Athletics and Football (extract)

ATHLETIC SPORTS IN ENGLAND 5 the people in the middle ages as distinguished from the sports of the nobles. Just as the Roman historian expresses his opinion that the ancient Greeks were no better than the ancient Romans, the latter only suffering from the lack of eloquent chroniclers,so it is probable that the populace pro­ duced as good runners as Henry V. and his Court ; but in the days of chivalrythe bards only chronicled the feats of persons of quality. The monarch in question ' was so swift a runner that he and twoof his lords, withoutbow or other engine,would take a wild buck in a large park.' Long beforehis time we know that the youth of London had their summer as wellas their winter sports. FitzStephen,the monk of Canterbury, born in London, writes in the reign of Henry II. that the young Londoners had open spaces allotted to them near the City, where they practised, amongst other exercises, ' leaping, wrest­ ling, casting of the stone, and playing with the ball.' No mention is made of running, but we can hardly imagine that leaping matches would be known and not running matches. FitzStephen is no mean observer of sport, and his descriptionof ' sliding' on the ice in winteris almost as minute as that of Dickens in ' Pickwick.' The knightly youths, however, were taught to run, jump, and wrestlein the days of chivalry,as well as the citizens; but this was, of course, chiefly as a military training, the feats by which they earned the greatest glory, as well as the smilesof the fair, being performed on horseback, as befitted persons of equestrian rank. In the romance quoted by Strutt, called ' The Knight of the Swan,' a certain duchess, Ydain by name, brought up her sons in 'all maner of good operacyons,vertues and maners : and whenin their adolescence they were somewhat comen to the age of strength they were taught to runne, to just, and to wrestle.' Again, in the poem entitled ' Knyghthode and Batayle,' writtenearly in the fifteenth century, we find : In rennyngethe exercise goiosd also To smyte, first in fight and alsowhenne To take place our foemwenill forerenne.