BOOK I.

  THE ARGUMENT.

The subject proposed.—­Address to his Royal Highness the Prince.—­The origin of hunting.—­The rude and unpolished manner of the first hunters.—­Beasts at first hunted for food and sacrifice.—­The grant made by God to man of the beasts, &c.—­The regular manner of hunting first brought into this island by the Normans.—­The best hounds and best horses bred here.—­The advantage of this exercise to us, as islanders.—­Address to gentlemen of estates.—­Situation of the kennel and its several courts.—­The diversion and employment of hounds in the kennel.—­The different sorts of hounds for each different chase.—­ Description of a perfect hound.—­Of sizing and sorting of hounds.—­The middle-sized hound recommended.—­Of the large, deep-mouthed hound for hunting the stag and otter.—­Of the lime-hound; their use on the borders of England and Scotland.—­A physical account of scents.—­Of good and bad scenting days.—­A short admonition to my brethren of the couples.

  The Chase I sing, hounds, and their various breed,
  And no less various use.  O thou Great Prince![2]
  Whom Cambria’s towering hills proclaim their lord,
  Deign thou to hear my bold, instructive song. 
  While grateful citizens with pompous show,
  Rear the triumphal arch, rich with the exploits
  Of thy illustrious house; while virgins pave
  Thy way with flowers, and, as the royal youth
  Passing they view, admire, and sigh in vain;
  While crowded theatres, too fondly proud
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  Of their exotic minstrels, and shrill pipes,
  The price of manhood, hail thee with a song,
  And airs soft-warbling; my hoarse-sounding horn
  Invites thee to the Chase, the sport of kings;
  Image of war, without its guilt.  The Muse
  Aloft on wing shall soar, conduct with care
  Thy foaming courser o’er the steepy rock,
  Or on the river bank receive thee safe,
  Light-bounding o’er the wave, from shore to shore. 
  Be thou our great protector, gracious youth!
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  And if in future times, some envious prince,
  Careless of right and guileful, should invade
  Thy Britain’s commerce, or should strive in vain
  To wrest the balance from thy equal hand;
  Thy hunter-train, in cheerful green arrayed,
  (A band undaunted, and inured to toils,)
  Shall compass thee around, die at thy feet,
  Or hew thy passage through the embattled foe,
  And clear thy way to fame; inspired by thee
  The nobler chase of glory shall pursue
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  Through fire, and smoke, and blood, and fields of death. 
     Nature, in her productions slow, aspires
  By just degrees to reach perfection’s height: 
  So mimic Art works leisurely, till Time
  Improve the piece, or wise Experience give
  The proper finishing.  When Nimrod bold,
  That mighty hunter, first made war on