"Mark how the world its votaries rewards, So common was this ridiculous habit, that if a shuffling fellow was detected in any sort of trickery, the remark was, 66 you are as false as dicers." Bishop Taylor, in his "Rule of Conscience," quotes John of Salisbury, "who allows, of every game, if it can be made to ease our griefs, or alleviate our burdens, without the loss of our innocence." The loss of our innocence is the great object, but who is to define that nice point? There have been laws in England, many centuries past, against gambling; but, as it " is a principle in human nature, it belongs to us all," and assumes so many, indeed is seen in all, shapes. Statesman should endeavour to regulate it, since it is impossible to suppress it. An act was passed about it in Queen Anne's reign, which now remains among "the gathered wisdom of a thousand years;" but, oh! curious to relate, there is an exempting clause, in favour of the royal family, in the royal palaces, or wherever they may be for the time being-which shows that this vice was carried on in such quarters, where, of all other places, it ought not to have been. These laws, therefore, remain a dead letter. gistrates cannot carry them into effect. As a proof of which, there are more gambling h-Is now in London, than in any other city in the world-while there are plenty of severe laws against them. Ma The following is an historical account of card playing: Gresco is mentioned in Eastward Hoe, 1605; Mount Saint, (like piquet,) 1608; Prime is mentioned by Sir John Harrington, 1615, he also mentions post; heaving of the man; then followed lodam; bank-a-rout, and gleek; new cut, 1617; knave out of doors; double ruff, and English ruff, 1674; ombre reign of Charles II.; bassett, at the close of seventeenth century; whist, the time of Swift; quadrille is a more modern game; then follows putt, high-game, plain dealing, wit and reason, costly colour; five cards, bone ace, queen nazareen, lanterloo, penn-cast, art of memory, beast, cribbage, and all fours.-Complete Gamester. FESTIVALS, WAKES, AND FAIRS. "We were not meant to plod along the earth, From the earliest period of the world, man has kept some peculiar days of festivity; and on these days, if he preserved his innocence, all was well. In the early period of these reigns, these festivals were kept with great hilarity, which gave much offence to the Puritans. And although many sectarians now cry out against the Catholic festivals, yet they, in their thoughtless zeal, and uncharitable censure, are probably not aware, that the first day of August, the death of Queen Anne, is still kept in England by many dissenters, as a day of festivity; for on that day the " Schism Bill," was to have gone into effect; but on that day she gave up the ghost, to their great joy and satisfaction. That vile act would have debarred every soul, except they who belonged to the "Church of England, as by law established," from educating their own children.* If it was right then, and since then, to keep this day as a festival, if kept with harmless and sober mirth, surely it may be proper for other classes to keep their festival days. These events call upon us strongly to exercise our charity. Southey writes: "He who is most charitable in his judgment, is generally the least unjust." And Bickersteth kindly advises us to "be pitiful and compassionate to those in error;" these feelings show a goodness of heart, and teach us to suspend an hasty opinion. Lavater has an aphorism; "The wrath that on conviction subsides into mildness, is the wrath of a generous mind." At Christmas, there was always great rejoicing, great hospitality for many days; even in the cottages there was good cheer of roast beef, plum pudding, and toast, and ale. At Houghton Chapel, Nottinghamshire," the good Sir William Hollis, kept his house in great splendour and hospitality. He began Christmas at All Hallowtide, and continued it till Candlemas, during which time any man was permitted to stay three days, without being asked who he was, or from whence he came."-Graphic Illustrator. * And if this had been quietly submitted to, a Mr. Bromley, a member of the house of commons, intended to have introduced a bill, to prevent any dissenter from voting at future elections. No doubt this generous knight considered, "If I ask not my guest whence and whither his way, And that this was a singular instance who can believe? After having read the general invitation, over the gateway of Montacute House, as mentioned, vol. I. page 76, which generous and general invitation, the writer saw still remaining in large capital letters, about twenty years past. This charitable invitation tells us now, as plainly as though we saw the noble host, the character of the owner; and that "His liberal eye, doth give to every one, In the diary of the Rev. John Ward, vicar of Stratford upon Avon, extending from 1648 to 1679. He states, "the Duke of Norfolk expended £20,000 in keeping Christmas. Charles II. gave over keeping that festival on this account; his munificence gave great offence at court." From about the above period, this good old custom began to decline. In Bunbery's "Life and Correspondence of Sir Thomas Hanmer," who was speaker of the house of commons, in the reign of Queen Anne; there is a quotation from the diary of the Duchess of Grafton: it states, that money was given to the poor who attended, when his grace took coach to his seat at Euston;" this seems to show of what importance the annual journey into the country then was considered, how well the circumstance was known, and that an indiscriminate charity was then expected and bestowed. What a difference between that period and our own; few now give anything; few indeed, except the great Leviathan fundholders, have anything to spare; and the doctrine of these people is, that charity makes people idle and lazy; not being aware, or rather I suppose, not caring about the consequence of such horrible doctrine, which sets at defiance the most holy maxims of the Old and New Testaments.