OF HAWKS AND HAWKING.
[A PAPER “Of Hawkes and Falconry, ancient and modern”, is here
transcribed from Sir Thomas Browne’s Miscellanies, (8vo. 1684.) It
describes at considerable length (from the works of Symmachus, Albertus
Magnus, Demetrius Constantinopolitanus, and others), the various rules
which were acted upon in their times, with regard to the food and
medicine of hawks; and it also narrates some historical particulars of
the once popular sport of hawking.—J. B.]
QUÆRE, Sir James Long of this subject, for he understands it as well as
any gentleman in this nation, and desire him to write his marginall
notes.
[From Sir James Long, Dracot.] Memorandum. Between the years 1630 and
1634 Henry Poole, of Cyrencester, Esquire (since Sir Henry Poole,
Baronet), lost a falcon flying at Brook, in the spring of the year,
about three a’clock in the afternoon; and he had a falconer in Norway
at that time to take hawks for him, who discovered this falcon, upon
the stand from whence he was took at first, the next day in the
evening. This flight must be 600 miles at least.
Dame Julian Barnes, in her book of Hunting and Hawking, says that the
hawk’s bells must be in proportion to the hawk, and they are to be
equiponderant, otherwise they will give the hawk an unequall ballast:
and as to their sound they are to differ by a semitone, which will make
them heard better than if they were unisons.
William of Malmesbury sayes that, anno Domini 900, tempore Regis
Alfredi, hawking was first used. Coteswold is a very fine countrey for
this sport, especially before they began to enclose about Malmesbury,
Newton, &c. It is a princely sport, and no doubt the novelty, together
with the delight, and the conveniency of this countrey, did make King
Athelstan much use it. I was wont to admire to behold King Athelstan’s
figure in his monument at Malmesbury Abbey Church, with a falconer’s
glove on his right hand, with a knobbe or tassel to put under his
girdle, as the falconers use still; but this chronologicall
advertisement cleares it. [The effigy on the monument here referred to,
as well as the monument itself, have no reference to Athelstan, as they
are of a style and character some hundreds of years subsequent to that
monarch’s decease. If there were any tomb to Athelstan it would have
been placed near the high altar in the Presbytery, and very different
in form and decoration to the altar tomb and statue here mentioned,
which are at the east end of the south aisle of the nave.—J. B.] Sir
George Marshal of Cole Park, a-quarry to King James First, had no more
manners or humanity than to have his body buried under this tombe. The
Welsh did King Athelstan homage at the city of Hereford, and covenanted
yearly payment of 20li. gold, of silver 300, oxen 2,500, besides
hunting dogges and hawkes. He dyed anno Domini 941, and was buried with
many trophies at Malmesbury. His lawes are extant to this day among the
lawes of other Saxon kings.