Hughes, The Scouring of the White Horse (1859)

pp.118-123.

“We wish to say a few words, my men, to those who are ” going to play with the sticks or wrestle to-day. There has ” been agood deal of talk about these sports, as you all know ; ” and manypersons think they shouldn’t be allowed at all now” a-days-that thetimefor them has goneby. They say,that men ” always lose their tempers and get brutal at these sports. We ” have settled, however, to give the old-fashioned games a fair ” trial; and it will rest with yourselves whether we shall ever be ” able to offer prizes for them again. For, depend upon it, if ” there is any savage work to-day, if you lose your tempers, ” and strike or kick one another unfairly, you will never see any ” morewrestling or backsword on White Horse Hill. But we are sure we can trust you, and that there won’t be anything to find ” faultwith. Onlyremember again,you are onyourtrial, and the ” stage will be cleared at once, and no prizes given, if anything ” objectionable happens. And now, you can put to as soon as you like ”

The Committee then marched off, leaving a very large crowd round the stage, all eager for the play to begin.

The two umpires got up on to the stage, and walked round, calling out, ” Two old gamesters at backsword, and two old gamesters at wrastlin, wanted to put to ” But I suppose the chairman’s speech had rather taken the men by surprise, for no one came forward, though there was a crowd twentydeep round the stage.

“Who are the oldgamesters?” I asked ofthe man next me.

” Them as haswon orshared afirst prizeat any revel,” answered he, without looking round.

After a minute the chairman’s brother, who didn’t seem to have much scruple about these sports, jumped up on the stage, and blew an old French hunting-horn, till the young ones began to laugh; and then told the mennot to be afraid to come up, for if they didn’t begin at once there wouldn’t be light to play out the ties. At last there was a stir amongst theknot of Somersetshire men, who stood together at one corner of the stage; and one of them, stepping up, pitched on to it his stumpy black hat, and then climbed up after it himself, spoke a word to the umpires, and began handling the sticks, to choose one which balanced to his mind, while the umpires proclaimed, “An old gamester wanted, ” to play with JohnBunn of Wedmore.”

” There he stands, you see,” said Master George, who was close by me, though I hadn’t seen him before, “the only remaining representative of the old challenger at tourneys, ready to meet all comers. He ought to have a herald to spout out his challenge in verse. Why not? ”

” I don’t know what he could saymore than the umpire has, Sir,” said I.

” He might blow his own trumpet at any rate,” said he; somehow thus;” and he repeated, after a false start or two

THE ZONG OF THE ZUMMERZETSHIRE OWLD GEAMSTER.

I.
“Cham* a Zummerzetshire mun
Coom here to hev a bit o’vun.
Oo’lt+ try a bout?
I be’ant aveard
Ov any man or mother’s zun.

II.
“Cham a geamster owld and tough,
Well knowed droo all the country zide,
And many a lusty Barkshire man
To break my yead hev often tried.

III.
“Who’s vor a bout o vriendly plaay,
As never should to anger move ?
Zich spwoorts wur only meaned vor thaay
As likes their mazzards broke for love”

 

* “Cham”-” I am” a form still used inparts of Somersetshire.
+ “Oo’lt “-wilt thou.

 

John Bunn looked by no means a safe man to play with. He stood about five feet eleven, with spare long muscular limbs, a sallow complexion, and thick shock head of black hair, a good defence in itself against anycommon blow of a stick. But now that the ice was broken, his challenge was soon answered; and George Gregory of Stratton, one ofthe best mowers in the Vale, appeared to uphold the honour of Berks and Wilts. He stood half a head shorter than his opponent, but was, probably, the stronger man of the two, andhad asturdy and confident look, which promised well, andwas fair-haired, and, like David, ruddy to look upon. While they were taking off coats and waistcoats, and choosing

sticks, two wrestlers got up on the stage, and showed the shoes in which they were going to wrestle to the umpires, for approval; and stood at the ropes, ready to begin as soon as the first bout at backsword was over. The crowd drew along breath, while Bunn and Gregory came forward, shook hands; and then throwing up their guards, met in the middle of the stage.

At the first rattle of the sticks, the crowd began cheering again, and pressed in closer to the stage; and I with them, for it was very exciting, that I felt at once. The coolness and resolution in the faces of the two men, as theystruck and parried with those heavy sticks, trying all the points of each other’s play in a dozen rapid exchanges ; the skill and power which every turn ofthe wrist showed; and the absolute indifference with which they treated any chance blow which fell on arm or shoulder, made it really a grand sight; andwith all my prejudices I couldn’t help greatly admiring the players. ” Bout,” cried Bunn, after a minute or so, and down came their guards, and they walked to the side of the stage to collect coppers from the crowd below in the baskets of their sticks, while the two first wrestlers put to in the middle.

I suppose there are more unsettled points in wrestling, or it is harder to see whether the men are playing fair, for the crowd was much more excited now than at the backsword play, a hundred voices shouting to the umpires every moment to stop this or that practice. Besides, the kicking, which is allowed at elbow and collar wrestling, makes it look brutal very often; and so Ididn’t like it so much as the backswordplay,though the men were fine, good-tempered fellows, and, when most excited, only seemed to want what they called ” fair doos”

I stopped by the stage until Gregory had lost his head. How it happened I couldn’t see, but suddenly the umpires cried out ” Blood!” The men stopped; Gregory put up his hand to his hair, found that the blood was really coming, and then dropped his stick and got down, quite as much surprised as I was. And two more old gamesters were called up, the first head being to Somersetshire.

p.209-211

Then there are the sports for which prizes are given. There is no need to specify them all, and I shall therefore only speak of the one which is considered the most objectionable-which many people think should be stopped altogether-I mean wrestling. Whatever I may say onthis will apply to all the rest. Now, my brethren, are wrestling matches a proper way of keeping God’s feasts ? That is the question we have to answer. The object of wrestling and of all other athletic sports is to strengthen men’s bodies, and to teach them to use their strength readily, to keep their tempers, to endure fatigue and pain. These are all noble ends, my brethren. God gives us few more valuable gifts than strength of body, and courage, and endurance-to you labouring menthey are beyond all price. We ought to cultivate them inall right ways, for they are given us to protect the weak, to subdue the earth, to fight for our homes and country if necessary. Therefore I say that wrestling, inasmuch as it is a severe trial of strength, temper, and endurance,maybe, and ought to be, one ofmanyright and properways of rejoicing before God at these feasts. And I say to any man who has strength for it, and can keep his temper, and carries away no vain or proud thoughts if he wins, and no angry or revengeful thoughts if he loses,playby all means. No doubt there are men who ought not to play, who ought to abstain wholly from these games, as some men ought to abstain wholly from drink, who cannot use such things temperately, which is the more worthy and manlyway-men so constituted that these sort of games rouse all that is brutal in their natures, others who become braggarts and bullies from success in them. To such men (and each of you can easily find out whether he is such aman) I say abstain wholly.

Having saidthis, brethren, I must add that great changes should bemade in the conduct or management of these games. They should never, on any pretence or plea whatever, be left in the hands ofpublicans. Youshouldalways endeavour toplay in sides (as is, I believe, the most common custom) for your county or your parish, and not for yourselves, as you are much more likely inthatway to play bravely and fairly. Money prizes should be if possible avoided, for moneyis the lowest motive for which men canundertake any work or any game. And lastly, every one of you should exercise his whole strength and influence in putting down at once allbrutality and bluster and foul play.

Hughes, Thomas (1859). The Scouring of the White Horse, Macmillan and Company. Available online via Google Books. Illustrated by Richard Doyle.