In the minute-book of the Society of Antiquaries we read: "29 Jan. 1723-4, Mr Norroy [Peter Le Neve] brought a Script from Gramaye, Historia Brabantiæ, shewing that the manner of adorning the tops of Steeples with a Cross and a Cock, is derived from the GOTHS, who bore that as their warlike ensign.” The Church of Rome made four nocturnal vigils: the Conticinium, Gallicinium or cock-crow, Intempestum, and Antelucinum. STREWING CHURCHES WITH FLOWERS ON DAYS OF HUMILIATION AND THANKSGIVING. THE parish accounts of St Margaret, Westminster, under the year 1650, contain the following items "Paid for Herbs that were strewed in the Windows of the Church, and about the same, att two severall Daies of Humiliation, 3s. 10d. "Paid for Herbs that were strewed in the Church upon a daie of Thanksgiving, 2s. 6d." Under 1651 "Item, paid for Hearbs that were strewed in the Church on the 24th day of May, being a Day of Humiliation, 35. "Item, paid to the Ringers, for ringing on the 24th of October, being a Day of Thanksgiving for the Victorie over the Scotts at Worcester, 75. "Item, paid for Hearbes and Lawrell that were strewed in the Church the same Day, 8s." THIS COCK-FIGHTING. HIS sport, Bailey tells us, originated with the Athenians; and it was in this wise: When Themistocles was marching against the Persians, espying two cocks fighting by the way, he availed himself of the opportunity to address his army as follows: "Behold! These do not fight for their household Gods, neither for the Monuments of their Ancestors, nor for Glory, nor for Liberty, nor for the safety of their Children, but only because the one will not give way unto the other." This address so encouraged the Grecians that they fought strenuously and obtained the victory over the Persians; and thereafter cock-fighting was by a special law ordained to be annually practised by the Athenians. Pegge, in his paper on this subject in the Archæologia, has proved that though the ancient Greeks piqued themselves on their politeness, calling all other nations barbarous, yet they were the authors of this cruel and inhuman sport. The inhabitants of Delos were great lovers of it; and Tanagra in Boeotia, the Isle of Rhodes, Chalcis in Euboea, and Media, were famous for their generous and magnanimous race of chickens. The Greeks, it seems, had some method of preparing the birds for battle. Cock-fighting was an institution partly religious and partly political at Athens, and was continued there for the purpose of improving the seeds of valour in the minds of the Athenian youth. But it was afterwards abused and perverted both there and in other parts of Greece, to a common pastime and amusement, without any moral, political, or religious intention; and as it is now followed and practised amongst us. The Romans, who borrowed this with many other things from Greece, used quails, it would seem, as well as cocks for fighting; and, according to Herodian, the first dispute between Bassianus and Geta, sons of the Emperor Septimus Severus, arose in their youth from these contests. Quail combats, writes Douce, were well known among the ancients, especially at Athens. Julius Pollux relates that the birds were placed in a circle, and he whose quail was driven out of it lost the stake, which was sometimes money, and occasionally the bird itself. Another practice was to smite or fillip a bird with the middle finger, and then to pluck a feather from its head. If the quail bore the operation without flinching, its master gained the stake, but lost it if it ran away. Cocks and quails, engaging one another to the last gasp, for diversion, are frequently (and most appropriately) compared in the Roman writers to gladiators. The Fathers of the Church inveighed with great warmth against the spectacles of the arena, the wanton shedding of human blood in sport. One would have thought that cock-fighting would have been discarded, together with gladiatorial shows, under the mild and humane genius of Christianity. But, as Pegge observes, it was reserved for this enlightened era to practise it with new and aggravated circumstances of cruelty. The Shrove Tuesday's Massacre of this useful and spirited creature is now indeed in a declining way: but those monstrous barbarities, the Battle Royal and Welsh Main, still continue among us in full force; -a striking disgrace to the manly character of Britons. It is probable that cock-fighting was first introduced into this island by the Romans. The bird itself was here before Cæsar's arrival. William Fitzstephen, who wrote the life of Becket in the reign of Henry II., is the