The booke of falconrie or havvking for the onely delight and pleasure of all noblemen and gentlemen : collected out of the best authors, aswell Italians as Frenchmen, and some English practises withall concerning falconrie / heretofore published by George Turbervile, Gentleman.

Of the disease of the Liver.

THe liuer of a hawk is oftentimes enflamed by ouermuch bating and trauell, as it hapneth not seldome to Falcons brought from far and forrain countries by ship, & again, when they be impatient and bedlam in the mew, or when they flée surcharged w^c ouer great bels. For the ouerbelling of a Falcon puts her to a greater paine and trouble than néeds. By these, & such like occasions, hawkes become hote liuered. Againe som∣times it hapneth by meane of an Apostume, which is engen∣dred eyther by some pricke of a thorne, or the stripe of an other hawkes pownce, by crabbing w^c her. For when they haue such a stripe or pricke, the skin is broken outwardly, but the bloud remaining corrupt within, engendreth the apostume. Many times this disease of the liuer procéedes of some bruise against the ground, or in a trée or the encounter with another fowle.

You shal perceiue this disease of the inflammation of y^e liuer

when your hawke standeth melancholy, casteth not at her ac∣customed and wonted howres, by her fowle castings, by her stinking and ill coloured mewts (whereof I spake before) by her labouring thicke in the panell, and by féeling of her: For her pulse doth beat as the pulse of a man that hath a Feauer. Moreouer, her mewt is as blacke as any incke. The disease is the most pestilent and dangerous of all others.

If the heat of her liuer procéede of too much bating, or broi∣ling with her selfe, you may easily cure her with foure or fiue good liquid and cooling gorges, as to féede her with the legge of a Pullet, or the heart of a Veale, bathed in Wa∣ter of Buglosse, Bowrage, Harts tongue, and such like wa∣ters.

Moreouer, it is very Soueraigne to wash her meate in the iuyce of Henbane, or else (that which doth much more refresh the Hawke) to take a little larde or bacon without the rinde, and well washt and conserued in good Rose water, and last of all rolled in powder of Sugar Candy. With this receyte more than with any other, am I accustomed to recomfort and refresh my hawke when shée is sick of her liuer. Notwithstan∣ding the other medicines are very wholesome and good. And specially good fresh butter, or Oyle washte and prepared, as I taught you in the former chapter.

But when the mischiefe of the liuer is engendred by some pricke of a thorne, or the crabbing with some other hawkes or foule, as diuers times it happeneth to the Falcon, by en∣counter with a Hearon, when they binde together in the aire. In this extremity, mummy purified made to powder, is very good. You must roll your hawkes meat in this mummy prepared thrée or foure times, and so giue it to your hawke: and if shée refuse to take it of her selfe then conuey it into her by force, with a cotton casting, foure or fiue dayes one after an other.

If shée be ill affected in her liuer by a bruise against y^e ground or against a trée, or by encounter with some other fowle, then

take Rewbarbe of the best one scruple, drie it vpon a hote yron pan, vntill it may be made into fine powder, of that giue in a canuas casting, the weight of two graines of wheate to your larger sort of hawkes, but for the lesse hawke, the one half wil suffice. After she hath taken this casting, i•• shee bee hie in flesh then two howres after féede her with a pullets legge washt in one of those cooling waters, but if shée bee low and poore, with good hote meat. Thus must you continue four or fiue dayes, giuing one day the casting with Rewbarbe, and another day with the mummy aforesaid. Truly without doubt your hawk shall recouer if you follow this methode, vnlesse the lyuer bée remoued out of his place, which sometimes dooth happen by some great bruise or straine. And you shall know it by a conti∣nuall hardnesse which you shall féele in the hawkes pannell, and by her yellow mewts.

For this inconuenience there is no remedy in the worlde to bée had, although you would trie all the medicines that are to bée vsed to hawkes, you shall profit nothing. It must needes follow that within fiue dayes your hawk peke off the pearch. It is not curable.

Gioroa us an excellent Falconer, for the indisposition and heat of the lyuer, willeth you to take halfe an ounce of Solda∣nel, and one ounce of I••eos, which is floure de Luce. You must beate these into fine powder, and conuey it into your casting, & so giue it your hawk. Withal at night hee wils you, when your hawke hath put ouer, and well scowred her filth, féed her with good meate washt in these cooling waters following.

Take water of Endiue, Maydenheare, Cycorie, and Bu∣glosse: in these waters may you wash your hawkes meate, as also her casting, if it please you, wrapping in the casting the powder aforesaid. For what with the helpe of the one and the ther, no doubt you shall see a very good effect.

Moreouer the said Giordanus saith, that the Gerfalcons are of all other the hotest hawkes, and therefore to maintaine and kéepe them sound, he doth aduise to wash their castings in this

water following.

Take Endiue water, Maydenheare, otherwise called Ca∣pillus Veneris, the water of Scabios•• of eyther two ounces, one dramme of choice Rewbarbe, of the best Agaricke one scruple, put those in infusion, where after they haue béen infused seuen howres wash your Hawkes casting in it. This order vse euer when your Gerfalcon is out of tune, & it shall greatly pleasure her.