Page:A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle Ages.djvu/251

 and Sefjtiments. 23 the ftriker, who, if he gueffed right, was compelled to take his place. A part of the joke appears to have confifted in the hardnefs of the blows. Our cut (No. 161), from the Bodleian manufcript (which was written in 1344), is evidently intended to reprefent a party of females playing at hot-cockles, though the damfel who plays the principal part is not blind- folded, and Ihe is touched on the back, and not on the hand. Our next cut (No. 162), which reprefents a party of lliepherds and lliepherdeffes engaged in the fame game, is taken from a piece of Flemiih tapeflry, of the fifteenth century, which is at prefent to be feen in the South Ken- No. 162. Shepherds and ShcpherdeJJis. fington Mufeum. Allufions to this game are found in the writers of the fixteenth and feventeenth centuries. Among the "commendatory verfes" to the fecond edition of " Gondibert " (by William Davenant), printed in 1653, is the following rather curious piece of wit, which explains itfelf, and is, at the fame time, an extremely good defcription of this game : — THE POET'S HOT-COCKLES. Thus poets, pajjing time aivay. Like children at hot-cockles play ; Allftrike by turn, and Will is jirook {And he lies doion that "writes a hook). Have