When a bird rose, a pieces were let off. hawk, called in French haussepiéd, or a raise-foot, was let fly at him; and, when he had mounted a good height, other hawks were let out, which flew to fight with the hausse-piéd, and drew the heron downward. There were always shagged grey-hounds, bred to the sport, in readiness to go into the water, and fetch the heron to the falconer, when it fell there, or to kill it when it fell on dry ground, for fear the heron should hurt the hawks. The first heron being thus killed, whilst the falconers of the first flight were curing their hawks, and giving them their usual perquisites, other falconers had a second flight always ready, to let fly at the other herons, which commonly kept hovering over the place The second way was to fly hawks at the heron in her passage, that is, at a reasonable height, while she was going to, or coming from fishing, to her young ones. When a heron was discovered upon the ground, or upon the wing, the usual cry was, "à la volte," that is, "to the vault." 3. There were two flights of hawks for the crow. Of the first flight there was a captain, a lieutenant-aid, a master falconer, and twenty prickers. Of the second flight. there was a captain, a lieutenant-aid, seven prickers, and a decoy-bearer. The flight at the crow was performed with a falcon, or a tassel of a gerfalcon. The crow was inticed with a decoy, and, as soon as she was got into the plain, the falconers cried out," corneille en beau," that is, "the crow flies fair;" and then, as the crow turned back on the decoy, they commonly let fly at her, first a tassel of a ger-falcon, which was the guide, and two falcons afterwards. The crow, being attacked, endeavoured to save herself, either by soaring aloft, or retiring towards her hold; when she soared aloft, no luring, or any other term was to be used; but, when she got to her hold, if she could be forced out of it, then the cry was "hal, hal, hal." 4. There was one flight of hawks for the fields, or for the partridge, to which belonged a captain, a master falconer, and eight prickers. The flight for the fields was performed with falcons, tassels of falcons, sakers, sakerets, lanners, lannerets, alets, goshawks, tassels of gos-hawks, spar-hawks, tassel spar-hawks, merlins, and malots. There were two ways of flying at the partridge: first, with a sort of hawks which turned and maintained the flight along with the dogs, and would hold out half a league outright, continually upon the wing; and, secondly, with hawks called blockers, which were let fly as soon as the partridges rose, and drove them full sweep to their hold, where, when they lighted upon a branch, or on the top of a house, the falconer went and served them with dogs. Every time the partridge rose the cry was guereaux." 66 4. A flight for the river, or at the duck, had a captain, or chief, a lieutenant-aid, and four prickers. The hawks used for the flight at the river were strong hawks, and haggard hawks, which were let fly into a moat or brook having ducks. The cunningest and most staid bird was first let fly to chase the prey, and then two others, and, when they were well turned, the ducks were let out, which the hawks knocked on the head, or forced into another moat. Every time the ducks moved away, the cry was "ila, ila, ila," or "stou, stou, stou," like the Flemings, and for fear any should go too nigh the water they cried "hors l'eau," that is, "keep off the water." 5. A flight for the magpie had a captain, and two prickers. The flight at the magpie was performed with tassels of gerfalcons. First, the most beaten and staid tassel was let fly to chase and then the other hawks were let out, and the magpie was shown them: as she endeavoured to save herself from tree to tree, or from bush to bush, she was forced away; and, every time she was forced out, the cry was, houya, hoüya." 6. A flight for the hare had a captain, and a lieutenant-aid. 66 The flight at the hare was performed with a gerfalcon, and a greyhound to help the hawk sometimes. There were also four other flights of hawks belonging to the French king's cabinet, with officers attached to each of these additional flights, viz. 1. A flight for the crow, 2 the magpie, 3 the pigeon, and 4 a flight of merlins. The merlins were made use of to fly at the young partridge, whilst the light hawks were mewing or casting their feathers; they were used likewise for the quail, the black bird, the sky-lark, and other smal. birds as likewise to fly at the pigeon brow strung. The flight with the merlins was particular to the king's cabinet, being in no other royal falconry but that of the cabinet This flight was performed from the fist, that is, when the falconers were minded to let fly at a young partridge, they did not attack her till the dogs had raised her. There was no difference in the way of flying this little bird, and the falcon called a blocker, except that a merlin might be carried without hood-winking, upon the fist, whereas a falcon was always carried hood-winked, whether it was let fly one way or the other. In flying at the blackbird, and other small birds, they used poles to beat them out of the hedges, and cross-bows to have the pleasure of killing them, when they could be got out of their shelters. Of all the several