12 



PR El' ACE. 



Turbervile, or whoever be the translator of Fouilloux, has 

 appended an admirable breviary of coursing to " the booke of 



\v*.^e'siiiustra- hunting:" and Wase notifies of Gervase Markham, that ''he 



tioiis of Gratius 



r- 74. 



J. Vanierii 

 Pijed. Rustic. 

 Lib. IV. 



hath reported the fruits of his own experience, as in the whole 

 cycle of husbandry accurately; so in Cynegetiques excellently." 

 His chapter on coursing with greyhounds ^ is well worthy 

 perusal; as is also the description of the " Leporarius" by 

 Dr. Caius in his " Libellus de canibus Britannicis."— Need I 

 stop to remark the doubtful features of the " canis alter preepete 

 cursu" of Vaniere's Praedium Rusticum? — Some few points 

 belong apparently to the Celtic hound, 



Pes illi gracilis, loiiga iuternoclia crurum, 

 ArgutuiB caput, et levibus vis ig^ea plantis; 

 Demissumque brevi pectus se colligil alvo. 



but his latrancy {" insequitur claris lepores latratibus") would 

 rather assign him to a different kennel. Works of a later date 

 are too well known to need particular notice. 



Very few are the improvements, either in the discipline of 

 the courser's kennel, or his practice in the field, transmitted to 

 us by these collective cynegetica ; and modern ingenuity has 



See the Appen- 

 dix Class III. 



Cotton. Mss. 

 Tiber. B. v. 



been found here as early as the reign of Theodosius. Indeed Hector Boethius and 

 Holinshed place him amongst us at an earlier period : nor is it improbable that he 

 originally accompanied the Scoto-Celts from the continent of Europe at their primary 

 irruption into Ireland and Scotland. We have evidence of his being an inmate of the 

 Anglo-Saxon kennels in the days of Elfric, Duke of Mercia ; and manuscriptal 

 paintings have descended to us of a Saxon chieftain and his huntsman, attended by a 

 brace of greyhounds, of the date of the 9th century — the earliest representation which 

 I have seen of this hound as connected with British field-sports. 



1. Contained in his work entitled " Countrey Contentments." In addition to 

 which, " The Countrey Farme," by the same author, a compilation from the French, 

 will be read with amusement. 



