Christian antiquities -- Great Britain; Folklore -- Great Britain; Great Britain -- Social life and customs; Manners and customs
"Then he blowed a blast full north, south, east, and west--
Wind well thy horn, good hunter;
And the wild boar then heard him full in his den,
As he was a jovial hunter.
Then he made the best of his speed unto him--
Wind well thy horn, good hunter;
Swift flew the boar, with his tusks smeared with gore,
To Sir Ryalas, the jovial hunter.
Then the wild boar, being so stout and so strong--
Wind well thy horn, good hunter;
Thrashed down the trees as he ramped him along
To Sir Ryalas, the jovial hunter.
Then they fought four hours on a long summer day--
Wind well thy horn, good hunter;
Till the wild boar would fain have got him away
From Sir Ryalas, the jovial hunter.
Then Sir Ryalas he drawed his broad sword with might--
Wind well thy horn, good hunter;
And he fairly cut the boar's head off quite,
For he was a jovial hunter."
The countryside rang with the knight's praise, and the king heard the
welcome news. The sovereign, as a reward for his services, made "the
jovial hunter," we are told, "the knight tenant _in capite_, and
constituted his manor paramount of all the manors within the limits and
extent of the royal forest of Rookwoode." The privilege of levying toll on
all cattle passing through nine townships was granted to him and his heirs
for ever. It was known as the Rhyne Toll, and commenced at midnight on
October 29th, and ended at midnight on November 7th annually. Before the
commencement of the collection of the toll, a horn was blown, as we have
previously stated, with some ceremony. The toll was collected until 1868,
when it was given up by Sir George Chetwode, the lord of the manor.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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