disports 'tis not art or skill, but subtilty, cunnycatching, knavery, chance and fortune carries all away:" 'tis ambulatoria pecunia, -" puncto mobilis horæ

Permutat dominos, & cedit in altera jura."

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They labour most part not to pass their time in honest disport, but for filthy lucre, and covetousness of money. In fædissimum lucrum & avaritiam hominum convertitur, as Daneus observes. Fons fraudum & maleficiorum, 'tis the fountain of cozenage and villany. A thing so common all over Europe at this day, and so generally abused, that many men are utterly undone by it," their means spent, patrimonies consumed, they and their posterity heggered; besides swearing, wrangling, drinking, loss of time, and such inconveniences, which are ordinary concomitants: "For when once they have got a haunt of such companies, and habit of gaming, they can hardly be drawn from it, but as an itch it will tickle them, and as it is with whoremasters, once entered, they cannot easily leave it off," Vexatmentes insana cupido, they are mad upon their sport. And in conclusion (which Charles the seventh that good French. king published in an edict against gamsters) undè piæ & hilaris vite suffugium sibi suisq; liberis, totiq; familie, &c. That which was once their livelihood, should have maintained wife, children, family, is now spent and gone; mæror & egestas, &c. sorrow and beggery succeeds. So good things may be abused, and that which was first invented to refresh men's weary spirits, when they come from other labours and studies. to exhilarate the minde, to entertain time and company, tedious otherwise in those long solitary winter nights, and keep them from worse matters, an honest exercise is contrarily perverted.

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Chesse-play, is a good and witty exercise of the minde, for some kinde of men, and fit for such melancholy, Rhasis holds, as are idle, and have extravagant impertinent thoughts, or troubled with cares; nothing better to distract their mind, and alter their meditations: invented (some say) by the * generall of an army in a famine, to keep souldiers from mutiny; but if it proceed from over much study, in such a case it may do

b Ubi

Abusus tam frequens hodie in Europa ut pleriq; orebro harum usu patrimonium profundant, exhaustisq; facultatibus, ad inopiam redigantur. semel prurigo ista animum occupat ægre discuti potest, solicitantibus undiq; cjusdem farinæ hominibus, damnosas illas voluptates repetunt, quod & scortatoribus insitum, &c Instituitur ista exercitatio, non lucri, sed valetudinis et oblectamenti ratione, & quo animus defatigatus respiret, novasq; vires ad subeundos labores denuo concipiat. * Latrunculorum ludus inventus est à duce, ut cum miles intolerabili fame laboraret, altero die edens altero ludens, famis oblivisceretur. Bellonius. See more of this game in Daniel Souter's Palamedes, vel de variis ludis, 1. 5.

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more harm then good; it is a game too troublesome for some men's braines, too full of anxiety, all out as bad as study; besides, it is a testy cholerick game, and very offensive to him that loseth the Mate. William the conqueror in his younger yeares, playing at chesse with the prince of France (Daulphine was not annexed to that crown in those dayes) losing a Mate, knocked the Chesse-board about his pate, which was a cause afterward of much enmity betwixt them. For some such reason it is belike, that Patritius in his 3. book Tit. 12. de reg. instit. forbids his prince to play at chesse: hawking and hunting, riding, &c. he will allow; and this to other men, but by no means to him. In Muscovy, where they live in Stoves and hot houses all winter long, come seldome or little abroad, it is again very necessary, and therefore in those parts, (saith Herbastein) much used. At Fessa in Africk, where the like inconvenience of keeping within doors is through heat, it is very laudable; and (as Leo Afer relates) as much frequented. Á sport fit for idle Gentlewomen, Souldiers in Garrison, and Courtiers that have nought but love matters to busie themselves about, but not altogether so convenient for such as are Students. The like I may say of Cl. Bruxer's Philosophy game, D. Fulke's Metromachia and his Ouronomachia, with the rest of those intricate Astrologicall and Geometricall fictions, for such especially as are mathematically given; and the rest of those curious games.