* But who that has read the Spectator, is unacquainted with Sir Roger De Coverley? In that masterly picture, the author, Apelles like, has concentrated all the amiableness, the simplicity, the humour, and amusing weaknesses of that class of which Sir Roger is the great representative, without its vices and defects. From this example we learn, that though many of * It is but an act of justice to state, that the most generous individual of modern times, was the late Earl of Egremont, who died 1838; he gave away, after he came to his estates, £20,000 yearly, or £1,200,000, in acts of charity and liberality during his lifetime. the rural squires had the last polish given to their education in London, where perchance they rented chambers for a few terms in the Temple, and frequented the coffee houses to which the wits of the day resorted; yet they returned by no means overburdened with learning, or general knowledge of the world. They cultivated their paternal acres, watched with almost Druidical reverence the safety of their ancient oaks, jealously defended or enlarged their ancient boundaries, and kept them from trespassers; were members of the worshipful quorum of a bench of magistrates, in which capacity, perhaps, they impressed their tenants with respectful awe, by a speech of three or more minutes long, upon some great occasion, which, "Like quicksilver, the rhetoric they display, Shines as it runs, but grasp'd, it slips away." CowPER. and enforced especially, those statutes which regarded public decency, their game, and their fish. When Sunday arrived, they repaired to the village church; the grave yard, which they enter through a long line of uncovered, and bowing peasantry, who took this opportunity of showing their respect for his worship, and receiving his kind enquiries in return; after which, the family ascended "the squire's canopied pew," the chief, and oft-times the only seat in the synagogue, where they edified their tenantry during service by the loudness of their responses, while they looked considerately about, to see which of their neighbours or dependants were absent, as well as to impress decorousness upon those present. And when joyous Christmas came round, then the mansion rang loud and long with their festivities, that seemed a perfect echo of the Elizabethan age; then the warm hearted master caused the doors to be thrown open, that the enjoyments of this soul cheering season might be as general as the blessings it commemorated. A whole hecatomb of fattened hogs, and beeves, and sheep, and poultry, were slaughtered, cut into slices, and distributed among the neighbourhood; and a string of hog's puddings, and a pack of cards, were sent to every poor family in the parish. Then also a double quantity of malt* was allowed to the ale, * In 1646 a quarter (eight bushels) of malt was worth £1 9s. ; in 1699, £1 19s. 4d. In the year 1832, there was about thirty million bushels of barley converted into malt. Of hops I do not know the price, it is always a fluctuating crop. In 1830, there were 46,727 acres occupied in cultivating this plant. In the reign of Henry VIII., brewers were forbidden to put hops and sulphur into ale. In the reign of Edward VI., (his son,) privileges were granted which was set running into the leathern jacks, and horn cups, in the hall, for every one that called for it; while the table, heart of oak,* was continually set with large rounds and rumps of beef, plum puddings, and mince pies. And at evening, when the Christmas sports of the happy, because as yet unpillaged, yeomanry, were making roofs and rafters shake, as though they also were alive with the merriment; the landlord vouchsafed to look in upon their festival, and enjoy the practical jokes that had been long nurtured and treasured up for the occasion. A landlord of this old stamp loved to see the old arras that still lingered upon the dingy walls, and the pictures of his ancestors, that seemed to smile upon him approvingly, for treading in their easy, friendly, and happy footsteps. Then, too, would be admired and valued, as choice heir looms, his antique plate, his massive high-backed chairs, the covers of which were adorned with embroidered flowers, cupids, and shepherdesses, by the needles of his tasteful grandmother, and her industrious household. He was also proud of his private chaplain, as he justly might, when his reverence attended to his duty; for this gentleman's conduct was very effective;† his house-keeper, and all his throngs of servants, although one half of them were only of use to wait upon the other half, and to dwell with emphatic delight upon the merits and exploits of his aged hunters, which he allowed to graze, labour free, for life, in his park or paddocks. Such being the conduct of the wealthy, and there being little or no taxation, each person was easy in his circumstances; there was then no everlasting din, enquiring about " money-markets," nor, indeed, but little about any other markets. Their minds and their bodies were always ready to partake of mirth, and keep up all the festivals, with the wakes and fairs, as they regularly came round. Such was "Merry England;" what is she now? (without going into a lengthened detail,) that question may be soon anto hop grounds. Tusser, in his "Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry," 1557, thus speaks of this useful plant: "The hop for his profit, I thus do exalt, It strengtheneth drink and it flavoreth malt; In the reign of James I., I expect this plant was not sufficiently cultivated; for in 1608 there was a statute prohibiting the importation of spoiled hops. * In the city of Winchester there is an oak table, 700 years old, made of thick plank, eighteen feet in diameter; it has been painted over with the colours green and white, in compartments, with a red and white rose, in the Tudor style; it is in the county hall, which was formerly the chapel of the Royal Castle. † Alas! they are now almost all abolished, except in the Catholic houses. |