The eagle, the vulture, and the merloun, for an emperor. The faulcon of the rock, for a duke. The faulcon peregrine, for an earl. The sacre, and the sacret, for a knight. The lanere, and the laneret, for an esquire. The marlyon, for a lady. The hobby, for a young man.' The gos-hawk, for a yeoman. The tercel, for a poor man. The kesterei, for a knave or servant. This list includes, I presume, the greater part, if not all, of the names appertaining to the birds used in hawking. The Mews at Charing-cross, Westminster, is so called, from the word mew, which in the falconers' language, is the name of a place wherein the hawks are put at the moulting time, when they cast their feathers. The king's hawks were kept at this place as early as they ear 1377, an. 1 Richard II.; but A. D. 1537, the 27th year of Henry VIII., it was converted into stables for that monarch's horses, and the hawks were removed." XIV. TERMS USED IN HAWKING. As in hunting, so in hawking, the sportsmen had their peculiar impressions, and therefore the tyro in the art of falconry is recommended to learn the following arrangement of terms as they were to be applied to the different kinds of birds assembled in companies. A sege of herons, and of bitterns; an herd of swans, of cranes, and of curlews; a dopping of sheldrakes;3 a spring of teels; a covert of cootes; a gaggle of geese; a badelynge of ducks; a sord or sute of mallards; a muster of peacocks; a nye of pheasants; a bevy of quails; a covey of partridges; a congregation of plovers: a flight of doves; a dule of turtles; a walk of snipes; a fall of woodcocks; a Between this and the next line the author makes the following observation : "These ben hawkes of toure, and ben bothe lured to be called and rec!aymed." Jewel for Gentrie I ond. 1614. * Stow's Survey of London. The sheldrake is a species of wild fowl. brood of hens; a building of rooks; a murmuration of starlings; an exaltation of larks; a flight of swallows; a host of sparrows; a watch of nightingales; and a charm of goldfinches. XV. FOWLING AND FISHING-THE STALKING HORSE- The arts of Fowling and Fishing are usually added to the more modern treatises upon hunting and hawking. I shall select a few observations that occur respecting the former; but with regard to the latter, I have not met with any particulars sufficiently deviating from the present methods of taking fish to claim a place in this work. Fowling, says Burton, may be performed with guns, limetwigs, nets, glades, gins, strings, baits, pit-falls, pipe-calls, stalking horses, setting dogs, and decoy ducks; or with chaffnets for smaller birds; there may also be added bows and arrows, which answered the purpose of guns before they were invented and brought to perfection. The Stalking Horse, originally, was a horse trained for the purpose and covered with trappings, so as to conceal the sportsman from the game he intended to shoot at. It was particularly useful to the archer, by affording him an opportunity of approaching the birds unseen by them, so near that his arrows might easily reach them; but as this method was frequently inconvenient, and often impracticable, the fowler had recourse to art, and caused a canvass figure to be stuffed, and painted like a horse grazing, but sufficiently light, that it might be moved at pleasure with one hand. These deceptions were also made in the form of oxen, cows, and stags, either for variety, or for conveniency sake. In the inventories of the wardrobes, belonging to king Henry VIII., we frequently find the allowance of certain quantities of stuff for the purpose of making stalking coats, and stalking hose for the use of his majesty." There is also another method o fowling, which, says my author, for I will give it nearly in his own words, is performed with nets, and in the night time; and the darker the night the better." This sport we call in England, most commonly bird-batting, and some call it lowbelling; and the use of it is to go with a great light of cressets, or rags of linen dipped in 66 Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy, book v. chap. 8. edit Lond. 1660. 2 Harleian, MS. 2284. tallow, which will make a good light; and you must have a pan or plate made like a lanthorn, to carry your light in, which must have a great socket to hold the light, and carry it before you, on your breast, with a bell in your other hand, and of a great bignèss, made in the manner of a cow-bell, but still larger; and you must ring it always after one order.-If you carry the bell, you must have two companions with nets, one on each side of you; and what with the bell, and what with the light, the birds will be so amazed, that when you come near them, they will turn up their white bellies: your companions shall then lay their nets quietly upon them, and take them. But you must continue to ring the bell; for, if the sound shall cease, the other birds, if there be any more near at hand, will rise up and fly away." y."