Dancing, Singing, Masking, Mumming, Stage-plaies, howsoever they be heavily censured by some severe Catoes, yet if opportunely and soberly used, may justly be approved. Melius est fodere, quam saltare, saith Austin: but what is that if they delight in it? Nemo saltat sobrius. But in what kinde of dance? I know these sports have many oppugners, whole volumes writ against them; when as all they say (if duly considered) is but ignoratio Elenchi; and some again, because they are now cold and wayward, past themselves, cavel at all such youthful sports in others, as he did in the comedy; they think them, illico nasci senes, &c. Some out of præposterous zeal object many times triviall arguments, and because of some abuse, will quite take away the good use, as if they should forbid wine because it makes men drunk; but in my judgement they are too stern: there" is a time for all things, a time to mourne, a time to dance." Eccles. 3. 4. " a time to embrace, a time not to embrace, (vers. 5.) and nothing better then that a man should rejoyce in his own works.” ver. 22.

D. Hayward in vita ejus. • Muscovit. commentarium. Fessanos latrunculorum ludus est usitatissimus, lib. 3, de Africâ.

f Inter cives • Tullius.

for

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for my part, I will subscribe to the king's declaration, and was ever of that mind, those Maygames, Wakes, and Whitson ales, &c. if they be not at unseasonable hours, may justly be permitted. Let them freely feast, sing and dance, have their poppet-playes, hobby-horses, tabers, crouds, bag-pipes, &c. play at ball, and barley-breaks, and what sports and recreations they like best. In Franconia a province of Germany (saith h Aubanus Bohemus) the old folks, after evening prayer, went to the ale-house, the younger sort to dance: and to say truth with Salisburiensis, satius fuerat sic otiari, quam turpius occupari, better do so then worse, as without question otherwise (such is the corruption of man's nature) many of them will do. For that cause, Plays, Masks, Jesters, Gladiators, Tumblers, Juglers, &c. and all that crew is admitted and winked at: Tota jocularium scena procedit, & ideo spectacula admissa sunt, & infinita tyrocinia vanitatum, ut his occupentur, qui perniciosius otiari solent: that they might be busied about such toyes, that would otherwise more perniciously be idle. * So that as Tacitus said of the Astrologers in Rome, we may say of them, genus hominum est quod in civitate nostra & vitabitur semper & retinebitur, they are a deboshed company most part, still spoken against, as well they deserve some of them (for I so relish and distinguish them as fidlers, and musicians) and yet ever retained. "Evil is not to be done

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(I confess) that good may come of it:" but this is evil per accidens, and n a qualified sense, to avoide a greater inconvenience, may justly be tolerated. S. Thomas Moore in his Utopian Common-wealth, as he will have none idle, so will he have no man labour over hard, to be toiled out like an horse, 'tis more then slavish infelicity, the life of most of our hired servants and tradesmen elsewhere (excepting his Utopians) but half the day allotted for work, and half for honest recreation, or whatsoever imployment they shall think fit themselves." If one half-day in a week were allowed to our houshold servants for their merry meetings, by their hard masters, or in a year some feasts, like those Roman Saturnals, I think they would labour harder all the rest of their time, and both parties be better pleased: but this needs not (you will say ;) for some of them do nought but loyter all the week long.

This which I aim at, is for such as are fracti animis, troubled in mind, to ease them, over-toiled on the one part, to re

h De mor. gent. i Polycrat. 1. 1. cap. 8.

* Idem Sarisburiensis. Hist. lib. 1. 1 Nemo desidet otiosus, ita nemo asinino more ad seram noctem laberat; nam ea plusquam servilis ærumna, quæ opificum vita est, exceptis Utopiensibus, qui diem in 24. horas dividunt, sex duntaxat operi deputant, reliquum à somno & cibo cujusq; arbitrio permittitur.

fresh:

