and common birkie." Galt, alluding to this game in his Ayrshire Legatees, p. 49, says: "It was an understood thing that not only whist and catch-honours were to be played, but even obstreperous birky itself, for the diversion of such of the company as were not used to gambling games." BLINDMAN'S-BUFF. THIS sport is found among the illuminations of an old missal formerly in the possession of John Ives, cited by Strutt, in his Manners and Customs. Gay says concerning it : "As once I play'd at blindman's-buff, it hap't, I miss'd the swains, and seiz'd on Blouzelind. True speaks that ancient proverb, Love is blind.'"'1 was Dr. Jamieson, in his Etymological Dictionary, gives us a curious account of this game, which in Scotland was called belly-blind. In the Suio-Gothic it appears this game is called blind-boc, i. e. blind goat; and in German blind-kuhe, q. blind COW. The French call this game cligne-musset, from cligner, to wink, and musse, hidden; also, colin-maillard, equivalent to "Colin the buffoon." "This game," says Dr. Jamieson, " not unknown to the Greeks. They called it кoλλaßioμos, from Kollaẞw, impingo. It is thus defined: Ludi genus, quo hic quidem manibus expansis oculos suos tegit, ille vero postquam percussit, quærit num verberarit; Pollux ap. Scapul. It was also used among the Romans. We are told that the great Gustavus Adolphus, at the very time that he proved the scourge of the house of Austria, and when he was in the midst of his triumphs, used in private to amuse himself in playing at blindman's-buff with his colonels. Cela passoit (say the 1 A pleasant writer in the Gent. Mag. for February, 1738, viii. 80, says that "blindman's-buff was a ridicule upon Henry VIII. and Wolsey; where the cardinal minister was bewildering his master with treaty upon treaty with several princes, leaving him to catch whom he could, till at last he caught his minister, and gave him up to be buffeted. When this reign was farther advanced, and many of the abbey-lands had been alienated, but the clergy still retained some power, the play most in fashion was, I am upon the friar's ground, picking of gold and silver." authors of the Dict. Trev.) pour une galanterie admirable.' v. Colin-Maillard." "In addition to what has formerly been said," Dr. Jamieson adds, under blind harie, “ (another name for blindman's-buff in Scotland) it may be observed that this sport in Isl. is designed kraekis-blinda." Verelius supposes that the Ostrogoths had introduced this game into Italy; where it is called giuoco della cieca, or the play of the blind. Chacke-blynd-man and Jockie-blind-man are other Scottish appellations for the same game. ["Sometyme the one would goe, sometyme the other, BLOW-POINT APPEARS to have been another childish game. Marmion, in his Antiquary, 4to. 1641, act i. says: "I have heard of a nobleman that has been drunk with a tinker, and of a magnifico that has plaid at blow-point." So, in the comedy of Lingua, 1607, act iii. sc. 2, Anamnestes introduces Memory as telling "how he played at blowe-point with Jupiter when he was in his side-coats.' See other references to allusions to this game in Halliwell's Dictionary, p. 188. BOXING. MISSON, in his Memoirs and Observations in his Travels over England, ed. 1719, p. 304, speaking of sports and diversions, says: "Anything that looks like fighting is delicious to an Englishman. If two little boys quarrel in the street, the passengers stop, make a ring round them in a moment, and set them against one another, that they may come to fisticuffs. When 'tis come to a fight, each pulls off his neckcloth and wastcoat, and give them to hold to some of the standers-by (some will strip themselves naked quite to their wastes); then they begin to brandish their fists in the air; the blows are aim'd all at the face, they kick one another's shins, they tug one another by the hair, &c. He that has got the other down may give him one blow or two before he rises, but no more; and let the boy get up ever so often, the other is oblig'd to box him again as often as he requires it. During the fight, the ring of by-standers encourage the combatants with great delight of heart, and never part them while they fight according to the rules: and these by-standers are not only other boys, porters, and rabble, but all sorts of men of fashion; some thrusting by the mob, that they may see plain, others getting upon stalls; and all would hire places, if scaffolds could be built in a moment. The father and mother of the boys let them fight on as well as the rest, and hearten him that gives ground or has the worst. These combats are less frequent among grown men than children, but they are not rare. If a coachman has a dispute about his fare with a gentleman