54 ROYAL ROCK BEAGLE HUNT. 



YE KING AND YE COURTE GOE HUNTYNGE. 



Sailiiif^ oner ye Mere Sea from Litherpoole, ye King didde come bve ye 

 ferrie to Wode Syde, where some of hys friendes didde meete him, and theye 

 didde alle goe through ye towne, uppe to Uppetowne, Woode Kirke, Stortone, 

 and rounde aboute to hunt ye wylde beastes, that didde roame inn ye fearmes 

 and forrestes theyre. Indeed ye King didde hunt alle oure Oueralle. Some doe 

 call it Wirral, bye reason that att one tyme, as is sayed — 



■' From IJIacoR Hedde to Ilillburee, 

 Ye swirrcil didde swirle from tree to tree." 



And ye huntsmann was alle ready, with a goodlie pack of houndes, close bye 

 Arrowe, where ye King and hys friendes didde alle come together ; ye hunts- 

 mann with hys horn and stoute whippe, and ycladd inn hys redde coate, and ye 

 King and hys friendes inn greene, and alle of themme with strong shoes and 

 swathynges of leathere, to save theyre legges from tearing, forr theye didde 

 hunt afoote, and not lyke ye Courte folk, that didde bedeck themselves in fyne 

 cloathes, and with bigge bootes and spurres, didde take horse, soe that, should 

 ye wylde beaste tourne uppon themme inn ye huntynge, theye mought have ye 

 better chaunce to flee awaye from him, forr should hee have done soe, it is 

 dreddfulle to thynke what mought have come to happe. 



And ye King was sore att oddes againste ye Courte folk forr going hunt}'nge 

 round hys huntynge groundes, rowsynge uppe ye beastes that hadd gone into ye 

 forrest forr reste, and forr doing alle theye coulde to spoyle j^e game, that hadd 

 been hys and hys friendes forr soe many yeares. Soe, as hath been sayed, ye 

 King and hj^s friendes (beeing brave and knowing no feare) didde hunt afoote 

 and with Bigle-houndes. 



Ye Bigle is soe called from hys littelnesse ; this doeth seeme strange, yette 

 it is soe. Hee is onely aboute a foote inn hight, and hys hedde is bigge and 

 heavy lookynge, and hee is soe deep-mouthed that hys chappes or flewes doe 

 sometymes hang downe lyke to an ould mann's bearde. Ye jowles of one olde 

 hounde theyre were so bigge that ye grasse didde sweepe hys flewes as hee flewe 

 along, yette allt hough hys olde chappes hadd dropped soe, ye olde fellowe was 

 not chapp-fallen otherMays, butte as brave as ever, and didde keepe on with ye 

 others righte well. 



And beeing come to ye huntynge grounde, theye soughte inn man}' a seate 

 that didd seeme lykelie to suite, to gette sighte of ye game, but didde not forr a 

 long tyme ; yette still beatynge aboute, att laste theye didde starte from hys 

 layer one wylde beaste that didde tourne back hys greate eares and flee awaye 

 att marvellous speede. An ye reeke beeing strong and lying well, ye houndes, 

 that doe hunt bye ye nose and not ye eye, didde give tong, and setting off after 

 hym, theye were soonc inn fulle crye. Awaye theye didde goe, with theyre 

 heddes well downe to ye grounde, and runnynge soe close togethere that one 

 mought spredde a sheete over themme allmoste, as was sayed. Thenne ye 

 heartie olde King didde crye oute inn hys gruff voyce, " Well done," " prettv, 

 " pretty," " good littel bigles," and ye like. 



And ye menn didde followe after, some of ye more lythe and sinnewy 

 leapynge oner dykes and bushes, and keeping well uppe to ye houndes, yette not 

 too close ; other, not runnynge soe fast, didde goe gapynge aboute to find 

 gappes, or theye didde make themme, to get thorough ; and againe, some fewe, 

 newe to ye sporte, too olde or ouer fatte, didde cutte acrosse, neare wayes bye 

 ye gates and soe on. And these didde as welle as ye other, forr that ye beaste 

 doeth not often goe straighte forr long, butte doeth tourne aboute againe and 

 againe to crosse ye reeke, and soe spoyle ye trailc and gette awaye from ye 