sorts of birds that the merlins were used to fly at, sky, larks were deemed most delightful, and afforded more diversion, as showing the eagerness and courage of the merlins. The larks commonly endeavoured to save themselves by soaring aloft, and so drew the merlins up to the very clouds, from whence they forced the larks to decend, and endeavour to light in some thicket or other shelter, before they could reach which the merlins commonly took them. The manner of flying merlins at the pigeon brow-strung was thus: Two strings were passed through the lower eyelids of the pigeon, and then tied together above her head, so that her eyelids were drawn up, and she could not see downwards at all; and then she was thrown with the hand as high into the air as a man could throw her, where seeing no way but upward, she was forced to soar upwards by spirts, and, when she was mounted reasonably high, the falconers sent the merlins, who never left pursuing till they had fastened on her, and brought her down; "which sort of scuffle," says our author, "lasts very often a great while, and gives the most pleasure." Thomas Nash, in his "Quaternio, 1633," tells, with delight, his enjoyment of hawking in boyhood.—“When I have in my youthful days been as glad as ever I was to come from school, to see a little martin in the dead time of the year, when the winter had put on her whitest coat, and the frost had sealed up the brooks and rivers, to make her way through the midst of a multitude of foulmouthed ravenous crows and kites, which pursued her with more hideous cries and rlamours, than did Coll the dog, and Present state of France. By R. Wooley 1687 Malkin the maid, the fox in the apologue, "When the geese for fear flew over the trees, And out of their hives came the swarm o bees," Chaucer. and maugre all their oppositions pulled down her prey, bigger than herself, being mounted aloft, steeple-high, down to the ground. And to hear an accipitrary relate again, how he went forth in a clear, calm, and sun-shiny evening, about an hour before the sun did usually mask himself, unto the river, where finding of a mallard, he whistled off his falcon, and how she flew from him as if she would sently upon a shoot came in; how then never have turned head again, yet preby degrees, by little and little, by flying about and about, she mounted so high, until she had lessened herself to the view of the beholder, to the shape of a pigeon or partridge, and had made the height of the moon the place of her flight; how presently, upon the landing of the fowl, she came down like a stone and renewed it, and suddenly got up again, and suddenly, upon a second landing, came down again, and missing of it, in the downcome, recovered it, beyond expectation, to the admiration of the beholder; and to hear him tell, a third time, how he went forth early in a winter's morning, to the woody fields and pastures, to fly the cock, where having by the little white feather in his tail discovered him in a brake, he cast off a tassel gentle, and how he never ceased in his circular motion, until he had recovered his place; how suddenly upon the flushing of the cock. he came down, and missing of it in the downcome, what working there was on both sides; how the cock mounted; as if he would have pierced the skies; how the hawk flew a contrary way, until he had made the wind his friend; how then by degrees he got up, yet never offered to come in, until he had got the advantage of the higher ground; how then he made in, what speed the cock made to save himself, and what hasty pursuit the hawk made, and how after two long miles flight killed it, yet in killing of it killed himself. These discourses I love to hear, and can well be content to be an eyewitness of the sport, when my occasions will permit." The pastime of hawking is poetically described by Massinger in his "Guar dian, a Comedy, 1655." Above the middle region of the air: A cast of haggard falcons, by me mann'd, They did turn tail; but, with their laboring wings Getting above her, with a thought their pinions Clearing the pure element, make in, And by turns bind with her; the frighted fowl, Lying at her defence upon her back, With her dreadful beak, awhile defers her death, But, by degrees forced down, we part the fray, And feast upon her. Then, for an evening flight, A tiercel gentle, which I call, my masters, As he were sent a messenger to the moon, In such a place flies, as he seems to say, See me, or see me not: the partridge sprung, He makes his stoop; but, wanting breath, is forced To cancelier; then, with such speed as if He carried lightning in his wings, he strikes The trembling bird." The old books upon hawking are written with great vivacity and spirit, and abound more in gentle description, and pleasant anecdote, than any other treatises upon field-sports. The training of hawks consisted principally in the manning, luring, flying, and hooding them. Of these, the first and second imply a perfect familiarity with the man, and a perfect obedience to his voice and commands, especially that of returning to the fist at the appointed signal. "All hawks," says Markham, "generally are manned after one manner, that is to say, by watching and keeping them from sleep, by a continual carrying them upon your fist, and by a