OF COCK-FIGHTING. 



William Hamilton §, are ftrong memorials of this 

 cuftom : on one is a Cock, with his head creft, 

 carrying in his bill a palm-branch, in token of 

 victory over another, which (landing before with 

 a drooping head. On the other, are two in the 

 aclion of fighting, and a moufe above, running 

 away with an ear of corn, the caufe of the battle : 

 from both thefe reprefen tat ions, it is evident that 

 the antients neither trimmed their Cocks, nor cue 

 off their combs and wattles. 



The race of birds moil efteemed by the antients, 

 was that of TandgM, a city of Beeoiia, the Ifle of 

 Rhodes, Chalcis in Euboea, and the country of Me- 

 dia *. They preferred the larger kind, or what 

 we call Shakebars. The hens of Alexandria in 



o 



Egypt, called MovoQo^oi, were highly valued fof 

 breeding fpirited chickens j-. 



From Greece the diverfion was- carried to Rome: 

 but did not arrive at the heighth of folly as it did 

 at Athens. The Romans delighting more in quail 

 fightings, as the Chinefe do at this time. But we 

 are told, that the fraternal hatred between Bajfianus 

 and Get a, fons of the emperor Severus, began when 

 they were boys, from a quarrel they had about 

 their Quails and Cocks t. 



The Britons had poultry before the arrival of 

 C*far> but they owe the barbarous cuftom of 



§ Archaologia, vol. HI. tab- ix. 

 * Plin. Nat. ffift. lib. x. •c.iij 

 T Geofonic. lib. xiv. c. j, 

 4 Meridian, iii. § 33, 



Cocking 



