The Cecil Whig., 1885-07-11
WOMEN'S PASTIMES IN OLD DAYS,
Amusements Not So DecOrous and Stately
as Modern Pastimes.


| Amusements Not So DecOrOus and Stately
as Modern Pastimes.
PHILADELPHIA Press
During the middle ages the recreations
OF ladies we're of limited nature; music,
embroidery and outdoor rides in the en-
crossing pursuit of hawking-these were
the most aristOcratic diversions of noble
danes. Picturesque are the descriptions
in the old chronicles of how the medie5
val courts kept holiday; lords and ladies
all riding off to hunt the heron in the
meadows, or gathering round the min
strel to hear his music and his tales.
Very few ladies could read and books
were few, even music was not general
accomplishment But every lady could
work embroidery or ride her palfrsy to
the field. The dance, chess and the
garden were the other amusements of
the day.
In Bulwer's novel of THE Last of the
Barons" there is a graphic picture of old
court-life at Shene. The gardens and
terraces are thronged with gallants and
ladies'. Travelling minstrels are playing
lively tunes, one group of maidens is
picking flowers, another group is en-
crossed in the study of rabbits, but the
great majority are in game of clasheys
or ninepins, which was a favorite pas
time with Elizabeth Woodville and her
court-ladies. The Queen was graceful
and successful player, and her happy
hits occasion retorts and repartees peril
nent to the historic events of that far
away time. The whole scene is faith
full illustration of the pastimes of court
ladies in the Fifteenth Century.
Masques were the favori.e amusements
at the court of James I. Mrs. Strickland
relates that Lady Arabella Stuart first
met Queen Anne in a beautiful mask in
the character of Diana, with hounds and
harts and horns, besides nymphs, repre-
sensed by the fairest young ladies of the
mid.counties, with music, dancing and
others during the reign of Anne of Den
mark were from the pen of Ben johnson.
Amusements not so decorous and
stately were sometimes INDUCED in by
those beruffled farthingaled danes of
the first Stuarts time. The same writer
tells how one Winter the Queen and her
OF
was so dull that they were glad to be-
guile the tedium of the sojourn by play
ing at all sorts of baby games, such as
Queen Anne, Queen Anne, she sits in
the sun, - and many others, now abso-
lete, such as "Rise, pig and CO." ''My
Lord, give me course in your park"
and not few familiar today to the juve-
nile world. The easy, negligently dress
ed ladies of the Restoration patronized
ale houses and sporting places, and were
| as fond of beer as their masculine con-
temporaries. They could play at high
Jinks, too, sometimes, and they were
| somewhat hoydenish in their manners,
as the following extract from the diary
OF the gossiping Pepys will show:
"After dinner with my wife and Mer-
Ger to the Beare- garden; where 1 have
not been, think, of many years, and
saw some good sport of the bulls tossing
of the dogs, one into the very boxes.
But it is very rude and nasty pleasure.
| We had great many hectors in the
same box with US (and one very fine
went into the pit, and played his dog on
wager, which was strange sport for
gentleman), where they drank wine, and
drank Mercer's health first; which 1
pledged with my hat off. We supped at
home, and very merry. And then about
0 O'Clock to Mrs. Mercer's gate, where
the fire and boys expected us, and her
son had provided abundance of serpents
and rockets; and these mighty merry
(my lady Pen and Pegg going with US,
and Nan Wright), till about 12 at night,
finging our fireworks, and burning one
another and the people over the way.
And at last, our business being most
spent, we went into Mrs. Mercer's, and
there, mighty merry, shutting one an
other with candle grease and sort til
most of us were like devils. And rha
being done then we broke up, and wei.
to my house, and there l made them
drink, and up stairs We went, aud then
fell into dancing On. Batelier dancing
welD, and, dressing, him and l and one
Mr.. banister (who, with my wife come
over also with us) like women; and
Mercer put on suit of TOMS, like boy
and mighty mirth we had; and Mercer
danced a jig, and Nan Wright and my
wife and Pegg Pen put on periwigs.
Thus we spent till or in the morning,
mighty merry; and then parted and to
bed."
This reminds US of one of the romps of
Nell Gwyne and her young companions,
who, disguised in male apparel, went in
a coach to see ghost by lantern light,
and thence returning after midnight to
Drury Lane stepped into one of the ale
houses, where they stopped until
o'clock in the morning, Swallowing ale
by the quarts"
| What an acquisition those merry dam
sells would have been to Hans Bretman's
famous "barty," and how they would
have made the 'lager bser'' vanish,
But imagine the decorous, stately bellies
and actresses of these days committing
such frivolities
Here is another picture of maids of
honor and their diversions little later,
among them beautiful, jolly Mary Bel.
| lenden, represented by her contempt.
raries as ''the most perfect creature ever
known. Pope, in very pleasant mis-.
sive, introduces us to whole bevy of
them.
81 went" he says, "by water to Hamp-
ton Court, and met the Prince, with all
his ladies on horseback, coming from
hunting. Mrs. Bellenden and Mrs. Lepell
took me into protection, contrary to the
laws against harboring Papists, aud gave
me dinner, with something liked bet.
ter-an opportunity of conversation with
Mrs. Howard. We all agreed that the
life of maid of honor, was, of all things
the most miserable, and wished that