60 AUBREY'S NATURAL HISTORY OF WILTSHIRE. 



time, and Oppian, who wrote about two ages after Gratius, in imitation of him. Gratii Cynegeticon, 

 translated by Mr. Chr. Wace, 1654: 



" What if the Belgique current you should view, 

 And steer your course to Britain's utmost shore ! 

 Though not for shape, and much deceiving show, 

 The British hounds no other blemish know : 

 When fierce work comes, and courage must be shown, 

 And Mars to extreme combat leads them on, 

 Then stout Molossians you will lesse commend ; 

 With Atbemaneans these in craft contend." 



It is certain that no county of England had greater variety of game, &c. than Wiltshire, and our 

 county hounds were as good, or rather the best of England ; but within this last century the breed 

 is much mix't with northern hounds. Sir Charles Snell, of Kington St. Michael, who was my 

 honoured friend and neighbour, had till the civill warrs as good hounds for the hare as any were in 

 England, for handsomenesse and mouth (deep-mouthed) and goodnesse, and suited one another 

 admirably well. But it was the Right Hon. Philip I. Earle of Pembroke, that was the great hunter. 

 It was in his lordship's time, sc. tempore Jacobi I. and Caroli I. a serene calme of peace, that 

 hunting was at its greatest heighth that ever was in this nation. The Roman governours had not, 

 I thinke, that leisure. The Saxons were never at quiet ; and the barons' warres, and those of York 

 and Lancaster, took up the greatest part of the time since the Conquest : so that the glory of the 

 English hunting breath'd its last with this Earle, who deceased about 1644, and shortly after the 

 forests and parkes were sold and converted into arable, &c. 



'Twas after his lordship's decease [1650] that I was a hunter; that is to say, with the Right 

 Honourable William, Lord Herbert, of Cardiff, the aforesaid Philip's grandson. Mr. Chr. Wace then 

 taught him Latin, and hunted with him ; and 'twas then that he translated Gratii Cynegeticon, and 

 dedicated it to his lordship, which will be a lasting monument for him. Sir Jo. Denham was at 

 Wilton at that time about a twelve moneth. 



The Wiltshire greyhounds were also the best of England, and are still ; and my father and I 

 have had as good as any were in our times in Wiltshire. They are generally of a fallow colour, or 

 black ; but Mr. Dutton's, of Shirburn in Glocestershire, are some white and some black. But 

 Gratius, in his Cynegeticon, adviseth : 



" And chuse the greyhound py'd with black and white, 

 He runs more swift than thought, or winged flight ; 

 But courseth yet in view, not hunts in traile, 

 In which the quick Petronians never faile." 



We also had in this county as good tumblers as anywhere in the nation. Martial speakes of the 

 tumblers : 



" Non sibi sed domino venatur vertagus acer, 

 Ilhesum leporem qui tibi dente feret " 



Turnebus, Young, Gerard, Vossius, and Janus TJlitius, all consenting that the name and dog came 

 together from Gallia Belgica, Dr. Caldicot told me that in Wilton library there was a Latine 

 poeme (a manuscript), wrote about Julius Caesar's time, where was mention of tumblers, and that 



