^> 0 ) 
G A 
'liar3s; aVfo mufical entertainmenis, dar.cing, iTiafks, balls, 
Ttage-plays, and club-meetings, in the evening. The 
lower clalTes divert themfelves at foo'-ball, wreflling, cud¬ 
gels, ninepins, fliovelboard, cricket, (lowball, ringing of 
bells, quoits, pitching the bar, bull and bear baitings, 
throwing at cocks, and, what is word of all, lying at ale- 
houfes. To thefe are added, by an author of later dale, 
Tailing, rowing, fwimming and fifiling, in the ri ver.Thames, 
liorfe and foot races, leaping, archery, bowling in allies, 
and fkittles, tennis, chefs, and draughts. The padimes 
Iiere enumerated were by no means confined to theciiy of 
London, or its environs: the larger part of them were in 
general practice throughout the kingdom. 
The courts of princes, and tire cadles of noblemen, for¬ 
merly vied with each other in fumptuous games and en- 
tertainments ; efpecially on daysof public fedivity, when, 
in every one* of the apartments opened for the reception 
of the gueds, were exhibited variety of etiteitainments, 
which accorded to the tade of the times, but in which 
propriety had very little fliare; the whole forming a feene 
■of pompous confufion, where feading, drinking, mtific, 
dancing, tumbling, linging, and buffoonery, were often 
exhibited at the expence of common decency. If we 
turn to the third book of Fame, written by Chaucer, we 
ihall find a curious pidbure of thefe tumultuous court 
entertainments, drawn from reality, and perh.aps without 
any great exaggeration. It may be thusexpred’ed in mo¬ 
dern language : Mindrels of every kind were dationed in 
the receptacles for the gueds; among them were jeders, 
that related tales of mirth and of forrow; excellent play¬ 
ers upon the harp, with others of inferior merit (eated on 
various feats below them, who mimicked their perfor. 
Tnances like apes to excite laughter; behind them, at a 
great didance, was a prodigious number of other mindrels, 
making agreat found with cornets, diaulms, flutes, horns, 
pipes of various kinds, and feme of them made iih green 
corn, fuch as are ufed by diepherds’boys ; there werealfo 
Dutch pipers to alTid thofe who chofe to dance either 
love-dances, fprings, or rayes, or any other new-devifed 
meafiires. Apart from thefe were dationed the trumpet¬ 
ers and players on the clarion ; and other feats were oc¬ 
cupied by different miificians playing variety of mirthful 
tunes. There werealfo prefent large companies of jug¬ 
glers, magicians, and tregetors, wlio exhibited furprifiiig 
tricks by the alfidance of natural magic. 
The pageaniry of courts and cadles was foon emulated 
in all great towns and cities, on occafions of rejoicing, or 
of folemnity. In London, where they were mod frequent¬ 
ly required, a confiderable number of different artificers 
■were kept, at the city’s expence, to furnifh the macliinery 
for the pageants, and to decorate them. The elegance 
difplayed at juds and lournamenfs was imitated in thefe 
temporary exhibitions, by men riding in armour, and 
Tome adorned with ribbons, flags, banners, and other re- 
femblances of fplendour.. The fronts of the houfes in the 
flreets were covered with rich adornments of tapedry, ar¬ 
ras, and cloth of gold; the chief magidrates and opulent 
citizens appeared on horfebackin fumptuous habits, and 
joined the cavalcade; while the ringing of bells, the 
found of mufic from various'quarters, and the dtouts of 
the populace, nearly dunned the ears of the fpedlators. 
At certain didances, in places appointed for tlie purpofe, 
pageants were ereifted, which were temporary buildings 
reprefenting cadles, palaces, gardens, rocks, or foreds, as 
cccafion required, where nymphs, fawns, f.ityrs, gods, and 
goddeffes, appeared in company with giants, favages, 
dragons, faint^, kniglits, buffoons, and dwarfs, furrounded 
by mindrels and choriders i the heathen mythology, the 
legends of chivalry, and chridian divinity, were abfiirdly 
jumbled tegether, and the exhibitions ufually concluded 
with pedantic harangues, replete with the groffed adula¬ 
tion. Some faint traces of the prbceflional parts of thefe 
exhibitions were retained at London about thirty years 
ago, in the lord-mayor’s fhow 5 but the pageants and ora- 
VoL. VIII. No. 495. 
