The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1891-11-16
MEDIA3NAL LONDON.
Some of the Queer Diversions and
la eants of Those Times.

Some of the Queer Diversions and
la eants of Those Times.
IT medieval Loncon was o city OF hart
work, IL was also city OF play In plenty.
London citizens. old and young have al
ways delighted beyond measure In games,
shows, sports and amusements Of every
kind. There were many holidays and
Sunday was not day OF gloom.
The calendar of sport begins with the
first day Of the year, and ends with the
last day.
The year began with New Years gifts /:
These glttes the husband gives his wife and
father exc the child,
And master en- his men bestows the like with
favour milde.
And good beginning OF the year they wish and
According to the ancient guise OF heathen peo-
pie vaine.
These eight days no man doth require his
debtes OF any man;
Their tables do they furnish forth with all the
the meat they can.
There was skating and sliding upon the
ice In Mooreflelds. where the shallow
ponds froze easily; or they played at
quarterstaff. at hooking. at single stick,
at football and at bucklers. In the even
ing they played at cards and tables" and
dice.
Now men and maids do merry make
At stool. ball and at barley break.
On Shrove Tuesday they had cock fight
ing, a sport continued with undated
popularity until within the memory Of
man-nay, II Is rumored that he who
knows where to look for 1t may still enjoy
that humanizing spectacle. Every FRI
day In Lent the young men went forth to
Gn,ith nd hat A~h h,,t ha
custom was in time discontinued; at
Easter they had boat tournaments. At
this holy season also they had boar fights.
and the batting OF bulls and bears. They
had stage plays - the parish clerk In
Chaucer played Herod on O scaffold
high" In 1891 the parish clerks had a
play at SINNERS Well, Smithfield, which
lasted for three days. In 1409 they repre-
sented the creation OF the world, and Ii
lasted eight days.
Then there were the pageants, shows
and ridings in the city. Whenever an ex-
cuse could be found, the mayor, sheriffs
and aldermen held a solemn riding in all
their bravery. Not even In Ghent or Ant.
werp were there such splendid ridings
and so many OF them. Search all chroni-
cles," says an old writer, "all histories
and records. in what language or letter
soever, let the inquisitive man waste the
deere treasures Of his time and eyesight,
he shall conclude his life only In the cer-
tainty that there is no subject received
into the place OF his government with the
like style and magnifcence as is the Lord
Mayor Of the City OF London" We shall
see later on what kind of show would be
held in the time OF Queen Elizabeth.
AS for pageants, they were SO splendid
that he was unhappy, indeed, who could
not remember one. But there were few
SO unfortunate. Whenever the king paid
visit to the city. on his accession, on his
marriage, on the birth OF a prince, the
city held a pageant. When you read the
account OF the pageant when Henry V.
and the city returned thanks for the vic
tory OF Agincourt, remember to cover In
imagination the houses with scarlet cloth,
to dress the people with such bravery OF
attire and such colors as you can imagine,
to let music play at every corner. to let
the horses be appareled as bravely as
their riders TO let the bells be pealing and
clashing. TO fill up the narrative with the
things which the historian neglects, and
then own that in the matter OF pageants
we are poor. indeed, compared with our
forefathers 500 years ago.
or ecclesiastical functions and process
slOuS say Ilttle. Inc people DeIOnRlng 10
the church rs well as the churches them
selves, were in every street and in every
function. At funerals there followed the
Brotherhood OF Sixty. the singing clerks
and the old priests OF the Papey singing
psalms for the dead. and see, here is a
company OF 100. They are not Londoners,
they are Dutchmen; and they have come
across the sea-such are they amenities
OF medi@val piety--to flagellate them
selves for the sins OF this city. VIII the
English follow their example2 For there
are sins to be expiated even at Amster-
dam. They are stripped TO the waist
every man is armed with whip, and is
belaboring the man In front. 1t is NOV.
ing spectacle. London can not choose but
repent. The tears should be running
down the cheeks OF topper, tosspot and
"rorere." Alas we hear of no tears. The
Dutchmen have TO go home again, and
may. IL they please, tiagellate them.
selves for their own good. leaving London
mpenitent.-Walter Besant in Harper's