plied-" And the Canns will be there and young Brockenden, and Thorne from Dawlish, and the Men from the Moors!". -Oh, if it be a fault to admire the sports and pastime of the poor-to delight in their manly games, and feats of courage and enterprize,-I must at once confess my self guilty of it to the fullest extent: -it is not for me to plead to the minor offence. I see all I can see, at all times, of skilful struggle between man and man ;—and I glory in seeing it! The communication of this enthusiastic serving-woman sounded to me pleasantly indeed;-I could not help thinking it somewhat poetical, -for there is a beauty even in common names, when clustered together thus, and connected with the idea of personal enterprize and superiority, which, I own, makes a strong impression on my feelings, and I believe is not without its effect upon those of others. "Young Brockenden," appeared a gallant name;—and, to my ears, there seemed something decisive in the name of "Thorne from Dawlish:"-But the "men from the Moors" came upon my imagination like a clan from the Highlands, or the sudden incursion of a band of freebooters upon a quiet hamlet. The muster hour was twelve o'clock; -and I panted for that hour!

In the mean time, I went continually to the window, and could plainly distinguish the labourers preparing the ring, and fitting up booths for the accommodations of those persons who might wish to guard against a wet day outwardly, and who would not object to it inwardly. I could almost fancy that I heard the hammers of the workmen "accomplishing the field;" —but I do not wish to romance on this interesting subject. The morning was certainly very unpropitious, for the clouds not only threatened, before breakfast, to try the security of the awnings, but they made good their threats, after that meal, with one or two pretty effectual showers, -which however afflicted the heart more on account of the mischief which would ensue to the turf, than on the score of any other inconvenience. Persons began to assemble during the morning, but the sports did not commence till one o'clock;-and, as some time elapsed between the hour at which the ring was ready, and that

at which the wrestlers entered themselves for contest,-I shall fill up the pause for my readers, by giving them a few particulars of the sport, as practised in our earlier English days;and I trust my learning will last me till the first hat may be supposed by my readers to "rise in air," and no longer.

The men of Devon and Cornwall have been celebrated, from time immemorial, for their skill and prowess in the art of wrestling. The boys may at the present day be seen struggling and practising at a very early age: and Carew says, in his quaint old style-" you shall hardly find an assembly of boys in Devon and Cornwall, where the most untowardly amongst them, will not so readily give you a muster of this exercise, as you are prone to require it.”

It is told by Strutt, that, in the reign of Henry III., the citizens of London, who delighted in the science, held their anniversary meeting near the Hospital of St. Matilda, at St. Giles's in the Fields, where the inhabitants of Westminster met, and wrestled with them for a ram. The Londoners were successful, which produced a challenge for Lammas day. The challenge was accepted-and the parties encountered each other ;—but the bailiff happening to quarrel, a strife ensued, in which some mischief was done.

According to the accounts of that accurate historian Stowe, Clerkenwell was a celebrated spot for wrestling. The Mayor, Sheriffs, and officers of the city, took an active part in this sport. It must have been a curious excuse that the Mayor could not attend the Mansion-house, as he was trying a fall with one of the magistrates of Westminster!

In a plate from an old picture, supposed to be considerably anterior to the time of Chaucer, and which is given in Strutt, two men are represented wrestling for a cock :-it is curious that even at the present day the combatants wear a loose linen jacket, on the back of which is affixed the figure of a cock in cloth of a green or red colour. The prizes were, in early days, a ram, a small sum of money, or even something of greater value. Strutt quotes an extract from one of Robin Hood's songs, which touches on the rewards of the conquerors.

Unto Bernisdale, As he went by a bridge was a wrasteling; And there taryed was he,

And there was all the best yemen,

Of all the west countrey.

A full fayre game there was set up;
A white bull up ypight;

A great courser with saddle and brydle,
With golde burnished full bryght:
A payre of gloves, a red golde ringe,
A pipe of wyne, good faye;
What man beareth him best, ywis,
The prize shall bear awaye.

Carew, the old writer before refer red to, thus quaintly describes the art of wrestling in the western parts of England; it will be seen that some change has taken place in the science itself, in the present age, but the practice has certainly not declined.