fresh: over idle on the other, to keep themselves busied. And to this purpose, as any labour or imployment will serve to the one, any honest recreation will conduce to the other, so that it be moderate and sparing, as the use of meat and drink; not to spend all their life in gaming. playing, and pastimes, as too many gentlemen do; but to revive our bodies and recreate our souls with honest sports: of which as there be divers sorts, and peculiar to several callings, ages, sexes, conditions, so there be proper for several seasons, and those of distinct natures, to fit that variety of humors which is amongst them, that if one will not, another may: some in Summer, some in Winter, some gentle, some more violent, some for the mind alone, some for the body and mind: (as to some it is both business and a pleasant recreation to oversee workmen of all sorts, Husbandry, Cattle, Horse, &c. To build, plot, project, to make models, cast up accompts, &c.) some without, some within doors; new, old, &c. as the season serveth, and as men are inclined. It is reported of Philippus Bonus, that good Duke of Burgundy (by Lodovicus Vives, in Epist. and Pont. * Heuter in his history) that the said Duke, at the marriage of Elionara, sister to the king of Portugal, at Burges in Flanders, which was solemnized in the deep of winter, when as by reason of unseasonable weather he could neither hawk nor hunt, and was now tired with cards, dice, &c. and such other domestical sports, or to see Ladies dance, with some of his courtiers, he would in the evening walk disguised all about the Town. It so fortuned, as he was walking late one night, he found a country fellow dead drunk, snorting on a Bulk; the caused his fol lowers to bring him to his Palace, and there stripping him of his old cloaths, and attiring him after the Court fashion, when he waked, he and they were all ready to attend upon his excellency, perswading him he was some great Duke. The poor fellow admiring how he came there, was served in state all the day long; after supper he saw them dance, heard musick, and the rest of those Court-like pleasures: but late at night, when he was well tipled, and again fast asleep, they put on his old robes, and so conveighed him to the place where they first found him. Now the fellow had not made them so good sport the day before, as he did when he returned to himself; all the jest was, to see how he looked upon it. In conclusion, after some little admiration, the poor man told his friends he had seen a vision, constantly believed it, would not otherwise be

* Rerum Burgund. lib. 4. +Jussit hominem deferri ad palatium & lecto ducali collocari, &c. mirari homo ubi se eo loci videt. Quid interest, inquit Lodovicus Vives, (epist. ad Francisc. Barducem) interdiem illius & nos ros aliquot annos ? nihil penitus, nisi quod, &c,

perswaded

perswaded, and so the jest ended. "Antiochus Epiphanes would often disguise himself, steal from his Court, and go into Merchants, Goldsmiths, and other tradesmens' shops, sit and talk with them, and sometimes ride, or walke alone, and fall aboord with any Tinker, Clowne, Serving man, Carrier, or whomsoever he met first. Sometimes he did er insperato give a poor fellow money, to see how he would look, or on set purpose, lose his purse as he went, to watch who found it, and withall how he would be affected, and with such objects he was much delighted. Many such tricks are ordinarily put in practice by great men, to exhilarate themselves and others, all which are harmless jests, and have their good uses.

*

But amongst those exercises, or recreations of the minde within doors, there is none so generall, so aptly to be applyed to all sorts of men, so fit and proper to expell Idleness and Melancholy, as that of Study: Studia senectutem oblectunt, adolescentiam alunt, secundas res ornant, adversis perfugium & solatium præbent, domi delectant, &c. finde the rest in Tully pro Archia Poeta. What so full of content, as to read, walke, and see Mappes, Pictures, Statues, Jewels, Marbles, which some so much magnifie, as those that Phidias made of old so exquisite and pleasing to be beheld, that as Chrysostome thinketh, "if any man be sickly, troubled in minde, or that cannot sleep for griefe, and shall but stand over against one of Phidias Images, he will forget all care or whatsoever else may molest him in an instant?" There be those as much taken with Michael Angelo's, Raphael de Urbino's, Francesco Francia's pieces, and many of those Italian and Dutch painters, which were excellent in their ages; and esteem of it as a most pleasing sight, to view those neat Architectures, Devices, Scutcheons, coats of armes, read such bookes, to peruse old Coynes of severall sorts in a fair Gallery; artificiall works, perspective glasses, old reliques, Roman Antiquities, variety of colours. A good picture is falsa veritas, & muta poesis: and though (as Vives saith) artificialis delectant, sed mox fastidimus, artificiall toyes please but for a time; yet who is he that will not be moved with them for the present? When Achilles was tormented and sad for the loss of his dear friend Patroclus, his mother Thetis brought him a most elaborate and curious Buckler made by Vulcan, in which were engraven Sun, Moon, Stars, Planets, Sea, Land, men fighting, running, riding, women scolding, hils, dales, towns, castles, brooks, rivers, trees, &c,

Hen. Stephan. præfat. Herodoti. *Orat. 12. siquis animo fuerit afflictus aut æger, ncc somnum admiuens, is mihi videtur è regione stans talis Imaginis, oblivisci omnium posse, quæ humanæ vita atrocia & difficilia acci dere solent. • 3. De anima.