The School of Recreation by Robert Howlett (e book reader online .TXT) 📕

the Sword, or when you perceive him going to Parade, then suddenly slip and make a double Feint on the other side, and Thrust on that side you gave the Beat.

In the contrary of this Parie, with the Counter-caveating Parade, or meet his stroak, and make a half Thrust, which will force him to the Parade; and so you may pursue.

Lesson 12. Of Volt Coupe.

In this observe to present your Sword within your Adversaries, he being within your Measure; then make a Feint at the Face your Nails in Quart, and upon this give a Beat with your Foot, and carry your Hand well Quarted, and if by offering to Parie, he answers this, and that high, then Thrust at the Belly, your Nails in Terce, and keep your Left-hand as a Guard from Counter-temps; if by Parying low, you are disappointed of this advantage, then after you have made your Feint, instead of a Thrust in the Belly, slip his Parade, and give the Thrust without, and above the Sword; and when you are within distance approach with the first Motion: If your Sword be presented without your Adversaries, you must first then disengage.

The contrary to this is either to Parie his Sword with the second Parade in Quart, or to take time and give your Thrust the way he was to give it in upon you, at the instant he makes his Motion at your Face, or you may pass without his Thrust.

Lesson 13. Of Binding your Adversaries Sword.

This is the securest Play, and chiefest Mistery in the Art of Fencing, wherefore to do it after you have presented your Sword, either within or without your Adversaries, on a sudden over-lap six or seven Inches of his with eight or ten of yours; and this is sufficient to secure it; but this must be always done with the Edg of the Sword, whether you present it within or without, and immediately after you have bound it, give a Thrust strait home. In this case, always observing to keep a close Left-foot, also to give a Beat with your Foot, and to bind with a Spring, viz. Press your Sword almost to the Ground, but stay not with it, but immediately bring it up again and then give the Thrust; and this prevents Counter-temps, and the best Parade against it is, the Counter caveating Parade, and if your Adversary flips your Sword, you must endeavour to bind him within or without the Sword again. You may also put upon him the double or single Feint, or having bound your Sword without, you may give in your Thrust, as in playing the single Feint at the Head.

Lesson 14. Of the Flancanade.

To do this, when you have presented within your Adversaries Sword, over-lap it with 12 Inches of yours, within eight of his, and give in the Thrust on his Right-flank, on the other side of the Sword, and beneath it your Nails side-ways, throwing forward your Left-hand and turning the Palm from you to keep off Counter-temps in the Belly, and in Thrusting let your Hilt be lower than the Point, which secures his Sword; and note when you lap over to do it with the flat, and not with the Edg as when you bind.

And thus much may serve for an introduction to the learner in the Science of Defence, and therefore for other Lessons, not here set down, I refer him to a Master.

Of HAWKING.

Of Hawks there are two sorts.

The Long-Winged Hawks.

Faulcon and Tiercle-gentle, Gerfaulcon and Jerkin. Saker and Sakaret. Lanner and Lanneret. Barbary Falcon. Merlin and Jack. Hobby and Jack.

The Short Winged Hawks.

Eagle and Iron. Goshawk and Tiercle. Sparrow-Hawk and Musket.

There are others too of inferiour sort, as,

Ring-Tail. Raven and Buzzard. Forked Kite. Hen-driver, &c.

And as the Age of these Hawks is, so we name them, as

The first Year a Soarage. The second Year an Intermewer. The third Year a White Hawk. The fourth Year a Hawk of the first Coat.

Thus much for their Names, now we come to speak of the Flights of these Hawks; which are these,

The Faulcon-Gentle, for Partridge or Mallard. Gerfaulcon, will fly at the Herne. Saker, at the Crane or Bittern. Lanner, at the Partridge, Pheasant or Choofe Barbary Faulcon, at the Partridge only. Merlin and Hobby, at the Lark, or any small Bird. Goshawk and Tiercle, at the Partridge, or Hare. Sparrow-Hawk, at the Partridge or Black-Bird.

And the

Musket, at the Bush.

Your Hawk watch, and keep from Sleep, continually carrying him upon your Fist, familiarly stroak him with a Wing of some Dead Fowl, or the like, and play with him; Accustom to gaze, and look in his Face with a Loving, Smiling, Gentle Countenance; and that will make him acquainted, and familiar with Men.

