It is none of the least blessings wherewith God hath indued this
Iland, that it is void of noisome beasts, as lions, beares, tigers,
pardes, wolfes, & such like, by means whereof our countrimen may
trauell in safetie, & our herds and flocks remaine for the most part
abroad in the field without anie herdman or kéeper.
This is cheefelie spoken of the south and southwest parts of the
Iland. For wheras we that dwell on this side of the Twed, may safelie
boast of our securitie in this behalfe: yet cannot the Scots doo the
like in euerie point within their kingdome, sith they haue greeuous
[Sidenote: Woolfes.]
woolfes and cruell foxes, beside some other of like disposition
continuallie conuersant among them, to the generall hinderance of
their husbandmen, and no small damage vnto the inhabiters of those
quarters. The happie and fortunate want of these beasts in England is
vniuersallie ascribed to the politike gouernement of king Edgar, who
to the intent the whole countrie might once be clensed and clearelie
rid of them, charged the conquered Welshmen (who were then pestered
with these rauenous creatures aboue measure) to paie him a yearelie
[Sidenote: Tribute of Woolfes skins.]
tribute of woolfes skinnes, to be gathered within the land. He
appointed them thereto a certeine number of three hundred, with free
libertie for their prince to hunt & pursue them ouer all quarters of
the realme; as our chronicles doo report. Some there be which write
how Ludwall prince of Wales paid yearelie to king Edgar this tribute
of thrée hundred woolfes, whose carcases being brought into Lhoegres,
were buried at Wolfpit in Cambridgeshire, and that by meanes thereof
within the compasse and terme of foure yeares, none of those noisome
creatures were left to be heard of within Wales and England. Since
this time also we read not that anie woolfe hath béene séene here that
hath beene bred within the bounds and limits of our countrie: howbeit
there haue béene diuerse brought ouer from beyond the seas for
gréedinesse of gaine, and to make monie onlie by the gasing and gaping
of our people vpon them, who couet oft to see them being strange
beasts in their eies, and sildome knowne (as I haue said) in England.
Lions we haue had verie manie in the north parts of Scotland, and
those with maines of no lesse force than they of Mauritania were
sometimes reported to be; but how and when they were destroied as yet
I doo not read. They had in like sort no lesse plentie of wild and
cruell buls, which the princes and their nobilitie in the frugall time
of the land did hunt, and follow for the triall of their manhood, and
by pursute either on horssebacke or foot in armor; notwithstanding
that manie times they were dangerouslie assailed by them. But both
these sauage cretures are now not heard of, or at the least wise the
later scarselie known in the south parts. Howbeit this I gather by
their being here, that our Iland was not cut from the maine by the
great deluge or flood of Noah: but long after, otherwise the
generation of those & other like creatures could not haue extended
into our Ilands. For, that anie man would of set purpose replenish the
countrie with them for his pleasure and pastime in hunting, I can in
no wise beléeue.
[Sidenote: Foxes.]
[Sidenote: Badgers.]
Of foxes we haue some but no great store, and also badgers in our
sandie & light grounds, where woods, firzes, broome, and plentie of
shrubs are to shrowd them in, when they be from their borrowes, and
thereto warrens of conies at hand to féed vpon at will. Otherwise in
claie, which we call the cledgie mould, we sildom heare of anie,
bicause the moisture and toughnesse of the soile is such, as will not
suffer them to draw and make their borrowes déepe. Certes if I may
fréelie saie what I thinke, I suppose that these two kinds (I meane
foxes and badgers) are rather preserued by gentlemen to hunt and haue
pastime withall at their owne pleasures, than otherwise suffered to
liue, as not able to be destroied bicause of their great numbers. For
such is the scantitie of them here in England, in comparison of the
plentie that is to be seene in other countries, and so earnestlie are
the inhabitants bent to root them out, that except it had béene to
beare thus with the recreations of their superiors in this behalfe, it
could not otherwise haue béene chosen, but that they should haue béene
vtterlie destroied by manie yeares agone.
