embarking with a bird on his hand, and a dog under his arm: and in an ancient picture of the nuptials of Henry VI. a nobleman is represented in the same manner; for in those days 'it was thought sufficient for noblemen to winde their horn, and to carry their hawk fair, and leave study and learning to the children of mean people! In short, this diversion was, among the ancient English, the pride of the rich, and the privilege of the poor; no rank of men seems to have been excluded from it: we learn from the book of St. Alban's, that every degree had its peculiar hawk, from the emperor down to the holy-water clerk. Vast was the expense that sometimes attended this sport. In the reign of James I. Sir Thomas Monson is said to have given £1000 for a cast of hawks: we are not then to wonder at the rigour of the laws made to preserve a sport that was carried to such an extravagant pitch. In the 34th of Edward III. it was made felony to steal a hawk: to take its eggs even in a person's own ground, was punishable with imprisonment for a year and a day, besides a fine at the king's pleasure: in queen Elizabeth's reign, the imprisonment was reduced to three months; but the offender was to find security for seven years, or lie in prison till he did. The Norwegian breed was, in old times, in high esteem in England: they were thought bribes worthy a king. Geoffrey Fitzpierre gave two good Norway hawks to king John, to obtain for his friend Walter Le Madena, the liberty of exporting 100 weight of cheese; and Nicholas, the Dane, was to give the king a hawk every time he came to England, that he might have free liberty to traffic throughout the king's dominions. They were also made the tenures by which some nobles held their estates from the crown. Thus Sir John Stanley had a grant of the Isle of Man from Henry IV. to be held of the king, his heirs, and successors, by homage and the service of two falcons, on the day of his or their coronation. And Philip de Hasting held his manor of Combertoun, in Cambridgeshire, by the service of keeping the king's falcons. In order to instruct them, the following method is generally pursued:-When a hawk or falcon is taken, she must be seeled in such a manner, that, as the seeling slackens, she may see what provision lies before her; but care ought to be taken, not to seel her too hard. A falcon or hawk newly taken should have all new furniture, as new jesses of good leather, mailled leashes with buttons at the end, and new bewits. There should also be provided a small round stick, to stroke the hawk; because, the oftener this is done, the sooner and better will she be manned. She must also have two large bells, 'that she may be found when she scattereth.' Her hood should be well fashioned, raised, and embossed against her eyes, deep, and yet strait enough beneath, that it may fasten about her head without hurting her; and her beak and talons must be a little coped, but not so near as to make them bleed. A soar falcon, which has passed the seas, will be harder to reclaim, but will prove the best of falcons. Her food must be good and warm, and given twice or thrice a day, till she be full gorged: the best for this purpose is pigeons, larks, or other live birds; because she must be broken off by degrees from her accustomed feeding. When she is fed, you must whoop and lure, that she may know when you intend to give her meat. On this occasion she must be unhooded gently; and, after giving her two or three bits, her hood must be put on again, when she is to get two or three bits more. Care must be taken that she be close seeled; and after three or four days her diet may be lessened; the falconer setting her every night to perch by him, that he may awaken her often in the night. In this manner he must proceed, till he find her grow tame and gentle; and, when she begins to feed eagerly, he may give her a sheep's heart. He may now begin to unhood her in the day time, but it must be far from company, first giving her a bit or two, then hooding her gently, and giving her as much more. When she is sharp set, he may now unhood her, and give her some meat just against his face and eyes, which will make her less afraid of the countenances of others. She must be borne continually on the hand, till she is properly manned, causing her to feed in company, giving her in the morning, about sun-rise, the wing of a pullet; and in the evening, the foot of a hare or coney, cut off the joint, flead and laid in water, which being squeezed is to be given her with the pinion of a hen's wing. For two or three days give her washed meat, and then plumage in more or less