Having made him familiar, the next thing is to Bring him to the Lure, (which the Faulconer makes of Feathers and Leather, much like a Fowl, which he casts into the Air, and calls the Hawk to) which is after this manner. Set your Hawk on the Perch, unhood him and shew him some Meat within your Fist, call him by Chirping, Whistling, or the like, till he comes, then Feed him with it; if he comes not, let him Fast, and be sharp set: Short-winged Hawks are properly said to be called, not Lured. Make him bold, and acquainted with Men, Dogs, and Horses, and let him be eager and sharp-set, before you shew him the Lure, knowing his Luring Hours; and let both sides of the Lure, be garnished with warm and bloody Meat; let him likewise know your Voice well; so that being well acquainted with Voice, and Lure, the Hearing of the one, or sight of the other, makes him Obedient; which you must reward by Feeding, or punish by Fasting. beingBut before Luring (or any Flight) it is requisite to Bathe your Hawk in some quiet and still shallow Brook, or for want of that in a Large Bason, shallow Tub, or the like, lest at liberty, you lose your Hawk, (whose Nature requires such Bathing) and make him range. Now to make him know his Lure, is thus: Give your Hawk to another, and having loosned in readiness his Hood-strings, and fastened a Pullet to the Lure, go a little distance, cast it half the length of the string about your Head, still Luring with your Voice, unhood your Hawk, and throw it a little way from him; if he stoop and seize, let his plum the Pullet, and feed on it upon the Lure: Then take him and Meat on your Fist, Hood him and give him the Tiring of the Wing, or Foot of the said Pullet.

Having Manned and Lured your Hawk before you bring him to his Flight, one thing is to be observed and done, called in the Faulconers Dialect, Enseaming, which is to cleanse him from Fat, Grease, and Glut, know by his round Thighs, and full Meutings; and thus you may do it: In the Morning when you feed him, give him a bit or two of Hot-meat, and at Night very little or nothing. Then feed him Morning and Evening with a Rook, wash't twice till the Pinions be tender; then give a Casting of Feathers as his Nature will bear; and once in two or three dayes give him a Hens-neck well joynted and washt: Then a quick Train Pigeon every Morning; and after by these and his own Exercise, he has broken and dissolved the Grease, give him three or four Pellets of the Root of Sallandine, as big as a Garden Pease, steept in the Sirup of Roses; and you have done this part of your Duty.

To Enter your Hawks, for Partridge or Fowl, Lay an old Field Partridge in a Hole, covered with something, and fasten to it a small Creance (i.e. a Fine small long Line of strong and even-wound Packthread fastned to the Hawks Leash when first Lured,) and uncoupling your ranging Spaniels, pluck off the Covering of the Train Partridge and let it go, and the Hawk after it; and as soon as he has slain it, reward him well with it. And thus to make him fly at Fowl, feed him well with the Train of the Fowl you would have; doing afterwards as above.

The Fault of Hawks differ according to their Nature and Make. Long-Winged Hawks faults are thus helped. If he used to take stand, flying at the River, or in Champaign Fields, shun flying near Trees or Covert, or otherwise, let several Persons have Trains, and as he offers to stand, let him that's next cast out his Train, and he killing it reward him. And indeed you ought never to be without some live Bird or Fowl in your Bag, as Pigeon, Duck, Mallard, &c. If he be Froward and Coy; when he Kills, reward him not as usually, but slide some other Meat under him and let him take his pleasure on it; giving him some Feathers to make him scour and cast. If he be Wild, look not inward; but mind Check, (i.e. other Game, as Crows, &c. that fly cross him) then lure him back, and stooping to it, reward him presently.

The faults of Short-winged Hawks thus are helped. Sometimes the Goshawk and Sparrow-Hawks, will neither kill, nor fly the Game to Mark, but will turn Tail to it: Then encourage your Dogs to Hunt, cast a Train Partridge before your Hawk, make him seize it, and feed well upon it.

If a Hawk take a Tree, and will not fly at all, feed him then upon quick Birds, and make him foot them, and in the plain Champaign Fields unhood him, and rising up and down awhile let one cast out a Field Partridge before him, let him fly at it, and footing it, feed on it. If they be too fond of a Man, that after a stroke or two will not fly, be seldom familiar with him, and reward him not as he comes so improperly: Otherwise reward him well.

As for Mewing of Hawks, the best time for Long-winged Hawks is about the middle of April, and March for the Short-winged Hawks. There are two kinds of Mewings. 1. At the stock or stone; so called from its being low upon the Ground, free from Noise, Vermin or ill Air. 2. At large; so called from being in a high Room, with open Windows towards the North or North-East. The former is accounted the best Mewing. The Faulconer, before he Mews his Hawks, see if they have Lice, to Pepper and Scower them too. The best time to draw the Field Hawk from the Mew, is in June, and he will be ready to fly in August; the Hawks for the River in August, will be ready in September.

Cures for Hawks Diseases.

The Faulconer ought diligently to observe the Complexions of his Hawks Castings and Mewtings, to judge of their Maladies, an assured sign of knowing whether they are sick or distempered in this. Take your Hawk, turning up her Train, if you see her Tuel or Fundament swelleth, or looketh red; Or, if her Eyes or Ears be of a fiery Complexion, it is an infallible sign of her being not well and in good health; and then Scouring is necessary first; which is done by Aloes Cicatrine, about the quantity of a Pea wrapt up in her Meat; and this avoids Grease, and kills Worms too.

For the Cataract: Take one Scruple of washt Aloes finely beaten, and two Scruples of Sugar-candy, mix these together, and with a Quill blow