CHAPTER VY. 
THIRTEENTH CENTURY. 
The Thirteenth Century: King John. Edward I. Decoys. Household 
Accounts. The Crossbill. The Solan Goose. 
As we enter another century we become a little better 
acquainted with the English people and begin to know 
something of their sports from the pages of Strutt, as well 
as of viands on their dinner-table, the animals which they 
chased, and even a few of the birds. Of all their pastimes, 
none continued to be in greater vogue than the chase with 
Falcons and Goshawks, even ladies and church dignitaries 
excelled init. The Hawk, its head covered with a hood which 
effectually prevented it from seeing anything prematurely, 
was carried on its master’s wrist, protected by a thick glove, 
while straps of leather were put on its legs for holding purposes, 
and small bells which would reveal its whereabouts if lost. 
All our earlier English monarchs were addicted to hawking, 
both Edward IJ. and Edward IIT. evinced a taste for this 
kind of sport, and where royalty led the way nobles and 
squires would not be slow to follow. The panegyric of 
Bartholomew de Glanville on the Goshawk is verv character- 
istic of the times when a feat of falconry rivalled a noble deed 
of arms. The Franciscan friar dilates on its merits with 
enthusiastic ardour, a royal fowl is the only name worthy to 
be applied to the favourite of the chase, which he quaintly 
describes as ‘‘ armed more with boldness than with claws.” 
He deemed his brave Goshawk to be one of a disdainful sort, 
“for if,” says he, “she fail by any hap of the prey that she 
reseth [riseth] to that day unneth [scarcely] she cometh unto 
her lord’s hand.’”* The falconer’s favourite sport was to 
fly Hawks at Cranes, if he could find them. Cranes are 
continually mentioned in connection with hawking, but the 
* “ De Proprietatibus Rerum,” ch. II., in Berthelet’s translation: to Mr. 
Mullens I am indebted for the passage. 
