THE CONFERENCE. 43 



The sparhawk and musket, 



The French pye, of two sorts. 



These are reckoned hawks of note and worth ; but we have 

 also hawks of an inferior rank, 



The stanyel, the ringtail, 



The raven, the buzzard, 



The forked kite, the bald buzzard, 



The hen-driver, and others that I forbear to name. 

 Gentlemen, if I should enlarge my discourse to the obser- 

 vation of the eires, the brancher, the ramish hawk, the 

 haggard, and the two sorts of lentners, and then treat of 

 their several ayries, their mewings, rare order of casting, and 

 the renovation of their feathers ; their reclaiming, dieting, 

 and then come to their rare stories of practice ; I say, if I 

 should enter into these, and many other observations that I 

 could make, it would be much, very much pleasure to me ; 

 but lest I should break the rules of civility to you, by taking 

 up more than the proportion of time allotted to me, I will 

 here break off, and entreat you, Mr. Venator, to say what 

 you are able in the commendation of hunting, to which you 

 are so much affected ; and, if time will serve, I will beg your 

 favour for a further enlargement of some of those several 

 heads of which I have spoken. But no more at present. 



VEN. Well, Sir, and I will now take my turn, and will first 

 begin with a commendation of the earth, as you have done 

 most excellently of the air ; the earth being that element 

 upon which I drive my pleasant, wholesome, hungry trade. 

 The earth is a solid, settled element : an element most 

 universally beneficial both to man and beast : to men who 

 have their several recreations upon it, as horse-races, hunting, 

 sweet smells, pleasant walks : the earth feeds man, and all 



