Of angry Jove, though blasted yet unfallen;
Still can my soul in fancy's mirror view
Deeds glorious once, recall the joyous scene
In all its splendors decked, o'er the full bowl
Recount my triumphs past, urge others on
With hand and voice, and point the winding way;
Pleased with that social, sweet garrulity,
The poor, disbanded veteran's sole delight.
HOW TO MAKE AND PLACE A KENNEL; THE MORNING PACK;
CLEANLINESS; WATER AND SHADE.
First let the kennel be the huntsman's care,
Upon some little eminence erect,
And fronting to the ruddy lawn; its courts
On either hand wide opening to receive
The sun's all-cheering beams, when mild he shines,
And gilds the mountain-tops; for much the pack,
Roused from their dark alcoves, delight to stretch
And bask in his invigorating ray.
Warmed by the streaming light, and merry lark,
Forth rush the jolly clan; with tuneful throats
They carol loud, and in grand chorus joined
Salute the new-born day for not alone
The vegetable world, but men and brutes
Own his reviving influence, and joy
At his approach. Fountain of light! if chance
Some envious cloud veil thy refulgent brow,
In vain the muse's aid; untouched, unstrung,
Lies my mute harp, and thy desponding bard
Sits darkly musing o'er the unfinished lay.
Let no Corinthian pillars prop the dome;
A vain expense, on charitable deeds
Better disposed, to clothe the tattered wretch
Who shrinks beneath the blast, to feed the poor
Pinched with afflictive want. For use, not state,
Gracefully plain, let each apartment rise.
O'er all let cleanliness preside, no scraps
Bestrew the pavement, and no half-picked bones
To kindle fierce debate, or to disgust
That nicer sense on which the sportsman's hope
And all its future triumphs must depend.
Soon as the growling pack, with eager joy,
Have lapped their smoking viands, morn or eve,
From the full cistern lead the ductile streams,
To wash thy court well paved, nor spare thy pains;
For much to health will cleanliness avail.
Seek'st thou for hounds to climb the rocky steep,
And brush the entangled covert, whose nice scent
O'er greasy fallows and frequented roads
Can pick the dubious way? Banish far off
Each noisome stench; let no offensive smell
Invade thy wide enclosure, but admit
The nitrous air and purifying breeze.
Water and shade no less demand thy care.
In a large square the adjacent field enclose;
There plant, in equal ranks, the spreading elm,
Or fragrant lime; most happy thy design,
If at the bottom of thy spacious court
A large canal, fed by the crystal brook,
From its transparent bosom shall reflect
Thy downward structure and inverted grove.
Here, when the sun's too potent gleams annoy
The crowded kennel; and the drooping pack,
Restless and faint, loll their unmoistened tongues,
And drop their feeble tails; to cooler shades
Lead forth the panting tribes: soon shalt thou find
The cordial breeze their fainting hearts revive :
Tumultuous soon they plunge into the stream,
There lave their reeking sides; with greedy joy
Gulp down the flying wave; this way and that
From shore to shore they swim, while clamor loud
And wild uproar torment the troubled flood:
Then on the sunny bank they roll and stretch
Their dripping limbs, or else in wanton rings
Coursing around, pursuing and pursued,
The merry multitude disporting play.
NECESSITY OF DISCIPLINE IN THE KENNEL.
But here with watchful and observant eye
Attend the frolics which too often end
In bloody broils and death. High o'er thy head
Wave thy resounding whip, and with a voice
Fierce, menacing, o'errule the stern debate,
And quench their kindling rage: for oft, in sport
Begun, combat ensues: growling they snarl,
Then, on their haunches reared, rampant they seize
Each other's throats, with teeth and claws in gore
Besmeared; they wound, they tear, till on the
ground,
Panting, half-dead, the conquered champion lies:
Then sudden all the base, ignoble crowd,
Loud-clam'ring, seize the helpless, worried wretch,
And, thirsting for his blood, drag different ways
His mangled carcass on th' ensanguined plain.
O beasts of pity void! to oppress the weak,
To point your vengeance at the friendless head,
And with one mutual cry insult the fallen!
Emblem too just of man's degenerate race.
DOGS SEEK MEDICINAL HERBS. THE DREAMING HOUND.
