Part 2

_For want of Cudgel-playing, and Cocking, Men take to Drinking, and Dancing, and now wear Swords more for shew than Service: a Basket-hilt, with a Blade three Inches broad, such as our Valiant Ancestors had wont to wear, is now derided by the effeminate Fops of our Days, who chuse to hazzard their Lives and Fortunes in the fatal Arms of a diseased Mistress, rather than venture a push at single Rapier, or take a turn at Back-sword with a skilful Antagonist, where with their flaming Blades they might hew bright Honour from the Errors of their Adversary, and gild their memories with Applause in immortal Date._

_And verily a better expedient to rouse the drowsy Courage, and thaw the frozen Vallour of a People lull’d with soft Ease, and degenerated into base and servile Effeminacy, there cannot be found out than Cocking._

_Next to which Sword-play, and Wrestling are the most Laudable and Masculine Recreations, and after these Hunting, provided it be a Chace that has somewhat of Audacity in it, as the_ Lion, Bear, Wolf, or Boar, _all which are Bold and Noble Chases._

_But to run Whooting after a poor timmérous_ Hare, _or ride mading over Hedge and Ditch in pursuit of a_ Fox, _that perhaps has pinched two or three_ Geese, _or snap’d a_ Lamb _from some unwary Shepherd, and is therefore by_ Diana _doomed to Die and briskly followed by her rural Maids, dressed up each in her Cap and Feather, but for the Sons of_ Mars, _to be drawn forth after so feeble a Chase, is really a very mean, and but little better than a base ignoble Divertisment, that spends a Man’s Time, wasts his Treasure, and profits him nothing: whereas Cocking fits a Man either for Peace, or War, and creates both Courage, and Constancy, with Good-nature, and ingenuity all glued together, according to the Poet, where he says thus;_

————and some more Martial are, But Cocking fits a Man for Peace, or War; It makes Men bold and forward for the Field, And learns them there rather to die than yield. Cocking does also Constancy create, And arms a Man to Wrestle with his Fate; Be it more happy, or severe, his Mind, Is still the same to a brave end Inclin’d.

_And_ Cleveland _in one of the sweetest Poems that ever was Pen’d, tells us_,

Heaven-born-boys that in Cocking delight, Are ever true-hearted and constant in Fight.

_And verily in all my life, I never knew that Man yet that was a Perfidious Man, or a real Coward, and yet loved Cocking intirely, so dissonant is Cocking, and Cowardice, nay so inconsistent they are with each other, that it is Morally impossible for a Coward unfeignedly to love Cocking, and therefore some timerous Souls to avoid the odium of Cowardice, have feigned a liking to Cocking._

_And how any one can prove Cocking to be unlawful or wicked, I cannot imagine, seeing God Almighty has no where declared against it, neither has any Nation under Heaven ever made any Law against it, but divers have been made for it._

_If not for Combate, why was the Fighting-Cock created? why has he that extraordinary hardness and vallour peculiar to him alone given him? and for what other end was this Stout and Daring Champion made, if not to Fight? the common Dunghill Cock eats as well, and breeds as well, or better, and is as good about a house, and as useful in all other respects (Fighting only excepted;) so that if they were not made for that end, they had this excellency bestowed upon them in vain, and the Royal Bird that in valour so far excells all other penigerous Creatures must be but a useless thing at best._

_But ’tis plain Nature intended the Fighting-Cock to be a Bird of great use, and benefit to Mankind in several respects, as has already been sufficiently noted: for this Bird by his Fighting teaches Man Skill, and prompts him to be Stout and truely Valiant._

_And though perhaps some few that understand not the right use of Cocking, may follow it for ill ends._

_But what’s all this to the purpose? I would fain know, shall an innocent practice be forbidden to all, because some particular Persons make ill use of it? what think you, did that sober King do well, when he commanded all the Vines in his Dominions to be cut down, and by that means starved all his Subjects, because some few of his Slaves were Drunk?_

_But must Cocking therefore be laid aside, because some do abuse the greatest Blessings? no, by no means, but rather where we have one Pit now, let us have two for the time to come; and as we ought, let us improve this Exercise for the general good of Mankind, to which end it was undoubtedly intended._

_Thus I think I have fully proved this Sport to be very honourable, and of ancient standing, and a thing in itself both Useful and Profitable._

THE _ROYAL SPORT_ OF COCKING.

