after proceeded to the court-yard, where there was a strong muster of attendants waiting for us, all well armed, and among them the very retainer I had seen on the morning before, in conversation with a knight in the forest. The man, when he met me, had still the same embarrassed look, and obviously endeavoured to shun my observation; but from my brain being so full of the pleasure and novelty of the present moment, I scarcely at the time gave the matter a thought, and we rode forth to the scene of our amusement.

In passing through the town, in the neighbourhood of which still existed the traces of an old Roman road, called the Ridgeway, running to the right, and connecting my native village with Cirencester, the city of the Dobuni, by the direction of Otho's Oak and Stancumbe; the signs of the warfare carried on in the late Lord's time, between himself, Lord Warwick, and Lady Shrewsbury, were very evident: the unrepaired condition of many houses, their blackened beams and scorched walls attesting

the frequency and extent of the different conflagrations.

Sir Maurice, observing that I was occupied by these considerations, informed me, that from the burning of such a number of houses, the rent of the town was reduced by more than one-half; its former revenue amounting to £22,* whereas the present was something under £11; but that if I happened to pass Wotton, Paynswick, Whaddon, or Moreton, and some other places which had been then in the possession of the enemy, I should see an ample retaliation, as my friends on my right and left were well able to inform me.

"Ay, by my faith, Maurice," replied Master Kingscote, "well do I remember thy catching Barbara Malpus in thine arms, as she jumped from the window of her husband's house, at Moreton Valence, when we fired the premises, to smoke out Vele, and his handful of hornets; and thy bawling forth thy wit in so lusty a voice, as to

* Smith's MS.

bring down upon thee thy father's malediction, 'Welcome, Barbara, once more to the arms of thy native place.' Gad! that was a warm night's work, and well for Barbara that it was so, as the damsel was but scantily clothed."

66

Ay, ay," said Sir John, with a wink at me " and I also wot of some one who hit in such sol

dier-like earnest, tempered with not much dexterity, at the said Sir Vele, as he headed a sortie from the place, or pigsty for aught I know, as enabled the foe to leap clean over his weapon, the sword finding a savoury sheath in the back of a fattened hog; dividing the meat to the back-bone, which, to my infinite amusement, went roaring down the road towards Stroud, at the heels of the foe for whom the compliment was intended: thus obtaining birth for the only witticism it was my good fortune ever to hear old Daston of Dumbleton indulge in. Ha, quoth he, there goes Vele and bacon, by the Lord." "By our Lady's brow, Master Kingscote, tall us thou art, thy stallwart ancestor Nigel, who was master of the horse to Lord Berkeley, in the time

of Edward the Second, could not have done a

better deed."

"Sir John is up in his stirrups this morning," said the one last addressed; "he hath changed since his pull at the mulled wine; at breakfast he seemed to sulk like one of his own eels under the mud, when refusing to be sniggled for mastication; but, as we say on the hills,

But see, we

"Sir John hath found his wits. have gained the ground on which we are to fly our hawks, and, if I guess aright, by the frantic and

angry gestures of old Wingfield, he judges we are making too much noise. Look at him, he crawls

along on his belly like a great reptile, and peeps

over the brink of the ravine, where he can command its length for any distance, like a fox after mice. See, he turns his head and makes mouths at us; the Lord help him, who's to understand what he means? But hush, Maurice has it."

1

1

And away we rode, taking a circuit, and coming down upon the ravine again at another point.

Wingfield waves his hand, higher yet, that will do. Whoop, whoop! a heron, by Jove! there they go; ah, ha, long legs, thy speed avails thee not, and thou hast found it so. What! thou dost shew fight, circling upwards into the blue sky; Maurice's Jesse is above thee, and down thou must come ;there's a flight worth looking at!! Now, now, she seems to descend from the sun itself; pray heaven she miss the stab of the heron's beak; she has-and down they come together."

In good faith, it was a fine sight, and I shouted and joined Kingscote in his enthusiasm, and succeeded in arriving, soon after the rest had reached the place where the quarry lay in the clutches of the noble falcon. Sir Maurice, dismounting, approached the bird with great caution, going down on his knees, and using all sorts of soft and endearing expressions; and at last, sticking the beak of the heron into the ground, and breaking its legs to prevent mischief, he suffered