Others apart, by native instinct led,
Knowing instructor! 'mong the ranker grass
Cull each salubrious plant, with bitter juice
Concoctive stored, and potent to allay
Each vicious ferment. Thus the hand divine
Of Providence, beneficent and kind
To all His creatures, for the brutes prescribes
A ready remedy, and is himself
Their great Physician. Now grown stiff with age
And many a painful chase, the wise old hound,
Regardless of the frolic pack, attends
His master's side, or slumbers at his ease
Beneath the bending shade: there many a ring
Runs o'er in dreams; now on the doubtful soil
Puzzles perplexed, or doubles intricate,
Cautious unfolds; then, winged with all his speed,
Bounds o'er the lawn to seize his panting prey,
And in imperfect whimpering speaks his joy.
VARIOUS USES OF DIFFERENT SPECIES OF HOUNDS. — GOOD
POINTS IN A HOUND.
A different hound for every different chase Select with judgment; nor the timorous hare
O'ermatched destroy, but leave that vile offence
To the mean, murderous, coursing crew, intent
On blood and spoil. O, blast their hopes, just Heaven!
And all their painful drudgeries repay
With disappointment and severe remorse.
But husband thou thy pleasures, and give scope
To all her subtle play. By nature led,
A thousand shifts she tries; to unravel these
The industrious beagle twists his waving tail,
Through all her labyrinths pursues, and rings
Her doleful knell. See then with countenance blithe,
And with a courtly grin, the fawning hound
Salutes thee cowering; his wide-opening nose
Upwards he curls: and his large, sloe-black eyes
Melt in soft blandishments and humbled joy :
His glossy skin, or yellow pied, or blue,
In lights or shades by Nature's pencil drawn,
Reflects the various tints; his rush-grown tail
O'er his broad back bends in an ample arch:
On shoulders clean, upright and firm he stands;
His round cat-foot, straight hams, and wide-spread
thighs,
And his low-drooping chest, confess his speed,
His strength, his wind, or on the steepy hill,
Or far-extended plain; in every part
So well proportioned, that the nicer skill
Of Phidias himself can't blame thy choice: -
Of such compose thy pack. But here a mean
Observe, nor the large hound prefer, of size
Gigantic; he in the thick-woven covert
Painfully tugs, or in the thorny brake,
Torn and embarrassed, bleeds; but if too small,
The pigmy brood in every furrow swims;
Moiled in the clogging clay, panting they lag
Behind, inglorious; or else, shivering, creep,
Benumbed and faint, beneath the sheltering thorn:
For hounds of middle size, active and strong,
Will better answer all thy various ends,
And crown thy pleasing labors with success.
MODEL THE PACK TO UNIFORMITY, LIKE SOLDIERS.
As some brave captain, curious and exact, By his fixed standard forms in equal ranks His gay battalion, as one man they move Step after step, their size the same, their arms Far gleaming dart the same united blaze : Reviewing generals his merit own; How regular! how just! and all his cares Are well repaid if mighty George approve :So model thou thy pack, if honor touch Thy generous soul, and the world's just applause ; But above all take heed, nor mix the hounds Of different kinds; discordant sounds shall grate Thy ears offended, and a lagging line Of babbling curs disgrace thy broken pack. OTTER HOUND; TALBOT; ITS USE ON THE SCOTS' BORDER THE MOSS TROOPERS.
But if the amphibious otter be thy chase, Or stately stag that o'er the woodland reigns; Or if the harmonious thunder of the field Delight thy ravished ears; the deep-flewed hound
Breed up with care, strong, heavy, slow, but sure :
Whose ears, down-hanging from his thick round head,
Shall sweep the morning dew; whose clanging voice
Awake the mountain echo in her cell,
And shake the forests: the bold Talbot kind
Of these the prime, as white as Alpine snows;
And great their use of old. Upon the banks
Of Tweed, slow-winding through the vale, the seat
Of war and rapine once, ere Britons knew
The sweets of peace, or Anna's dread commands
To lasting leagues the haughty rivals awed, -
There dwelt a pilfering race, well trained and skilled
In all the mysteries of theft, the spoil
Their only substance, feuds and war their sport;
Nor more expert in every fraudful art
The arch felon was of old, who by the tail
Drew back his lowing prize in vain his wiles,
In vain the shelter of the covering rock,
In vain the sooty cloud and ruddy flames
That issued from his mouth for soon he paid
His forfeit life; a debt how justly due
To wronged Alcides and avenging Heaven!
