POPULAR AMUSEMENTS. THE subject of popular amusements would appear at first sight to be one on which it was extremely easy to discourse, and yet when we remember that national character is indicated by these exhibitions, that the moral physiog nomy of a people may be scanned by the light of their entertainments, the subject becomes wide enough for the grasp of philosophers, and not unworthy the calm consideration of divines. A slight reference to the English amusements of olden time, and a more extended notice of a few of those modern entertainments likely to prove attractive to the young men of this metropolis, will be as much as the limits of this evening's lecture will admit of. Froissart, the liveliest of chroniclers, accustomed to the mirth of France, paid our country an unintentional compliment when he remarked on the "gravity with which Englishmen disported themselves;" in some degree this characteristic is retained to the present day, and a modern reviewer rightly attributes it "to the more domestic character of our habits as compared with those of most continental nations." Perhaps the first thing which calls for notice in the history of our country, in reference to its amusements is that, during the time that our national character was gathering strength, the only amusements openly encouraged by authority were those which associated skill with plea sure, out-door healthful exercise with relaxation. Hunting, running, leaping, wrestling, swimming, were esteemed manly occupations. Archery was a sport, but it became more than a sport-it trained the eye and nerved the arm of the men who were conquerors at Cressy and Poictiers; the use of the bow was extensively taught, while games of a sedentary kind, which might be played in taverns, were expressly prohibited by the parliaments of the Plantagenets. "Bowls and quoits" were forbidden, and "dancing, carding, and dicing," were then held to be amusements unworthy of soldiers; dancing, however, was frequently practised at court. Under the reign of the Tudors, martial and manly exercises were greatly encouraged; "bowling, dice, cards and tables or backgammon were ranked as unlawful games; but Henry VIII. extended the range of the entertainments of his time-dancing, masquerades, and shows, gratified the disposition of the court for pleasure and display, while the erection of the royal cockpit at Westminster exhibited the cruel disposition of the monarch and fostered cruelty in his subjects. In subsequent reigns the taste for dramatic entertainments which had been previously formed became fully developed, and cruel sports were also extensively patronized. The history of dramatic entertainments in England must be traced to the Miracle plays of the ecclesiastics: these were usually performed in churches, theatrical apparel was frequently lent by one parish to another, and the receipts appropriated to the use of the church. One of the very few good things recorded of Bonner, Bishop of London is that, in the reign of Henry VIII., he forbade his clergy "to have plays, games, or interludes, played, set forth, or declared, within their churches or chapels." The Miracle plays were sometimes representations of miracles wrought by confessors, and the sufferings of martyrs, but sometimes they were dramas containing a great part of the history of the Old and New Testament. The profane introduction of the name and the representation of the Deity into these plays, could only be tolerated when the priests were supposed to be the depositaries of sacred knowledge and the Bible was unapproachable by the common people. The mystery was, however, too grave when thus constructed, so the character of Beelzebub was introduced, with a merry group of imps, to excite the laughter of the populace. A specimen of a Cornish Miracle play is preserved in the Harleian Library. It begins with the creation and ends with Noah's flood. Noah himself concludes the play with an address to the spectators to " come to-morrow betimes to see another play on the redemption of man ;" and then speaking to the musicians, he says, " Musicians, play to us, that we may dance together as is the manner of the sport." Such a ridiculous jumble of religion and buffoonery might well excite the indignation of serious people.* When the Mysteries ceased to be played, the Moralities were substituted; these laid the foundation for modern comedies and tragedies. "The dialogues were carried on by allegorical characters, such as Good Doctrine, Charity, Faith, Prudence, Discretion, Death, and the like, but as this would not have been amusing enough for the auditory, the province of making the spectators merry was given to Vice," who personated Pride, Lust, or some other evil propensity. This Vice in the Morality was the descendant of the Devil in the Mystery, and the original of the clown and fool in modern plays. It may here be remarked, that although the Mysteries, * Strutt's Sports and Pastimes. † Ibid. |