222 ANATID.^. 



said branches of the Terns, may be upped all in one day 

 with the upping of the Terns, which is referred to Mr. 

 Maylard, of Hampton Courte, who hath the ordering of 

 the Terns. So if it pleas you from time to time to send 

 and confer with him." The following is a copy of a letter 

 from R. Maylard, the Master of the Swans on the Thames, 

 to Sir William More, as Master of the Swans for Surrey, 

 extracted from Mr. Kempe's book : 



" May it please you, Sir, this morning I received a 1're 

 affirmed to come from you, but no name thereunto. Where- 

 in yo' request me to come to Perford to confer wt yo' 

 touching the upping of S wanes, w'ch I wold most gladly 

 pforme, yf I were not throughe very ernest busynes letted 

 of my purpose, ffor to morrowe being Tuysdaie I take my 

 jorney along the river of Thames at Gravesend.* And 

 then uphon the first Mondaie in August, I come westward 

 towards Wyndsor. Wherefore if it may please yo u to send 

 to my howse to Hampton Court what dais you meane to ap- 

 pointe for driving the river of Weybridge and Molsey, it 

 shall suffice, to th' end the gamesters maie have knowledge 

 thereof, that they may attend accordingly. I do thinke 

 it wold greatly satisffie them yf yo' did appointe the same 

 upon Tuesday the vii 111 of August, for upon that day they 

 wil be at the entrance of these rivers. And so praing you 



* Many Swans were formerly kept below bridge. In ancient views of 

 the port of London, they are usually represented as swimming in that 

 part of the river. 



1381-2. In an enumeration of the fees of the Constable of the Tower, 

 the following occurs, "All maner of Swannes that come through the 

 bridge, or beneath the bridge, be clearlie the Constable's, and also there 

 shall [be] noe swanne eyre beneath the bridge, but the owners of the said 

 swannes shall make a fyne for them to the said Constable, and over that, 

 the Constable shall have of every nest a signet." 



Landsdown MS. No. 1 55. 

 Archceologia, vol. xviii. p. 275. 

 Cruden's Hist of Gravesend, p. 39. 



