ANCIENT AND MODERN FORESTRY 65 
These ancient Forest Laws of Scotland seem, 
indeed, to have been conceived in the finest 
and most generous spirit of true sport. Nothing 
could well be more reasonable than the last 
clause of the section relative to hunting within 
the king’s forest. ‘And quhasoever sal] follow 
his hounds or dogges runnand at ane beast, fra 
his proper land within the King’s forest: he 
sall remove, and lay aside his bow and his 
arrowes, gif he anie hes; or he may bind the 
bow and the arrowes with the bow-string. And 
gif the hound slayes the beast: he with his 
hound and the beast sall pas away quite and 
free, but anie challange of the King, or Lord 
of that forest.’ 
In one point the Scottish laws differed essenti- 
ally from the English, because forests could be 
owned by ‘anie Baron: being infeft by the 
King, in free Forest: and with inhibition that 
na man do anie trespass in the samine; under 
the forefault, and pane of ten punds.’ The 
laws applied equally to these as to the king’s 
forests, and such ‘Lord of the Forest’ could 
condone no crime or trespass. ‘Gif the Lord 
of the Forest will not persew the said crime, 
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