ceased; but on that which was to follow feats of archery, of bullbaiting, and other popular games, were instituted for the more immediate amusement of the populace. Cock-fighting was not yet exalted to a noble or even manly amusement, but the germ of a ferocious habit was implanted in the youthful heart by allowing childern to indulge in it. On Shrove Tuesday it was customary to allow each school boy to bring a fighting-cock to the school, which was turned into a cockpit to fight for the diversion of the urchins, The game of foot ball was general in England so early as the 11th century, in the reign of Henry II. There were gangs of jugglers, tumblers, dancers, jesters, mimics, bagpipers, tabourers and glee men, who travelled from town to town, and from castle to castle, and were equally well received by the prince and the peasant. The dancing bear and monkey were very common formerly, one bear and four or five monkeys were together, the latter were taught to tumble and mimic, playing on the harp and fiddle; a glee woman danced round an unmuzzled bear that endeavoured to seize her, while the bear keeper scourged the animal, exciting it to greater ferocity. The docility of the horse did not escape the notice of these ingenious tormentors; it was taught to dance and fence with its fore legs against a man armed with a staff and buckler, to put a trumpet to its mouth, as if to sound a charge, and beat a war point with its hoofs upon a drum or tabor. A still more cruel sport appears sometimes to have been exhibited, that of tieing a horse to a tree and baiting it with dogs, three at a time; bob apple, nine pins, &c. &c. are all games of very ancient date. The intellectual game of chess, so undoubtedly of oriental origin, is commonly supposed to have been imported into England in this period by the Crusaders; there is, however, some reason to believe it was known to our Saxon ancestors before the Conquest. The price of provisions at this time, was on the average, a farthing for the 4 lbs. loaf of white bread, but one of 6lbs. brown might be obtained for the same sum. The wage of a labouring man was three farthings a-day, equal to two shillings, when as at this time, a quartern loaf is eight-pence the 4 lbs. An artizan, three-halfpence, equal to four; and a mechanic, two-pence, which so far as the price of bread is concerned, is equal to five shillings and four-pence. ANECDOTE OF HENRY 111. 241 CHAPTER X. 1216. Henry III., eldest son of John, ascended the throne when only ten years old, he was a sovereign who had much cunning, instability and faithlessness, which caused his long reign, 57 years, to be one continued scene of disquietude and civil war. Henry made as light of breaking his oaths, and was as deeply perjured as his unhappy father, but by no means a cruel man, and abhorred the shedding of blood, and on the whole was more to be pitied than blamed. Nottingham was honoured with a full share of his royal favour. First, by granting a general charter, applicable to all the royal forests; in one of which it will be remembered the town was situated. The principal clauses of this charter are: 1. That offences against the forest laws should no longer be considered capital, but men killing deer should be punished with fines or imprisonment. 2. All the forests that had been enclosed since the time of Henry II. should be disforested and thrown open, by which wise and humane regulation a strong temptation to evil was removed, and contributed to the comfort and prosperity of the nation. The barons obtained some improvement in Magna Charta;-extended its provisions to Ireland, and a clause was added ordering the demolition of every castle, built, or re-built since the beginning of the war, between John and the barons. The following anecdote may tend to show the pains taking and ingenuity of the exclesiastics and nobles, if possible, to induce the king to observe the obligations of an oath, from which we may easily infer what was the real character of this prince. 1253. Henry was obliged to call his scolding Parliament together, being so pressed for want of money, and every other means having been exhausted. On the 3rd day of May, the king went to Westminster-hall, in which place before the legislature was divided into lords and commons, having separate houses, the Parliament (as it was now called) assembled. The bishops and abbots were apparelled in their canonical robes, and every one held a burning taper in his hand. A taper was offered to the king, but he refused it, saying he was no priest. Then the patriotic Edmund, archbishop of Canterbury, having succeeded the im mortal Langton, stood up before the people, and denounced sentence of excommunication against all who should directly or indirectly infringe the charters of the king dom. Every striking, every terrific part of the ceremony having been performed, the prelates and abbots dashed their tapers to the ground, and as the lights went out in smoke, they exclaimed "May the soul of every one who incurs this sentence, so stink and be extinguished in hell." The king subjoined in his own behalf "So help me God, I will keep these charters inviolate, as I am a man, as I am a christian, as I am a knight, as I am a king crowned and anointed ;" his outward behaviour, during this awful performance, was exemplary, he held his hands on his heart, and his countenance expressed a devout acquiescense, but the ceremony was scarcely over, and he had obtained the money that he wanted, than following the impulses given by his foreign favourites, returned to his wonted faithlessness, and utterly uprooted the last remains of confidence the nation had in him. When Richard I. had set out on the holy crusade, earl John was governor of this castle, but was. displaced by Chancellor Longchamp, when John sought to obtain the throne, he gave command of it to the earl of Pembroke, but John found means of dispossessing him by bribing Allan de Lee, Peter Rovancourt, and other subordinates of the garrison. John then gave the command of the castle to Roger Montbegun, who after the siege by Richard surrendered it to that monarch, who as we have seen, conferred the honour on Reginald de Clifton, of Clifton, who honourably sustained the office till the 6th of king John, who then commanded Clifton to deliver up the castle to Robert de Veteripnte, who was at that time, (1215) sheriff of the counties of Derby and Nottingham, he, it appears, gave up the command to Philip March, who held it for John during the time of his first war with the barons. 