. . . . . . Oh most famous Greece! That for brave Pastimes, wert earth’s Master-piece! Had not our English DOVER, thus out-done Thy foure games, with his Cotswoldian one.
Dover himself composed the poem which closes the volume. Some of his motives he thus describes:—
I’ve heard our fine refined clergy teach, Of the commandments, that it is a breach To play at any game for gain or coin; ’Tis theft they say; men’s goods you do purloin; One silly beast another to pursue ’Gainst nature is, and fearful to the view, And man with man their activeness to try Forbidden is—much harm doth come thereby; Had we their faith to credit what they say, We must believe all sports are ta’en away; Whereby I see, instead of active things, What harm the same unto our nation brings; The pipe and pot are made the only prize Which all our spriteful youth do exercise.
Yet I was bold for better recreation T’invent these sports to countercheck that fashion, And bless the troope that come our sports to see, With hearty thankes and friendly courtesie
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The nature of the sports may be gathered from an inspection of the curious old cut taken from the frontispiece of the above-named work. Dancing, tumbling, wrestling, sword-play, quarter-staff, cudgel play, casting the hammer, dog-racing, horse-racing, coursing—must have made up a highly varied programme, while the table in the midst of the field of view shows, both by its conspicuous position and by the
Cotswold Games.
size of the cups and tankards in use, that the good creatures, meat and ale, were by no means neglected. The wonderful structure at the top of the picture represents the wooden castle erected every year, and called Dover Castle in honour of the founder of the sports. The artist does not appear to have quite done justice to his subject if we may credit the account of the Castle given by one of the versifiers:— {250}