-"This is," continues the author, "an excellent method to catch larks, woodcocks, partridges, and all other land birds.”1 The pipe-call, mentioned by Burton, is noticed under a different denomination by Chaucer; "Lo," says he, "the birde is begyled with the merry voice of the foulers' whistel, when it is closed in your nette,”—alluding to the deceptive art of the bird-catchers in his time.2 I shall just observe, that there are twelve prints, published by John Overton, upon the popular subjects of hunting, hawking, and fishing, &c. engraved by Hollar, from designs by Francis Barlow, which perfectly exemplify the manner in which those pastimes were practised, somewhat more than a century back. Jewel for Gentrie. Lond. 1614. Testament of Love, book ii. CHAPTER III. 1. Horse-racing known to the Saxons.-II. Races in Smithfield, and why.--III. Races, at what Seasous practised.-IV. The Chester Races.-V. Stamford Races.VI. Value of Running-horses.-VII. Highly prized by the Poets, &c.-VIII. Horse-racing commended as a liberal Pastime.-IX. Charles II. and other Monarchs Encouragers of Horse-racing ;-Races on Coleshill-heath I.-HORSE-RACING KNOWN TO THE SAXONS. Ir was requisite in former times for a man of fashion to understand the nature and properties of horses, and to ride well; or, using the words of an old romance writer, "to runne horses and to approve them." In proportion to the establishment of this maxim, swift running-horses of course rose into estimation; and we know that in the ninth century they were considered as presents well worthy the acceptance of kings and princes. When Hugh, the head of the house of the Capets, afterwards monarchs of Irance, solicited the hand of Edelswitha, the sister of Athelstan, he sent to that prince, among other valuable presents, several running-horses,2 with their saddles and their bridles, the latter being embellished with bits of yellow gold. It is hence concluded, and indeed with much appearance of truth, that horse-racing was known and practised by the Anglo-Saxons, but most probably confined to persons of rank and opulence, and practised only for amusement sake. II. RACES IN SMITHFIELD. The first indication of a sport of this kind occurs in the description of London, written by Fitzstephen, who lived in the reign of Henry II. He tells us, that horses were usually exposed for sale in West Smithfield; and, in order to prove the excellency of the most valuable hackneys and charging steeds, they were matched against each other; his words are to this effect,3 “When a race is to be run by this sort of horses, and perhaps by others, Knight of the Swan, Garrick's Collect. K. vol. x. 2 Equos cursores. Malmsb. de Gest. Reg. Angl. lib. ii. cap. 6. 3 I have followed the translation published by Mr. White, of Fleet-street, A. D. 1772. See Stow's Survey of London, and republished with additions by Strype. [The translation of Fitzstephen published by Mr. White, was made by the late Dr. Samuel Pegge.] which also in their kind are strong and fleet, a shout is immediately raised, and the common horses are ordered to withdraw out of the way. Three jockeys, or sometimes only two, as the match is made, prepare themselves for the contest; such as being used to ride know how to manage their horses with judgment: the grand point is, to prevent a competitor from getting before them. The horses, on their part, are not without emulation, they tremble and are impatient, and are continually in motion: at last the signal once given, they strike, devour the course, hurrying along with unremitting velocity. The jockeys, inspired with the thoughts of applause and the hopes of victory, clap spurs to their willing horses, brandish their whips, and cheer them with their cries." III.-HORSE-RACING SEASONS. In the middle ages there were certain seasons of the year when the nobility indulged themselves in running their horses and especially in the Easter and Whitsuntide holidays. In the old metrical romance of "Sir Bevis of Southampton," it is said, n somer at Whitsontyde, Whan knightes most on horsebacke ride; A cours, let they make on a daye, Steedes, and Palfraye, for to assaye; Three myles the cours was then, Have forty pounds of redy golde. Commenius in his vocabulary, entitled "Orbis Sensualium Pictus," published towards the conclusion of the sixteenth century, indeed says, "At this day, tilting, or the quintain is used, where a ring is struck with a truncheon, instead of horse-races, which," adds he, "are grown out of use.' A writer of the seventeenth century 2 tells us, that horseracing, which had formerly been practised at Eastertide, “was then put down, as being contrary to the holiness of the season; but for this prohibition I have no further authority. IV. CHESTER RACES. It is certain, that horse-races were held upon various holidays, at different parts of the kingdom, and in preference to other 1 "Syr Bevys of Hampton," black letter, without date, printed by Wm. Copland. Garrick's Collect. K. vol. ix. Bourne Antiq. Vulgares, chap. xxiv. |