Amongst all the Pleasures and Delights this lower Sphere affords to Mortals here on Earth, there is nothing more taking with the Heroic, and truely generous Soul, than the Noble and most Princely Pastime of Cock-fighting, which really is in itself a Recreation becoming the greatest Potentate, and surely most suitable to all such whose natural Genius prompts them on to signalize their Valour in the Field of Honour, where like the Cock fitted for Battle, with their bright Arms they move their Fortune, and so raise themselves to the highest pitch of Glory.

So lively an Emblem of true Valour is the well bred-Cock, that he is not to be parall’d amongst the many Creatures which the Wise Creator of all things has been pleased to make Man the Lord and Master of.

_No Bird can with the well-bred Cock compare, No Creature less than Man shall with him share; The Honour bravely won by dint of Sword, From fiercest Foes in open Field where Blood, Flowing from dying Warriours fatal Wounds. Breeds richest Rubies in_ Bellona _’s Grounds._

Observable it is, that the best and bravest Men have ever had a high Esteem and Value for the Fighting Cock, by reason of the Warlike Pleasure which he affords to Couragious Men, who joy in nothing more then to see him hew it out in Blood to the last drop: And though reduced to the lowest Ebb of Fortune, yet even then to struggle with Fate itself, upon the very brinks of Death, for Victory.

But having in the foregoing Preface fully treated of the great Antiquity, Innocency, and Excellency of the Fighting Cock, I shall now as briefly as I can, set down such necessary Rules, and Observations, as are most requisite to be understood by all that practise the Royal Sport of Cocking: and that I may prove the more successful in the ensuing discourse, I shall endeavour to observe such a Method as may be most agreeable to the end at which I aim.

Now my design herein, is not barely to illuminate the understanding of such, whose want of Experience in the Art of Cocking has made them mindless of the admirable Creature, and, possibly out of pure ignorance, to speak ill of they know not what, for _Nemo scientiæ Inimicus nisi ignorans_. Nor do we find any more apt to inveigh against Cocking, than those that least understand Cocks.

And therefore I have also here extracted such choice and rare Secrets from the best and greatest Cock Masters, both Ancient and Modern, as may serve to fortify, and improve the skill and knowledge of those Gamesters which are already arrived at, and come up to a considerable pitch of understanding in Cocking, insomuch that I am apt to think the most skilful Master will not grudge at the Mony laid out upon this Book, and if so? then surely the unexperienced will have no cause to complain, who hitherto for want of good Instructions in this Art has been deprived of the greatest delight, and the most solid Pleasure that this lower Sphere affords to Men of Valour.

_Of the Qualifications of a Game Cock._

Now for the Election of these Royal Warlike Birds, for that is the first step in Cocking, you must note that there are four things chiefly to be observed in your choice of Cocks, _viz. Courage, Close-heels, Shape, and Size_.

1. _Of the Courage of a Game Cock._

And first I shall begin with Courage, which is a thing so absolutely necessary in a Cock of the Game that without it he can be nothing worth; and therefore be sure in your Election of Cocks to secure to your self such as have good Blood in their Veins, that is, such as are really and truly hard, Cocks that will carry on a Battle to the very last, and utmost extremity, against all the disadvantages imaginable, and though cut down and choaked in their own Blood, yet even then will rise and strike, or peck at least, till they expire, and die: For truly I am of opinion that these Cocks that happen to be worsted in their Fight so far as to be disabled, and put past striking, and do then stand like stocks without pecking, or making any resistance whilst their Antagonist hews them down (though they die upon the spot) yet are they nothing worth, seeing they want the true Valour, and innate Courage, which does indeed peculiarly belong to the right bred Cock, who never fails to strike, or peck whilst he has either Blood or breath left in him.

