"The Play which the Italians call Cinque, and "the French Mourre, is extremely ancient; it was played at by Hymen and Cupid at the Marriage of Pfyché, and term'd by the Latins, digi"tis micare: "Julius Pollux defcribes the Omilla or Chuckfarthing: tho' some will have our modern Chuckfarthing to be nearer the Aphetinda of the An"cients. He also mentions the Bafilinda, or King "I am; and Myinda, or Hoopers-Hide. "But the Chytrindra defcribed by the fame Au"thor is certainly not our Hot-cockle; for that was "by pinching and not by ftriking; tho' there are "good authors who affirm the Rathapygifmus to "be yet nearer the modern Hot-cockles. My fon "Martin may ufe either of them indifferently, they "being equally antique. "Building of Houses, and Riding upon Sticks "have been used by children in all ages, Edificare cafas, equitare in arundine longa. Yet I much "doubt whether the Riding upon Sticks did not "come into use after the age of the Centaurs. "There is one Play which shews the gravity of "ancient Education, called the Acinetinda, in which "children contended who could longeft ftand fill. "This we have fuffer'd to perifh entirely; and, if "I might be allowed to guefs, it was certainly firft "loft among the French. "I will permit my Son to play at Apodidafcin"da, which can be no other than our Pufs in a • Corner: "Julius Pollux in his ninth book speaks of the "Melolonthe or the Kite; but I question whether "the Kite of Antiquity was the fame with ours: "And though the Ogrufoxonia or Quail-fighting is "what is most taken notice of, they had doubt"lefs Cock-matches alfo, as is evident from certain "ancient Gems and Relievo's. 3 : • "In a word, let my fon Martin difport himself " at any Game truly Antique, except one, which "was invented by a people among the Thracians, "who hung up one of their Companions in a "Rope, and gave him a Knife to cut himself "down; which if he failed in, he was fuffered to "hang till he was dead; and this was only reckon"ed a fort of joke. I am utterly against this, as "barbarous and cruel. "I cannot conclude, without taking notice of "the beauty of the Greek names, whofe Etymo"logies acquaint us with the nature of the fports; " and how infinitely, both in fenfe and found, "they excel our barbarous names of Plays. Notwithstanding the foregoing Injunctions of Dr. Cornelius, he yet condefcended to allow the Child the ufe of fome few modern Play-things; fuch as might prove of any benefit to his mind, by inftilling an early notion of the fciences. For example, he found that Marbles taught him Percuf fion and the Laws of Motion; Nut-crackers the use of the Leaver; Swinging on the ends of a Board, the Balance; Bottle-fcrews, the Vice; Whirligigs the Axis and Peritrochia; Bird-cages, the Pully; and Tops the Centifrugal motion. Others of his fports were farther carried to improve his tender foul even in Virtue and Morality. We shall only inftance one of the most useful and inftructive, Bob-cherry, which teaches at once two noble Virtues, Patience and Conftancy; the first in adhering to the pursuit of one end, the latter in bearing a disappointment. Befides all thefe, he taught him as a diverfion, an odd and fecret manner of Stealing, according to the Custom of the Lacedæmonians; wherein he fucceeded fo well, that he practifed it to the day of his death. CHAP. VI. Of the Gymnafticks, in what Exercises Martinus was educated; fomething concerning Mufick, and what fort of a Man his Uncle was. N OR was Cornelius lefs careful in adhering to the rules of the pureft Antiquity, in relation to the Exercifes of his Son. He was ftript, powder'd, and anointed, but not conftantly bath'd, which occafioned many heavy complaints of the Laundrefs about dirtying his linen. When he play'd at Quoits, he was allowed his Breeches and Stockings; because the Discoboli (as Cornelius well knew) were naked to the middle only. The Mother often contended for modern Sports, and common Customs, but this was his conftant reply, "Let a Daughter be the care of her Mother, but "the Education of