that has hired him, and the gentleman offers to fight him to decide the quarrel, the coachman consents with all his heart: the gentleman pulls off his sword, lays it in some shop, with his cane, gloves, and cravat, and boxes in the same manner as I have describ'd above. If the coachman is soundly drubb'd, which happens almost always (a gentleman seldom exposes himself to such a battel without he is sure he's strongest), that goes for payment; but if he is the beator, the beatee must pay the money about which they quarrell'd. I once saw the late Duke of Grafton at fisticuffs, in the open street,' with such a fellow, whom he lamb'd most horribly. In France we punish such rascals with our cane, and sometimes with the flat of our sword: but in England this is never practis'd; they use neither sword nor stick against a man that is unarm'd: and if an unfortunate stranger (for an Englishman would never take it into his head) should draw his sword upon one that had none, he'd have a hundred people upon him in a moment, that would, perhaps, lay him so flat that he would hardly ever get up again till the Resurrection." A marginal note says: "In the very widest part of the Strand. The Duke of Grafton was big and extremely robust. He had hid his blue ribband before he took the coach, so that the coachman did not know him." 400 BUCKLER-PLAY. IN Foure Statutes, specially selected and commanded by his Majestie to be carefully put in execution of all justices and other officers of the peace throughout the realme: together with a Proclamation, a Decree of the Starre-chamber, and certaine Orders depending upon the former lawes, more particularly concerning the citie of London and counties adjoining, 1609, 4to. p. 94, is the following order: "That all plaies, bear-baitings, games, singing of ballads, buckler-play, or such like causes of assemblies of people, be utterly prohibited, and the parties offending severely punished by any alderman or justice of the peace.' Misson, in his Travels, translated by Ozell, p. 307, says: "Within these few years you should often see a sort of gladiators marching thro' the streets, in their shirts to the waste, their sleeves tuck'd up, sword in hand, and preceded by a drum, to gather spectators. They gave so much a head to see the fight, which was with cutting swords, and a kind of buckler for defence. The edge of the sword was a little blunted, and the care of the prize-fighters was not so much to avoid wounding one another, as to avoid doing it dangerously: nevertheless, as they were oblig'd to fight till some blood was shed, without which nobody would give a farthing for the show, they were sometimes forc'd to play a little ruffly. I once saw a much deeper and longer cut given than was intended. These fights are become very rare within these eight or ten years. Apprentices, and all boys of that degree, are never without their cudgels, with which they fight something like the fellows before mention'd, only that the cudgel is nothing but a stick; and that a little wicker basket which covers the handle of the stick, like the guard of a Spanish sword, serves the combatant instead of defensive arms.' 401 BUFF. The [PERHAPS this is the same with Blind-man's Buff. game of Course of the Park has not been elsewhere noticed : "Buff's a fine sport, And so's Course o' Park; But both come short Of a dance in the dark. O the pretty rogues kiss featly. (Jack runs away, and leaves them to stumble out in the dark.") The Slighted Maid, 1663, p. 50.] BULL AND BEAR-BAITING. FITZSTEPHEN mentions the baiting of bulls with dogs as a diversion of the London youths on holidays in his time.' The ancient law of the market directing that no man should bait any bull, bear, or horse in the open streets in the metropolis, has been already quoted in the former volume of this work. Hentzner, in his Travels in England, ed. 1757, p. 42, says: "There is a place built in the form of a theatre, which serves for the baiting of bulls and bears: they are fastened behind, and then worried by great English bull-dogs; but not without great risk to the dogs, from the horns of the one and the teeth of the other and it sometimes happens they are killed on the spot. Fresh ones are immediately supplied in the places of those that are wounded or tired. To this entertainment there often follows that of whipping a blinded bear, which is performed by five or six men, standing circularly, with whips, which they exercise upon him without any mercy, as he cannot : 'Description of London, edited by Dr. Pegge, 1772, p. 50. In Misson's Memoirs and Observations in his Travels over England, pp. 24-26, are some remarks on the manner of bull-baiting as it was practised in the time of King William III. |