292 SHOOTING. 



joyed under the Saxon and Danish Kings, not at 

 all regarding the Liberties given to the Subject by 

 Canute's Forest Laws. His son, William Rufus, 

 is recorded in History for the Severity of his Pro- 

 ceedings against all that hunted in his Forests, 

 inflicting the Punishment of Death upon such as 

 killed a Stag or Buck in his Forests, without any 

 other Law than that of his own Will." The kill- 

 ing of deer was punished with loss of sight bv 

 William the Conqueror.* William Rufus " did 

 so severely forbid hunting a deer, that it was felony 

 and a hanging matter to have taken a stag or 

 buck."-f- In Coeur de Lion's time, the law was 

 very severe against offenders taking the king's 

 venison ; it was even unlawful to carry a bow, or 

 take dogs through a royal forest ;-= to quote the 

 dog-latin of the day, " Qui arcus vel sagittas por- 

 taverint vel canes duxerint sine copula per forestam 

 Regis, et hide attaintus fuerit, erit in miserecordia 

 Regis. "J This, however, did not apply to dogs 

 which had been expeditated, that is, " which had 

 three claws of the fore foot cut off by the skin." 



The forest laws professed to be for the protec- 

 tion of " vert and venison." Vert was whatsoever 

 bore green leaves, and afforded food or cover to the 

 deer ; and venison signified such beasts of the forest 

 or the chase as were the food of man. When read- 

 ing old books, it is necessary to keep in mind this 

 acceptation of the word venison. 



This state of things continued until by the 



* John Selden. f William of Malmsbury. 



England's Epinomis. 



