72 



With a few exceptions 200 guineas was the 

 largest stake on a main ; occasionally it might 

 be 400 guineas, but by far the greater amount 

 of money changed hands in bets 



In the town cocking was essentially an 

 evening amusement, that it might be acces- 

 sible to those w r ho were occupied during the 

 day ; but at pits patronised by men of leisure 

 and on holidays at public resorts "play" might 

 begin at eleven or at noon. Nominally the 

 cocking season opened with Shrovetide and 

 coincided with the racing season ; in practice 

 cocking went on all the year round 



RULES OF COCK-FIGHTING 



The " Rules and Orders for Cocking," ob- 

 served at this period (1751), are given in 

 Appendix A. The matter-of-fact way in which 

 is set forth the method of '* setting to " cocks, 

 one or both of which might have lost its sight, 

 is eloquent of the callous spirit of the age. So 

 long as a cock would fight and a true game- 

 cock would fight to the last gasp the injuries 

 it received were merely regarded as impairing 

 prospects of winning, It is not surprising that 

 cocking had its resolute opponents among the 

 more enlightened of our ancestors 