The beholders then cast, or form them

selves into a ring, in the empty space where of the two champions step forth, stripped

into their dublets and hosen, and untrussed, that they may so the better command the use of their lymmes; and first shaking hands, in token of friendship, they fall presently to the effect of anger; for each striveth how to take hold of the other with his best advantage, and to bear his adverse party downe; wherein, whosoever overthroweth his mate, in such sorte, as that either his backe, or the one shoulder, and contrary heele do touche the ground, is accounted to give the fall. If he be only endangered, and make a narrow escape, it is called a foyle. This pastime also hath its laws; for instance of taking hold above the girdle, wearing a girdle to take hold by,-playing three pulls for tryal of the mastery, the fall giver to be exempted from playing again with the taker, but bound to answer his successor. Silver prizes, for this and other activities, were wont to be carried about, by certain circumferanci, or set up at bride ales; but time, or their abuse, hath worn them out of use.

Strutt, whose name I have so repeatedly mentioned, and to whom I am so much indebted for information on the subject, gives a representation of two persons riding on the shoulders of two others, and so wrestling for the fall. He states this to have been a sport of the fourteenth century:-I think I have been concerned in such a pastime at school within even a very few years,—and the great object was to secure, what was termed, "a good horse." This amusement seems trifling enough, and is certainly no trial of bodily strength, agility or skill.

But I fancy that I see the hat thrown up, and therefore I proceed. to give as correct an account as my memory will furnish, of the match at Exmouth, which was played out, to use the county phrase, with the utmost zeal and courage, in spite of falling rains and slippery grass. The ring was formed in a field called The Marshes, a term sufficiently explanatory of the nature of the spot, without any further description of mine. The showers, however, lent a cruel aid to the natural wetness of the land, as if purposing to" try a fall" with these holiday folk. When I approached the ring, the rain was descending rapidly, but the people stood undauntedly around; and the sports were coming on steadily and profoundly. There was a large circle of wooden railing erected, forming the back to a single bench, and within this ring you were admitted on paying the sum of three pence. The crowd was compelled to stand as near to the rails as possible, and thus an open space was kept for the competitors. After the rules had been read, which I could not very well hear,-a hat was hurled into the air, and immediately followed by one from an acceptor of the challenge ;-the wrestlers began to The first that stood in the middle of prepare immediately for the struggle. the ring, having been stripped to the shirt, and enclothed in the linen jacket with a green cock on the back,which I have noticed to be the customary garment-was a young man of extremely prepossessing appearance. His figure, which, in its county garb, had not particularly impressed me with its size or strength, now struck me as highly powerful, compact, and beautiful. His limbs were well grown, and strongly set-yet rather slight than otherwise-and his body was easy, slim, yet peculiarly expressive of power. The fronts of his legs, from the knee to the ancle, were armed with thick carpeting, to protect him from the kicks of his antagonist; and even this strange armour did not give to his person the appearance of clumsiness. His neck was bare, and certainly very fine;-but the shape of his head struck me as being the most impressive and poetical (I use the term under correction), I had for a long time beheld-being set off, I conceive, by the way in which his

hair was arranged; and this was dark,-hanging in thick snakish curls on each side his forehead, and down the back part of his head. Add to all this, a handsome melancholy thin countenance, and you will have at once some idea of the young man who now stood before me.

I turned to a countryman near me, and inquired who this youth might be, whose undaunted mien and comely port had so taken my favour captive. "Who is that!" said the man with a tone of surprise, accompanied with a look of profound pity at my ignorance," why, one of the Canns to be sure !"-In an instant I remembered the name, and his presence so well seconded the feeling which the enthusiasm of the servant had awakened, that I really had the sensation of a blush on my mind, at not recognizing in such a figure one of the names which were in the mouths of women and domestics as synonyms for prowess and valour, and which at the onset had sounded to me like fame! Young Cann stood awhile in a calm and indifferent attitude,—and his opponent ploughed his heavy way towards him. This was a little bullnecked, thick-set man,--of prodigiously broad and weighty carriage. His carpeted limbs resembled the bolsters of a sofa,-and his throat was scarcely inferior in size. Cann pledged him in a cup of beer or cyder, (I will not call it a wine cup, as Mr. Campbell would, to exalt it from the vulgar truth into poetical respectability), and then giving the mug to one of the umpires, he clutched the little coast Hercules firmly with one hand, by the collar of his jacket, and received in return the tiger clutch of his eager antagonist. The struggle immediately commenced ;-the umpires keeping a wary eye on the sport. Cann stood up nobly, watchfully-gallantlymeeting every movement of his opponent with a harder gripe of the jacket, and receiving the kicks of the little human Cob with an indifference quite astounding to all possessors of knees and shin-bones. The short man stood low, and far from Cann, and seemed rather to watch and labour for his safety than to dare for his enemy's downfall. He leaned forward, as if he were on all fours, and slipped and sprawled about, and abroad,-like a VOL. II.

