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IN THE DAYS OF OLIVER CROMWELL. Why Racing Was Once Before the Present Time Prohibited in England. The present ban on racing has caused sonic of tiios ■ steeped in historic lore to compare the action of the government with that of Cromwell in the seventeenth deatary, win n an instruction was issued prohibiting horse races, a writer ill the "Kvening Btaadard," however, points out that the cases are not exactly analogous. At the tine Charles !i. — then Prince Charles was raising anus an.l treasare in Sweden and Denmark, and also taking measures to bring about a g. n-ral royalist rising. It was known to Cromwell that Fairfax and other north coaatiy geatleaaea had lost confidence in the justice of the Parliamentary eaase after the tragical end el Charles I., an.l he feared they would join the royal standard as soon as Charles II. marched across the Tweed. The pro bibitloa of horse races was thus designed, in the first instance, to prevent royalists meeting and discussing the projected invasion. It would se--m that, notwithstanding the councils letter of in sti.iction to the sheriffs race meeting-i continued i i be in hi in rartoaa parts of the country. Action Taken Uneasily, It Would seem that Cromwell felt a little nn--asy in his mini concerning the suppression of race meetiaga. for later in tic year he proceeded to viu ilieate his actiaa in his historical Declar.it ion in Council. It is well to bear in mind that at this period Croat we B rated as Lord Protector without a Parliament and hence he waa most anxious to con vince the r.ew ly -ei-i ted an.l rather hostile members of tin- "New Model" that tin ir enemies, the royalists, wen- "r. solved to rise at the horse races. Where tiny and their servants would come well hoi-sod an! armed, but were prevented by the prohibition of horse races." Apparently bene racteg was not seot-hed in 1BU7, for in that year an act of Parliament was passed for punishing persons "who live at high rates and have no estate or calling answerable thereto and make it their livelihood to cheat the young gentry an.l others." By the same a. t it was ordained that all p-rsoas. who gained money at cards, dice, tennis, bowls, cock fighting or horse races, shall forfeit double the money gained, one half going to the Lord Pre lector and the other half to the loser. London gutting Life.
