15

20

20

MADRIGAL

This world a hunting is,

The prey poor man, the Nimrod fierce is Death;
His speedy greyhounds are
Lust, sickness, envy, care,
Strife that ne'er falls amiss,

5

With all those ills which haunt us while we breathe.

Now, if by chance we fly

Of these the eager chase,
Old age with stealing pace

Casts up his nets, and there we panting die.

John Stow

1525-1605

10

SPORTS AND PASTIMES OF OLD LON

DON

(From A Survey of London, 1598)

arms, some their legs, but youth desirous of glory in this sort exerciseth itself against the time of war. Many of the citizens do delight themselves in hawks and hounds; for they have 5 liberty of hunting in Middlesex, Hertfordshire, all Chiltern, and in Kent to the water of the Cray." Thus far Fitzstephen of sports.

These, or the like exercises, have been continued till our time, namely, in stage plays, 10 whereof ye may read in anno 1391, a play by the parish clerks of London at the Skinner's Well besides Smithfield, which continued three days together, the king, queen, and nobles of the realm being present. And of another, in 15 the year 1419, which lasted eight days, and was of matter from the creation of the world, whereat was present most part of the nobility and gentry of England. Of late time, in place of those stage plays, hath been used comedies

"Let us now," saith Fitzstephen,1 1 66 come to 20 tragedies, interludes, and histories, both true the sports and pastimes, seeing that it is fit that a city should not only be commodious and serious, but also merry and sportful. . . .

"But London, for the shows upon theatres, and comical pastimes, hath holy plays, repre- 25 sentations of miracles, which holy confessors have wrought, or representations of torments wherein the constancy of martyrs appeared. Every year also at Shrove Tuesday,' that we may begin with children's sports, seeing we all 30 have been children, the schoolboys do bring cocks of the game to their master, and all the forenoon they delight themselves in cockfighting: after dinner all the youths go into the fields to play at the ball.

"The scholars of every school have their ball, or baton, in their hands; the ancient and wealthy men of the city come forth on horseback to see the sport of the young men, and to take part of the pleasure in beholding their agility. .

"When the great fen, or moor, which watereth the walls of the city on the north side, is frozen, many young men play upon the ice; some striding as wide as they may, do slide

3

and feigned; for the acting whereof certain public places, as the Theatre, the Curtain, etc., have been erected. Also cocks of the game are yet cherished by divers men for their pleasures much money being laid on their heads, when they fight in pits, whereof some be costly made for that purpose. The ball is used by noblemen and gentlemen in tennis courts, and by people of meaner sort in the open fields and streets. . . . Thus much for sportful shows in triumphs may suffice. Now for sports and pastimes yearly used.

First, in the feast of Christmas, there was in the King's house, wheresoever he was lodged, a 35 lord of misrule, or master of merry disports, and the like had ye in the house of every nobleman of honor or good worship, were he spiritual or temporal. Amongst the which the mayor of London, and either of the sheriffs, had their several lords of misrule, ever contending, without quarrel or offence, who should make the rarest pastimes to delight the beholders. These lords beginning their rule on Alhollon eve, continued the same until the morrow after

40

swiftly; others make themselves seats of ice, as 45 the Feast of the Purification, commonly called

great as millstones; one sits down, many hand
in hand to draw him, and one slipping on a
sudden, all fall together; some tie bones to their
feet and under their heels; and shoving them-
selves by a little picked staff, do slide as swiftly 50
as a bird flieth in the air, or an arrow out of a
cross-bow. Sometime two run together with
poles, and hitting one the other, either one or
both do fall, not without hurt; some break their

1 William Fitzstephen (d. 1191), a monk of Canterbury, and biographer and friend of Thomas à Becket. The passage here quoted by Stow, and given by him in translation, is from Fitzstephen's description of London in his life of Becket.

i. e.. shriving Tuesday. The Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent,

Candlemas Day. In all which space there were fine and subtle disguisings, masks, and mummeries, with playing at cards for counters, nails, and points, in every house more for pastime than for gain.

Against the feast of Christmas every man's house, as also the parish churches, were decked with holm, ivy, bays, and whatsoever the

The Theatre (1576) and The Curtain, the earliest English play-houses, were situated in the fields, not far beyond the London wails.