cat in walnut shells, and with the same extraordinary pertinacity for keeping on his feet. This ungainly attitude was beautifully contrasted by Cann's upright muscular form, towering over it, and following, lionlike, the crouching and shifting manœuvres of the tiger-like creature opposed to him. This struggle, in which a fine display of skill and strength was exhibited, lasted five minutes, when the parties were instantly separated by the umpires ;such being the time limited for the single play as it is termed. When a man has stood out two men, and thrown one, he is set down as a double player, and is entitled to strive among the select, on the second day, for the prizes. Of course all the Canns, and the best men from the Moors, and young Brockenden, and Thorne from Dawlish, made themselves, double players. I shall not longer dwell on the various wrestling of the first day.

The second morning was any thing but "rosy fingered"-but still we were not to be terrified by threatening clouds from following the manly sport which the day was to decide.. There were some slow and tedious contests for double players till very late in the afternoon,-when, as the evening closed, and the moon arose, the grand contest was commenced. One of the umpires approached the booth in which I stood, and requested of Mr. Roe (as I understood the name), not to postpone the sports till the morrow, "as the Canns were anxious to get back to their farms, and Thorne must return to Dawlish the same night, and the men wanted to go to the Moors!"-This appeal was commanding, and the kind Mr. Roe yielded to the wishes of the combatants. "To night be it then," said this amiable patron of the pleasures of the poor," and let not a moment be lost in matching the men, and calling them forth!"

The first shout of the master of the revels was-" the younger Cann, and Widdicomb of the Moors!"—and this was received with a low murmur, and a deep interest which almost smothered sound. The younger Cann was the stoutest of the brotherhood, finely formed, and fair-haired. He stripped and accoutred himself immediately; his brothers assisting in buck

3 A

ling his leg-armour, and fastening his jacket. There was evidently a great anxiety in this group, but still the utmost confidence in ultimate success; -and I could not help taking part in the interest of the brothers, and at the same time entertaining a full share of their faith in their champion's triumph. "And who," said I to a neighbour, " are these Canns !"— "They

are farmers, and there are five brothers, all excellent wrestlers;-but you only see three here to night."But the fine young wrestler stepped into the ring, and our conversation ceased.

The moon was now very clear, full and bright; and its light fell upon the noble person of Cann, and showed every curl of his hair. The Moorman soon joined him-prepared for the conflict. He was a giant in size, and from what I gathered around me, a man of most savage nature. The popular feeling was painfully on Cann's side. After the cup had been pledged, the opponents seized each other with an iron grasp. Cann stood boldly, but cautiously up, as conscious that he had much to do ;-and the Moor-man opposed him resolutely and grandly. The struggle was immediate, and Cann, with one terrific wrench, threw his antagonist to the earth; but he fell so doubtfully on his shoulder, that it seemed uncertain whether he would fall on his back (which is necessary to victory), or recover himself by rolling on his face. Cann looked proudly down upon him, and saw him by a miraculous strain, which resembled that of a Titan in pain, save the fall, by wrenching himself down on his face. His shoulder and side were soiled; but he was not deemed vanquished.

By the order of the umpires the struggle was renewed, when, owing, as I conceived, to the slippery state of the grass, Cann fell on his knees, and the Moorsman instantly hurled him on his back. All was uproar and confusion-but Cann was declared to have received a fall-and gloom spread itself over all! He could not be convinced of the justice of his judges (a common case when the verdict is adverse,) and it was in real pain of spirit that he pulled off the jacket.

