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gences to which most men are exposed; and which, but for the encouragement given to good old English sports, would lure the best of men within the meshes of iniquity, and render them unfit for the very cause we advocate.

It is not many centuries ago since the tilt and the tournament were the most popular amusements of the nobles; and we learn from a passage in a very ancient satiral poem, that it was indispensably necessary for men of wealth and distinction to be skilful at the tournament:

"If wealth, Sir Knight, perchance be thine,

In tournaments you're bound to shine."

Bull-baiting and the cock-pit are now almost extinct in this country, modern refinement having very properly denounced such as cruel, barbarous, and unbecoming to a humane and educated people. But let us turn to the days of Sir Roger de Coverley, when the village squire and lord of the manor joined heart and soul in the sports of the people-when he led off in the country dance with the blacksmith's daughter, or tried his hand with the roughs of the village in a game at skittles, quoits, or wrestling.

It is much to be regretted that the toilsome fashion of the present day should have erected an insuperable barrier between the various grades of people; particularly as that barrier has increased to too great and absurd a height, and caused an isolation of classes which tends considerably to the injury and prejudice of national sports. This, we regret to say, is apparent in every county in England, but in no county is it so absurdly prominent as in Essex. There the country squire would consider it infra dig. to join in a harmless game at cricket with any but those of gentle birth. But Essex has long been noted as a county where pride, ignorance, and isolation of classes prevail to a far greater extent than in any other county of the United Kingdom; and we are happy to add, there are yet many "squires" and nobles in the land, who deign to try their hand amongst the poorer class of English sportsmen with equal relish and energy to the arena composed entirely of people of their own class and station. These men take a wider and more exalted view of their positions than the few purse-proud squires before mentioned; they delight to promote all such recreations as equalize ranks, and wherein the only distinction is superior precision, skill, strength, or dexterity.

But there is another class, and, it is to be feared, a numerous one, that is excluded from the sports and recreations of the country; and to whom the true spirit of sporting is almost, if not entirely in some instances, unknown. We allude to the tradespeople of our cities and large towns, a vast majority of whom have neither the time nor the means at their command to indulge in those healthful amusements we desire to uphold; their life is one of unceasing toil from morning to night; they are slaves to their business-slaves to the public; and this is an evil which might and ought to be avoided. If Englishmen were not so fond of gold-if they were not such grovelling misers and money-hunters, there might be, in most trades, an entire cessation from business at four o'clock in the day; and the few whose avocations demand later hours at night should commence

later in the morning; and thus afford their clerks, apprentices, workmen, and others, an opportunity, by relaxation from labour, of joining in some healthful sport, whereby to lighten their busy toils and render their lives less like those of slaves than Christian beings in a land of liberty. Some few we fear we might say many-shorten their lives many years by excessive and unceasing application to business, without any relaxation. These men dash pleasure and recreation to the right-hand, religion to the left-improvement of mind is lagging in the rear; but business stands prominently before them. Their whole efforts are put forth to thrust it forward-the study of the mind is absorbed in the pages of the ledger-every comfort of life is sacrificed to push the business on faster than that of their fellowcitizens, and thus they get inured to such a life; and before their oftrepeated intention of retiring to ease and tranquillity is carried into effect, they find their hair is changed to grey, old age has crept upon them, and Death claims them as his own, in the full turmoil of worldly strife. But there always was, and probably ever will be, a class of this description, although education has of late years done much towards thinning it. The strong and athletic are not to be found amongst children bred and born of such parents; but the delicate-looking, misshapen, and the wan, who are taught in early life to give their minds to business as their parents have done before them, and not to waste their hours in sporting pursuits; which, they are told, are of no pecuniary benefit! It may be so; but surely pecuniary benefits are of secondary and trivial consideration, compared with health-health both of body and mind. No blessing on earth can equal it, because life cannot be truly enjoyed without it; and health of body is so near akin to health of mind, that one cannot thrive without the other. Many parents who are bringing up their children in a manner to inure them to a business life, and impressing upon them the necessity of shunning the national sports, if they ever hope to become eminent in business; will do well, before directing the views of their fondest hopes mainly to such exertions, to look to the state of health and constitution of the object of their hopes, and not fix a youth to laborious in-door pursuits until he has laid a foundation for a strong constitution, by early recreation in the open air.

