William of Malmesbury sayes that, anno Domini 900, tempore Regis Alfredi, hawking was first used. Coteswold is a very fine countrey for this sport, especially before they began to enclose about Malmesbury, Newton, &c. It is a princely sport, and no doubt the novelty, together with the delight, and the conveniency of this countrey, did make King Athelstan much use it. I was wont to admire to behold King Athelstan’s figure in his monument at Malmesbury Abbey Church, with a falconer’s glove on his right hand, with a knobbe or tassel to put under his girdle, as the falconers use still; but this chronologicall advertisement cleares it. [The effigy on the monument here referred to, as well as the monument itself, have no reference to Athelstan, as they are of a style and character some hundreds of years subsequent to that monarch’s decease. If there were any tomb to Athelstan it would have been placed near the high altar in the Presbytery, and very different in form and decoration to the altar tomb and statue here mentioned, which are at the east end of the south aisle of the nave.—J. B.] Sir George Marshal of Cole Park, a-quarry to King James First, had no more manners or humanity than to have his body buried under this tombe. The Welsh did King Athelstan homage at the city of Hereford, and covenanted yearly payment of 20li. gold, of silver 300, oxen 2,500, besides hunting dogges and hawkes. He dyed anno Domini 941, and was buried with many trophies at Malmesbury. His lawes are extant to this day among the lawes of other Saxon kings. CHAPTER XV. THE RACE. HENRY Earle of Pembroke [1570-1601] instituted Salisbury Race;* which hath since continued very famous, and beneficiall to the city. He gave ….. pounds to the corporation of Sarum to provide every yeare, in the first Thursday after Mid-Lent Sunday, a silver bell [see note below], of …… value; which, about 1630, was turned into a silver cup of the same value. This race is of two sorts: the greater, fourteen miles, beginnes at Whitesheet and ends on Harnham-hill, which is very seldom runn, not once perhaps in twenty yeares. The shorter begins at a place called the Start, at the end of the edge of the north downe of the farme of Broad Chalke, and ends at the standing at the hare-warren, built by William Earle of Pembroke, and is four miles from the Start.