Читать книгу The Royal Pastime of Cock-fighting - R. H. Benson - Страница 3
Оглавление1. 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.
