258 THE MANNERS AND CU5T0MS 



which he frequently exerclfed, of mortgaging thern, 

 and fometiines by way of providing a marriage por- 

 tion for the daughters. Thus Robin Vaughan of 

 Henblas, charged his huids with a mortgage of 

 twelve pounds, in part of his daughter's marriage- 

 portion *- 



The ancient Wclfli foltowed the pleafures of the' 

 chace with great avidity, and various kinds of ani- 

 mals v/ere the objeds of their purfuit. Among, 

 thefe have been enumerated tlie ftag, the boar, a 

 fwarm of bees, the falmon, the cock of the woody 

 the fox, the hare, the roe, and " climbing animals," 

 fuch probably as martins, fquirrels, and \vild cats. 

 Some of thefe do not accord with the prefent ideas^ 

 of objefts of amufement in tlie chace ; they were, 

 however, all comprehended in the code of laws re- 

 lative to- this diverfion, formed by one of the Welfli 

 princes in the twelfth century. — The mode of hunt- 

 ing thofe animafs that could be purfued by dogSy 

 was with hounds or greyhounds j thefe were held in 

 leafhes, and from thence let flip at the animals. No 

 perfon was allowed to kill an animal of the chace on 

 its form, or at reft, on pain of forfeiting his bow and 

 arrows to his lord. When feveral hounds, the pro- 

 perty of different perfons, were let flip, at an animal 

 at the fame time, the perfon whofe dog was nearelt 

 tlie bead when it was lafl in fight, was entitled to 



the 