But here methinks I meet with some green Gamesters that will tell you that they can with impunity pass by the Cowardice of a quick or close stricken Cock, and that I am too curious in exacting so much Courage from a Creature which is disabled, and put past the hopes of Victory in all probability; for their parts, all that they desire of a Cock is to cut betime, and to convert his heels _Argent_ into _Gules_, by which they oft get the field _Or_, and that is as much as they desire; but as for hewing it out to the last drop of Blood, and striking or pecking when they are past standing, is a piece of such Gallantry (display’d by a dying Animal) that they do not understand the bravery of, moreover they will perhaps farther tell ye, that the Author of the Compleat Gamester is altogether of another opinion.

But to silence such noises as these in a few Words, for no man that’s veterane in Cocking will be of this Opinion, seeing experience daily teaches us the contrary, and for that Gentleman that writ the Compleat Gamester, speaking of Cocks, does indeed give the preheminence to close heels, that is close striking, but when that’s done he requires true Courage, and absolute hardness in a Cock, without which he tells ye that he is not worth one Peny.

But however, I must needs tell you, that Author is no great Conjurer in the Art of Cocking, nor is he much to be regarded where he tells you that a sharp heeler that is soft, is to be preferred before a Cock that is hard but flat heeled, seeing both are to be rejected, in my Opinion he might as well have said nothing: but he had been yet more shallow, had he maintained or set forth, any thing that had but looked like the want of Courage in a Cock of the Game, for how many Hundred Guinys has there been won by Cocks cut and mangled Blind, Lame, and laid down for dead, when from their dying sprunts they have borrowed an unexpected blow, which has so far wrought upon their Adversary, as to give the seemingly vanquished Cock the Victory, and on the other hand, who has not seen divers deep heeling Cocks at a few blows cut thro’ more than three parts of the Battle, and then meeting with some slight Wound which has caused them basely to skut, and run away, loosing at once their Master’s Coin, and Credit too, and all for want of being hard, and true-bred at the bottom, wherefore I advise all such as are desirous to be compleat Cock-masters, in the first place to have respect unto the true Valour and hardness of a Cock.

2. _Of a good Heeler._

And Secondly, Sharp Heels claim your Care, and Regard, for should you have a Cock as hard as Steel, and one that will strike as many blows as there are Stars, or single Sands betwixt _Dover_ and _Calis_, yet if he fall too short, or strike too wide, and so fail to Point; what avails his vigorous Holds and many Stroaks, when there no Execution follows? such a Cock at first indeed may make a fair Show, and Fight a while with as much Grace, and seeming Gallantry, as if he Pointed true, and so fool the forward Better out of his Mony, who sees him act at present as if he scorned to be conquered by any thing but himself.

————_Vt nemo Ajacem possit superare nisi Ajax._

But alass a little time will shew how vain such a Cock’s endeavours are, and withall discover to the Judicious Eye, the mighty difference betwixt a right Heeler and a Cock that cannot Point: And therefore I say, that next unto Hardness, and Valour, you must have respect unto Close-heeling, that is true Pointing, not but there are many ways to help a Cock and make him Point well, that otherwise would do it but indifferently (as I shall hereafter shew) yet if he be not naturally a Sharpheeler, and Point tolerably true of himself, you can never confide in him as otherwise you might, neither is he worth your keeping in my opinion, wherefore ’tis my advice, that in your Election of Cocks, you be very curious in examining their Lineage; and if you find their Progenitors were dull heel’d, wide, or short stricken, by no means be prevailed upon to except of such a Breed, but on the other hand, if you find they are descended from sure Heelers, such as have ever been noted to Point true, and Point well in the Battles, then boldly venture upon such a Bird, and doubtless you will find the good effects of his generous nature, in the well discharging of his Battle, let him either Winn, or lose: And as your Credit is hereby secured, so (if a right Cock-master) you are content, and better pleased to see your Cock die hard, and be handsomely beat, rather than basely, or by meer chance, or the like to win his Battle.

