curiously enough applied to card-making before the production of books, and after it was discovered that the outlines of the figures could be stamped with wood in blocks and coloured by the hand, card-making became so important a craft that Edward the Fourth prohibited the importation of cards from abroad. The figures differed considerably from those of the present day, and were certainly more graceful, being designated by flowers. The oldest and most favourite games were Trump and Primero. The latter is supposed to have had a considerable resemblance to Whist; but they were continually varying, and we read of prime, maw, lodam, noddy, bankerout, lavatta, gleck, and new cut. places where they meant to hold the festival. "But the chiefest jewel they bring from thence," says Stubbs, "is the May-pole. They have twenty or forty yoke of oxen, every ox having a sweet nosegay of flowers tied to the tip of his horns, and these oxen draw home the May-pole their stinking idol, rather-which they cover all over with flowers and herbs, bound round with strings from the top to the bottom, and sometimes painted with variable colours, having two or three hundred people following with great devotion: and, thus equipped, it is reared, with handkerchiefs and flags streaming on the top. They strew the ground round about it; they set up summer-halls, arbours, and bowers hard by it; and then they fall to banquetting and feasting, to leaping and dancing about it, as the heathen people did at the dedication of their idols," Poor Mr. Stubbs looked upon these things with the eye of a stern Puritan. It was also the great day for the milk-maids, who, on this occasion borrowed all the silver plate which their friends could muster; and, having raised a pyrimid of cups, tankards, and salvers upon their pails, they placed the whole structure on their heads, and danced from door to door, receiving a small gratuity from their customers in return. The old tales of Robin Hood, which were printed in the fifteenth century, had excited such esteem for the bold outlaw, that he was gradually adopted as the presiding genius of this festival; and he and his beloved Maid Marian assumed the place of lord and lady of the May sports. This multiplied the characters, and raised the splendour of the A favourite in-door amusement during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries was Shovegroat, which was played in the following manner. A parallelogram was drawn upon the middle of the table, and divided into nine compartments, each of which was numbered. The players then placed in turn a silver groat, or smooth halfpenny, upon the edge of the table, and, by a smart stroke of the palm, sent it among the partitions, where it counted according to the number on which it rested. Shovel-board, of which we so often read, was played upon nearly a similar principle. It seems to have been more fashionable than the former game. The surface of the board required to be perfectly smooth and even, and in some cases it was made of the richest wood and finest workmanship, thus constituting an ornamental article of furniture. Merelles, or nine men's morris, is still played by our children, | and, when indulged in by the rustics of former days, was an out-of-door game. The compart-pageant; for Little John, Scathlock, Friar Tuck, ments were marked on the sod; and holes in the ground served instead of a board: white stones took the place of pegs. Backgammon became a favourite amusement in the days of Queen Elizabeth, and Draughts had been popular long before. We read loud complaints of the propensity of both Saxons and Normans for gambling. They had ten different games that were played with dice and the large sums of money that were lost, as well as the quarrels that were stirred up, by what the clergy of those days emphatically called "the damnable art of dicing," may be surmised from the curious enactments on this head by Richard the First and Philip Augustus, in their expedition to the Holy Land. Matthew Paris also is careful to reproach the English barons who revolted against John with their fondness for dice, and the same charge was brought against the clergy in general by those ecclesiastics who censured the vices of the age. A festival of great importance, and standing next to Christmas in the estimation of the people, was the first of May. On the midnight preceding that morning, the people of each parish assembled, and repaired in companies to the woods, groves, and hills, where they spent the rest of the night in sports and pastimes; bringing back with them birch boughs and branches of trees, with which they adorned the and other worthies of the Sherwood band, attired in proper costume, danced and paraded together before the delighted spectators, accompanied by the never-failing hobby-horse and dragon. An old writer tells us that " Henry the Eighth, on a May-day morning, with Queene Katherine his wife, accompanied with many lords and ladies, rode a maying from Greenwich; where, as they passed by the way, they espyed a company of tall yeomen clothed all in greene, with greene hoods, and with bowes and arrowes, to the number of two hundred. One, being their chieftain, was called Robin Hood, who required the king and all his company to stay and see his men shoot; whereto the king granting, Robin Hood whistled, and