The "Papingo"-"the trembling mark at which their arrows fly" of the funeral games of Patroclus in the "Iliad "was in early times a milk-white dove tied to the top of a pole, or, as at Kilwinning, to the steeple of their abbey church; then a wooden or stuffed bird, like the one Scott refers to in "Old Mortality." Now it is shot for in the butts like an ordinary butt prize.

173

CHAPTER XIV.

THE QUINTAIN.

My better parts

Are all thrown down; and that which here stands up

Is but a quintain : a mere lifeless block.—As You Like It, i. 2.

THOUGH in process of time the quintain became a mere pastime and a source of amusement both to player and spectator, it was originally strictly a military exercise, and occupied an important place in the severe course of schooling that the young aspirant to knighthood had to go through in feudal times. Almost as soon as the youth of gentle blood began to learn his page's duty, he was set on horseback, and taught to ride at the ring, or to risk the sandbag and wooden sabre of the "Turk's head" quintain, till, from constant training of hand and eye, the young knight, by the time he had won his golden spurs, found it no very difficult matter to couch a lance in the lists, and to strike with true aim the helmet or shield of his opponent in the joust.

The quintain that tyros in chivalry originally practised at was nothing more than a trunk of a tree, or a post set up for the purpose; then a shield was fixed to this post, or often a spear was used, to which the shield was bound, and the tilter's object was to hit this shield in such a way as to break the ligatures and bear it to the ground. "In process of time," says Strutt, "this diversion was improved, and instead of the 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. Hence this exercise was called by the Italians 'running at the armed man,' or 'at the Saracen." " This is "the Turk' of the old fifteenth century poet, whose apparently bloodthirsty lines read so strangely familiar to us after so much of the Eastern Question nowadays.

Lepe on thy foe; look if he dare abide.

Will he not flee? wounde him : make woundes wide;
Hew of his honde: his legge: his theyhs: his armys:

It is the Turk, though he be sleyn noon harm is.

In tilting at the Saracen, the horseman had to direct his lance with great adroitness-Strutt goes on to tell us-and make his stroke on the forehead of the figure, between the eyes, or on the nose; for if he struck wide of these 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."

The authorities are all at variance about the derivation of the word quintain, as well as the source from which the exercise was introduced into Britain. Some say it was a Greek game named after its inventor Quintas, about whom nothing is known; equally absurd the derivation of Minshew, who thinks it derives its name from Quintus, either because it was the last of the "pentathloi," or because it was engaged in on the fifth or last day of the Olympic games; while sticklers for a home derivation seem to have agreed that it was a corruption of the Welsh "gwyntyn," meaning a vane, till Dr. Charles Mackay recently published his book on the Gaelic etymology of the English language, and argued that the name of our pastime owes its origin to the Gaelic guin, which means to pierce.

Where doctors so differ it is unnecessary to say more than that an exercise something like quintain seems to have been in

mili

common use among the Romans, who caused their young tary men to practise at it twice in the day, with weapons much heavier than those employed in actual warfare.

Strutt points out that, in the code of laws compiled by the Emperor Justinian, the quintain is mentioned as a well-known sport; and allowed to be continued upon condition that, at it, pointless spears only should be employed, contrary to the ancient usage, which, it seems, required them to have heads or points.

Dr. Kennett was so convinced of the Roman origin of the game that he says he never saw the quintain practised in any part of the country but where Roman ways ran, or where Roman garrisons had been placed.

While tyros in chivalry were practising hard at the Saracen to acquire skill, and older knights were charging it in the constant training needed to retain that skill, burgesses and yeomen began to adopt the quintain as a merry pastime, and village greens were beginning to resound with uproarious mirth as the staff or sandbag whirled round to belabour the clumsy rider who had failed to hit the proper part of the Turk's forehead. What made the quintain such a favourite pastime of the common folk, was the rule of chivalry that forbade any person under the rank of an esquire to enter the lists as a combatant at tournament or joust. Accordingly, as the prohibition did not extend to the quintain, young men whose station debarred them from entering the lists set up a simple form of quintain on their village green, and, if they were not able to procure horses, contented themselves with running at this mark on foot. These village quintains-of which one specimen at least is still preserved, that of Offham, in Kent-consisted only of a cross bar turning on a pivot, with a broad end to strike against, while from the other extremity hung a bag of sand or earth, that swung round and hit the back of a lagging rider. A correspondent of Notes and Queries says that the Offham quintain is still in good order; had it not been

that a road has been made to pass within a few feet of it, a man might ride at it now. The striking board is not perforated, that is, bored through, but some small round holes about a quarter of an inch deep are cut on it, probably to afford a better hold for the lance, and to prevent its glancing off. When many joined in running at the quintain, prizes were offered, and the winner was determined by the number and value of the strokes he had made. At the Saracen a stroke on the top of the nose counted three, others less and less, down to the foul stroke that turned the quintain round and disqualified the runner. It was at one of these prize gatherings that the unlucky incident took place that Stowe tells from Mathew Paris. In 1254, the young Londoners, who, the historian tells us, were very expert horsemen, met together one day to run at the quintain for a peacock, a bird very often in those days set up as a prize for the best performer. King Henry the Third's Court being then at Westminster, some of his domestics came into the city to witness the sports. They behaved in a very disgraceful manner, and treated the Londoners with much insolence, calling them cowardly knaves and rascally clowns; conduct which the citizens resented by beating the king's menials soundly. Henry, however, was incensed at the indignity put upon his servants, and not taking into consideration the provocation on their part, fined the city one thousand marks. "Some have thought these fellows were sent thither purposely to promote a quarrel, it being known that the king was angry with the citizens of London for refusing to join in the crusade."

Stowe goes on to say that in London this exercise of running at the quintain was practised at all seasons, but more especially at Christmas time. "I have seen," continues the author of the "Survey of London," "a quintain set up on Cornhill by Leadenhall, where the attendants of the lords of merry disports have run and made great pastimes; for he that hit not the broad end of the quintain was laughed to scorn,