of right be phisicked with hote and moyst medicines by meane of their complexion which is cold and drie as with Aloes pepper Cockes flesh Pigeons Sparowes Gotes flesh and such like That the blancke Falcons are flegmaticke and to be Phisicked with hote and drie medicines bycause of their flegme whych is cold and moist as with Cinamon Cloues Silermont and Cardamomum Gotes flesh Choghs such like The russet Falcons be of sanguine cholericke complexioÌ„ mixt indifferently and therefore to be phisicked with cold medicines moderately moyst and drie As with Myrtells Cassia Fistula Tamarinds Vineger Pullets Lambs flesh and suche like Hauing spoken thus much of the complexions of Hawkes a matter not long to be stood vpon I will referre you ouer to the Italian Authors as touching the diseases and cures whose iudgements I do very well allowe in many pointes preferre beyond the French Falconers for that they seeme to be the more reasonable men and lesse giuen to friuolous inuentions Yet neuerthelesse in the last part hereof you shall at your pleasure peruse the French Falconers also for that I would haue you to want nothing that may be to your better knowledge and furtherance in Falconrie Of the diseases and cures of Hawkes The opinion of master Francesco Sforzino Vicentino an Italian Gentleman Falconer IT doth belong to a good and skilfull Falconer not alone to knowe all kinds of Hawkes and to haue the cunning how to reclayme keepe slee ympe mewe the sayd Hawkes with sundry other like matters incident and appertayning to Falconrie but it is very necessary and behouefull for him to haue knowledge and good experience in their diseases and cures for that they are birds subiect to sundrie maladies and accidents the cure of all whiche dothe rest in the carefull keeper Wherefore hauing vnlesse I flatter my selfe in the former parts of this collection performed my promise made in the very entry and beginning of this booke as touching Hawkes and other matters belonging to the misterie and skill of Falconrie it is only left now and I rest charged with their diseases and cures to decipher vnto you the meane to know the maladies as also a methode to recouer them wherein if happelie any man desire a more ample discourse of the natures original causes of those diseases thaÌ„ herein I shall bewray let him know bethink himself that I am neither profound Philosopher nor learned phisitioÌ„ by professioÌ„ but that in these I deale as a Falconer manifesting making shewe of cures proper peculiar to euery disease wherw t I cold euer yet find a Hauke charged such as may light vpoÌ„ any kind of Hawke by misfortune casualtie And as touching remedies for their mischeefes I meane to speake of very few which I haue not sundrie times approued with very good successe wherefore I say that Hawkes may be diseased and vnperfect eyther in body or feathers which I intend meane wheÌ„ they are vnable by any euil aceideÌ„t to performe their parts and dueties in any coÌ„dition as not to be able to flee or strayn the pray with their pownces or any such like actioÌ„ which by nature they ought to perform In body they are diseased eyther by some outward cause as by a stripe or bruse or else by some hiddeÌ„ inward euill as by corrupt contagious humors proceeding either of too gret heate moysture of the head or otherwise ouermuch drought siccitie of the Liuer inward partes froÌ„ which procedeth many times the Pantas shortnes of breath other perilous euils whereof I meane to write in their peculiar places heereafter Again Hawkes are accustomed to be ill affected diseased as I may tearme it in their feathers for that diuers times being sound of body in perfect state of health yet they cannot flee or stirre their wings by mean of some brokeÌ„ or sliued feathers especially the flagges loÌ„g feathers or sacels which sundry times are broken eyther in the quill being bloudie feathers or neare the top or poynt of the feather the remedie for whiche mischiefe euill accideÌ„t I will reserue to the last part of this treatise as a matter meetest for that place But bycause the mischiefes and diseases that grow within the bodies of Hawkes may best be discerned knoweÌ„ by their excrement and by that which commeth froÌ„ them as namely by the casting muet of a Hawke Therefore I accompt it most expedient to haue good iudgemeÌ„t to distinguish know the diuersitie and difference thereof the better to come by the true knowledge of the diseases wherby ther may in good time be had a conuenient remedie for the euill Wherfore let vs first speake of their castings How to knowe the health and disease of a Hawke by hir casting FAlconers do vse to giue two sorts of casting to their hauks eyther plumage or cotton bicause most coÌ„moÌ„ly they giue the Falco pellets of cottoÌ„ for hir casting I wil first speak therof You must make choyce of fine soft white cotto therof fashioÌ„ frame your casting as big as a great nutte at euening coÌ„uey it into hir gorge