all the archers shot off at once, their arrowes whistled by craft of the head so that the noise was strange and loud, which greatly delighted the king, queene, and their company. Moreover, this Robin Hood desired the king and queene to enter the greene wood, where, in arbours made with boughes and deckt with flowers, they were set, and served plentifully with venison and wine by Robin Hood and his men, to their great contentment, and had other pageants and pastimes." On this day, too, young ladies, and even grave matrons, repaired to the fields to gather May-dew to beautify their complexion; which, if the walk were continued through the summer, we might very safely predict its success. Midsummer Eve, or the Vigil of St. John, was also a great festival. The houses in London and other towns were ornamented with branches of green birch, long fennel, St. John's-wort, and orpin; and at night a large fire was kindled in the street; while the young leaped over it, or played and danced round it till midnight, or even dawn; supposing that by looking through their garlands at the flames, they would have their eyes freed from all pain; and that by the addition of certain prayers, they would be delivered from ague. In London on this night the people illuminated their houses with clusters of lamps, and performed the ceremony of setting the city watch with great show and splendour. The watchmen were clothed in bright harness, the lord-mayor, the city officers, and a crowd of minstrels, henchmen, giants, pageants, and morris-dancers, formed part of the procession, over which a flood of light was poured from hundreds of blazing cressets and huge torches carried on men's shoulders. Very large sums were expended on this custom, which is said to have originated in the reign of Henry the Third, who first appointed armed guards, in consequence of the many robberies that were committed; but the watch and pageant were both abolished in 1539 by Henry the Eighth. One of the most cheerful of our national fes tivals was that of Saint Valentine. How it was that this good bishop and martyr came to preside over lovers cannot be determined; but probably it was to christianize the pagan practises of Lupercalia—a sort of love-lottery, in which the names of young women were enclosed in a box and drawn for. In the middle-ages the birds even were supposed to select their mates on this day. The practices of St. Valentine's Day varied; but in all cases the young men and sometimes by looking out at the door or window in the morning, and the person first seen, if unmarried and of the opposite sex, was considered to be the destined individual. Or an equal number of each sex assembled; the true or feigned names of the company were written on slips of paper, and thrown into two heaps. Then a general drawing took place; and after the whole party had been thus paired by chance, amidst a great deal of mirth and laughter, the men gave balls and treats to their mistresses, wearing the billets on their breasts or sleeves for several days. Gentlemen sent such presents as gloves, silk stockings, garters, or even splendid jewellery, to their fair valentines, whether married or single. New Year's Day brought with it the custom, still kept up among our French neighbours, of giving and receiving presents; and this friendly interchange prevailed from the palace to the cottage, accompanied with feasting and merriment. When evening came, a mighty flagon, called the wassail-bowl, filled with spiced ale and roasted apples, was carried from house to house by young women of the towns and villages; every person who tasted the beverage giving a women selected their true love for the season small trifle to the fair bearers. On the week before Easter, a popular piece of festivity was to bring a twisted tree, or withe, with great rejoicing, into the king's palace, and the houses of the nobility and gentry. The Easter holidays were celebrated by games at hand-ball, for tansy-puddings. The old Saxon festival of Hock Day was kept on the Tuesday following the second Sunday after Easter. It was also called Binding Day, the men and the women being wont, in sport, to bind each other. In some parts of Hampshire the women obstructed the highways with ropes, and each traveller had to pay a toll, in order to pass on his way. This was called hock-money, and devoted to pious purposes. the Christain world by kings and queens, in imiMaundy-Thursday was observed throughout tation of our Saviour, girding themselves with towels, and washing and kissing the feet of a certain number of paupers, to whom food and money were afterwards distributed out of a basket, whence probably the name of the day, from the Saxon maund, a basket. This lowly duty during her reign, after the maids of honour had was repeatedly performed by Queen Elizabeth first prepared the way by a previous washing of the mendicants' feet, and perfuming of the water with essences. In the reign of Henry the Eighth, Cardinal Wolsey after his disgrace held his Maundy in the Abbey of Peterborough, where he washed and kissed the feet of fifty poor men, (answering to the number of years he had lived,) and gave to each twelve pence, three ells of good canvas for shirts, a pair of new shoes, a cast of red herrings, and three white herrings. In the same reign the broken-hearted Queen