72 COCKER S MANUAL. 



was much patronized in the days of glorious Queen Bess, who ruled 

 too wisely and generously to interfere with the sports of her loyal 

 subjects. James I. was so fond of the sport that he publicly attended 

 it twice a week, and Charles II. was a great patron of the sod, and 

 introduced the Pyles (so-called) from the very distinctive colors of 

 white and red, and derived from ancient English game of Cross & 

 Pyle. At this time so enamored of the sport were the people that 

 cocks were very frequently fought in the public streets of London, 

 notwithstanding there were in London several cock-pits beside the 

 royal pit. In after times when the latter was taken down, another 

 bearing the same designation was immediately erected by subscription 

 in Tufton street. Derby Lane theatre was originally a cock-pit, and 

 many provincials were under the patronage of their respective corpo- 

 rations. The Canterbury corporation pit was an apartment of a splen-. 

 did gateway that formed part of St. Augustine Monastery, and some 

 of the old rules and reg'-ilations that we have seen for the government 

 of those ]jits prove that amateurs of those days had to conduct them- 

 selves with all the gravity of deportment and language becoming a 

 church congregation of our own time as no lo,ud talking, swearing or 

 unseemly behavior was ever allowed in those places. This would form 

 a striking contrast to the excitement, roars, shrieks, offers to take or 

 lay the odds consequent on the springing from the setter's hand ; of a 

 pair of rasping Cornish hen cocks amidst a perfect Babel of tongues 

 indescribable ; or yet to the motley groups Hogarth so cleverly de- 

 picted on canvas in the royal pit at Newmarket, and on whom that 

 rare cock-feeder, Nan Rawlings alias Duchess of Deptford is looking 

 down so complaisantly and whose characters I would like to portray 

 if space permitted. 



Old Frampton was generally acknowledged to be the father of the 

 sod. He was more fond of racing than hunting, and infinitely pre- 

 ferred cocking to either. He was hatched and a very promising chick 

 in the reign of Charles I.; was doubtless a fine crowing stag when 

 Charles II. Pyles were fighting, and was placed in a fine walk by 

 William III as keeper of the running horses to his majesty, a part he 

 retained under Queen Ann, George I. and George II. He died 

 in March, 1727, aged 86. From some original letters of his still ex- 

 tant, he not only appeared to have been conversant with many of the 

 modern tricks of cocking, but also to some extent with the method of 



