the period under consideration, especially if it be recollected that the full picture is to be formed from a combination of this with the similar chapter, in a former part of the work, on the costume of rural life. CHAPTER VII. On the Diversions of the Metropolis, and the Court-The Stage; its Usages and Economy. Or the diversions of the metropolis and court, some were peculiar, and some were shared in common with the country. "The country hath his recreations," observes Burton, "the city his several Gymnicks and exercises, feasts and merry meetings.""What so pleasant as to see some Pageant or sight go by, as at Coronations, Weddings, and such like solemnities, to see an Embassadour or a Prince met, received, entertained, with Maskes, Shews, Fireworks, etc,:* and an old dramatic poet, of 1590, gives us a still more copious list of town amusements: Let nothing that's magnifical, Or that may tend to London's graceful state, "Every palace," continues Burton, "every city almost, hath his peculiar walks, cloysters, terraces, groves, theatres, pageants, games, and several recreations;" and we purpose, in this chapter, giving some account of the leading articles thus enumerated, but more particularly of the stage, as being peculiarly connected with the design and texture of our work. As the principal object, therefore, of the present discussion will be the amusements usually appropriated to the capital; those which it has in common with the country shall be first enumerated, though in a more superficial way. Of these, card-playing seems to have been as universal in the days of Elizabeth, as in modern times, and carried on, too, with the same ruinous consequences to property and morals; for though Stowe tells us, when commemorating the customs of London, that "from All-Hallows eve to the day following Candlemasday, there was, among other sports, playing at cards for counters, nails, and points, in every house, more for pastime than for gain," yet we learn from contemporary satirists, from Gosson, Stubbes, and Northbrooke, that all ranks, and especially the upper classes, were incurably addicted to gaming in the pursuit of this amusement, which they considered equally as seductive and pernicious as dice. The games at cards peculiar to this period, and now obsolete, are, 1. Primero, supposed to be the most ancient game of cards in England. It was very fashionable in the age of Shakspeare, who represents Henry the Eighth playing "at primero with the duke of Suffolk;" (Act. v. sc. 1.) and Falstaff exclaiming in Anatomie of Melancholy, fol. 8th edit. p. 171. col. i. "The Pleasant and Stately Morall of the Three Lordes and Three Ladies of London," &c. London, 1590. Vide Strutt's Sports and Pastimes, Introduct., p. xxviii.; and Beloe's Anecdotes of Literature, vol. i. p. 350, 351. Anatomie of Melancholy, p. 172. col. i. "Schoole of Abuse,” “ Anatomie of Abuses," and "Treatise againt Diceing, Card-playing" &c. the Merry Wives of Windsor, "I never prospered since I foreswore myself at primero.' Act iv. sc. 5. The mode of playing this curious game is thus described by Mr. Strutt, from Mr. Barrington's papers upon card-playing, in the eighth volume of the Archæologia: "Each player had four cards dealt to him one by one, the seven was the highest card in point of number that he could avail himself of, which counted for twenty-one, the six counted for sixteen, the five for fifteen, and the ace for the same, but the two, the three, and the four, for their respective points only. The knave of heats was commonly fixed upon for the quinola, which the player might make what card or suit he thought proper; if the cards were of different suits, the highest number won the primero, if they were all of one colour he that held them won the flush." 2. Trump, nearly coeval in point of antiquity with primero, and introduced in "Gammer Gurton's Needle," a comedy, first acted in 1561, where Dame Chat, addressing Diccon, says,— “We be fast set at trump, man, hard by the syre; " and we learn from Decker that, in 1612, it was much in vogue : "To speake," he remarks, "of all the sleights used by card-players in all sorts of games would but weary you that are to read, and bee but a thanklesse and unpleasing labour for me to set them down. Omitting, therefore, the deceipts practised (even in the fayrest and most civill companies) at Primero, Saint Maw, Trump, and such like games, I will, &c."† 3. Gleek. This game is alluded to twice by Shakspeare; ‡ and from a passage in Cook's "Green's Tu Quoque," appears to have been held in much esteem :— "Scat. Come, gentlemen, what is your game? it is then proposed to play either at twelve-penny gleek, or crown gleek.S To these may be added, Gresco, Mount Saint, New Cut, Knave out of Doors, and Ruff, all of which are mentioned in old plays, and were favourites among our ancestors.