The Blossoming Rod

popular. Yet, at the present day, perhaps not one person in five hundred has ever seen a trained hawk flown. In Shakespeare's time things wer

hobby; while a yeoman carried a goshawk; a priest, a sparrowhawk; and a knave, or servant, a kestrel. But the sport was attended with gre

vation of waste lands, has probably contributed as mu

E OF H

and it is, therefore, not surprising that he has taken much notice of it

d the King, Queen, Gloster, Cardinal, and Suffolk appearing, with falconers halloai

e, lords, for fly

r sport these s

eave, the wind

, old Joan42 ha

point, my lord,

ch she flew ab

in all his cr

rds are fain of

el, an it lik

tor's hawks do

ir master lov

oughts above his

'tis but a bas

higher than a

as much; he'd be

*

e, cousin

n put up the fo

had mor

ING

ng by the river," and shows us that the party w

hawking by

goshawk

vering over the spot where th

to which a hawk ri

itch his reso

II. Act

ench "tour." The word occurs again in Macbeth, Act ii. Sc. 4, with reference to a fact which we m

uesda

'ring in her

ng owl hawk'd

CON AND

urder. Among the prodigies there mentioned is the one referred to by Shakespeare. "Monstrous sightes also, that were seene without the Scottishe kingdome that year,

d to mean circling at her highest point of elevation.

an eveni

le which I cal

nt a messenge

e, flies, as h

or see

probably called the tercel, or tiercel, from being about a third smaller than the falcon. Some authorities, however, state that of t

RCEL-G

een derived from the French gentil, meaning neat

states of plumage, has received two or more names. With regard to the "tercel," as distinguished from the "tercel-gentle," it would appear that the former name was given to the male goshaw

and a falconer, each of whom in turn commends his own recreation. The falconer gives a list of his hawks, and divides them into two classes, viz.: the long-wing

alcon an

and tercel-

cond clas

le and

wk and te

plied to the male peregrine, a long-winged hawk, to distingu

Y OF TH

e and strength, was always considered s

as is the fa

st a

II. Act

ng more powe

k the falcon's p

art III. Ac

capable of being flown at large

tercel, for all the

Cressida, Ac

cel" written "tassel," as in Ro

falconer

tassel-gentle

served that after a hawk had been flown, and had either struck or missed the object of her pursuit, the "lure" (which we sha

OF A GOO

qualities of a good falconer: "Sit mediocris statur?; sit perfecti ingenii; bon? memori?;

particular call, but it wa

o, boy! come,

Act i.

E AND I

with a piece of raw meat fixed between them. A strong leathern strap, about three feet long, fastened to it with a swivel, enabled the falconer to swing it round his head, or t

ays brought to the lure, the s

the lure, aw

and

were flown at herons, ducks, pigeons, rooks, and magpies; the goshawk was used for hares and partridges; while the smaller kinds, such as the

falconers, fly at anything w

QU

y" occurs in ma

ry' cries o

Act v.

meant a heap of slaughtered game. So, in Cori

my sword, I'd

of these quar

to escape the notice of those who are not conversant with hawking phraseology; but an acquai

y of Desdemona towards him, and c

prove her

jesses were my d

off, and let h

y at f

Act iii

ure hawk, as distinguished from an "eyess," or nestling

ry of children, little

Act ii

aught when in that state, at the time of their periodical passage or migration. As

S TRA

nds being attached to a swivel, from which depended the "leash." When the hawk was fl

appings of a hawk, says:-"Shee must haue jesses of leather, the which must haue knottes at the ende, and they should be halfe a foote l

