[Illustration: CAPTAIN BARCLAY
_In his Walking dress._]
PEDESTRIANISM;
OR,
AN ACCOUNT
OF
The Performances of celebrated Pedestrians
DURING
_THE LAST AND PRESENT CENTURY_;
WITH A FULL NARRATIVE OF
Captain Barclay’s
PUBLIC AND PRIVATE MATCHES;
AND
AN ESSAY ON TRAINING.
BY THE
AUTHOR OF THE HISTORY OF ABERDEEN,
_&c. &c. &c._
ABERDEEN:
Printed by D. Chalmers and Co.
FOR A. BROWN, AND F. FROST, ABERDEEN; CONSTABLE AND CO.
AND GREIG, HIGH-STREET, EDINBURGH; LONGMAN AND
CO. PATERNOSTER-ROW; FORSYTH, 114, LEADENHALL-STREET;
AND RICE, 28, BERKELEY-SQUARE,
LONDON.
1813.
_PREFACE._
At the suggestion of a few friends, the author undertook this work.
His intention at first was to confine it solely to Capt. Barclay’s
performances. But on farther consideration, he thought that the _feats_
of other pedestrians might be introduced, and the plan enlarged, so as
to embrace a treatise conveying information or amusement to readers in
general, as well as to sporting gentlemen.
He has therefore treated of objects connected with the physical powers
of man, with the view of drawing the attention of the public to the
best means of strengthening and augmenting the capacities of the body.
The subject he deems important, especially at a time when the physical
energies of many of our countrymen are frequently brought into action by
the conflicts of war.
The republics of Greece prepared their youth for the duty of the field
by their gymnastic institutions; and the Romans were exercised by long
marches, running, leaping, and throwing the javelin. But with the
soldiers of Britain, a different system prevails. While stationed at
home, they are allowed to waste their time in “indolent repose,” and
prevented from taking even that degree of exercise which is requisite to
health, lest they should exhaust the most trifling of their necessaries,
before the return of the usual period of supply. All the advantages
they might derive from a course of training, are thus sacrificed to an
ill-judged economy, and to the vain show of a parade or field day.
The author has considered _Exercise_ in a military point of view, and
he thinks he cannot too strongly urge the necessity of adopting such
measures for training our troops preparatory to actual service as would
fit them for undergoing the hardships of the campaign.
He therefore trusts that this work may deserve the perusal of military
men--no class in the community having so much occasion to prepare
themselves to bear bodily fatigue, as those who are engaged in the
business of war.--And, if it be fully explained, as the author hopes it
is, by what expedients men may be enabled to undergo more than ordinary
exertion, the subject certainly merits the consideration of the defenders
of their country.
But as exercise conduces so much to the strength and soundness of both
body and mind, the subjects treated in this volume, may be deemed, he
presumes, of sufficient moment to deserve the attention of all classes.
The different pedestrian matches which are recorded, may serve to
illustrate general principles, as they exhibit the power of the human
frame; and hence conclusions of extensive utility may be deduced. But
to _Sporting Gentlemen_ this work is particularly interesting, as they
will find, concisely related, the performances of the most celebrated
pedestrians of the present age. And from what has been already done, they
may form some opinion of what it is possible for others to accomplish;
and thus regulate their _bets_ according to the different circumstances
of the cases under their review.
The author acknowledges his obligations to several gentlemen of the
highest respectability, for their encouragement and patronage. To
Capt. Barclay, in particular, he is much indebted, for having not only
furnished the chapter on training, but also for having taken the trouble
to revise the greater part of the work.
WALTER THOM.
_Aberdeen, 1st Jan. 1813._
CONTENTS.
PREFACE, _Page_ 3
CHAPTER I.
On the Gymnastic Exercises of the Ancients, 9
CHAP. II.
Modern Pedestrianism, 33
CHAP. III.
The same subject continued, 69
CHAP. IV.
Capt. Barclay’s Public and Private Matches, 101
CHAP. V.
Sketches of Capt. Barclay’s Favourite Pursuits,
and General Mode of Living, 205
CHAP. VI.
On Training, 221
CHAP. VII.
On the Physical Powers of Man, 249
APPENDIX.
Genealogy of the Family of Barclay of Mathers and
Ury, in the County of Kincardine, 257
ERRATA.
Page 113. line 20. instead of 12 read 2 seconds. And correct the same
error, p. 158.
Transcriber’s Note: These errata have been corrected.
PEDESTRIANISM.
CHAPTER I.
ON THE GYMNASTIC EXERCISES OF THE ANCIENTS.
