Folk-lore of Shakespeare Part 83

Cotgrave speaks of "Le jeu des merelles," the boyish game called "merills," or "five pennie morris," played here most commonly with stones, but in France with p.a.w.ns or men made on purpose, and termed "merelles." It was also called "peg morris," as is evidenced by Clare, who, in his "Rural Muse," speaking of the shepherd boy, says:

"Oft we may track his haunts, where he hath been To spend the leisure which his toils bestow, By nine-peg morris nicked upon the green."

The game is fully described by James, in the "Variorum Shakespeare," as follows: "In that part of Warwickshire where Shakespeare was educated, and the neighbouring parts of Northamptonshire, the shepherds and other boys dig up the turf with their knives to represent a sort of imperfect chessboard. It consists of a square, sometimes only a foot diameter, sometimes three or four yards. Within this is another square, every side of which is parallel to the external square; and these squares are joined by lines drawn from each corner of both squares, and the middle of each line. One party or player has wooden pegs, the other stones, which they move in such a manner as to take up each other's men, as they are called, and the area of the inner square is called the pound, in which the men taken up are impounded. These figures are, by the country people, called _nine-men's-morris_, or _merrils_; and are so called because each party has nine men. These figures are always cut upon the green turf or leys, as they are called, or upon the gra.s.s at the end of ploughed lands, and in rainy seasons never fail to be choked up with mud." This verifies the allusion made by Shakespeare in "A Midsummer-Night's Dream" (ii. 1):

"The nine men's morris is fill'd up with mud; And the quaint mazes in the wanton green, For lack of tread are undistinguishable."

This game was also transferred to a board, and continues a fireside recreation of the agricultural laborer. It is often called by the name of "Mill," or "Shepherd's Mill."[807]

[807] See Brand's "Pop. Antiq.," 1849, vol. ii. pp. 429, 432.

_Noddy._ Some doubt exists as to what game at cards was signified by this term. It has been suggested that cribbage is meant. Mr. Singer thinks it bore some resemblance to the more recent game of "Beat the Knave out of Doors," which is mentioned together with "Ruff and new coat" in Heywood's play of "A Woman Killed with Kindness." The game is probably alluded to in "Troilus and Cressida" (i. 2), in the following dialogue:

"_Pandarus._ When comes Troilus?-I'll show you Troilus anon: if he see me, you shall see him nod at me.

_Cressida._ Will he give you the nod?

_Pandarus._ You shall see.

_Cressida._ If he do, the rich shall have more."[808]

[808] See Nares's "Glossary," vol. ii. p. 606.

The term "noddy" was also applied to a fool, because, says Minsheu, he nods when he should speak. In this sense it occurs in "Two Gentlemen of Verona" (i. 1):

"_Speed._ You mistook, sir: I say, she did nod; and you ask me, if she did nod; and I say, 'Ay.'

_Proteus._ And that set together is noddy."

_Novem Quinque._ A game of dice, so called from its princ.i.p.al throws being five and nine. It is alluded to in "Love's Labour's Lost" (v. 2) by Biron, who speaks of it simply as "novem."

_Parish-top._ Formerly a top was kept for public exercise in a parish-a custom to which the old writers often refer. Thus, in "Twelfth Night"

(i. 3), Sir Toby Belch says: "He's a coward, and a coystril, that will not drink to my niece till his brains turn o' the toe like a parish-top." On which pa.s.sage Mr. Steevens says: "A large top was kept in every village, to be whipped in frosty weather, that the peasants might be kept warm by exercise, and out of mischief while they could not work." Beaumont and Fletcher, in "Thierry and Theodoret" (ii. 3), speak of the practice:

"I'll hazard My life upon it, that a body of twelve Should scourge him hither like a parish top, And make him dance before you."

And in their "Night Walker" (i. 3) they mention the "town-top." Evelyn, enumerating the uses of willow-wood, speaks of "great town-topps." Mr.

Knight[809] remarks that the custom which existed in the time of Elizabeth, and probably long before, of a large top being provided for the amus.e.m.e.nt of the peasants in frosty weather, presents a curious ill.u.s.tration of the mitigating influences of social kindness in an age of penal legislation.

