The Kenilworth Advertiser. — 1893-02-11 (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England)

PURITANICAL HATRED.  Referring t-o-ingl.;;d-,-;ve--11-n—d--that the law against football was vigorously put in force in the days of good Queen Bess. No doubt football was at that time a very disorderly member of the reputable family of British sports. In the 18th year of the reign of Queen Elisabeth • true hill was returned at the Middlesex Sessions against sixteen persons— husbandmen, yeomen and artificers—for participating in what was a rough game. There were no referees with penny whistles in those days. I anyafraid they would have been more powerless then than now, for the indictment showed that there were malefactor* to the number of a hundred 'who assembled themselves and unlawfully played • certain unlawful gan:e, called football, by reason of which unlawful game there arose amongst them a affray, likely to result in homicides and tilt accidents." About seven years after Roger Ledford, a yeoman, was killed while playing at foot ball, and the Coroner's jury found that Nicholas Martyn and Richard Turvey feloniously slew the said Roger. It is then no wonder that this pastime aroused the ire of the Puritans. Thus Stubbes, the author of the " Austen* of Abuse* in the Realms of England" Is very bitter concerning football and "other develishe pasCuies." The late Mr. Stubhes remark*:— " Lo,d; remove these exercises from the Vahsoth. Any exercise which withdraweth from godliness, either upon the Sabaoth or any other day, is wicked and to be forbidden. Now who Is so grossly blinde that he 'meth not that these aforesaid exercises not only withdraw us from godlinesse and virtue, but also halls and allure us to wickednesse and WO for as concerning football playing I protest unto you that it may rather he called a friendiee kinds of Balite than a play or recreation—a bloody and mttrthering practice than ,a felowly sport or pastime. Pm dooth not everyone lie In wilght for his tdter-' mire, seeking him to overthrow him and piche him on his ease, though it be bard stories, on , ditch or dale, on valley; or hill, or whatever place soever it be he earsth not, so he have him down.; and he that serve the most of this fashion he is counted the only fellow, and who but he r Lord Kinuaird, the President of the Football Association, drew the attention of the Council recently to rough play, but I don't think that even lila lordship ever saw aught to equal this. But this is not all, for Stubbes goes on to speak of broken necks, hacks, legs, arms, and other injuries, and finally condemns the exercise as " murthering play" not meet for the Sabbath day. I certainly do not dispute the point with him. And then we find the wise fool, the man who invented the counterblast to tobacco, put his little foot down on the recreation. Thus in his Basilikow Dorm " or Manual of Precepts for hit son and successor he writes : _  _ Fr.o.n; III; Wirt -I—deber ifl rough and violent exerchiete as the foot-ball, =eater for lameing than making able the uses thereof.** King Janice evidently knew something about fiery and untamed footballers. I could cite you, could quote you, could comment on for you, and could tickle your curb:nay with many other excerpts from the Puritan days but I forbear.  8/11101,