CONCLUSION. 207 



In his passion for hunting wild animals Henry I. 

 excelled even his brother William, and not content 

 with encountering and slaying those which like the 

 wolf and the wild boar, were at that time indi- 

 genous to this country, he " cherished of set purpose 

 sundrie kinds of wild beasts, as bears, libards, ounces, 

 lions, at Woodstocke, and one or two other places in 

 England, which he walled about with hard stone 

 (a.d. 1 1 20), and where he would often fight with some 

 one of them hand to hand." 



Henry II. and John were both great preservers of 

 wild animals, and monopolized large tracts of country 

 wherein to indulge their passion for hunting. Ferocious 

 animals were in consequence long suffered to remain 

 at large against the will of the people, and hence 

 survived to a much later period in this country 

 than would have been the case had the subjects of 

 these monarchs dared sooner to assert their inde- 

 pendence. But at length came the repeal of the 

 forest laws. The operation of the Charter of the 

 Forests, which was signed by John at the same time 

 with Magna Charta, restrained the worst abuses of 

 the feudal tenure ; all lands which had been con- 

 verted into woods or parks since the commencement 

 of this reign were disafforested, and the tenants 

 bordering on the royal forests secured against spolia- 

 tion ; in a word, the laws made for the protection of 

 the game and wild animals were either partially 

 repealed or considerably mitigated. 



A confirmation of this charter was obtained, 

 though with much difficulty, from Henry III. It 



