ARCHERY. FALCONRY. 287 



by their physical as their moral and intellectual 

 qualities. Addison makes the crafty Syphax, who 

 is unwilling to acknowledge the inferiority of his 

 countrymen to the Romans, exclaim, 



Do they with tougher sinews bend the bow ; 

 Or flies the javelin swifter to its mark, 

 Launch 'd by the vigour of a Roman arm ? 



The feats of the bow were often introduced into 

 the songs of the Bards of the ancient Britons, and 

 into the ballads of the Troubadours. 



Archery is now confined to shooting at the tar- 

 get. Ladies not unfrequently contend for the prize 

 in this elegant amusement. Their bows, however, 

 are not such as were used by the amazons of yore, 

 nor are those of the gentlemen of the archery clubs 

 such as decided the battle of Cressy. 



Falconry, coeval with, and subsequent to the 

 decline of archery, occupied that rank in British 

 field sports which is now enjoyed by shooting. 

 Falconry is of high antiquity ; but at what time 

 hawks were first trained to the sport does not 

 appear. Aristotle informs us, that " there was a 

 district in Thrace, in which boys used to assemble 

 at a certain time of the year, for the sake of bird- 

 catching ; and that the spot was much frequented 

 by hawks, which were wont to appear on hearing 

 themselves called, and would drive the little birds 

 into the bushes, where they were caught." 



Martial has the following epigram on the fate of 

 a hawk : 



Prsedo fuit volucrum, famulus nunc aucupis, idem 

 Decipit, et captas non sibi, moerit, aves. 



