EPPING FOREST. 



" Ich, Edward Koning, 

 Have yeven of my forest the keping 

 Of the hundred of Chelmer and Dancing 

 to Randolph Peperking and his kindling 

 Wyth heorte and hynde, doe and bocke, 

 Hare and foxe, Catte and brocke, 

 Wylde fowel with his flocke 

 Partrich, fesant hen, and fesant cocke, 

 With green and wylde stob and stocke 

 to kepen and to ycinen-by al her might, 

 Both by day and eke by night. 

 And hounds for to hold 

 Good and swift and bold 

 Four greyhounds and six racches 

 For hare and foxe and wilde cattes ; 

 And therefore Iche maac him my booke 

 Witness the Bishop Wolston, 

 And book ylered many on 

 And Swein of Essex, our Brother 

 And teken him many other ; 

 And our steward Howrelin 

 That by sought me for him." 



It may be asked how it was that any were found 

 to hve within the bounds of the Forest, where they 

 were subject to the pressure of these Forest laws ; 

 but the answer Ues in the fact that they received 

 very valuable compensation in the commoners' 

 rights, which they possessed from ancient times, 

 of depasturing their cattle on the waste ; of the 

 pannage of pigs ; and of lopping the trees for fuel ; 

 and, in addition to these recognised advantages, 

 there were, if report speaks truly, some illicit ones, 

 in the shape of an occasional chance of a fat buck 

 to the man who was not afraid to run the risk. 

 Certain it is that Woodredon Farm, which was 

 then, and is now, a favourite resort of the deer, 

 commanded an excessive rent on account of the 

 facilities which it offered for poaching. 



The right of commoning was limited to horses 

 and " neat beasts " [cows] " couchant and levant," 