after you haue inpt hir in the morning betimes make diligeÌ„t search to find it to peruse it in what maner the hauke hath rolled cast it bycause thereby you shal perceiue hir good or euill state for if she cast it round white not lothsome in smell not very moyst or waterish it is a manifest token that she is sound But otherwise if she rolle not hir casting wel but cast it loÌ„g not white stincking very moist slimie it doth argue that she is full of diseases as I shal more specially declare vnto you eftsone You must obserue this that these castings do import betokeÌ„ the greater euil by how much more they do resemble the muet of a hauke in colour smel For by that they do make shew that your hauke doth abound with too much euil humor Wherfore you must the more diligeÌ„tly mark it wring it betwixt your fingers to see how much what kind of moisture doth drop froÌ„ the casting withall note the smell colour therof But now it is high time to procede to a more special declaratioÌ„ of those castings that you may be ê‘fect in each coÌ„ditioÌ„ Of naughty castings IF your hawkes casting be long not wrought round and be full of water how much more long and moist it is so muche more it betokeneth the hauke to be diseased And againe if so it be blacke stincking so much the more the hawke is in euill case state Al and euery of these signes do yeeld a shew and proofe that the hauke hath bin fowle fed with corrupt fleshe Wherefore to remedie thys mischeefe you muste feede hir with hote Birdes as Swallowes Sparrowes yong Doues and suche like giuing them aliue or as soone as they are killed But if it so happen for
remedies for the same whiche I doubt not are the only and chiefest poyntes that the discrete and learned reader will accept from mee and suche as will moste stande him in steade that doeth meane to deale with hawkes Wherefore I thus make the Epiloge and conclusion of the first part of my treatise and collection wherein are contayned all the kindes names and the causes of those names of all suche Hawkes birdes of pray as are most in vse and regarded among noble men and gentlemen at these dayes crauing the Reader to bestowe no lesse good liking vppon the translation and collection heereof if it in anye parte deserue it than I haue employed trauaile and paines in the true search and examination of the same both out of the Frenche and Italian Authours where I must confesse I haue not translated Verbatim and by word of line what I founde for then had I not dealt so exactly as I now haue done for that I found sundry thinges not so well agreeing to our humours and vse but haue taken my pleasure of them in making choyce of the chiefest matter whiche did occurre in them hoping that the more my paynes haue bin the lesse shall be mine offence and the greater the liking of the Reader and the better hys acceptaunce whiche if I finde both I for my trauayle shall thynke my selfe sufficiently guerdoned and the careful Printer deeme both his coste and charge well employed beeyng meante to the benefyte and pleasure of his natiue countreymen whose auayle he chiefly respecteth herein and not any great aduauntage that shall priuately fall out to him Of the Matagasse THough the Matagasse be a Hawke of none accompte or price neyther with vs in any vse yet neuerthelesse for that in my deuision I made recitall of hir name according to the French Author from whence I collected sundrie of those poynts and documents appertayning to Falconrie I thinke it not beside my purpose briefly to describe heere vnto you though I must needes confesse that where the Hawke is to so slender value the definition or rather description of hir nature and name must be thought of no great regard The shape of hir is this She is beaked and headded like the Falcon hir plume is of two colours hir brest white hir eye beake and foote blacke a long blacke trayne hir flagges and long fethers partly black and white and the coloure of those fethers she chaungeth not though she mewe neuer so ofte Hir feeding is vpon Rattes Squirrells and Lisards and sometimes vpon certaine birdes she doth vse to praye whome she doth intrappe and deceyue by flyght for this is hir deuise She will stand at pearche vpon some tree or poste and there make an exceeding lamentable crye and exclamation suche as birdes are wonte to do beeing wronged or in hazarde of mischiefe and all to make other fowles beleeue thinke that shee is verye muche distressed and standes needefull of ayde wherevpon the credulous sellie birdes do flocke togither presently at hir call and voyce at what time if any happen to approche neare hir she out of hande seazeth on them and deuoureth them vngratefull subtill fowle in requitall of their simplicitie and paynes These hawkes are in no accompt with vs but poore simple fellowes and peasantes sometimes do make them to the fiste and beeyng reclaymed after their vnskilfull manner do beare them hooded as Falconers doe their other kindes of hawkes