Whilst encouraging manly sports amongst every grade of society, we are well aware that we are advocating a cause of national importance-a cause beyond that of desiring to see the sons of England strong, active, and stalwart; for the best soldiers and sailors are those which have been most expert in rural games and gymnastic exercises; and the most daring and skilful officers in the army and navy have been no less skilful sportsmen.

In days of yore every man was more or less a soldier. The chivalrous sports of the tilt-yard were the chief attraction of the day; and by the great statute of Winchester, 13th Edward I. cap. 6., it was ordered "That every man be equipped, at all times, with arms corresponding with his rank." By the 12th Richard II. cap. 6, all able-bodied men were requested to employ their leisure hours as "valyant Englishmen ought to do," and make their appearance in the field in military costume. By the 33rd Henry VIII. cap. 9, it was ordered that "No person above the age of 24 should shoot with

the light-flight arrow at a less distance than 220 yards." What will the fair archers of the present day say to this? The distance appears almost incredible; indeed, we do not believe there is a man now living who could send an arrow from the bow so far. But we may fairly conclude that the archers of those days made effective use of the light arrow at that distance, the heavy war arrow being probably used at shorter range. Hollingshed, in his description of Great Britain, makes a satirical remark as to the English archers of his time. Speaking of the notorious manner in which their strength had declined, he says, "The French soldiers were in the habit of turning their backs to the English at long range, bidding them shoot. But," adds Hollingshed, "had the archers been what they were wont to be, these fellows would have had their breeches nailed unto their buttocks."

The same author, speaking of the "glory of hospitality" in the ancient days of merry England, informs us that all tables, from those of the twenty-shilling freeholder to the baron's hall and abbey refectory, were open at the dinner hour to all comers, without stint or reserve-there was bread, beef, and beer for the hungry, and lodging for the weary traveller. It may truly be said of the village squire of those days, as in the popular song of the Fine Old English Gentleman

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Nor was the houseless wanderer e'er driven from his hall,

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For while he feasted all the great, he ne'er forgot the small."

Those were the days of unrefined life: the habits of the people were widely different from those of the present day. Men, women, and chil dren rose in the morning at the first crowing of the cock, and retired to rest at night, seldom later than eight o'clock. Whatever may be said of the present luxuries of fashionable life, of rising at ten in the morning and dining at seven or eight at night, and thus converting nights into days and days into nights, when contrasted with the habits and hours of olden times, the more natural life for man to lead would appear to be that of our forefathers; for it is a well-authenticated fact that men were stronger in former days than now; women were not the pale delicate creatures that may now be seen night after night at operas, theatres, and fashionable assemblies in town. Instead of the rouged and painted cheek, there was the indelible tinge of ruddy health-the unerring index to a wholesome constitution, and the most attractive ornament of beauty.

Among the many good old English sports that have become almost extinct in this country, is that of hawking-a sport which was formerly more popular throughout the land than even hunting or shooting is at the present day. Every one had his hawk, from the lords and ladies down to the lads of the village. Their favourite bird was as much their companion as a faithful dog: and no action was reckoned more dishonourable to a man of rank than to give up his hawk. Several acts of parliament have passed respecting hawks, some of which are exceedingly tyrannical and severe; others are curious and amusing. No better proof can be given of the popularity of hawking in former days, and the

regard in which those birds of prey were held, than by quoting the language of Sir Matthew Hale, who says, "Only of the reclaimed hawk in respect of the nobleness of its nature and use for princes and great men, larceny may be committed, if the party take it knowing it to be reclaimed." And Lord Coke, writing upon the same subject, observes that "Hawks are subjects of larceny, because serving ob vitæ solatium of princes, and of noble and generous persons, to make them fitter for great employments." Alfred the Great was a proficient in the art. Under the Norman government none but those of high rank were permitted to keep hawks; and we find from "Best's Treatise on Hawking" (1619), different species of those birds were assigned to persons, according to rank, in the following order :

"The eagle, the vulture, and the merlin for an Emperor.