JE

inst the "jesse," between the slits A and B. The end A is then passed through the slit B, and the end C in turn th

llo

off, and let he

y at f

returned. When, therefore, a useless bird was to be dismissed, her owner flew her "dow

speare. In the Taming of the Shrew (Act iv. Sc. 2), Hortensio speaks of Bianca as "this proud d

spirits are a

rds of t

t iii. Sc. 1), Viola

wise enough t

t well craves

e their mood o

of persons,

aggard, check a

s before

h it sometimes meant to "change the bird in pursuit."49 The word occur

BE

to a full inch in diameter, and made of brass or silver, and were attached, one to each leg of the bird, by means of small slips

curb, and the falcon her bells, so man hath

I. Part III.

hat loves

he that holds

ng, if Warwick

ai

retia, markin

ar, as fowl hears

cr

HO

s was a cap or cover for the head, which was not removed until the "q

MANN'D

, speaking of the valou

ur, and when it app

Act iii

ters. But a quibble may be here intended between "bate," the hawking technical, and "b

'd blood, batin

. An "unmanned" hawk was one not sufficiently reclaimed to be familiar with her keeper, and such b

, gives us a lesson in reclaiming a h

is sharp, and

oop, she must no

never looks u

I have to ma

e, and know her

ch her, as we w

beat, and will

t to-day, nor

pt not, nor to-nig

he Shrew, A

k I. Canto XI. 18), and "swoop" (Macbeth, "at one fell swoop"), signifies a

r mounted than ours, yet, when they

CA

rrying it being called "the cadger." The modern word "cad," now generally used in an opprobrious sense, i

dita, in the Winter's Ta

ess t

alcon made her

her's g

occasion of his f

AWK'S

(Act iii. Sc. 1), there occurs a word in connecti

ward-sain

visage and d

h' head, and fo

n doth t

lose or shut up, owing its origin to the word "

t she's

uliet, Act

of Bianca to Sign

ll you m

he Shrew, A

ntly solved by T

has he closel

l not be annoy'

F THE WO

ls cast their feathers, hair, or horns. Hence Latham observes that "the mew is that place, whether it be ab

m, 1595, there are several sections on the mewing of hawks, from one of which it may be learnt that the best time to comm

from her da

ne, Book I.

OYAL

into stables. The name, however, confirmed by the usage of so long a period, remained to the building, although, after the hawks were withdrawn, it became inapplicable. But, what is more curious st

OWL E

ine evening, about an houre before the sunne did usually maske himselfe, unto the river, where finding of a mallard, he whistled off51 his falcon, and how shee flew from him as if shee would never have turned head againe, yet presently upon a shoote came in; how then by degrees, by little and little, by flying about and about, shee mounted so high, until shee had lessened herselfe to the view of the b

y be instanced by the following quotation f

to mark her how shee

to eneaw the sprin

PI

ping." The verb "to imp," appears to be derived from the Anglo-Saxon "impan," signifying to graft, or inoculate; and

ly broken, the speed of the bird is so injured, that the falconer

h the feathers separated from the pinion carefully preserved and numbered, so as to prevent mistake in taking a true match for the injured feather. He then with a sharp knife gently parts the web of the feather to be repaired a

at both ends, and after wetting the needle with salt-and-water, he thrusts it into the centre

an inexperienced eye would hardly discern the point of union, and as the iron rus

the meaning of the fol

ll shake off ou

ooping country

II. Act

rs, but it is in such chiefly that the ornithologist sees a proof that Shakespear

EL

ich we find several allusions in the Plays. It consisted in sewing a thread through the upper and

SEEL

ich is under the eye-lidde, or on the inside thereof. Then put your needle also through that other eye-lidde, drawing the endes of the thread together, tye them over the beake, not with a straight knotte, but cut off the threedes endes neare to the knotte, and twist them together in such sorte, that the eye-liddes may be raysed so upwards, that the Hawke may not see at all, and when the threed shall ware lo

eopatra (Act iii

gods seel

lay (Act v. Sc. 2

ad

el my lips, tha

at which

sleep, Henry IV., addressing

on the high a

-boy's eyes, and

the rude impe

art II. Act

again in Othello

ight-wi

id seel with wan

ame play (Ac

ng, could give ou

ther's eyes up

g the use of the technical term "seel," above ex

where it is trained for hawking, it is usual, in lieu of a hood, to darken its eyes by means of a silken thread passed through holes in the eyeli

