barley bread

Bread made from barley. "Lo, a cake of barley -bread. '-Judg. vii. 18. barley-break, barley-brake, barlibreak, barli-breake, barly-break, barly-breake ( 0. Eng . ), barla-breikis, barla-bracks (0. Scotch ), s. I. In England: A game once common in England, as shown by the frequency with which it was alluded to by the old poets, but which is now confined chiefly to Cumber land, where it is denominated Burley - brigs . It was played by six young people, three of either sex, formed into couples, a young man and a young woman in each, it being decided by lot which individuals were to be paired together. A piece of ground was then divided into three spaces, of which the central one was profanely termed "Hell." This was a igned to a couple as their appropriate place. The couples who occupied the other spaces then advanced as near as they dared to the central one to tempt the doomed pair, who, with one of their hands locked in that of their partner, endeavoured with the other to grasp them and draw them into the central space. If they succeeded, then they were allowed themselves to emerge from it, the couple caught taking their places. That the game might not be too speedily finished, leave was given to the couple in danger of being taken to break hands and individually try to escape, while no such liberty was accorded to those attempting to seize them. Though the name does not occur in the subjoined lines, the game which they describe is that of barley - break . "Then couples three be straight allotted there, They of both ends the middle two do fly; The two that in mid place Hell called were, Must strive, with waiting foot and watching eye, To catch of them, and them to Hell to bear. That they, as well as they, Hell may supply." Sir Philip Sydney: Arcadia, 1. 153. Most authorities consider barley - break identical with base , 3 (q.v.). Boucher regards it as identical with a gaine called in Cheshire a round, and in Douglas ring - dancer and roun "At barley-break they play Merrily all the day." The Muses' Elysium (Drayton), iv. 1,471. (Boucher.) .. and with a la And give her a new garment on the gra , After a course of barley - break or base.' Ben Jonson: Sad Shepherd, v. 109. "He is at barli - break , and the last couple are now in Hell," The Virgin Martyr , v. 1. II. In Scotland. The game is obsolete in the south of Scotland, and is pa ing into disuse also in the north, Aberdeen shire being the county in which it principally lingers. Jamie son says that it is generally played by young people in a corn-yard, whence it is called barla - bracks , signifying "about the stacks." "One stack is fixed on as the dule or goal; and one person is appointed to catch the rest of the company, who run out from the dule. He does not leave it till they are all out of his sight. Then he sets out to catch them. Any one who is taken cannot run out again with his former a ociates, being accounted a prisoner; but is obliged to a ist his captor in pursuing the rest. When all are taken, the game is finished; and he who is first taken is bound to act as catcher in the next game."