Veiled in the shades of night they ford the stream,
Then prowling far and near, whate'er they seize
Becomes their prey; nor flocks nor herds are safe,
Nor stalls protect the steer, nor strong-barred doors
Secure the favorite horse. Soon as the morn
Reveals his wrongs, with ghastly visage wan,
The plundered owner stands, and from his lips
A thousand thronging curses burst their way:
He calls his stout allies, and in a line
His faithful hound he leads, then, with a voice
That utters loud his rage, attentive cheers;
Soon the sagacious brute, his curling tail
Flourished in air, low-bending plies around
His busy nose, the steaming vapor snuffs
Inquisitive, nor leaves one turf untried,
Till, conscious of the recent strains, his heart
Beats quick; his snuffing nose, his active tail,
Attest his joy; then with deep-opening mouth,
That makes the welkin tremble, he proclaims
The audacious felon foot by foot he marks
His winding way, while all the listening crowd
Applaud his reasonings. O'er the watery ford,
Dry sandy heaths, and stony barren hills,
O'er beaten paths, with men and beasts distained,
Unerring he pursues, till at the cot
Arrived, and seizing by his guilty throat
The caitiff vile, redeems the captive prey:
So exquisitely delicate his sense!
CAUSES OF SCENT AND SCENTING.
Should some more curious sportsman here inquire Whence this sagacity, this wondrous power Of tracing step by step or man or brute? What guide invisible points out their way O'er the dark marsh, bleak hill, and sandy plain? The courteous muse shall the dark cause reveal. The blood that from the heart incessant rolls In many a crimson tide, then here and there
1 Cacus; see Virgil's Eneid, book viii.
In smaller rills disported, as it flows
Propelled, the serous particles evade
Through the open pores, and with the ambient air
Entangling mix. As fuming vapors rise
And hang upon the gently-purling brook,
There by the incumbent atmosphere compressed,
The panting chase grows warmer as he flies,
And through the net-work of the skin perspires,
Leaves a long, streaming trail behind, which, by
The cooler air condensed, remains, unless
By some rude storm dispersed, or rarefied
By the meridian sun's intenser heat.
To every shrub the warm effluvia cling,
Hang on the grass, impregnate earth and skies.
With nostrils opening wide, o'er hill, o'er dale,
The vigorous hounds pursue, with every breath
Inhale the grateful steam, quick pleasures sting
Their tingling nerves, while they their thanks repay,
And in triumphant melody confess
The titillating joy. Thus on the air
Depend the hunter's hopes.
SCENT DOES NOT LIE IN STORMY OR EASTERLY WEATHER.
At eve forebode a blustering, stormy day,
Or lowering clouds blacken the mountain's brow;
With nipping frosts, and the keen, biting blasts
Of the dry, parching east, menace the trees
With tender blossoms teeming; kindly spare
Thy sleeping pack, in their warm beds of straw
Low-sinking at their ease! listless they shrink
Into some dark recess, nor hear thy voice,
Though oft invoked; or haply if thy call
Rouse up the slumbering tribe with heavy eyes,
Glazed, lifeless, dull, downward they drop their tails
Inverted high on their bent backs erect
Their pointed bristles stare, or 'mong the tufts
Of ranker weeds each stomach-healing plant
Curious they crop, sick, spiritless, forlorn.
These inauspicious days on other cares
Employ thy precious hours; the improving friend
With open arms embrace, and from his lips
Glean science, seasoned with good-natured wit:
But if the inclement skies and angry Jove
Forbid the pleasing intercourse, thy books
Invite thy ready hand; each sacred page
Rich with the wise remarks of heroes old:
Converse familiar with the illustrious dead;
With great examples of old Greece or Rome
Enlarge thy free-born heart, and bless kind Heaven
That Britain yet enjoys dear liberty,
That balm of life, that sweetest blessing, cheap,
Though purchased with our blood. Well-bred, polite,
Credit thy calling. See! how mean, how low,
The bookless, sauntering youth, proud of the skut
That dignifies his cap, his flourished belt,
And rusty couples jingling by his side!
Be thou of other mould; and know that such
Transporting pleasures were by Heaven ordained
Wisdom's relief, and Virtue's great reward.
