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Science, Art, And The Drama.
Science , Art , and the Drama .
DICE AND DOLASSES .
Few of those who toss the dice in the once favourite game of backgammon , remember they are playing a game , at least , 3000 years old , and that the dice they use are of fabulous antiquity . Apollo taught their use to Hermes , who , afterwards , presided over the game ; but these Greek gods probably brought their knowledge from Egypt , where dice , and , it is said , even loaded ones have been found in very ancient tombs . They were
known also in Babylon and Chaldea , whilst in Rome gaming with dice seems to have been universal . The Roman emperors and the nobles played for hig h stakes , but even the austere Cato did not condemn the use of dice as an amusement . The Romans had two sorts of dice , one like those in present use , which were called tessera" , the numbers upon which were written in Roman numerals ; and the other tali , which were oblong , and only
numbered on four sides . A game , somewhat similar to backgammon , was played with four tali and 15 counters on each side ; the counters were moved according to the throws of the tali . The best throw was called venus , when all four tali presented different numbers ; and the worst four aces called cam ' s . In the tali , the deuce and cinque were omitted . A fine specimen of a Roman talus , with markings in double circles , the six being at the end ,
was found in the old Roman Bath at Bath , and with some dice boxes may now be seen in the Pump Room in that city . Etruscan tombs have yielded dice , one set of which has become famous . The numbers upon these dice , instead of being the ordinary numerals from one to six , were written in Greek letters . In these , Canon Taylor hoped to find a clue to the lost Etruscan language . The Etruscans , like the Romans , used an alphabet
derived from the old Greek one , but their language had no resemblance to _ Greek or Latin , or any known tongue ; and the few inscriptions they have left , being chiefly monumental , have been puzzles to antiquaries and philologists . The dice , upon which Canon Taylor expended much research , would , of course , give the Etruscan numerals up to six , but the difficulty was to ascertain with certainty which
of the numbers was denoted by any one ol the words . The reconstruction of a language from such very scanty materials is a task of even greater difficulty than Owen ' s famous reproduction of the moa from a single thighbone . Happily , the unexpected discovery of a bilingual inscription on the wrapping of an Egyptian mummy in the museum at Agram will probably greatly facilitate the desired result . The use of dice is very evidently
derived from that universal form cf divination—the casting of lots . " The lot , " says the author of the Book of Proverbs , " is cast into the lap ; but the whole disposing thereof is ol the Lord , " and this belief of the Hebrew race is shared by all mankind , whether savage or civilised . The medicineman in South Africa traces the dolasses of his clients , and prophesies by the way they fall , in which direction strayed cattle must be sought , or where
the thief may be found , or the witch who has caused disease or death . The dolasses used for this purpose among the Kaffirs and Hottentots are not dice , but , perhaps , the earliest of all divining implements—knuckle ' oneswhich , under the name of " astragali , " were used for much the same purpose throughout Europe in Roman times , and are consigned in a state of survival to the games of children who still play " dibs" by tossing
knucklebones , although without any idea of their ancient use in divination . This game , or one very similar , is illustrated in a terra-cotta group of girls among the Greek and Roman antiquities in the British Museum . But among the Mashonas a different kind of dolasses is used , somewhat resembling the Roman Tali ; like them , they are oblong , and consist of four to the set . These are not numbtred , but carved in knots and scrolls of different kinds , one especial pattern being a sort of conventional lizard
, consisting of parallel zigzag lines , which , perhaps , may have some connection with rain , as parallel wavtd lines were used to symbolise water in M D hieroglyphs , and are still so used among the American Indians . Mr . Bent , who describes and figures the dolasses of the Mashonas in his book on The Ruined Cities of Mashonahnd , says : "On the evening of the new moon they will seat themselves in a circle , and the village witch doctor will go round , tossing each man ' s set of dolasses in the air , and by the way ( hey turn up he will divine the fortune of the owner for the month . " ( To be continued . )
SIR FRANCIS CRANE . —TAPESTRY AT HAMPTON COURT .
