is frozen, many young men play upon the ice; some,
striding as wide as they may, do slide swiftly; others make themselves
seats of ice, as great as millstones; one sits down, many hand in hand
to draw him, and one slipping on a sudden, all fall together; some tie
bones to their feet and under their heels, and, shoving themselves by a
little picked staff, do slide as swiftly as a bird flieth in the air, or
an arrow out of a crossbow. Sometime two run together with poles, and,
hitting one the other, either one or both do fall, not without hurt;
some break their arms, some their legs, but youth desirous of glory in
this sort exerciseth itself against the time of war. Many of the
citizens do delight themselves in hawks and hounds; for they have
liberty of hunting in Middlesex, Hertfordshire, all Chiltern, and in
Kent to the water of Cray." Thus far Fitzstephen of sports.

These, or the like exercises, have been continued till our time,
namely, in stage-plays, whereof ye may read in anno 1391, a play by the
parish clerks of London at the Skinner's Well besides Smithfield, which
continued three days together, the king, queen, and nobles of the realm
being present. And of another, in the year 1409, which lasted eight
days, and was of matter from the creation of the world, whereat was
present most part of the nobility and gentry of England. Of late time,
in place of those stage-plays, hath been used comedies, tragedies,
interludes, and histories, both true and feigned; for the acting whereof
certain public places, as the Theatre, the Curtain, etc., have been
erected. Also cocks of the game are yet cherished by divers men for
their pleasures, much money being laid on their heads, when they fight
in pits, whereof some be costly made for that purpose. The ball is used
by noblemen and gentlemen in tennis-courts, and by people of meaner sort
in the open fields and streets.

The marching forth of citizens' sons, and other young men on horseback,
with disarmed lances and shields, there to practise feats of war, man
against man, hath long since been left off, but in their stead they have
used, on horseback, to run at a dead mark, called a quintain; for note
whereof I read, that in the year of Christ 1253, the 38th of Henry III.,
the youthful citizens, for an exercise of their activity, set forth a
game to run at the quintain; and whoever did best should have a peacock,
which they had prepared as a prize. Certain of the king's servants,