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FIrste, hee that woulde flee with a Sparowhawke lately reclaymed, muste flee in an euening somewhat before Sunnesette: For at that tyme shee will bee moste eager and sharpest sette. Secondarily, the heate of the Sunne (if one shoulde flee in the morning) doeth muche trouble the hawke,
and rayseth and stirreth hir courage, making hir prowde and ramage. So that she leeseth the eagernesse of hir appetite, and remembreth it not, thinking on nothing else but to soare and gadde abroade, whereby she may be easily loste. Furthermore, towardes the euening she cānot soare so far away from you, (although she should soare) as she would do in the heate of the daye, bycause the night will enforce hir to go to the perche and stande. Also to enter your Sparowhawke, it shall be beste to seeke out some champaygne countrie, farre from the wooddes, and let hir be vnhooded when the Spaniels be vncoupled, then if the Partridge spring, and she bate, cast hir off, if they spring neare you. And if she kill, reward hir (vpon the grounde) of the heade, braynes, necke, and breaste of the Partridge. When she hath fedde, take it from hir, and vnseaze hir, and gette vpon your horse a good waye from hir. Then whistle and call hir, and if shee come vnto you, rewarde hir better. Aboue all things, you muste take good heede that she fayle not hir firste flyghte at greate birdes, leaste shee turne tayle, and accustome hir selfe to smaller game. But if shee bee once well entred at great game, you may quickly make hir flee Larkes and small birdes. If you finde that she haue most minde to flee Larkes, lette hir flee them, and rewarde hir on them. For there is no flyghte pleasaunter than the flyghte of the Sparowhawke at the Larke. And for as muche as the fleshe and bloude of Larkes is hotte and burning, it shall bee good when you flee the Larke, to gyue your hawke washte meate twyce in a weeke, and plumage very often. But gyue hir no plumage that daye that shee hath washte meate, nor the daye that she batheth. When there is a knotte of good companie mette togither, and euery man hath his Sparowhawke, if one of thē see his Sparowhawke flee whē another is also from the fiste, there beginneth the pastime, & yet they may flee togither. But it is a pleasure to take a Larke lowring, or clyming. Or if a Sparowhawke haue beatē downe a Larke, or that ye Larke be
slipte from hir,* 1.1 and gotten vp towring as hyghe as a man maye beholde, and then an other Sparowhawke clime after hir, get so high that by often taynting hir, so as the Larke is constrayned to stowpe to the grounde, and the hawke in the tayle of hir. Then the Larke had rather flee for succoure betweene the legges of the men and the horses, than to fall in the tallauntes of hir naturall enimie: yet commonly shee is there taken also. Hee that woulde learne to make a Falcon well, lette him beginne with a Hobbie, and hee that woulde make the Gerfalcon flying, let him acquaynte himselfe with the Merlyne. But hee that can keepe and make a Sparow∣hawke well, shall also be able to keepe a Goshawke, for by the one that other is learned.
This flight is not vsed in Englande, neither did I euer heare of it before.