For so sometimes I confess it falls out, and tho’ it be very rare, yet I have seen a false-bred, foul foughten Cock matched against a true Heeler, which has carried the Battle, broad Gold to grey Groats, till on a sudden by a meer chance, or as the vulgar Cocker terms it, by an unlucky Blow, the delicate Heeler has been Killed, and the worthless Warriour has won the Day, tho’ little to his own, or his Master’s Honour, for the Victory is wholly attributed to a meer Chance, and in such a case nothing of Praise can redound to the conquering Cock. So that you see if you have an ill-natur’d Bird that to a wonder winns a Battle against a good Cock (which really is a thing that rarely happens) yet you no Credit gain thereby, and therefore you had better commit such a Cock to the Pot, than to the Pit, and more Profit you will find in stewing him for the Table, than in stiving him for the Battle, when once you discover him to be a Bird defective in his Heeling.

[Sidenote: Vid. Bradbury _and_ Willis.]

But now notwithstanding this that I have said, yet is not every Flat-Heeler always to be rejected, for the most Eminent Cock-masters of our Days are of opinion that if a Cock come of a good Race, and has true blood in him, and is not only fresh and full Feather’d, but also Sound and well shaped, that such a Bird with a good Hen, will breed as good Chickens as need to strike betwixt a pair of Wings, notwithstanding that he himself hath not the knack of Pointing true in his Fight: wherefore he ought (tho’ not for the Pit) yet for breed sake to be preserved, and wholly set apart for Procreation; seeing his Progeny ever proves good, and fit for the Field of War, if the Strain be crossed in breeding.

[Sidenote: Vid. Aristotle.]

And who then (say they) would Pot so fine a Bird, whose Sire was a rare Heeler, and perhaps a Brother or two of the same hatch, were as good as ever struck, and for a need they’ll undertake to find you Forty Cockers that shall swear it down upon any Pit in _Europe_, that what the great _Stagerite_ maintained concerning Men, holds good in Fighting-Cocks also, for (say they) you shall seldom observe a Chicken take after his Sire, when as nothing is more common than to see them in all respects imitate an Uncle, a Grandsire or some such near Relation.

Now I confess this is a point of Philosophy which some of our greatest Cock-masters maintain to that degree, that ’tis hard to argue them out of it: And therefore that I may not appear absolutely repugnant to them herein, I shall only say this (and leave them to enjoy their opinion) that if a Flat Heeling Cock that is well descended, and come of a good race (according to the Maxim they maintain) ought to be prised, and set apart for breeding; I am sure it ought to pass currant and unquestioned, as an Axiom in Cocking beyond dispute, that a Bird that is right bred, and in himself a true Heeler also, is best and safest, if not the only Bird to breed on; for I must allow room it seems for the Flat Heeler (if he be well descended) but when that’s done, the best Pointer is the best to breed of, in my opinion.

3. _Of the Shape of a Game Cock._

Now having furnished your self with a breed that is stout and sure stricken; see then to the Shape, and know that here you ought to be very nice and circumspect, strictly examining every Part, and if by the severest scrutiny you find your Cock to be foul Grown, or disproportioned, reject him as a Bird unhandsome to look on, uneasy to Match, unwealdy in his Fight, oft times unfortunate in his Battle, and for these reasons ever unfit for breed, and consequently unworthy of your care, or least regard, notwithstanding the Stock be never so good from whence he is derived.

And therefore I shall here delineate and set forth to you the true Shapes pertaining to a compleat Cock in all respects, whereby you may be able with all the ease and facility imaginable, to discover the defects and imperfections of these Birds, and give a right definition of a Cock exactly Shaped, when need requires it.

