Gamba, Francis, a native of Como, one of the
Protestant martyrs of the 16th century. He was ap^ preliended and condemned to death by the senate of Milan. At the place of execution a monk presented a cross to him, to whom he said, "My mind is so full of the real merits and goodness of Christ, that I want not a piece of senseless stick to put me in mind of him." His tongue was perforated to prevent his ad- dressing the crowd, but he gave a sign witli his hand indicating peace and confidence. He was then stran- gled, and his body was Imrnt after his death, July 21, 1554. — Fox, Book of Martyrs, i'l, 47B; McCrio, Heforma- tion in Italy, chap. v.
Gambold, John, a pious bishop of the Moravians, was born April 10, 1711, at Puncheston, South ^\'ales, and was educated at Christ Church, Oxford. In 1733 he became vicar of Stanton Harcourt, in Oxfordshire ; but in 1742 he joined the Moravians, and was conse- crated bishop in 1754. "And certainly few, in any age of the Church, ever possessed, in a higher degree, the spiritual cjualifications which the apostle specified as distinguishing a good bishop— fervor of devotion, humilitv of mind, disinterestedness of spirit, a disposi- tion to itniversal benevolence, and a willingness to un- dertake any labor, or submit to an}' privation, in order to promote the glory of God and the spiritual welfare of men. From the time of liis consecration, he resided for ten j'ears, performing all the duties of a primitive bishop over the Moravian congregation, in the metrop- olis, and at the same time maintaining an active over- sight by correspondence with all the ministers of his communion throughout England." He died Se]it. 13, 1771. Among his writings are A Memoir of Count Zin- zendorf: — Doctrine and Discipline of the United Breth- ren : — History of the Greenland Mission of the United Brethren : — Hymns (1748) .- — Summary of Ch-istian Doctrine (1767, 12mo). His Worlcs were edited, with an introductory essa}', by Thos. Erskine, Esq. (Glasg. 1822, 12mo). — 3 a.mK&ow, Cycloj^fedia of Biography, s. v.
Games are so natural to man, especially in the pe- riod of childhood, that no nation has been or can be entirel}' without them. (I.) Accordingly, a few traces are found in the early Hebrew history of at least pri- vate and childish diversions. The heat of the climate in Syria would indispose the mature to more bodily exertion than the duties of life imposed, while the gravit}' which is characteristic of the Oriental charac- ter might seem compromised by anything so light as sports. Dignified ease, therefore, corresponds with the idea which we form of Oriental recreation. Tlie father of the famil}' sits at the door of his tent, or reclines on the house-top, or appears at the city gate, and there tranquilly enjoys repose, broken by conversation, un- der the light and amid the warmth of the bright and breezy heavens, in the cool of the retiring day, or be- fore the sun has assumed his burning ardors (Deut. xvi, 14 ; Lam. v, 14), Of the three classes into which games ma}' be arranged, juvenile, manly, and public, the first two alone belong to the Hel)rew life ; tlie lat- ter, as noticed in the Bible, being either foreign intro- ductions into Palestine, or the customs of other coun- tries.
1. Witli regard to juvenile games, the notices are very few. It must not, however, be inferred from this that the Hebrew children were witliout the amuse- ments adapted to their age. The toys and s])nrts of childhood claim a remote antiquity ; and if the chil- dren of the ancient Egyptians had their dolls of inge- nious construction, and played at ball (Wilkinson, A nc. Egypt, altridgm. i, 197), and if the children of the Ko- mans amused themselves much as those of the present day (Horace, 2 Sat. iii, 247), we may imagine tiie He- brew children doing the same, as they played in the streets of Jerusalem (Zech. viii, 5 ; comp. Jer. xxx,19). The only recorded sports, however, are keeping tiime liirds (Job xli, 5 ; compare Catull. 2, 1), and imitating the proceedings of marriages or funerals (Matt, xi.
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16). Commenting on Zech. xii, 3, Jerome mentions an amusenu'nt of the young whicli is seen practised in more tlian one part of tiie north of England. "It is customary," ho says, "in the cities of Palestine, and has been so from ancient times, to place up and down large stones to serve for exercise for the j-oung, who, according in each case to their degree of strength, lift these stones, some as high as their knees, others to their middle, others above their heads, the hands being kept horizontal and joined under the stone." A simi- lar mode of exercise prevailed in ancient Egypt (Wil- kinson, i, 207). See Children.
Ancient Egyptians lifting Bag.5 of Sand.
Music, song, and dancing were recreations reserved mostly for the young or for festive occasions. From Lam. V, IG, "the crown is fallen from our head" (sec the entire passage on the subject of games), it might be inferred that, as among the Greeks and Latins, chap- lets of flowers were sometimes worn during festivity. To the amusements just mentioned frequent allusions are found in holy writ, among which may be given Psa. XXX, 11; Jer. xxxi, 13; Luke xv, 25. In Isa. XXX, 29, a passage is found which serves to show how much of festivity and mirth was mingled with relig- ious observances ; the journej' on festival occasions up to Jerusalem was enlivened bj' music, if not bj' dan- cing. Some of the chief objects aimed at in the Greek and other games were gained among the Hebrews b}- their three great national festivals — the Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. At the recurrence of these festivals the nation was brought together in honor of the true God ; and in times of re- ligious feeling these great meetings were looked for- ward to and were celebrated with perhaps not less joy, though joy of a somewhat different kind, from that •with which the Greeks looked forward to and cele- brated their Olympic, Isthmian, and Nemean games. The public games of the Hebrews seem to have been exclusively connected with military sports and exercises, and even of these the no- tices arc few and brief. It was jirobablj' in this way that tlic Jewish youth were instructed in the use of the bow and of the sling (1 Sam. xx, 20, 30-35; Jude xx, IG; 1 Chron. xii, 2). Allusion to what would seem to have been a kind of war- dance, such as we read of in different countries, seems to be made in 2 Sam. ii, 14, where Abner proposes that the j'oung men should arise and "play" before the two armies. The Hebrew pTl'CJ (sfia- chak), Tor "plaj'," i,5 frequently used for dancing (2 Sam. vi, 21 ; Jer. xxxi, -1) ; and Al)nev seems here to refer to a sport of this kind, not now to be used as an amusement, but turned into stern real-