y-pit._ This consisted in throwing cherry stones into a little
hole--a game, says Nares, still practised with dumps or money.[782] In
"Twelfth Night" (iii. 4), Sir Toby alludes to it: "What, man! 'tis not
for gravity to play at cherry-pit with Satan." Nash, in his "Pierce
Pennilesse," speaking of the disfigurement of ladies' faces by painting,
says: "You may play at cherry-pit in the dint of their cheeks."

[782] See Brand's "Pop. Antiq.," vol. ii. p. 409.

_Chess._ As might be expected, several allusions occur in Shakespeare's
plays to this popular game. In "The Tempest" (v. 1), Ferdinand and
Miranda are represented playing at it; and in "King John" (ii. 1),
Elinor says:

"That thou mayst be a queen, and check the world!"

In the "Taming of the Shrew" (i. 1), Katharina asks:

"I pray you, sir, is it your will
To make a stale[783] of me amongst these mates?"

alluding, as Douce[784] suggests, to the chess term of _stale-mate_,
which is used when the game is ended by the king being alone and
unchecked, and then forced into a situation from which he is unable to
move without going into check. This is a dishonorable termination to the
adversary, who thereby loses the game. Thus, in Bacon's Twelfth Essay:
"They stand still like a stale at chess, where it is no mate, but yet
the game cannot stir."

[783] She means, "Do you intend to make a mockery of me among
these companions?"

[784] "Illustrations of Shakspeare," p. 20.

_Dice._ Among the notices of this game, may be quoted that in "Henry V."
(iv. prologue):

"The confident and over-lusty French
Do the low-rated English play at dice."

Edgar, in "King Lear" (iii. 4), says: "Wine loved I deeply, dice
dearly." Pistol, in "Merry Wives of Windsor" (i. 3), gives a double
allusion:

"Let vultures gripe thy guts!--for gourd and fullam holds,
And high and low beguiles the rich and poor."

"Gourds" were false dice, with a secret cavity scooped out like a
gourd. "Fullams" were also false dice, "loaded with metal on one side,
so as better to produce high throws, or to turn up low numbers, as was
required, and were hence named 'high men' or 'low men,' also 'high
fullams' and 'low fullams.'"[785] It has been suggested that dice were
termed _fullams_ either because Fulham was the resort of sharpers, or
because they were principally manufactured there.

[785] Gifford's note on Jonson's Works, vol. ii. p. 3