whome they make to greater purposes Heere I ende of this fowle bicause I neither accompte hir worthe the name of a hawke in whome there resteth no valour or hardinesse ne yet deseruing to haue any more written of hir propertie and nature more than that shee was in mine Authour specified as a member of my deuision and there reputed in the number of long winged hawkes For truely it is not the propertie of any other hawke by suche deuise and cowardly wile to come by their praye but they loue to winne it by mayne force of wings at randon as the rounde wynged hawkes do or by free stowping as the hawkes of the Tower do moste commonly vse as the Falcon Gerfalcon Sacre Merlyn and suche like whiche do lye vpon their wing roding in the aire and ruffe the fowle or kill it at the encounter I cannot saye that at any time I haue seene this kinde of hawke neyther in any booke read of hir nature and disposition as I haue here made mention of it saue onely in my authur who writing of Falconrie was so bolde as to rancke hir among other hawkes of greater accompt and valewe and in Gesner where hee treateth of all kinde of birdes and fowles where I remember wel I haue read of the name and nature of the Matagasse and there haue seene hir proportion shape sette downe in coloures suche as I haue before declared you in this chapter and in my iudgemente no oddes or difference to bee founde betwixt Gesnerus description and mine authors in that behalfe ∵ The Second parte or booke of this collection of Falconrie Certayne speciall poyntes necessarie for a Falconer or Ostreger collected out of the Italian Author Hauing made you sufficient shewe in the former part of this booke and collectiō of all kinds of hawkes seruing to Falconrie it shall not be amisse to deliuer you some speciall necessarie rules due to a good Falconer Firste it is behooueful for a Falconer to bee very diligent inquisitiue to learn and marke the qualitye and mettell of his hawkes to knowe whiche hawke he shal flee withall earely and with whiche late bycause all hawkes are not disposed or mettelde alike Wherefore the firste and speciall obseruation is to note the naturall inclination and disposition of his hawkes in that behalfe Then nexte is it necessarie for him to bee fonde ouer his hawke pattēt withall carefull to keepe hir cleane out of lise mytes and all suche other diseases as I shall hereafter treate of in the latter parte of this collection with suche remedies as I shall laye downe for euery griefe And of the twoo hee must rather keepe his hawke hye and full of fleshe than poore and lowe Besides that this is one generall rule whiche by experience you shall finde to bee most true that all kindes of hawkes are more subiect to infirmities being poore and lowe than when they are lustie and full in fleshe Euery night after he hath fleen with his hawke the daye either at the fielde or brooke he muste giue his hawke casting somewhyles plumage some other while pellets of Cotton or suche like and agayne sometimes some one medicine or other according as by hir casting or mewte he shall perceyue hir to stande needefull thereof whiche poynte I will more at large describe in another place proper and peculiar to that matter Euery night hee muste not forgette to make the place very cleane vnder the pearche so as he may bothe finde the casting of his hawke and be certainly
assured whither she hath already caste or not whereby he may the better iudge and discerne hir state For by the casting is founde whither the hawke do neede eyther vpwarde or downward scowrings or stones or any suche like remedie He muste remember euery euening to tye out his hawke a weathering saue onely in suche dayes as she hath bathed before for bycause then the taking ouermuche moysture wyll breede hir a thousande euills and inconueniences For suche euenings as she hath bathed the daye shee ought of right to be placed in some warme chamber on a pearche with a candle burning by hir where she must sit vnhooded if so she be gentle and not rammage to the ende she may tricke hir selfe and reioyce by enoyling hir after the water before she flee againe Euery morning earely he muste not forgette to set hir out to wether hir where if shee haue not alreadie caste shee may caste and there keepe hir hooded till suche tyme as shee go to the fielde In feeding his hawke he muste beware of giuing hir twoo sortes of meate at one time to gorge hir withall neither must hee gyue hir suche fleshe as hath any euill sauour and is not sweete but muste respecte to allowe hir holsome meates for breeding ill diseases For Hawkes are dayntie birdes in their kinde and the more to be considered of when they are in hande vnder a Falconers keeping and vsage bycause they were wonte to praye for themselues at libertie and therein followe suche lawe and order as nature had prescribed them but being restrayned the course of kinde is quite altered in them and therfore the greater arte and regard