be had for money," persisted the banker, "only pray get into my carriage!" By this time, the words "punchinello" and " toy-shop," bandied between two grave-looking men, advanced in years, were beginning to attract the notice of the standers-by; and on the Boulevards, a crowd is easily collected. The banker, alarmed by the prospect of a ridiculous scene in public, hastened, therefore, to take the arm of the unhappy dotard, and gently led him away, in search of the nearest toy-shop. Having succeeded in finding one, he presented his companion with the handsomest punchinello in the shop. "And now, my dear sir," said he, "that your wishes are accomplished, let me entreat you to come home with me at once, and tranquillise the anxieties of your nephew." "It would be inexcusable to impose further on so much humanity and good nature," replied the old man, taking off his hat, dropping forty years of his age, and assuming his usual tone and deportment-" my name, sir, is Musson!" "I ought to have guessed it," cried the banker, heartily laughing. "But that rascal Lenoir shall pay for his tricks: though I ought not to resent a circumstance which has made me acquainted, even as a dupe, with a man of such recognised talent as Monsieur Musson." JULES JANIN.--In the height of the quarrel between the Homœopathists and the Faculty of Paris, the editor of a medical journal, having somewhat severely attacked the disciples of Hahnemann, was called out by one of the tribe. "Rather hard," said he, "to have to risk one's life for pointing out the impotence of an infinitesimal dose!"-" No great risk, surely!" rejoined Jules Janin, who was present at the discussion, "such a duel ought, of course, to represent the principles of homœopathic science-the hundredth part of a grain of gunpowder to the thousandth part a bullet!" of CORBIERES.-Monsieur de Corbières, Minister of the Interior, under the Restoration of the Bourbons, having risen from the humbler ranks of life, and frequented only the society of the middle classes, was, though an able man, naturally ignorant of a thousand minor points of etiquette which emigrated, with the Royal family, from Versailles to Hartwell, and returned with them from Hartwell to the Tuileries. The Breton lawyer was, consequently, perpetually committing himself by lapses of politeness, which afforded much laughter to the King and court. But his ready wit never failed to get him out of the scrape. One day, while submitting some important plans to Louis XVIII., so pre-occupied was he by the subject under discussion, that, after taking a pinch of snuff, he placed his suuff-box on the table among the paper; and, immediately afterwards, laid his pocket-handkerchief by its side. "You seem to be emptying your pockets, Monsieur de Corbières," remonstrated the king, with offended dignity. "A fault on the right side on the part of a minister, sire!" was the ready retort. "I should be far more sorry if your majesty had accused me of filling them!" 443 A HISTORY OF TENNIS. BY EDWARD JESSE, 66 If history may be considered as the key to the knowledge of human actions, so may our national sports be found to illustrate, in some degree, the character of the people of this country. In the earlier histories of it, there can be no doubt that much low buffoonery, as well as rude games, were practised, and even rewarded by persons of high rank. Indeed, ancient records are still in existence which will serve to prove that lands were held by royal charters, under such conditions and for such feats as, in the present day, would scarcely be heard of in the purlieus of St. Giles'. In searching some of these early records we shall find that many of our kings amused themselves in a way which was not thought unworthy of their regal dignity. Thus, among the private expenses of Edward the Second, there is a charge of twenty shillings as paid at the lodge in Wolmer Forest to Morris Ken, when the King was stag-hunting there, because he amused his Majesty by often falling from his horse," at which the King laughed exceedingly." He also gave a sum of money with his own hands to James de St. Albans, his painter, because "he danced before the King upon a table, and made him laugh heartily." Bear and bull-baiting, as well as dog and cock-fighting, were considered as royal sports, and ladies of the highest rank frequented these barbarous exhibitions, which were occasionally varied by hawking, archery, racing and wrestling. Even in later days, we find Sir Richard Steele, in the 134th number of "The Tatler," reprobating the cruelty practised on animals in the sports at the bear-gardens; and others are detailed by Strutt, in his "Sports and Pastimes," of the people of England, which show but little sympathy for the sufferings of animals, Of all games, however, ball-play appears to have been one of the earliest, and to have continued in vogue to the present time. Herodotus attributed the invention to the Lydians, and Homer restricted this pastime to the maidens of Corcyra. Ball-play was a fashionable game in France from the earliest times, and in England we had bowling-alleys and bowling-greens, as well as football, at least as long ago as the reign of Henry the Second. Coles, in his Dictionary, mentions the ball-money, which, he says, was given by a new bride to her old play-fellows; and Bourne informs us, on the authority of Belithus, a ritualist, that in ancient times it was customary in some churches for the bishops and archbishops to play with the inferior clergy at hand-ball, even on Easter-day. During the Easter holidays also hand-ball was played for a tanzy-cake.