first of our writers who mention cock-fighting, describing it as the sport of schoolboys on Shrove Tuesday. The cockpit, it seems, was the school, and the master was the comptroller and director of the sport.t From this time, at least, the diversion, Hence Pliny's expression, "Gallorum, seu Gladiatorum ;" and that of Columella, "Rixosarum Avium Lanistæ;" lanista being the proper term for the Master of the Gladiators. In the Statutes of St Paul's School, A.D. 1518, occurs the clause: "I will they use no Cock-fightinge nor ridinge about of Victorye, nor disputing at Saint Bartilemewe, which is but foolish babling and losse of time." In the Statistacal Account of Scotland (1792), the minister of Applecross co It was however absurd and even impious, was continued among us. practised, though disapproved and prohibited, in the 39th year of the reign of Edward III.; also in the reign of Henry VIII. and in 1569. Misson writes: "Cockfighting is one of the great English Diversions. They build Amphitheatres for this purpose, and persons of Quality sometimes appear at them. Great Wagers are laid; but I'm told that a Man may be damnably bubbled, if he is not very sharp." Again: "Cock fighting is a royal pleasure in England. Their Combats between Bulls and Dogs, Bears and Dogs, and sometimes Bulls and Bears, are not Battels to death, as those of Cocks." It has been by some called a royal diversion. As every one knows, the Cock-pit at Whitehall was erected by a crowned head, no other than Henry VIII. himself, for the more magnificent celebration of the sport; and James I. also was remarkably fond of it. It was prohibited, however, by one of the Acts of Oliver Cromwell, March 31st 1654. Stubbes, in his Anatomie of Abuses (1585), inveighs against cockfighting, which in his days seems to have been practised on Sundays in England "Cock-fightyng in Ailgna. "They flock thicke and threefolde to the Cock-fightes, an exercise nothing inferiour to the rest, where nothing is used but swearing, forswearing, deceipt, fraud, collusion, cosenage, skoldyng, railyng, convitious talkyng, fightyng, brawlyng, quarellyng, drinkyng, and robbing one another of their goods, and that not by direct, but indirect means and attempts. And yet to blaunch and set out these mischiefs withall, (as though they were virtues,) they have their appointed dayes and set houres, when these Devilries must be exercised. They have Houses erected to that purpose, Flags and Ensignes hanged out, to give notice of it to others, and proclamation goes out, to proclaim the same, to the ende that many may come to the dedication of this solemne Feast of Mischiefe." At the end of The Compleat Gamester (1680) is a poem entitled An excellent and elegant Copy of Verses upon two Cocks fighting, by Dr R. Wild. The spirited qualities of the combatants are portrayed in the couplet "They scorn the Dunghill; 'tis their only prize To dig for Pearls within each other's Eyes." Our poet makes his conquered or dying cock dictate a will, some of the quaint items of which are as follows "Imp. first of all, let never be forgot, But he that on my side laid Seven to One, Ross, speaking of the schoolmaster's perquisites, says: "He has the Cockfight dues, which are equal to one Quarter's payment for each Scholar." And like a Gentleman that he may live, To cry Coke is in vulgar language synonymous with crying Peccavi. Coke, says the learned Ruddiman in his Glossary to Douglas's Virgil, is the sound which cocks utter, especially when they are beaten; from which Skinner is of opinion they have the name of cock. In the Statistical Account of Scotland (1793), we read: “In 1763 there was no such diversion as public Cock-fighting at Edinburgh. In 1783 there were many public Cock-fighting Matches, or Mains, as they were technically termed; and a regular Cock-Pit was built for the accommodation of this School of Gambling and Cruelty, where every distinction of rank and character is levelled. In 1790 the Cockpit continued to be frequented." Pegge describes the Welsh Main,* in order to expose its cruelty, and reckons it to be peculiar to this kingdom, as being unknown to China, Persia, Malacca, and even the savage tribes of America. Given, says he, sixteen pair of cocks. Of these the sixteen victors engage in combat again; the eight resulting victors are pitted for the third time; and so on until their number is reduced to two, who finally are pitted for the fifth time. Thus we have the incredible barbarity of thirty-one of these creatures inhumanly destroyed for the sport and pleasure, amid noise and nonsense blended