THE FALCON KIND. 97 



relief, as embarking with a bird on his fist and a 

 dog under his arm. In those days it was thought 

 sufficient for noblemen's sons to wind the horn, 

 and to carry their hawk fair, and leave study and 

 learning to the children of meaner people. In- 

 deed, this diversion was in such high esteem 

 among the great all over Europe, that Frederic, 

 one of the emperors of Germany, thought it not 

 beneath him to write a treatise upon hawking. 



The expense which attended this sport was 

 very great: among the old Welsh princes, the 

 king's falconer was the fourth officer in the state ; 

 but, notwithstanding all his honours, he was for- 

 bid to take more than three draughts of beer 

 from his horn, lest he should get drunk and ne- 

 glect his duty. In the reign of James the First, 

 Sir Thomas Monson is said to have given a thou- 

 sand pounds for a cast of hawks ; and such was 

 their value in general, that it was made felony in 

 the reign of Edward the Third to steal a hawk. 

 To take its eggs, even in a person's own ground, 

 was punishable with imprisonment for a year and 

 a day, together with a fine at the king's pleasure. 

 In the reign of Elizabeth, the imprisonment was 

 reduced to three months ; but the offender was to 

 lie in prison till he got security for his good be- 

 haviour for seven years farther. In the earlier 

 times, the art of gunning was but little practised, 

 and the hawk was then valuable, not only for its 

 affording diversion, but for its procuring delicacies 

 for the table that could seldom be obtained any 

 other way. 



VOL. IV. G 