And first I shall begin with the Head, which must be adorned with a lofty tow’ring Frontlet, or Comb, smoothly cut into the exact Shape of a Half Moon, so that rising in the Middle, it serves both for a Guard, and an Ornament to the Royal Bird; his Beak, or Bill, ought to be crooked, strong, and firm, of a middle size, and well jointed in his Head, with large Nostrils therein: his Eyes should imitate the Sparrow-Hawks, appearing quick, clear, and large; his Head ought to be round, smooth and small; his Neck short, strong, and well cemented, with a full set of Feathers for his Mane, that are strong and glittering Plumes, the better to set off his Crest, which ought to rise a little in the middle: his Back strong, crook’d, and big at the setting on: his Breast broad and large; his Body in all respects strongly made, round, close and well built, penipotent, fresh, and full Feather’d; his Legs strong, clear, and impennous, and if a little crooked ’tis so much the better, for that always denotes a deadly Heeler; his Feet with a Frog flat, and small therein; his Claws almost straight, strong and sharp: and for his Spurs (so he have any) it matters not what they be, seeing they are now of no use, save only to set to the Weapons with which they Fight in pitched Battles. And as for the Colour of your Cock, that is the best which you fancy most, be it Black or White, Red or Dun, Grey or Piled, or any other Colour whatever: For though Captain _Markham_ makes a great difference in the Colour of Cocks, preferring the Grey before the White or Dun, yet is there nothing in it, for the World affords no better Birds for the Game than many of your Duns, and Whites prove, both for Hardness and good Heeling, as we daily see and experience.

_The Scarlet colour’d Cock my Lord likes best, And next to him, the Grey with Tresle-breast, This Knight is for the Pile, or else the Black: A third cries no Cock like Dun Yellow-back: The Milk-white Cock with Golden Legs and Bill, Or else the Cuckoo, chuse you which you will: Don Magnus _swears (of all) these are the best, They heel (says he) more sure than all the rest: But this is all meer fancy and no more, The Colour’s nothing, as I said before._

And therefore without taking any notice of the Colour, I shall only hold you close, to the afore-mentioned shape as being the all, and only parts necessary to make up a compleat Cock.

4. _Of the right Size of a Game Cock._

Lastly, having obtained a Cock that is hard, Sharp-Heel’d, and handsome shaped, it remains then that you pitch upon a fit Size for your purpose, for otherwise you will still be at a loss: Now tho’ there be almost as many different Sizes, as there are several Cocks, yet are these Birds commonly reduced into two sorts only, and distinguished by these two general terms, that is to say, the great Game Cock, or Shake-bag, and the little Match, or Battle-Cock.

First then of the Giant, or Herculean Cock called a Shake-bag by the _English_, and _Dutch_, but by the _Indians_ they are called _Mag Chantille Champone_, and by the _Scotch_, who much esteem these gude Birds, _Mag-Gal-And_, as _Baden_ assures us; (says he) the word _Mag_ signifies Great, or Mighty, both to the _Scotch_, and the _Indians_, and is derived from the Latin Word _Magnus_, and by _Gal_ may be understood _Gallus_ the Cock, and for the Word _And_, the Patron of their Country St. _Andrew_ is meant, who was (as he tells you) not only a great and a gude Man, but also a mighty admirer of these Royal Birds, wherefore they call them _Mag-Gal-And_, that is, Mighty Cocks of St. _Andrew_, or, St. _Andrew’s_ great Cocks: Birds Powerful in Battle, _&c._ And the _Indians_ from _Chanticleer_, draw the Word _Chantile_, and from _Champion_ take the Word _Champone_, so that whereas they call them _Mag-Cantille-Champone_, they might more properly and with more Conciseness call them only great, or Champion Cocks, which is all that is comprehended in their long jingle of Words.

[Sidenote: Why great Cocks are called _Shake-bags_.]

And Dr. _Wilde_ gives this Reason, why these sort of Cocks are called _Shake-bags_; here in _England_ (says he) they are so termed from a Scottish Custom that the Drunken _Dutchmen_ have who are great admirers of large Cocks, because they may be Fought at a venture, without the trouble of Matching, and their way is (as he tells ye) to steep their own Brains in Brandy, till they are not only past judging of a Cock’s Size, but also past handling of him too, wherefore they neither see the Cock they are to Fight with before hand, nor lay a hand upon their own, after he is brought into the Pit, but take the Bag by the bottom, and shake the Cock out at the Mouth upon the Pit, and so let him go against his adversary, from which Custom they are called _Shake-bags_ here in _England_.

[Sidenote: The Shake-bag Cock able to fight any thing.]