Cricket 1893

138 CRICKET; A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. MAY 18, 1893 W.G. AS A SOLAR MYTH . B y E dmund B. Y. C hristian . (Fragment of a lecture by the Professor of Ancient History at the Universty of Hokitika, New Zealand, A.P. 3300). “ Gentlemen,—The unceasing wars and con­ vulsions of society which at the end of the twentieth century devastated the industrial centres of Northern Europe, and resulted in the ultimate extinction of the English race, were unexampled for ferocity and destructive­ ness. The fate of the British power, induced by internal divisions and jealousies, would in any circumstances have been a deplorable and remarkable event in the history of the world> but the destruction of all books, and even, we may say, of English literature, in the fierce “ Anti-over-Education riots ” was a loss even more disastrous. Fitz-Wolseley, this military “ saviourof society,” whoroseto powerupon the ruins of the tyrannous socialistic regime, and dissolved the four rival parliaments of Great Britain,might have rescued some,at least,ofthe libraries from the popular fury of destruction, but war with Russia and France, following on exhausting civil disturbances, resulted in his overthrow, and English literature remains only in fragments such as we possess of the writings of the earlier Greek and Homan worlds. It is, therefore, with difficulty that we obtain any information of the social life and amusements of the old English race. The horse and the ball provided their chief diversions. Football, an ancient game, was so popular that it resulted, under the enfeebled parliaments, in popular commotions, and was suppressed. Cricket, now unknown, but then an even more popular game, appears to have been played with a ball, and eight, or as some writers say, twelve sticks, of various sizes, some of which were inserted in the ground while others were used as weapons.................. Among the records of this game is much that is legendary, much that seems to us absurd. It is strange that so late in the world’shistory we find traces of legend and myth, but it is certain that much that is recorded, in such fragments aswe possess, in respect of popular heroes, is romance. In all references to this game of cricket we find accounts of a legen­ dary being, called by various and conflicting titles, whose deeds are sometimes narrated in detail, but who never in fact lived. It will be demonstrated that this being, calledin turn “ Grace,” “ the Doctor,” “ the Leviathan,” “ the Champion,” “ the Gloucestershire Cap­ tain,” “ The Old’Un,” “ The Big’Un,” and by many other names, was no other than that origin of so many primitive myths, the Sun. Remember, gentlemen, that the first rule of evidence in the examination of a myth is to reject the plain and obvious meaning of words and to seek the inner, hidden significance. Now a man cannot be a doctor and a leviathan. The use of such picturesque imagery as this latter title, applied to a man, would be incredible so late in the world’s his­ tory. Even if we allow that some one cricketer achieved exceptional success in the game, no rational being could suppose him to, have actually possessed all the qualities attributed to him in the legends. He might have been gradually invested with a reputa­ tion, and credited with exploits passing the attainments of ordinary men. But no man, however gifted, could have answered to all the descriptions given this fabled player. It is necessary to look far beyond the limitations of human faculties for that. And to no material object does the primitive man turn so easily as to the Sun. Let us see, then, gentlemen, whether the various descriptions of “ Grace” apply to the great orb of the heavens. To call the Sun “ The Doctor” is, of course, natural. The sun i 6 the health and life giver; so the doctor is present at our birth, and heals our ailments. The feeble are sent to sunny climes. The invalid is confined to the sunniest of rooms. It is not a metaphor, but a literal statement of fact, to call the sun a doctor. But then ‘ Grace,” it is said, is “ quick as lightning on the ball.” Now, the earliest races of man­ kind thought the earth a huge, stationary plain. To them it was the sun which seemed to travel over and ruend the earth, and how rapidly they could easily imagine. In twenty-four hours it circled the wide world. But “ on the ball ” : here is an indication of wider knowledge such as doubtless distin­ guished the English people from more primitive races. The “ ball ” is of course the earth. It had been discovered that the earth was round, though not that it rotated It was on this globe, this “ terrestrial ball ” that the sun’s rays fell, and across it they travelled “ quick as lightning.” The ex­ pression is now clear. So far, then, the sun answers to the descriptions. Nor doeB the term “ The Leviathan,” present any difficulty. In scriptural phrase, the word indicates “ the crocodile.” In Milton it is a huge animal “ stretch’d like a promontory.” The epithet was applied to the sea-serpent, another fabled being much discussed in the era we are considering. Generally the word had come to mean only any abnormally big thing or being. The sun seemed to our ancestors in size to far out-vie the distant stars. Hence this epithet of bigness was applied to it. It was apparently as large, as it was obviously the “ doctor,” the healer, and rapid in motion. The “ Big ’Un ” is only another form of the same term. “ The Champion ” is an admiring variant of the same epithet; implying also, perhaps, a sense of instinctive dread of the then im­ pending Ice Age, which has since returned upon those once populous realms, and a sense of trust in the sun as the only defence. “ The Old’Un” explains itself. Morning wore to eveniDg, day followed day, but never in the memory of man had there been no sun. It was older than the oldest things on earth. So far, at least, the sun is