Again, in the Antipodes, 1638—
“My men can runne at base.”
Also, in the thirtieth song of Drayton’s “Polyolbion”—
“At hood-wink, barley-brake, at tick, or prison-base.”
Again, in Spenser’s “Faerie Queen,” v. 8—
“So ran they all as they had been at bace.”
Strutt (Sports and Pastimes, p. 78), says, “This game was much practised in former times. The first mention of this sport that I have met with occurs in the Proclamations at the head of the Parliamentary proceedings, early in the reign of Edward III., where it is spoken of as a childish amusement; and prohibited to be played in the avenues of the palace at Westminster during the Sessions of Parliament, because of the interruption it occasioned to the members and others in passing to and fro. . . . The performance of this pastime requires two parties of equal number, each of them having a base or home, as it is usually called to themselves, at the distance of about twenty or thirty yards. The players then on either side taking hold of hands extend themselves in length and opposite to each other, as far as they conveniently can, always remembering that one of them must touch the base; when any one of them quits the hand of his fellow and runs into the field, which is called giving the chase, he is immediately followed by a second from the former side, and he by a second opponent; and so on alternately, until as many are out as choose to run, every one pursuing the man he first followed and no other; and if he overtake him near enough to touch him, his party claims one toward their game, and both return home. Then they run forth again and again in like manner, until the number is completed that decides the victory; this number is optional. It is to be observed that every person on either side who touches another during the chase, claims one for his party.”
Strutt describes the game in Essex as follows:—“They play this game with the addition of two prisons, which are stakes driven into the ground, parallel with the home boundaries, and about thirty yards from them; and every person who is touched on either side in the chase is sent to one or other of these prisons, where he must remain till the conclusion of the game, if not delivered previously by one of his associates, and this can only be accomplished by touching him, which is a difficult task, requiring the performance of the most skilful players, because the prison belonging to either party is always much nearer to the base of their opponents than to their own; and if the person sent to relieve his confederate be touched by an antagonist before he reaches him, he also becomes a prisoner, and stands in equal need of deliverance.”—Sports and Pastimes, p. 80.
But this is not quite the same as it is played in London. There the school ground is divided in the following manner:— The boys being divided into equal sides, with a captain for each, one party takes up its quarters in a, the other in b. Lots are chosen as to which side commences. Then one member of the side so chosen (say b) starts off for the middle of the playground and cries out “Chevy, Chevy Chase, one, two, three;” thereupon it becomes the object of the side b to touch him before reaching home again. If unsuccessful one from side b goes to the middle, and so on until a prisoner is secured from one of the sides. Then the struggle commences in earnest, after the fashion described by Strutt as above. If a boy succeeds in getting to the prison of his side without being touched by an opponent, he releases a prisoner, and brings him back home again to help in the struggle. The object of the respective sides is to place all their opponents in prison, and when that is accomplished they rush over to the empty home and take possession of it. The game then begins again from opposite sides, the winning side counting one towards the victory.—London (G. L. Gomme).