not else: and sometimes fighting, brawling, contention, quarrel picking, murder, homicide and great effusion of blood, as experience daily teacheth. PHILIP STUBBES, The Anatomie of Abuses 1583 (2nd ed.) Bowling A bowl-alley is the place where there are three things thrown away besides bowls, to wit, time, money and curses, and the last ten for one. The best sport in it is the gamester's, and he enjoys it that looks on and bets not. It is the school of wrangling, and worse than the schools, for men will cavil here for an hair's breadth, and make a stir where a straw would end the controversy. No antic screws men's bodies into such strange flexures, and you would think them here senseless, to speak sense to their bowl, and put their trust in entreaties for a good cast. The bettors are the factious noise of the alley, or the gamesters' beadsmen that pray for them. They are somewhat like those that are cheated by great men, for they lose their money and must say nothing. It is the best discovery of humours; especially in the losers, where you have fine variety of impatience, whilst some fret, some rail, some swear, and others more ridiculously comfort themselves with philosophy. To give you the moral of it: it is the emblem of the world, or the world's ambition; where most are short, or over, or wide, or wrong-biased, and some few jostle in to the "mistress fortune. And it is here as in the court, where the nearest are most spited, and all blows aimed at the "toucher. JOHN EARLE, Micro-cosmographie 1628 A Cock-fight At Stanwick, my son had going with his hens a young cock of a stout and large breed, with very large jollops hanging down on either side of his beak, and a friend of his giving him afterwards a cock and a hen of the game, as they call them (the cockscomb and jollops being finely cut off, close to the head, for advantage in fighting) it fell out that the two cocks, meeting in the yard together, fell close to their fight; where the younger cock fought stoutly a good while, till the old cock, taking advantage of his large jollops hanging so low, took hold thereof, for raising himself to wound the young cock at every blow: which being observed by the spectators, they parted the fray for the present, and caused the young cock's pendant jollops to be cut off, and his head trim'd for the fight, as the old cock's was, who had at first so beaten the young cock, that he durst not stay within his view. But after the sores of his jollops' cut were healed, the young cock coming abroad again, the old cock ran presently upon him to have made him run away as he was wont to do before. But the young cock turning again, and they falling to a new fight, very sharp and eager on both sides, at last the old cock finding his old hold of the young cock's jollops taken from him, was fain to cry creak, and to run away as fast from the young cock, as the young cock did from him before; and ever after the young cock was master of the field. R. WILLIS, Mount Tabor 1639 A Local Play [The interest of this piece lies in the fact that the author was born in the same year as Shakespeare, 1564. Similar plays were no doubt given at Stratford.] In the city of Gloucester, the manner is (as I think it is in other like corporations) that when players of interludes come to town, they first attend the mayor, to inform him what nobleman's servants they are, and so to get licence for their public playing; and if the mayor like the actors, or would shew respect to their lord and master, he appoints them to play their first play before himself and the aldermen and common council of the city; and that is called the mayor's play, where everyone that will, comes in without money, the mayor giving the players a reward as he thinks fit to shew respect unto them. At such a play my father took me with him, and made me stand between his legs, as he sat upon one of the benches, where we saw and heard very well. The play was called The Cradle of Security, wherein was personated a king or some great prince, with his courtiers of several kinds, amongst which three ladies were in special grace with him; and they keeping him in delights and pleasures, drew him from his graver counsellors, hearing of sermons, and listening to good counsel and admonitions, that in the end they got him to lie down in a cradle upon the stage, where these three ladies joining in a sweet song rocked him asleep, that he snorted again, and in the meantime closely conveyed under the cloths wherewithal he was covered, a vizard like a swine's snout upon his face, with three wire chains fastened thereunto, the other end whereof being holden severally by those three ladies, who fall to singing again, and then discovered his face, that the spectators might see how they had transformed him, going on with their singing. Whilst all this was acting, there came forth of another door at the farthest end of the stage, two old men, the one in blue, with a sergeant at arms, his mace on his shoulder, the other in red, with a drawn sword in his hand, and leaning with the other hand upon the other's shoulder; and so they two went along in a soft pace round about by the skirt of the stage, till at last they came to the