M E. 
tions have bcCn long difcontintied, and tke fltovv itfclf is 
now fo much contrabled, that it is in reality altogether un¬ 
worthy of fuch an appellation. 
Tlie people of this country, in all ages, delighted in 
fccular mufic, fongs, and tlieairical performances ; which 
is aliusdantly evident from the great rewards they gave 
to tlie bards, the fcalds, the glcemen, and tlie mindrels, 
who were fucceflively the favourites of the opulent, and 
the idols of the vtilgar. The continual encouragement 
given to thefe profefforsof mufic, poetr y, and pantomime, 
in procefs of time, fwelled their numbers beyond all rea- 
fonable proportion, inflamed their pride, increafed their 
avarice, and corrupted their manners; fo that at length 
they lod the favour they had fo long enjoyed among the, 
higher chides of fociety; and, the donations of tite popu¬ 
lace not being fufficient for their fupporr, they fell away 
from affluence to poverty, and wandered about tlie coun¬ 
try in a contemptible condition, dependent upon the ca- 
fual rewards they might occafionally pick up at church- 
ales, wakes, and fairs. Hence the origiti of drolling 
players, rope-dancers, fhovvmen, &c. 
Hetitzner, who wrote at the conchifion of the fixteenlli 
century, fays, “ the Englifli excell in dancing and miifio, 
for they are aiftive and lively.” alfo adds, “they are 
vadly fond of great neifes that the ear, fuch as the fir¬ 
ing of cannon, beating of driiijjii, and the ringing of bells, 
fo that it is common for a ntimber of them to get up into 
fome belfry and ring the bells for hours together for tlic 
fake of exercife.” Polydore Virgil, lib. v. cap. 2, men¬ 
tions another remarkable fingularity belonging to tlie 
Englifh, who celebrated the feflival of Chridmas with 
plays, nv.ifques, and magnificent fpeiSlacles, togetlier with 
games at dice and dancing, which, he tells us, mas not cuf^ 
toniaiy with ether nations-, and with refpeft to the Chridmas 
prince, or lord of the mifrule, he was, as the fame author 
informs us, a perfonage almod peculiar to this country. 
It were well if thefe fingtilaiities were the only vulne¬ 
rable parts of the national charafter of our ancedors ; but 
it mud be conferred that tliere are other padimes which 
equally attradled their attention, and manifeded a great 
degree of barbarifm, which will admit of no defence. A 
modern author, reprobating the inhumanity of throwing 
at cocks, makes thefe pertinent obfervations : “ Some 
French writers have reprefented this diverfion of the com¬ 
mon people much to our difadvantage, and imputed it to 
a natural fiercenefs and cruelty of temper, as they do fome 
other entertairtments peculiar to our nation-; I mean thofe 
elegant diverfions of bull-baiting, and prize-fighting, 
with the like ingenious recreatidns of tlte bear-garden. I 
wifh 1 knew how toanfwer this reproach vvliich is cad up¬ 
on us, and excufe the death of fo many innocent cocks, 
bulls, dogs, and bears, as have been fet together by the 
cars, or died an untimely deatlt, only to make us fport.” 
The ladies of the prefent day will probably be furvuilcd 
to hear, that all, or the greater parr, of thefe barbarous 
recreations, were much frequented by the fair fex, nitd 
countenanced by thofe antong them of tlie highed rank 
and mod finidted education, being brought by degrees, no 
doubt, to facrifice their feelings to tlie prevalencv of a vi¬ 
cious and vulgar fafhion, which even the fanftionof roy¬ 
alty, joined with that of ancient cudom, cannot reconcile 
with decency or propriety.” 
Tlie celebration of the May-games in England, on ac¬ 
count of th.eir fimplicity and antiquity, are not unworthy 
of notice in this place. “ On tlie calands or fird of Mav, 
(fays Bourne,) commonly called May-day, the juvenile part 
of both fexes were wont to rife a little after midnight, and 
walk to fome neighbouring wood, accompanied with mu¬ 
fic and blowing of horns, where they break down branch, 
es from the trees and adorn them with iiofegays and crowns 
of flowers; when this is done, they return with their 
booty homewards about the rifing of the fun, and make 
their doors and windows to triumph with their flowery 
fpoils; and the after-part of the day is chiefly Ipent in 
3 F dancing 
