Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-11-11
COCk.ElGhTINQ.

COCK-FIGhTINo.
@ow the Chicken Disputes of Our Fore
fathers Were Conducted.
With al the antiquarian knowledge
Of the present day, we doubt whether
one man in thousand could give toll
srably accurate description of the cock
lights of his forefathers. How cock
lighting is conducted at present we do
not pretend to know but ancient
cooking" hath its literature, and, be-
sides. the written word, there is consid-
cradle tradition concerning it, which
some of us are old enough to have re-
ceived from the very mouths of our
parents.
The first and most important point in
cock-fghting was the weight of the
birds. In most agreements for cock
| tight articles for cock-match"---
was the technical phrase-it was stpu-
lated that no cock should weigh less
than three pounds six ounces. or more
than four pounds eight ounces. When
the cocks of each side had been weighed.
the next thing was to pair them. This
was done by matching all the cocks on
either side whose weights came within
one ounce of each other. The ligktest
pair of cocks were always made to fight
first, and then those gradually
heavier. until the heaviest pair
fought last. This venerable rule had
been in use since the days of King
Charles III. Although the combs of the
birds were always cut, they had. to
appear. "with fair hackle, not too near
shorn, or out, nor with any other fraud"
The spurs were usually of silver, at least
in the great matches. At the time APP
pointed for the cock-ight to begin, the
masters of the match" took their seats
opposite to each other, on either side OF
the cockpit, accompanied by two Off
Gals termed the 'setters-to." Then
the two feeders appeared, each carry
ing cock. After due examination. the
birds were made over to the setters-to,
and they handed them to the masters
of the match, who started the fun by
putting the cocks upon the mat on the
floor of the cockpit. The next part of
| the business the cocks managed for
themselves. The ''noble SPORT now
began in earnest, and sometimes two
good birds would fight until one cock
had killed the other or thrashed him to
helplessness. But not uncommonly,
after sharp round, both cocks would
suspend hostilities to gain breath, and,
withdrawing to little distance, each
would watch the other in the hope of
catching him in careless or Hstless
moment. For short time this rather
added to the excitement of the specta-
tors; bat human patience soon became
exhausted when two cocks stood
solemnly cycling each other. Now the
limit of time for cocks to ogle without
fighting was fixed at the interval during
which an official, called ''the teller of
the law" could count forty. When this
limit was passed, human science was
brought to the assistance of the birds.
The setters-to then caught them, and
carrying them to the middle of the pit,
delivered them on their legs beak to
beak." If either of them had been
blinded in the previous battle, their
heads were to be made to touch each
other. If one cock refused to fight, he
was tried ten times. and he had to re-
fuse to fight as many times before he
was considered beaten. 1t sometimes
happened that the cock who would
fight, died from his wounds before his
adversary had refused ten times, and
in that case the craven bird was con-
sidered to have won the battle. The
law further provided rules in case both
cocks refused to fight, as well as in
other cases which it is hardly necessary
that we should enumerate; but they
were nearly all based on the principle
that 1.-the teller of the law" should
count forty. twenty or ten, according to
circumstances, between the intervals of
the fights, It will be readily under
stood, from this description, that great
part of a cock-fght was occupied by
the setters-to squatting opposite to each
other in the middle of the pit and ''de-
livering the cocks on their legs, beak to
beak''
Cock-fghting was fashionable in
Greece at least five hundred years B. c.,
and it was probably a very ancient
sport in China, where it is still highly
popular. In India, again. cock-fght-
ing is an institution of very great an
tiguity. Mr.. Doyle, in his book on
poultry, assumes that the Britons prac-
ticed cock-fghting before the landing of
Caesar, from the statement of that au-
thor to the effect that the Britons only
reared their fowls for amusement.
Both Henry VIII. and James I. were
fond of "cocking;' Oliver Cromwell
legislated against it, but Charles II.
revived it. The Royal Cockpit at West
minister. which was the head quarters
of cock-fghting, was established by
Henry VIII, and even in the present
century mains have been fought in it.
Newmarket has been the scene of num-
berless cock-fghts. Indeed, it may be
said that fof a long time cock-fghting
went hand-in-hand with racing, and it
used to betreported in the official racing
calendar, which was then called the
Sporting : Calendar. Taking up the
Sporting Calendar of. 1775, we read,
that at neutrality-suspicious., during
the race meeting the gentlemen
of Durham and northumberland
fought a main of cocks consisting
of thirty eight battles, and ending in "a
drawn main. 1t. is said that 1000
rama oookS hava bean k;11od IN Grb -,