I might here intreat largelie of other vermine, as the polcat, the
miniuer, the weasell, stote, fulmart, squirrill, fitchew, and such
like, which Cardan includeth vnder the word Mustela: also of the
[Sidenote: Beuers.]
otter, and likewise of the beuer, whose hinder féet and taile onlie
are supposed to be fish. Certes the taile of this beast is like vnto a
thin whetstone, as the bodie vnto a monsterous rat: the beast also it
selfe is of such force in the téeth, that it will gnaw an hole through
a thicke planke, or shere thorough a dubble billet in a night; it
loueth also the stillest riuers: & it is giuen to them by nature, to
go by flockes vnto the woods at hand, where they gather sticks
wherewith to build their nests, wherein their bodies lie drie aboue
the water, although they so prouide most commonlie, that their tailes
may hang within the same. It is also reported that their said tailes
are a delicate dish, and their stones of such medicinable force, that
(as Vertomannus saith) foure men smelling vnto them each after other
did bleed at the nose through their attractiue force, procéeding from
a vehement sauour wherewith they are indued: there is greatest plentie
of them in Persia, chéefelie about Balascham, from whence they and
their dried cods are brought into all quarters of the world, though
not without some forgerie by such as prouide them. And of all these
here remembred, as the first sorts are plentifull in euerie wood and
hedgerow: so these latter, especiallie the otter (for to saie the
truth we haue not manie beuers, but onelie in the Teifie in Wales) is
not wanting or to séeke in manie, but most streams and riuers of this
Ile: but it shall suffice in this sort to haue named them as I doo
[Sidenote: Marterns.]
finallie the marterne, a beast of the chase, although for number I
worthilie doubt whether that of our beuers or marterns may be thought
to be the lesse.
Other pernicious beasts we haue not, except you repute the great
plentie of red & fallow déere, whose colours are oft garled white and
blacke, all white or all blacke, and store of conies amongst the
hurtfull sort. Which although that of themselues they are not
offensiue at all, yet their great numbers are thought to be verie
preiudiciall, and therfore iustlie reprooued of many; as are in like
sort our huge flocks of shéepe, whereon the greatest part of our soile
is emploied almost in euerie place, and yet our mutton, wooll, and
felles neuer the better cheape. The yoong males which our fallow deere
doo bring foorth, are commonlie named according to their seuerall
ages: for the first yéere it is a fawne, the second a puckot, the
third a serell, the fourth a soare, the fift a bucke of the first
head; not bearing the name of a bucke till he be fiue yéers old: and
from hencefoorth his age is commonlie knowne by his head or horns.
Howbeit this notice of his yéers is not so certeine, but that the best
woodman may now and then be deceiued in that account: for in some
grounds a bucke of the first head will be so well headed as another in
a high rowtie soile will be in the fourth. It is also much to be
maruelled at, that whereas they doo yéerelie mew and cast their horns;
yet in fighting they neuer breake off where they doo grife or mew.
Furthermore, in examining the condition of our red déere, I find that
the yoong male is called in the first yéere a calfe, in the second a
broket, the third a spaie, the fourth a stagon or stag, the fift a
great stag, the sixt an hart, and so foorth vnto his death. And with
him in degrée of venerie are accounted the hare, bore, and woolfe. The
fallow déere as bucks and does, are nourished in parkes, and conies in
warrens and burrowes. As for hares, they run at their owne aduenture,
except some gentleman or other (for his pleasure) doo make an
[Sidenote: Stags.]
inclosure for them. Of these also the stag is accounted for the most
noble game, the fallow déere is the next, then the roe, whereof we
haue indifferent store; and last of all the hare, not the least in
estimation, because the hunting of that seelie beast is mother to all
the terms, blasts, and artificiall deuises that hunters doo vse. All
which (notwithstanding our custome) are pastimes more méet for ladies
and gentlewomen to exercise (whatsoeuer Franciscus Patritius saith to
the contrarie in his institution of a prince) than for men of courage
to follow, whose hunting should practise their armes in tasting of
their manhood, and dealing with such beasts as eftsoones will turne
againe, and offer them the hardest rather than their horsses féet,
which manie times may carrie them with dishonour from the field.