[809] "Pictorial Shakespeare," vol. ii. p. 145.

_Primero._ In Shakespeare's time this was a very fashionable game at cards, and hence is frequently alluded to by him. It was known under the various designations of _Primero_, _Prime_, and _Primavista_; and, according to Strutt,[810] has been reckoned among the most ancient games of cards known to have been played in England. Shakespeare speaks of Henry VIII. (v. 1) playing at primero with the Duke of Suffolk, and makes Falstaff exclaim, in "Merry Wives of Windsor" (iv. 5), "I never prospered since I forswore myself at primero." That it was the court game is shown in a very curious picture described by Mr. Barrington, in the "Archaeologia" (vol. viii. p. 132), which represents Lord Burleigh playing at this pastime with three other n.o.blemen. Primero continued to be the most fashionable game throughout the reigns of Henry VIII., Edward VI., Mary, Elizabeth, and James I.[811] In the Earl of Northumberland's letters about the Gunpowder-plot we find that Josceline Percy was playing at primero on Sunday, when his uncle, the conspirator, called on him at Ess.e.x House; and in the Sydney Papers there is an account of a quarrel between Lord Southampton and one Ambrose Willoughby, on account of the former persisting to play at primero in the presence-chamber after the queen had retired to rest. The manner of playing was thus: Each player had four cards dealt to him one by one; the seven was the highest card in point of number that he could avail himself of, which counted for twenty-one; the six counted for sixteen, the five for fifteen, and the ace for the same; but the two, the three, and the four for their respective points only.

[810] "Sports and Pastimes."

[811] Smith's "Festivals, Games, and Amus.e.m.e.nts," 1831, p. 320.

There may be further allusions to this game in "Taming of the Shrew"

(ii. 1), where Tranio says:

"A vengeance on your crafty, wither'd hide!

Yet I have faced it with a card of ten"

-the phrase "to face it with a card of ten" being derived, as some suggest, possibly from primero, wherein the standing boldly on a ten was often successful. "To face" meant, as it still does, to attack by impudence of face. In "1 Henry VI." (v. 3) Suffolk speaks of a "cooling card," which Nares considers is borrowed from primero-a card so decisive as to cool the courage of the adversary. Gifford objects to this explanation, and says a "cooling-card" is, literally, a _bolus_. There can be no doubt, however, that, metaphorically, the term was used to denote something which damped or overwhelmed the hopes of an expectant.

Thus, in Fletcher's "Island Princess" (i. 3), Piniero says:

"These hot youths I fear will find a cooling-card."

_Push-pin_ was a foolish sport, consisting in nothing more than pushing one pin across another. Biron, in "Love's Labour's Lost" (iv. 3), speaks of Nestor playing "at push-pin with the boys."

_Quintain._ This was a figure set up for tilters to run at, in mock resemblance of a tournament, and is alluded to in "As You Like It" (i.

2) by Orlando, who says:

"My better parts Are all thrown down, and that which here stands up Is but a quintain, a mere lifeless block."

It cannot be better or more minutely described than in the words of Mr.

Strutt:[812] "Tilting or combating at the quintain is a military exercise of high antiquity, and antecedent, I doubt not, to the jousts and tournaments. The quintain originally was nothing more than the trunk of a tree or post set up for the practice of the tyros in chivalry.

Afterwards a staff or spear was fixed in the earth, and a shield being hung upon it, was the mark to strike at. The dexterity of the performer consisted in smiting the shield in such a manner as to break the ligatures and bear it to the ground. In process of time this diversion was improved, and instead of a staff and the shield, the resemblance of a human figure carved in wood was introduced. To render the appearance of this figure more formidable, it was generally made in the likeness of a Turk or a Saracen, armed at all points, bearing a shield upon his left arm, and brandishing a club or a sabre with his right. The quintain thus fashioned was placed upon a pivot, and so contrived as to move round with facility. In running at this figure, it was necessary for the horseman to direct his lance with great adroitness, and make his stroke upon the forehead between the eyes, or upon the nose; for if he struck wide of those parts, especially upon the shield, the quintain turned about with much velocity, and, in case he was not exceedingly careful, would give him a severe blow upon the back with the wooden sabre held in the right hand, which was considered as highly disgraceful to the performer, while it excited the laughter and ridicule of the spectators."[813] In Ben Jonson's "Underwoods" it is thus humorously mentioned:

"Go, Captain Stub, lead on, and show What horse you come on, by the blow You give Sir Quintain, and the cuff You 'scape o' the sandbags counterbuff."