quantity as she is thought to be more or less foul within. After this, being hooded again, she is to get nothing till she has gleamed and cast, when a little hot meat may be given her in company; and, towards evening, she may be allowed to plume a hen's wing in company also. Cleanse the feathers of her casting, if foul and slimy; if she be clean within, give her gentle castings; and when she is reclaimed, manned, and made eager and sharp set, feed her on the lure. The lure is a piece of red stuff or wool, on which are fixed a bill, talons, and wings. To this is likewise fastened a piece of that flesh on which the bird feeds, and the lure is thrown out to him. When they intend to reclaim or recall him, the sight of food brings him back; and in time the voice will be sufficient. The various plumage with which the lure is set off is called a 'drawer.' When they accustom the hawk to fly at a kite, a heron, or a partridge, they change the drawer according to the kind of game to which he is to be devoted. When this is a kite, they fix the bill and feathers of that bird to the lure; and so of the rest and in order to entice the bird to his object, they fasten beneath the drawer or plumage, the flesh of a chicken, or other fowl, occasionally seasoned with sugar and spices, together with marrow and other delicacies. Three things are to be considered before the lure be showed her: 1. That she be bold and familiar in company, and not afraid of dogs and horses. 2. Sharp set and hungry, having regard to the hour of morning and evening, when you would lure her. 3. Clean within, and lure well garnished with meat on both sides; and when you and frequently occasions the loss of the hawk But if she happens to pursue a fowl, and being unable to recover it gives it over, and comes in again directly, then cast out a seeled duck; and if she stoop and truss it across the wings, permit her to take her pleasure, rewarding her also with the heart, brains, tongue, and liver. If you have not a quick duck, take her down with a dry lure, and let her plume a pullet and feed upon it. A hawk will thus learn to give over a fowl that rakes out, and on hearing the falconer's lure, will make back again, and know the better how to hold in the head. Some hawks have a disdainful coyness, proceeding from their being high fed: such a hawk must not be rewarded though she should kill, but may be allowed to plume a little: then taking a sheep's heart cold, or the leg of a pullet, when the hawk is busy in pluming, let either of them be conveyed into the body of the fowl, that it may savour of it; and when the hawk has eaten the heart, brains, and tongue of the fowl, take out what is enclosed, call her to your fist, and feed her with it; afterwards give her some of the feathers of the fowl's neck, to scour her, and make her cast. intend to give her the length of a leash, you must abscond. She must also be unhooded, and have a bit or two given her on the lure as she sits on your fist; afterwards take the lure from her, and hide it that she may not see it; and, when she is unseeled, cast the lure so near her, that she may catch it within the length of her leash, and as soon as she has seized it, use your voice, feeding her upon the lure, on the ground, with the heart and warm thigh of a pullet. Having so lured your falcon, give her but little meat in the evering; and let this luring be so timely, that you may give her plumage next morning on your fist. When she has cast and gleamed, give her a little warm meat. About noon, tie a creance to her leash; and going into the field, there give her a bit or two upon her lure; then unwind the creance, and draw it after you a good way; and let him who has the bird hold his right hand on the tassel of her hood, ready to unhood her as soon as you begin to lure; to which if she come well, stoop roundly upon it, and hastily seize it, let her cast two or three bits thereon. Then, unseizing and taking her off the lure, hood her and give her to the man again; and going farther off, till she is accustomed to come freely and eagerly to the lure; after which she may be lured in company taking care that nothing affright her. When she is used to the lure on foot, she is to be lured on horseback; which may be effected the sooner, by causing horsemen to be about her when lured on foot. When she has grown familiar to this way, let somebody on foot hold the hawk, and the person on horseback must call and cast the lure about his head, the holder taking off the hood by the tassel; and if she seize eagerly on the lure without fear of man or horse, then take off the creance, and lure