* Fives, probably, came into vogue in more recent times. Mr. * See Selden's "Tabletalk on Christmas." Nichols, in his "Progresses of Queen Elizabeth," vol. ii. p. 19, informs us, that "when that Queen was entertained at Elvetham, in Hampshire, by the Earl of Hertford, after dinner, about three o'clock, ten of his lordship's servants, all Somersetshire men, in a square green court before her Majesty's windowe, did hang up lines, squaring out the forme of a tennis-court, and making a crossline in the middle; in this square they (being stript out of their doublets) played five to five with hand-ball at bord and cord, as they terme it, to the great liking of her Highness." It is difficult to fix the time when tennis was first introduced. When it was so, it was probably a very different game to what we see it at present. Indeed the very appellation of it in the French language (la paume) would serve to prove that the ball was originally struck with the naked hand. Thick gloves were afterwards in use, to defend it, and at a later period cords or tendons were fastened round the hand in order to enable the player to give a greater impulse to the ball. The racket was finally introduced, telle," says Pasquier, "que nous voyons aujourd'hui en laissant la sophistiquerie de Gand." This anecdote tends to fix the date of modern tennis. Pasquier was born in 1528, and supposing the fact to have been communicated to him when he was about twenty, by an informant of seventy-six, the result will lead us to ascribe the invention of the racket to a period not many years antecedent or subsequent to 1500. Shakspeare, in a celebrated passage in his historical play of Henry the Fifth, may have led some of our readers to suppose that the terms now used at tennis must have been about a century older than the date above assigned to them. In the answer which the hero of Agincourt gives to the ambassadors who brought him a tun of balls from the dauphin, Shakspeare makes him say "When we have match'd our rackets to these balls, Shall strike his father's crown into the hazard. Tell him he hath made a match with such a wrangler, Holinshed, however, who furnished Shakspeare with some of his historical details, simply relates that the ambassadors "brought with them a barrell of Paris balles, which from their mayster they presented to him for a token that was taken in verie ill part, as sent in scorn to signifie that it was more meet for the King to pass the time with such childish exercise than to attempt any worthie exploit. Wherefore the King wrote to him, that yer long he would tosse him some London balles that perchance would shake the walles of the best court in France.” Thus it would appear, that of the technical phrases used by Shakspeare, Holinshed only supplied him with the term court. These Paris balls are by Caxton, in his Continuation of Higden's "Polycronion," printed in 1842, called "tenyse balles," that term, though apparently unknown in France, having at this early period been brought into use in England. Whatever, however, the antiquity of the game may have been, it is certain that the adoption of the racket gave rise to various other improvements, till at last it has settled into the present interesting, and it may be added, scientific mode of playing the game, and from which, most probably, there will be no deviation. Tennis may with truth be said to combine a portion of the excellence and beauty of all other games of manual skill, while at the same time there is, perhaps, no game in which a man can more readily exhibit a combination of strength, skill and activity, as well as of peseverance and adroitness. Those only who understand the game can form an idea of the fascination of it, or the extreme interest produced by it when a fine match has been played in the tennis courts of Paris or London. Nor has the game been confined to the male sex. St. Foix, in his "Essai historique sur Paris," vol. i. p. 160, says, that there was a damsel named Margot, who resided in Paris in 1424, who played at handtennis with the palm, and also with the back of her hand, better than any man, and, what is most surprising, adds the author, at that time the game was played with a naked hand, or at best, with a double glove. She must have been a sort of Joan