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Printed by ROBERT MARTIN, and Sold by A. DONALDSON at his
Shop, near Norfolk Street in the Strand, LONDON.

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Part on the graffy Cirque their pliant Limbs
In Wrestling exercife, or on the Sands
Struggling difpute the Prize. Part lead the Ring,
Or fiell the Chorus with alternate Lays.

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 pleafing Cares,
Still haunt their Shades, and after Death furvive.

I hope therefore I may be indulged (even by the more grave and cenforious Part of Mankind) if at my leifure Hours, I run over, in my Elbow-Chair, some of thofe Chafes, 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 preceptive Parts with so many Defcriptions and Digreffions in the Georgic Manner, that I hope they will not be tedious. I am sure they are very neceffary to be well understood by any Gentleman, who would enjoy this noble Sport in full Perfection. In this at leaft I may comfort myself, that I cannot trespass upon their Patience more than Markham, Blome, and the other Profe Writers upon this Subject.

It is moft certain, that Hunting was the Exercise of the greatest Heroes in Antiquity. By this they formed

them

themselves for War; and their Exploits against Wild Beafts were a Prelude to their future Victories. Xenophon fays, that almoft all the ancient Heroes, Neflor, Thefeus, Caftor, Pollux, Ulyffes, Diomedes, Achilles, &c. were Mabeldi Kuvпgeoicov, Difciples of Hunting; being taught carefully that Art, as what would be highly serviceable to them in Military Discipline. Xen. Gynegetic. And Pliny obferves, thofe who were defign'd for great Captains, were firft taught certare cum fugacibus feris curfu, cum audacibus robore, cum callidis aflu: To conteft with the fwifteft Wild Beafts, in Speed; with the boldef, in Strength; with the most cunning, in Craft and Subtilty. Plin. Panegyr. And the Roman Emperors, in those Monuments they erected to tranfmit their Actions to future Ages, made no fcruple to join the Glories of the Chafe to their most celebrated Triumphs. Neither were their Poets wanting to do Juftice to this heroic Exercise. Befide that of Oppian in Greek, we have several Poems in Latin upon Hunting. Gratius was Contemporary with Ovid; as appears by this Verse,

Aptaque venanti Gratius arma dabit.

LIB. iv. PONT.

Gratius fhall arm the Huntfman for the Chafe.

But of his Works only fome Fragments remain. There are many others of more modern Date. Amongst these Nemefianus, who feems very much fuperior to Gratius, tho' of a more degenerate Age. But only a Frag

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