a Son fhould be the delight of his Father.' It was about this time, he heard, to his exceeding content, that the Harpaftus of the Ancients, was yet in use in Cornwall, and known there by the name of Hurling. He was fenfible the common Foot-ball was a very imperfect imitation of that exercise; and thought it neceffary to send Martin into the Weft, to be initiated in that truly ancient and manly part of the Gymnafticks. The poor boy was fo unfortunate as to return with a broken leg. This Cornelius looked upon but as a flight ailment, and promifed his Mother he would inftantly cure it: He flit a green Reed, and caft the Knife upward, then tying the two parts of the Reed to the disjointed place, pronounced thefe thefe words, Daries, daries, aftataries, diffunapiter; huat, hanat, buat, ista, pista fifta, domi abo, damnauftra. But finding, to his no small aftonichment, that this had no effect, in five days he condefcended to have it fet by a modern Surgeon. Mrs. Scriblerus, to prevent him from expofing her Son to the like dangerous Exercifes for the future, propofed to fend for a Dancing-Mafter, and to have him taught the Minuet and Rigadoon. "Dancing (quoth Cornelius) I much approve, "for Socrates faid the best Dancers were the best "Warriors; but not thofe fpecies of Dancing "which you mention: They are certainly Cor"ruptions of the Comic and Satyric Dance, which ર were utterly difliked by the founder Ancients. "Martin shall learn the Tragic Dance only, and "I will send all over Europe, till I find an Antiquary able to inftruct him in the Saltatio Pyr"rhica, Scaliger, from whom my fon is lineally "descended, boafts to have performed this warlike "Dance in the prefence of the Emperor, to the .. great admiration of all Germany. What would "he fay, could he look down and fee one of his "pofterity fo ignorant, as not to know the least ❝ftep of that noble kind of Saltation ?" The poor Lady was at laft enur'd to bear all these things with a laudable patience, till one day her husband was feized with a new thought. He *Plin. Hift. Nat. lib. xvii. in fine. Carmen contra luxata membra, cujus verba inferere non equidem ferio aufim, quanquam a Catone prodita. Vid. Caton. de re rust. c. 160. P. + Scalig. Poetic. 1. i. c. q. Hanc faltationem Pyrrhicam, nos fæpe et diu, juffu Bonifacii patrui, coram Divo Maximiliano, non fine fupore totius Germaniæ, repræsentavimus. Quo tempore vox illa Imperatoris, Hic puer aut thoracem pro pelle aut pro cunis habuit. P. had met with a faying, that "Spleen, Garter, and "Girdle are the three impediments to the Curfus." Therefore Pliny (lib. xi. cap. 37.) fays, that fuch as excel in that exercise have their Spleen cauterized, "My fon (quoth Cornelius) runs but heavi ly; therefore I will have this operation perform"ed upon him immediately. Moreover it will "cure that immoderate Laughter to which I per"ceive he is addicted: For Laughter (as the fame "author hath it, ibid.) is caused by the bignefs of "the Spleen." This defign was no fooner hinted to Mrs. Scriblerus, but fhe burst into tears, wrung her hands, and inftantly fent to his Brother Alber tus, begging him for the love of God to make haste to her Hufband. Albertus was a difcreet man, fober in his opinions, clear of Pedantry, and knowing enough both in Books and in the World, to preserve a due regard for whatever was useful or excellent, whether ancient or modern: If he had not always the authority, he had at least the art, to divert Cornelius from many extravagancies. It was well he came fpeedily, or Martin could not have boasted the entire Quota of his Vifcera. "What does it fignify (quoth Albertus) whether my Nephew 66 excells in the Curfus or not? Speed is often a "fymptom of Cowardice, witness Hares and "Deer.""Do not forget Achilles (quoth Cor"nelius) I know that Running has been condemn • ed by the proud Spartans, as useless in war; and « yet Demofthenes could fay, ̓Ανὴρ ὁ φεύγων καὶ πάλιν ἐε μαχήσεται ; a thought which the Englim Hudibras has well rendered, For he that runs may fight again, << That's |