6 The Chase 



while one thinks too much of his doing, he leaves 

 to do the effect of his thinking. Then spared he 

 not to remember, how much Arcadia was changed 

 since his youth j activity and good-fellowship being 

 nothing in the price it was then held in ; but, 

 according to the nature of the old-growing world, 

 still worse and worse. Then would he tell them 

 stories of such gallants as he had known ; and so, 

 with pleasant company, beguiled the time's haste, 

 and shortened the way's length, till they came to 

 the side of the wood, where the hounds were in 

 couples, staying their coming, but with a whining 

 accent craving liberty ; many of them in colour 

 and marks so resembling, that it showed they were 

 of one kind. The huntsmen handsomely attired in 

 their green liveries, as though they were children of 

 summer, with staves in their hands to beat the 

 guiltless earth, when the hounds were at a fault ; 

 and with horns about their necks, to sound an 

 alarm upon a silly fugitive : the hounds were 

 straight uncoupled, and ere long the stag thought it 

 better to trust to the nimbleness of his feet than to 

 the slender fortification of his lodging ; but even his 

 feet betrayed him ; for, howsoever they went, they 

 themselves uttered themselves to the scent of their 

 enemies, who, one taking it of another, and some- 

 times believing the wind's advertisements, sometimes 

 the view of — their faithful counsellors — the hunts- 

 men, with open mouths, then denounced war, 

 when the war was already begun. Their cry being 

 composed of so well-sorted mouths, that any man 

 would perceive therein some kind of proportion, 

 but the skilful woodmen did find a music. Then 

 delight and variety of opinion drew the horsemen 

 sundry ways, yet cheering their hounds with voice 

 and horn, kept still as it were together. The wood 