1226. Henry III. Ralph Fitznicholas was made governor of the castle, but held it only for a month, and was succeeded by Hugh Fitzralph, then sheriff of the two counties. After him, William Bardolph was governor, who was taken prisoner by the earl of Leicester, at the memorable battle of Lewes, 14th May, 1264, at which time the king was taken prisoner, and Nottingham and the castle fell into the hands of Leicester's party, who made his son, Hugh de la Despenser, its governor. Prince Edward having escaped from Dover castle, the liberation of the king quickly followed, and at the battle of Evesham, in August, 1265, the power of the barons was completely overthrown, and Leicester and his son, the governor of the castle, were A POSTERN MADE IN THE WALL. 243 slain. After this event, prince Edward was appointed its governor, which office he sustained till the time of his father's death. 1252. Henry III. was at Nottingham, as appears from an ancient manor grant to Ralph de Freshville; and the town was again honoured by his presence, after the decisive victory at the battle of Evesham. 1265. When, as we said, prince Edward was put in possession of the castle, which as well as the town, had opened its gates to receive him, he marched from hence with a detachment into the county of Derby, which he ravaged with fire and sword to revenge the disloyalty of Ferrers, its earl. 1255. Henry III. was here again, as appears by a charter granted to the town, dated Nottingham. From this time Nottingham was regarded with considerable interest by Henry and prince Edward, its governor. 1272. October 18th. Only a month before that monarch's death, Henry issued a precept under the seal of state, whereby the king commanded his bailiffs and burgesses of Nottingham without delay, to make a postern in the wall of the said town, near the castle, toward Lenton, of such breadth and height, that two armed horsemen carrying lances on their shoulders might go in and out a-breast, where William, archbishop of York, had appointed it, who made the king understand, that it was expedient for him, and his heirs, and the castle and town. This postern stood near a reservoir, that has been formed by the Old Water-work Company, at the back of the General Hospital, part of the ruins were standing in Dr. Deering's time, 1750. From this postern a bridge was thrown over the ditch, which ran northward by the side of the town wall to Chapel-bar, along Butt-dyke, (Park-row.) Two charters of privilege were granted to this town, by Henry III.; the first is dated from Westminster, 24th day of February, 1230. 66 Henry, by the grace of God, king of England, lord of Ireland, duke of Normandy and Aquitain, and earl of Angers,to all archbishops, bishops, abbots, priors, earls, barons, justices, sheriffs, reeves, ministers, and all bailiffs, and his faithful subjects, greeting. The donations of king John are related and confirmed by the charter of Henry III., then proceeds : "And these gifts and donations being agreeable to us, we do for ourself and our heirs ratify and confirm the same to the burgesses aforesaid. And we have, of our own proper gift, granted, and by this our charter confirmed, for ourself and our heirs, to the said burgesses and their heirs, that they pay the said tribute of fifty-two pounds a year, on two Terms, into our exchequer, (to wit) twenty-six pounds (blanch) at the close of Easter, and twenty-six pounds (blanch) at the octave of St. Michael; and that they and their heirs hold the said town of Nottingham by the said rent of fifty-two pounds as aforesaid. We also, for ourself and our heirs, have granted to the said burgesses and their heirs, that they take tonnage of ali merchandize of weight within the said town of Nottingham, as is customary to be taken in other towns and cities throughout England. And that they have coroners from among themselves in the said town of Nottingham. And we will and strictly command, that the burgesses aforesaid have and hold, of our own proper gift, well, peaceably, freely and quietly, the liberties, usages and customs aforesaid, (to wit) that they pay every year into our exchequer, the said fifty-two pounds, (blanch) that they and their heirs hold the said town by the tribute of the said fifty-two pounds (blunch), that they take tonnage as aforesaid, and have coroners from among themselves in the said town of Nottingham, as aforesaid. Witness, "J. BATH, R. DURHAM, W. CARLISLE, H. DE BURGH, EARL HAUC, HUGO DE NEVILL, GALFRED DE LUCY STEPHEN DE Sedgrave, RALPH, SON OF NICHOLAS DE CAPELLA, HEN. DE CAPELLA, and others. "Given under the hand of the right reverend father R. CICESTER, bishop, our chancellor, at Westminister, the 23th day of February, in the fourteenth year of our reign." Observe, there is no mention of any select body, or corporation municipal in this charter, for as yet, there was no such body created, therefore, this, as well as the preceding charters, was given to burgesses, and to them expressly by name. 2nd, The fee farm rent of their possessions and privileges are raised £22, above what they were in the time of the Conqueror, as set down in Doomsday book, (see p. 147,) there it was £30, here £52; the mint specified by Edward the Confessor, and by |