62 ' F O X.' GlafsL 



this peft by the care of king Edgar. In England he 

 attempted to efFedl it by commuting the punifliments 

 for certain crimes into the acceptance of a number of 

 wolves tongues from each criminal : in Wales by con- 

 verting the tax of gold and filver into an annual tri- 

 bute of 300 wolves heads. Notwithftanding thefe 

 his endeavourSj and the afiertions of fome authors^ 

 his fcheme proved abortive. We find that fome 

 centuries after the reign of that Saxon monarch, thefe 

 animals were again increafed to fuch a degree, as to 

 become the objeCl of the royal attention ; accordingly 

 Edward the firil iffued out his mandate to Peter Cor- 

 bet to fuperintend and affift in the deftru<51:iQn of them 

 in the feveral counties ofGlouceJer, IVcrceJltr^ Hereford^ 

 Salop, and Stafford *; and in the adjacent county of 

 Derby J as Camden, p. 902, informs us, certain perfons 

 zi Wcrnibiil held their lands by the duty of hunting 

 and taking the wolves that infefted the country, 

 w hence they were ftiled IFohe html. To look back 

 into the Saxon times . we find that in Athelftan^% 

 reign wolves abounded fo in Torkfbire^ that a 

 retreat was built at Flixton in that county, to 

 defend paffengers from the '•dwhes, that they Jhoidd not 

 he devoured by them 7 : and fuch ravages did thofe 

 animals make during winter, particularly Januff.ry 

 when the cold was fevereft, that our Saxon ancejlors 



* Pro Petro Corbet^ de Lupis Caplcndls. 



Rex, omnibus Baln-niSf isc. Sc!atis quod ivjvnximvi dheSlo et Jidelt 

 tiofro Pecro Corbet quod in ornn'ihus for e Jits ef parcis et aliis iocis infra 

 comitatui nnf.ros Gloucefter, VVyg^rn, Hereford, Salop, et ScafFord, in 

 quibui lupi pcterunt ^^iieniri lup'os aim hcmirdbus canibus et itigcniis Juii 

 capiat et deflruat modis omnibus qiiibus 'viderit expedire. 



Et idea ^jchi; f^andamus q^'cd eidem i'lfendc/ites et eiuxiliantes ejlis. 

 Tejie Rege ^/«rf' Weltm. 14 Mail A. D. 1281. Rymer, vol. i. pars 

 2. p. 192. + Camden i Brit. aQZ. 



dif- 