•t I acknowledgment from King Charles in the first year of his reign that he owes , £ 6000 to Sir Francis Crane for tapestry : Francisco Crane , militi A . D . 1625 . For three suits of gold tapestry , for our use we stand indebted to Sir Francis Crane for £ 6000 . Granted to him ? h" £ ' " Uv of -dT'ooo . To Sir Francis Crane also allowed £ 2000 yearly for tne better maintenance of the said works of tapestries , for ten years to come . It is plain b y this deed that the manufacture was then arrived at Mrai
peilection . Another suit of hangings , executed at the same place , and r . presenting the Five Senses , was in the palace at Oatlands ; they were hpa ,, " r id •£ z 7 ° - At Ham P ' Court are some of the cartoons . The Deautiiul hangings at Lord Oxford ' s at Houghton , containing whole lengths hJric » James ' S Charles , their queens , and the King of Denmark , with <\> ttL l t h V ° y children in the borders were in all probability the
pro-IIWTIV ame manufacture . Williams , Archbishop of York and Knole ic ' - ' r SJr Francis Crane ^ 2 5 °° for lhe I 7 ° " Seasons . At Irairc „ V v P "; , of the same tapestry , wrought in silk , containing the pornam » 1 Vand y <* and Sir Francis himself . Mrs . Markham , whose m liden trah ;„ ? ane ' a Ascendant of Sir Francis , has a half-length por-. iT ' .. i ta Pestry of her ancestor , with the collar of St . George Ever his
and rh / n as also a P'dure , in the same manufacture , of St . George suit of rT / 380 " - r At Lord "Chester ' s , at Redlinch , in Somersetshire , is a in enmn , . glngs ~ lhis manufacture . They represent the 12 months desisn-Ju , ul - ' !' here are man V more sets of the same represent * a . re of the court of Francis I ., and one of the months Francis Pr ,. ? K enl , eman and lady riding together to hiwk . appears inhf' w > . was lhe last lay Chancellor of the Order of the Garter , Wears to have had an enternrUmcr mm , l fnr . nA ^ tu- „ ,. — , „„ ~ r in- I £ ¦¦ nit unntc ui iuitf
, JalTlcS I Qn / I * ¦"'» •"" - •1 *»¦»* IMIMW ; wan ^ . Buckingham l ncoura K . by the Prince of Wales and Vill ' . ers , Marquis of scale at Mort ' iab ? s , abllsned a manufactory of tapestry on an extensive to have bepn If . ' '" burre y- But the extent of patronage does not appear 0 ' "y means adequate to the magnitude of the undertaking .
Science, Art, And The Drama.
For , in a letter written to the King by Sir Francis , he complains of the Royal negligence ; of the non-payment of large sums he had expended for the Marquis ; of ^ 300 , besides carriage , paid for certain drawings , as designs for tapestry , made for Pope Leo X ., the subject—the 12 months in the year—by Raphael d'Urbino . And he further states that his disbursements in the concern had exceeded upwards of - £ 16 , 000 , of which , in
return , he had received no more than . £ 2500 , and both his estate and credit were so far exhausted that without further support he should be unable to continue the business one month longer . The Royal bounty expected , however , was not extended , and the trade , consequently unsupported , soon fell into decay . He died , according to the record on his monument in the
church of Stoke Bruerne , in Northamptonshire , in the 82 nd year of his age , A . D . 1703 . At the Park in this place , an estate which he had received in consideration of money due to him from the Crown , he built a house upon a plan which he had procured from Italy . The building was spacious enough to receive a visit from Charles I ., his Queen , and courtiers .