with the blasphemy and profaneness, of those who yet assume to themselves the name of Christians. Without running into all the extravagance and superstition of Pythagoreans and Brahmins, we certainly have no right, no power or authority, to abuse and torment any of God's creatures, or needlessly to sport with their lives; on the contrary, we ought to use them with all possible tenderness and moderation. In a word, cock-fighting in its origin was a heathenish mode of diversion; and at this day it ought certainly to be confined to barbarous nations. Yet it must be added that, to aggravate the matter and enhance our shame, our butchers in this cruel business have contrived a method, unknown to the ancients, of arming the heels of the bird with steel; a device which has been considered a most noble improvement in the Art, and indeed an invention highly worthy of men that delight in blood. Pliny mentions the spur and calls it telum; but the gafle is a modern invention, as likewise is the great and, perhaps, necessary exactness in matching them. * The subjoined Extract from a MS. Life of Alderman Barnes, about the date of James II.'s time, which I have frequently cited in my History of Newcastle, perhaps leads to the etymon of the word Main, which signifies a battle off-hand : "His chief Recreation was Cock-fighting, and which long after, he was not able to say whether it did not at least border upon what was criminal, he is said to have been the Champion of the Cock-pit. One Cock particularly he had, called 'Spang Counter,' which came off victor in a great many battles à la main; but the Sparks of Streatlem Castle killed it out of mere Envy : so there was an end of Spang Counter and of his Master's sport of Cocking ever after." The Asiatics, however, use spurs that act on each side like a lancet, and almost immediately decide the battle. Hence they are never permitted by the modern cock-fighters. It still continues to be a favourite sport with the colliers in the North of England. In vain do the clamorous wants of their families solicit them to go to work when a match is heard of. Some years ago, while the author was engaged in the service appropriated to the visitation of the sick at the house of one of these men, who died shortly after, he was, to his great astonishment, interrupted by the crowing of a game-cock, which was suspended in a bag over his head. To this exultation another cock, concealed in a closet, gave immediate answer. Thereupon the first replied, and the second instantly rejoined. The tragi-comedy of the incident surpassed belief; and the execution of the solemn office had to be suspended until the removal of one of the disputants. The bird had been carefully hung beside him, apparently for company. He thus was enabled to cast at the object he had dearly loved in the days of his health and strength, what Gray has well called "a long lingering look behind." BULL-RUNNING IN THE TOWN OF STAMFORD. AT T Stamford in Lincolnshire annualy was celebrated a sport called Bull-running; of which the following account is taken from Butcher's Survey of the Town (1717): "It is performed just the day six weeks before Christmas. The Butchers of the Town at their own charge against the time, provide the wildest Bull they can get: This Bull over night is had into some Stable or Barn belonging to the Alderman. The next morning proclamation is made by the common Bellman of the Town, round about the same, that each one shut up their Shop-doors and Gates, and that none, upon pain of imprisonment, offer to do any violence to Strangers, for the preventing whereof (the Town being a great thoroughfare and then being in Term Time) a Guard is appointed for the passing of Travellers through the same (without hurt). That none have any iron upon their Bull-Clubs or other Staff which they pursue the Bull with. Which proclamation made, and the gates all shut up, the Bull is turned out of the Alderman's House, and then hivie skivy, tag and rag, men, women and children of all sorts and sizes, with all the dogs in the town promiscuously running after him with their Bull-Clubs spattering dirt in each others faces, that one would think them to be so many Furies started out of Hell for the punishment of Cerberus, as when Theseus and Perillas conquered the place (as Ovid describes it) 'A ragged Troop of Boys and Girls Do pellow him with Stones : With Clubs, with Whips, and many raps, They part his skin from Bones; and (which is the greater shame) I have seen both senatores majorum Gentium & matrones de eodem gradu, following this Bulling business. |