Gymnastic exercises were held in the highest repute by the most
illustrious nations of antiquity. They mingled with the sacred and
political institutions of their governments, and produced consequences
affecting the physical and moral character of the people.
The GAMES interested all Greece; and the period of their celebration was
that of peace and security. The different republics, with their dependent
colonies in the isles, in Asia, and Africa, furnished candidates emulous
to gain the distinguished honors. Hostile states, then uniting in bonds
of friendship, interchanged those favourable impressions which tend
to humanize the rough nature of man; and that asperity of temper, or
animosity of heart, so characteristic of rude nations, was thus softened
or lulled.
The SACRED GAMES of the Greeks, were composed of the exhibitions of the
STADIUM and HIPPODROME; and the charms of poetry and music were added,
to gratify the more refined taste of the lovers of these exquisite
arts. Philosophers, poets, historians, orators, and every description
of people, assembled to witness the exertions of the combatants, and to
enjoy the varied pleasures of the festival.
The OLYMPIC games claimed precedency over all others; and to IPHITUS,
king of ELIS, they owe their revival--for their origin is lost in
the obscurity of remote ages. The Eleans obtained the direction and
management, by the united consent of Greece; and their territory, on this
account, was deemed inviolable. They founded their prosperity on the
cultivation of peace; and, on sacred ground, raised a temple dedicated
to Jupiter, which inclosed them within the pale of its protecting
influence.
“The temple,” (says Strabo, lib. viii.) “stands in the Pisæan division,
little less than three hundred stadia distant from ELIS. Before it is
a grove of wild olives, within which lies the OLYMPIC stadium.” The
temple was magnificent. It was built of beautiful marble, in the Doric
order, and surrounded by a colonade[1]. It was ornamented by the finest
productions of art--the genius of the sculptor and painter having adorned
the sacred edifice[2]. But the STADIUM was no more than a terrace of
earth, the area of which was six hundred and thirty-eight feet in length.
On the one side was erected the seat of the HELLANODICS, or judges;
and on the other, an altar of white marble, upon which the priestess
of CERES, and her virgins, had the privilege of viewing the games. At
the farther extremity was the barrier, where those who contended in the
SIMPLE FOOT-RACE began their course; and there also was situated the tomb
of ENDYMION[3].
The STADIUM was appropriated to the exhibition of those games denominated
GYMNASTIC; and they consisted of five different exercises, viz.
1st, RUNNING, or FOOT-RACING.
2d, LEAPING.
3d, WRESTLING.
4th, THROWING THE DISCUS; and,
5th, BOXING, or PANCRATIA.
The FOOT-RACE was the most ancient, and claimed a pre-eminence over the
other sports; the Olympiads being distinguished by the name of the victor
who obtained the prize in this game.--But as our subject is particularly
connected with this branch of the ancient gymnastics, we shall treat it
more fully in the sequel.
LEAPING consisted in projecting the body by a sudden spring, in which
the competitors endeavoured to surpass each other in the length of their
leap. Their bodies were poised and impelled forwards by weights of
lead suspended in their hands; and it is said, that PHAULUS of Cretona
acquired such proficiency in this exercise as to leap fifty-two feet.
WRESTLING.--This art required both strength and agility. The wrestlers
were matched by lot; and the prize belonged to him who had thrice thrown
his adversary on the ground. They rubbed their bodies with oil to elude
the grasp, and to prevent too profuse perspiration.
THROWING THE DISCUS.--This sport consisted in throwing a globular mass
of iron, brass, or stone, under the hand, in the manner of the English
quoit. It tried the strength of the arms; and the length of the cast
decided the claims of the competitors.
BOXING, or the PANCRATIA.--This combat was performed either by the naked
fist, or with the addition of the CÆSTUS, which was made of straps of
leather, lined with metal. Boxing was one of the most dangerous of the
gymnastic contests, and frequently terminated in maiming, or death.
Judges called HELLANODICS were appointed to preside at the Olympic
festival; and their office conveyed great authority. They inflicted
corporal punishments and pecuniary penalties on those who infringed the
Olympic laws: and that vast assembly of combatants and spectators, which
was composed of men of every rank and degree, was thus kept in order and
regularity. For ten centuries, religion and custom consecrated their
powerful influence to the maintenance of the sacred games--the period
of their revival by Iphitus, being seven hundred and seventy-six years
before the birth of Christ. The duration of this institution shews its
perfect organization, and that, while it comprized so many different
states, its laws were administered with justice and impartiality.