[812] "Sports and Pastimes," 1876, p. 182.

[813] See Nares's "Glossary," vol. ii. p. 713.

_Quoits._ This game derived its origin, according to Strutt,[814] from the ancient discus, and with us, at the present day, it is a circular plate of iron perforated in the middle, not always of one size, but larger or smaller, to suit the strength or conveniency of the several candidates. It is referred to in "2 Henry IV." (ii. 4), by Falstaff, who a.s.signs as one of the reasons why Prince Henry loves Poins: "Because their legs are both of a bigness, and 'a plays at quoits well."

[814] "Sports and Pastimes," p. 141.

Formerly, in the country, the rustics, not having the round perforated quoits to play with, used horse-shoes; and in many places the quoit itself, to this day, is called a shoe.

_Running for the ring._ This, according to Staunton, was the name of a sport, a ring having been one of the prizes formerly given in wrestling and running matches. Thus, in the "Taming of the Shrew" (i. 1), Hortensio says: "He that runs fastest gets the ring."

_Running the figure of eight._ Steevens says that this game is alluded to by Shakespeare in "A Midsummer-Night's Dream" (ii. 1), where t.i.tania speaks of the "quaint mazes in the wanton green." Mr.

Halliwell-Phillipps, in referring to this pa.s.sage, says: "Several mazes of the kind here alluded to are still preserved, having been kept up from time immemorial. On the top of Catherine Hill, Winchester, the usual play-place of the school, was a very perplexed and winding path, running in a very small s.p.a.ce over a great deal of ground, called a "miz-maze." The senior boys obliged the juniors to tread it, to prevent the figure from being lost, and I believe it is still retained."[815]

[815] See Milner's "History of Winchester," vol. ii. p. 155.

_See-Saw._ Another name for this childish sport is that given by Falstaff in "2 Henry IV." (ii. 4), where he calls it "riding the wild mare." Gay thus describes this well-known game:

"Across the fallen oak the plank I laid, And myself pois'd against the tott'ring maid; High leap'd the plank, adown Buxonia fell."

_Shove-Groat._ The object of this game was to shake or push pieces of money on a board to reach certain marks. It is alluded to in "2 Henry IV." (ii. 4), where Falstaff says: "Quoit him down, Bardolph, like a shove-groat shilling;" or, in other words, Bardolph was to quoit Pistol down-stairs as quickly as the smooth shilling-the shove-groat-flies along the board. In a statute of 33 Henry VIII., shove-groat is called a new game, and was probably originally played with the silver groat. The broad shilling of Edward VI. came afterwards to be used in this game, which was, no doubt, the same as shovel-board, with the exception that the latter was on a larger scale. Master Slender, in the "Merry Wives of Windsor" (i. 1), had his pocket picked of "two Edward shovel-boards, that cost me two shilling and two pence a-piece." Mr.

Halliwell-Phillipps, in describing the game in his "Archaic Dictionary,"

says that "a shilling or other smooth coin was placed on the extreme edge of the shovel-board, and propelled towards a mark by a smart stroke with the palm of the hand." It is mentioned under various names, according to the coin employed, as shove-groat,[816] etc. The game of shove-halfpenny is mentioned in the _Times_ of April 25, 1845, as then played by the lower orders. According to Strutt, it "was a.n.a.logous to the modern pastime called Justice Jervis, or Jarvis, which is confined to common pot-houses."

[816] According to Douce, "Ill.u.s.trations of Shakespeare" (1839, p. 280), it was known as "slide-groat," "slide-board,"

"slide-thrift," and "slip-thrift." See Strutt's "Sports and Pastimes," 1876, pp. 16, 394, 398; Nares's "Glossary," vol. ii.