THE LONDON OF TO-DAY . London never looked brighter than at fhe present time . While they have been going mad and dying under the scourge of heat waves in America , New York suffering even more severely than Chicago , London has been basking in the genial sunshine of a pleasant summer . Flowers in the parks and in the window-boxes of the West End houses , the leafy planes along the Embankment , the show of roses in the Temple Gardens ,
the gay colours of the horticultural beds in the squares , the bright baskets at the circuses , the glory of Kew and Hampton Court , the gaiety of Henley and Ranelagh , have rarely been excelled in any other season . It is true enough , and sad enough , that the shadow of the war falls across the path of fashion , and that the symbol of crape is common among the middle classes , but London makes a brave stand against the inevitable . As for the
young men of London , you will find them in the cricket field , at tennis , playing golf , boating on the river , and soldiering . At a Saturday inspection of Volunteers you may see Sooo or 10 , 000 of them on parade , as well set-up and lively fellows as you could meet anywhere . War is a terrible thing , but the Boer War , which the Brussel De Wet boasts a good thing , because , in his opinion , " it has united the Boers and the Hollanders for ever , " may similarly be called a gocd thing for us , seeing that it has united Great
Britain and Greater Britain in the sacred bonds of a blood brotherhood , and taught us a lesson in modern warfare , the value of which cannot be overrated . For health , for the temperateness of its climate , for the cheerfulness of its inhabitants , for a high sense ot the duties of citizenship , for opportunities of cheap education and cultured entertainment , and for individual independence , London stands preeminent among the great cities of the world .
OPEN-AIR PLAYS . One pleasing result of the summer weather has been the success which has attended this season , the production of plays in the open air . Of these the most notable have been the performances given by Mr . Ben Greet ' s company in the London Botanic Gardens . The dwellers in the neighbourhood are to be congratulated upon the opportunities they have had of enjoying the representation of Shakespeare under the delightfully cool conditions . Artistically , the open-air play is scarcely to be defended ; but it makes a pleasant pastime and gives real pleasure to a large number- of people .
GENERAL NOTES . There is some possibility , it seems , that Mr . Tree's next Shaksperian production may be a revival of "The Tempest , " in which he would play Caliban , and in which , perhaps , Miss Viola Tree would be the Ariel . » * * » In the autumn season we are to have a new play at the Garrick , by Mr . Pinero , for which Miss Fay Davis is engaged .
•* * * The next novelty at the Court Theatre will be a play of modern life from the pen of Mr . Stuart Ogilvie .
Ad01102
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Science, Art, And The Drama.
Science , Art , and the Drama .
DICE AND DOLASSES .
Few of those who toss the dice in the once favourite game of backgammon , remember they are playing a game , at least , 3000 years old , and that the dice they use are of fabulous antiquity . Apollo taught their use to Hermes , who , afterwards , presided over the game ; but these Greek gods probably brought their knowledge from Egypt , where dice , and , it is said , even loaded ones have been found in very ancient tombs . They were
known also in Babylon and Chaldea , whilst in Rome gaming with dice seems to have been universal . The Roman emperors and the nobles played for hig h stakes , but even the austere Cato did not condemn the use of dice as an amusement . The Romans had two sorts of dice , one like those in present use , which were called tessera" , the numbers upon which were written in Roman numerals ; and the other tali , which were oblong , and only
numbered on four sides . A game , somewhat similar to backgammon , was played with four tali and 15 counters on each side ; the counters were moved according to the throws of the tali . The best throw was called venus , when all four tali presented different numbers ; and the worst four aces called cam ' s . In the tali , the deuce and cinque were omitted . A fine specimen of a Roman talus , with markings in double circles , the six being at the end ,
was found in the old Roman Bath at Bath , and with some dice boxes may now be seen in the Pump Room in that city . Etruscan tombs have yielded dice , one set of which has become famous . The numbers upon these dice , instead of being the ordinary numerals from one to six , were written in Greek letters . In these , Canon Taylor hoped to find a clue to the lost Etruscan language . The Etruscans , like the Romans , used an alphabet