of Arc of tennis, and was contemporary with that heroine. According to Pasquier, Margot was a native of Hainault, and went to Paris in 1421, where she played " de l'avant train et de l'arrière très habilement." James the First, if not himself a tennis-player, speaks of the pastime with commendation, and recommends it to his son as a species of exercise becoming a prince, and it became in consequence a favourite game with Henry Prince of Wales, the Marcellus of his age. Codrington, in his life of Robert Earl of Essex, the prince's early companion, mentions, that Lord Essex, in a passion on being called the son of a traitor, struck the prince with his racket, so as to draw blood. The King on hearing it sent for Lord Essex, but, on being made acquainted with the real circumstance of the affair, dismissed him unpunished. Charles the First certainly played at tennis the day before he finally quitted Hampton Court, and Charles the Second was a constant player at the same place, and had particular kinds of dresses made for the purpose. The tennis court at Hampton Court was built, as already stated, by Cardinal Wolsey, and it is, we believe, allowed to be the most perfect one in Europe. The fine polish of the stone floor is only to be acquired by age, and the proportions of the court are known to be very exact. The following is a list of the tennis courts in England: In London, 2-one in James's Street, Haymarket, the other at Lord's Cricket-ground; Hampton Court, 1; Oxford, 2; Cambridge, 1; Strathfieldsaye, 1; Hatfield, 1; Woburn, 1; Lord Craven, 1; Theobald's, 1; Brighton, 1; Leamington, 1; Goodwood, 1; Petworth, 1;-total 15. It may be remarked, that neither Ireland nor Scotland can boast of possessing a tennis court, and we believe that there are not more than four or five on the Continent. In the year 1821 a tennis Club was formed in London, consisting of fifty-eight members; amongst others, were the late Duke of York, the Duke of Argyle, Lords Anglesey, Jersey, Thanet, &c.; and of which, by the way, the late Duke of Wellington was an honorary member. During the existence of this club, many interesting matches were played, and most of the eminent French tennis players came over to this country to join in these matches. That the French excel us at this game cannot be doubted, although, at the period referred to, one Englishman, Philip Cox, had greatly distinguished himself. As far as the records of tennis are known to us, he was the first who could boast of having beaten the best French player of his day without receiving any odds. This player was Amédée Charier. Two public matches were played between him and Cox. The first was sharply contested, and Cox won by only the odd set in five. The other match was for three sets only, of which Cox won the first two. In June 1823 a fine match was played. Cox and Marquisio, of whom an account will presently be given, against Barre and Louis, both fine French players, no odds being given on either side. The first two sets were set and set. They then agreed to play a third in order to decide the match, but this arriving at games all, they recommenced the set, which, after a hard contest, was won by Cox and Marquisio. It should be mentioned, that Barre was then considered as a most promising young player, and is now, most certainly, the best tennis-player in Europe. The following year the same match was played, and won by Barre and Louis, the latter at that time certainly but little inferior to Barre, perhaps only half-fifteen, or, at the most, fifteen. One of the finest French players at this time in England was Barcellon. Whether we consider him as unrivalled as a teacher of the science of tennis, or recollect his unrivalled performances in the tennis-court in James's Street, Haymarket, we cannot but look upon him as a master of the art. It was in this court that we once saw him play a match with Monsieur, afterwards Charles the Tenth, giving high odds; nor can we forget the pleasure and surprize with which we witnessed his performance. This justly celebrated French player died of cholera at Paris in the eightieth year of his age. His long residence in this country, embracing the greater part of the French revolutionary war, and continuing, with but a short interruption, up to the period of the return of Louis the Eighteenth to Paris in the year 1814. His celebrity as a player, and his almost daily exhibitions in James's Street, with almost every amateur of the day, would entitle him to a short notice from us. At Barcellon was a native of Montpellier. He had a swarthy complexion, with fine dark eyes. His form was slender, but well proportioned, and his height about five feet eight inches. the age of twenty, and about the year 1769, he first came over to this country, having been backed to give John Mucklow, a fine English player, then eighteen years of age, half thirty. This match, high as were the odds, ended in favour of Barcellon. Be |