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has fubftituted another, copied indeed from a contemporary writer, but still not illustrative of the paffage in queftion. I fhall beg leave then to prefent the reader with fome others, from which it will appear, that the quintain was a military exercife in Shakspeare's time, and not a mere ruftic fport, as Mr. Malone imagines.

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No. 1. is copied from an initial letter in an Italian book printed in 1560. Here is the figure of a man placed upon the trunk of a tree, holding in one hand a fhield, in the other a bag of fand. No. 2. is the Saracen quintain from Pluvinel inftruction du Roi Louis XIII. dans l'exercife de monter à cheval. This fort of quintain, according to Meneftrier, was invented by the Germans, who, from their frequent wars with the Turks, accustomed their foldiers to point their lances against the figure of their enemy. The skill confifted in fhivering the lance to pieces, by ftriking it against the head of the man, for if it touched the fhield, the figure turned round and generally ftruck the horseman a violent blow with his fword. No. 3. is the Flemish quintain, copied from a print after Wouvermans; it is called La bague Flamande, from the ring which the figure holds in his right hand and here the object was to take away the

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ring with the point of the lance, for if it ftruck any other part, the man turned round and hit the rider with his fand-bag. This is a mixture of the quintain and running at the ring, which two fports have been fome how or other in like manner confounded by the Italians, who fometimes exprefs the running at the ring by correre alla quintana. The principle of all these was the fame, viz. to avoid the blow of the fword or fand-bag, by ftriking the quintain in a particular place.

It might have been expected that fome inftance had been given of the ufe of the quintains in England; and for want of it an objection may be taken to this method of illuftrating the prefent fubject: but let it be remembered, that Shakspeare has indifcriminately blended the ufages of all nations; that he has oftentimes availed himself of hearsay evidence; and again, that as our manners and cuftoms have at all times been borrowed from the French and other nations, there is every reafon to infer that this fpecies of the quintain had found its way into England. It is hardly. needful to add, that a knowledge of very many of our ancient sports and domeftic employments not now to be attained. Hiftorians have contented themselves to record the vices of kings and princes, and the minutie of battles and fieges; and with very few exceptions, they have Conndered the difcuffion of private manners (a theme perhaps equally interefting to pofterity) as beneath their notice and of little or no importance.

As a military sport or exercife, the ufe of the quintain is very ancient, and may be traced even among the Romans. It is mentioned in Juftinian's Code, Lib. III. Tit. 43; and its most probable etymology is. from "Quintus," the name of its inventor. In the days of chivalry it

was the fubftitute or rehea: fal of tilts and tournaments, and was at length adopted, though in a ruder way, by the common people, bɛcoming amongst them a very favourite amufement. Many inftances occur of its ufe in feveral parts of France, particularly as a feignorial right exacted from millers, watermen, new-married men, and others; when the party was obliged, under fome penalty, to run at the quintain on Whitfunday and other particular times, at the lord's caftle for his diverfion. Sometimes it was practifed upon the water, and then the quintain was either placed in a boat, or erected in the middle of the river. Some thing of this kind is defcribed from Fitzftephen by Stowe in his Survey, p. 143, edit. 1618, 4to. and ftill continues to be practifed upon the Seine at Paris. Froiffart mentions, that the shield quintain was used in Ireland in the reign of Richard II. In Wales it is ftill practifed at weddings, and at the village of Offham, near Town Malling in Kent, there is now ftanding a quintain, refembling that copied from Stowe, oppofite the dwelling houfe of a family that is obliged under fome tenure to fupport it, but I do not find that any ufe has been ever made of it within the recollection of the inhabitants.

Shakspeare then has most probably alluded to that fort of quintain which refembled the human figure; and if this be the cafe, the speech of Orlando may be thus explained: "I am unable to thank you; for furprized and fubdued by love, my intellectual powers, which are my better

parts,

parts, fail me; and I refemble the quintain, whofe human or active part being thrown down, there remains nothing but the lifeless trunk or block which once upheld it."

Or, if better parts do not refer to the quintain," that which here ftands up" means the buman part of the quintain, which may be also not paptly called a lifeless block. Dovca.

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