with square-cut manchet, **** therein, and let them feed whilst
the****is hot; for this will cause their scouring to work, and
will wonderfully cleanse both head and body.'

Was ever poor animal subjected to such indignity? The
preparation of the other animal, the jockey, is nothing to it.
But, to continue:--

'The second day after his sparring, take your cock into a fair
green close, and, having a dunghill cock in your arms, show it
him, and then run from him, that thereby you may entice him to
follow, permitting him to have now and then a blow, and thus
chafe him up and down about half an hour; when he begins to pant,
being well-heated, take him up and carry him home, and give him
this scouring, &c.'

This training continued for six weeks, which was considered a
sufficient time for 'ordering a cock for the battle;' and then,
after the 'matching,' came the last preparation of the poor biped
for the terrible fight in which he would certainly be either
killed or kill his antagonist, if both were not doomed to bite
the dust. This consisted in the following disfigurement of the
beautiful creature:--

'With a pair of fine cock-shears cut all his mane off close into
his neck from the head to the setting on of the shoulders:
secondly, clip off all the feathers from the tail close to his
rump; the redder it appears the better is the cock in condition:
thirdly, take his wings and spread them forth by the length of
the first rising feather, and clip the rest slope-wise with sharp