SPAY. The usual meaning of this word (castrating females) given in all dictionaries is clearly inapplicable on this occasion (p. 174), where it undoubtedly means killing a stag with a sword, probably derived from the Italian _spada_. When the velvet was once off the antlers the stag at bay was usually despatched with the bow, for it was then dangerous to approach him close enough to do so with the sword. When achieved by bold hunters, as it occasionally was, it was accounted a feat of skill and courage. STABLES. O. F. _establie_, a garrison, a station. Huntsmen and kennelmen with hounds in leash, whose duty it was to take up a post or stand assigned to them during the chase, were called stables. We have _Stabilitiones venationis_ that are mentioned in Domesday (i. fol. 56b and fol. 252). In Ellis's introduction to Domesday he says: "_Stabilitio_ meant stalling the deer. To drive the Deer and other Game from all quarters to the centre of a gradually contracted circle where they were compelled to stand, was _stabilitio_." Malmesbury, Scriptores, post Bedam, edit. 1596, p. 44, speaking of the mildness of Edward the Confessor's temper, says, "_Dum quadam vice venatum isset, et agrestis quidam Stabulata illa, quibus in casses cervi urgentur, confudisset, ille sua nobili percitus ira, per Deum, inquit, et matrem ejus tantundem tibi nocebo, si potero_" (Ellis, i. 112). We see, however, at a later date from Twici and the "Master of Game" that the watchers or stables they allude to were stationary--and did not drive the game as described in above. These stations of huntsmen and hounds were placed at intervals round the quarter of the forest to be driven or hunted in with hounds to move the game, so that the hounds could be slipped at any game escaping; sometimes they were to make a noise, and thus blench or head the game back. In French such a chase was called a _Chasse à tître_ (Lav. xxviii.), the word _tître_ meaning net or tape, but in this case used figuratively. Our "Master of Game" evidently placed these stations to keep the game within the boundaries so as to force it to pass the stand of the King. Twici describes these stations of huntsmen, using the word _establie_. "The bounds are those which are set up of archers, and of greyhounds (_lefrers et de establie_) and watchers, and on that account I have blown one moot and recheated on the hounds. You hunter, do you wish to follow the chase? Yes, if that beast should be one that is hunted up (_enquillee_), or chased I will follow it. If so it should happen that the hounds should be gone out of bounds then I wish to blow a moot and stroke after my hounds to have them back" (Twici, p. 6).