Of the power of instinct in brutes. Two remarkable instances, in the hunting of the roebuck and in the hare going to seat in the morning. Of the variety of seats or forms of the hare, according to the changes of the season, weather, or wind. Description of the hare-hunting in all its parts, interspersed with rules to be observed by those who follow that chase. Transition to the Asiatic way of hunting, particularly the magnificent manner of the Great Mogul, and other Tartarean princes. A short reproof of tyrants and oppressors. Of King Edgar, and the tribute of wolfs' heads he imposed upon Wales. A transition to fox-hunting, which is described in all its parts. Description of a royal stag-chase in Windsor Forest. Address to his majesty, and an eulogy upon mercy. Otter-hunting. Conclusion in praise of rural life.
INSTINCT; THAT OF THE ROEBUCK AND HARE. Nor will it less delight the attentive sage To observe that instinct which unerring guides The brutal race, which mimics reason's lore, And oft transcends. Heaven-taught, the roebuck Loiters at ease before the driving pack, [swift And mocks their vain pursuit, nor far he flies: But checks his ardor, till the steaming scent That freshens on the blade provokes their rage. Urged to their speed, his weak, deluded foes Soon flag fatigued; strained to excess, each nerve, Each slackened sinew, fails: they pant, they foam : Then o'er the lawn he bounds, o'er the high hills Stretches secure, and leaves the scattered crowd To puzzle in the distant vale below.
"Tis instinct that directs the jealous hare To choose her soft abode. With step reversed She forms the doubling maze; then, ere the morn Peeps through the clouds, leaps to her close recess. As wandering shepherds on the Arabian plains No settled residence observe, but shift Their moving camp; now on some cooler hill, With cedars crowned, court the refreshing breeze; And then below, where trickling streams distil From some penurious source, their thirst allay, And feed their fainting flocks: so the wise hares Oft quit their seats, lest some more curious eye Should mark their haunts, and by dark treacherous
Plot their destruction; or perchance in hopes
Of plenteous forage, near the ranker mead
Or matted blade wary and close they sit.
When Spring shines forth, season of love and joy,
In the moist marsh, 'mong beds of rushes hid,
They cool their boiling blood. When Summer suns
Bake the clift earth, to thick wide-waving fields
Of corn full-grown they lead their helpless young;
But when Autumnal torrents and fierce rains
Deluge the vale, in the dry, crumbling bank
Their forms they delve, and cautiously avoid
The dripping covert yet when Winter's cold
Their limbs benumbs, thither with speed returned,
In the long grass they skulk, or shrinking creep
Among the withered leaves: thus changing still
As fancy prompts them, or as food invites.
But every season carefully observed,
The inconstant winds, the fickle element,
The wise, experienced huntsman soon may find
His subtle, various game, nor waste in vain
His tedious hours, till his impatient hounds,
With disappointment vexed, each springing lark
Babbling pursue, far scattered o'er the fields.
HARE-HUNTING; AUTUMNAL PLENTY AND CHEER; CLASSIC GAMES; THE DAWN; PREPARATIONS.
Now golden Autumn from her open lap
Her fragrant bounties showers; the fields are shorn:
Inwardly smiling, the proud farmer views
The rising pyramids that grace his yard,
And counts his large increase: his barns are stored;
And groaning staddles bend beneath their load.
All now is free as air, and the gay pack
In the rough, bristly stubble range unblamed.
No widow's tears o'erflow, no secret curse
Swells in the farmer's breast, which his pale lips
Trembling conceal, by his fierce landlord awed;
But courteous now he levels every fence,
Joins in the common cry, and halloos loud,
Charmed with the rattling thunder of the field.
O bear me, some kind power invisible !
To that extended lawn, where the gay court
View the swift racers stretching to the goal;
Games more renowned, and a far nobler train,
Than proud Elean field could boast of old;
O, were a Theban lyre not wanting here,
And Pindar's voice, to do their merit right! [eye,
Or to those spacious plains where the strained
In the wide prospect lost, beholds at last
Sarum's proud spire,2 that o'er the hills ascends,
And pierces through the clouds: or to thy downs,
Fair Cotswold! where the well-breathed beagle
climbs,
With matchless speed, thy green, aspiring brow,
And leaves the lagging multitude behind.
