isa-normaladvance-1913-00171

Description:	THE NORMAL ADVANCE171and gentlemen played at bowls. Attached toevery large town and country house could beseen a bowling-ground, which was frequentedby all classes of people. Ninepins was a gameindulged in by the common people, and wasconsidered vulgar by the lords and ladies of thecourt. This game, together with football, another highly popular recreation of the commonpeople, used to be played in matches in thestreets. Tennis, which has become so popularin the present century, was quite as popularif not more so among the English people ofQueen Annes time. The court ladies and gentlemen never wearied of playing this game, andcourts were maintained at Windsor and Whitehall. Wrestling was greatly enjoyed at thattime, and large wagers were laid on the outcome. It was shortly after the return ofCharles II that skating was introduced intoEngland and quickly found favor with theEnglish people.The Puritans no sooner came into powerthan they proceeded with set purpose to suppress bull and bear baiting and cock fighting.When the Puritans were driven from power,those savage sports were among the very firstto be reintroduced, and afforded common entertainment for people of both sexes. To suchsports all classes of society were accustomed toresort, and in the Bear Garden all classes meton a common footing of perfect equality. Thegenteel part of the company was allowed theprivilege of sitting in boxes on high benches athalf a crown a seat, while the rabble crowdedand swore beneath them, in their six-pennystanding room. Women were not excluded fromsuch disgraceful exhibitions, and frequentedthem as often as possible.The cock-pit was a still lower arena than theBear Garden. It was crowded with all manner of people, from lords and commoners downto butchers, draymen and chimney-sweeps,whose object in going was to gamble, bet, quarrel and thieve. It was the heart of the bettingand gambling world. Cock-pits were aboutthe country and the suburbs, and they wereeverywhere crowded. Fighting-cock matcheswere very common, and formal, competitionstook place between such societies as the Gentlemen of London and the Gentlemen ofWarwickshire.Another sport was known as cock-throwing,in which the object was to spike cocks, thrownwith their legs tied, on to sharp stakes.Horse racing began to be popular at thistime because of the ample opportunity it afforded for the laying of wagers.Active amusements were many. There weretent-pegging in the tiltyard, and the then popular and fashionable game of paille maille,now fallen into such oblivion that the verynature of the game is forgotten, although itseems to have been somewhat similar to thegame of hockey. It was played on the broad-way leading from town to Hyde Park and thename survives in the present name of the street,Pall Mall.London of that day abounded in many pleasant gardens and open air resorts. The riverwas a favorite resort. For water parties, richly decorated and cushioned barges with awnings overhead were to be found. Sometimeswater parties would carry professional musicians for their entertainment, or one of theparty would bring his lute and the whole company would sing. Yachting became a popularsport at this time.In their seasons were the great fairs, Bartholomew Fair, or Smithfield, with their playsand puppet shows, exhibitions of curiosities,dancing horses, or performing dogs. Punchand Jtidy began to be seen in the streets, having been introduced in Naples as early as 1600,and were quickly becoming popular in England. Then the streets were often gay withprocessions, royal processions to Westminster,weddings and guild processions—though thegreat church functions of Corpus Christi andthe like had been done away with in the previous century. Many cheap sights for the common people are enumerated.The court assumed fox hunting because ofits popularity with the Queen, who rode to
Source:	http://indstate.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/isuarchive/id/34616
Collection:	Indiana State University Archives

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