Catherine, after her divorce, proposed to hold her Maundy as she had been accustomed-that is as rightful Queen of England-but was prevented by an order arriving from her imperious husband that she should perform it only as princess-dowager. There is every likelihood that the game of tennis was introduced into England in the fifteenth century, as we do not find any previous allusion to it in English authors; though it had been in high favour for a considerable period on the continent. The taunting present of tennis balls which the Dauphin of France sent to Henry the Fifth, and the answer it provoked, is the first historical notice of this amusement. Ambassador." He therefore sends you meeter for your spirit This tun of treasure, and in lieu of this Desires you to let the dukedoms that you claim Hear no more of you. Thus the Dauphin speaks.' King Henry." What treasure, uncle?" Exeter." Tennis-balls, my liege." King Henry." We are glad the Dauphin is so pleasant with us, His present and your pains we thank you for : balls, We will in France, by God's grace, play a set Shall strike his father's crown into the hazard, SHAKSPEARE.-Henry Fifth. At first the game in England was played in the open air; but, as it soon became a favourite, especially with the nobility, covered tennis courts were built, of which the fine one of Hampton Court is a well-known specimen. Charles the Second was so passionately addicted to it, that, having a steel-yard in which he weighed himself after the sport was over, he found he had lost four pounds and a-half in weight at a single bout. This, scarcely credible story, we give on the authority of the amusing Pepys. Minstrels, tumblers, mountebanks with trained animals, were as popular in former days as now, and jesters and court fools played an important part. They were common among the AngloSaxons, and after the Norman Conquest a court fool was an officer in every reign until Charles the Second. Fuller quaintly observes "that only he who had wit could perform the duty well, while only he who wanted it would perform it." Sometimes it was filled by a wretched idiot, whose real infirmity was made the butt of the household; but oftener by a shrewd madcap, who could shelter himself behind his folly to atter his satirical observations. In the sixteenth century we find the following description: "In person comely, in apparel courtly, but in behaviour a very ape, and no man; his employment is to coin bitter jests and sing profligate songs and ballads. Give him a little wine in his head, he is continually fleering and making of mouths; he laughs intemperately at every little occasion, and dances about the house, leaps over tables, outskips men's heads, trips up his companions' heels, burns sack with a candle, and hath all the feats of a Lord of Misrule." The official dress in the time of Henry the Eighth consisted of a party-coloured suit, hung with bells at the skirts and elbows, with breeches and close hose, of which the legs were sometimes of different colours. Another dress was a jacket and petticoat, also of motley, fringed with yellow; a hood covered the head in shape like a monk's cowl, decorated with asses' ears or terminating in the neck and head of a cock, ridiculously garnished with a feather. But, above all, the bauble must be particularized, which was a short staff ornamented with the carved head of a zany or some other fantastic ornament: it was at once his sceptre and sword, to which a blown bladder was sometimes attached, with which to buffet his contemners. It would occupy too much time to enter on the games of archery, hawking, and many other sports; or the magnificent pageants and masques which were the delight of the Tudor and Stuart dynasties. And of the mysteries and miracle plays, with their gradual development into the drama of the present day, we intend giving another paper. The popular sports and games received their death-blow from the Puritans, and the "Merrie England" of former days scarcely deserves its title now. Habits and men have changed, in some ways much for the better, in others the reverse; and we cannot but look with pleasure on the revival of archery and rifle clubs, as tending to improve the young men of the present day, and banish the effeminacy which our in-door life and amusements tend to produce. IN THE GARDEN. BY ADA TREVANION. We leaned beneath the lilac-tree, 'Mid fount and statue hoary; And on before us rolled the sea In rosy, twilight glory. His parting kiss the sun had left On clouds yet warm and tender: One star gleamed down the rocky cleft, And lit the mirrored splendour. We reached entwining hands to seize The blossoms round us glowing: Our hair was lifted by the breeze From hills beyond us blowing. Like fairy pair in royal bliss, We paced a land enchanted, Till hooded Night, with solemn kiss, To darker realms transplanted. She drooped in stars; she whispered low; Scents of night-blowing flowers pale It sang of bliss, of woe, of love, Against the slowly fading west The rock and tower darken'd, And, hand in hand, half breast to breast, We silent gazed and hearkened. CERTAIN EXPERIENCES OF THE MILITIA. BY DERRY RICHMOND. The militia coming out, Mrs. Jones? Then I leave Kingston to-morrow, I would'nt stay again in the place with the militia, no, not for a thousand pounds. I've had my experiences, Mrs. Jones; and