FOREST. CHASE. PARK. 295 



these privileged places we collect the following par- 

 ticulars from various authorities. A Forest was a 

 certain territory of woody grounds and fruitful pas- 

 tures, privileged for wild beasts and fowls of forest, 

 chase, and warren, to rest and abide there in the 

 safe protection of the king for his delight and plea- 

 sure ; which territory of ground so privileged was 

 meered and bounded with unremoveable marks, 

 meers, and boundaries, and replenished with wild 

 beasts of venery or chase, and with great coverts 

 of vert for the succour of the said beasts there to 

 abide ; for the preservation and continuance of 

 which, there are particular officers, laws, and privi- 

 leges belonging to the same, requisite for that pur- 

 pose, and proper only to a forest and no other place. 

 Beasts of forest were properly hart, hind, buck, hare, 

 boar, and wolf, but legally all wild beasts of venery. 

 A purlieu was a portion of a forest which was dis- 

 afforested by the Charta de Foresta. A Chase was 

 a privileged place for receipt of deer and beasts 

 of the forest, and was of a middle nature, betwixt a 

 forest and park. It was commonly less than a 

 forest, and not endowed with so many liberties, as 

 officers, laws, courts, and yet was of a larger com- 

 pass than a park, having more officers and game 

 than a park. Every forest was a chase, but every 

 chase was not a forest. It differed from a park in 

 that it was not enclosed. Beasts -of the chase are, 

 the buck, doe, fox, martern, and roe. A Park was 

 a large parcel of ground privileged for wild beasts 

 of chase by the king's grant, or by prescription. A 

 park must be enclosed. The beasts of park properly 



