240 



t&c JFurtjst 



As we find a passion for the chase was coeval with human 

 existence, so at the earliest periods of civilization, a jealous dis- 

 tinction marked the privilege of hunting ; and, at length, posi- 

 tive laws were enacted, by which the chase became a sort of 

 monopoly, appropriated to the use or the pleasure of those, 

 who, either from birth or fortune, had attained a pre-eminence 

 among their fellow beings. 



The Romans appear to have delighted in a miserable apolo- 

 gy for field sports, viz. they procured great numbers of wild 

 beasts and birds from the East, which were driven promis- 

 cuously into the circus, and exhibited to the view of the people, 

 tearing each other to pieces ; while the Emperor Commodus, and 

 several of his imperial brethren, condescended, on these occa- 

 sions to astonish the spectators by a display of their skill in 

 archery. These masters of the world, however, were specially 

 provided with such situations, that, while they attempted to 

 transfix a panther, the oppressed and infuriate animal could use 

 neither his teeth nor claws in his defence. But Forest or Game 

 Laws were unknown at this period ; and though partridges and 

 hares were most probably in existence, no special statutes were 

 enacted for their protection. 



After a lapse of some centuries, the Roman empire was anni- 

 hilated by the barbarians of the north ; who, emerging through 

 the dark forests of Germany, at length established themselves 

 in the more cultivated parts of Europe, and introduced the 

 feudal system, to which the petty states of Germany bear a faint 



