"Fawlconers. Of a new kinde of Hawking, teach ing how to catch Birds by Bookes. Hvnting and hawking are of a kin, and therefore it is fit they should keepe company together: both of them are noble games, and recreations, honest and healthfull; yet they may bee so abused that nothing can bee more hurtfull. In hunting, the game is commonly still before you, or i'th hearing, and within a little compasse. In hawking, the game flies farre off, and oftentimes out of sight: a couple of rookes therefore (that were birds of the last feather) conspired together to leaue their nest in the citie, and to flutter abroad, into the countrie: upon two leane hackeneies, were these two doctor doddipols horst, ciuilly suited, that they might cary about them some badge of a scholler. "The diuel's rank-rider that came from the last city hunting, vnderstanding that two such light-horsemen were gone a hawking, posts after, and ouertakes them. After some ordinary high-way talke, hee begins to question of what profession they were? One of them smiling scornfully in his face, as thinking him to be some gul (and indeed such fellowes take all men for guls, who they thinke to bee beneath them in qualitie) told him they were falconers. But the foxe that followed them, seeing no properties (belonging to a falconer) about them, smelt knauerie, took them for a paire of mad rascals, and therefore resolued to see at what these falconers would let flie. "How to cast up the Lure. "At last on a suddaine, sayes one of them to him, sir, we have sprung a partridge, and so fare you well: which words came stammering out with the haste that they made, for presently the two foragers of the countrie were vpon the spur: Plutoe's post seeing this, stood still to watch them, and at length saw them in maine gallop make toward a goodly fayre place, where either some knight, or some great gentleman kept; and this goodly house belike was the partridge which those falconers had sprung. Hee being loth to loose his share in this hawking, and hauing power to transforme himselfe as he listed, came thither as soone as they, but beheld all (which they did) inuisible. They both, like two knights errant, alighted at the gate, knocked, and were let in: the one walkes the hackneyes, in an outward court, as if he had beene but squire to Sir Dagonet. The other (as boldly as S. George, when he dar'd the dragon at this very den) marched vndauntedly vp to the hall, where looking ouer those poore creatures of the house, that weare but the bare blew-coats (for Aquila non capit Muscas) what should a falconer meddle with flies? he onely salutes him that in his eye seemes to be a gentlemanlike fellow of him he askes for his good knight, or so, and sayes that he is a gentleman come from London on a businesse, which he must deliuer to his owne worshipfull eare. Up the staires does braue mount Dragon ascend; the knight and he encounter, and with this staffe does hee valiantly charge vpon him. "How the Bird is caught. "Sir, I am a poore scholler, and the report of your vertues hath drawne me hither, venturously bold to fix your worthy name as a patronage to a poore short discourse, which here I dedicate (out of my loue) to your noble noble and eternall memory: this speech he vtters barely. "The hawking pamphleter is then bid to put on, whilst his Miscellane Mæcenas, opens a booke fayrely appareld in vellom, with gilt-fillets, and foure-penny silke ribbon at least, like little streamers on the top of a march-pane castle, hanging dangling by at the foure corners: the title being superficially suruaid, in the next leafe hee sees that the author hee, hath made him one of his gossips, for the booke carries his Worship's name, and vnder it stands an epistle iust the length of a Hench-man's grace before dinner, which is long inough for any booke in conscience, unlesse the writer be vnreasonable. "The Knight being told before hand, that this little sunbeame of Phoebus (shining thus briskly in print) hath his mite or atmy waiting vpon him in the outward court, thanks him for his loue & labour, and considering with himselfe, what cost he hath been at, and how far he hath ridden to come to him, hee knowes that patrons and godfathers, are to pay scot and lot alike, and therefore to cherish his young and tender muse, he giues him foure or sixe angels, inuiting him either to stay breakefast, or if the sunnediall of ye. house points towards eleuen, then to tarrie dinner. "How the Bird is drest. "But the fish being caught (for which our Heliconian angler threw out his lines) with thankes, and legges, and kissing his owne hand, he parts. No sooner is hee horst, but his hostler (who all this while walked the iades, and trauels vp and downe with him like an vndeseruing plaier for halfe a share) askes this question, strawes or not? Strawes, cries the whole sharer Z 3 our nest. sharer and a halfe; away then, replies the first, flie to This nest is neuer in the same towne, but commonly a mile or two off, and it is nothing else but the next tauerne they come to. But the village into which they rode being not able to maintaine an iuybush, an alehouse was their inne; where aduancing themselues into the fairest chamber, and be-speaking the best cheere in the towne for dinner, downe they sit, and share before they speak of any thing els That done, he that ventures vpon all hee meetes, and discharges the paper bullets (for to tell truth, the other serues but as a signe, and is meerely no-body) begins to discourse; how he carried himselfe in the action, how he was encountred; how he stood to his tackling, and how well he came off; hee cals the knight a noblefellow; yet they both shrug, and laugh, and swear they are glad they haue guld him. "More arrows must they shoote of the same length that this first was of, and therefore there is truncke full of trinckets, that is to say, their budget of bookes is opend againe, to see what leafe they are to turne ouer next, which whilst they are dooing, the ghost that all this space haunted them, and hard what they said, hauing excellent skill in the black art, that is to say, in picking of lockes, makes the doore suddenly flie open, which they had closely shut. At his strange entrance they being somewhat agast, began to shuffle away their books, but he knowing what cards they plaid withall, offred to cut, & turn'd vp two knaues by this trick. My maisters (quoth he) I know where you haue bin, I know what you haue done, I know what you meane to doe, I see now you are falconers indeed, but by thee (and then he swore a damnable oath) vnlesse you you teach me to shoote in this birding peece, I wil raise the village, send for the Knight whom you boast you haue guld and so disgrace you; for your money I care not. The two free-booters seeing themselues smoaked, told their third brother, hee seemed to bee a gentleman and a boone companion, they prayed him therefore to sit downe with silence, and sithence dinner was not yet readie hee should heare all. "This new mode of hawking (quoth one of them) which you see vs vse, can afford no name vnles fiue be at it, viz. 1. He that casts vp the lure is called the falconer. 2. The lure that is cast vp is on idle pamphlet. 3. The tercel-gentle that comes to the lure, is some knight, or some gentleman of like qualitie. 4. The bird that is preied vpon, is money. 5. He that walkes the horses, and hunts dry-foote is called a mongrel. "The Falconer and his Spaniell. "The falconer hauing scraped together certaine small parings of wit, he first cuts them hansomely in prettie peeces, and of those peeces does hee patch vp a booke. This booke he prints at his own charge, the mongrell running vp and downe to looke to the workemen, and bearing likewise some part of the cost, for which he enters vpon this halfe share. When it is fully finished, the falconer and his mongrell, (or it may be two falconers ioyne in one,) but howsoener, it is by them deuised what shire in England it is best to forrage next; that being set downe, the falconers deale either with a herauld for a note of all the knights and gentlemen's names of worth that dwell in that circuit, which they meane to ride, or els by inquiry, get the chiefest of them, printing off so many epistles as they |