All-hallows Eve, i. e., the eve of November 1st, or All-Saints Day.

The feast of the presentation of Christ in the temple, February 2d. It takes its name from the custom of carrying lighted candles in the procession at the service.

season of the year afforded to be green. The
conduits and standards in the streets were
likewise garnished; amongst the which I read,
in the year 1444, that by tempest of thunder
and lightning, on the 1st of February, at night,
Paule's Steeple was fired, but with great labor
quenched; and towards the morning of Candle-
mas Day, at the Leadenhall in Cornhill, a
standard of tree being set up in midst of the
pavement, fast in the ground, nailed full of
holm and ivy, for disport of Christmas to the
people, was torn up, and cast down by the
malignant spirit (as was thought), and the
stones of the pavement all about were cast in
the streets, and into divers houses, so that the 15
people were sore aghast of the great tempests.

I find also, that in the month of May, the citizens of London of all estates, lightlys in every parish, or sometimes two or three parishes joining together, had their several 5 mayings, and did fetch in maypoles, with divers warlike shows, with good archers, morris dancers, and other devices, for pastime all the day long; and toward the evening they had stage plays, and bonfires in the streets. Of 10 these mayings we read, in the reign of Henry VI. that the aldermen and sheriffs of London, being on May-day at the Bishop of London's woods, in the parish of Stebunheath, and having there a worshipful dinner for themselves and other commoners, Lydgate the poet, that was a monk of Bury, sent to them, by a pursuivant, a joyful commendation of that season, containing sixteen staves of meter royal, beginning thus:

In the week before Easter, had ye great shows made for the fetching in of a twisted tree, or with, as they termed it, out of the woods into the king's house; and the like into 20 every man's house of honor or worship.

"Mightié Flora! goddess of fresh flowers,-" &c.

These great mayings, and May games, made by the governors and masters of this city, with the triumphant setting up of the great shaft (a principal maypole in Cornhill, before the parish church of St. Andrew therefore called Undershaft) by means of an insurrection of youths against aliens on May-day, 1517, the 9th of Henry VIII., have not been so freely

Sir Thomas North

1535-1601

THE DEATH OF CÆSAR

In the month of May, namely, on May-day in the morning, every man except impediment, would walk into the sweet meadows and green woods, there to rejoice their spirits with the 25 beauty and savor of sweet flowers, and with the harmony of birds, praising God in their kind; and for example hereof, Edward Hall hath noted, that King Henry VIII, as in the 3rd of his reign, and divers other years, so 30 used as afore, and therefore I leave them. namely in the 7th of his reign, on May-day in the morning, with Queen Katherine his wife, accompanied with many lords and ladies, rode a-maying from Greenwich to the high ground of Shooter's Hill, where, as they passed by the 35 way, they espied a company of tall yeomen, clothed all in green, with green hoods, and bows and arrows, to the number of two hundred; one being their chieftan, was called Robin Hood, who required the king and his 40 company to stay and see his men shoot; whereunto the king granting, Robin Hood whistled, and all the two hundred archers shot off, loosing all at once; and when he whistled again they likewise shot again; their arrows whistled by 45 craft of the head, so that the noise was strange and loud, which greatly delighted the king, queen, and their company. Moreover, this Robin Hood desired the king and queen, with their retinue, to enter the greenwood, where in 50 harbors made of boughs, and decked 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, as ye may read in my 55 said author.

(From translation of Plutarch's Lives, 1597) Now a day being appointed for the meeting of the Senate, at what time they hoped Cæsar would not fail to come: the conspirators determined then to put their enterprise in execution, because they might meet safely at that time without suspicion; and the rather, for that all the noblest and chiefest men of the city would be there. Who, when they should see such a great matter exccuted, would every man then set to their hands, for the defence of their liberty. Furthermore, they thought also, that the appointment of the place where the council should be kept, was chosen of purpose by divine providence, and made all for them. For it was one of the porches about the Theatre, in

8 Usually.

St. Andrews' Undershaft was in Leadenhall street. The shaft (or May pole) which was higher than the church steeple, was set up before it for the last time in 1517, after which it was hung on iron hooks over the doors in a neighboring alley. In 1550, a young curate declared that this shaft had been made an idol, and to show the superstitious subjection of the parish to the old relic, spoke of the church as St. Andrew's "Under-that-shaft."