I can tell you those militiamen are right-down scoundrels. I know what they are, both officers and men, the wretches. I've had my experiences; I don't mind telling you about it, only keep it a profound secret, my dear and just give me another half-cup of tea, and the least morsel of that nice muffin-there, thank you. : You know poor dear Mr. Donithorpe left me the houses in Bellevue-terrace, to revert, after my death, to his niece Janet, whom we had brought up. We had lived for years in No. 1, the corner house, just opposite the high red brick wall with buttresses that surrounds Mr. Aylmer's grounds. No. 1 is the best house of the set, for only the kitchen and one of the bedroom fires smoke, and out of the sidewindows we have a sort of view, looking across Egbert's Alley, of the Dale Hills, with a distant tree here and there; all the other houses face the red wall in front, and the outbuildings belonging to Commercial-street at the back. Living in a corner house was one of my greatest misfortunes, when the militia was out. No matter when, or how often, I might walk round, there was sure to be a militia-man with his head in at the kitchen-window, talking to the maids; and once-would you believe it?-I caught the cook handing a glass of beer to a man with moustaches! I was perfectly scandalized, and, marching into the kitchen, asked the hussy however she dared to do such a thing. The man had made off before I could get round; but there was cook, the glass still in her hand, her red small-poxed face shining with heat from the fire, and perhaps, too, from inward trepidation. I'll do her the credit to say that she really did look frightened; she fumbled the corner of her apron to her eyes, and burst out crying; she begged my pardon; she was sure she meant no harm-she was only speaking to her cousin in the militia. I gave her a sound rating, as she deserved; but, after all, it did seem only natural to speak to her cousin when he was passing, and I could not but forgive her, conditionally that such a thing should never happen again. She promised, with a choking, hysterical voice, and, as I thought, really took my lecture to heart; at least I hoped so, when she sent up the dinner not fit to be touched, the meat burnt to a cinder, vegetables like bullets, and a pudding so oniony that it poisoned the whole room. I know I said to Janet, "We must overlook it this once, my scolding has upset her." But before the week was over, things were worse than ever; no more beer was given out that I saw, but over and over again I detected militiamen stealing round the corner. One Sunday evening, when I had stayed at home on purpose to allow all the household to go to church, and was sitting reading in the front parlour window half hidden by the curtains, a man passed and began making signals. It was growing dusk, and he had a great coat on; but-I am not sure he certainly was a militia-man, only he looked too well dressed for one of the common soldiers, I thought him very like an officer; I won't say positively, it was too dark to see plainly. Of course I took no notice, but presently a pebble rattled against the glass; and then, unable longer to endure such impertinence, I rose and stood forward. I was resolved he should see who I was. He came nearer. I drew myself up, showing my double-chin, and looking as imposing as ever I could. I was in my best green poplin, and my red-rose cap (you can just imagine me!) and in another instant he darted behind the laurels, vaulted over the iron rails, and I saw him hurrying down the road as fast as ever he could. Oh! I was so annoyed; I had quite a headache before the others came in. "Janet," I called over the head of the stairs, when I heard the front door open, "Janet, I want to speak to you directly." "It is'nt Miss Janet, ma'am," a soft voice answered from below, and I saw I had mistaken Janet's little maid, Katherine, for her mistress. She was coming up the stairs, and I moved back to let her pass me, noting at the moment how smartly she was dressed, and how pretty she looked. Yes, she looked so very pretty, with her long-lashed grey eyes and pink cheeks, that I had half a mind to take her into the parlour and give her a little good advice on her deportment. I had just pronounced her name, and she had turned round, holding her books in her Sunday pocket-handkerchief, with an old parasol of Janet's in her other hand, when I suddenly remembered it might not be well to suggest even a thought of evil in so young and unsuspicious a mind; at least, it was better not to do so until I had consulted Janet: so I only said, "Who preached to-night, Katherine ?" It struck me that Katherine hesitated, and I wondered she did so, for she knew the clergymen well by sight; she played with her books, and, seeing that I waited for an answer, looked up pleadingly, and replied, "Mr. Scott, ma'am." Oh, Mr. Scott, that lives at No. 2. Why were you so long in remembering his name, Katherine?" I spoke without the least suspicion of evil, but Katherine coloured up like fire; she was beginning some excuse, when Janet interrupted us, and in the confusion that ensued she made her escape. I quite forgot the circumstance, in my anxiety to tell Janet what had occurred, and consult her about questioning the servants; but she suddenly brought it back to my mind, by observing, as she removed her bonnet, "Mr. Knowles gave us such an admirable sermon this evening.' "Mr. Knowles!" I exclaimed ; "why Katherine told me Mr. Scott preached." "Katherine's wits were wool-gathering, then," Janet said, laughing; and she turned to Katherine herself, who was just coming in with the tea-things, and said, merrily, "Whatever made you say Mr. Scott preached, when you know it was Mr. Knowles, Katherine?" "Oh, did I, ma'am," said Katherine; "I made a mistake; it was Mr. Knowles, certainly -I do miscall names so." Something in her confused tone and blushes awakened Janet's suspicion for a moment; and she asked quickly "Will you tell me where the text was taken from-I forgot to mark the verse.' Katherine grew redder and redder. 