her at a greater distance. If you would have her love dogs as well as the lure, call dogs when you give her her living or plumage. After this, she may be allowed to fly, in a large field, unencumbered with trees. To excite her to fly, whistle softly; unhood her, and let her fly with her head to the wind; as she will thus the more readily get upon the wing, and fly upwards. The hawk sometimes flies from the falconer's fist, and takes stand on the ground: this is a fault very common with soar falcons. To remedy this, fright her up with your wand; and, when you have forced her to take a turn or two, take her down to the lure, and feed her. But if this does not do, then you must have in readiness a duck seeled, so that they may see no way but backwards, and that will make her mount the higher. Hold this duck in your hand, by one of the wings near the body; then lure with the voice, to make the falcon turn her head; and when she is at a reasonable pitch, cast your duck up just under her; when, if she strike, stoop, or truss the duck, permit her to kill it, and reward her by giving her a reasonable gorge. After you have practised this two or three times, your hawk will leave the stand, and, delighted to be on the wing, will be very obedient. It is not convenient, for the first or second time, to show your hawk a large fowl; for such often escape from the hawk, and she rakes after them this gives the falconer trouble, When falcons are taught to fly at rabbits, hares, &c., it is called 'flying at the fur;' and some are instructed to fly at the fur and the plume, or to the pursuit of hares and rabbits, as well as of pheasants and partridges, &c. For this purpose, when the falcon is very tame, they take a hare's skin stuffed with straw; and having fixed to it a piece of chicken's flesh, or such food as the falcon is most fond of, they tie this skin, with a long cord, to the girth of a horse, and, as the skin is thus dragged along, the bird imagines it to be a hare in flight, and is allowed to dart upon it; and is thus taught to distinguish the animal. Falcons of the larger kind have been taught to fly at the roebuck, and even at the wild boar, and the wolf. With this view they should be accustomed to feed, when young, from out of the sockets of the eyes of a wolf's or boar's head; the whole skin of the animal being stuffed. so as to make it appear alive. While the bird is feeding, the falconer begins to move the figure gradually; in consequence of which the bird learns to fasten itself so as to stand firm, notwithstanding the precipitate motions with are gradually given to the stuffed animal. He would lose his meal if he quitted his hold, and therefore he takes care to secure himself. When these first exercises are finished, the skin is placed on a cart, drawn by a horse at full speed; the bird follows it, and is particularly feeding; and then, when they come to fly him in the field, he never fails to dart on the head of the first beast of the kind he discovers, and begins to scoop out the eyes. This puts the animal into such distress, that the hunters have time to approach, and despatch it with their spears. FA'LDAGE, n. s. Barbarous Lat. faldaFALDFEE. A privilege which anciently several lords reserved to themselves of setting up folds of sheep, in any fields within their manors, the better to manure them; and this not only with their own, but their tenants' sheep: faldfee is a composition paid anciently by tenants for the privilege of faldage. } gium. Fallage in some places they call a foldcourse or freehold. Harris. Faldfee, or fey, is a term which was formerly used to denote a rent or fee paid by certain customary tenants for the liberty of folding their sheep upon their ow lands. Dr. A. Rees. FALDING, n. s. Sax. peald, Fald; Goth. FALDSTOOL, falder (whence our word FALDUSTOR. fold). A kind of coarse cloth; fold or wrapper: faldstool is a folding stool, or chair; a kind of stool placed at the south side of the altar, at which the kings of England kneel at their coronation: faldustor the extract explains. Faldustor was anciently used to signify the highest seat of a bishop, inclosed round with a lattice. Dr. A. Recs. FALERII, in ancient geography, a town and territory of Etruria, on the west or right side of the Tiber. The territory was famous for its rich pastures; hence the gramen Faliscum in authors. Eutropius and Frontinus call the town Falisci; which, according to the last, was surnamed Colonia Junonia. FALISCI, the people of Falerii, called Equi by Virgil, because they afforded supplemental laws to the twelve tables. When the Falisci were besieged by Camillus, a