PASTIME, any sport, amusement, or diversion. Pastimes of some kind seem to be absolutely necessary, and to none more than to the man of study; for the most vigorous mind cannot bear to be always kept on the stretch. The sports, amusements, pleasures, and recreations, of our ancestors, as described by Fitz-Stephen,^[1. Otherwise called William Stephanides, a monk of Canterbury, who lived in the reigns of Stephen and Richard I. He wrote a Latin treatise, in which he gives an account of the several pastimes which were countenanced in his time. Bale, in his writings, draws a pleasing portrait of this person; and he is likewise sketched with much commendation by Leland. “The time which other people usually misemployed in an idle and frivolous manner,” says Bale, “he consecrated to inquiries which tended to increase the fame and dignity of his country; in doing which, he was not unworthy of being compared to Plato, for, like him, he made the study of men and heaven his constant exercise.” ] added strength and agility to the wheels of state mechanism, whilst they had a direct tendency towards utility. Most of these ancient recreations are resolvable into the public defence of the state against the attacks of a foreign enemy. The play at ball, derived from the Romans, was first introduced by this author as the common exercise of every school-boy. The performance was in a field, whither the most substantial and considerable citizens resorted to give encouragement and countenance to this feat of agility. The intention of the amusement at this period of time was to render the juvenile race active, nimble, and vigorous; qualities which were requisite whenever their assistance should be wanted for the protection of their country. The next species of pastime indeed does not appear to have had this tendency; but it was only, as it should seem, an annual custom. This was cock-fighting. The author informs us, that in the afternoon of Shrove-Tuesday, upon which day this custom prevailed, they concluded it by throwing the ball; which seems to insinuate that cock-fighting was merely in conformity to ancient usage, and limited only to part of the day, in order to make way for a more laudable performance. We may reasonably, suppose, although our author is entirely silent upon this head, that whilst cock-fighting was going on, cockthrowing was the sport of the lowest class of people, who could not afford the expense of the former. Another spe-» cies of manly exercise was truly martial, and intended to qualify the adventurers for military discipline. “Every Friday in Lent,” says Fitz-Stephen, “a company of young men comes into the field on horseback, attended and conducted by the best horsemen; then march forth the sons of the citizens, and other young men, with disarmed lances and shields, and there practise feats of war. Many courtiers likewise, when the king is near the spot, and attendants upon noblemen, do repair to these exercises; and while the hope of victory does inflame their minds, they show by [7:17:113] good proof how serviceable they would be in martial affairs.” This is evidently of Roman descent, and immediately brings to our recollection the ludus Trojae, supposed to be the invention, as it was the common exercise, of Ascanius. The common people, in this age of masculine manners, made every amusement where strength was exerted the subjectmatter of instruction and improvement. They were taught to exert their bodily strength in the maintenance of their country’s rights; and their minds were also improved by such exertion, being formed to every manly and generous principle.

In the intervals of industry and labour, commonly called the holidays, indolence and inactivity, which at this day prevail, were found only in those whose lives were distempered with age or infirmity. The view which Fitz-Stephen gives us of the Easter holidays is animated. “In Easter holydays they fight battles upon the water. A shield is hanged upon a pole fixed in the middle of the stream. A boat is prepared without oars, to be borne along by the violence of the water; and in the forepart thereof standeth a young man, ready to give charge upon the shield with his lance. If so be that he break his lance against the shield, and doth not fall, he is thought to have performed a worthy deed. If without breaking his lance he runs strongly against the shield, down he falleth into the water; for the boat is violently forced with the tide; but on each side of the shield ride two boats, furnished with young men, who recover him who falleth as soon as they may. In the holydays all the summer the youths are exercised in leaping, dancing, shooting, wrestling, casting the stone, and practising their shields; and the maidens trip with their timbrels, and dance as long as they can well see. In winter, every holyday before dinner, the boars prepared for brawn are set to fight, or else bulls or bears are baited.”

These were the recreative pursuits to which our sturdy forefathers devoted their leisure, as far back as the year 1130. Their immediate successors breathed the same generous spirit. In the year 1222, being the sixth year of Henry III., we find, that certain masters in exercises of this kind made a public profession of their instructions and discipline, which they imparted to those who were desirous of attaining excellence and victory in these honourable achievements. About this period, persons of better rank and family introduced the play of tennis, ^[2. The word tennis seems to owe its origin to the French language; and if so, the game is probably of French invention. Yet the word tenez will hardly afford incontrovertible evidence upon this subject. For the holding or keeping possession of the ball is no part of the game, but rather a circumstance casually attending it; since, during the performance of it, the ball is in continual motion, so that there can be no tenez at this juncture. Perhaps some town in France called Τennois may have been the place where the balls were first made, and the game first introduced. ] and erected courts or oblong edifices for the performance of the exercise.

About the year 1253, that is, in the 38th year of Henry III. the quintan was a sport much in fashion in almost every part of the kingdom. This contrivance consisted of an upright post firmly fixed in the ground, and having upon the top of it a cross piece of wood, moveable upon a spindle, one end of which was broad like the flat part of a halbert, whilst at the other end was hung a bag of sand. The exercise was performed on horseback. The masterly performance was, when, upon the broad part being struck with a lance, which sometimes broke it, the assailant rode swiftly on, so as to avoid being struck on the back by the bag of sand, which turned round instantly upon the stroke being given, with a very swift motion. He who executed this feat in the most dexterous manner was declared victor, and the prize to which he became entitled was a peacock. But if, upon the aim being taken, the competitor miscarried in striking at the broadside, his want of skill became the ridicule and contempt of the spectators.

