Glig-gamena angel-deod, or, The sports and pastimes of the people of England : including the rural and domestic recreations, May-games, mummeries, pageants, processions, and pompous spectacles, from the earliest period to the present time : illustrated by engravings selected from ancient paintings in which are represented most of the popular diversions . cious that the practice of them is exceedinglywicked. I hope the reader will excuse my introducing a story relating to myself; but as it may serveto elucidate the argument, I shall venture to give it. When a child I was caught by my mother, wh
Glig-gamena angel-deod, or, The sports and pastimes of the people of England : including the rural and domestic recreations, May-games, mummeries, pageants, processions, and pompous spectacles, from the earliest period to the present time : illustrated by engravings selected from ancient paintings in which are represented most of the popular diversions . cious that the practice of them is exceedinglywicked. I hope the reader will excuse my introducing a story relating to myself; but as it may serveto elucidate the argument, I shall venture to give it. When a child I was caught by my mother, whogreatly abhorred every species of cruelty, in the act of spinning a chafer 5 I was so much delighted withthe performance that I did not observe her coming into the room, but when she saw what I was about,without saying any thing previously to me, she caught me by the ear and pinched it so severely that Icried for mercy; to the punishment she added this just reproof: That insect has its feelings as youhave ! do you not see that the swift vibrations of its wings are occasioned by the torment it sustains?you have pierced its body without remorse, I have only pinched your ear, and yet you have cried out asif I had killed you. I felt the admonition in its full effect, liberated the poor may-fly, and never im-paled another afterwards. — ? BOOK ITi OF THE PEOPLE OF ENGLAND. 345 instead of a chafer: the original is contained in a manuscript of thefourteenth century/ This barbarous sport is exceedingly ancient. We find it mentionedby Aristophanes in his comedy of The It is called in theGreek melolonthe,a which seems to have been the name of the the Grecian boys were less cruel in the operation than those ofmodern times, for they bound the thread about the legs of the beetle,instead of thrusting a pin through its tail. We are also told that theformer frequently amused themselves in the same manner with littlebirds, substituted for the The Kite
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1, booksubjectgames, booksubjectsports