Hail, gentle Dawn! mild blushing goddess, hail!
Rejoiced I see thy purple mantle spread
O'er half the skies; gems pave thy radiant way,
And orient pearls from every shrub depend.
Farewell, Cleora! here, deep sunk in down, Slumber secure, with happy dreams amused, Till grateful steams shall tempt thee to receive Thy early meal; or thy officious maids, The toilet placed, shall urge thee to perform The important work. Me other joys invite; The horn sonorous calls, the pack awaked Their matins chant, nor brook my long delay; My courser hears their voice: see there! with ears And tail erect, neighing he paws the ground; Fierce rapture kindles in his reddening eyes, And boils in every vein. As captive boys, Cowed by the ruling rod and haughty frowns Of pedagogues severe, from their hard tasks If once dismissed, no limits can contain
12 Salisbury Cathedral; - Stonehenge is on Salisbury Plain.
The tumult raised within their little breasts,
But give a loose to all their frolic play;
So from their kennel rush the joyous pack;
A thousand wanton gayeties express
Their inward ecstasy, their pleasing sport
Once more indulged, and liberty restored.
The rising sun, that o'er the horizon peeps,
As many colors from their glossy skins
Beaming reflects, as paint the various bow
When April showers descend. Delightful scene!
Where all around is gay-men, horses, dogs;
And in each smiling countenance appears
Fresh blooming health, and universal joy.
WHIPPING IN; THROWING OFF THE PACK; PUTTING THEM ON THE SCENT; THEY OPEN IN FULL CRY.-GENERAL EXCITEMENT OF THE CHASE; SCHOOL-BOY, TRAVELLER, PLOUGHMAN, SHEPHERD, VILLAGERS.
Huntsman lead on; behind the clustering pack Submiss attend, hear with respect thy whip Loud clanging, and thy harsher voice obey. Spare not the straggling cur that wildly roves, But let thy brisk assistant on his back Imprint shy just resentment; let each lash Bite to the quick, till howling he return, And whining creep among the trembling crowd. Here on thy verdant spot where Nature kind With double blessings crowns the farmer's hopes, Where flowers autumnal spring, and the rank mead Affords the wandering hares a rich repast, Throw off thy ready pack. See where they spread, And range around, and dash the glittering dew! If some staunch hound, with his authentic voice, Avow the recent trail, the jostling tribe Attend his call, then with one mutual cry The welcome news confirm, and echoing hills Repeat the pleasing tale. See how they thread The brakes, and up yon furrow drive along! But quick they back recoil, and wisely check Their eager haste; then o'er the fallowed ground How leisurely they work, and many a pause The harmonious concert breaks; till, more assured, With joy redoubled the low valleys ring. What artful labyrinths perplex their way! [doubts Ah! there she lies; how close! she pants, she If now she lives: she trembles as she sits, With horror seized. The withered grass that clings Around her head, of the same russet hue, Almost deceived my sight, had not her eyes, With life full beaming, her vain wiles betrayed. At distance draw thy pack; let all be hushed; No clamor loud, no frantic joy, be heard; Lest the wild hound run gadding o'er the plain Untractable, nor hear thy chiding voice. Now gently put her off; see how direct
To her known mew she flies! Here, huntsman,
(But without hurry) all thy jolly hounds,
And calmly lay them in. How low they stoop
And seem to plough the ground! then all at once
With greedy nostrils snuff the fuming steam [loose
That glads their fluttering hearts. As winds let
From the dark caverns of the blustering god,
They burst away, and sweep the dewy lawn. [fear.
Hope gives them wings, while she's spurred on by
The welkin rings; men, dogs, hills, rocks, and
woods,
In the full concert join. Now, my brave youths!
Stripped for the chase give all your souls to joy.
See how their coursers, than the mountain roe
More fleet, the verdant carpet skim! Thick clouds
Snorting they breathe, their shining hoofs scarce
The grass unbruised; with emulation fired, [print
They strain to lead the field, top the barred gate,
O'er the deep ditch exulting bound, and brush
The thorny-twining hedge: the riders bend
O'er their arched necks; with steady hands by turns
Indulge their speed, or moderate their rage.
Where are their sorrows, disappointments, wrongs,
Vexations, sickness, cares? All, all are gone!
And with the panting winds lag far behind.
