PRE F A C E. HE old and infirm have at least this privilege, that they can recal to their minds thofe fcenes of joy in which they once delighted, and ruminate over their past pleasures, with a fatisfaction almost equal to the first enjoyment. For those ideas, to which any agreeable fenfation is annexed, are easily excited; as leaving behind the most strong and permanent impreffions. The amusements of our youth are the boast and comfort of our declining years. The ancients carried this notion even yet further, and supposed their heroes in the Elyfian Fields were fond of the very same diversions they exercised on earth. Death itself could not wean them from the accuftomed fports and gayeties of life.. "Pars in gramineis exercent membra palæftris ; "Contendunt ludo, et fulvâ luctantur arenâ : "Pars pedibus plaudunt choreas, et carmina dicunt. "Arma procul, currûfque virûm miratur inanes. "Stant terrâ defixæ haftæ, paffimque foluti "Per campum pafcuntur equi. Quæ gratia currûm "Armorumque fuit vivis, quæ cura nitentes "Pafcere equos, eadem fequitur tellure repoftos." VIRG. Eneid. vi. Part on the graffy cirque their pliant limbs Struggling difpute the prize. Part lead the ring, The chief their arms admires, their empty cars, Their lances fix'd in earth. Th' unharness'd steeds Graze unreftrain'd; horfes, and cars, and arms, All the fame fond defires, and pleasing cares, Still haunt their fhades, and after death furvive. I hope therefore I may be indulged (even by the more grave and cenforious part of mankind) if at my leisure hours, I run over, in my elbow-chair, some of those chaces, which were once the delight of a more vigorous age. It is an entertaining, and (as I conceive) a very innocent amusement. The refult of these rambling imaginations will be found in the following poem; which if equally diverting to my readers, as to myself, I fhall have gained my end. I have intermixed the préceptive parts with fo many descriptions and digreffions in the Georgick manner, that I hope they will not be tedious. I am fure they are very neceffary to be well understood by any gentleman, who would enjoy this noble fport in full perfection. In this at least I may comfort myself, that I cannot trespass upon their patience more than Markham, Blome, and the other profe writers upon this fubject. It is most certain, that hunting was the exercife of the greatest heroes in antiquity. By this they formed themselves for war; and their exploits against wild Leafts were a prelude to their other victories. Xenophon fays, that almost all the ancient heroes, Neftor, Thefeus, Caftor, Pollux, Ulyffes, Diomedes, Achilles, &c. were mainlai xuvnycosõv, disciples of hunting; being taught carefully that art, as what would be highly ferviceable serviceable to them in military discipline. Xen. Cynegetic. And Pliny obferves, those who were defigned for great captains, were firft taught "certare cum fu"gacibus feris curfu, cum audacibus robore, cum cal. "lidis aftu :" to conteft with the swifteft wild beasts, in fpeed; with the boldeft, in ftrength; with the most cunning, in craft and fubtilty. Plin. Panegyr. And the Roman emperors, in those monuments they erected to transmit their actions to future ages, made no fcruple to join the glories of the chace to their most celebrated triumphs. Neither were their poets wanting to do justice to this heroick exercife. Befide that of Oppian in Greek, we have feveral poems in Latin upon hunting. Gratius was contemporary with Ovid; as appears by this verfe; Aptaque venanti Gratius arma dabit." Lib. iv. Pont. Gratius fhall arm the huntsman for the chace. But of his works only some fragments remain. There are many others of more modern date. Amongst these Nemefianus, who seems very much fuperior to Gratius, though of a more degenerate age. But only a fragment of his first book is preserved. We might indeed have expected to have feen it treated more at large by Virgil in his third Georgick, fince it is exprefsly part of his fubject. But he has favoured us only with ten verses; and what he fays of dogs, relates wholly to greyhounds and mastiffs. "Veloces Spartæ catulos, acremque Moloffum." Georg. iii. The greyhound swift, and mastiff's furious breed. B 3 And |