time which otherwife would lie heavily upon our hands. Hawks, hounds, and fetting dogs, are the true marks of a country gentleman." The citizens of London poffeffed in the olden time extenfive privileges for hunting, hawking, and fishing; and so late as the reign of the first of the Georges, the citizens were wont to enjoy themfelves with "riding on horseback and hunting with my Lord Mayor's hounds when the common hunt goes out.” From the earliest period of our history there exifts evidence of the love of the people for the pleasures of the chafe. In the twelfth century John of Salisbury wrote, that in his time hunting and hawking were "efteemed the most honourable employments and most excellent virtues by our nobility, and they think it the height of worldly felicity to fpend the whole of their time in these diversions." Gaston Earl of Foix kept fix hundred dogs in his caftle for the purpose of hunting. The bishops and clergy were not lefs great hunters, and it is recorded of one Walter, Bishop of Rochester, that he was fo fond of the sport that "at the age of fourfcore he made hunting his fole employment, to the total neglect of the duties of his office." The great Queen Elizabeth was not lefs fond of the fport than the venerable prelate of Rochester; for when in her feventy-feventh year, it was written of her by a courtier to Sir Robert Sidney," Her Majesty is well, and excellently difpofed to hunting, for every second day she is on horseback, and continues the sport long." This love of the chafe has been preferved to the prefent day, and the great number of hunting fongs which are to be found

in the ballad literature of our country, attefts the popularity Our fathers loved to hear the foreft mufic of the

of the fport.

hounds

Rend the thin air, and with a lusty cry

Awake the drowsy echo, and confound

Their perfect language in a mingled voice.

Scott has drawn this vivid and animated sketch of the sport which our ancestors loved :

Waken, lords and ladies gay,

On the mountain dawns the day,

All the jolly chase is here,

With horse, and hawk, and hunting spear;

Hounds are in their couples yelling,

Hawks are whistling, horns are knelling;

Merrily, merrily, mingle they,

"Waken, lords and ladies gay."

Waken, lords and ladies gay,

The mist has left the mountain grey;
Springlets in the dawn are streaming,
Diamonds on the brake are gleaming;
And foresters have busy been
To track the buck in thicket green;
Now we come to chant our lay,
"Waken, lords and ladies gay."

Waken, lords and ladies gay,
To the greenwood haste away;
We can show you where he lies,
Fleet of foot, and tall of size;

We can show the marks he made
When 'gainst the oak his antlers fray'd;
You shall see him brought to bay,-
"Waken, lords and ladies gay."

Louder, louder chant the lay,
"Waken, lords and ladies gay;"
Tell them youth, and mirth, and glee

Run a course as well as we;

Time, stern huntsman, who can baulk,

Stanch as hound, and fleet as hawk ?
Think of this, and rise with day,

Gentle lords and ladies gay.

And when the cheerful fummons was obeyed, the sportsman fang the merry fong which Douce wrote:

The hunt is up, the hunt is up!

Sing merrily we the hunt is up;
The birds they sing,
The deer they fling,

Hey, nonny, nony, no!

The hounds they cry,

The hunters fly,

Hey, trolilo, trololilo !

The hunt is up, the hunt is up,

Sing merrily we the hunt is up.

The wood resounds
To hear the sounds,

Hey, nonny, nony, no!

The rocks report

This merry sport,

Hey, trolilo, trololilo!

The hunt is up, the hunt is up,

Sing merrily we the hunt is up.