the which there was a certain place full of seats
for men to sit in, where also was set up the
image of Pompey, which the city had made and
consecrated in honor of him: when he did
beautify that part of the city with the Theatre
he built, with divers porches about it. In this
place was the assembly of the Senate appointed
to be; just on the fifteenth day of the month of
March, which the Romans call, Idus Martias:
so that it seemed some god of purpose had 10
brought Cæsar thither to be slain, for revenge of
Pompey's death. So when the day was come,
Brutus went out of his house with a dagger by
his side under his long gown, that nobody saw

where the Senate sat, and held him with a long talk without. When Casar was come into the house, all the Senate rose to honor him at his coming in. So when he was set, the conspira5 tors flocked about him, and amongst them they presented one Tullius Cimber, who made humble suit for the calling home again of his brother that was banished. They all made as they were intercessors for him, and took him by the hands, and kissed his head and breast. Cæsar at the first simply refused their kindness and entreaties: but afterwards, perceiving they still pressed on him, he violently thrust them from him. Then Cimber with both his hands

Casca that stood behind him, drew his dagger first, and struck Cæsar upon the shoulder, but gave him no great wound. Cæsar feeling himself hurt, took him straight by the hand he

nor knew, but his wife only. The other con- 15 plucked Cæsar's gown over his shoulders, and spirators were all assembled at Cassius' house, to bring his son into the market place, who on that day did put on the man's gown, called Toga Virilis, and from thence they came all in a troop together unto Pompey's porch, looking 20 held his dagger in, and cried out in Latin: 0 that Cæsar would straight come thither. . . . When Casar came out of his litter: Popilius Lana, that had talked before with Brutus and Cassius, and had prayed the gods they might

traitor Casca, what doest thou? Casca on the other side cried in Greek, and called his brother to help him. So divers running on a heap together to fly upon Cæsar, he looking about

bring this enterprise to pass: went unto Casar 25 him to have fled, saw Brutus with a sword

and kept him a long time with a talk. Cæsar gave good ear unto him. Wherefore the conspirators (if so they should be called) not hearing what he said to Casar, but conjecturing by that he had told them a little before, that his 30 talk was none other but the very discovery of their conspiracy: they were afraid every man of them; and one looking in another's face, it was easy to see they all were of a mind, that it was

drawn in his hand ready to strike at him: then he let Casca's hand go, and casting his gown over his face, suffered every man to strike at him that would. Then the conspirators thronging one upon another because every man was desirous to have a cut at him, so many swords and daggers lighting upon one body, one of them hurt another, and among them Brutus caught a blow on his hand, because he would

no tarrying for them till they were apprehended, 35 make one in murdering of him, and all the rest

also were every man of them bloodied. Cæsar being slain in this manner, Brutus standing in the midst of the house, would have spoken, and stayed the other Senators that were not of

why they had done this fact. But they as men both afraid and amazed, fled one upon another's neck in haste to get out at the door, and no man followed them. For it was set down and agreed between them, that they should kill no man but Cæsar only, and should entreat all the rest to look to defend their liberty.

but rather that they should kill themselves with their own hands. And when Cassius and certain other clapped their hands on their swords under their gowns to draw them: Brutus marking the countenance and gesture of 40 the conspiracy, to have told them the reason Lana, and considering that he did use himself rather like an humble and earnest suitor than like an accuser: he said nothing to his companion (because there were many amongst them that were not of the conspiracy), but with a 45 pleasant countenance encouraged Cassius. And immediately after, Lana went from Casar, and kissed his hand: which showed plainly that it was for some matter concerning himself that he had held him so long in talk. 50 Now all the Senators being entered first into this place or chapter house where the council should be kept, all the other conspirators straight stood about Cæsar's chair, as if they had had something to have said unto him. And 55 (From A Chronicle of England and Scotland,

some say that Cassius casting his eyes upon Pompey's image, made his prayer unto it, as if it had been alive. Trebonius on the other side, drew Antonius aside, as he came into the house

Raphael Holinshed

d. 1580

MACBETH'S MEETING WITH THE

WEIRD SISTERS

1578)

Shortly after happened a strange and uncouth wonder, which afterward was the cause of much trouble in the realm of Scotland, as ye