schoolmaster went out of the gates of the city with his pupils, and proposed to betray them into the hands of the Roman enemy, that by such a possession he might easily oblige the place to surrender. Camillus heard the proposal with indignation, and ordered the man to be stripped naked, and whipped back to the town by the boys whom he wished to betray. This instance of generosity operated upon the people so powerfully, that they surrendered to the Romans. FALK or FALCK (John Peter), a disciple of Linné, studied at Upsal, and was appointed director of the cabinet of natural history, at St. Petersburgh; and also professor of botany in the garden of the apothecaries in that metropolis. In 1768 the Imperial Academy of Sciences engaged Falk to assist in exploring the Russian dominions; and he travelled for that object as far as Kasan, when he was recalled. Being afflicted with hypochondria he went to use the baths of Kisliar, and returned to Kasan much relieved: but his complaint recurring with violence, he put an end to his life by shooting himself through the head with a pistol, March 31st, 1774. The Travels of Falk were published from his papers, by professor Laxman, in 3 vols. 4to. Petersburgh, 1785. FALKENSTEIN (John Henry), a voluminous writer of Franconia, was born in 1682. He was appointed director of the nobles' academy at Erlangen; but afterwards, having embraced the Roman catholic faith, he entered into the service of the bishop of Eichstadt, on whose death the margrave of Anspach became his patron. He wrote the Antiquities of Nordgan, in the bishopric of Eichstadt, 3 vols. folio, and several other works of a similar nature. He died in 1760. FALKIA, in botany, a genus of the trigynia order, and hexandria class of plants: CAL.. monophyllous: COR. monopetalous: SEEDS four. Species one only, a Cape creeper. FALKIRK, a considerable town of Stirlingshire, situated near the river Carron, on the high road from Edinburgh to Glasgow. The road to Stirling and the North Islands also passes through it and in the neighbourhood are the celebrated Carron iron works. The town stands upon an eminence, commanding an extensive and delightful prospect of the surrounding country. Falkirk was formerly a borough of barony, under the baronial jurisdiction of the earls of Linlithgow and Callander; but no records are extant of any magistrates having been invested with the power of the borough, except the bailiff of the earl; who, before the abolition of hereditary jurisdictions, had an extensive authority, both in civil and criminal mattters. It is now governed by a baron bailie, appointed by the lord of the manor; an officer, who, within the bounds of his jurisdiction, can enforce the payment of rents to any amount, and decide all money matters under £2 stering: he can also punish petty offenders by fine and imprisonment. The chief support of this town is its great fairs and trysts for black cattle from the Highlands, at which, on an average, there are sold 60,000 head annually. Falkirk is memorable in history for a battle fought in its neighbourhood between Edward I. of England, and the Scots commanded by the Grand Steward of Scotland, Cumin of Badenoch, and Sir William Wallace. The latter had been invested with the supreme command; but, perceiving that this gave umbrage to the nobility, he resigned his power into the hands of the noblemen above mentioned, reserving to himself only the command of a small body who refused to follow another leader. The Scots generals placed their pikemen along the front, and lined the intervals, between the three bodies of which their army was composed, with archers; and, dreading the great superiority of the English cavalry, endeavoured to secure their front by palisadoes tied together with ropes. The battle was fought on the 22d of July 1298. Edward divided his army also into three bodies; and by the superiority of his archers, defeated the Scots with great slaugh ter. Wallace alone preserved entire the troops he commanded; and, retiring behind the Carron, marched leisurely along the banks of that river, which protected him from the enemy. In this battle fell John de Graham, a hero much celebrated for his valor, and styled the right hand of Wallace. His epitaph is still to be seen on a plain stone in the church-yard of Falkirk. On the 18th of January, 1746, a battle was fought here between the king's forces commanded by general Hawley, and the Highlanders headed by prince Charles Stuart. The former were seized with a panic and fled; but colonel Husk with two regiments, who kept their ground, prevented the Highlanders from pursuing their