s in
pursuit of game, and to cheer them with his voice."--_Malmesbury._ Harold,
his successor, rarely travelled without his hawk and hounds. William the
Norman, and his immediate successors, restricted hunting to themselves and
their favourites. King John was particularly attached to field sports, and
even treated the animals worse than his subjects. In the reign of Edward
II. hunting was reduced to a perfect science, and rules established for
its practice; these were afterwards extended by the _master of the game_
belonging to Henry IV., and drawn up for the use of his son, Henry Prince
of Wales, in two tracts, which are extant. Edward III., according to
Froissart, while at war with France, and resident there, had with him
sixty couple of stag-hounds, and as many hare-hounds, and every day hunted
or hawked. Gaston, Earl of Foix, a foreign nobleman, contemporary with
Edward, also kept six hundred dogs in his castle for hunting. James I.
preferred hunting to hawking or shooting; so that it was said of him, "he
divided his time betwixt his standish, his bottle, and his hunting; the
last had his fair weather, the two former his dull and cloudy."

Ladies' hunting-dresses of the 15th century, as figured in Strutt's
Sports, &c., differ but little from the modern riding habit.

Why are greyhounds still petted by ladies?

Because in former times they were considered as valuable presents,
especially among the ladies, with whom they appear to have been peculiar
favourites. In an ancient metrical romance (Sir Eglamore), a princess
tells the knight, that if he was inclined to hunt, she would, as an
especial mark of her favour, give him an excellent greyhound, so swift
that no deer could escape from his pursuit.--_Strutt._

Why were certain forests called royal chases?

Because the privileges of hunting there were confined to the king and his
favourites; and, to render these receptacles for the beasts of the chase
more capacious, or to make new ones, whole villages were depopulated, and
places of divine worship overthrown, not the least regard being paid to
the miseries of the suffering inhabitants, or the cause of
religion.--_Strutt._

Why were lands first imparked?

Because their owners might still more effectually preserve deer and other
animals for hunting.

A recent French newspaper gave notice of an association for the purpose of
enabling persons of all ranks to enjoy the pleasures of the chase. A park
of great extent