Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1857-04-17
Practical okins in the Middle Age.

Practical Joking ,iu the Middle Ages.
The casll.'. .,m chastel d'Hesdi, wasoan
faVorite resort Of Philip OF Burgundy, and
,a.place OF rest to which he retired to
amuse himself aL his leisure. 1t cUnttas-
ted strangely with The pleasure palace Of
Lnuts the Eleventh ueAr TourF. where
the grounds, were known 10 bristIe with
various deadly Instruments to main tres.
passers. Hesden was full OF pitfalls and
trap doors as a modern theatre ; but they
only served to .perpetuste the coarse
though harmless jokes in which the Md
die Ages consisted. They seem. indeed
to have only suited the robust and heal
thy constitutions of the people Of those
days. a few examples. taken from the
records OF the castle. may not be unin-
tereStInS. a stranger issuing. for in-
stance. from gallery into u neighbo,iqg
passage. was staltIed by sudden appari-
tlon uf n wooden figure Spouting waIer.-
A wetting aud fright were the consequen.
ces. But when the Ike was carried fur>
ther. a set Of brushes were put 10 motion.
and the patient emerged with white or
a black face might be. Another still more
powerful en- Iine was one which seized a
NAANH Gnu StIIh ACN III ku6
centre ofthe great 6 IlIery was u trap. and
near it the Fl cure of n hermit who prophesi.
LIdies were his most frequent victims
They no sooner felt an interest ic the tell
ing Of their fortunes, than the ceiling
opened and poured fourth rain. thunder
claps followed in quick succession. pre-,
ced by appropriate lightning ; and as the
air grew colder sn1w tell. Taking refuge
from the storm. the patient entered a
dangerous sheller above. a pitfalI leading
into a sack OF feathers, from which escape
WAS at last permitted. .g,5 - s-f. s... -
The castle of Hssdin was full of tricks
Of this description. Besides the pitfall
Ist described. there was in the great gal.
lery bridge which dropped saunters in,
TO the wa.er. In various places there
were engines which spquted water when
they were touched. Six figures s'ood in
the ball spOuting water. and weiting peo'
pie iy various ways. At the entrance OF
gallery were eight water Jets rushing up.
ward. which wetted people passing. and
three small pipes were SO fixed close by as
to cover them with h1ur. IF the panic
stricken victim rushed up to q window
and opened it, up came figure. wetting
them and closing the frame. Ii a splen-
did nlissal on desk caught curious aye.
the person who went to Il was either GOV.
cred with SCOT or dirt. 4 mirror close at
hand betrayed the trick but whilst the
victim wondered at the blackness of his
face, out rushed fjur :dred Ser that made
him whiie.. The most elaborate OF all
these tricks was one COM ining almost ev-
cry, species of Deception. "A .6gdre Of a
maj was made 10, start in the gallery.
hishtning people ~ salking or crying
At tbe:f6ise. ths 1oungers ID other rooms
rushed in. upon Which number Of 'fg:
ufes. Ear med with stieka5!.s came forth. driving
every one pen NEIL ,t5 tue bridge. 1hsffe
they lefls Of es6uirase. into tie water. .Ma-1he %
F-vtSodi ~ III 10 .sisdI slidw 9aluoa
Enp t9is5stassgd tils.: tive ,hoasshia four four
ihunite Anesiea aus nave psrishedin bat-
w atAt alSll