victory. Extensive ruins are to be seen in the neighbourhood of this town, supposed by some antiquarians to have been the capital of the Pictish government; but others believe them to be the remains of some Roman stations. On taking down the wall of the church, a few years ago, two inscriptions were found, which have excited considerable controversy. The one referred to events supposed to have occurred not many centuries subsequent to the Christian era; the other alluded to the foundation of a church or monastery here in the eleventh century. Both, however, appeared in a character and under peculiarities fatal to their supposed antiquity: therefore, if not entirely spurious, they can only be considered an attempt at renewing inscriptions of more ancient date. The annual competition of bagpipers was formerly held at Falkirk, but of late years it has been transferred to Edinburgh. It is twelve miles south-east of Sterling, and twenty-four west of Edinburgh. FALKLAND, a town of Fifeshire, anciently one of the seats of the Macduffs, earls of Fife, which, on the attainder of Munro Stewart, the seventeenth earl, in 1424, became forfeited to the crown, and afterwards was a residence of the Scottish kings. It was erected into a royal burgh by James II. in 1458; enlarged and improved by James V. who died here in 1542; and received a renewal of its charter from James VI. in 1595, to obviate (as the preamble states), the damage and inconvenience sustained for want of innkeepers and victuallers, by the many prelates, peers, barons, nobles, and others of their subjects, who came to their country seats.' By this charter Falkland has a right to hold a weekly market and four annual fairs. The town is neatly built, and plentifully supplied with excellent water. It carries on a manufacture of coarse linens and osnaburghs, and is governed by three bailies, fourteen counsellors, a treasurer, and town clerk. The annual revenue of the borough is about £100. The remains of the palace evince its former magnificence and elegance, and the noble taste of the architect. The gateway is placed between two fine round towers; and on the right hand joins the chapel, roofed with wood, handsomely gilt and painted, but in a most ruinous condition. Beneath are several apartments. The front next to the court was beautifully adorned with statues, heads in bas-relief, and elegant columns not reducible to any order, but of fine proportion, with capitals approaching the Ionic scroll. Beneath some of these pillars was inscribed I. R. M. G. 1537: Jacobus Rex, Maria de Guise. This place was also a favorite residence of James VI. on account of the fine park and deer. The east side was accidently burnt in the time of Charles II., and the park ruined during Cromwell's usurpation; when the fine oaks were cut down to build the fort at Perth. Falkland is fifteen miles north of Edinburgh, and fifteen south-east of Perth. FALKLAND ISLANDS, a cluster of Islands at the extremity of South America, not far from the Straits of Magellan. They were discovered by Sir Richard Hawkins in 1594. The soil is bad, and the shores are beaten by perpetual storms. A British settlement was formed in 1764, but the settlers were dispossessed by the Spaniards in 1770; which occasioned an armament on the part of Britain; but, the dispute being settled by a convention, the British regained possession of them. In 1774, however, they were voluntarily abandoned to the Spaniards. The soil is represented as a mere bog, and the mountains to be barren. They have been called, by different navigators, South Belgia Islands, New Islands of St. Lewis, and the Mallouines: but they are now generally known by the name of Falkland Islands. Long. between 50° and 56° W., lat. from 51° to 53° S. FALKLAND SOUND, a strait or bay separating the two largest of the foregoing islands. FALL, v. n. & v.a. Sax. reallen; Germ. fallen; Belg. vallen; Goth. and Swed. falla; ab Heb. 5, says Minsheu. To drop; tumble down; move down; sink; descend in any way: hence to decrease; lessen; ebb; grow shallow; decline; become dejected; sink below something else in comparison; sink into weakness and apparent torpor (hence the phrase 'to fall asleep'); come to an end (as that which falls to the ground does with regard to its motion); die. To fall also frequently includes the idea of casualty, accident, or chance, perhaps from the ancient modes of decision by lot, or from the accidental manner in which fruit and other things drop around us: it is also applied to wrath and punishment, as being supposed to fall with weight; to the birth of animals who are dropped from the mother, &c. As