cradle, when all the court was in greatest jollity; and then the foremost old man with his mace stroke a fearful blow upon the cradle; whereat all the courtiers, with the three ladies and the vizard, all vanished; and the desolate prince starting up bare-faced, and finding himself thus sent for to judgment, made a lamentable complaint of his miserable case, and so was carried away by wicked spirits. This prince did personate in the moral, the wicked of the world; the three ladies, Pride, Covetousness, and Luxury; the two old men, the end of the world, and the last judgment. This sight took such impression in me, that when I came towards man's estate it was as fresh in my memory, as if I had seen it newly acted. From whence I observe out of mine own experience, what great care should be had in the education of children, to keep them from seeing of spectacles of ill examples, and hearing of lascivious or scurrilous words; for that their young memories are like fair writing-tables, wherein if the fair sentences or lessons of grace be written, they may (by God's blessing) keep them from many vicious blots of life, wherewithal they may otherwise be tainted...And withal we may observe, how far unlike the plays and harmless morals of former times are to those which have succeeded; many of which (by report of others) may be termed schoolmasters of vice, and provocations to corruptions. R. WILLIS, Mount Tabor 1639 § 3. Festival Christmas Day Some say that ever 'gainst that season comes Hamlet, 1. i. 158—164 It is now Christmas, and not a cup of drink must pass without a carol; the beasts, fowl, and fish, come to a general execution; and the corn is ground to dust for the bakehouse, and the pastry. Cards and dice purge many a purse, and the youth shew their agility in shoeing of the wild mare. Now "Good cheer" and "Welcome," and "God be with you," and "I thank you," and "Against the new year," provide for the presents. The Lord of Misrule is no mean man for his time, and the guests of the high table must lack no wine. The lusty bloods must look about them like men, and piping and dancing puts away much melancholy. Stolen venison is sweet, and a fat coney is worth money. Pit-falls are now set for small birds, and a woodcock hangs himself in a gin. A good fire heats all the house, and a full alms-basket makes the beggars prayers. The masquers and mummers make the merry sport: but if they lose their money, their drum goes dead. Swearers and swaggerers are sent away to the ale-house, and unruly wenches go in danger of judgment. Musicians now make their instruments speak out, and a good song is worth the hearing. In sum, it is a holy time, a duty in Christians for the remembrance of Christ, and custom among friends for the maintainance of good fellowship. In brief, I thus conclude of it: I hold it a memory of the Heaven's love and the world's peace, the mirth of the honest, and the meeting of the friendly. NICHOLAS BRETON, Fantastickes 1626 Good-Friday It is now Good Friday, and a general fast must be kept among all Christians, in remembrance of Christ's Passion. Flesh and fish must be banished all stomachs strong or weak. Now begins the farewell to thin fare, and the fishmongers may shut up their shops till the holy-days be past. The butchers now must wash their boards, make clean their aprons, sharpen their knives, and sort their pricks, and cut out their meat for Easter-Eve market. Now must the poulterers make ready their rabbits and their fowl, the cooks have their ovens clean, and all for pies and tarts against the merry feast. Now the maids bestir them about their houses, the launders about their linen, the tailors about apparel, and all for this holy time. Now young lambs, young rabbits, and young chickens die for fine appetites, and now the minstrel tunes his instruments, to have them ready for the young people. But with the aged and the religious, there is nothing but sorrow and mourning, confession, contrition, and absolution, and I know not what. Few that are merry, but children that break up school, and wenches that are upon the marriage. In sum, it is such an odd day by itself, that I will only make this conclusion of it: it is the bridle of nature, and the examiner of reason. NICHOLAS BRETON, Fantastickes 1626 It is now Easter, and Jack of Lent is turned out of doors. The fishermen now hang up their nets to dry, while the calf and the lamb walk toward the kitchen and the pastry. The velvet heads of the forests fall at the loose of the cross-bow. The salmon-trout plays with the fly, and the March rabbit runs dead into the dish. The Indian commodities pay the merchant's adventure: and Barbary sugar puts honey out of countenance. The holy feast is kept for the faithful, and a known Jew hath no place among Christians. The earth now begins to paint her upper garment, and the trees put out their young buds. The little kids chew their cuds, and the swallow feeds on the flies in the air. The stork cleanseth the brooks of the frogs, and the spar-hawk prepares her wing for the partridge. The little fawn is stolen from the doe, and the male deer begin to herd. The spirit of youth is inclined to mirth, and the conscionable scholar will |