* 'a num Tables and Dice, enumerated by Burton after cards, include some games unknown to the present day; such as tray-trip, mum-chance, philosopher's game, novum, etc.; the first is noticed by Shakspeare in Twelfth Night, and appears, from a note by Mr. Tyrwhitt, to have been a species of draughts; the second was also a game at tables, and is coupled by Ben Jonson in the "Alchemist" with tray-trip; the third is mentioned by Burton, and is described by Mr. Strutt from a manuscript in the British Museum." It is called," says the author, "" ber fight,' because in it men fight and strive together by the art of counting or numbering how one may take his adversary's king and erect a triumph upon the deficiency of his calculations;" and the fourth is introduced by Shakspeare in Love's Labour's Lost (Act v. sc. 2); "it was properly called Novum quinque," remarks Mr. Douce," from the two principal throws of the dice, nine and five;-was called in French Quinque-nove, and is said to have been invented in Flanders." The immoralities to which dice have given birth, we are authorised in considering, from the proverbial phraseology of Shakspeare, to have been as numerous in Sports and Pastimes, 4to. 1810, p. 291, 292. Belman of London, sig. F2. Midsummer Night's Dream, act iii. sc. 1. Romeo and Juliet, act iv. sc. 5. In the Compleat Gamester, 2nd edit. 1676, p. 90, may be found the mode of playing this game. The first of these games is mentioned in "Eastward Hoe, printed in 1605, and written by Ben Jonson, George Chapman, and John Marston; the second in the "Dumb Knight," the production of Lewis Machin, 1608; the third in "A Woman killed with Kindness," written by Thomas Heywood, 1617, where are also noticed Lodam, Noddy, Post and Pair, a species of Brag, Knave out of Doors, and Ruff, this last being something like Whist, snd played in four different ways, under the names of English Ruff, French Ruff, Double Ruff, and Wide Ruff-Vide Ancient British Drama, vol. ii. p. 444, 445. his time as at present. The expressions "false as dice," and "false as dicers' oaths," will be illustrated by the following anecdote, taken from an anonymous MS. of the reign of James the First : "Sir William Herbert, playing at dice with another gentleman, there rose some questions about a cast. Sir William's antagonist declared it was a four and a five; he as positively insisted that it was a five and a six; the other then swore with a bitter imprecation, that it was as he had said; Sir William then replied, Thou art a perjured knave; for give me a sixpence, and if there be a four upon the dice, I will return you a thousand pounds;' at which the other was presently bashed, for indeed the dice were false, and of a high cut, without a four." ‡ Dancing was an almost daily amusement in the court of Elizabeth; the Queen was peculiarly fond of this exercise, as had been her father Henry the Eighth, and the taste for it became so general, during her reign, that a great part of the leisure of almost every class of society was spent, and especially on days of festivity, in dancing. To dance elegantly was one of the strongest recommendations to the favour of Her Majesty; and her courtiers, therefore, strove to rival each other in this pleasing accomplishment; nor were their efforts, in many instances, unrewarded. Sir Christopher Hatton, we are told, owed his promotion, in a great measure, to his skill in dancing; and in accordance with this anecdote, Gray opens his "Long Story" with an admirable description of his merit in this department, which, as containing a most just and excellent picture, both of the architecture and manners of "the days of good Queen Bess," as well as of the dress and agility of the knight, we with pleasure transcribe. Stoke-Pogeis, the scene of the narrative, was formerly in the possession of the Hattons: "In Britain's isle, no matter where, To raise the cieling's fretted height, Full oft within the spacious walls, His bushy beard and shoe-strings green, The Brawl, a species of dance, here alluded to, is derived from the French word braule, "indicating," observes Mr. Douce, "a shaking or swinging motion. It was performed by several persons uniting hands in a circle, and giving each other continual shakes, the steps changing with the tune. It usually consisted of three pas and a pied-joint, to the time of four strokes of the bow; which, being repeated, was termed a double brawl. With this dance, balls were usually opened."S Shakspeare seems to have entertained as high an idea of the efficacy of a French brawl, as probably did Sir Christopher Hatton, when he exhibited before Queen Elizabeth; for he makes Moth in Love's Labour's Lost ask Armado,— "Master, will you win your love with a French brawl?" and he then exclaims, "These betray nice wenches." (Act iii. sc. 1.) That several dances were included under the term brawls, appears from a passage in Shelton's Don Quixote: "After this there came in another artificial dance, of those called Brawles ;" and Mr. Douce informs us, that amidst a great variety of brawls, noticed in Thoinot Arbeau's treatise on dancing, entitled " Orchesographie," occurs a Scottish brawl; and he adds that this dance continued in fashion to the close of the seventeenth century.** Another dance of much celebrity at this period, was the Pavin or Pavan, which, from the solemnity of its measure, seems to have been held in utter aversion by • Winter's Tale, act i. sc. 2. + Strutt's Sports and Pastimes p. 272. Illustrations, vol. i. p. 219, 220. Hamlet, act iii. sc. 4. |