NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 21 



panions, they gave him, by their watches, law, as they called it, 

 for twenty minutes; when, sounding their horns, the stop-dogs 

 were permitted to pursue, and a most gallant scene ensued. 



LETTER VII. 



THOUGH large herds of deer do much harm to the neighbourhood, 

 yet the injury to the morals of the people is of more moment than 

 the loss of their crops. The temptation is irresistible ; for most 

 men are sportsmen by constitution : and there is such an inherent 

 spirit for hunting in human nature, as scarce any inhibitions can 

 restrain. Hence, towards the beginning of this century all this 

 country was wild about deer-stealing. Unless he was a hunter, as 

 they affected to call themselves, no young person was allowed to 

 be possessed of manhood or gallantry. The Waltham blacks at 

 length committed such enormities, that government was forced 

 to interfere with that severe and sanguinary act called the " Black 

 Act,"* which now comprehends more felonies than any law that 

 ever was framed before. And, therefore, a late Bishop of Win- 

 chester, when urged to re-stock Waltham Chase, t refused, from a 

 motive worthy of a prelate, replying " that it had done mischief 

 enough already." 



Our old race of deer-stealers is hardly extinct yet : it was but 

 a little while ago that, over their ale, they used to recount the 

 exploits of their youth ; such as watching the pregnant hind to 

 her lair, and, when the calf was dropped, paring its feet with a 

 penknife to the quick to prevent its escape, till it was large and 

 fat enough to be killed ; the shooting at one of their neighbours 

 with a bullet in a turnip-field by moonshine, mistaking him for a 

 deer ; and the losing a dog in the following extraordinary manner : 

 Some fellows, suspecting that a calf new-fallen was deposited in 

 a certain spot of thick fern, went, with a lurcher, to surprise it ; 



* Statute 9 Geo. I. cap. 22. 



f This chase remains unstocked to this day ; the bishop was Dr. Hoadly. 



