points, that in his rising he may therewith endanger the eye of
his adversary; fourthly, scrape, smooth, and sharpen his spurs
with a pen-knife; fifthly, and lastly, see that there be no
feathers on the crown of his head for his adversary to take hold
of; then, with your spittle moistening his head all over, turn
him into the pit TO MOVE TO HIS FORTUNE.'

I should, perhaps, state that, instead of the natural spurs, long
artificial ones of well-tempered steel were fixed to the cock's
heels in later times, and these were frequently driven into the
body of his antagonist with such vigour that the two cocks were
spitted together, and had to be separated.

The dreadful fight having come off, the following was the
treatment prescribed for the fortunate conqueror.

'The battle being ended, immediately search your cock's wounds,
as many as you can find. SUCK the blood out of them; then wash
them well with warm ****, and that will keep them from rankling;
after this give him a roll of your best SCOURING, and so stove
him up as hot as you can for that night; in the morning, if you
find his head swelled, you must suck his wounds again, and bathe
them with warm ****; then take the powder of herb Robert, and put
it into a fine bag, and pounce his wounds therewith; after this,
give him a good handful of bread to eat out of warm ****, and so
put him into the stove again, and let him not feel the air till
the swelling be fallen.'

A cock sometimes took a long time to recover from his wounds--as,
indeed, may be well supposed from the terrible 'punishment' which