"Troll-my-dames" was a game resembling the modern bagatelle. The name is a corruption of the French _trou-madame_. It was also known as "pigeon-holes." Dr. John Jones, in his _Ancient Baths of Buckstone_ (1572) refers to it thus: "The ladies, gentlewomen, wives and maids, may in one of the galleries walk; and if the weather be not agreeable to their expectation, they may have in the end of a bench eleven holes made, into the which to troll pummets, or bowls of lead, big, little, or mean, or also of copper, tin, wood, either violent or soft, after their own discretion: the pastime _troule-in-madame_ is called." In _The Tempest_ (v. 1. 172) Ferdinand and Miranda are represented as playing chess; but there is no other clear allusion to the game in Shakespeare's works. It was introduced into England before the Norman Conquest, and became a favorite pastime with the upper classes, but appears to have been little known among the common people. POPULAR BOOKS. Of books there were probably very few at the house in Henley Street. Some of those mentioned by Vincent were popular with all classes. The story of Guy of Warwick had been told repeatedly in prose and verse from the twelfth century down to Shakespeare's day, and some of the books and ballads would be likely to be well known in Stratford, which, as we have seen, was in the immediate vicinity of the hero's legendary exploits. The _Four Sons of Aymon_ was the translation of a French prose romance, the earliest form of which dated back to songs or ballads of the 13th century. Aymon, or Aimon, a prince of Ardennes whose history was partly imaginary, and his sons figure in the works of Tasso and Ariosto, and other Italian and French poets and romancers. The _Hundred Merry Tales_ was a popular jest-book of Shakespeare's time, to which he alludes in _Much Ado About Nothing_ (ii. 1. 134), where Beatrice refers to what Benedick had said about her: "That I was disdainful, and that I had my wit out of the Hundred Merry Tales." The _Book of Riddles_ was another book mentioned by Shakespeare in _The Merry Wives of Windsor_ (i. 1. 205), in connection with a volume of verse which was equally popular in the Elizabethan age:-- "_Slender._ I had rather than forty shillings, I had my book of Songs and Sonnets here.-- _Enter_ Simple. How now, Simple! Where have you been? I must wait on myself, must I? You have not the Book of Riddles about you, have you? _Simple._ Book of Riddles? why, did you not lend it to Alice Shortcake upon Allhallowmas last, a fortnight afore Michaelmas?" The title-page of one edition reads thus: "The Booke of Merry Riddles. Together with proper Questions, and witty Proverbs to make pleasant pastime. No lesse usefull than behoovefull for any yong man or child, to know if he bee quick-witted, or no." A few of the shortest riddles may be quoted as samples:--