derived from the old Greek one , but their language had no resemblance to _ Greek or Latin , or any known tongue ; and the few inscriptions they have left , being chiefly monumental , have been puzzles to antiquaries and philologists . The dice , upon which Canon Taylor expended much research , would , of course , give the Etruscan numerals up to six , but the difficulty was to ascertain with certainty which
of the numbers was denoted by any one ol the words . The reconstruction of a language from such very scanty materials is a task of even greater difficulty than Owen ' s famous reproduction of the moa from a single thighbone . Happily , the unexpected discovery of a bilingual inscription on the wrapping of an Egyptian mummy in the museum at Agram will probably greatly facilitate the desired result . The use of dice is very evidently
derived from that universal form cf divination—the casting of lots . " The lot , " says the author of the Book of Proverbs , " is cast into the lap ; but the whole disposing thereof is ol the Lord , " and this belief of the Hebrew race is shared by all mankind , whether savage or civilised . The medicineman in South Africa traces the dolasses of his clients , and prophesies by the way they fall , in which direction strayed cattle must be sought , or where
the thief may be found , or the witch who has caused disease or death . The dolasses used for this purpose among the Kaffirs and Hottentots are not dice , but , perhaps , the earliest of all divining implements—knuckle ' oneswhich , under the name of " astragali , " were used for much the same purpose throughout Europe in Roman times , and are consigned in a state of survival to the games of children who still play " dibs" by tossing
knucklebones , although without any idea of their ancient use in divination . This game , or one very similar , is illustrated in a terra-cotta group of girls among the Greek and Roman antiquities in the British Museum . But among the Mashonas a different kind of dolasses is used , somewhat resembling the Roman Tali ; like them , they are oblong , and consist of four to the set . These are not numbtred , but carved in knots and scrolls of different kinds , one especial pattern being a sort of conventional lizard
, consisting of parallel zigzag lines , which , perhaps , may have some connection with rain , as parallel wavtd lines were used to symbolise water in M D hieroglyphs , and are still so used among the American Indians . Mr . Bent , who describes and figures the dolasses of the Mashonas in his book on The Ruined Cities of Mashonahnd , says : "On the evening of the new moon they will seat themselves in a circle , and the village witch doctor will go round , tossing each man ' s set of dolasses in the air , and by the way ( hey turn up he will divine the fortune of the owner for the month . " ( To be continued . )
SIR FRANCIS CRANE . —TAPESTRY AT HAMPTON COURT .
•t I acknowledgment from King Charles in the first year of his reign that he owes , £ 6000 to Sir Francis Crane for tapestry : Francisco Crane , militi A . D . 1625 . For three suits of gold tapestry , for our use we stand indebted to Sir Francis Crane for £ 6000 . Granted to him ? h" £ ' " Uv of -dT'ooo . To Sir Francis Crane also allowed £ 2000 yearly for tne better maintenance of the said works of tapestries , for ten years to come . It is plain b y this deed that the manufacture was then arrived at Mrai
peilection . Another suit of hangings , executed at the same place , and r . presenting the Five Senses , was in the palace at Oatlands ; they were hpa ,, " r id •£ z 7 ° - At Ham P ' Court are some of the cartoons . The Deautiiul hangings at Lord Oxford ' s at Houghton , containing whole lengths hJric » James ' S Charles , their queens , and the King of Denmark , with <\> ttL l t h V ° y children in the borders were in all probability the
pro-IIWTIV ame manufacture . Williams , Archbishop of York and Knole ic ' - ' r SJr Francis Crane ^ 2 5 °° for lhe I 7 ° " Seasons . At Irairc „ V v P "; , of the same tapestry , wrought in silk , containing the pornam » 1 Vand y <* and Sir Francis himself . Mrs . Markham , whose m liden trah ;„ ? ane ' a Ascendant of Sir Francis , has a half-length por-. iT ' .. i ta Pestry of her ancestor , with the collar of St . George Ever his
and rh / n as also a P'dure , in the same manufacture , of St . George suit of rT / 380 " - r At Lord "Chester ' s , at Redlinch , in Somersetshire , is a in enmn , . glngs ~ lhis manufacture . They represent the 12 months desisn-Ju , ul - ' !' here are man V more sets of the same represent * a . re of the court of Francis I ., and one of the months Francis Pr ,. ? K enl , eman and lady riding together to hiwk . appears inhf' w > . was lhe last lay Chancellor of the Order of the Garter , Wears to have had an enternrUmcr mm , l fnr . nA ^ tu- „ ,. — , „„ ~ r in- I £ ¦¦ nit unntc ui iuitf
, JalTlcS I Qn / I * ¦"'» •"" - •1 *»¦»* IMIMW ; wan ^ . Buckingham l ncoura K . by the Prince of Wales and Vill ' . ers , Marquis of scale at Mort ' iab ? s , abllsned a manufactory of tapestry on an extensive to have bepn If . ' '" burre y- But the extent of patronage does not appear 0 ' "y means adequate to the magnitude of the undertaking .