mos. familiar stroking and playing with them, with the wing of a dead fowl, or such like, and by often gazing and looking them in the face, with a loving and gentle countenance, and so making them acquainted with the man. After your hawks are manned, you shall bring them to the lure by easy degrees, as, first, making them jump unto the fist, after fall upon the lure, then come to the voice, and, lastly, to know the voice and lure so perfectly, that either upon the sound of the one, or sight of the other, she will presently come in, and be most obedient; which may easily be performed, by giving her reward when she doth your pleasure, and making her taste wher she disobeyeth: short winged hawks shall be called to the fist only, and not to the lure; neither shall you use unto them the loudness and variety of voice which you do to the long winged hawks, but only bring them to the fist by chirping your lips together, or else by the whistle." The flying includes the appropriation of peculiar hawks to peculiar game; thus the faulcon gentle, which, according to Gervase Markham, is the principal of hawks, and adapted either for the field or river, will fly at the partridge or the mallard; the gerfaulcon will fly at the heron; the saker at the crane or bittern; the lanner at the partridge, pheasant, or chooffe; the Barbary faulcon at the partridge only; the merlin and the hobby at the lark, or any small bird; the goshawk or tercel at the partridge, pheasant, or hare; the sparrow-hawk at the partridge or blackbird, and the musket at the bush or hedge only. The hooding of hawks, as it embraces many technical terms, which have been adopted by our poets, and, among the rest, by Shakspeare, will require a more extended explanation, and this we shall give in the words of Mr. Strutt. "When the hawk," he observes, "was not flying at her game, she was usually hood-winked, with a cap or hood provided for that purpose, and fitted to her head; and this hood was worn abroad, as well as at home. All hawks taken upon the fist,' the term used for carrying them upon the hand, had straps of leather called jessies put about their legs; the jessies were made sufficiently long for the knots to appear between the middle and the little fingers of the hand that held them, so that the lunes, or small thongs of leather, might be fastened to them with two tyrrits, or rings; and the lunes were loosely wound round the little finger; lastly, their legs were adorned with hells, fastened with rings of leather, each leg having one; and the leathers, to which the bells were attached, were denominated bewits; and to the bewits was added the creance, or long thread, by which the bird, in tutoring, was drawn back, after she had been permitted to fly; and this was called the reclaiming of the hawk. The bewits, we are informed, were useful to keep the hawk from winding when she bated, that is when she fluttered her wings to fly after her game. Respecting the bells, it is particularly recomniended that they should not be too heavy, to impede the flight of the bird; and that they should be of equal weight, sonorous, shrill, and musical; not both of one sound, but the one a semitone below the other; they ought not to be broken, especially in the sounding part, because, in that case, the sound emitted would be dull and unpleasing. There is, says the Book of St. Alban's, great choice of sparrow-hawk bells, and they are cheap enough; but for gos-hawk bells, those irade at Milan are the best, and, indeed, they are excellent, for they are commonly sounded with silver, and charged for accordingly." In the Book of Rates for the customs and poundage of Charles I., 1635, there are the following entries concerning hawks, and hawks'-belis. Rate inwards. : that one be heavier than another, but both of like weight looke, also, that they be well sounding and shrill, yet not both of one sound, but one at least a note under the other." He adds, " of spar-hawkes' bells there is choice enough, and the charge little, by reason that the store thereof is great. But for goshawks sometimes bells of Millaine were supposed to be the best, and undoubtedly they be excellent, for that they are sounded with silver, and the price of them is thereafter; but there be now," he observes," used bells out of the low countries, which are approved to be passing good, for they are principally sorted; they are well sounded, and sweet of ringing, with a pleasant shrilnesse, and excellently well lasting." He John Stephens, in his "Satyrical Essays, Characters, &c., 1615," thus describes the character of a falconer:"A falconer is the egg of a tame pullet, hatched up among hawks and spaniels. He hath in his minority conversed with kestrils and young hobbies; but growing up he begins to handle the lure, and look a falcon in the face. All his learning makes him but a new linguist; for to have studied and practised the terms of Hawk's Dictionary is enough to excuse his wit, manners, and humanity. hath too many trades to thrive; and yet, if he had fewer, he would thrive less. He need not be envied, therefore, for a monopoly; for though he be barber-surgeon, 53 4 physican, and apothecary, before he com45 8 mences hawk-leech; though he exercise 60 O all these, and the art of bow-strings 46 8 together, his patients be compelled to pay him no further than they be able. Hawks be his object, that is, his knowledge, admiration, labor, and all; they be indeed his idol, or mistress, be they male or female to them he consecrates his amorous ditties, which be no sooner framed than hallowed; nor should he doubt to overcome the fairest, seeing he reclaims such haggards, and courts every one with a peculiar dialect." Subsidie. Impost. 