The Hunt in Literature 33 



would be repeated — and then repeated, too, before 

 his father, in a manner to vex him on such a day 

 as this, before such people as were assembled there. 

 He was very angry with his cousin, and for a 

 moment forgot all his hereditary respect for a De 

 Courcy. 



"I tell you what, John," said he, "do you choose 

 your day, some day early in the season, and come 

 out on the best thing you have, and Til bring, not 

 the black horse, but my old mare ; and then do you 

 try and keep near me. If I don't leave you at the 

 back of God-speed before long, I'll give you the 

 mare and the horse too." 



Anthony Trollope. 



The Hillsides of the West o o 



IF we would realise in some degree the England 

 of three centuries ago, we must seek it in the 

 moorland districts of the west, where the general 

 elevation of the surface has restricted the area of 

 cultivation to the bottoms, and the lower slopes 

 of the hills. Vast tracts of upland remain unen- 

 closed, the haunt of red deer and moorland ponies. 

 There also primitive manners linger, and ancient 

 sport survives. The hart is hunted as he was 

 hunted throughout England when Elizabeth was 

 Queen. The Noble Art of Venerie is still cited as 

 an authority. The village fair ; the wrestling 

 green ; the songs and catches of villagers in the 

 inn kitchen ; parson and yeoman discoursing by 

 the covert side on the mysteries of woodcraft ; the 

 hare hunt on the unenclosed hillside; "the 

 assembly " on the opening day of the hunting 

 season, the " mort o' the deer " in the moorland 

 stream ; the frank recognition of differences of 