66 Really, ma'am, I can't be quite sure," she stammered; "I have the leaf doubled-down in my bible-I'll just see, it's upstairs, ma'am." She was gone before we could stop her; and for a moment Janet looked at me, and I looked Janet, without speaking. We heard her tripping overhead, opening and shutting a drawer, and the next instant she was back again. How ashamed we both felt of our unbreathed doubt, when she came forth smilingly and ran out the reference quite glibly. She began chattering the teacups and saucers, making so much unnecessary noise, that I said at last" Katherine, do be quieter." But she was a very long time over her business, and, indeed, all the evening was in and out of the room on various pretences. I grew cross at last with her interruptions, though Janet made a thousand excuses for her. Dear Janet! she thought she had judged her harshly in her own mind, and was doing her best to make up for it. We sat talking till quite late; I in the great arm-chair, she on a low stool opposite, her elbows on her knees, and her little well-formed head resting on her hands. People do not generally think Janet pretty, but to my mind she is quite beautiful; she has such a fresh complexion, clear hazel eyes, and thick masses of brown hair. Her features are not regular, and she is inclined to be stout; but her expression is so open and charming, and she carries herself so well, that one hardly perceives the faults-one almost imagines them to be beauties. In our little town Janet was an universal favourite with rich and poor, ever good-tempered and unselfish. Her £15,000 entitled her to a little consideration, and made her much sought after; but not one morsel spoiled was she either by her money or popularity. To-night something had occurred to put her out of sorts; and ! as we talked confidentially in the dusk, she told me about it, shedding a few tears. But that has nothing to do with my story, further than that it led her to clasp her arms round my knees, and hide her face on my lap, murmuring "Oh, aunty, that's the worst of having money; people like one for it, and not for one'sself. I shall never marry, now, aunty; but I'll tell you what"-and she raised her head, and her eye brightened-" we'll always keep toge|ther, and make one another happy, and we'll do what we can for our neighbours and their children, won't we ?" Yes, dear," I said innocently," and I hope that they'll all be just such nice little girls as Mr. Scott's, next door." Janet looked almost as red as little Katherine had done, and pulled herself away pettishly. I wondered what I had said wrong. The curate next door was a widower with two dear children, great pets of Janet's, who helped them to dress their dolls, and sometimes took them out walking. I thought I should please her by naming them, but it seemed otherwise. There was an awkward pause; and then Janet got up, and lighted the bed-room candles. As she handed me mine, I said, "Then you advise me not to mention what happened this evening to any of the servants?" "Oh dear no," she said, in her usual tone, "certainly not; it is putting ideas into their heads, and for my part I believe it was only a drunken man." She had opened the door, and extinguished the lamp. I went out on to the landing, and began sniffing. 66 Janet," I called, "what a strong smell of tobacco; do come and see. We've no men in the house; I can't think what it can be." "Some one is, or has been, smoking," said Janet decidedly; "it really is a great shame, the maids ought to have been in bed hours ago. I shall go down to the kitchen, and see." Downstairs ran Janet, the sound of her footsteps echoing in the passage. I heard her where I was standing, and anyone in the kitchen must have heard her too. The door was shut she threw it open. No one seemed to be there. A few glowing embers were at the bottom of the range, some chairs by the fire. She called, no one answered. The smell of bad tobacco was strong and stifling; on the table were some half-emptied tumblers, and a red-andwhite china-jug in the shape of an old man's bearded head. Janet's eyes ran quickly round, noting every particular. She at once detected that the candle had been recently blown out; a blue puff of smoke was still rising from the wick, and straight opposite was an open window, an easy means of egress. She swung the door far back; it did not bang against the wall, but struck some soft substance. Quick as thought, Janet's candle was pushed forward, and flared in the cook's red, small-poxed face. "Oh ma'am, dear ma'am, please Miss Janet," supplicated the woman. |