King Edgar granted a charter to Steeple Ashton. [Aubrey has transcribed the charter at length, from the original Latin.—J. B.] The towne was burnt about the yeare ……. before which time it was a market-town; but out of the ashes of this sprang up the market at Lavington, which flourisheth still. [Lavington market has long been discontinued in consequence of its vicinity to the Devizes, which has superior business attractions.—J. B.] At Highworth was the greatest market, on Wednesday, for fatt cattle in our county, which was furnished by the rich vale; and the Oxford butchers furnished themselves here. In the late civill warres it being made a garrison for the King, the graziers, to avoid the rudeness of the souldiers, quitted that market, and went to Swindon, four miles distant, where the market on Munday continues still, which before was a petty, inconsiderable one. Also, the plague was at Highworth before the late warres, which was very prejudiciall to the market there; by reason whereof all the countrey sent their cattle to Swindown market, as they did before to Highworth. Devises.—On Thursday a very plentifull market of every thing: but the best for fish in the county. They bring fish from Poole hither, which is sent from hence to Oxford. [At this place in Aubrey’s manuscript is another “digression”; being “Remarks taken from Henry Milburne, Esq. concerning Husbandry, Trade, &c. in Herefordshire”.—J. B.] CHAPTER XIV. OF HAWKS AND HAWKING. [A PAPER “Of Hawkes and Falconry, ancient and modern”, is here transcribed from Sir Thomas Browne’s Miscellanies, (8vo. 1684.) It describes at considerable length (from the works of Symmachus, Albertus Magnus, Demetrius Constantinopolitanus, and others), the various rules which were acted upon in their times, with regard to the food and medicine of hawks; and it also narrates some historical particulars of the once popular sport of hawking.—J. B.] QUÆRE, Sir James Long of this subject, for he understands it as well as any gentleman in this nation, and desire him to write his marginall notes. [From Sir James Long, Dracot.] Memorandum. Between the years 1630 and 1634 Henry Poole, of Cyrencester, Esquire (since Sir Henry Poole, Baronet), lost a falcon flying at Brook, in the spring of the year, about three a’clock in the afternoon; and he had a falconer in Norway at that time to take hawks for him, who discovered this falcon, upon the stand from whence he was took at first, the next day in the evening. This flight must be 600 miles at least. Dame Julian Barnes, in her book of Hunting and Hawking, says that the hawk’s bells must be in proportion to the hawk, and they are to be equiponderant, otherwise they will give the hawk an unequall ballast: and as to their sound they are to differ by a semitone, which will make them heard better than if they were unisons.