evidently the object described. Now as to “ W. G.” : not only does the sun give health, but wealth. By its action, crops ripen and harvest smiles, and all the material universe has its well- ‘being. Hence it is the wealth-giver—the ‘ W.G.” There is more difficulty in the quaint phrase, “ The Gloucestershire capain.” Why was Gloucestershire honoured more than the other shires ? At so distant a time we cannot te)l. But we know that the English people applied territorial titles to their great men. The records of our nation show that, while still a colony, it was governed by pro­ consuls thus designated—the Farl of Ramsgate and Margate, the Marquis of Marylebone, and so forth. Other legendary heroes were endowed with local habitations, e.g., Guy of Warwick. Hence it may have happened that in course of time, Gloucester shire—doubtless a health resort, boasting a sunny climate—claimed a greater share of sunshine than other places, and the sun was invoked somewhat as a territorial leader, or patron saint, and became its leader, its “ captain.” The only epithet we have not considered is the one most often used—“ Grace ; ” and it presents some difficulty. Now “ grace,” though not themost obvious quality of the sun is one which would naturally be applied to it by amind just beginning to reflect. Grace is the outward expression of perfect health, it is the antithesis of disease. And as we derive health from the sun, the sun is really the grace giver. Again : grace is the attribute of Majesty, the sign of perfect strength ; it was the possession of all the heroes of antiquity. In this sense it is not inappropriate to the sun. And the sun gives grace, not to man only, but to inanimate things. The beauty of a landscape is enhanced by its light playing among the leaves, and investing things beau­ tiful in themselves with a golden mist which doubles their loveliness. The fields w’here cricket was played, melancholy enough in a wet season, became beautiful and full of grace when brightened by the sun. In the frag­ ments of Shakespeare whioh we possess, we find the term used in a passage which obviously refers to the sun, “ See what a grace was seated on this brow ; Hyperion’s curls, the front of Jovehimself.” Here the sunbeams are pictured as hair, the bright “ curls.” But it is possible that a different explanation should be given. Students are aware that only a short time prior to the era of this fancied cricketer Calvnistic theology had impressed the word “ grace ” upon the English mind. “ Grace,” is a charming sound ” : it was the favourite theme of certain theologians. So the sunmay have had the quality imputed to it, as men always give to the gods they create the qualities they adm ire............................... Wre see, therefore, that the qualities pre­ dicated of this being could not be possessed by a man, and could easily and properly be ascribed to the sun. And confirmation of our theory is found in a fragmentary passage which has survived the general destruction of English literature. It purports to le a detailed description of this strangebeing’s per­ sonal appearance !—detailed as were the narra­ tives given by contemporaries of encounters with the mythical sea-monster, or sea-serpent, which, as one of their own poets says—“ which never was on sea or shore.” In it* “ the champion ” is pictured as “ an enormous man with both elbows out, great clack beard blowing on each side of him, and a huge yellow cap on the top of a daik, swarthy face.” Now to call an enormous bearded man in a yellow cap “ a grace” is absurd ; this plainly refers not to a man but to the setting sun. He is “ enormous” because the eye can rest on the sun in its decline, while it cannot appre­ ciate its size at noon because it cannot look on its meridional splendour. The phrase “ with both elbows out" refers to its lateral rays— a curious conception. The “ black beard” means the black clouds which often gather round the sun at evening, looking doubly black against the golden sky. Tbis golden sky, above the sun itself, is the “ large yellow cap ” which is spoken of ; while the “ dark swarthy face ” describes the aspect of the sun, passing, from red to a shade betweenblackandcrimson as the night mists gather in front of it. It may be considered strange that the sun should be supposed to have participated in a game. But we know that it was popularly supposed to dance once a year. Probably, however, the real meaning to be gathered is that the sun could affect this game of cricket more than the skill of any human player. It is obvious that the action of a ball thrown on a wet ground will be very different from that of one thrown on a soil dried and hardened by the sun. Hence, doubtless, the sun had the greatest share in determining the fortunes of the game, which varied with the incidence of the weather. Though cricket is now extinct, we know from our experience of other games that this would be to. Generally the sun helped the batsman, who could rely more surely on the action of the ball on a dry ground. Hence the Sun, or “ Grace,” was the “ greatest batsman the game ever pro­ duced,” and it is easy to see how to the primi­ tive mind he seemed actually to take part in the game. In the same way various baleful influences were attributed to the moon, and in Ireland at this time the “ Man in the Moon ” was the supposed author of numerous crimes. . . . It was only in England’s last great struggle for existence that the game of cricket died out. When our celebrated explorer, Captain Cook- son, paid the visit to England so strangely foretold by Macaulay, and made >he sketch of the ruins of St. Paul’s which decorates the walls of all our public buildings, he found two French boys playing a debased form of cricket in the open space before the ruined cathedral. They had learned the game, they said, from the last survivor of the English race. * “ Cricket,” Badm inton Library, p. 173.