of all tame animals, and of all wild beasts and birds that were of use to men. He was to listen specially to the difficult cases that were brought to the court, to be solved by the wisdom of the king. When he had lived thus for a year, he was to be brought to the church by the chaplain; and there,over the relics and before the altar, he swore, in the presence of the great officers of the king's court, that he would never knowingly do injustice, for money or love or hate. He is then brought to the king, and the officers tell the king that he has taken the solemn oath. Then the king accepts him as a judge, and gives him his place.When he leaves, the king gives him a golden chessboard, and the queen gold rings, and these he is never to part with.
I will tell you about one other officer—the falconer. Falconry was the favourite pastime of the kings and nobles of the time; indeed,everybody found it very exciting to watch the long struggle in the air between the trained falcon and its prey, as each bird tried every skill of wing and talon that it knew. The falconer was to drink very sparingly in the king's hall, for fear the falcons might suffer; and his lodging was to be in the king's barn, not
