248 THE NOBLE SCIENCE. 



stead of aDy regular bill, amounting to from ten to fif- 

 teen poimds, to be presented by a keeper, as the price 

 of his forbearance, in permitting the existence of ani- 

 mals considered obnoxious to game, and, in reality, 

 destructive to the rabbits, which are his perquisites, I 

 would have five pounds the maximum of remuneration. 

 Such a sum might be adequate compensation to any 

 good servant, for the trouble of doing his duty, and 

 would be received merely as a token of approbation of 

 the manner in which he had discharged it, when the 

 success of his endeavours entitled him to such consider- 

 ation. There can be no reason why under-keepers, or 

 other labourers, might not as well undertake the earth- 

 stopping, on account of their regular employer, as on 

 that of recompense from a separate body. The feasts 

 might still be continued, for it is a good custom, that of 

 assembling together all who are in any way subservient 

 to the interests of fox-hunting, and aftording them a 

 jollification, from which they will not separate without 

 having imbibed a larger flow of those kindly feelings 

 towards the common cause which it is intended to 

 promote. It has been always the custom in Herts, to 

 hold two of these revels, one on each side of the 

 county ; the huntsman presiding : they are attended by 

 all the gamekeepers, earth-stoppers, et hoc genus omne, 

 of the districts ; the annual expense of both seldom 

 exceeds thirty pounds ; and they tend to implant, and 

 keep alive, sentiments most desirable to cherish. But 

 this is not all ; according to the present " custom of the 



