e jeu des merelles," the boyish game called
"merills," or "five pennie morris," played here most commonly with
stones, but in France with pawns or men made on purpose, and termed
"merelles." It was also called "peg morris," as is evidenced by Clare,
who, in his "Rural Muse," speaking of the shepherd boy, says:

"Oft we may track his haunts, where he hath been
To spend the leisure which his toils bestow,
By nine-peg morris nicked upon the green."

The game is fully described by James, in the "Variorum Shakespeare," as
follows: "In that part of Warwickshire where Shakespeare was educated,
and the neighbouring parts of Northamptonshire, the shepherds and other
boys dig up the turf with their knives to represent a sort of imperfect
chessboard. It consists of a square, sometimes only a foot diameter,
sometimes three or four yards. Within this is another square, every side
of which is parallel to the external square; and these squares are
joined by lines drawn from each corner of both squares, and the middle
of each line. One party or player has wooden pegs, the other stones,
which they move in such a manner as to take up each other's men, as they
are called, and the area of the inner square is called the pound, in
which the men taken up are impounded. These figures are, by the country
people, called _nine-men's-morris_, or _merrils_; and are so called
because each party has nine men. These figures are always cut upon the
green turf or leys, as they are called, or upon the grass at the end of
ploughed lands, and in rainy seasons never fail to be choked up with
mud." This verifies the allusion made by Shakespeare in "A
Midsummer-Night's Dream" (ii. 1):

"The nine men's morris is fill'd up with mud;
And the quaint mazes in the wanton green,
For lack of tread are undistinguishable."

This game was also transferred to a board, and continues a fireside
recreation of the agricultural laborer. It is often called by the name
of "Mill," or "Shepherd's Mill."[807]

[807] See Brand's "Pop. Antiq.," 1849, vol. ii. pp. 429, 432.

_Noddy._ Some doubt exists as to what game at cards was signified by
this term. It has been suggested that cribbage is meant. Mr. Singer
thinks it bore some resemblance to the more recent game of "Beat the
Knave out of Doors," which is mentioned together with "Ruff and new
coat" in Heywood's play of "A Woman Killed with Kindness." The game is
probably alluded to in "Troilus an