The games were celebrated every fifth year; and the candidates for the
Olympic crown, termed ATHLETÆ, were obliged, previously, to enter their
names, that they might be known to the Hellanodics, and their pretensions
to the honor of competition investigated. Ten months of preparatory
training were requisite; of which one was devoted to exercise in the
stadium in the presence of the judges, in order to qualify the competitor
for the arduous trial; and FREE citizens only, whose characters were
irreproachable, and who, in other respects, had complied with the rules
of the institution, were permitted to contend. So important was the prize
of victory, that none but men of spotless reputation were allowed to
enter the lists, which were carefully guarded against the intrusion of
unworthy or improper persons.
The games lasted five days, and commenced with the FOOT-RACE, which was
the first in order, and the highest in estimation of all the gymnastic
exercises.
At first, the race, as instituted by Iphitus, was SIMPLE. It consisted of
running once from the barrier to the goal, or from the one extremity of
the stadium to the other. But in the fourteenth Olympiad, the DIAULUS was
introduced, which, as the word implies, was double the former distance.
The runners in this race turned round the goal, and finished their course
at the barrier, whence they had started. In the next Olympiad, the
DOLICHUS, or LONG COURSE, was added, which consisted of six, twelve, or
twenty-four stadia, or in doubling the goal three, six, or twelve times.
In the simple foot-race, fleetness or agility only was required;
but in the long course, strength of body, and command of WIND, were
indispensable to enable the candidate to gain the prize. Strength and
agility are seldom united in the same person; yet there are some modern
examples of the union of both; and, in antiquity, LEONIDAS of RHODES
obtained the triple crown, in four Olympiads, and was thus distinguished
in the list of conquerors by twelve victories[4].
The competitors in the gymnastic exercises contended naked; but in
the sixty-fifth Olympiad, the race of ARMED MEN was introduced, as
particularly applicable to the duties of war: and, according to
Pausanias, lib. v. twenty-five brass bucklers were kept in a temple
at Olympia for the purpose of equipping the candidates, who wore also
helmets and bucklers. DAMARETUS gained the first victory in this race,
which in no respect differed from the stadium, or simple foot-race, but
that the Athletæ were covered with armour.
While the runners waited the sound of the trumpet as the signal to
start, they exercised themselves by various feats of agility, and short
experimental excursions.
“They try, they rouse their speed with various arts,
“Their languid limbs they prompt to act their parts,
“And with bent hams, amid the practis’d crowd,
“They sit; now strain their lungs, and shout aloud;
“Now a short flight, with fiery steps they trace,
“And with a sudden stop abridge the mimic race.”
When the signal was given, the racers ran with amazing rapidity. They
“seemed on feathered feet to fly,” and the first who arrived at the goal
was declared the victor.
So highly were gymnastics estimated in Greece, that the most liberal
rewards, and the most flattering honors, were bestowed on the victors,
whose glory shed a lustre around their friends, their parents, and their
country.
The Olympic crown was composed of the branches of the wild olive; but
the pine, the parsley, and the laurel, were the symbols appropriated
to the several solemnities of the sacred games at the Isthmus, Nemea,
and Delphi. This reward, however, was only a pledge of the many honors,
immunities, and privileges, consequent of the glory of being crowned.
To excite the emulation of the competitors, these crowns were laid on a
tripod which was placed in the middle of the stadium, where also were
exposed branches of PALM, which the conquerors received at the same time,
to carry in their hands, as emblems of their invincible vigour of body
and mind[5].
The ceremony of investing the victors with this distinguished prize, was
attended with great solemnity. The conquerors were called by proclamation
to the tribunal of the Hellanodics, where the HERALD placed a crown of
olive upon the head of each of them, and gave into his hand a branch of
the palm. Thus adorned with the trophies of victory, they were led along
the stadium preceded by trumpets; and the herald proclaimed with a loud
voice, their own names, and those of their fathers, and country; and
specified the particular exercise in which each of them had gained the
victory.
Although the Hellanodics could bestow no other reward than the OLIVE
CHAPLET, which was merely a symbol, yet the shouts of applause from the
spectators, and the congratulations of relatives, friends, and assembled
countrymen, formed a meed that gratified the ambition of the conquerors.
Sacrifices were made in honor of the victors, and entertainments were
given, in which they presided, or were otherwise eminently distinguished.
In the PRYTANEUM, or town-hall of Olympia, a banqueting-room was set
apart for the special purpose of entertaining them; and odes composed
for the occasion were sung by a CHORUS, accompanied with instrumental
music[6].