an active verb, to fall signifies to let fall; sink; depress; diminish; yean; bring forth. Dr. Johnson having arranged the prepositions with which fall is used in composition alphabetically, we retain that order, and his definitions of the modification of meaning the verb thus undergoes. Fall, as a substantive, signifies the act of dropping or tumbling from a height, or erect posture; decline; degradation; declension or diminution of any kind; declivity: it is used particularly for the rushing of water down a precipice or declivity, or into a larger body of water; for autumn, the season of the fall of the leaf; and for any conspicuous or remarkable act or habit of falling, as a fall of rain;' the fall of timber;' 'fall of prices,' &c. Fall, says Dr. Johnson, is one of those general words of which it is very difficult to ascertain or detail the full signification. It retains in most of its senses some part of its primitive meaning, and implies, either literally or figuratively, descent, violence, or suddenness; In many of its senses it is opposed to rise; but in others has no counterpart or correlative. Not newe conuertid to the feith; lest he be borun up into pride and falle into doom of the deuel. Wiclif. 1 Tymo. iii And the next multitude fell a lusting. Numb. ii. 4. Ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. Lev. xxvi. 7. Thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence. Deut. There fell wrath for it against Israel. Labour to enter into that rest, lest after the same example of unbelief. 2 Chron. Acts xix. 17. any man fall Heb. iv. 11. What can be their business And, in his mantle muffling up his face, Which all the while ran blood, great Cæsar fell. Than honesty to honesty engaged? Id. Id. I have two boys Seek Percy and thyself about the field; Rut seeing thou fallest on me so luckily, I will assay thee. Id. Henry IV. other request to make, hide it not; If you have any for ye shall find we will not make your countenance Bacon. to fall by the answer ye shall receive. The greatness of an estate, in bulk and territory, doth fall under measure; and the greatness of finances and revenue doth fall under computation. Id. If a man would endeavour to raise or fall his voice still by half notes, like the stops of a lute, or by whole notes alone without halfs, as far as an eight, he will not be able to frame his voice unto it. Id. Natural History. He fell at difference with Ludovico Sfortia, who carried the keys which brought him in, and shut him Bacon's Henry VII. When the price of corn falleth, men generally break no more ground than will supply their own turn. out. Nor a lost hour recall! The greatness of these Irish lords suddenly fell and vanished, when their oppressions and extortions were taken away. Davies. These, by obtruding the beginning of a change for the entire work of new life, will fall under the former guilt. Hammond. That the Israelites might see the hand of Moses had a greater stroke in the fight than all theirs, the success must rise and fall with it: Amalek rose, and Israel fell, with his hand falling; Amalek fell, and Israel rises, with his hand raised. Bp. Hall's Contemplations. Perhaps thou talkest of me, and do'st enquire Of my restraint: why here I live alone; And oitiest this my miserable fall. Daniel's Civil War. Milton. They not obeying, Incurred, what could they less? the penalty; And manifold in sin, deserved to fall. How sweetly did they float upon the wings Of silence, through the empty-vaulted night, At every fall smoothing the raven down Of darkness 'till it smiled! They brought scandal To Israel, diffidence of God, and doubt In feeble hearts, propense enough before To waver or fall off, and join with idols. None on their feet might stand, Though standing else as rocks, but down they fell By thousands, angel on archangel rolled. Id. Id. Id. Fame of thy beauty and thy youth, Among the rest me hither brought, Finding this fame fall short of truth, Made me stay longer than I thought. Waller. The dogfisher is good against falling-sickness. Walton. Paul's, the late theme of such a muse, whose flight Has bravely reached and soared above thy height; Now shalt thou stand, though sword, or time, or fire, Or zeal more fierce than they, thy fall conspire. Denham. Id. After the flood, arts to Chaldea fell; The father of the faithful there did dwell, Who both their parent and instructor was. The king, understanding of their adventure, suddenly falls to take pride in making much of them. Sidney. Her memory served as an accuser of her change, and her own handwriting was there to bear testimony against her fall. Id. |