The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1862-11-15
Social Life A Few Centuries Ago.

How our Anglo Saxon and Norman ar
ceStors In the Middle Ages ate and drank
married and were given in marriage, anc
conducted the various other formulas Q
lie, Is agreeably told in publication from
winch the British Quarterly Rerie10 draw
an article, which we in turn fit 10 our US,
with pen and scissors:
HOW fE ANGLO sAXoNs PLAYED AT CANES
The Anglo Saxons were inveterate gam
pliers, passion they inherited from, theil
6erman ancestors. Chess was universa
amongst them. 1t was always PLAYED fol
money, or moneys worth and, being an
lirascible people, they frequently lost thei
temper when they lost their bets, and
Drought the contest to close by fingine
| tne board at each other head Dice was
common to al, classes. Tables in several
sorms, was one OF the popular games, de
| rived, originally. in likelihood from the
Komans, and identical in principle with
| the backgammon, the tick tack of the
| English, and the tric-tac Of the French.
4 To the middle ages belong numerouc
games which still supply recreation to
nssaJ an English crclo. The shovel board
| ~ the -Eiizabethan cycle has its represen-
tative IN its more complicated and :nge.
NOUS successor, billiards. Danes, or la
dies, familiar to the age Of chvaIry, come
70 ps IN the shape of draughts Several
ol their round games, or indoor pastimes,
that fiourished some hundreds of wears
ag0. are favorite resources to the present
dayin country houses such. for example
the blind mans buff, hot cookies, aud
! frog III the middle The last might in
d&fnitely be enlarged Questions and
commands, | am a Spanish merchant, a
rcund game said to have been invented by
/ Queen Elizabeth drawing characters. and
| endiess varieties OF forfe.ts are amouEt the
trivial entertainments in which til modern
dfawing- room take almost Is much de
| light a the MEDIEVAL hall
HOW THEY, WITH EASE, MARRIED AND IN
/ MARRIED THEMSELVES
/ The marriage laws anu u-ages OF the
Anglo-Saxon were 50 brittle. that they
offered no security to either party, before
the introduction OF Chris liauitv: and il
may be added, that they retained much
of the iicentiousness fos a long time after
wards. The marriage Ceremony. As far a.
there WAS one, might be described as an
ordinary agreement between the high
contracting lover on the one hand, aHd
ti;e friends o. the lady or the other. The
only stlpula;IOEa or conditions connected
will it Of any binding force lrl8trl -
such cha;;els, money or other pro ertv as
might be involved in The agreement
fIhe business part beng disposed q. then
followed the teasting common on such
Occasions 10 the most barbaro.s cou1muui-
ties, not uncommon 10 more highly refined
stages of society, and the wedding pair
went OF upon their tour 10 be Aeeced by
Inn -keepers and lodging house cormotauts.
and TO fiauHt their happiness in the face
OF the public, by open entertainments.
wherever they went The union, which
was tnus completed implied none Of the
obligation eEactri ~ Christianity. The
gentleman was no. required q cherish
and protecl iilc LADY. nor the lady o. love.
honor and obey the gentleman. IL i7as g
union Tor mutual convenience a.I salts
faction s3me,.n.s inspired iy romantic
passion, and -3nietiees with 20 l.ttle mn
tual knowledge so.ehand. that. so {ar rs
happiness Tas concerned, I, Il '.ss a. leap 81
sue s-ts.,a. 10 t=s4stt, che say cg the
other wis a matter ot hl-ud chaace: and
the institution was logically adapted 60
meet theexigeacies that might arise oct
oi SO precarisus a state oi things Where
there were no duties there cou'l be 10
responsiii..tics. and K was cg.- -,..rnt
with the nature of :Ae engagement thai
the marriage which hung 50 loosely n.fcnt
be easily ii.rown of Both parties were
ut liberty 20 follow the bent Of their own
inclinations, aud if they disagreed they
were free 10 separate, the ladys friends
interfering, as before: merely to looL, after
the settlements
nav the Naa&ANs SAT At MEALS
Forks had not vet come into use. and
nobody haviu hit upon the expedient Of
chopsticks, meat was conveyed 10 tie
mouth by the fingers. This was unayoid-
able; and in order 10 make sure Is far as
might be Of the cleanliness Of the hand
OF gagged IN this delicate Office. it WIS one
OF the TnaXims OF good breeding that the
hand should never perform the function
which Is now consigned TO the pocket
handkerchief an article unknown in
those hines. The tact of laying an inter
dict on one hand implies, of course, the
employment OF the other. The American
custom of expectoratiOn prevailed so ex
tensiyely among the Mormous, that it was
necessary 10 protect the board at which
they sat by stringent regulations. foTtu-
nately In most eases, the ilUor which re
ceiyed the contents Of water basins, the
oregs of wine glasses and other refuse, was
slightly proteo by layer Of rushes
The benches and seats, however, werc ex-
posed to all passing chances, and in al
old French metrical code of politeless.
quoted by Mr.. Wright people are pru-
dently advised to examine the seats before
they sit down on them. Some of the
minor directions testify at once to the raw
state of manners, and to the dawn Of COM
ing Improvements FOR example, YOU
We're forbidden to pick your teeth with
your knife, or to offer the remains of your
dish to another person, or to dip your
in The salt cellar, or to return food from
your mouth to your plate and symptoms !,
oil the more artificial modes that not long
afterwards came into vogue, may be de f,
tected in a code of instructions which F!
warns you against the vulgarity of eating
ns&eh cheese, or taking more than two or
tffee nuts at time on your plate, or be- /,
t:ayiug fidgetiness at dinner by such boor- T.
ish tricks as playing with your knife, or
twisting your napkin into knots, and /
which, above all things, admouished You
against getting intoxicated before dinner
IS over.
a Soldiers Consolation to Isis wife.
The Philadelphia American sends forth |