There can be nothing more gratifying to laudable ambition, than the idea
that great actions shall be handed down to posterity. To perpetuate,
therefore, the glory of these victories, the names of the conquerors were
recorded in a public register, which specified the exercise in which each
had excelled: and the privilege of erecting their statues in the SACRED
GROVE OF JUPITER, was the last and highest honor which the Hellanodics
could grant to the Olympic victors.
But upon arriving in their native cities, the conquerors were far
more distinguished than at Olympia; and more substantial rewards were
conferred upon them. They enjoyed the honor of a triumphal entry; and
temples and altars, dedicated to them, were erected at the public
expense. They were thus immortalized by what was deemed the perfection
of glory. “To conquer at Olympia,” says Cicero, “was greater and more
glorious than to receive the honors of a Roman triumph.”
The importance which the Greeks attached to the Olympic games may be
deduced from the care with which they instructed their youth in the
gymnastic exercises. There was scarcely a town of any consideration
in Greece, or in her colonies settled along the coasts of Asia and
Africa--in the Ionian and Ægean islands--in Sicily and in Italy, in which
there was not a GYMNASIUM, or school of exercise, maintained at the
public expense.
The GYMNASIA were spacious buildings, of a square or oblong form,
surrounded on the outside with piazzas, and containing in the inside, a
large area where the exercises were performed. Places for training in
bad weather--porticoes, baths, chambers for oil and sand, with groves
of trees, and seats, or benches, encompassed the stadium. The internal
structure of these edifices was adapted to the convenience of those who
frequented them, either for exercise or for pleasure; and they were the
resort of rhetoricians, philosophers, and men of learning, who here
read their lectures, held their disputations, and recited their several
productions[7].
The moral and political influence of the Olympic games was acknowledged
by the legislators of Greece; and accordingly, they were encouraged and
protected by laws so strict, that for more than ten centuries they
attracted the particular attention of the civilized world; and, amidst
the revolutions of states and empires, they seemed to stand on a basis
of perpetual duration. To gain the Olympic crown was the great object
of solicitude, as it reflected the highest honor, not on the individual
alone who obtained the prize, but also on the country which gave him
birth. But to qualify the candidate for the combat, a long course of
training was requisite; and in every city, the youth were instructed in
the different branches of the gymnastic science, and regularly exercised
by proper masters.
The republics of Greece were warlike in their constitution; and they
were eager to form the bodies, as well as the minds of their youth. The
importance of the athletic exercises was apparent to those who understood
the nature of the human frame, which, from experience, they knew could be
strengthened by the practice of the gymnasium, at the same time that the
mind was invigorated by consequent health and soundness in the body. We
may therefore consider the sacred games of Greece rather as a military
institution, than a religious festival; and that the worship of the gods,
although combined with the sports of the STADIUM and HIPPODROME, was only
a secondary object, calculated to impress on the minds of the people
a higher idea of their value and importance. In the ancient world, as
well as in modern times, religion has been made a tool to promote state
artifices; and the legislators of Greece knew too well the influence of
superstition, to reject its powerful aid in the construction of their
political establishments.
As a civil and military institution, the sacred games were attended by
the happiest consequences. They presented a prize to the emulous youth,
accompanied by such honors as powerfully stimulated their endeavours
to acquire that proficiency in the gymnastic sports, which could only
be obtained by frequent practice in the schools of their respective
cities. The Athenians devoted nearly a third part of the year to such
amusements; and from the number of Olympic victors whose national
designations are recorded by ancient writers, we may suppose, that the
other states of Greece were no less zealous in the exercises of the
gymnasium[8].
To prepare men for the business of war, was the grand object of these
institutions.--The Greeks were divided into small independent states,
which were constantly embroiled with one another; and their strength
was founded on the number and discipline of the troops they could
respectively bring into the field. To increase the number of fighting
men, and to train them in the most effectual manner, was, therefore, the
principal object of the different governments. By learning and practising
the gymnastic exercises, their youth were inured to toil, and rendered
healthy, hardy, vigorous, and active. They were prepared for all the
duties of war. Neither the inclemency of the weather, nor the scorching
beams of the sun could affect them, as their bodies by continual exercise
had become more robust, and less liable to be injured, than the natural
frame of ordinary men.
The Grecian manner of fighting required both strength and agility, as the
long spear of the “firm phalanx” could not be easily wielded, and the
occasionally rapid marches of the Greek armies over a rugged country,
sufficiently evince the utility of active habits. To the PRACTICE of the
gymnasia, the Greeks owe all the glory they acquired in war; and it was
the opinion of Plato, “that every well constituted republic ought, by
offering prizes to the conquerors, to encourage all such exercises as
tend to increase the strength and agility of the body[9].”