Huntsman! her gait observe; if in wide rings
She wheel her mazy way, in the same round
Persisting still, she 'll foil the beaten track :
But if she fly, and with the favoring wind
Urge her bold course, less intricate thy task;
Push on thy pack. Like some poor exiled wretch,
The frighted chase leaves late her dear abodes,
O'er plains remote she stretches far away,
Ah, never to return! for greedy Death
Hovering exults, secure to seize his prey.
Hark! from yon covert, where those towering
Above the humble copse aspiring rise,
What glorious triumphs burst in every gale
Upon our ravished ears! The hunter's shout,
The clanging horns swell their full-winding notes,
The pack wide-opening load the trembling air
With various melody; from tree to tree
The propagated ery redoubling bounds;
And wingéd zephyrs waft the floating joy
Through all the regions near. Afflictive birch
No more the school-boy dreads; his prison broke,
Scampering he flies, nor heeds his master's call.
The weary traveller forgets his road,
And climbs the adjacent hill. The ploughman leaves
The unfinished furrow; nor his bleating flocks
Are now the shepherd's joy. Men, boys, and girls,
Desert the unpeopled village; and wild crowds
Spread o'er the plain, by the sweet frenzy seized.
SHIFTS OF THE HARE; KILLED AT LAST; ORPHEUS; THE
HOUNDS' PERQUISITE.
Look how she pants! and o'er yon opening glade
Slips glancing by: while at the further end
The puzzling pack unravel, wile by wile,
Maze within maze. The covert's utmost bound
Slyly she skirts; behind them cautious creeps,
And in that very track so lately stained
By all the steaming crowd, seems to pursue
The foe she flies. Let cavillers deny
That brutes have reason; sure 't is something more; 'Tis Heaven directs, and stratagems inspires Beyond the short extent of human thought.
But hold-I see her from the covert break;
Sad on yon little eminence she sits;
Intent she listens with one ear erect,
Pondering and doubtful what new course to take,
And how to 'scape the fierce, blood-thirsty crew
That still urge on, and still, in volleys loud,
Insult her woes, and mock her sore distress.
As now in louder peals the loaded winds
Bring on the gathering storm, her fears prevail,
And o'er the plain, and o'er the mountain's ridge,
Away she flies; nor ships with wind and tide,
And all their canvas wings, scud half so fast.
Once more, ye jovial train! your courage try,
And each clean courser's speed. We scour along
In pleasing hurry and confusion tossed;
Oblivion to be wished! The patient pack
Hang on the scent unwearied; up they climb,
And ardent we pursue; our laboring steeds
We press, we gore; till, once the summit gained,
Painfully panting, there we breathe a while;
Then, like a foaming torrent pouring down
Precipitant, we smoke along the vale.
Happy the man, who, with unrivalled speed,
Can pass his fellows, and with pleasure view
The struggling pack! how in the rapid course
Alternate they preside, and jostling push
To guide the dubious scent; how giddy youth
Oft blabbering errs, by wiser age reproved;
How, niggard of his strength, the wise old hound
Hangs in the rear, till some important point
Rouse all his diligence, or till the chase
Sinking he finds; then to the head he springs,
With thirst of glory fired, and wins the prize.
Huntsman! take heed; they stop in full career;
Yon crowding flocks, that at a distance gaze,
Have haply foiled the turf. See that old hound,
How busily he works, but dares not trust
His doubtful sense! Draw yet a wider ring.
Hark! now again the chorus fills; as bells,
Sallied a while, at once their peal renew,
And high in air the tuneful thunder rolls.
See how they toss, with animated rage
Recovering all they lost! That cager haste
Some doubling wile foreshows. Ah! yet once more
They're checked hold back with speed - on
They flourish round-e'en yet persist-'t is right:
Away they spring; the rustling stubble bends
Beneath the driving storm. Now the poor chase
Begins to flag, to her last shifts reduced.
From brake to brake she flies, and visits all [secure
Her well-known haunts, where once she ranged
With love and plenty blest. See! there she goes;
She reels along, and by her gait betrays
Her inward weakness. See how black she looks!
The sweat that clogs the obstructed pores scarce
A languid scent. And now in open view [leaves
See! see! she flies; each eager hound exerts
His utmost speed, and stretches every nerve.
How quick she turns, their gaping jaws eludes,
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