Surelie this noble kind of hunting onelie did great princes frequent
in times past, as it may yet appéere by the histories of their times,
especiallie of Alexander, who at vacant times hunted the tiger, the
pard, the bore, and the beare, but most willinglie lions, because of
the honorable estimation of that beast; insomuch that at one time he
caused an od or chosen lion (for force and beautie) to be let foorth
vnto him hand to hand, with whome he had much businesse, albeit that
in the end he ouerthrew and killed the beast. Herevnto beside that
which we read of the vsuall hunting of the princes and kings of
Scotland, of the wild bull, woolfe, &c: the example of king Henrie the
first of England, who disdaining (as he termed them) to follow or
pursue cowards, cherished of set purpose sundrie kinds of wild beasts,
as bears, libards, ounces, lions at Woodstocke, & one or two other
places in England, which he walled about with hard stone, An. 1120,
and where he would often fight with some one of them hand to hand,
when they did turne againe and make anie raise vpon him: but chéeflie
he loued to hunt the lion and the bore, which are both verie dangerous
exercises, especiallie that with the lion, except some policie be
found wherwith to trouble his eiesight in anie manner of wise. For
though the bore be fierce, and hath learned by nature to harden his
flesh and skin against the trées, to sharpen his teeth, and defile
himselfe with earth, thereby to prohibit the entrance of the weapons:
yet is the sport somewhat more easie, especiallie where two stand so
neere togither, that the one (if néed be) may helpe and be a succour
to the other. Neither would he cease for all this to follow his
pastime, either on horssebacke or on foot, as occasion serued, much
like the yoonger Cyrus. I haue read of wild bores and bulles to haue
béene about Blackleie néere Manchester, whither the said prince would
now and then resort also for his solace in that behalfe, as also to
come by those excellent falcons then bred thereabouts; but now they
are gone, especiallie the bulles, as I haue said alreadie.
King Henrie the fift in his beginning thought it a méere scofferie to
pursue anie fallow déere with hounds or greihounds, but supposed
himselfe alwaies to haue doone a sufficient act when he had tired them
by his owne trauell on foot, and so killed them with his hands in the
vpshot of that exercise and end of his recreation. Certes herein he
resembled Polymnestor Milesius, of whome it is written, how he ran so
swiftlie, that he would and did verie often ouertake hares for his
pleasure, which I can hardlie beleeue: and therefore much lesse that
one Lidas did run so lightlie and swiftlie after like game, that as he
passed ouer the sand, he left not so much as the prints of his feet
behind him. And thus did verie manie in like sort with the hart (as I
doo read) but this I thinke was verie long agone, when men were farre
higher and swifter than they are now: and yet I denie not, but rather
grant willinglie that the hunting of the red deere is a right
princelie pastime. In diuerse forren countries they cause their red
and fallow déere to draw the plough, as we doo our oxen and horsses.
[Sidenote: Hinds haue béene milked.]
In some places also they milke their hinds as we doo here our kine and
goats. And the experience of this latter is noted by Giraldus
Cambrensis to haue beene séene and vsed in Wales, where he did eat
cheese made of hinds milke, at such time as Baldwine archbishop of
Canturburie preached the croisad there, when they were both lodged in
a gentlemans house, whose wife of purpose kept a deirie of the same.
As for the plowing with vres (which I suppose to be vnlikelie) because
they are (in mine opinion) vntameable and alkes a thing commonlie vsed
in the east countries; here is no place to speake of it, since we want
these kind of beasts, neither is it my purpose to intreat at large of
other things than are to be seene in England. Wherfore I will omit to
saie anie more of wild and sauage beasts at this time, thinking my
selfe to haue spoken alreadie sufficientlie of this matter, if not too
much in the iudgement of the curious.