THE WOODS. 185 



abundance. The parlour was a large room, completely fur- 

 nished in the same style. On a broad hearth, paved with 

 brick, lay some of the choicest terriers, hounds, and spaniels. 

 One or two of the great chairs, had litters of cats in them, which 

 were not to be disturbed. Of these three or four always attended 

 him at dinner ; and a little white wand lay by his trencher, to de- 

 fend it, if they were too troublesome. In the windows, which were 

 very large, lay his arrows, cross-bows, and other accoutrements. 

 The corners of the room were filled with his best hunting, 

 and hawking poles. His oister-table stood at the lowered end 

 of the room, which was in constant use twice a day, all the 

 year round ; for he never failed to eat oysters both at dinner 

 and supper, with which the neighboring town of Pool supplied 

 him. At the upper end of the room stood a small table with 

 a double desk ; one side of which held a Church Bible ; the 

 other, the book of martyrs. On different tables in the room 

 lay hawk's-hoods ; bells; old hats, with their crowns thrust 

 in, full of pheasant eggs ; tables ; dice ; cards ; and store of 

 tobacco-pipes. At one end of this room was a door, which 

 opened into a closet, where stood bottles of strong beer, and 

 wine ; which never came out but in single glasses, which was 

 the rule of the house; for he never exceeded himself, nor per- 

 mitted others to exceed. Answering to this closet, was a door 

 into an old chapel ; which had long been disused for devotion ; 

 but in the pulpit, as the safest place, was always to be found a 

 cold chine of beef, a venison-pasty, a gammon of bacon, or a 

 great apple-pye, with thick crust, well-baked. His table cost 

 him not much, tho it was good to eat at. His sports supplied 

 all but beef and mutton ; except on fridays, when he had the 

 best of fish. He never wanted a London pudding; and he 

 always sang it in with, 'My part lies therein-a.' He drank a 

 glass or two of wine at meals ; put syrup of gilly-flowers into 

 his sack; and always had a tun-glass of small-beer standing 

 by him, which he often stirred about with rosemary. He lived 