Young Brockenden followed next

with another man from the Moors;

and he received a doubtful fall, which was much cavilled at, but which the judges nevertheless gave against him.

It now grew late, and the clouds thickened around, so that the wrestling could scarcely be perceived. I left the sports somewhat unwillingly; but I could not distinguish the parties, and, in truth, I was dispirited at my favourite's being foiled. I heard that the brother Canns retrieved the fame of the family,—but the darkness of the night, and the state of the grass, gave no chance either to the spectators or to the wrestlers. In the morning, the ring, the awning,-the scaffolding-—had vanished; and the young fellows had separated—the Canns to their farms,-the Men to the Moors!

I have described this meeting as well and as faithfully as I could, in the hope that the account may interest many persons who are content to be excited by description only. At the same time, if this manly sport, among others, should be cried down and oppressed by the feeble and the fastidious, it may not be amiss to have some record of it preserved to feed the curious of after ages. I cannot conclude this paper better, than by noticing a very learned, quaint, and ingenious little work on the Art of Wrestling, which, I met with by chance in a pamphlet-shop, and which I have read with much admiration. I believe it is the genuine reprint of an old book-though certainly now published in a very graceless and forbidding shape.

The title page sets forth that the work is written by Sir Thomas Parkyns, of Bunny-Park, Nottinghamshire, and certainly a more intense production, on the use of the sinews and muscles, cannot easily be pointed out. Sir Thomas lived in the early part of the last century, and was remarkable for his skill in, and fondness for, the art of wrestling. He was strong in the loins, and a justice of peace for Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. All his servants were trained to the sport, and he gave public exhibitions of it, taking an active part himself in tripping up his coachman, and giving his footman a heavy fall. He was fond of indulging in scraps of Latin, in which, how

Sir Thomas studied physic for the good of his neighbours,-married two wives, one being the daughter of a London alderman,-indulged in a selection of stone-coffins during his life, for his choice to lie in after death,left a guinea to be wrestled for on Midsummer-day, and a something to the ringers of Bunny church, among whom he had often formed one,wrote a book,-and died in the year 1741, aged 78.

His little work, however, must not thus be dismissed.-Sir Thomas wrestles manfully with grammar, and is good at the in-play with metaphors and figures. The dedicationwhich, by the bye, gives the book to no one, and is, therefore, strikingly original-is "a fair specimen of the author's style," as the Reviews express themselves. Take the following:

For the most part, the first question I

ask a scholar, (if I like his size and complexion, for I am an indifferent physiognomist, a judicious physician, and can prognosticate more from a phyz, than most physicians from waters) is, if his parents are alive? if not, what age they died at ? For I admit no Hereditary Gouts, or Scrofulous Tumours; yet I'll readily accept of Scorbutick Rheumatisms, because the persons labouring under those maladies are generally strong and able to undergo the exercise of wrestling. I am so curious in my admission, I'll not hear of one hipp'd and out of joint, a Valetudinarian is my aversion, for I affirm, Martial [Lib. vi. Ep. 54.] is in the right on't: Non est vivere sed valere vita. I receive no limber

hams, no darling sucking-bottles, who must not rise, at Midsummer, till eleven of the clock, and that the fire has aired his room and cloaths of his colliquative sweats, raised by high sauces, and spicy forced meats, where the cook does the office of the stomach, with the emetick tea table, set out with bread and butter for his breakfast: I'll scarce admit a sheep-biter, none but beef-caters will go down with me, who have robust, healthy, and sound bodies. This may serve as a sketch of that person fit to make a wrestler, by him who only desires a place in your friendship.

On the page immediately following the dedication there stand some notable lines, with an embellishment, which are thus described by the writer, in a style worthy of the mighty Baronet whose memory they celebrate. The following is a fac-simile:

The poem itself is energetic, moral, and amiable,-fit elegy for a man of thews, and a Baronet :-But I must not thus dally so long with the opening beauties of the book. Sir Thomas Parkyns commences his instructive

BY FRANCIS HOFFMAN."

treatise with stating, that, after reading in Martial,-under Dr. Busby, at Westminster,-that the ancients always performed their exercise (like school-boys) before their full meal,— he advised all his scholars to take