Science, Art, And The Drama.
For , in a letter written to the King by Sir Francis , he complains of the Royal negligence ; of the non-payment of large sums he had expended for the Marquis ; of ^ 300 , besides carriage , paid for certain drawings , as designs for tapestry , made for Pope Leo X ., the subject—the 12 months in the year—by Raphael d'Urbino . And he further states that his disbursements in the concern had exceeded upwards of - £ 16 , 000 , of which , in
return , he had received no more than . £ 2500 , and both his estate and credit were so far exhausted that without further support he should be unable to continue the business one month longer . The Royal bounty expected , however , was not extended , and the trade , consequently unsupported , soon fell into decay . He died , according to the record on his monument in the
church of Stoke Bruerne , in Northamptonshire , in the 82 nd year of his age , A . D . 1703 . At the Park in this place , an estate which he had received in consideration of money due to him from the Crown , he built a house upon a plan which he had procured from Italy . The building was spacious enough to receive a visit from Charles I ., his Queen , and courtiers .
THE LONDON OF TO-DAY . London never looked brighter than at fhe present time . While they have been going mad and dying under the scourge of heat waves in America , New York suffering even more severely than Chicago , London has been basking in the genial sunshine of a pleasant summer . Flowers in the parks and in the window-boxes of the West End houses , the leafy planes along the Embankment , the show of roses in the Temple Gardens ,
the gay colours of the horticultural beds in the squares , the bright baskets at the circuses , the glory of Kew and Hampton Court , the gaiety of Henley and Ranelagh , have rarely been excelled in any other season . It is true enough , and sad enough , that the shadow of the war falls across the path of fashion , and that the symbol of crape is common among the middle classes , but London makes a brave stand against the inevitable . As for the
young men of London , you will find them in the cricket field , at tennis , playing golf , boating on the river , and soldiering . At a Saturday inspection of Volunteers you may see Sooo or 10 , 000 of them on parade , as well set-up and lively fellows as you could meet anywhere . War is a terrible thing , but the Boer War , which the Brussel De Wet boasts a good thing , because , in his opinion , " it has united the Boers and the Hollanders for ever , " may similarly be called a gocd thing for us , seeing that it has united Great
Britain and Greater Britain in the sacred bonds of a blood brotherhood , and taught us a lesson in modern warfare , the value of which cannot be overrated . For health , for the temperateness of its climate , for the cheerfulness of its inhabitants , for a high sense ot the duties of citizenship , for opportunities of cheap education and cultured entertainment , and for individual independence , London stands preeminent among the great cities of the world .
OPEN-AIR PLAYS . One pleasing result of the summer weather has been the success which has attended this season , the production of plays in the open air . Of these the most notable have been the performances given by Mr . Ben Greet ' s company in the London Botanic Gardens . The dwellers in the neighbourhood are to be congratulated upon the opportunities they have had of enjoying the representation of Shakespeare under the delightfully cool conditions . Artistically , the open-air play is scarcely to be defended ; but it makes a pleasant pastime and gives real pleasure to a large number- of people .
GENERAL NOTES . There is some possibility , it seems , that Mr . Tree's next Shaksperian production may be a revival of "The Tempest , " in which he would play Caliban , and in which , perhaps , Miss Viola Tree would be the Ariel . » * * » In the autumn season we are to have a new play at the Garrick , by Mr . Pinero , for which Miss Fay Davis is engaged .
•* * * The next novelty at the Court Theatre will be a play of modern life from the pen of Mr . Stuart Ogilvie .
Ad01102
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