquef- 
itionably derived titeir fecular games, and all the exercifes 
performed by the Roman youth in tlie Campus Martins. 
Thefe confided, like thofe of the Greeks, in throwing the 
difcus or quoit, liiirling tire javelin, wreftling, boxing, 
riding a fiery horfe, driving a military car, &c. After 
their inftitution by Auguftus, they were celebrated by 
Claudius, Doir.itian, and Sevcrus ; and were folemnifed a 
fifth time, A. D. 248, on the completion of tlie full period 
of a thoufand years from the foundation of Rome. The 
fecular games, like the f.icred Olympics, were calculated 
to infpire the fuperftitious mind with deep and folemn re¬ 
verence. The myftic fitcrifices were performed during 
three I'ucceflive nightson the banks of the Tiber ; and the 
Campus Martins refounded with tnullc and dances, and 
was illnminated with innumerable lamps and torches. 
But as the Romans advanced In military fame and uni- 
verfal conqueft, fo their games and paftimes partook more 
of a warlike and ferocious charaifter, until they were dif- 
graced by the brutal and favage combats of the Arena.. 
Here wild beafts of the moft untamable kind were exhibi- 
ted in folemn fliows, and encountered by conviits and 
Haves, whofe life or liberty was decreed as the reward of 
their viftory ; and here the gladiators were expofed to 
public view, and engaged in thofe cruel and inhu¬ 
man conflicts, which were decreed on purpofe for them to 
deilroy each other ; while fand or faw-duft was ftrewed 
under foot, as the word arena imports, in order to conceal 
the efFufion of human gore, which tvould otherwife have 
offended the eyes and fliocked the feelings of the deluded 
Ipeftalors. See the article Gladiator, in this volume. 
Though the firft Chriftian emperors of Rome, at the 
commencement of the fifth century, had fucceeded in abo- 
IKhing the inhuman combats of gladiators, yet the idle 
multitude ftill depended for their amuiements on the fre¬ 
quent exhibition of public games and fpeftacles ; and 
thefe were now celebrated in the circus and amphitheatre 
with redoubled magnificence and fplendour. The tafte 
was turned from the unnatural and cruel extirpation of 
fellow men in cold blood by rules of taGical fcience, to 
the taming of wild beafts, horfe and chariot races, and the 
various modes of Uieatrical reprefeutation 1 and fo fafei- 
4 
M E. 
nated were the Roman people with thefe fplendid fhows, 
that they confideVed the circus as their facred temple, and 
the only feat of pleafure and delight. The irnpatieiit 
crowd ruftied at the d'arvn of day to fecure their places 5 
and there were nihny who pafted a fleeplefs and anxious 
night in the porticoes of the building. From the morn- 
ing to the evening, carelefs of the fun or of the rain, thefe 
giddy votaries of pleafure, who fonietinies amounted to 
the number of four hundred thoufand, would remain witlv 
ftedfaft attention, their eyes rivetted on the horfes ami 
charioteers, and their minds agitated between hope and 
fear, as if the fate of Rome had depended on the event of 
a fingle race. Thefe games were exhibited at the ex pence 
of the republic, or of the emperors. The race in its nrft- 
inftitution, was a firriple conteft of two chariots, whofe 
drivers were diftinguifued by white and red liveries; but 
two additional colours, a light green,, and a caerulean 
blue, were afterwards Introduced ; and as the races were 
repeated twenty-five times, one hundred chariots contri¬ 
buted in the fame day to the pompous amufements of the 
circus. Thefe colours foon became the foundation of fouc 
different parties or fadlions, whofe fortunes and belt in- 
terefts were laviflied upon thefe games, and in fupporting 
and abetting the colour which they had efpouled. So 
prevalent and fo fumptiious did thefe equeftrian fports be¬ 
come, that Confiantinople at length endeavoured to emu¬ 
late the pageantry of Rome, and the colours and faftions 
of the hippodrome became as violent and tumultuous as 
thofe whicli agitased the circus. Other great cities cauglit 
in time the flame and folly, of fumptiious races and fplen¬ 
did fhows; and thefe, as it is fuppofed, gave life, and 
fjiring, and adtion, to the jufts and tournaments of more 
modern times; as did the pantomimical exhibitions of tlie 
amphitheatre, the baiting-of wild beafts, and the niulic. 
and tlie military dances which accompanied them, give 
birth: to the various amufements at country wakes and re¬ 
vels, which.-were afterwards inftituted and fupported by 
the nobility and gentry in almoft every part of Europe. 
The games and paftimes which early diftingiiiIhed tiie 
charadter and manners of the Englitli people, liave re¬ 
cently appeared under the title of rTLlIr-DAODGN 
iffNIlG E.-BGOb, by the ingenious Mr. Strutt; a work., 
which highly merits the regard of the curious reader. 
When the Romans invaded Britain, they found her iniia- 
bitants bold, adtive, and warlike, and engaged iii tliofe 
games or amufements which belf accorded with their na¬ 
ture, fuch as running, leaping, wreftling, fwimming, dec. 
Perhaps the fkill which the natives of Devonfliire and 
Cornwall retain to the prefent day in hurling and wreft¬ 
ling, may pro-perly beconfidered as-an early vettige of the 
games which manifefted Britiih ftrength and activity.. 
Under the Saxon heptarchy, when the times v^ere ex¬ 
tremely turbulent, we might naturally expedt tlia.t fuch 
exercifes as enured the body to fatigue, and bialfed the 
mind to military purfuits, fliould have conftituted the 
chief part of a young nobleman’s education : according-, 
ly, we find that leaping, wreftling,..calling of darts, and. 
other pafti.mes which required great exertions of bodily 
ftrength, were taught them in their adolefcence. Tlief'e 
amufements engroffed the whole of tlieir attention, every 
one ftriving to excel his fellow ; for, hardinefs, ftrengtli,. 
and valour, out-balanced, in the public eftiniation, the 
accompliftiments of the mind; and therefore literature, 
which floiirifh-es-beft in tranquillity, and retirement, was 
confidered as a purfuit unworthy the notice of a foldier, 
and only requifue in the gloomy receffes of ilie cloifter... 
But here, poflibly, might be traced the early propenfity 
to the more vicious fedentary gamesof the Anglo-Saxons,, 
and efpecially with the dice; which they ap.pear to have 
derived from their anceftors; for, Tacitus ali'ures us that 
the ancient Germans would not only hazard all theic 
wealth, but even flake their liberty, upon the turn of the 
dice; “and he who iofes, (fays the author,), f'ubmirs to 
fervitude, though younger and ftronger than hi.s antago- 
nift, and patiently permits hiiiifelf to behomid, and fold 
