THE
PT;ThRITL. VOL . X .
FEBRUARY, 189o .
No . 84.
HERODOTUS IN THE NORTH WEST. (Continued.) ND in other things they seem to the Gauls to be foolish . For they love {airplay and sympathize with the weaker side, and have great respect for the women among them, giving them much freedom and power, so much so that many endure to see the wife rule the household and yet complain not . They also love' to wash, and they bathe in cold water, and live in the open air, employing their time even up to midwinter in many ridiculous out-door games. These they profess to have invented for the sake of amusement, but the Gauls say it is to encourage and stimulate their anger and passions—for among them manly skill and brute force are synonymous . Chief among the summer games is the following : they erect small sticks at either en1 of a level piece of ground, at which two men stand with clubs of wood ; the others spread themselves over the field, and seek either by fraud to hit the sticks with a heavy leather ball, or else by violent throwing to lame, or otherwise maim the club carriers ; but they seek to strike the leather far away and , while the others pursue, run speedily between the sticks until either the sticks are knocked down, or the runner injured and rendered incapable of continuing . Of the object of this running, or how the game is concluded, the Gauls could tell me nothing ; but they say that a man skilled with the club will sometimes run nearly three days without ceasing . In the winter they mark out a square piece of ground, and at either end fix two posts bearing a cross bar . This game is exceedingly brutal . The players divide into equal numbers and endeavour either to carry the ball behind the posts, or to kick it over the bar . Some do this by putting their heads together in a crowd and
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