Dr Plott, in his Natural History of Oxfordshire, tells us that this pastime was in practice in his time at Deddington, in that county. “They first,” says he, “fixed a post perpendicularly in the ground, and then placed a small piece of timber upon the top of it, fastened on a spindle, with a board nailed to it on one end, and a bag of sand hanging at the other. Against this board they anciently rode with spears. Now as I saw it at Deddington only with strong staves, which violently bringing about the bag of sand, if they make not good speed away, it strikes them on the neck or shoulders, and sometimes perhaps strikes them down from their horses; the great design of the sport being to try the agility both of man and horse, and to break the board; which, whoever did, was accounted conqueror; for whom heretofore there was some reward always appointed.”

These feats of honourable contest were succeeded by the gilded banners of exhibition, and all the long train of dependents in the interest of indolence. For the writers of these times inform us, that the soft pleasures of the stage forced the passes to public favour in the year 1391, and likewise in the year 1409; so that utility, which before stood upon the right hand of pleasure, was now ordered to withdraw for a season. The drama, it seems, was attempted by a set of useless and insignificant persons called parish-clerks, who, because they had the knowledge of the alphabet, ignorantly presumed that this included every other species of knowledge. The subject was truly serious, being the creation of the world; but the performance must have been ludicrous. It was, however, honoured with the attendance of noble personages; and royalty itself deigned to cast a favourable eye upon it, for the king and queen were present. These interludes lasted no longer than the time requisite for the former confederacy of utility and pleasure to resume its powers. The lance, the shield, the ball, and the equestrian procession, came forward again, and put the dramatic usurper to flight. After this period, these objects of generous pleasure seem to have had their audience of leave; and one general object, no less manly than the former, filled their stations, we mean archery. This continued till the reign of Charles I.; for we find in many hospitals founded during that reign, that amongst the articles of benefaction recorded upon their walls was this singular provision, arms for the boys, which signified bows and arrows.

There are, at this day, many places which were formerly resorted to for the practice of this noble art, distinguished by appellations which indicate their ancient usage; such as Brentford Butts, Newington Butts, and many others of the like denomination. It appears from 33 Henry VIII. that, by the intrusion of other pernicious games, archery had for a long time been disused; and to revive it this statute was enacted. It seems that the bows of the best kind were made of yew; and, that this wood might be readily obtained for the purpose, yew-trees were planted in church-yards. The sons of those only who were persons of fortune and fashion, if under seventeen years of age, were permitted to use such bows. The words of the statute are singular, and run thus: “No person under seventeen years, except he, or his father or mother, have lands or tenements to the yearly value of ten pounds, or be worth in value or moveables the sum of forty marks sterling, shall shoot with any bow of yew, which shall be bought for him, after the feast of our lady next coming, under the pain to lose and forfeit six shillings and eightpence.” Upon these words two observations present themselves. One is, that the yewwood, not being so common as other wood, might probably be soon found deficient, as it was the best wood for making bows, if the use of it had not been confined to particular ages and persons, as young people wantonly destroy what [7:17:114]is put into their hands for useful purposes. The other observation is, that the age of seventeen is by this statute distinguished as the age of discretion, when young people are more attentive and considerate in things of private concernment. This statute makes provision of other kinds of wood for the common people; and to the intent that every person may have bows of mean price, it enacts, that every bowyer shall, for every bow that he makes of yew, make four other bows, meet to shoot with, of elm, witch-hazel, ash, or other wood apt for the same, under pain of losing and forfeiting, for every such bow so lacking, the sum of three shillings and fourpence. It seems there was a species of yew at this time called elk, a wood which was stronger and more pliant than the common yew mentioned in the statute, and the price of which it fixed. “Moreover, no bowyer shall sell or put to sale to any of the king’s subjects, any bow of yew of the tax called elk, above the price of three shillings and fourpence, under the pain to forfeit twenty shillings for every bow sold above the said price.”

About the beginning of the reign of James I. military prowess appears to have sounded a retreat. This king, to gratify the importunity of the common people, and at the same time to obviate his own fears, published a book of sports, in which the people had some time before been indulged on Sunday evenings, but which had lately been prohibited. These sports consisted of dancing, singing, wrestling, church ales, and other profanations of that day.

Charles, his successor, wisely abolished these sports. The act of Charles states in part the several amusements, by which we may conjecture what were the remainder as stated in the book of sports by James. It is necessary to transcribe the portion of the act relating to this subject. “Forasmuch as there is nothing more acceptable to God, than the true and sincere worship of Him, and service according to His holy will, and that the holy keeping of the Lord’s day is a principal part of the service of God, which in many places of this realm hath been, and now is, prophaned and neglected by a disorderly sort of people, in exercising and frequenting bear-baiting, bull-baiting, interludes, and common-plays, and other unlawful exercises and pastimes, neglecting divine service both in their own parishes and elsewhere: Be it enacted, that from and after forty days next after the end of this session of parliament, there shall be no meetings, assemblies, or concourse of people, out of their own parishes, on the Lord’s day, within this realm of England, or any the dominions thereof, for any sports or pastimes whatsoever; nor any bear-baiting, bull-baiting, interludes, common-plays, or other unlawful exercises or pastimes, used by any person or persons within their own parishes; and that every person and persons offending in any of the said premises, shall forfeit for every offence the sum of three shillings and fourpence; the same to be employed and converted to the use of the poor of the parish where such offence shall be committed.” All this was no doubt very proper, and showed the piety of the unfortunate monarch by whom it was enacted. But this age witnessed the close of the ancient manly sports of Britain.