T REC

believe. Turbervile, writing in 1575, says, in his "Booke of Falconrie":-"An other approued medecine is to annoint the swelling of your hawkes foot with Oleum petr?lium (which is the oyle of a rocke) and with oyle

A-BI

ng." In the Merry Wives of Windsor

ouse to breakfast; after, we'll a-birding

and of slower flight, this species was considered the best f

Ford, says,-"Her husband goes this morning a-birding;" and Mistress

nonymous with hawking, for, later on in the

ll I do? I'll creep

always use to discharg

e eagle, is almost invariably employe

hawking? thou ha

e mornin

e Shrew, Ind

the Dauphin, when speaking i

de him, I soar

nry VI. (Act ii. Sc. 4), th

ks, which flies

··

ome shallow spir

ai

ty cr

so much of my

mes so much u

he Shrew, A

KEST

allude to a particular species of hawk.

etter which Maria has purposely dropt in his path, Sir Toby

wing the stanni

and Malvolio is said to "check at" the letter, just as a kestrel hovers

lconers' term checks, abundantly prove that a bird must be meant. Sir Thomas Hanmer, ther

ank, as we learn from Dame Juliana Berners, in her "Boke of St. Albans." This opinion is strengthened by the reading "coystril," in Twelfth Night (Act i. Sc. 3), and "coistr

PARRO

ch might be very easily overlooked by any one not conversant with the language of

, my eya

e explained, signifying a nestling, or young bird from the eyrie or nest. In the above speech, Mrs. Ford p

ND HER

o all readers of Shakespeare, the more so, possibly, because th

: when the wind is southerly,

Act ii

he sees it, although it is scarcely possible to conceive two birds more unlike in appearance. Hamlet's statement, then, is simply to the effect that he o

bird follows the direction of that wind (Job xxxix. 26). The heron, hern, or hernshaw signified the southerly wind, because it takes its flight from Ethiopia into Upper Egypt, following the course of the Nile as it retires within its banks, and living on the small worms hatched in the mud of the river. Hence the heads of these two birds may be seen surmounting the canopi used by the ancient ?gyptians to indicate the rising and falling of the Nile respectively. N

OF H

to the prices paid for hawks, and to the expenses of keeping them, at the period at which Shakespeare lived. These particulars may be gleaned from scattered entr

lieving that the information which they supply will be far more interesting

S OF

or so moche money by him layed out f

ied for v fawcons a

Richard Sandes s'v?t for the bringing of

ied for fyve ffawcons

coner, for vj sakers and v sakeretts at viij corons a pe

so much money by him paied for goshawks the whi

s'v?ts in rewarde for bringing iij

of Maister Saint John in rewarde f

rrers in rewarde for bringing of a caste of fawcons

er Walshe's for bringing of a caste of Lan

Tewxbury s'v?t in rewarde for bringing a c

he fawconer for viij hawks at vj Angel

OF

' FUR

dousin of hawks' hoods at iij s?

or iij hawks' gloves at vj

vj dousin gilte bells at i

S' M

ij hawks after the rate of ij d. by the daye from the

to James the henne tak

Hans the fawconer for ha

hawks by the same space that is to saye for one quarter of

maister Hennage for t

iiij hawks fro the x daye of Maye unto the xxiij d

ij hawks by the space of lxxxxvij dayes for e?

NERS'

r his bourde wages for one quarter due a

ns for his bourde wages fro Mydsom tyll Mic

one of the fawconers for his wages due for o

m the xxv daye of Decembre unto the laste daye of this monethe the w

DRI

DRI

ld Hugh in rewarde when his

o Walter in rewarde for a

that toke up a Lanner that had

pe for keeping of a lanneret called 'Cutte'

rde Brayes in rewarde for taking up of a fawc

d Mason for taking up of a fawcon of t

arcys in rewarde for taking up of a hawke of the

of the garde to ryde into the contry fo

ley, grome of the Chambre, for lying oute

maister Skevingtons in rewarde for

he fawconer in rewarde for taking

Garrat and Richard the fawconers in

se curious extracts must excuse us

ort, we would fain have lived to bear a part. Alas! that so delightful a pastime as hawking should have d