Related article: throne. It became necessary at once to Vibramycin Price issue a Royal Proclama- tion warning these loving subjects to refrain from disturbing the king's deer generally. A few months later came another pro- clamation against deer-stealing is the royal forest of Barn wood; early in 1548 came a third on behalf of the harried deer at Waltham ; and in 1549 Vibramycin Buy was issued a fourth against hunting and hawking the king's game at West- minster. Those Westminster pre- serves must have been a sore temptation to sporting Londoners. It says much for their self-denial that a proclamation was not required, or at any rate was not issued, for two years after the reckless proceeding of Parlia- ment. Abolition of the penalties for poaching accomplished then ex- actly Buy Vibramycin what the same measure would achieve to-day. " Inso- lencies and barbarous unruly- nesse " followed ; the " baser sorte" assembled in mobs to enjoy the sport — or butchery— so generously made free to them, and it is stated that in a single day upwards of 500 deer were killed " within verie fewe myks of Y' M«*'» Citie of London." This state of affairs could not be tolerated, and in 1549, after two years' suspension, the repealed Acts were restored. It had not been our intention to deal with deer in the present survey of the old game-laws; but this fatuous piece of legislation demands men- tion for its sheer stupidity. For about thirty years after this the game interests of the country were left to take care of them- selves, and a very indifferent job those interests made of it. If the next game law (23 Eliz. 10) requiring attention did not exag- gerate the state of affairs, poach- ing was carried on at all seasons of the year with all sorts of nets and engines both by day and by night. Elizabeth's Act marks a step in game legislation, inas- much as it forbids absolutely the taking Vibramycin D of game at night. I899-] GAME PRESERVATION IN THE MIDDLE AGES. 349 "Whereas," begins this law, mournfully, " fesauntes and par- tridges is within these few yeres utterlie decaied and destroied" by nets, snares and engines used day and night, and by hawking early in harvest before the young birds have grown to any size, " to the grete spoyle and hurte of come and grasse," it was Vibramycin 100 enacted that nobody should kill birds at night by any method, under a penalty of twenty shillings and ten shillings per head for each pheasant and partridge. The more legitimate sport of hawking and hunting with spaniels in other men's growing corn was also for- bidden on pain of a forty-shilling fine, unless the sportsman could show that he had the owner's leave. He might trample down his own crops if he liked, but his neighbour's were closed to him until the corn or grass should be " shocked, cocked, hiled or copped." There is a saving clause to this Act which we can- not doubt went far to nullify the advantages it strove to secure for the farmer and the game. It is explicitly stated that its provisions do not apply to " lowbellers, tramellers," or others who un- wittingly took pheasants or part- ridges by night under any •' tramel, lowbell, or road nette," always provided that these birdcatchers at once released uninjured the game birds so captured in their nets. This was a loophole which poachers would hardly fail to use. The next statute, passed in 1603 (1 James I. c. 27), contains some points of importance in respect of progress, and of inte- rest in view of a modern difficulty in the administration of the game laws which formed the subject of spirited correspondence in the columns of the Field early in the present year. History repeats itself faithfully in game legisla- tion as elsewhere! The law is entitled " An Act for the better understanding of the intent and meaning of former statutes made against shooting in guns, and for the preservation of the game of pheasants and partridges, and against the destruction of hares in hare pipes and tracing hares in snow." The gist is as follows : — " Whereas pheasants, partridges, herons, mallards, and suchlike several games, have been more excessively and outrageously spoiled and destroyed than hath been in former ages, especially by the vulgar sorte and men of small worth making a trade and living of the spoiling and destroying, who are not of sufficiency 10 pay the penal- ties, by reason of which few suits have been attempted, whereby the good meant hath not followed, and there is great scarcity of game in all or most parts. Be it enacted, therefore, that all and every person who with gun, crossbow, stonebow, Doxycycline Vibramycin or longbow, kill pheasants, partridges, house-dove or pigeon, heron, mallard, duck, teal, wigeon, grouse, heathcock and moor-game with setting-dogs or nets, or who take the eggs of partridge, pheasant or swan, or break the eggs in the nest, or trace or course hares or use net or engine, shall be imprisoned for three months, or be fined twenty shillings for each fowl or each egg ; or after one month's imprison- ment give security for good behaviour. Unqualified persons (viz., persons not owning freehold value, £\o per annum or £200 worth of property) keeping grey- hounds for coursing deer or hare, or setting dogs, or nets or engines, to be fined two pounds. " Every person who at any time shall sell, or buy to sell again, any deer, hare, pheasant or partridge (except partridges and pheasants reared and brought up in house or houses, or brought from beyond seas), shall be fined forty Purchase Vibramycin shillings for each deer, twenty shillings for each pheasant, and ten shillings for each hare or par- tridge. Qualified persons may take phea- sants and partridges in the daytime only wilh nets on their own ground betwixt St. Michaelmas Day and Christmas Day Vibramycin 100mg yearly." In this Act of King James I. it may fairly be said that we have the nucleus of our modern game- laws in so far as the Vibramycin 100 Mg principle of a close season is applied to phea- 35° BAILY S MAGAZINE. | Mat sants and partridges. True, the shooting of game is forbidden, but perusal of the old statutes leaves a very distinct impression that in these days far more game was taken by " nets and Vibramycin Doxycycline engines " than by shooting, whether with gun or any kind of bow — the 4< stone bow," we imagine, was