to be vsed for them Arte must supplie the restraintes of kinde by cunning He muste beware if happily he haue occasion of necessarie busines at his departure from home not to leaue his hawke tyed on a pearche of any greate heyght from the grounde for feare of bating hanging by the heeles for then either will she caste hir gorge or otherwise spoyle hir selfe but she muste be placed on a lowe blocke or stone and if there be mo hawkes than one they muste be sundred so farre one from the other as they maye not approche or reache one the other neyther with beake talons or otherwise bicause their nature is to byte and buckle togither if they come within reache When he addresseth him to make his flighte with his Falcon it is behoouefull for him to haue all hir fellow Falconers or such as haue hawkes in the field to set downe their hawkes on the grounde to be in the more readinesse to assiste him in his purpose and to tye them sure for feare of ill accidents that may befall them And againe at the ryuer he must skilfull to lande his fowle so placing the residue of his company and their hawkes as they may flee eke without any encounter which is not onely the losse of the fowle and hinderance to their sporte but also the ruine and spoyle of their hawkes on both partes He must be carefull that his hawke keepe hir gate and flee it good so as in no wise hee plucke hir not downe nor make hir bate of hir pitche He muste alwayes be assured to haue mummy in powder in his bagge in a readinesse whatsoeuer should happen with suche other medicines as I shall hereafter treate of for that it may so fall out as his hawke may receyue a broose at the encounter of a fowle Moreouer he muste not be vnfurnished of Aloes washt Cloues Nutmugges Saffron casting cryance and suche like necessarie implementes And he must remember that his Aloes be shining and cleare for then is it of the beste sorte of Aloes Lastely he muste be able to make his lures hooddes of all sortes Iesses bucts other nedefull furniture for his hawke and must not be without store therof to allow his betters and states in the fielde if happily they want any suche deuises He cannot well be without his coping yrons to cope his hawkes beake if it be ouergrowen whiche will be a hinderance to hir feeding and to cope hir pownces and talons if neede be He muste haue his cauterizing buttons and other yron or siluer tooles to cauterize or burne his hawkes if cause require suche cure For hauing all these necessaries and doing as I haue will tell you all his game shall succeede and sorte wel he be assured for the most part of good pastime in the fielde when other ignorāt gromes shal both lacke sport loose their hawkes the greatest corsie that may happen to a gentleman that loues the game Let these fewe aduertisementes and instructions suffice in this place if other wynts necessarie not recited here be remēbred at the full in any other parte of this booke I craue but thankes for my paines curtesie at the Falconers handes for whose learning and pleasure I partly and chiefly wrote this collection The first instruction is how to make a Falcon and other hawkes fleeing after the opinion of Ian de Franchiers FIrst let your hawke be taken on the fiste and hoodded then let hir be watched three dayes and nightes before you vnhoode hir and feede hir alwayes hooded in an easie rufter hoode At the ende of three dayes you may vnhoode hir and feede hir vnhooded and when she is fedde hoode hir againe so that she be not vnhooded but whē you feede hir vntil she know hir meate then when she beginneth to be acquainted with you hoode hir and vnhood hir oftentimes to the end she may the better abide the hoode But vse hir gently and be pacient with hir at the first and to the ende your hawke may be the better manned the sooner reclaimed you shall do wel to beare hir cōmonly in places where most people do frequēt and where most exercises are vsed And when she is well manned make hir come a little to the fiste for hir meate And when you haue shewed hir the perche or stocke and tyed hir vpon it put with hir vpon the sayde pearche or stocke some Pullet or other quicke fowle as often as you may and let hir feede thereon at pleasure vntill she be reasonably gorged and do in like maner vpō the lewer vntill she knowe it perfectly Afterwardes you may giue hir more libertie and lewer hir with a cryance lewring hir twice a daye further and further of And when shee is throughly lewred you shall teache hir to flee vpon you vntill she know bothe howe to get to hir gate and to flee rownde vpon you Then shall you caste hir oute some quicke fowle and when shee hath stowped and seazed vpon it you shall suffer hir to plume it and to foote it at hir pleasure giuing hir a reasonable gorge theron as is before sayde and continewing alwaies to rewarde hir vpon the sayde lewer in such sort that she neuer finde the lewer without some rewarde tyed vpon it and by that meanes shee will alwayes loue