The Portland daily press., 1883-12-25
Old Christmas Games


mas in The olden times in England was the
varied assortment of games which were IS
heartily joined in by both old and Young
assembled round the blazing hearth. Most
of these merry pastimes have long ago pass
ed away; only few, such as snapdragon.
hide-and-seek, &C., being known by the
present generation out of the long list Of
Christmas games formerly kept up. TIL
an old game played especially at Christmas
was "hot cookies" species of blind-man's-
buff, in which the parson kneeling down,
and being struck behind, was to guess who
inflicted the blow. 1t is described by Gay
in the following l;nes;-
AS at hot cookies once laid me down.
And felt the weights hand of many clown,
Buxoma gave gentle tap, and
Quick rose and read soft mischief in her eye
In an old tract, Ground About Our Coal
| fire; or, Christmas Entertainments pub
| lished in the early part of the last century
mention is made of game called "Ques-
tions and commando The writer SAYS that
the commander may obige his subjects to
answer any lawful question, and make the
same obey him instantly under the penalty
of paying any such forfeit as may be laid on
the aggressors. 'Handy-dandy,' was much
in request at this season. One of the party
concealed something on his hand, making
his neighbors guess in which one it was. If
the latter guessed rightly, he won the article
| if wrongly, he lost an equivalent 1t is al
| luded TO in "Piers Ploughman," and it is,
perhaps, noticed by Shakespeare where
King Lear Act w., sc. Essays to Glo'ster:-
Look with thine ears see how YOU justice
rails upon you simple thief. Hark, in thine
ear: change places; and, handy dandy,
which is the justice, which is the thiefp'
Browne, too, in one of his "Pastorals,"
tells how boys
With the pibbles play at handy-dandy
A childish diversion also usually intro
duced at Christmas in bygone days was the
"Game of Goose" 1t was, SAYS Strut,
played by two persons, although it readily
admitted of many more, and was well calcu-
lated to make the young people sharp at
reckoning the produce of two given num-
ers. The table for playing Goose was
about the size of a sheet almanac, and divi- |
ded into sixty two small compartments. ar
ranged in spiral form, with large open
space in the centre marked with the number
%; the other compartments were denoted
by the numbers from one to sixty-two inclu-
sive. The game was played with two dice,
each player throwing in turn, and marking
with counter whatever number the dice
cast up. Thus, if there were a four and five
he marked nine, and so on, until the game
was completed The number So had to be
reached exactly. and should the player ex-
coed it he had to reckon back, and throw
again in his turn.
Another game seems to have been "Fox i
the Hole" and is thrice mentioned by Her
rick, but not once explained
Of Christmas sports, the wassail-bowl
That's tossed up, after fox i the hole.
A diversion which often caused much
laughter was "Dun in the mire'' A log of
wood was brought into the middle of the
room; this was Dun" or the cart-horse.
and pr ruo oil hat
the mire. Two of the company then ad-
vanced, either with or without ropes, to
draw him out. When unable to do so, they
called for further help, Until finally all the
parties joined in the game, when Qua was.
of course, extricated. No small merriment
arose from each PERSONS sly efforts to let the
log fall on his neighbours toes. II is fire.
quenty alluded to by old writer's, and by
Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet Act l..
Sc. a, where Mereutio says to Romeo
Tut, dun's the mouce the constable's own word.
1t thou art dun, we'll draw thee from the mire.
Some doubt exists as to the precise nature
OF game designated 'Shoeing the Wild
Mare" and mentioned by Herrick, where he
speaks Of
Christmas sports, the waissail bowl
of blnd-man buff and of the care
That young men hate to shoe the mare.
ut appears says Brand, that 6 the Wild
AAAesAO vas 5ihPAJ yOuLH 81 Cdll0u, WHO was
allowed certain start, and who was per-
sued by his companions, with the object of
beng shoed, if he did not succeed in out
stripping them" Then there were "cap-
verses, wherein one gave word. to which
another found rhyme; pastime once very
popular.
Among other references 10 old Christmas
games may He qnoted the ''Paston Letters
10 which letter dated Dec "a, 1854 relates
HON d,1M fIty< -
OF her lord, directing what pastimes were to
be used in her house at Christmas, ordered |
that there were none disguisings nor har-
ping, nor luting, nor singing, nor none loud |
disports; but playing at the tables, and chess, |
and cards; such disports she gave her folks |
leave to play, and none other.''
OF old Christmas card-games NAV be |
mentioned that known as 'Post-and-Pair." |
to which Ben Jonson refers in his .'masqne |
of Christmas" =
Now Post and Pair old Chrismas's heir
Doth make gngling sally;
And wot you who, tits one of my two
Sons card makers in Pur-alley.
1t is, too. among the diversions described !
by Sir Walter Scott, in his graphic picture
OF Christmas Eve in 'Marmion," and is
mentioned by many of our own old writers. |
Three cards are dealt to all, the excitement
of the game consisting in each PERSONS W.
ing, or betting on the goodness of his own
hand. 1t would seem that pair of royal
aces was the best hand-hence one of it's !
names, 'Pair-RoyaP'- then other cards. |
according to their order, such as king.
queens, &c. Thus it much resembled our
modern game of Commerce. Another
game of cards was Ruff" known also as
Double Ruff" or "Cross Ruff one of its
most popular names being "Trump." 1t is |
mentioned in "Poor Robins Almanack'' for
1693:-
Christmas to hungry stomachs gives relief
with mutton, pork-pies, pastes and roast beef
ana men at cards spend many idle hours,
Atloadum whisk, cross-rutf, put, and allfours
This game was much the same as whist: and
was played by two against two, and occa-
slonally by three against three Noddy, too,
we are told. was also much in demand be-
ing noticed by Middleton, where Christmas,
speaking of the games of that time as his
children, savs:-"I leave them wholly to my
eldest son N0ddy, whom during his minori-
~, commit to the custody of a pair of
knaves and one-and-thirty." In "Poor
Robins Almanac" for 1856 it is thus no.
ticed:-
Some folks at dice and cards do sit
10 lose their money and their wit.
ana when the game of cards is past
Then fall to at Noddy at the last.
Ihere is some doubt as to what game was
meant, some think cribbage, and others
Beat the knave out of DOORS"
Such were some of the old games nrac
ised at Christmastide; and the Importance
Inat was attached to these diversions NAV
De gatnered from the fact that eyery large
housenold had its Lord of Merry Dispo, is.
whose duty 1t was to arrange the merry
markings every season