GAMES. If by the word are intended mere secular amusements which are the natural expres sion of vigorous hesdth and joyous feeling, fitted, if not designed, to promote health, hilarity, and friendly feeling, as well as to aid in the develop ment of the corporeal fmme, we must look to other quarters of the globe, rather than to Palestine, for their origin and encouragement. The Hebrew temperament was too deep, too earnest, too full of religious emotion, to give rise to games having a national and permanent character.
Games, however, are so natural to mart, especi ally in the period of childhood, that no nation has been or can be entirely without them. Accordingly a few traces are found in the early Hebrew history of at least private and childish diversions. The heat of the climate too in Syria would indispose the mature to more bodily exertion than the duties of life imposed, while the gravity which is charac teristic of the Oriental character might seem com promised by anything so light AS sports. Dignified ease therefore corresponds with the idea which we form of Oriental recreation. The father of the family sits at the door of his tent, or reclines on the housetop, or appears at the citygate, and there tranquilly enjoys repose, broken by conversation, under the light and amid the warmth of the bright and breezy heavens, in the cool of the retiring day, or before the sun has assumed his burning ardours (Dent. xvi. i4 ; Lam. v. 14). Even among the active Egyptians, whose games have been figured on their mural tablets, we find little which suggestF a comparison with the vigorous contests of the Grecian games. One of the most remarkable is the following (No. 256), shewing what appears to be play with the single-stick.
Zechariah (viii. 5) alludes to the sportiveness children in the streets as a sigm and consequence of that peace and prosperity which are so free from alarm that the young take their usual games, and are allowed entire liberty by their parents and the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof' (comp. Jer. xxx. 19). An interesting passage, illustrative of these street amusements, is found in Matt. xi. 16 This gene
ration is like unto children sitting in the markets and calling unto their fellows, We have piped unto you ancl ye have not danced, we have mourned unto you and ye have not lamented.' That the elegant amusement of playing with tamed and trained birds was not unusual may be learnt from Job xli. 5 Wilt thou play with him (leviathan) as with a bird ?' Commenting on Zech. xii. 3, Jerome mentions an amusement of the young, which we have seen practised in more than one part of the north of England. It is customary,' he says, in the cities of Palestine, and has been so from ancient times, to place up and down large stones to serve for exercise for the young, who, according in each case to their degree of strength, lift these stones, some as high as their knees, others to their middle, others above their heads, the hands been kept horizontal and joined under the stone.' Music, song, and dancing were recreations re served mostly for the young or for festive occasions. From Lam. v. 16, the crown is fallen from our head,' it might be inferred that, as among the Greeks and Latins, chaplets of flowers were some times worn during, festivity. To the amusements just mentioned frequent allusions are found in holy writ, among which may be given Ps. xxx. ; Jer. xxxi. 13 ; Luke xv. 25. In Is. xxx. 29, a passage is found which serves to shew how much of festi vity and mirth was mingled with religious obser vances; the journey on festival occasions up to Jerusalem was enlivened by music if not by dan cing :—` Ye shall liave a song as in the night when 2 holy solemnity is kept ; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the Lord, to the mighty one of Israel.' A passage occurs in Sam. ii. 14, which may indi cate the practice among the ancient Israelite.s of games somewhat similar to the jousts and tourna ments of the middle ages. On the subject of dancing sce Michaelis Wes. Reeht, art. 197). No trace is found• in Hebrew antiquity of any of the ordinary games of skill or hazard which are so nu merous in the western world.