The ger-falcon and the tercel of the ger-falcon for a King.
The falcon gentle and the tercel gentle for a Prince.
The falcon of the rock for a Duke.

The falcon peregrine for an Earl.

The bastard for a Baron.

The sacre and the sacret for a Knight.

The lanere and the laneret for an Esquire.

The merlin for a lady.

The hobby for a young man.

The gos-hawk for a yeoman.

The tercel for a poor man.

The sparrow-hawk for a priest.

The musket for a holy-water clerk.

The kestrel for a knave or servant."

Thus we see hawks were made ensigns of nobility; and the training and flying them was one of the essentials in the education of youth. It was generally found that a proficient in the art of hawking was invariably a proficient in hunting. As an instance of the pecuniary value of hawks at the commencement of the seventeenth century, we may mention a circumstance recorded, in fact, of a gos-hawk and a tercel hawk being sold for 100 marks. It appears from Barclay's "Stultifera Navis" that hawks had become so domesticated as to be taken to church, as the following ancient translation from that work will explain :—

"Into the church then comes another sotte,
Withouten devotion, jetting up and down,
Or to be seen, and show his garden cote,
Another on his fiste a sparrowhawke or falcon."

In some parts of the country hawking is still practised with considerable energy and success. Mr. Brodrick has recently written a book upon the subject, entitled "The Falconry of the British Isles," to which the reader is referred should he desire to pursue farther the subject of this ancient national sport.

THE ST. LEGER RACE: A BRIEF HISTORY.

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MANGO-DON JOHN-CHARLES XII. (DEAD HEAT.)

So far from the triumph achieved by Elis being followed up on the following year (1837) by his brother Epirus, there occurred to the latter an unfortunate disaster, which placed the life of Bill Scott in imminent peril. It is almost miraculous that it did not prove fatal on the spot. When reference is now made to Mango's year, it is always in connection or association with that lamentable and fearful accident; it was indeed generally believed at the time that it would prevent the unfortunate sufferer from ever mounting the saddle again. Considerable interest was attached to the race of this year, although the number of subscribers only amounted to sixty-the smallest lot for the previous seventeen years. But thirteen competitors came to the post. Epirus was the favourite at 5 to 2; but being placed hors de combat, his backers were unexpectedly disappointed and mortified, and speculations in other respects completely thwarted, in consequence of the disaster in question. Mahometan stood at 5 to 1, Cardinal Puff the same, with 18 to 1 against Troilus, and 20 to 1 against Abraham Newland.

Arising from the anxiety and impatience of the jockeys, a false start took place; but at the second attempt the whole lot sprung off in the most beautiful style imaginable, and there was every appearance that the race would be admirably contested throughout: an accident was never anticipated for one moment. The lead was taken by Dan Dawson (J. Chapple), immediately followed by Dardanelles (G. Nelson); close behind these two were The Doctor (S. Templeman), Mango (S. Day), Cardinal Puff (G. Edwards), and Epirus (W. Scott): the remainder were well laid up, and ready for the display of their powers, if favourable opportunities presented themselves. Unfortunately, however, a disaster occurred, the sight of which from elevated positions struck the spectators like an electric shot. The position of the respective competitors, just described, was maintained past the first cross-road, and immediately previous to the rise of the hill. At this point, Dan Dawson and Dardanelles exchanged places. Epirus was then lying close to the ditch, which at that time was not railed off, as is now the case. Scott, his rider, desirous of avoiding a collision with his competitors, got nearer to it than he intended, in

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