8. d. 8. d. 26 8 Faulcons, the hauke 53 4 0 Jerkins, the hauke . 20 0 Lanners, the hauke. 26 8 Lanarets, the hauke. 13 4 Tassels of all sorts,the 26 8 68 0 18 the dozen paire 0 12 0 12 In the Table of Rates, outwards, is set down the subsidy for "hawkes'-hoods, the dozen, 2s. 6d." Gervase Markham, in his "Complete Gentleman," upon "hawkes'-bells," says, "The bells which your hawke shal weare, looke in any wise that they be not too heavy, whereby they overloade hir, neither Brathwait, in his "English Gentl man," has the following remarks and pleasant story concerning hawking:→ "This pleasure, as it is a princely delight, so it moveth many to be so dearly en amoured of it, as they will undergo any charge, rather than forego it; which makes me recal to mind a merry tale which I have read to this effect. Divers men having entered into discourse touching the superfluous care (I will not say folly) of such as keep dogs and hawks for hawking, one Paulus a Florentine stood up and spake-Not without cause (quoth he) did that fool of Milan laugh at these; and, being entreated to tell the tale, he thus proceeded :-Upon a time (quoth he) there was a citizen of Milan, a physician for such as were distracted or lunatic, who took upon him, within a certain time, to cure such as were brought unto him. And he cured them after this sort-he had a plot of ground near his house, and in it a pit of corrupt and stinking water, wherein he bound naked such as were mad to a stake, some of them knee-deep, and others deeper according to the degree of their madness, where he so long pined them with water and hunger, till they seemed sound. Now, amongst others, there was one brought, whom he had put thigh-deep in water; who, after fifteen days, began to ecover, beseeching the physician that he might be taken out of the water. The physician, taking compassion of him, took him out, but, with this condition, that he should not go out of the room. Having obeyed him certain days, he gave him liberty to walk up and down the house, but not to pass the out-gate; while the rest of his companions, which were many, remaining in the water, diligently observed their physician's command. Now it chanced, as on a time he stood at the gate (for out he durst not go, for fear he should return to the pit), he beckoned to a young gentleman to come unto him, who had a hawk and two spaniels, being moved with the novelty thereof; for, to his remembrance, before he fell mad, he had never seen the like. The young gentleman being come unto him; Sir (quoth he), I pray you hear me a word or two, and answer me at your pleasure. What is this you ride on (quoth he), and how do you employ him? This is a horse (replied he), and I keep him for hawking. But what call you that, you carry on your fist, and how do you use it? This is a hawk (said he), and I use to fly with it at pluver and partridge. But what (quoth he), are these which follow you, what do they, or wherein do they profit you? These are dogs, and worth but very little, not above six crowns. The man replied, what then may be the charge you are at with your horse, dogs, and hawk? Some fifty Dr. Drake, from whose work on Shakspeare and His Times" these passages are derived, says, that during the reigns of Elizabeth and James, the recreation of hawking descended from the nobility to the gentry and wealthy yeomanry, and no man could then have the smallest pretensions to the character of a gentleman who did not keep "a cast of hawks." Of this a ludicrous instance occurs in "Every Man in His Humour." "Master Stephen. How does my cousin Edward, uncle? see: Knowell. O, well couse, go in and I doubt he be scarce stirring yet. Steph. Uncle, afore I go in, can you tell me, an' he have ere a book of the sciences of hawking and hunting? I would fain borrow it. Know. Why, I hope you will not a hawking now, will you? Steph. No, couse; but I'll practise against next year, uncle. I have bought me a hawk, and a hood, and bells, and all; I lack nothing but a book to keep it by. Know. O, most ridiculous! Steph. Nay, look you now, you are angry, uncle: why you know, an' a man have not skill in the hawking and hunting. languages now-a-days, I'll not give a rush for him. They are more studied than the Greek or the Latin. He is for no gallant's company without 'hem.-A fine jest ifaith! Slid a gentleman mun show himself like a gentleman!" Formerly, there were many large tracts of land in and near Cranbourne chase, called "Hawking Downs," which were covered with gorse and fern, and resorted to by pheasants and partridges. These were great hawking grounds with the neighbouring gentry who followed the pastime, after the fashion of the times, and kept and trained hawks without regard to expense. Three letters from a sporting gentleman of that country to an ancestor of the rev. Mr. Chafin, the pleasant relator of many agreeable anec |