The admirable symmetry of the Grecian statues, establishes, beyond
controversy, the just proportions and great beauty of their prototypes;
and to the education of their youth, we must ascribe the fine forms of
the Greek people, who, by avoiding idleness and dissipation, and by
mingling exercise with amusement, created, as it were, an improved race
of men. In a moral point of view, then, the gymnastics of the ancients
were of the utmost importance. They furnished occupation to all those
who were not engaged in laborious employments, or in the service of the
state;--who were exempted from the drudgery of business by their affluent
condition; and, indeed, to every man who had a vacant hour to devote to
amusement or exercise. The gymnasia may be termed schools for morality,
as they contributed to diminish vice, and to increase virtue: they served
the double purpose of strengthening the good, and weakening the bad,
propensities of human nature.
They who aimed at eminence in the gymnastic exercises were compelled
to observe temperance and sobriety, which greatly promoted the health
and vigour of the body. Every thing enervating was forbidden; and the
pleasures of the table, or sensual indulgence of any kind, rendered the
Athletæ unfit for the severe exercise of the gymnasia. HORACE remarks,
(Art. Poet. ver. 412,) that,
“A youth who hopes the Olympic prize to gain,
All arts must try, and ev’ry toil sustain;
Th’ extremes of heat and cold must often prove,
_And shun the weak’ning joys of wine and love_.”
In a voluptuous climate, the propensity to vicious indulgence is
natural and powerful; but among the Greeks, it was counteracted by the
firm organization which they acquired by perpetual exercise; and the
universality of the games diffused among the whole people the important
advantages of the institution.
Corporeal excellence, however, was not the only benefit which the Greeks
derived from the Athletic exercises. The powers of the mind were also
strengthened and augmented, and that courage which depends on the nerves
was improved to the highest pitch. The undaunted spirit of the Greeks
appalled their enemies; and the most signal exploits in the field of
battle were performed by those who had previously obtained the Olympic
crown[10]. The love of glory is the greatest incentive to splendid
actions; and the SACRED GAMES fostered a passion that could easily be
transferred from the gymnasia to the contests in the field. One Grecian
could conquer ten Persians, for his body was robust, and his mind was
brave; and HONOR was the sole reward which he courted.
It is related by Herodotus, (lib. viii. c. 25.) that when Xerxes invaded
Greece, he found the Grecians employed in celebrating the Olympic
festival, and that the prize which they contended for, was no more
than--A CHAPLET OF WILD OLIVE. TIGRANES, the son of ARTABANUS, exclaimed,
“Alas, Mardonius! against what kind of men have you led us to fight! men
who engage in a contest with each other, not for gold and silver, but
only for a superiority of virtue and glory!”
The physical, political, and moral influence of the gymnastic exercises
on the bodies and minds of the Greeks, was thus evinced by their superior
beauty and strength--their strict observance of the laws of their
country--their bravery in war--and by their temperance, sobriety, and
industry, in civil life.
Of all the Olympic games, the FOOT-RACE, as we have previously remarked,
held the foremost rank. Homer distinguishes Achilles by the epithet
“swift of foot;” and, whether as conducive to health, useful in the
affairs of life, or important in the operations of war, pedestrian
exercises must be considered as of the utmost consequence to mankind.
The human frame is peculiarly calculated for activity and exertion; and
it should be remembered, that it is by EXERCISE and LABOUR that man
is enabled to preserve his health, increase his strength, improve the
faculties of his mind, and procure his subsistence.
Among the ancient Greeks and Romans, there were runners of great
celebrity; and the rapid marches of their armies on various emergencies,
shew how much they were habituated to pedestrian exercises. Two thousand
Lacedemonians marched from Sparta to Attica in three days--a distance of
twelve hundred stadia--to assist the Athenians at the battle of Marathon.
Phidippides ran seven hundred and fifty stadia in the space of two days,
which was deemed a most extraordinary effort, until Philonides, the
runner of Alexander the Great, accomplished twelve hundred stadia in one
day, from Sicyone to Ellis. In the reign of Nero, a boy of nine years of
age, ran seventy-five thousand paces, between noon and night[11].
Although the modern governments of Europe have not hitherto afforded any
patronage to gymnastic exercises, yet pedestrianism has been brought to
great perfection by spirited individuals, especially in Britain. Exploits
more extraordinary than any on the records of antiquity have been
accomplished in this country; and it shall be our duty in the next and
succeeding chapters, to give a particular account of these astonishing
performances.