Ch. I. SINCE THE NORMAN CONQUEST. 9 



from its comparative intolerance of our winters, that it must have been 

 originally transplanted from a more genial climate. In this respect its 

 habits differ essentially from those of the hardy stag and roebuck, which 

 brave the cold of even Scottish winters, and live and flourish through 

 them without the care and tendance of man. It is probable that it was 

 brought to this country from the South of Europe, or from the Western 

 parts of Asia, in which places it is found to attain to a larger size than in 

 its semi-domesticated state in our parks. It is found, indeed, in a more 

 severe climate than our own ; but it is only the dark brown variety, which 

 is far more hardy than the usual one, and is well known to have been 

 imported on account of this quality by James I. from Norway.' ' 



King James's claim to have reintroduced into this country, from 

 Norway, the dark brown variety of fallow-deer, appears to rest on the 

 dictum of Bewick, at least I have discovered no earlier authority for the 

 assertion; it is confirmed, however, to some extent, by a letter in the 

 State Paper Office, from Sir Roger Aston to Lord Salisbury, dated 

 May 14, 161 1, in which he writes that 'the king will not despatch the ship 

 which brought the deer, before he knows what Salisbury gave for the last 

 that came, and wishes Sir Thomas Lake to send word that the ship may 

 be despatched ; ' ^ and in an original account which I have examined of 

 ' divers extraordinary workes done since the first of May 1608,' I find the 

 following, ' at Depthford for charge bestowed on the King's dog-house, and 

 conveying Deere to Theobalts w^ camefom the King of Denntarke, £30 51.'' 

 There is evidence also that the king presented ' pied ' or spotted deer to 

 the king of France ; ■• and his fondness for field sports, and particularly the 

 interest which he took in his deer, invests the traditional belief on this 



' Bell's History of British Quadrupeds, 8vo. ■* Warrant to pay to H. Seckford loo marks 



1837, p. 402. for conveying certain pied deer to the French 



' Calendar of Domestic State Papers. James King. Docquet, March 30, 1608. lb. 

 l.,p. 31. 



' Original paper in the possession of the 

 Baroness North. 



